Gunpowder Plate Armor and the Magic Revolution

Noze was panting heavily; he was completely too weak to speak.

However, Lucas is right. To win, he can only make use of his only advantage: his precise manipulation of objects that is not bound by any form.

On the other side of the field, Andrew's breathing was far less steady than at the start, his chest rising and falling slightly with each breath.

A faint elemental glow occasionally flashed across his fingertips. Anyone who frequently practices elemental magic could immediately tell that this was a "warm-up" to prevent problems from occurring when his "third hand" was outputting a large amount of magic power in a short period of time.

He was well aware that Norze's swordsmanship and physical abilities were extremely weak, but his unconventional fighting style and his terrifyingly precise control of magic meant that he could easily be defeated if he wasn't careful.

The reason he lost the first game was because he underestimated Norze's adaptability and was unprepared for Norze's identity as a mage. In this game, he will not hold back anymore.

The two-minute break was as short as the blink of an eye.

"Break time is over! Both players, take your positions!"

As soon as the referee's shout faded, the training hall fell silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on court number one.

This match, which no one expected to win, turned into a close draw, and everyone wanted to see who would have the last laugh in the decisive game.

Noze took a deep breath, fastened his mask, gripped his sword, and walked to one end of the arena.

Andrew opposite him also put on his mask, gripped his Swift Sword, and the two stood three meters apart.

The eyes peeking out through the gaps in their masks were devoid of the previous humility and friendliness between friends; all that remained was the overwhelming competitive spirit and do-or-die fighting will of the teenagers.

"Third game, decisive game, three minutes long, ready—go!"

The moment the whistle pierced the air, the two moved simultaneously.

This time, there was none of the cautious probing at the start of the first two games.

Andrew charged forward with all his might, his sliding steps suddenly accelerating, making his pace nearly 30% faster than before. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance between the two. His sword tip, in a mid-stance, firmly locked onto the center line of Norze's breastplate, without any unnecessary movements, heading straight for the seam of the throat guard.

[Acceleration] is a branch of object manipulation and the foundation of all kinetic spells.

Noze's pupils contracted. He knew Andrew would also use magic to assist him, but he never expected Andrew's speed to suddenly increase so much.

In his haste, he had no time to retreat and could only raise his sword to parry. But just as his powerful blade was about to touch the tip of Andrew's sword, a blinding white light suddenly burst forth from the fingertips of Andrew holding the sword!

[Flash]!

The sudden burst of bright light instantly filled the observation slits of Norze's mask. Even though he instinctively closed his eyes, a pale afterimage remained on his retina, and his vision was temporarily blinded.

A gasp rang out from the sidelines. No one expected that Andrew would use elemental magic in a sword duel, and the timing was perfect. It was exactly the moment when Noze parried and exerted his strength, interrupting his vision and exposing all his weaknesses.

Without pausing for a moment, Andrew twisted his wrist under the cover of the flash, changing direction to stab at the armpit gap that would inevitably be exposed when Norze raised his arm.

This combo is calculated to cover all possible escape routes; it's fast, accurate, and ruthless, without any hesitation.

Just before the sword tip was about to pierce the gap in the armor, Andrew suddenly felt an extremely subtle pulling sensation from his sword.

It wasn't a conventional, hard parry; rather, it felt as if several invisible threads were wrapped around his sword, gently pulling it to the side.

It was by a hair's breadth that his sword tip grazed Nozer's blade, slid past the edge of his armpit armor, and struck the steel arm guard with a "clang," sending up tiny sparks.

It's Noze's magic.

The moment the intense light burst forth, Nozer abandoned his reliance on vision.

With his eyes closed, all his attention was focused on the magical threads at his fingertips. Some of the threads were firmly wrapped around the hilt of his sword, and relying on muscle memory and an instinctive sense of the center line, he managed to pull the sword into a parrying position.

The other part precisely probed the opposite side, catching the trajectory of Andrew's sword as it cut through the air, and with a gentle pull, deflected the fatal thrust.

Taking advantage of this critical moment of respite, Noze suddenly stepped back, simultaneously flipping his wrist so that, guided by magic, the tip of his sword slid back along Andrew's blade, heading straight for his wrist.

Andrew had no choice but to sheathe his sword and defend. The two swords collided, producing a piercing metallic clang, and each took a half step back.

Beneath the mask, Norze was panting heavily, his back covered in cold sweat.

Anyone facing such a fierce attack would feel immense pressure.

Andrew, on the other hand, was breathing more heavily. The Flash spell he had just cast looked effortless, but it had actually cost him a lot of magic power.

"What was that just now?! Noze opened it even with his eyes closed?"

The students on the sidelines erupted in excitement. "Andrew actually used magic! Is that even possible?"

"Even Captain Lyman didn't say it was impossible. On the battlefield, who cares what they use? Winning is the only skill!"

Captain Lyman stood on the sidelines with his arms crossed, his face expressionless. He neither called for a stop nor made any remarks to stop the game, clearly acquiescing to this magic-assisted fighting style.

Military academy assessments are never about teaching students to rigidly follow the rules when drawing a sword, but about teaching them how to survive on the battlefield.

The two, now back in their stances, no longer held back.

Andrew's attacks became increasingly fierce, and he used elemental magic to his fullest extent, but he always adhered to the bottom line and did not use any spells that caused direct damage.

Norze, on the other hand, took his precise manipulation of matter to its extreme.

These magical threads, like invisible tentacles, sometimes wrap around his sword, helping him stabilize the trembling tip when he is exhausted, and precisely adjust the angle of each thrust.

Some attach themselves to the seams of their armor, sensing the trajectory of Andrew's sword tip in advance and predicting his attack route. They can also subtly interfere with Andrew's sword trajectory the moment he strikes, or use the magic to help their sword break free from a locked situation when Andrew is entangling and suppressing them with his sword.

This was a completely different match. With his solid swordsmanship and the assistance of elemental magic, Andrew firmly controlled the offensive rhythm on the field, forcing Norze to retreat repeatedly and face constant danger.

Norze, with his extremely precise control, defused crises by the smallest of margins, like walking a tightrope, and occasionally launched precise counterattacks by taking advantage of Andrew's offensive weaknesses.

"Target hit! Andrew Hart, 1 point!"

The whistle blew again as Andrew used a sudden, accelerated thrust to trick Norze into parrying, and the tip of his sword precisely struck the seam between Norze's shoulder and arm armor.

The score is 1-0, with Andrew in the lead.

Noze was panting heavily; his strength had reached its limit.

But he didn't panic; instead, his eyes behind the mask grew increasingly calm.