Authors note: So I wasn't sure if I would make this book into arcs like light novels do. If I did, then we would be coming up on the end of this one soon.

What are your thoughts as readers? Do you like it when a book just keeps going chapter by chapter? Or do you like each major plot point separated into its own arc? Let me know in the comments, because I'm seriously curious.

Alright enough mumbo-jumbo, here's what you really came for. Enjoy!

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Chapter 14

Team Invictus entered the waiting room and all sat down. Callen removed his armor, Brett took off his jacket and Yumi loosened her robe. Calgar stayed standing.

Brett let out his breath. “Our fifth match is finally over. With this, all that’s left is the finals.”

“Unlike the rest of our matches, I’m excited for this one. They look like they could give us a real run for our money.”

“But an hour break is almost nothing! Don’t blame me if we lose because I was too tired…”

“You’ll be fine, just drink an energy drink or something.”

Yumi looked to Calgar. “Even though you haven’t been able to contribute much, you seem pretty lively Calgar.”

Brett looked at him. “Really? He looks the same to me though.”

Yumi nodded. “I can tell because of the link between us.”

Calgar crossed his arms. “It’s true. It’s as if there is something in the air that makes me feel energetic.”

Callen took a drink and said. “Think you can share some of that with the rest of us?”

“Sorry but you’re on your own.”

The three of them sat in a circle on the floor.

“Alright, changing gears to be more serious, this last match will definitely test our teamwork. As for tactics, I don’t think simple traps will work on them so we will have to try and whittle them down.”

Yumi asked. “Are we avoiding direct confrontation?”

“Yeah, but it will also depend on the field’s terrain. Anything with cover would definitely help us.”

Brett added. “They have two front liners, two magicians and a rouge for harassing.”

Callen thought for a bit then said. “We will have to have Calgar play an active role this time. Yumi are you comfortable having him as vanguard with me?”

She nodded. “It should be fine. I’m worried about the rouge attacking me though.”

Brett answered her. “I’ll keep an eye out for you and make sure he won’t get an opening.”

“Then I’ll be counting on you.”

Calgar watched over them. He was feeling very proud seeing the three children overcoming all their matches so far without his help. It was something he truly enjoyed, watching mortals overcome their limits.

A sudden knock on the door caught everyone’s attention. Auromi stepped in and closed the door behind her.

“How is everyone doing?” She asked.

Brett smiled. “I’m doing wonderful now that you’re here.”

She smiled back at him. “That’s good to hear. Are you nervous about the finals?”

Callen answered. “I’d say more excited rather than nervous. But that might just be me.”

Yumi asked her. “Was there something you needed Ms. Auromi?”

She shook her head. “No, I just took it upon myself to check up on the students. I’ll be leaving here shortly.”

She then looked at Calgar.

“And how is everything going for you?”

“I’m fine. Though, today I seem to feel more powerful. Can you tell any difference?”

“Hmm, I sense that you have more than what you did… but it’s not obvious.”

“Strange… I wonder what the cause is.”

“When did it start happening?”

“I only noticed today. I’m not sure when it began.”

“I see… Let me know if anything else changes.”

“I will.”

“…”

“Was there something else?”

“No… it’s just… have you given any thought to what we talked about earlier?”

“… I’m sorry; I still don’t have an answer for you.”

“Its fine, I was just curious. Have fun in the finals and make sure to take it easy on the mortals okay?”

“I’ll be careful.”

The whole conversation happened in the span of a few seconds. To everyone, it only looked like Auromi gave Calgar a single glance before walking out the door.

Brett stood up as she left. “Alright I’m brimming with energy now! Let’s do this thing!”

“Sit down Brett, there is still forty-five minutes left.”

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In another waiting room, the opponents that Team Invictus would face were also having a small strategy meeting.

They were Team Winterfell. They had been able to produce similar results to Team Invictus, being able to quickly end their matches using advanced tactics and strategy. Not to mention each individual member was quite the capable fighter in their own right.

The team was led by another Lord’s child. Her name was Olivia Mercer. She had her brown hair tied in a low ponytail. Her blue eyes had sharp features giving her a strong and somewhat intimidating feel.

She was wearing light armor even though her role was that of a vanguard. She relied more on evasion than defense, and so chose armor that was light. Only her chest, forearms and shins were covered in a protective metal. The rest was hard, yet flexible leather that allowed her freedom of movement.

The other vanguard was a man with brown eyes, short muddy hair and a tall build. His name was Garret Olson. Opposite to Olivia, he wore heavy armor that left almost no gaps except for at his joints. His weapon was a spear and shield, which combined with his armor, made him a walking fortress.

The two mages on the team were sisters, Solana and Amalia Hearten. One had strawberry blonde hair, tied in low pigtails that hung in front of her. The other had platinum blonde hair, that she just let flow down her back. Both girls had ice blue eyes. They both specialized in ice type magic, which is where the team got its name from.

The last member was Neil Righter. He was a small boy with a thin frame that disguised his agility. His black bangs were long enough to cover his amber eyes and he would always brush them aside. He was the team’s jack of all trades, able to harass and confuse, as well as take down the enemy’s unguarded rear mages. He wore light hide armor and fought with two daggers.

Solana clapped her hands. “Okay everyone, lets like, get this meeting started.”

Amalia gave her impressions about their opponents. “Callen will definitely be the major obstacle. With his ability to combine melee with magic, he can cover most of his bases.”

Neil gave his opinion too. “Brett will also be a hindrance. He’s pretty perceptive and able to place traps where the enemy plans to move.”

Garret asked. “What about Yumi? It’s still unclear how much magic she can use and of what types. She’s my biggest concern since there are too many unknowns.”

Solana agreed. “Yep, yep. Also her summon is a wild card. Seriously, in all their matches it didn’t do much but stay by her side.”

Olivia stepped forward. “Everyone, it’s quite simple. Since we don’t know the information, there is no sense in pointlessly worrying over it. Just trust in each other and your own instincts.”

Neil made a sour face. “I’d like a more concrete plan than that. You basically just told us to ‘wing it’.”

Amalia sighed. “I have a few plans we could use, but I need to know the terrain first. Either way, I think our best bet would be a head on assault. We have the manpower and strength for it, while they are a more mobile team that relies on separating the enemy or bogging them down so they can’t retaliate.”

Garret nodded. “Makes sense. I also noticed they tend to keep spread out. So if we stop their movements, we can have two people fight one of them.”

Solana cheered. “Awesome! With this all we gotta do is put it into practice and first place is totally ours!”

Everyone smiled at Solana’s statement.

Olivia got up and looked over her teammates. “It’s almost time for the finals so make sure you’re all geared up and ready to go. We only get one shot at this so don’t forget anything!”

Everyone went over their gear and made sure they were prepared. Team Winterfell was ready, and they were aiming to win.

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“Here it is folks. The moment you’ve all been waiting for! I know it’s been a long day, but the end is in sight! There is no better way to kick off the finale than with the two strongest teams going at each other! Give a hand for Team Invictus and Team Winterfell!”

The crowds cheered for the students who entered into the field. With their tension maxed out, half chanted for Team Invictus and half for Winterfell.

Callen and Olivia approached each other, with their team members behind them.

“Hey Olivia. You’ve gotten stronger since first year. I’m eager to see what you can do now.”

“Right back at you Callen. I was surprised to see a lone wolf like you with teammates at all.”

He laughed. “What can I say? I’ve found a nice pack to run with me.”

Olivia laughed too. “So it seems. But we don’t plan on losing after coming this far.”

“Then give it all you got and we’ll do the same.”

They separated and went to the starting points.

“Both teams seem to be raring to go! The terrain has been decided and it is… Plains! Nowhere to hide! It will be a straight up fight between both teams! And with that, let the finals begin!”

The bell rang out and the noise from the crowd vanished.

Callen cursed his luck. “It had to be this one out of all the terrain…”

Yumi called out. “Plan D! Calgar back up Callen!”

“Go wild kid, I’ll have your back.”

Callen gave a light salute and dashed forward. “I’ll take you up on that.”

On the other side Garret had already begun to move to intercept Callen. His heavy footsteps crushed the grass and shook the ground slightly.

Garret shouted. “Olivia!”

“I’m right behind you big guy.”

She pulled from her waist a weapon with two curved blades on each side of its handle. Activating its internal mechanism, the handle extended becoming a two meter long double bladed staff.

“Leave Callen to me and stall the summon. Once Neil and the girls take out one of the other two we can pressure one.”

“Got it!”

Olivia jumped over Garret and charged at Callen. His arm burst into flames and he launched a spell while they came closer.

“[Solar Flare]!”

A flashing fire ball shot forth. Olivia squinted her eyes and slowed her pace. Callen appeared from her side and swung his fist out. Olivia barely dodged the punch and countered with a slash. Callen held up his arms in a defensive pose.

“[Void Skin].”

A purple sheen covered his gauntlets. When the blade struck him, the sound of grinding metal pierced the air. After the exchange, both took some distance and looked for an opening.

The calm air surrounding them quickly turned sinister. Clouds began to form and the sun was covered plunging the battlefield into darkness. Winds began to kick up and the temperature began to drop. Little snowflakes began to fall, followed shortly after by hail then human sized chunks of ice.

Solana and Amalia were casting the same spell and combined it to increase its effects.

“”[Blizzard]!””

The spell was wide ranging but not very accurate. So why would they cast such a spell then? It was simple. They were trying to blunt Yumi’s spell.

Yumi had raised both her hands to the sky and cast her spell. “[Hellfire]!”

Flaming rocks appeared out of the clouds along with the ice. The temperature was in constant flux between hot and cold.

The raging winds whipped up the surroundings and the hot and cold currents were in chaos. It began to rain heavily in addition to the fire and ice meteors.

During this time Neil would have attempted to attack Yumi while she was casting her magic. But standing in-between him and her was Brett. Nocking another arrow he launched it at Neil. It was a foolish move with weather this ferocious, yet the arrows seemed to ride the wind and take ridiculous paths that almost homed in on Neil.

He was shocked and confused as to how he was pulling it off. Deciding close range would give him the advantage he charged ahead. As his foot was about to hit the ground he suddenly had a bad feeling. Neil launched himself with his other foot and tumbled forward, getting back on his feet.

The area he jumped over had a piece of earth that looked like the jaws of some vicious animal. Had he stepped there it would have his foot in a death grip. He knew now that he couldn’t approach so carelessly.

Calgar was exchanging blows with Garret. When Garret would strike with the spear, Calgar would parry with his arms, guiding the blow away from him. He would then strike the shield with his fist, regulating the power so it wasn’t too strong and only slightly dented it. Yet it would still stagger Garret every time he took a blow.

He clenched his teeth and dug his feet in the ground, but was still pushed back. As he was being pushed back once again, he heard Yumi’s voice call out through the storm.

“Formation Permuto!”

Garret wondered what the heck that meant. He was about to attack Calgar, when Calgar dashed away.

“Hey get back here!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you company!”

“Callen?!”

Callen released a left hook while reaching around Garret’s shield. “[Induction Impact]!”

A discharge of energy exploded upon impact, sending Garret flying a few feet in the air. The barrier protected from most of the shock and determined that with the composition of the armor, electrocution would have been fatal, and thus Garret was immobilized.

“Alright that’s one.”

Yumi yelled. “Brett look out!”

Callen turned to see Yumi creating a rock wall between Brett and Neil. Neil had been only a few feet from Brett and lunged for the kill.

Brett ran past Yumi and they switch places. “I owe you Yumi! Remind me to buy you something nice!”

He then readied an arrow and aimed at the sisters. “Don’t hate me ladies, [Gale Force]!”

As he released the arrow it flew towards Solana. A second after the arrow left, a booming wind rushed forth. Amalia stopped casting and quickly tried to prepare a defense.

“[Ice shield]!”

A frozen barrier erected itself between the oncoming arrow and her sister. The arrow struck it and the ice wall burst into tiny shards. The shockwave threw Solana to the ground. With both the sisters and Yumi canceling their spells the clouds started drifting away and the weather began to return to normal.

Amalia wanted to check on her sister, but repressed the urge and attacked Brett. “[Rending Shards]!”

Tiny icicle shards swirled around him and began to close in, creating a mini ice cyclone. While each shard wasn’t strong on its own this magic utilized the tactic of ‘Death by a thousand cuts’.

Brett was between a rock and a hard place. He wasn’t good at defensive magic and this attack cut off all escape routes.

He inwardly sighed. “Looks like I’m not getting out of this one… Well if that’s the case.”

He readied another arrow and aimed up above the whirlwind. “I’ll take you with me.”

He released the arrow just as the icicles tore into his body. The barrier protected and immobilized him at the same time and he fell to the ground.

Amalia silently cheered at taking down Brett and turned her attention to her sister. She ran over and checked on her. Amalia didn’t know why, but Solana had been immobilized by the field. That attack shouldn’t have been fatal though? Maybe the fall had been more serious than it looked.

She stood up and looked to Neil and Yumi who were currently fighting. Yumi was trying to keep a set distance from Neil and attack with magic. Amalia took aim at Yumi and prepared to attack when she was vulnerable.

Yumi jumped back with her magically reinforced legs and launched a spell.

Amalia exclaimed. “Now! [Icicle Spe-]!”

A whistling sound distracted her. She looked around but saw nothing.

“What the heck is that?”

The sound was growing closer. Finally she looked up and squinted as the sun shone into her eyes. She saw a black dot and not a moment later was struck in the forehead by an arrow. She could barely register what had happened as she fell to the ground immobilized.

Meanwhile Olivia had begun to sweat. Calgar was parrying all her attacks and giving her little to no time to react to his. Olivia was proud of her agility, but in the face of this opponent it was as if she was moving in slow motion.

“How are you so fast with that armor?!”

“If your muscles can handle the weight, then even a fully armored soldier can be quick.”

Another of her blows was deflected. “So damn cheap!”

“All is fair in war Miss.”

She barely dodged another attack. Her breathing was growing ragged. Olivia wanted to know how her team was doing, but she couldn’t afford to even glance away. She unleashed a flurry of blows, spinning the staff around her body. Each strike connected flawlessly with the next, keeping the momentum of the staff continuously going and eliminating any openings.

And yet Calgar was as unmoving as a bulwark. His hands glided effortlessly through the air, as if guiding Olivia’s strikes to barely miss hitting him. Finally the onslaught stopped. Olivia was out of strength. Her knees shook, barely able to keep her standing.

Calgar praised her. “You’re quite skillful. Keep it up and train to be even stronger.”

“I’m… not…done…yet…” She tried to catch her breath.

“I’m sorry, but you are.”

Faster than the naked eye could follow, Calgar struck her sternum with his fist. The barrier strained and sizzled as if it would pop at any moment. It then settled down and Olivia dropped to her knees, and then sprawled out on the ground.

Calgar was shocked as he looked at his fist. He didn’t intend to put much power in his strike, but that came close to causing serious damage to the girl.

Could it be that extra power I’ve been feeling?

He didn’t know where his extra power came from. He decided he would ask Auromi to help him get to the bottom of this. He then turned and saw Callen heading to Yumi, who was still fighting with Neil.

Yumi had stopped attacking and could only dodge Neil’s twin daggers. She had already used up a lot of her magic. She only had enough for a few more attacks.

Callen ran in and put himself in-between Neil and Yumi. “Good job holding out. He’s the only one left.”

Neil looked around and saw that it was true.

“So it’s just me huh?”

“Don’t tell me you’re giving up?”

Neil shook his head. “No way. In fact, I may be able to still turn this around.”

“Quite a statement. But do you really think you can pull it off?”

“I won’t know until I try!”

Neil sheathed a dagger and reached behind his back and grabbed a white ball out of his pouch. Before Callen could react he threw it at his head. Callen crossed his arms to shield himself, but that’s what Neil was aiming for.

As the white ball hit his arms, it burst into a white flour-like powder, blinding him. Neil had already jumped at him when he threw the ball and now he was completely helpless to the strike.

To Yumi the world slowed down as adrenaline pumped through her veins. She watched as Neil approached Callen. She knew if Callen were to fall here then they would most likely lose. Her mind raced and calculated all the spells she knew and if it could turn the situation around.

There was only one she could use with her current magic power. She stretched out her hand and pointed at Callen. She took a deep breath, clenched her teeth and resolved herself.

“[Vorto]!”

In less than a millisecond, Yumi was now standing where Callen had been. Neil’s eyes grew wide as he brought the dagger down and hit Yumi in the neck. She was knocked away and rolled on the ground.

A purple hue was glowing from Callen’s hands and he disintegrated the powder covering his helmet. He then turned to Neil who was still stunned at what happened and charged him.

“[Flame Explosion]!”

It was a single punch to Neil’s gut. A pillar of flames engulfed him as he was blown away. The battlefield grew quiet until the sound of a bell ringing could be heard.

The crowd went ballistic over the match. They were so loud you could barely hear the announcer.

Callen relaxed his guard. “Hey Yumi, we did it. We won first place. This fight was everything I could have hoped for. I wasn’t disappointed.”

Not hearing a response, Callen looked around. “Yumi?”

He then saw her on the ground. He rushed over to her. “Hey are you okay? What happened? How did you get hit?”

Calgar walked up to him and picked up Yumi in his arms.

“You were about to take a fatal hit from the dagger wielding boy over there. Yumi used a spell that made her take the hit instead of you.”

Callen was confused. “Why did she do that? Even if I was to be defeated, she could have taken him on with you.”

Calgar shook his head. “She had no magic left, and by the time I could reach her, she would have lost and if she loses I lose by default too.”

“So then, she did it so we could win?”

Calgar shrugged and headed to the infirmary where the other students who fell in battle were being taken. “Who knows, I’m not her. Only she can tell you that answer.”

Callen watched as he left.

“There you have it! Team Invictus takes the win! There were so many things that I couldn’t believe happened; I was starting to question my sanity! This match will definitely be one to remember and hard to top, but I’m sure the first years will give it their all when the time comes. This ends the Beista’s 87th Academy Tournament, thanks for watching and be sure to come back next year!”