They had countless eyes on them at all times and this time was no different. Just a simple action of them standing at their seats garnered the attention of the crowd despite the fact that the competition field was currently blooming fiery golden flames.
Both Harry and Galen didn't even notice the reaction of the audience as they flew above the field to avoid getting caught up in the flames.
Galen began to chant and a heavy voice mesmerized the audience as a huge circular magic array surrounded the entire field of flames. The flames that had remained undeterred even under the suppression of the elven magic started to move towards the centre of the array as if they were being guided by nature itself. The flame hardly showed any resistance under the influence of the field.
Both Calista and Wallice let out sighs of amazement at the exquisite array that Galen had created within such a short amount of time. It had already gone beyond their cognitive range. All they could do was marvel at it like the rest of the audience with faces filled with amazement and surprise.
As the flames flew towards the centre of the array in steady streams, Harry who had been waiting above the field flew downwards and landed right behind Shiranui.
A glove of mana surrounded his hand as he put it on her flaming back. Harry directed a steady stream of mana into her body which was far more powerful than even the special energy that was bringing about the change in her body. It forcefully pushed that energy back to her womb and the pattern on her body began to disappear as if it had never been there.
Harry had used a lot of mana to flood her channels so that there was no place for that energy to move about her body. In the end it had been confined to her womb with no place else to go.
As soon as the gilded pattern on her body vanished, Shiranui lost her senses and her body shut down by itself.
Harry helped her lay down on the ground following which she closed her eyes slowly before she lost consciousness completely.
Calista rushed towards Shiranui as soon as the way to her had been cleared of the golden flame by the array that had been arranged by Galen. She had been too worried all this time and wanted nothing more than to check on her physical condition. Although, Shiranui had always made her worried due to her stubborn traits, this was the first time Calista felt her heart jump out of her chest due to the fear that she had been feeling.
Harry saw her rush into the field recklessly while the audience had been busy retreating. He couldn't help but admire her devotion to her student. At the same time, he felt that it was his duty to put Calista's mind at ease since everything was all right.
"Be careful, her body temperature is still very high. You might hurt yourself."
Calista heard his warning but she had to make sure that Shiranui was all right before taking a breath of relief. She checked her wrist for her pulse and the movement of her chest to determine her breathing. Both her pulse and her breathing seemed to be very normal and it felt that nothing was wrong with her at the very least.
Fortunately, the golden flame hadn't hurt Shiranui at all so she was relatively uninjured compared to what Calista had imagined. The only injuries were the physical injuries that Rebecca had inflicted on her before she managed to awaken her Yamata pattern.
Since everything was fine with her, Calista felt that she should have been awake. Yet Shiranui was out of it. Out of her worry, Calista finally looked at Harry with inquisitive eyes.
"Are you sure she is all right? Why isn't she waking up then?"
Harry felt that he should at least set her mind at ease since Calista looked a mom whose child had grown sick.
"Don't worry. The first experience for an awakening can be quite consuming. Since she was unable to control her newfound power, she ended up overexerting herself. She recklessly consumed her mana without holding back till the end. The result is that her body is currently suffering from lack of mana. Her magic circuits are stressed and it is currently hard for her to wake up due to that. The only treatment for her at the moment is a lot of rest that will be able to get her back on her feet soon enough."
Calista's heart could still not rest at ease even after she had heard it from Harry himself. She couldn't help but worry for her student. Before she had even realized it, it had become one of her habits. She had no blood relation with Shiranui but the bond between them had gotten stronger than the ties of blood. Calista followed behind the medical staff as they carried Shiranui away for treatment.
Nadia, Kacie and Dahila who had been worried as well quietly followed behind Calista as they all headed towards the hospital.
It wasn't as if Zavier didn't want to go with her as well. Anxiety and nervousness for her well being were eating away at his sanity as he barely stopped himself from following behind the girls as well. He seemed to have remembered something as he looked at Shiranui's unconscious body. Hesitation appeared on his face and he clutched both of his arms against his chest in order to keep himself in control.
Kacie, who had always been the most perceptive of them all, figured out what was happening without the slightest of hints. It was as if she had peeked into his heart and had stolen all his secrets that he had been keeping under lock and key.
"Don't be worried. All of us are going to be with her. We will make sure to take good care of her."
Zavier nodded while looking at Kacie as gratitude brightened his expression a tad further. Her eyes grew excited as well after seeing his smile but as usual she maintained her stoic expression while in front of Zavier.
Since, Zavier was already in the field and he had nowhere to go at the moment, he decided to watch the rest of the matches as well. The second match of the final four was still pending and Zavier felt that it was a nice opportunity for him to learn about the rest of the competitors especially those that he would have to fight against in the finals. As things were going, Melbourne High school had a greater chance since their opponent only had a single survivor from the first competition as well.
Even though the match between Rebecca and Shiranui had ended a while ago, the audience was still in an uproar. There were various discussions taking place and there were as many opinions as there were people among the audience.
"I am telling you, if it hadn't been for the evolution, Rebecca would have lost miserably. Shiranui has an outstanding combat potential as compared to Rebecca."
"I don't think that Rebecca would have lost at all. Her diamond skin is unbreakable."
Those remaining ones who were not busy fighting about the intentions of the two competitors were busy admiring the battle that had just taken in front of them.
Mabel came towards the stage and acted as the announcer for the conclusion of the first match which was also an indication for the beginning of the next match. She first announced the winner of the first round for all before explaining the opponents who would be fighting in the next match.
The next match was going to be fought between Melbourne High School which was the team of those bloodline fighters and Cassell High school with the sole participant in the little girl that had given Zavier an apple in the first round.
A few moments later, the contending teams found themselves in the battle arena. Even before their arrival, the spectators had already lined themselves up in droves on the stands. It was like a fun fair up there amongst the masses. But down in the ring, it was the exact opposite. It was just a competition, but for all of them, it might have as well been life or death. It was their youthful exuberance speaking of course, it definitely wasn't that deep.
Wallice led her team in her regular mother-hen vibe. She charged them with her own version of a pep talk as she brought them to the edge of the ring;
"Okay gang, it's time for us to take the stage…" She lifted up her face towards the other end of the ring, and gazed at the face of the lovely Sabrina smiling back at them. Damn, that girl really was creepy. And it was very difficult for anyone to read her. Wallice quickly averted her eyes before she could be sucked in by the girl's personality and lose her objectiveness. Wallice wasn't about to become a fan of Sabrina's smiling face.
"Hit her hard, and hit her fast okay? This shouldn't take too much time. Reserve your true strength for the battle ahead. Let's go!"
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