Vol. 5 Ch. 6

“I can’t fight her. I’m feeling extreme fatigue and more than half of my mana is depleted, fighting her would be a bad choice. There’s only one choice…”

The voice announced, “One of the collectors has been assaulted, please wait patiently for the next substitute who will arrive in around 5 minutes.”

He sprinted to the collector to his left.

She cast a spell, “SLEEP PARALYSIS!” and then positioned it towards him.

The spell shot at him and it drew near him. It took his attention.

“CANCEL!”

He slashed his sword toward the spell, causing the spell to disappear into thin magic particles, as well as breaking her magic circle.

She bolted to him.

“She’s catching up.”

She charged with a slash to the right.

He ducked under it and scampered toward the collector. But a student bumped into him almost making him slip.

“WOAH!”

He managed to catch himself.

She pierced in his direction but he sidestepped to the left, causing him to topple over.

She chanted, “Sleep Paralysis.”

The spell traveled until it reached the collector, leaving him unconscious.

“You know you can’t keep doing that,” he lectured her.

“Who’s stopping me?”

“This is very bad. At this rate, she’s gonna let all the collectors fall asleep,” he interpreted.

He rose.

“What are you planning?”

The voice announced, “Another one of the collectors has been assaulted, please wait patiently for the next substitute who will arrive in around 5 minutes.”

He stared at the ground for a good 5 seconds, then an idea struck him.

“Wait, why didn’t I think of this?”

He cast a spell, “BLIZZARD!”

A cold fog enveloped Lili’s vision. By facing the spell to the ground, it launched him in the air towards the direction of where the first collector was.

“So cold…” she stated.

The cold fog slowly faded away and saw Phize flying in the air.

“That sly dog.”

“I can’t properly aim from this distance. What should I do?” she wondered.

Hazel ran all throughout the stadium, yelling everywhere, “PHIZE! WHERE ARE YOU?”

Lili overheard Hazel’s calling. She schemed something making her smirk.

She spotted her and decided to approach her.

“If you’re looking for Phize, he’s over there,” she pointed out to where Phize was flying over.

“HE’S CLOSE!” she yelled.

“He has your sword and mine. How about a temporary truce?” she offered.

“I’d like to, but what’s that sword you’re holding? How can I believe you?” she showed a bit of doubt.

“Are you willing to bet when he passes those swords to the collector?”

Hazel got irritated by this thought and the way she relayed it to her, but then hesitated. Ultimately, she released a sigh.

“Fine.”

…

..

.

Phize is flying towards the area the first collector was.

The voice broadcasted, “The collector substitute has arrived, please wait for the other substitutes to arrive.”

Simultaneously, a man positioned himself in the area and took the job of being the substitute collector. However, as Phize approached him, a strong gust of wind hits him from the back which rendered him unstable.

“GYAH!”

He explored his surroundings.

“WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?!” he panicked.

He looked behind him, he saw Lili approaching him from the ground and Hazel flying towards him with wind magic.

“PHIZE! I’M COMING!” Lili shouted.

“PHIZE! YOU HAVE SOMETHING OF MINE!” Hazel yelled.

“CRAP!… CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!” he worried.

Lili directed her hand at the substitute collector, “SLEEP PARALYSIS!”

At the same time, Hazel chanted, “I SUMMON THEE SPIRITS! SURROUND MY ENEMY WITH VINES!”

“WHAT SHOULD I DO? WHAT SHOULD I DO? If I cancel Lili’s attack, then Hazel’s spell would attack me. If I cancel Hazel’s attack then the sleep paralysis would catch the collector which would leave two collectors left but only one I could approach. NOT ONLY THAT, I HAVE TO LAND! WHAT SHOULD I DO?”

…

..

.

An idea came up to him.

“In any case, I’ll end up being surrounded by them… I… I-I have to bet on this last act.”

He threw the swords toward the collector to the right of the substitute.

He chanted, “ROCK SLOPE!”

The vines caught Phize, wrapping him around with them, concurrently, a rock slope formed connecting the two collectors. The swords slid through the recently formed rock slope.

“YES!” he cheered but the thorns of vines poked him, “Ow…”

“These vines are pointy,” he thought.

The sleep paralysis spell hit the substitute collector which caused him to fall asleep.

On the other hand, Phize fell to the ground with his arm taking the brunt of the force.

“AAHHHHHHHHH!”

“THAT HURT!” he grumbled.

Lili approached Phize who had no way of escaping the vines.

“Sleep paralysis.”

She shot Phize, he complained, “Dang it…” and he fell unconscious.

“NOOO!” Hazel screamed as the swords slid through the rock slope.

The collector prepared to receive the swords.

Hazel cast a spell, “WATER!”

She sprayed the area of rock where the swords would be but missed.

“NOO! THE SWORDS!” Hazel announced to Lili.

“WHAT?!” she panicked and ran toward the collector to stop it.

“SLEEP PARALYS-”

The collector grabbed the swords.

THe voice broadcasted, “FIFTEENTH PARTICIPANT OF THE THIRD EVENT, PHIZE GRATHAM DRESTIL! WITH THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, WE KINDLY ASK CONTESTANT AUNDRABEAU TO RETREAT! THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION!”

She stopped in her tracks.

“No, it can’t be…”

She took a glance at him.

“How can you be sleeping so soundly at a time like this?”

She sighed.

“Quite the predicament.”

She dropped her sword.

She went up to the stadium and took a seat.

“Huh? I thought he had my sword?” Hazel wondered.

“Doesn’t that mean…”

She looked at where Lili dropped the sword. She ran toward the sword.

She analyzed the sword and tried to find the name engraved on its blade.

“THIS IS… my sword…”

She hugged her sword.

“AAAAH! THANK GOODNESS!”

2 men come out of the room under the stadium, grab Phize, and carry him. They brought him inside the room they came out of. Inside the room were Trif, Taya, and many more students. The men place Phize on a group of chairs.

One of them cast a spell on him, “Undo spell.”

Phize suddenly rose from the array of chairs.

“WHAT HAPPENED?” then the pain from before snapped back to him, “Ow… Ow… Ow…”

He sat down.

and held his left arm.

“My arm is sprained…”

“Congratulations, you get to participate in the third event,” the second man stated.

“I… won?”

He was surprised, he was overflowed with joy, and he sobbed.

“I… actually won? After all that?” he thought.

“Thank goodness…”

“Feel free to get some water bottles in that corner. Just wait for the second event to wrap up and we will announce further news about the third event,” the first man stated.

“Thank you.”

The two men get out of the room.

He stood up, got a water bottle, and drank.

Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.

“AAAH!”

“That felt like an hour,” he thought.

He focused on his left arm and then began chanting, “Heal.”

He healed himself, and along with those, his injuries vanished.

“I used too much mana… Wait, no… I shouldn’t be thinking about that. I should be glad that I managed to get this far. I should just…”

“Get… some… rest…”

He fainted and he snored.

“Wait ’till you face me, losers,” Trif interrupted.

The other students besides his lackeys turn their attention to Trif.

…

..

.

Another student entered the room.

…

..

.

The voice announced, “THIRTY-SECOND PARTICIPANT OF THE THIRD EVENT, HAZEL PAUFIA! ALL 32 SLOTS HAVE BEEN FILLED! THE REST OF THE STUDENTS IN THE COMPETITION HAVE BEEN DISQUALIFIED! THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!”

“NOOOO!” a boy groveled.

“Awww, maybe next year,” a girl said.

Hazel entered the room. She noticed Phize.

“YOUU!!! I HAVE A LOT TO SAY TO Y-”

He was snoring loudly.

“Oh, he’s asleep.”

END OF EPISODE 30