A lot had happened in just three days, but while many things had changed, Lily could not help but feel anxious about the match about to begin. Rine had assured her that she was fully capable of dealing with anything Crassus might throw at her, but this was the moment of truth. She reviewed the rules in her head to make sure she wasn't overlooking anything, as well as to distract herself from the swarm of butterflies in her stomach.

The tournament hall held a circular fighting stage, often referred to as the arena, which was a relic that had existed before the school was built. An upraised stone circle with a fifty-yard diameter, it was more than large enough for not only individual duels but also team battles.

Prior to the birth of the kingdom, this relic was considered a place for ritualistic duels between wizards, one of the few places where wizard duels could be held without one person killing the other... or any observers. No spell cast within could exit the bounds of the stage, making it the perfect place for a match to be observed. The fighting stage itself made sure that all the rules were obeyed, as it would release a potent nullification spell the moment any victory condition was met, or any violation of the rules occurred. Once the battle commenced, the arena itself determined when it ended.

If the arena triggered, the match ended, and the conditions that caused an anti-magic burst were as follows:

1. If one of the combatants ran out of mana.

2. If one of the combatants experienced damage above a certain threshold.

3. If a combatant left the arena, either voluntarily or otherwise.

4. If any outside force attempted to strike a combatant within the arena.

5. If anyone within the arena stated that they conceded defeat.

The only other rule was that attacks that would be immediately fatal were banned. Dedicated healers were on standby to tend to anyone who experienced a serious injury, but thankfully, those were rare.

However, the threshold of damage possible before the arena kicked in could be somewhat... odd. Injuries that could be immediately life-threatening would cause it to trigger, but broken arms, legs, jaws, or lost teeth were not in that category, so someone being beaten to a bloody pulp without an anti-magic burst triggering was possible, albeit rare. That was why, even with the arena functioning as the primary means of rules enforcement, a referee was still required in case a student went too far.

Additionally, the tournament itself was held over the course of three days, with today being dedicated to the first-year students. Tomorrow, it would be the second and third years, followed by the senior and post-grad students on the final day. The second and third years, along with the senior and post-grads, were able to be consolidated into a single day due to the fact that there was a far lower number of the other groups, compared to freshmen.

Students who proved incapable of showing results in their first year often dropped out willingly or were pulled out by their parents rather than wasting further money on unnecessary education.

Regardless, on the evening of the final day, a short tournament would be held between the winners of the four respective tournaments. First-year vs second, then the third-year vs senior/postgrad, followed by the winners of the two matches facing off in the grand finale. It was uncommon, but not unheard of, for a second or third year to be the overall winner, but barring a few nearly legendary examples, never a first-year.

After all of that, there was a celebration. This marked the official end of the semester and the start of summer break. While the party would be a spectacle, it would be reasonably restrained compared to the one held after the tournament at the end of the school year. Those often tended to be wilder, possibly because it was allowed students to blow off steam after all the hard work that came with both final exams and the end of the year tournament as well.

Rine had stated that he didn't want to go near the arena, as a pulse of anti-magic would be fatal to any being reliant on magic for their continued survival, undead included. As such, he'd be watching from the crowd, far enough away to ensure that he wouldn't be at risk.

Out of idle curiosity, she'd asked the lich if he knew anything about the fighting stage and its origins. He'd admitted that while he knew of them, they were as ancient as the labyrinths and predated his own time. However, unlike the labyrinths, he'd never actually taken the time to study or duplicate these constructs. Given that these relics could effectively kill him in a heartbeat if they went off unexpectedly, he'd given them a wide berth out of simple self-preservation.

Still, Lily had idly wondered at the implications of that: There were things that had existed before Rine's civilization had started, and the lich's era had ended thousands of years ago. A kingdom had risen to such prominence that it could spawn wonders that challenged even Rine's understanding of magic, then fell. Twice, the people of the world had risen to undreamed-of heights, then collapsed. How many kingdoms had risen and fallen before those? Dozens? Hundreds?

...Thousands? Just how old was the world? How many great empires had risen and fallen in the past? How many would rise and fall in the future? If Lily took the time to think about it, she'd likely suffer a bout of existential dread.

She dismissed those thoughts for now. Regardless of what may have happened before, she couldn't let it distract her from the here and now. She had her whole life to spend cowering in a corner, whimpering about the terror that comes from increased awareness of the vast and nebulous truth that is the cosmos.

She only had a few minutes left to prepareherself mentally for the tournament. The king had decided to have her and Crassus go first, no doubt in part because he wanted to give her a chance at some payback as soon as possible, but also because there was a distinguished guest amongst those attending the tournament who would like to speak with her, and by having her match go first in the first round and then last in the next round would give them plenty of time to talk.

That suited Lily fine, because while, despite being nervous, she was still excited about her match with Crassus, Lily's next match would be against Madeline. Fighting a friend wasn't something anyone should look forward to.

Lily stood outside the arena, Crassus on the other side looking, if not confident, then at least calm or perhaps only resigned to whatever was about to happen. The headmaster was giving a short speech, at the end of which, their match would begin. It honestly wasn't anything interesting or impressive, just a brief summary of the history of the academy, as well as the purpose, traditions, and rules of the tournament. It was nothing that Lily did not already know, and as such, she barely paid any attention to it.

Finally, the speech came to an end, and the headmaster beckoned both of the combatants forward. Headmaster de Ironford stated, quietly enough that the crowd wouldn't hear it, "Now, I realize that the two of you have a history between you. However, I expect a good, clean fight. If I think either one of you is going to go too far, or otherwise display any unsportsmanlike conduct, I will not hesitate to stop this match and disqualify either of you on general principles. This is an exhibition match, not a gladiator pit for a blood duel. You are being watched by no less than the king himself, so you will behave accordingly or face the consequences. Leave your grudges outside. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Lily said, nodding.

"Perfectly," Crassus stated.

"Good," the headmaster stated. "Now, I am going to step out of the arena and officially commence the match. Do not cast any spells before then."

The two students stared at one another as headmaster de Ironford quickly vacated the arena. Once outside, he placed a hand out and intoned the ancient words that activated this ancient battlefield of wizards, an ancient incantation whose true meaning was the subject of much debate.

"Let's get ready to rumble!"

Lily immediately raised a barrier between herself and Crassus as her opponent raised a hand up, index finger pointing in preparation for a fire bullet. While a single layer would have been enough, Lily opted to instead place a triple-layered barrier as a precaution. As a further step, she made sure that it split the arena in half, covering its entire length. Crassus launched the projectile, which promptly hit the barrier... and fizzled out.

Lily grinned at the confused expression on her opponent's face. That had been more or less Lily's reaction when Rine had taught her this trick as well. After all, everyone knew that water and fire canceled each other out, same with earth and wind as well as light and dark. Opposing elements cancel, and non-opposing elements behave in different ways. But what happens when two spells with the same element strike?

The answer is simple: One absorbs the other. If two fire spells collide, the stronger will consume the weaker and keep going. However, if an offensive elemental spell hits a barrier imbued with the same element, the attacking spell is always consumed by the defender.

Rallying himself, Crassus shot three more fire bullets into the barrier, each with no effect. He took a moment to study it, then perked up and said, "Oh, I get it. You figured out how that fire absorption ring works and applied it to your barriers."

Lily shrugged, then asked, "Who knows?" It was as good a reason as any. She then reminded her opponent, "But I remember someone said that I should practice my shields and heals for the tournament. I took that advice to heart."

Crassus nodded, acknowledging the point. "Well, it certainly seems to stand up to fire bullets," he said, admiringly, "but I wonder whether or not it can stand up to something stronger?"

He raised a hand up above his head and began focusing, calling up a fireball. Then a second, and a third, which drew gasps of surprise from the crowd. The benefits of having an oversized mana core were that he could use such mana intensive spells effortlessly, after all. More than a few adult wizards would have found conjuring and maintaining three fireballs at once a challenge. Once again, Lily had to admit that Crassus probably had the makings of a powerful battlemage once he grew up...

However, her only outward reaction to this show of strength was to feign boredom, then make a beckoning gesture as if to say 'Bring it on', before placing her hands behind her back, so as to silently weave spells where Crassus wouldn't be able to see.

Her opponent did not hesitate, and brought his hand down, sending the three fiery projectiles towards her barrier. Crassus, and indeed everyone in the room, braced themselves for the explosion that would happen upon impact. The first fireball struck the barrier... and went out like a snuffed candle. That was the thing about absorption: It literally consumed the mana within the spell, rendering it null. No mana, no boom.

The second and third fireballs likewise puffed out on contact. The mana absorbed went straight to Lily, filling her core to the brim and then some. She used the mana she gained from the absorption to add several layers to her defense, making sure that each layer had a differing element, just in case Crassus was able to change things up.

Rine had warned her that an overcharge could be dangerous, and at her current strength, it would do her a great deal of harm if she held that excess mana in for more than a minute or two. As such, he'd warned her to immediately use any mana she absorbed from an opponent. With Lily significantly bolstering her ability to regenerate mana through Draconic Draining, she hardly needed the extra mana to keep her going.

But honestly, the extra defenses were probably unnecessary. For better or worse, Lily had spent six months getting to know Crassus better than almost anyone else in the academy, and by the young nobleman's own admission, he had no head for strategy or tactics. So, like many amateurs with that problem, his first instinct when coming up against an obstacle that resisted his assault was to get a bigger hammer rather than trying a different strategy.

Surprisingly, he did not, nodding in admiration and saying, "Well, I doubt throwing more fireballs is going to do anything, nor will any other fire-based spell." Then, a canny look came to his face as he raised his hand, index finger pointing, asked, "But I wonder how well it works against water..."

That was as far as he got before something unseen struck him in the face with a loud 'Whap!'. Dropping his hand, he started looking around, trying to spot what had hit, no, slapped him in the face. But nothing was immediately visible. Unfortunately, that didn't stop the second slap that followed or the third. The young man was now clearly confused at this sudden turn of events, trying to block his face from further attacks as he tried to rally himself.

Well, his confusion was to be expected. Rine had taught Lily about how to imbue her barriers with elemental magic, and it had been surprisingly easy to apply that to other spells like Helping Hands as well. The thing about imbuing a spell with elemental qualities was that it didn't just mean that whatever was conjured was now made of fire, or water, or whatever else, but that a competent wizard could grant a spell with not just general but specific qualities inherent to the element.

A barrier imbued with fire could burn to the touch, or be made to generate both heat and light. A barrier imbued with water could be easily changed in form without much effort. A barrier infused with earth could be as hard as stone, making it far more resilient than a normal barrier would be.

But what about the air? What qualities did air have? Well, you can't touch the air, nor can you see it. So, the air element-infused Helping Hands now on Crassus' side of the arena that were slapping him when he least expected it were all completely invisible. However, they were completely solid, and if they were no stronger than Lily's own hands, they could still manage a surprisingly solid slap.

Lily's mother was a historian, one who had a passion for the great military leaders and tremendous battles of old. She'd once had Lily read a tome concerning the exploits of one of the great generals during the age of barbarism, a man by the name of Tulcomdore. In particular, he was the last general of the age of barbarism, since it was his exploits that put an end to the numerous barbarian clans spread across the continent, and allowed the first true kingdoms to grow and flourish.

One of his sayings was 'Static defenses are the graveyard of armies.' However, he'd also stated that goes both for both the attackers and defenders, as fortresses can make for a great distraction since an army besieging fortifications tends to be more interested in the walls in front of them instead of the army sneaking up behind them. An attacker caught between a fortified enemy and a flanking force is often quickly destroyed.

To that end, while Crassus had been throwing fireballs, Lily had summoned multiple Helping Hands infused with the element of air and then sent those hands over her barrier while he was distracted. Of course, now that he was trying, and failing, to find out what was striking him and stop it, he had no time to pay any attention to Lily. She smiled and began weaving a new spell, this one requiring more complex movements...

Crassus finally became fed up with the continued attacks, and unleashed a Dragon's Breath, spreading it across his portion of the arena. Regrettably, Helping Hands were normally not at all sturdy, especially when imbued with the element of air, so they were all instantly destroyed on contact with the flames. This act did get some applause from the people observing the match. However, the murmurs of appreciation from the crowd quickly turned to silent awe as they began to look upwards. Crassus, confused, couldn't understand why... until he realized that he could no longer see his opponent anywhere in the ring. He looked around wildly until some instinct told him to look up...

And saw Lily, seemingly floating in midair, a dozen feet above him.

The first thing Lily had learned from Rine when he'd saved her life was that you can make a barrier capable of supporting your own weight and stand upon it. Imbue such a barrier with the element of air in the proper manner, and it was possible to make it look like you could fly, or at least hover, in midair.

Such an act was not possible through modern magic. Mages being able to fly was the stuff of fairy tales, the air being considered the domain of birds, dragons, and other winged creatures. To be able to leave the ground at will was a feat that marked a wizard of legend and song, rather than reality. Even if she was only doing so as a trick, the sheer visual impact of this act would demoralize any opponent.

Her gaze stony, Lily began calling up a Helping Hand, this one imbued with the element of earth. A hand of stone appeared, shaped in a fist, and began growing larger as she began feeding more mana into it. Crassus, to his credit, immediately tried to destroy it, launching a fire bullet. However, Lily had expected that and called up another fire element-imbued barrier to block the shot.

Making the fist grow was a slow process since she was feeding it power in direct proportion to the amount of mana she was gaining through Draconic Draining, but the growth was still steady and was supplemented by the power Crassus was throwing at her in his effort to stop it.

The fist grew larger, having gone from the size of an ordinary hand to larger than her head in a few brief seconds. As her opponent tried different spells, each one blocked by a barrier of the corresponding element, the fist grew larger, until it was the size of a boulder. Finally, satisfied with its size, Lily sent it down, targetted straight at Crassus.

Again to his credit, the young man tried to shoot it down with fire bullets, but at this point, she didn't need to block them. A fist this size, with this much mana reinforcing it, was strong enough to shrug off fireballs, nevermind bullets. The fist was slow but unstoppable, and when her opponent tried to get out of the way, he found his exit blocked by invisible, air-imbued barriers. Had he understood what blocked him or had the time to study it, Crassus might have escaped, but panic robbed him of his ability to analyze the situation, and he could only pound his fist in futility against the phantom walls that held him. He was trapped, his encroaching doom sluggish yet inevitable.

And so, he did the only thing he could think of. He shouted, "I concede!"

The arena pulsed anti-magic and canceled all existing spells, and Lily promptly fell to the ground, unprepared. She managed to land midway decently, but her ankle breaking upon impact very nearly made her shout something very unladylike at the top of her lungs. She managed to keep from falling over, but she was immediately healing herself the instant the pulse had ended.

If anyone asked her why she was crying, she'd tell a bald-faced lie and say that they were tears of joy over her victory. Thankfully, no one was close enough to hear her muttering "Stupidstupidstupidstupid..." under her breath as she worked to mend the damage done by her sudden descent. She'd take it as a lesson learned: If you were ever near anything that could instantly disable all magic around it, keep your feet on the ground.