“Oga is scary”, I said

“He had more than 5000 years to train himself. What do you expect?” Anya asked.

It was sort of disappointing how Arurandeisu just surrendered but that was to be expected. If an A-class magic could only do that much, Oga was definitely leagues above me. Not to mention that I wouldn’t be in the next round if Kiara didn’t stupidly burn her ribbon.

“Don’t think too much about it”, Anya told me.

“Why shouldn’t I? I won because of luck. I shouldn’t be here”, I said.

“Do you know why they made the rules that way? It’s to test everyone’s strength.”

“Why would they need to test everyone’s strength when the point of the tournament is to show their abilities?”

“If they just want to show each contestant’s absurd powers, it could just be a simple fight where there are no rules. The point of this match is not showing how strong you are but instead, it’s about how you use your strength.”

“What do you mean?”

“A fight is not always so simple where the winner would defeat the loser with sheer strength. There are fights where you can’t freely move, fights where you can’t blindly cause damage, and fights where you have to protect something fragile. If you win in those fights, then it’s still a victory no matter what.”

“So you’re saying that fighting with the ribbons on is the same as fighting while protecting something?”

“This tournament isn’t just about each contestant’s strength. It tests how well one can protect something. You could have overwhelming power and ironically hurt the ones you were supposed to protect. That’s what happened with Kiara.”

“But she was just careless. I won by luck.”

“It’s all her fault for being careless. In a real fight, carelessness could lead to death. I’ve seen many people lose their lives because of a simple mistake.”

The way she said it reminded me that she was as old as Oga, if not older. I never thought about it but my partner was actually more amazing than any other artifacts.

“Besides, luck is a powerful ally. It’s wrong to look down on a lucky person so stop moping around and focus on defeating Temma”, Anya said.

“Got it. Since Suisei trusts me, I have to live up to her expectations”, I stretched my arms.

Anya transformed into a sword and we walked towards the arena.

###

“Witness his control over illusions, the Dark Knight, Temma!!”

Temma walked to the arena with a warm smile. I sparred with him so many times but I knew that he was holding back. He was my master in swordsmanship and there’s no way I could defeat him in that.

“The lucky administrative officer who commands the darkness, Mikage Kamishiro!!”

Did he really have to include the lucky part?

I was ready to fight Temma and the gazes of the audience didn’t bother me that much anymore. That was because I needed to pay full attention to my enemy.

“You never won against me in all of our daily training. Do you have the resolve to defeat me?” he asked.

“That was in swordsmanship. This time, I can do magic”, I answered.

“I see. You should know that I won’t hold back.”

“A fight between two knights of the same unit! Will Temma show his power as a vice-captain or will Mikage show that administrative officers can fight too? Let your blades dance and magic go wild! The first round of the Idol Fan Tournaments Semifinals.... Start!!”

I charged at Temma and swung my sword. He dodged it and countered with a strike but I blocked his attack. We exchanged strikes for a minute.

“You’ve improved”, he said.

“Yep. It’s all thanks to you”, I replied.

Don’t you think it’s time? Anya’s voice echoed in my mind.

Yep. Let’s go!

“Shadow Companion!” I shouted and my shadow turned into a dark humanoid being.

“I see. This is how you cornered Kiara”, he smiled.

Despite our combined attacks, Temma managed to hold on. He really was strong. Even if there were four or five of us, he could probably take us on.

However, I heard Temma muttering words. Oh no...

“And thus the mist came. Creating something from nothing and turning something into nothing. Bewildering the enemy and making me untouchable. Let it be known, the Mist of Deceit!” Temma finished chanting.

A huge magic circle appeared and covered the entire stage. There it was, the Mist of Deceit.

Temma must be conserving his mana, Anya’s voice said.

What do you mean? I asked.

He didn’t use Mind’s Eye or enhance his physical capabilities. He immediately went for Mist of Deceit. His plan is probably to finish this quickly by using the least amount of mana.

Three Temmas appeared from the mist.

“Just three?” I asked.

“Can’t waste anymore mana. I still have other matches to fight if I’m going to win”, he answered.

The three Temmas charged at me and I did my best in avoiding them. But even with my Shadow Companion backing me up, it took everything I had to keep up. The Mist of Deceit creates really convincing illusions. Even if I knew they were illusions, I could feel the vibrations in my sword every time I would block an attack. Also, when one of the Temmas cut me, I felt pain.

Was there something I could do to dispel the illusions? Think, Mikage, think! What could you do to turn the situation around?

I then remembered I was the Primordial Dark’s vessel. The Mist of Deceit could make realistic illusions but did Temma think I could sense whether a shadow is fake or not? For starters, could I even sense such a thing?

Anya! Can you hold them off for a while? I asked.

I’ll try my best, she responded.

While my Shadow Companion was entertaining the three Temmas, I closed my eyes and concentrated. I imagined everyone’s shadow all around me. A shadow was something that always accompanied a thing. As long as there was light, there would always be a shadow.

And that’s when I felt it. Everyone’s shadow was all around me. The audience, the referee, my shadow, and the real Temma’s shadow. I opened my eyes and focused on a spot.

That spot was empty but I knew that there was a hidden shadow there. I charged and swung my sword as hard as I could and the sound of metal hitting another metal was hard.

Mist appeared and Temma’s real body could now be seen.

“How did you know?” he asked.

“Trade secret. But your Mist of Deceit is now useless!” I answered.

I locked on Temma’s shadow and memorized how it felt. There was no way I was going to be fooled again.

He snapped his fingers and the mist disappeared.

“If my illusions won’t work, then I guess it’s time for a real showdown. Mind’s Eye!” he shouted the name of his magic and charged at me.

Mind’s Eye allowed him to see the future movements of his enemy. That was why he managed to toy with both me and my Shadow Companion. He would make minimal movements in dodging and landed tricky counters.

After he almost cut my ribbon, I backed away.

This is bad. Does Mind’s Eye have any weakness? I asked.

It enhances the user’s eyes and lets them see the future movements. Even moving unpredictably is useless, she said.

Wait a minute... Eyes??

Anya... Can you do this?

I explained my plan to her.

I’m busy controlling the Shadow Companion so you need to pull your weight if we’re doing that, she said.

Got it. I won’t just be dead weight.

I charged at Temma and raised my sword.

“If you’re aiming to overpower me, then go ahead and try!” he readied a stance.

“Now! InfiNight Darkness!!” I shouted my improvised move’s name.

Darkness came out of my body and filled the entire stadium. It was the same move that I used in covering the entire Krev Valley. Like what Anya said, I made up a name and shouted it to help form an image.

“I see... This is your answer against Mind’s Eye”, Temma said.

That’s right... Mind’s Eye allowed its user to see the trails of an enemy’s future movements. So that meant that if he couldn’t see the enemy, then it would be useless.

Under the cover of the darkness, I charged at him. Even Temma would have a hard time trying to fight without light. I could still sense where Temma was because I knew where his shadow was. Raising my sword, I was prepared to strike him down.

But then, my sword hit a metal.

“Did you really think you could land a hit on me in the dark? A true warrior does not rely only on his sight. I can hear your breathing as loud as a child crying and could feel the wind generated from your swing!” Temma said.

Without Anya helping me, InfiNight Darkness only lasted for a second. If I wanted to, I could make it last even longer but I was preoccupied with something.

The darkness was gone and Temma was smiling... Until he saw what my plan was.

“What the-” he couldn’t form words.

His arm and his sword were wrapped in darkness and were connected to my sword. He was completely stuck.

“Now! Anya!!!” I shouted.

My Shadow Companion appeared behind Temma and cut down his ribbon while he couldn’t move.

Temma smiled.

“You got me. I was so focused on hitting you that I forgot about the Shadow Companion. I thought you dispelled it since you needed Anya’s help with your InfiNight Darkness”, he said.

“Yeah. While you were looking out for my breathing and stuff, I made Anya go behind you under the dark. And when you strike me, I would bind you while she would cut you down’, I replied.

“Using yourself as bait, you’re a tricky guy. I completely lost this one.”

“T-Temma’s ribbon has been cut! The winner is: Mikage Kamishiro!!”