Necromancer Academy and the Genius Summoner-Chapter 118: Episode

’Whoa.’

Peeking at the arena from the student waiting room, Simon was stunned. He knew there would be a large number of outside observers, but he hadn’t expected a crowd of this magnitude. Every seat was filled, from the lowest rows to the highest balconies. Students in Kizen uniforms occupied the lower sections, while a partition separated them from the external guests.

"Just so you know," Dick said, chewing his gum as he lounged in the waiting room, his own match scheduled for later, "all those people are here to see your duel."

"Huh?"

"The main event in Arena 2 is, without a doubt, the duel between Special Admission No. 1 and No. 10. Looking at the earlier matchups, you two are the only big names. They’ve all come to get a look at the infamous Special Admission No. 1."

Simon smiled bitterly. "What’s with that? Why are you trying to make me nervous?" "Because you’re the type who performs better under pressure," Dick retorted, making a V-sign with his fingers.

"This is a do-or-die match. If you lose in front of this many people, a rumor will spread across the continent that this year’s top admission is a nobody. Your reputation could suffer for the rest of your time here!"

Simon hummed thoughtfully and crossed his arms. "Come to think of it, that might not be so bad."

"Simon!"

"Haha! Kidding. More importantly," Simon said, nudging Dick’s arm playfully, "spill. You bet money on this, didn’t you?"

Dick flinched. His averted gaze and awkward smile gave him away instantly.

"Fess up. Who did you bet on?"

"On you, of course!" Dick insisted. "The thrill of gambling is betting on the underdog... I mean! Because I have absolute faith in my friend!"

Simon chuckled. "Don’t worry. I won’t let you lose your money."

"Hehe, that’s my boy! I’m counting on you, Simon!" As he spoke, Dick glanced over his shoulder. "But who’s been lurking back there? Come on out."

A presence lingered in the shadows. Simon had noticed it too. After a moment of hesitation, a female student slowly revealed herself.

"Kami!"

It was Kamibarez. She was pressed against the wall, timidly peeking her head out. Remembering her match was in the afternoon, Simon asked in surprise, "Why are you at the arena already? You’ll just get nervous if you come too early."

"S-Simon!" She squeezed her eyes shut and scurried over to him. "G-Good luck!!"

"...Huh?"

"No matter who your opponent is, you’ll win, Simon! Among everyone I’ve seen, you’re more...!" Her voice trembled as she repeated, "more than anyone, more than anyone," before finishing in a near-whisper, "M-More than anyone, you’ve worked so hard!"

Having said her piece, her courage seemed to evaporate. She squatted down, hiding her face in her hands.

The words she had prepared were probably something else entirely, but hearing them made the stress of the Duel Evaluation melt away. He knelt on one knee and said softly, "Kami."

He called her name and waited. A moment later, Kamibarez peeked through her fingers, her face flushed.

"Thank you," Simon said sincerely. "I needed that. I’ll definitely win this."

"...You got this, Simon!"

A palpable tension charged the air, and Dick knew better than to interrupt. He chuckled to himself and quietly slipped out of the waiting room.

"Hm?"

Outside, Meirin was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed. She had been staring at the wall with a conflicted expression, and she started when she saw Dick, her face turning red as she mouthed furiously at him.

"Why the hell are you coming out of there, you psycho!"

"Huh?"

"You’re so dense, seriously!" She yelled in a whisper again.

Dick smirked and whispered back, "I came out precisely because I’m not dense."

"Hmph, whatever." Meirin turned on her heel and started walking away.

"Meirin."

"What?"

Dick gestured toward the waiting room. "You’re going to leave without saying anything?"

She paused, her gaze flickering toward the room before she sighed in resignation. "That’s why I’m saying you’re so damn dense."

With that, Meirin continued down the corridor. Dick propped his head with his hands and watched her go.

---

An announcement echoed through the halls. "Student Simon Polentia of Class A and Student Malcolm Randolph of Class M, please proceed to the arena."

Time flew by.

When Simon stepped out into the arena, a roar went up from the crowd at his appearance alone.

"You got this! Special Admission No. 1!"

"My money’s on you!"

From the opposite entrance, Malcolm was putting on his protective suit. Their eyes met across the sand. Malcolm grinned maliciously; Simon didn’t react.

The break ended. Spectators returned to their seats, and crowds from other arenas flocked over to watch the clash between the special admission students. Dick and Kamibarez found seats in a corner, soon joined by Meirin, fresh from her match. The result, of course, had been a victory. In high spirits, she high-fived them both and plopped down.

"Hey, how’s Simon looking?" she asked.

"He looks good, for now," Dick replied, crossing his arms. "The key will be how well he’s perfected his Overlord control."

A moment later, at the referee’s signal, Simon and Malcolm stepped forward.

"Contestants, shake hands."

They approached and clasped hands.

Malcolm tightened his grip. Simon’s face remained impassive. "You’re trying this again after what happened at the mansion?"

"I never forget those who humiliate me," Malcolm snarled, a grin spreading across his face. "And besides me, there are plenty of others who have felt humiliated by you."

Simon’s gaze drifted to the artifact hanging around Malcolm’s neck, the one engraved with the Dresden royal crest. "That explains it."

This time, Malcolm’s expression hardened. Simon was squeezing back. Malcolm gritted his teeth, applying all his strength.

"I’m looking forward to this match," Simon said with a chilling smile. "I’m going to make this the worst day of your life in front of a big crowd."

Malcolm’s grin returned. They released their hands simultaneously and turned their backs.

"Participants! Are you ready?" the referee called out.

They both nodded, sinking into their stances.

"Then, the Duel Evaluation between student Simon Polentia of Class A and student Malcolm Randolph of Class M will now begin!"

’Wooohooo!’

Simon was startled by the sheer volume of the cheers. The scale of the crowd was still mind-boggling. In the lower levels sat his Group 7 teammates, his Class A friends, Hector’s faction, and even second-years alongside Benya and the ’Mutant’ club. Above them, nobles in luxurious attire sat next to scouts whose quills were already flying across their notepads.

’This is bad.’ Simon smiled bitterly, wiping his sweaty palms on his trousers. For the first time, he was nervous for a Duel Evaluation.

The referee, looking between Simon and Malcolm, swept his arm down.

"Begin!"

The shout snapped him to attention. Simon activated his core, channeling Jet-Black throughout his body. Across the arena, Malcolm raised his silver staff.

He slammed it into the ground with a thud. A massive Jet-Black magic circle erupted from the point of impact.

"You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this stage, Simon Polentia."

The runes of the magic circle spread at a terrifying speed. Simon recognized it instantly. This wasn’t a spell learned recently at Kizen, nor was it something practiced a few times. This was a true specialty, honed through thousands, tens of thousands of repetitions until it could be cast with eyes closed.

Everyone in the arena watched, captivated, as Special Admission No. 10 unleashed his black magic.

’Doppelgänger.’

From the giant magic circle, figures identical to Malcolm began to rise. It was impossible to tell the real from the fake—their clothes, their hair, even their gait were perfect copies. In an instant, over twenty Malcolms flooded the arena.

"A Doppelgänger user!"

"So the rumors were true."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Meirin stared, dumbfounded. "What in the world is that?"

"It’s Malcolm’s specialty, Doppelgänger," Dick explained from the seat beside her. "He got into Kizen as a special admission student with that one spell alone. It’s how he took control of Class M and has maintained top ranks in every evaluation."

Simply put, Doppelgänger created countless summons that looked exactly like the caster, but Malcolm had taken it to another level. He could see, hear, and even smell through his clones. Their combat ability was excellent, and they were so perfect that it was impossible to distinguish the main body. Considering a typical Kizen first-year could control three or four skeletons, Doppelgänger, which could endlessly generate clones, was an ultimate form of black magic.

Its effectiveness might wane in the second and third years as everyone’s power leveled up, but for a freshman, numbers were king. This was why Malcolm, Special Admission No. 10, was considered to have superior combat power to his peers.

"To beat him, you need a wide-range spell that can wipe out the main body and the clones at once, or a detection spell to find the real one," Dick analyzed. "Other than that, you’d need a cancel-type curse to neutralize the Doppelgänger magic itself."

Kamibarez’s face filled with worry. "But Simon doesn’t have any of those!"

"That’s probably why the second-years’ betting odds are 8-to-2 against him," Dick said grimly. " Doppelgänger is either easy to beat or impossible. There’s no in-between."

The number of clones continued to swell. In response, Simon activated his core to one hundred percent, sharpened his focus, and calmly began to walk toward Malcolm.

"Have you lost your mind?" Malcolm sneered. "You’re walking in without a wide-range spell?"

Simon shrugged. "So what?"

"You arrogant bastard!"

Malcolm sent all twenty-plus doppelgängers charging at once.

At that, Simon finally stopped. He planted his left foot on the ground. A virtual magic circle spread out beneath him, which he materialized by infusing it with Jet-Black. By now, Malcolm’s clones had formed a tight circle around him.

"What is he doing?!"

"He’s surrounded! They’re coming from all sides!"

The twenty clones lunged at Simon simultaneously.

Simon, who had closed his eyes to focus, suddenly snapped them open.

’Open Gate!’

Subspace gates tore open all around him.

Just as the doppelgängers were about to descend upon him—

The Overlord’s limbs, a deadly fusion of metal and bone, shot out from the portals. The blades sliced through the surrounding clones, rising in a protective spiral around Simon. Not a single doppelgänger reached him. They were all torn to shreds, their bodies dissolving into black dust that scattered in the wind.

"Whoa! Wh-What is that?!"

"That’s fucking awesome!"

The crowd erupted. Even Malcolm stood frozen, his mouth agape.

’That’s black magic?’

Just then, one of the blades protecting Simon lashed out, striking toward Malcolm’s true body.

"Argh!"

Malcolm scrambled backward, losing his balance and tumbling onto his rear. The blade whipped out like a great lash, destroying several more doppelgängers before plucking the staff from the ground and flinging it high into the air.

Malcolm’s staff embedded itself deep in the arena ceiling.

The blades retracted back into Simon’s Subspace.

Simon, who had been hidden within the forest of steel, stepped forward, a calm smile on his face.

"What was that you said about a wide-range attack?"

’Wooooooaah!’

A deafening roar of approval thundered from all sides of the arena.