A C-Rank Magic Student Who Deludes Himself into Thinking He Is SSS-Rank - Chapter 23: Alphonse Freed

Inside the first training room of Crawford Magic Academy, the second-year A-class students were engaged in mock battles.

In one of the eight fields set up for mock battles within the training room, two students stood out with their distinctly high-level combat, clearly on a different plane than their peers.

One of them was Yufia Queensroad, the top-ranked S-class magic student in the second year at Crawford Magic Academy.

The other was a second-year student named Alphonse Freed, who ranked second in their year and was one of the only three S-class magic students in the academy’s history.

Being the only two S-class magic students in the academy, their mock battle was a spectacle of a different dimension than the other A-class students.

“Raging Azure Water Dragon, Graozam Strudel!”

In the field, Yufia Queensroad, a silver-haired female student, unleashed a giant water magic shaped like a dragon.

“Giant’s Thunder Fist, Zu Voltz!”

Facing Yufia, the blond male student, Alphonse Freed, simultaneously chanted and released a giant fist-shaped thunder magic.

The water dragon and thunder fist collided midway between them, causing a tremendous impact. The blast ruffled their hair and combat clothes and shook the ground with a thunderous roar.

“Haah!”

Initially, Yufia’s “Raging Azure Water Dragon” was gaining ground. Still, with Alphonse’s shout and additional magical power infused into his “Giant’s Thunder Fist,” it gained strength, releasing intense plasma sounds as it pushed back the water dragon.

Yufia, countering this, also poured more magic into her dragon, pushing back the thunder fist and resulting in a deadlock at the midpoint again.

As both continued to imbue their magic with more power, their magics reached peak intensity simultaneously.

Unable to withstand the immense magical power constantly poured into them and the pressure of the colliding forces, the water dragon and thunder fist lost their forms, exploding into a burst of water and powerful lightning with a loud boom.

The explosion created a blast wave strong enough to blow away an ordinary person easily, but Alphonse and Yufia, unfazed, continued to unleash their magic.

“Thousand Blades of the Storm, Taozen’s Razor!”

“Destructive Lance of the Whirlwind, Vinto Ho’s Zea Raisen!”

Yufia sent out countless blades of wind, each with the power to easily slice through steel, while Alphonse created a massive lance out of a fierce whirlwind.

Alphonse’s wind lance advanced towards Yufia, but it was barraged with intense wind arrows from her blades, halting its momentum.

The outer layer of the “Destructive Lance of the Whirlwind” gradually eroded under the assault of the “Thousand Blades of the Storm,” shattering into pieces amidst a cacophony of explosive sounds.

“Unbreakable Steel Rock Wall, Fullmetal Shield!”

Right after his magic dissipated, Alphonse conjured a wall resembling polished steel from the ground before him, blocking the remaining wind blades from Yufia’s “Thousand Blades of the Storm.”

Despite “Fullmetal Shield” being slightly eroded, Alphonse successfully defended against all the wind blades and immediately prepared his next move, maintaining the shield.

“Hand of Silver, Steel Rock Strike!”

With this chant, Alphonse launched a giant fist from the center of the “Fullmetal Shield.”

“Hand of Scarlet, Crimson Strike!”

Yufia responded by enveloping herself in a magic circle, casting a searing rock shaped like a blazing red fist.

The two massive fists collided, shattering simultaneously with a loud boom.

As the explosive heatwave from their magic blew around them, both prepared to cast another spell. But then,

High-pitched metallic sounds echoed across the field, signaling the end of their monumental struggle.

The sound, produced by a mechanical device ringing a bell powered by magic, indicated that the five-minute timer of the mock battle had elapsed.

Acknowledging the bell, Yufia and Alphonse dissipated their magic circles, ceased their combat stances, and approached each other.

“Hah, hah… Thank you for the match…”

“Thank you for the match.”

While Alphonse was drenched in sweat and panting, Yufia remained her usual expressionless self, calmly thanked him, and left the field.

Alphonse exited the field by wiping the sweat streaming from his forehead to his chin.

◆

After the mock battle lesson, Alphonse Freed was changing into his uniform in the locker room when he overheard a conversation among other second-year A-class male students.

“Did you see today’s match between Alphonse and Queen?”

“Of course. Isn’t it a bit too much?”

“Yeah, it was terrible! Queen seemed to have the energy to spare, but Alphonse was desperate!”

“After the match, while Queen was cool as ever, Alphonse was wiped out. I couldn’t help but laugh.”

“Almost all his magic lost to hers; at best, it was a draw. Truly pathetic.”

“Exactly. Blessed with such lineage, yet that’s all he can do. His heroic ancestor would be appalled.”

“The savior hero must be lamenting in the afterlife… Seeing his descendant so disgraceful.”

The boys’ mocking laughter echoed in the locker room.

Alphonse knew they were intentionally speaking loud enough for him to hear.

“(They’re right…)”

Instead of getting angry or retorting, Alphonse changed into his uniform with a bitter smile of self-derision.

Having finished changing, Alphonse left the locker room, a shadow cast over his inner thoughts. His departure, marked by a visibly darkened expression, was met with sneering smiles from the boys mocking him.