The Sorcerer's Handbook

As Leona steadily lost ground on the stage, the members of Sword and Roses University grew visibly uneasy. ”This isn’t looking good...”

No one had expected her to struggle here. She was supposed to take the chief match, yet she was already showing signs of faltering in the vice match.

The lineup of vanguard, forward, center, vice, and chief could be adjusted, but every team followed an unspoken rule that the stronger participants should always be assigned to later matches. The strongest almost always took the chief position.

Teams could try to game the system if they wanted. They could match their strongest against the opponent’s weakest, or pit a weaker player against a stronger one, and walk away with an overall win. The rules might technically allow it, but it would also come at a cost, as no other university would agree to scrimmage with them again.

Friendly matches existed to test each university’s top students, and the results didn’t affect league standings. Since there was nothing to gain, any team trying to pull tricks in these matches would only make others unwilling to invite them again.

It was fine to try clever tricks now and then, but no one appreciated it when it happened all the time. Push your cleverness too far in a friendly match, and others would stop treating it as friendly in the future.

This only made the situation all the more troubling. The student from Trajectory University facing off against Leona wasn’t just keeping pace. At times, he even gained the upper hand.

And this was Leona! Before Sonya had been recommended, she had been Sword and Roses’ chief. Now, a student from another university was pressuring Sword and Roses’ former top fighter in the vice match.

The situation grew even more grim when the overall score was taken into account. The vanguard match had already been lost, and the temporary substitute in the forward match had also fallen. Only the center had managed a victory. If Leona lost this duel, the score would be 3 to 1. Even a win in the chief match would not change the overall outcome. And the one taking the chief duel was Sonya.

Yes, the Scarlet Swordswoman had grown remarkably over the past month and could even hold her own against Leona in a duel. But experience and trust were another matter entirely.

When Leona and Professor Trosan insisted on placing her as chief, the others had no choice but to convince themselves that she was meant to be the underdog, given a chance to prove herself.

Their doubts were not unfounded. Sonya had only recently become a sorcerer, and her combat experience was limited. She might have held her own against the Orange Dancer, but most thought it was due to the common discipline they practiced, giving her an informational edge.

Real matches were different. Opponents came from a variety of sorcery classes, each with unpredictable tactics. In such situations, experience was what truly made the difference.

Leona had competed in last year’s intercollegiate league and spent the past six months hunting high-level monsters in the Abyss. Countless battles had sharpened her instincts and honed her reactions to a razor’s edge.

Sonya, by contrast, had only sparred within the university. She had no league experience and had never taken part in any Abyss expeditions. Compared to Leona, she was like a sheltered young lady stepping onto a battlefield for the first time. Even if she had fought in the Virtual World, how much of that could she truly put into practice?

Did she know how to handle gun-wielding sorcerers? Could she execute the four standard counters against fire-element users? Could she respond when a Wind Class sorcerer lifted her skirt with some wind-element tricks? Had she ever endured the relentless waves of trash talk that erupted during real matches?

The answer to all of it was uncertain. Naturally, confidence in her remained low.

To most of the team, Sonya’s role felt largely symbolic. It was more about giving her a chance to gain experience than about securing a win. If the earlier matches had gone their way, that would have been fine. She could have taken her time, adapted, and learned.

The problem now was that the score was tipping toward 3–1. A loss in the chief match would make it 4–1, and returning to campus with that result would leave them open to merciless criticism on the school forums.

”Phew.”

Leona’s Rhythm Melodies, Third Sonata was abruptly cut short by a sudden strike. The interruption sent her flying three meters into the air, yet she spun gracefully midair and landed with perfect balance. ”You’ve gotten much stronger, Skoll.”

Opposite her stood a dark-skinned man wielding a double staff. His sequined outfit made his skin appear even darker. He had a tall, lean figure, and the ebony staves in his hands were capped with bird-head carvings. His feet tapped out small, precise steps, each movement a perfect blend of elegance and lethal intent.

He was Skoll, Trajectory University’s representative for the vice match. He specialized in the Double Staff Class, one of the university’s mainstream disciplines. Originating from the Fist and Claw Class, it had evolved over the past two centuries by incorporating techniques from sword and spear disciplines. The Double Staff Class excelled in speed, agility, and explosive power, giving Skoll a clear advantage. Leona had simply drawn a difficult matchup.

Against a typical spear sorcerer, Leona’s Rhythm Melodies would have been more than enough to seize control of the fight. Skoll, however, was different. He was sharp, perceptive, and perfectly in sync with her tempo.

Skoll smiled. ”You too. I didn’t expect you to become the renowned Orange Dancer in just a year. We missed each other in last year’s league, but tonight we finally get our chance.”

Back then, both of them had been barely worth noticing, crossing paths only once in a while. Now, it was their turn to stand in the spotlight.

Skoll’s gaze flicked briefly to Sonya below. ”I thought you’d be chief this year. Why are you fighting in the vice match?”

He hesitated for a moment before adding, ”Is your junior stronger than you?”

”Hmph. She’s the real monster.”

”Then she’ll be my next target. I hope she doesn’t disappoint.”

”Don’t be in such a hurry.”

Leona drew a short sword from her waist. ”When you’re on a date with a lady, you don’t go looking at other pretty girls. That’s strictly forbidden. You’d be better off keeping your eyes on me.”

Skoll’s expression darkened. ”Dual-wielding? Could it be... the Rhythm Sword Saint?”

”Bingo.”

In an instant, Leona vanished.

Skoll crossed his staves before his chest and settled into a defensive stance. His shoulders sank, his legs bent slightly, and his whole body seemed to loosen, as if he had relaxed completely.

Miracle, One-Arm Domain.

In this state, any attack that entered his reach would trigger an automatic, high-speed counter. His agility, strength, reflexes, and perception had surged all at once. Combined with the explosive power of the Double Staff Class, it was enough to shut down Leona’s movements completely.

One-Arm Domain was an Upper-Glorious Silver grade Miracle. Its weakness, however, was just as apparent. Against ranged sorcerers, it was nearly useless. Even so, Skoll had his ways of dealing with them. His staves could smash through incoming attacks and crush distant opponents

Its defensive power was terrifying. At his peak, Skoll had deflected five bullets all at once. Within ten paces, not even a Gun Class sorcerer could stop his advance. Beyond that distance, no one could prevent his escape.

And yet, his expression remained grim. Leona had vanished completely from the stage, leaving behind only brief streaks of orange light.

Her voice drifted through the air. ”Do you know what the most beautiful sound in the world is? It’s silence.”

Clang!

A sharp, explosive note tore through the Flash Rail Auditorium. For a brief moment, everyone lost their ability to hear. The sound burrowed into every ear like a venomous insect, cutting off all other vibrations and overwhelming the senses. Silence fell over the entire arena!

In that moment, Skoll spun around. His staves lashed through the air, trailing violet arcs of lightning that struck toward Leona like punishment from heaven itself.

Miracle, Violet Lightning Divine Sweep!

However, the strike cut through nothing but illusion. Meanwhile, the real Leona appeared at his side.

Skoll faltered.

Her long and short swords had already pierced his chest. She didn’t stop there. Before he could react, she swept his legs out from under him and drove him to the ground, pinning him to the stage with her blades.

”The match has been decided!” The host, still reeling from the piercing note, forced the words out. ”The winner is Leona Vikt of Sword and Roses University!”

By now, most of the audience had recovered. The healers, long eager for hands-on experience, rushed forward to attend to Skoll.

In both friendly matches and official leagues, students could rely only on their own skills. Universities weren’t allowed to cast any defensive Miracles on their fighters. The layer of Starlight Robes that Sonya had worn during sparring was a privilege reserved for elite students on campus. It was strictly forbidden in official competitions unless the student had personally mastered the Starlight Robes Miracle. If universities could equip students with protective armor, intercollegiate tournaments would quickly turn into nothing more than armor-stacking contests.

Without defensive Miracles, injuries or even deaths were a real risk. When a match ended with casualties, healers had to rush in to tend the wounded. The league season served as prime training for them. Many secretly hoped for more intense battles that left everyone bloodied, giving them a golden opportunity for hands-on experience.

Skoll struggled to stand with the healers’ support and raised a hand toward Leona. ”Wait... that’s the Rhythm Sword Saint’s signature Miracle... Silent Rhythm. That’s an Upper-Glorious Gold Miracle! Are you... already a Two-Winged sorcerer?”

The move that had silenced the arena was Professor Nidla’s infamous Miracle, the Silent Rhythm. Leona’s second short sword wasn’t for dual-wielding. Instead, it acted like a musical instrument. At incredible speed, she scraped her long sword across the short one, absorbing every sound with a Miracle. Then, with a single sweeping motion, she unleashed a massive sonic shockwave, temporarily deafening everyone within range, friend and foe alike.

Skoll, as her opponent, bore the full force of the Miracle. His hearing was obliterated, leaving the thump of his own heartbeat as the only thing he could hear. The shockwaves also distorted his vision. His One-Arm Domain allowed instant counterattacks, but all he could see were Leona’s afterimages. He had no way to track the real Orange Dancer until she appeared beside him.

If the Rhythm Melody was Nidala’s standard attack, then Silent Rhythm was her ultimate technique. It unleashed a deafening, blinding shockwave, capable of overwhelming even entire groups of opponents. This move had made Nidala one of the few swordmasters unafraid of multiple attackers and cemented her reputation among Two-Winged sorcerers.

Silent Rhythm, however, required a very specific kind of spirit. Most of its components needed Two-Winged spirits. There were simply no One-Winged substitutes for it. In other words, casting it required the sorcerer to be at least Two-Winged.

The audience gasped, frozen in shock. Only the two supervising professors remained calm and unsurprised.

Leona glanced at Skoll and nodded. ”Silver Rank sorcerer? That was still relevant until about a few days ago.”