Renji's next fight is about to begin, as he fights a seemingly non-threatening guy.
"Three... two... one... go!"
Renji's opponent uses a complicated chant that lasts for three full seconds. He starts throwing ice picks in quick succession. Renji dodges. His enemy keeps throwing. Renji keeps dodging. A hundred ice picks must have been thrown before they finally stop.
"You..."
Before finishing his sentence, Renji's opponent collapses to the ground due to lack of mana. He went completely overboard.
The arbiter hesitates, stunned by the absurdity of the match. After a long pause, they raise their voice.
"The winner is Renji Shibata!"
The crowd doesn't know what to do. A few claps go off. Mostly confused silence. Applause comes half-heartedly once again, though this time for entirely different reasons.
With only two fights each, the bracket shrinks from thirty-two to a mere eight. Those eight now face off against the ones who lucked out. Three matches to go until the final.
Renji steps into the arena again.
His next opponent is already waiting. Slightly taller, built like he trains, and dressed to show it. His name is Monda, one of the blank-slip winners.
He cracks his neck and grins.
"Looks like I drew the weakest link."
Renji doesn't respond.
The arbiter raises a hand.
"Three... two... one... begin!"
Monda opens up, casting a tremor spell that shakes the floor beneath Renji. The earth cracks in a jagged line, aimed straight for his feet.
Renji hops over it like he's avoiding a puddle.
Monda frowns and follows up with a reinforced dash, fist cocked back. He aims to end it early.
Renji sidesteps and elbows Mondo in the ribs.
Monda grunts but grins through the pain.
"Alright, you're not just some fluke. Let's get serious then."
He slams both palms together, muttering a quick chant. Stone spikes erupt from the ground, surrounding Renji in a jagged prison.
He darts forward, kicks off a spike, and soars straight at Mondo.
Mondo tries to cast another spell, but he's too late. Renji drives a knee into his gut, grabs his collar mid-fall, and flips him over onto the ground.
Mondo slams into the dirt with a dull thud. He twitches... then doesn't move.
Silence.
Again.
The arbiter checks him, then raises a hand.
"Victory goes to Renji Shibata!"
The crowd offers another hesitant applause, though this time, it leans more toward respect than confusion. Whispers ripple through the stands.
"That guy's still not using magic..."
"Is that on purpose?"
Maya watches from the stands, arms crossed.
"He's still holding back."
Renji walks up to her.
"I've seen what I needed to see. Is there any way to skip the tournament?"
"Bored already?"
Maya smiles, then continues.
"No, you can't skip usually. But... maybe I can make it happen for you. Only if you're nice."
"Go on."
"If you beat the top student of 2A we might spare you the introduction."
"When and where?"
"Calm down. We have to see if they're up to it, and what we could offer. Nobody wants to risk their reputation without a good reason."
"If I lose to him I'll quit the academy."
Maya's expression gets serious.
"You know, I can see you're strong, but don't get in over your head. Remember, he's part of last year's batch and he's got this far. Less than half did."
"I don't care. I've yet to see anything impressive at this school, maybe he'll change that."
Maya respects his resolve.
"Alright, big shot. We'll make it happen. I'll come back to pick you up."