After Kai, there were only eight competitors for the first round. They all competed but nobody could really focus, they were all shaken by Kai's power. This was only a mock tournament but they saw something incredible.

The second round had started, there are twenty competitors left and ten matches will take place. The first match competitors consisted of Yoko and a boy.

"Competitors, step forward."

Yoko stood atop the stage opposite to the boy.

The elder looked at both competitors and raised his hand.

"Let the battle commence!"

Yoko wordlessly raised her palm and aimed.

"[Shadow Ball]."

Instant-fire, it was faster than the speed of how Kai had used [Dark Beam]. She didn't want to lose to him. She wanted to defeat her opponent better than him.

"[S-!"

Like her previous matches, her attack landed before the enemy could even cast anything.

A boom rang out and her opponent was sent flying; unconscious.

Yoko clicked her tongue and walked off the stage.

"Another domineering one..."

The elder sighed once more.

"Competitor, Yoko wins. Doctors, bring the boy down, he's also... unconscious."

The people who brought Kinzo down earlier came back and also took the boy who fought Yoko to the infirmary.

“They’re both so strong at such a young age...”

“The future of this clan is most likely gonna revolve around those two.”

“How are they that strong...?”

Many words of praise and disbelief could be heard from the audience. The other competitors who heard these all clenched their fist, these two would certainly be two figures they could not offend.

"I mustn't hold back Kai..."

Akane made a vow to become stronger.

"The least I can also do is to defeat my opponent instantly!"

The boy who would later become Akane's opponent felt a chill down his spine.

Akane stepped on the stage with her opponent facing her.

The elder once more looked at both sides and raised his hand.

"Let the battle commence!"

"[Double Cast]. [Shadow Ball]!"

Kanako raised both her arms and chanted two spells.

Her opponent was speechless and just saw two balls of darkness heading straight for him.

"Why are there two attacks...?"

The boy's last words before fainting were filled with despair.

A large boom rang out, both attacks landed on her opponent's body. The boy fell back and landed on the barrier; unconscious.

But instead of an uproar, her win was met with silence. She used two attacks at the same time, nobody else could achieve that. It must've taken quite a lot of effort. Everyone else was speechless, Yoko had her brows furrowed because she made the weakest display out of the three of them. Although they hadn't fought yet, the two of them showed more outstanding results than her. She naturally felt pressure.

"I mustn't betray father's expectations."

Yoko stretched out her hand to the sky, the summer rays passing through the gaps of her fingers. She then clenched her fist and made a vow.

I will not lose!

Yoko vowed silently in her heart.

Akane stepped down the stage as the elder gave another huge sigh.

"Another overbearing one has appeared... Someone, take the boy to the infirmary. This is the third one already and it's a mock tournament of all things, what would happen if this was an actual competition...?"

The elder muttered the last part and so nobody could hear his despair.

"Seriously...?"

"First, a boy who has a body that can take on attacks unscathed and a power that can defeat his opponent without laying a hand on him. Second, a girl whose cast speed and mastery of her spells are insane to the point of defeating her enemies instantly. And lastly, a girl who can use two spells at the same time."

Akane had only whispered her first spell so nobody else knew that she actually cast something before [Shadow Ball]. It was a move her parents had taught her, [Double Cast]. Like the name implies, it doubles the spell at the same time. Normally, only a mage of E-class or higher can use two spells at the same time but anyone can cast two spells with a delay in the middle.

[Double Cast] is a spell that breaks the limits and can make two copies of a spell. If per say, the wielder uses a spell that contains ten attacks, when the wielder adds [Double Cast] to that spell, the spell would multiply by two and become twenty attacks. This [Double Cast] is basically a cheat technique and has barely any side-effects other than using twice the amount of magic normally required.

Kai was chosen as the next competitor, the three powerhouses of their generation were chosen one after the other. But a bizarre occurence happened during Kai's battle.

"I concede!"

The boy who was Kai's enemy immediately admitted defeat right after the battle started. Kai was struck speechless and the elder sighed.

"I knew this would happen..."

"Should I have not done that earlier...?"

Kai smiled wryly and walked off the stage.

The other matches weren't particularly interesting but the final match left the audience in awe.

"Second round, tenth battle Kuroshi Ichiro vs Kuroshi Tessai."

Both competitors stood atop the stage. The elder looked at both sides and raised his hand once more.

"Let the battle commence!"

Ichiro was the first to make a move, instead of using magic he went close. Tessai mimicked his movements and ran straight for Ichiro. Both of them readied their fist on the sides.

"Take this!"

Tessai yelled and jumped. Ichiro stayed down and stopped his body where it stood.

When Tessai's fist was about to land down, Ichiro repositioned his body to block the incoming blow.

Kai at the side raised his brow.

"This guy is good... He knows what would happen if the opponent attacked carelessly. If I remember correctly, he's the eldest from our batch. He's about to turn eight soon."

Kai calmly analyzed Ichiro. Akane at the side tilted her head.

"Wouldn't a jump attack contain more power?"

Kai smiled and gave Akane's head a pat which elicited a pout from her.

"Not necessarily. Though it is true the attack power would increase from a regular punch, the whole body would be left unguarded soon after the attack. He positioned his body to block the opponent's attack but it would also be something fatal to the enemy, they'll be revealing every weak point of themselves. Watch closely."

Kai pointed at Ichiro and Tessai's battle.

Tessai's fist landed on Ichiro's. The shock from the punch made Ichiro step back once and made Tessai's body unsteady.

"Vulnerability after the attack, exactly what I said."

Akane was surprised.

"So, how did he know that?"

Kai shrugged his shoulders.

"His family must've taught him martial arts over magic."

Akane looked at the battle then Kai for quite a few times.

"Who would win in close combat, you or that Ichiro guy?"

"Me, of course."

"Such confidence..."

Kai's answer didn't even have a hint of hesitation.

"In close combat, I assume that the only ones who are able to match me are you and Yoko."

Kai nodded with closed eyes and crossed arms.

"But you haven't seen us do any martial arts..."

Akane tilted her head.

"Ah, well, ummm..."

Kai was caught off-guard by the sudden question and couldn't think of an answer.

"I-it's a natural ability! You can tell if someone can beat you in a fight with your instinct. My instinct can sense that you two have trained quite a bit in martial arts so I definitely know! Nn."

Kai nodded after his explanation. Akane didn't question any further seemingly convinced by Kai's answer.

Kai let out a sigh of relief.

Reo had actually told him all of the information about his opponents. Kai's assessment of Ichiro was from training with Reo, he had learned how to analyze how the body moves when fighting. He wasn't at the level of predicting his enemy's movements but he could analyze basic motor movements.

Of course, the bodies of children couldn't possibly be able to do all this and still not be hurt. Every single one of them have [Body Enhancement] when battling. The reason Kai wasn't hurt nor scratched when Kinzo's attack hit him was because of Kai's [Body Enhancement], he mastered it to the point of using it in a single part of the body to further enhance the effects. A regular [Body Enhancement] would enhance the whole body by a bit but when focused on a single spot, it becomes many times stronger. When the elder showed his [Body Enhancement] he had used it in a single arm which made his arm strain slightly.

Ichiro stepped forward and leaped towards the unsteady Tessai. Ichiro wordlessly punched Tessai's abdomen and made his body land on the floor with a thud.

"Gah!"

Tessai was forced to spit some saliva from the punch. Tessai stood up with a hand on his abdomen.

"Ichiro...!"

Tessai roared and ran straight for Ichiro once more.

Tessai punched with a straight right but Ichiro just dodged to the side and placed both hands on Tessai's arm. He then gripped it tightly and kicked Tessai's heel. With the momentum from Tessai's run and punch, Ichiro lifted Tessai up and slammed his body down on the floor.

Before Tessai could react, Ichiro kicked Tessai's body to get him lie down on his stomach and then proceeded to place his knee on his back, grab one of his arms and place it behind his back, and then pushed his neck to the floor.

"I win."

The crowd cheered after his words. They saw a future master in martial arts, at such a young age he could analyze the other's movements and use them against themselves.

"Hoooh, I must've underestimated him."

Kai praised.

"Do you still think you can beat him?"

"Nn."

Kai nodded without hesitation once more.

"Eh? Seriously?"

"Nn."

Kai nodded again.

"You're too confident..."

Akane sighed.

"Confidence can only come from people who can back it up with sufficient power, he may have skills better than all of us but he lacks the power to use it efficiently. I can tell that even Yoko is impressed but she isn't intimidated. If we were to compete in pure skill alone, he would undoubtedly win. But if we compete in power and skill, he would be sorely supressed."

"You seem to use her a lot as an example..."

"She's the other powerhouse of our generation excluding us so I can only use her as an example aside from the both of us."

"True..."

Ichiro wordlessly stood up once the elder informed him he can step down.

"The second round is over and we will now have the third round! The third round has ten people and will consist of five matches, everyone will have fifteen minutes to rest before we start."

The three hour alotted time was actually too much for this competition, normally it would've been the exact amount of time needed but since six battles from three people were won instantly, the time needed was drastically reduced.

"Wanna go eat?"

"Nn."

Akane agreed to Kai's invitation and they both walked towards the area where food was being served for competitors.

The place was naturally full because it was a break but because Kai and Akane were early, they were able to secure a seat.

"Meat and greens with soup as a side. This is pretty basic food for meals for a competition aren't they?"

Akane said as she poked the food.

"What else would you eat, sweets?"

"If there were any, yes."

Kai sighed, this cousin of his had a really huge sweet tooth.

"May I sit here?"

A feminine voice reached Kai's ear.

"Ah, go ahead."

Kai gestured for her to sit down.

"Nice to meet you, although you should already know my name, I'll still introduce myself. My name is Yoko."

"Kai, nice to meet you too."

"Akane, let's get along."

The three exchanged pleasantries but afterwards, Yoko had focused on her food and kept silent.

After the three had finished eating, they still sat on the table to rest while Yoko made a conversation.

"That technique of yours... what was it?"

Yoko faced Kai and asked him a question.

"Uhh, it came from a book I accidentally picked up. Though the book became blank immediately afterwards..."

"A grimoire?!"

Yoko abruptly stood up.

"Ah, sorry..."

She sat back down in embarassment when everyone looked at her, although her voice was low enough that no other party could hear what she said. If anyone did hear it, there'd be a huge commotion.

"No, I don't think it was a grimoire. Since the text immediately disappeared after I had read it..."

"Maybe some sort of storage?"

Akane cut in.

"Maybe..."

Kai didn't answer her question but he didn't deny it either.

"I was actually surprised at that technique, it actually reached all the way to the audience. I'm sure everyone actually felt some sort of pressure."

Kai's expression went blank and looked at Akane.

"Was that why you were staring into space earlier?"

"Uhh, umm, eh..."

Akane was trying to find an answer, she knew that Kai didn't wanna hurt her so if he unintentionally hurt herm, he would certainly blame himself.

"So it was... I'm sorry Akane!"

Kai stood up and bowed to Akane.

"Eh?! Kai, sit back down!"

Akane became flustered, everyone was looking at their table.

"Ugh..."

Yoko covered her face with one of her hands and was looking down.

"Okay..."

Kai sat back down after Akane had told him too albeit reluctantly.

"It's fine, it's not like anyone was hurt."

(A/N: What about Kinzo?)

"Yeah..."

Yoko supported Akane.

(A/N: But what about Kinzo...?)

"That's a relief..."

(A/N: Weren't you the reason Kinzo was hurt...?)

"Everyone, the third round is about to start. Competitors please head back to the stage."

An attendant went to the room and announced to everyone that the competition was starting.

The three of them stood up and walked back together.

"If any of us meet, I won't show any mercy."

Yoko warned Kai and Akane.

"Likewise."

Kai responded with no hesitation.

"Uhh, yes. I won't show any mercy as well!"

After a moment's hesitation, Akane enthusiastically answered as well.

Kai, Akane, and Yoko sat down in waiting area but before Kai could even warm his seat, the elder informed him to go up.

"I'm first?"

Kai pointed at himself and walked up the stage.

The elder raised his hand.

"Let the battle commence!"

"I concede!"

Before Kai could even make a battle pose, his opponent had already surrendered.

"Didn't this happen before...?"

Kai smiled wryly and walked down the stage.

Although Akane and Yoko were also domineering, they didn't scare everyone enough that they made their opponents concede, the top five were settled quickly. It consisted of Yoko, Akane, Ichiro, Kai, and a boy named Keita.

"The fourth round is a bit special, the five of you will draw lots and whoever gets the special lot will be exempted from the fourth round and the semi-finals!"

"Oh, so we can get extra time to rest and get an advantage on the others."

Akane pumped her fist.

"The chances of getting chosen is one in five, though it might seem really high, it is also true for the others."

Yoko poured cold water on his head.

"My luck isn't that good so I won't get chosen anyway."

Kai sighed.

"Everyone, you may draw now."

The five of them took a slip of paper from the elder's hand and looked at it.

"One."

Ichiro voiced.

"Two..."

Yoko muttered.

"I have three."

Akane said as she raised her slip of paper.

"Four..."

Keita smiled wryly.

"Special...?"

Everyone turned towards Kai. He was the exempted one. The strongest competitor got exempted, normally everyone would let out sighs of relief but unfortunately, Kai hadn't exhausted himself in any of his battles, nay, he hadn't even moved in the last two.

"Kai, you may step down. Ichiro and Yoko, you two will compete first."

"Nn."

"..."

Not much for talking...

The elder looked kind of awkward.

Yoko and Ichiro went on opposite sides and adopted a battle stance.

"Let the battle commence!"

Yoko and Ichiro both shot out at the same time.

Ichiro placed his fist close to his side and tilted his body albeit to the right. Yoko ran straight towards Ichiro with no hints of stopping.

Ichiro suddenly stopped and twisted his body to the left with his right fist accompanying him, the power behind that attack must be immense.

Yoko showed no signs of fear and suddenly disappeared from his vision. She had ducked down.

Yoko's hands were placed on the floor and she twisted her body around; kicking Ichiro's heels.

Ichiro became unsteady but before he could stabilize his footing, Yoko's second round of kicks landed. He slid off the floor and Yoko had stood once more.

Yoko wordlessly raised her leg.

"What's that?"

Yoko's foot was accompanied by dark smoke.

"She's using the power of darkness to accompany her attack?!"

"I thought she was strong but I never knew she had this much potential!"

Words of shock and praise echoed in the crowd.

"Elemental attack...?"

Kai furrowed his brows, look like she'll become a challenge later.

"Are you still sure you can beat her in close combat?"

"Maybe..."

Kai changed his answer after a slight pause. This surprised Akane but that was only natural.

A large boom rang out as cracks began to spread from Yoko's kick. Ichiro's body was inside the floor, he was already unconscious.

"She overdid it again..."

The elder could feel his hair turning white.

"I'm gonna have to apologize to their respective families later, their children were injured in a mock tournament."

"Yoko, you may step down..."

Yoko followed the elder's orders and went back to Kai and Akane.

"Someone take the boy to the infirmary and repair the stage!"

The elder's voice triggered the actions of six individuals. They all leapt up the stage and chanted something.

""[Mend]!""

The six individuals placed their hands upon the stage and the cracks were repaired in front of everyone's eyes and the hole was filled gradually.

"So this is earth magic..."

Kai was in awe.

"Amazing..."

Akane was similarly amazed.

Yoko wordlessly watched as the damage she had did was getting repaired. Ichiro had long since been brought to the infirmary.

"Fourth round, final battle Kuroshi Akane vs Kuroshi Keita."

The two stood atop the stage opposite to each other.

They both didn't look as if they were proficient with hand to hand but Akane actually knew quite a bit.

"Let the battle commence!"

Akane shot out from her position but Keita remained.

"[Shadow Ball]!"

As Akane was running, Keita had already finished channeling his attack. Akane closed her eyes but continued to run at full speed.

Just when the crowd thought that Akane had planned to withstand the attack, she opened her eyes.

"[Fast Movement]."

When the attack was near Akane's face, she suddenly chanted and dodged to the side. Her body was glowing a pale green. The speed of her run was twice that of before.

"Wha-?!"

Keita had been caught off-guard and was apprehended by Akane.

Akane placed her palm in front of Keita and dark smoke began to emit from her hand.

"Concede or be forced to concede?"

"I...concede..."

Keita was scared and was trembling but Akane removed her hand from in front of him and cancelled her spell.

"Finally, she became merciful."

The elder smiled wryly.

"Competitor Akane wins by forfeit. With that, the fourth round is done and the semi-finals will now take place. Normally, there'd be a match between the two losers to decide fourth and fifth but one of them collapsed so the top four and five have been decided. The top five is Ichiro and the top four is Keita."

The elder announced with a proud look. The three that were left were very outstanding, they had the biggest chance to reach E-class, or maybe even pass the patriarch and reach D-class.

"The two of you will compete in the semi-finals and Kai will still be exempted. The winner will compete against him for first place."