Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (Manga) Nine Schools Competition Arc

Spoiler Alert: This page contains spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei Kyuukousen-hen (魔法科高校の劣等生 九校戦編) is the manga adaption of the of the 'Nine Schools Competition Arc' from the 3^rd and 4^th light novels. The adaptation is by Kitaumi Tsuna (きたうみつな). It was serialised for 32 chapters in GFantasy, running from October 2013 to May 2016.

Synopsis

It’s July 2095 and the annual Nine Schools Competition is approaching. The top students from each magic high school across the country prepare to gather to participate in fierce competitions of magical skill. Shiba Miyuki is among the members of the team First High will send to the battle. The magical skill of the competitors will be a huge factor, but there's another one-the tuning of their CADs. Luckily, they've got someone with them who specializes in the field, Miyuki's older brother Tatsuya.

But when the Nine School Battle is targeted by a sinister group, all the talent in the world may not be enough to secure victory...

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Volume 4

Volume 5

Chapter

Title

01

After the Exams

Tatsuya leaves First Highs Student Guidance Room to find Leo, Erika, Mizuki, Shizuku and Honoka are waiting for him. He explains that he was summoned because the teachers suspect him of intentionally failing the practical exams do to the extreme difference in his results when typically, the results should be similar. The first semesters exam results were posted with Miyuki being the top student overall however Tatsuya scored first place in theory by a large margin. They head to the cafeteria where they discuss the coming Nine Schools Competition and the difficulty in winning this year due to Ichijou Masaki from the Ten Master Clans participating from Third High School. Watanabe Mari gives a detailed explanation of the Nine Schools Competition while Tatsuya is working on updating the records at Public Morals Committee HQ. Mari tells how even though the Magicians participating are powerful, victory is not assured due to a lack of CAD engineers. After school Tatsuya takes Miyuki to Kokonoe Yakumo's temple to train for Mirage Bat. The training is interrupted when Tatsuya discovers Ono Haruka hiding in the shadows. Haruka reveals that she is also a disciple of Kokonoe Yakumo as well as a Public Safety Investigator. She is also a Born-Specialized Magician specialized in stealth. Haruka asks that her identity be kept secret and Tatsuya agrees if she keeps him informed about any trouble that may occur in the future.

02

Two Faces

Tatsuya is playing leg-ball with Class 1-E during PE Class. He notices his teammate Yoshida Mikihiko is much better than his appearance would suggest. Mikihiko is also ranked third in the written exam despite being a Course 2 student and a direct descendant of Yoshida Clan, famed for their expertise in Ancient Magic. Tatsuya suspect Mikihiko is hiding his true abilities. Class 1-E achieves an 8-0 victory over Class 1-F and the game ends. Tatsuya and Leo introduce themselves to Yoshida Mikihiko who asks them to call him Mikihiko because he does not like to be called Yoshida. Mikihiko mentions that he is a childhood friend of Erika's while talking to them. Their conversation is interrupted when Erika and Mizuki arrive. Erika calls Mikihiko 'Miki' which annoys him and when she mentions his dislike in being called Yoshida, Mikihiko becomes agitated and leaves the group. Mikihiko mutters that an accident had happened to him in the past. At lunch Mayumi, Mari, Suzune, Azusa, Miyuki and Tatsuya are in the Student Council Room discussing the upcoming Nine Schools Competition when Mayumi mentions the lack of CAD Engineers. Azusa who is the best CAD engineer of the 2nd Years, recommends Tatsuya for the CAD Engineering position as she has witnessed his first-class skills in CAD Engineering when he maintains Miyuki's CAD. Mari and Mayumi enthusiastically support the idea however Tatsuya explains that trust is important in CAD maintenance and unlike Mari and Mayumi, having him as a CAD Engineer would impact negatively on the other student because he is a Course 2 student and a First Year. While Tatsuya is expressing his objections Miyuki suddenly expresses her desire for Tatsuya to maintain her CAD during the Nine Schools Competition. This becomes the final nail in the coffin against Tatsuya and he reluctantly agrees to become a CAD Engineer for the Nine Schools Competition.

03

Selection

Lunch is nearly over but the student council are very busy, so Tatsuya decides to do some Cad maintenance. Azusa spots his CAD and they discuss the Silver Series CADs by Four Leaves Technology and the mystery behind the identity of Taurus Silver. Mayumi reminds Azusa she has homework to finish leading her to discusses her difficulty in explaining why Flying-Type Magic has not been successfully developed. Suzune give their opinions and review a recent experiment in England which failed but no one is sure why. Mayumi ask Tatsuya for his thoughts on the matter and he surprises them with an in depth explanation of why it failed. After-school the representatives for the Nine Schools Competition have a meeting where some students question Tatsuya having been provisionally added to the technical staff. To resolve the dispute Juumonji suggests a test to allow Tatsuya to show his skills and Kirihara Takeaki volunteers to be the CAD tester. Tatsuya demonstrates professional grade skills when he calibrates the CAD for Kirihara and receives strong support for joining the team from Azusa, Hattori and Juumonji. At home Tatsuya gets a call from Major Kazama Harunobu. Kazama asks him to come in to test some equipment. He brings up the competition and warns him that the No Head Dragon crime syndicate may be trying to interfere with the Nine Schools Competition.

04

The Magic to Fly

Miyuki visits Tatsuya in his lab to show him her costume for Mirage Bat where she discovers he has a prototype magical Flight Device ready for testing. He asks Miyuki to test the Flying Type Magic in their basement. Tatsuya and Miyuki go to the FLT's CAD Development Centre where Tatsuya is also known as Silver, one half of Taurus Silver, the other part being Director Ushiyama also known as Taurus. Tatsuya gives the prototype Flight CAD to Director Ushiyama for testing. The new Flying Type Magic is a resounding success although it is shown to be very taxing on ordinary magicians. While leaving FLT Tatsuya and Miyuki cross paths with their father Director General of FLT Shiba Tatsurou and Aoki a servant of the Yotsuba Clan. Aoki is openly disrespectful to Tatsuya, which upsets Miyuki, and he goes as far as calling Tatsuya a ‘heartless false magician’. Tatsuya replies that it was his mother, Yotsuba Miya, and the current head of the Yotsuba Clan, Yotsuba Maya that conducted the experiment, therefore such a statement is slander against the head of Yotsuba Clan. Their father steps in to rebuke Tatsuya but Tatsuya states he does not hate Miya. He reflects on his lost emotions and the last remaining one as he leaves with Miyuki.

05

Divine Spirit Magic

Tatsuya and the other students who will represent First High at the Nine School Competition gets their ID badge during a special school assembly. Later while the contestants are training hard Mizuki is outside, waiting for the others to finish their club activities. She notices strange fluctuations and goes to investigate. She finds Mikihiko practicing spirit magic. Surprised by Mizuki, Mikihiko instinctively send his spirits to attack, but is stopped by Tatsuya. The three of them discuss spirit magic, and when Mizuki informs them that she can see the colours of the spirits, Mikihiko claims that she may have special "eyes" and would be pivotal in divine spirit magic. The two agree to keep Mizuki's special eyes a secret. On the day of their departure for the competition, Mayumi is over an hour late. She attempts to flirt with Tatsuya but realising she’s stressed he tells her to rest on the bus. Kanon and Miyuki are upset only the competitors ride in the bus whilst the technical staff must ride separately. Suddenly a car goes out of control and flips the barrier into the path of the bus.

06

Traffic Accident

Multiple students attempt to stop the incoming car, but their simultaneous spells interfere with each other, cancelling each other out, and create a Psion storm which makes using further magic difficult. Mari tells Juumonji to act as Miyuki volunteers to stop the flames. As she prepares to cast her magic, the Psion storm suddenly disappears allowing her to extinguish the flames. Juumonji then stops the incoming car. Both are praised, but Miyuki also thanks Suzune for stopping the bus with magic. Mari suspects Tatsuya is the one who cancelled out the Psion storm. After First High students arrive at the hotel they will be staying at, Hattori is feeling a lack of confidence because Miyuki handled the prior incident better than he did despite being younger. Kirihara states that the siblings are special and brings up April’s terrorist incident, stating Tatsuya is like an army veteran and didn’t hesitate to bring Miyuki into live combat. Meanwhile, Tatsuya tells Miyuki that the car crash was not an accident, but a suicide attack. In the lobby, they are surprised to find Erika there. Mizuki, Leo, and Mikihiko are also there; Erika tells Miyuki that they were able to stay there because of family connections. As the competitors prepare for the opening ceremony and banquet, Tatsuya is forced to wear an ill-fitting spare Course 1 uniform jacket with First High's logo embroidered on it.

07

The Night Two Days Before the Battle

Erika and Mikihiko are both at the banquet as waiters. Erika notes that the two of them were there due to their families. The other first year students from First High are scared to approach Tatsuya, so he asks Miyuki to join them. Erika returns with Mikihiko, but Miyuki has already left. Erika teases Mikihiko and talks with Tatsuya, after thanking him, Erika returns to work. Masaki takes note of Miyuki and asks his friend, George, about her. Kudou Retsu, a magician once known as the World's Strongest, is to give a speech but a young woman is on stage instead. Tatsuya sees through the trick and realises Kudou is using a low power spell to fool everyone. Using the trick to highlight how magic is used is more important than strength and then gives a speech. That night, after the banquet, the freshman girls visit the artificial hot spring in the basement where Subaru mentions Ichijou gazing passionately at Miyuki but Miyuki didn’t notice him at all. Meanwhile Tatsuya and Kei are busy working in First High’s trailer. As Tatsuya is leaving, he senses intruders. Mikihiko is outside practising is magic when the Spirits detect evil intent.

08

Raising the Curtains

Mikihiko and Tatsuya apprehend the three intruders. Mikihiko is agitated that he wasn't able to do so alone, but Tatsuya rebukes him and tells him that assumption is unrealistic. Tatsuya mentions Mikihiko’s talent isn’t the problem but rather his casting speed is being slowed because his magic's formula that needs work. After Mikihiko leaves, Major Kazama talks to Tatsuya and agrees to deal with the intruders. The next day, the Nine School Competition begins in earnest. Mayumi is participating in Speed Shooting, and easily gets a perfect score in the preliminary round. Tatsuya explains to his friends in the audience that Mayumi used Multi-scope and dry ice bullets. The friends then go to watch Mari who participating in Battle Board. Honoka is upset Tatsuya isn’t her engineer for the rookie event. The match begins and Mari, using fortifying magic, and multiple other magics, easily won first place in the preliminary round.

09

The Star and the Stagehand

Tatsuya meets up with Major Kazama and other officers of 101 battalion over tea. They note that the intruders last night were indeed from No Head Dragon. They discuss how Tatsuya’s participation as an engineer is practically cheating and how he’s be an excellent participant given his skills. Kazama ends the debate and warns Tatsuya to not use classified magic if he ever becomes a participant. In the finals for Speed Shooting, Mayumi manages to win first place using the same strategy with sheer power and skill, using Multi-scope to aim fire from different directions. That night, the First High council decides to ask Tatsuya to help with tomorrow's Crowd Ball events as Hattori is having problems, so he needs to work with his engineer. When Miyuki tells Tatsuya this, she notices him working on something. Tatsuya states that it is simply a toy and not related to the competition. On the day of the Crowd Ball competition, Mayumi asks Tatsuya if he’s got all the data he needs and is upset to discover he has a photographic memory. At the stadium Mayumi asks him to help her stretch and tells him that he is like a younger brother. Mayumi wins the first match easily by simply rebounding every ball that came into her court causing her opponent to withdraw due to exhaustion after a single round. Tatsuya cleans her CAD’s software between matches which greatly improves the efficiency. Mayumi is initially frustrated until Tatsuya explains himself. She goes on to easily win first place.

10

Accident

It’s the second day of the tournament and the Shiba’s are watching Kanon who is participating in Pillar Break. In the second round, she defeats her opponent using her families signature magic "Mine Field", and advances to the third round. Back at First Highs tent they discover the all three boys lost in the speed shooting tournament. Tatsuya receives a package from Four Leaves Technology, containing the prototype weapon integrated CAD he designed the night before. The "Mini-communicator", a sword that can extend out a detachable end with magic. Tatsuya asks Leo to test the CAD out, and after a series of tests he notes that it can be used in Monolith Code but needs more weight for actual combat. The following day the Shiba’s and friends are watching Mari in the semi-finals for Battle Board. The match gets off to a good start with Mari and the contestant from Seventh High neck and neck, but at the first turn the contestant from Seventh High accelerates by mistake. Mari tries to catch her to stop her from having an accident but suddenly the water caves in throwing her off balance and causing the girl from Seventh High to crash into Mari, slamming both into the fence. Tatsuya rushes to her aid. Mari wakes up in the infirmary, due to her injuries she is told by Mayumi that she cannot participate in the Mirage Bat competition. Mayumi asks if she was hindered by magic during the accident and that the interference might have been due to the actions of a third party. Tatsuya, Miyuki, Kanon, and Kei are in Tatsuya’s room where they are to analysing the footage of the accident.

11

The Substitute

Tatsuya’s investigation confirms magic was used to cause the accident. Kei discusses they difficulties of preforming such a feat given the events security. Tatsuya and concludes that there was third party interference using non-human entity. Mikihiko and Mizuki join the group and they discuss the possibility of Spirit Magic having been used. Mikihiko confirms it’s possible the water caving was caused by spirits. Tatsuya goes on to state that he believes that Seventh High player's CAD was tempered with by someone on the Tournament Committee during the inspections. Afterwards, Miyuki and Tatsuya are called to a meeting by Mayumi, and Miyuki is asked to replace Mari in the official division for Mirage bat. On the first day of the rookie division, Shizuku is participating in speed shooting. Honoka and Miyuki along with Tatsuya’s classmates are in the audience. Honoka is nervous as she has a race in the afternoon. Tatsuya is Shizuku’s engineer and they discuss the CAD tunings which Shizuku is very pleased with. While Tatsuya watches for tampering Shizuku steps up to the stage.

12

Rookie Competition - Air Mine

Shizuku’s first match begins and the audience is awed by her spell. Honoka explains she is using "Active Air Mine", a magic that Tatsuya developed for her. Ichihara meanwhile is explaining it to Mari and Mayumi elsewhere in the audience. Shizuku attains a perfect score in the preliminaries. After the match she speaks to Tatsuya and switches her CAD for a secret plan. Tatsuya confirms the other two freshmen girls also passed the qualifiers. In her quarterfinal match, Shizuku uses a general CAD with an aim assist system. Her friends in the audience discuss the CAD and Miyuki tells them Tatsuya hand made it for her. Elsewhere Mayumi, Mari, and Suzune note that an aim assisted general CAD is state-of-art. Shizuku wins her match with another perfect score.

13

Rookie Competition - The Waterway of Dazzle

Mayumi is ecstatic the girls took the podium in Speed Shooting. Ichihara tells Tatsuya that the Magic University wants to officially adopt "Active Air Mine" into its Index. Tatsuya asks that Shizuku's name be placed as its inventor instead of his. In the Third High conference room, the contestants discuss the results and Ichijou Masaki notes that the First High's girls didn’t on talent. George states the engineer for the Girl's Speed Shooting has extreme talent. He tells the others that Shizuku was using a ‘Generalised CAD’ with aim assistance, something announced the year before, however the prototype shown wasn’t fit for use. Ichijou states if the engineer on First High’s team is responsible then he is a monster, well beyond high school level and that any events overseen by him will be a harsh uphill battle. In the preliminaries for Battle Board, Honoka using a strategy devised by Tatsuya, casts optical magic on the water's surface which blinds the other participants. In the audience, Azusa who couldn’t figure out why Honoka had the optical sequences on her Cad is impressed with the strategy which no one else had thought of in nine years. Honoka goes on to win easily with the large lead this tactic gives her. After the race Honoka cries tears of joy as she thanks Tatsuya for helping her win. That night, Tatsuya finds Miyuki waiting in his room late. She asks about his refusing to have his name placed in the Index. He states their connections with the Yotsuba could be exposed when they are checked and reminds her that he is Miyuki's Guardian, that he exists only to protect her and as such their aunt would not approve of a Guardian coming out of the shadows. He further notes that at the current time, he cannot suppress the whole Yotsuba clan so he must obey. Miyuki tells him that she will always be his ally.

14

Rookie Competition - Ice and Flames

The fifth day of the competition arrives. Eimi couldn’t sleep so Tatsuya retunes her Cad to compensate. Eimi goes on to win her match in the rookie competitions Girls Ice Pillar Break. Shizuku is participating in the fifth match of Girls Ice Pillar Break. She uses data fortification to prevent damage to her pillars whilst attacking with a variant of Resonance. She wins easily, losing only one pillar. The last of First High’s competitors is Miyuki. She casts the A rank magic "Inferno" in an instant, dominating the field with her spell and completely locking out the other contestant leading to an utterly overwhelming victory and shocking the audience. That night, the freshman girls all praise Tatsuya for his engineering skills. Morisaki gets angry and leaves the banquet. Meanwhile, No Head Dragon, who have been trying to ensure Third High's victory, plan to make their next move. On the morning of the sixth day, the Shiba’s find Masaki and George waiting for them near the First High ready room. They introduce themselves, Tatsuya sends Miyuki ahead and they ask if Tatsuya will oversee Monolith Code before leaving. In the ready room Miyuki states she believes that they came to declare "war" against Tatsuya's skill and scolds him for underestimating himself. The three First High Girls all win their Ice Pillar Break matches and Honoka advances to the battle board final. Mayumi informs them that the tournament committee is offering to let Eimi, Shizuku, and Miyuki share first place for Ice Pillar Break. Eimi wishes to withdraw but Shizuku desires to compete seriously against Miyuki and Miyuki accepts the challenge.

15

Rookie Competition - Confrontation of Classmates

The final for Girls Ice Pillar Break is being fought between Miyuki and Shizuku. Miyuki starts off with Inferno. Shizuku protects her own pillars with Data Fortification, and counter attacks with Resonance Destruction. Miyuki protects her own pillars, while her Inferno slowly begins to melt Shizuku's. Shizuku, seeing that her tactics is not effective, pulls out a specialized CAD and uses Phonon Maser to damage Miyuki's Pillars for the first time in the competition. Though surprised, Miyuki quickly recovers. She casts Niflhiem and covers Shizuku's Pillars with liquid nitrogen. Recasting Inferno, she forced the liquid nitrogen to expand, destroying all of Shizuku's Pillars at once. Shizuku was comforted by Honoka after her defeat. The two of them head out to get lunch where they bump into Tatsuya and Miyuki and decide to join them for a meal. The next day, Tatsuya is watched by competitors from other school as he engineers for Mirage Bat. While Subaru participates in her first match, he thinks about the time he’s spent in High School and how despite wanting to keep a low profile he keeps getting dragged into things. He thinks of Miyuki and how their intertwining bond is something that can never be decomposed.

16

The Duty of the Substitute

Tatsuya watches the Rookie Mirage Bat matches as the Engineer for Subaru and Honoka, and reflects it’s as demanding physically as running a marathon. They win the first and second matches respectively and Tatsuya decides to retire for the day. Later in the day Tatsuya returns to First Highs tent to discover there was an accident in the second boys match of Monolith Code. The building collapsed immediately after the match started due to the use of Battering Ram which was an illegal over attack. Mayumi advises Juumonji is negotiating and speaks with Tatsuya privately. She asks if its reprisal for April. Tatsuya tells her about the break in and ‘that the games are being targeting by a crime syndicate. At the finals of Mirage Bat, Honoka and Subaru get off to a head start thanks to Tatsuya’s small and efficient activation sequences. In the audience Azusa overhears another school’s engineers exclaim it’s like Tatsuya is Taurus Silver. She reflects on everything and begins to suspect he really is Silver. The match ends with a 1-2 finish for First High. After the match Tatsuya is summoned to a meeting where Mayumi tells Tatsuya she wants to win the rookie competition and requests Tatsuya substitute for the injured First High Team. Tatsuya tries to talk his way out of it but Juumonji forces the issue and Tatsuya reluctantly agrees.

17

Weakness

Having agreed to participate in Monolith Code, Tatsuya asks who his team are. He’s told to choose so he asks for 1-E’s Yoshida and Saijou. Back at Tatsuya’s room the three discuss the situation. Tatsuya proposes Leo be on defence, him on offense and Mikihiko using guerrilla tactics. After confirming victory conditions Tatsuya tells Leo to use the Armament CAD mock up, he had made earlier in the week, to attack and fortification magic to defend. Mikihiko discusses his role and how his spells are too verbose. Tatsuya states he will rearrange the spells to make them more efficient since the issues are the parts acting as camouflage which are no longer effective. Mikihiko gets disheartened that Ancient Magic is inferior to Modern Magic. Tatsuya corrects him that Modern Magic may be faster but it’s how you use it that’s important and Ancient Magic is more potent. Mikihiko hands over his spell amulets for Tatsuya to process. Tatsuya confirms Mikihiko can use Sense Tuning for vision. The three continue their strategy meeting late into the night. Afterwards Tatsuya begins coding the CAD’s. Azusa observes Tatsuya rewriting Yoshida’s spells and realising hers not just rearranging but improving the magic she’s left speechless. She realises he’s gone beyond high school level and must be ‘Silver.’ Next day it’s the first match between Eighth High and First High. Everyone is confused and Leos ‘sword’ and how an engineer is participating. Masaki and Cardinal George watch with intrigue.

18

Weakness Part 2

The match begins and Mikihiko and Tatsuya rush into the forest. Mayumi, Mari and Katsuto reflect Eighth High seem to have the advantage since woods are their home territory. Tatsuya reaches Eighth Highs Monolith with shocking speed and uses weak gravity magic to stun the guard. The Eighth High player tried to attack back but Tatsuya uses Program Demolition shocking everyone. Mayumi explains it’s the strongest counter magic in use that almost no one can use. It uses compressed Psions to destroy magic sequences. Mari speculates it was Tatsuya who nullified the magic during the bus accident and Mayumi agrees. Tatsuya opens the Monolith and withdraws. Over at First Highs Monolith Leo uses the Mini Communicator Armament CAD to knock out the attacking Eighth High player.

19

Weakness Part 3

As Leo takes down one player, Mikihiko has the third trapped using the Spirit Magic spell Echo Maze leaving him lost in the woods. Meanwhile Tatsuya lures the remaining player away from the Monolith and sets a trap using magic activation as bait and hiding in a tree. Tatsuya uses a weak Resonance to stun the player and rushes back to the Monolith to enter the code, winning the match. Masaki and George discuss the match and George concludes Tatsuya is very experienced at combat but has weak magic so it’s his combat skills they need to be wary of so in an open shoot out they’d win. At First Highs tent Miyuki is giving Tatsuya a shoulder massage leaving Mikihiko very flustered. Miyuki teases him for being shy but the cosy atmosphere between the Shiba’s is making him even more embarrassed. Mayumi and Azusa arrive and announce the next match is on the Urban stage.

20

Elemental Sight

It’s Tatsuya’s second match and its on the same field as the accident the day before. Tatsuya jumps roof top to roof top into the enemy team’s base carrying one of Mikihiko’s spirits. The spirit is then activated to scout for the Monolith. Meanwhile Leo is in combat with two players. He neutralises one and blocks the others attack forcing them to withdraw. Mikihiko finds the Monolith and guides Tatsuya who springs a surprise attack on the enemy defender. Tatsuya opens the Monolith from two floors up allowing Mikihiko to read the code, winning the match. In the stands Mizuki is relieved and Erika notices Mikihiko is back to his old self, from before the incident. Fujibayashi and Yamanaka from the Tatsuya’s unit discuss the match and how much Tatsuya is holding back not even using Elemental Sight. Fujibayashi points out that it’s an even more high-profile ability than Decomposition and a Yotsuba secret. She points out he won’t be able to hold back against the Crimson Prince and Cardinal George. At the hotel the Shiba’s overhear Erika berating her older brother for abandoning his duties for his girlfriend Mari. Erika storms off and runs into the Shiba’s and they talk, ending with Erika calling Miyuki out on her brother complex. Tatsuya heads over to watch Masaki’s semi-final on the quarry stage, against Eighth High to gather intel. However, Masaki goes out alone and advances out in the open. The players from Eighth High launch spell after spell but his Interference Armour blocks everything and uses overwhelming force to subdue the entire team.

21

The Ability of a Genius

In First High’s tent Mayumi notices how close the style resembles Juumonji’s own. Katsuto points out it’s a callout to challenge Shiba, which he’ll accept. Tatsuya is thinking this also and realises it’s their best chance of winning and is impressed by Kichijouji’s strategy. Leo and Mikihiko are feeling overwhelmed by the spectacle since they didn’t see anyone else’s abilities. Tatsuya theorises Kichijouji will use Invisible Bullet given that he specialises in weight type magic. He reveals Kichijouji is Cardinal George, who discovered a Cardinal Code at 13. The entire canyon is covered in Mikihiko’s magical fog during second semi-final which inhibits the players from Ninth High and allowing Tatsuya to close in and open the enemy Monolith unhindered. Mikihiko uses spirits to read the code and the match ends in a First High Victory without a single battle. With two hours to the final Mikihiko goes to the hotel roof to absorb prana, there he bumps into Erika. She tells him he’s recovered from the accident and is stronger than ever. Tatsuya meets with Ono Sensei who is delivering a case to Tatsuya from Kokonoe. Tatsuya offers her money in exchange for intel on the No Head Dragon Syndicate as insurance. She asks for a day. At First Highs tent Tatsuya reveals the case contains a cloak and a mantle for the final.

22

The Final Winning Move

Tatsuya explains the cloak and mantle contain engraved magic circles with will help I the final. Mayumi tells him not to overdo it since they already scored enough points for the win in the rookie division. Outside Tatsuya is using martial arts whilst thinking about the match and all the magic he needs to hide. Miyuki brings him a towel and says she has faith he’ll never lose to anyone. Realising she wants him to win Tatsuya decides he cannot lose. The players take the field for the final and the audience are perplexed by First Highs attire. Mizuki sees Mikihiko is surrounded by spirits. Third High realise the mantle and cloak are likely counters to Invisible Bullet but are confident in the plan of Masaki taking on Tatsuya whilst Kichijouji flanks and takes the Monolith. The match begins, and Masaki uses a specialised CAD, showing his intent to go offensive. Masaki uses air compression for long range attacks and Tatsuya counters with Gram Demolition. The two advance on each other and the audience is awed by Tatsuya’s skills under pressure. Mayumi and Katsuto realise it’ll be harder to attack the closer he gets to Ichijou. Kichijouji makes his move and begins to flank. Tatsuya starts to close the final 50 meters to Ichijou. At this range Tatsuya is forced to use Elemental Sight to counter the fierce offense. Leo blocks Kichijouji with the solidified mantle. He takes aim at Yoshida, but the cloak uses Genjutsu and blocks his attack. Leo attacks Kichijouji who can’t escape.

23

The Final Winning Move Part 2

Kichijouji is about to be taken out when Masaki hits Leo with a spell, taking him down. Kichijouji uses gravity magic on Mikihiko, pinning him. Masaki turns his attention back to Tatsuya to find he’s closed the distance in an instant. In a panic he launches a full-strength illegal over attack at Tatsuya. Tatsuya cancels out most but takes two direct hits and is blown towards Masaki, who is panicking as he used lethal force. Tatsuya’s regeneration ability kicks in on auto-cast and he is fully revived in an instant allowing Tatsuya to land on his feet and continue the attack against the shocked Masaki. He unleashes a spell by clicking his fingers at point blank range and Ichijou falls. At the First High tent Mayumi is trying to make sense of what happened. Ichihara states e uses amplification of sound to knock Ichijou out. Mayumi states Tatsuya should have lethal wounds but Juumonji dismisses it as toughness from his martial arts training. In the audience Fujibayashi and Yamanaka discuss what happened and agree not to notice the use of regeneration. They discuss ‘Flash Casting’ where magic is called from memory rather than CAD’s. Back on the field Kichijouji is shocked by Ichijou’s loss and is nearly taken out by Yoshida who, inspired by Tatsuya, aims to bring down the Cardinal.

24

The Final Winning Move Part 3

Using advice from Tatsuya, Mikihiko launches a five-spell combination attack on Kichijouji and overwhelms him. Left exhausted Mikihiko is open to the attack of the final player from third high. Leo blocks the attack at the last second and takes the final player out, sealing the victory. The winners return to cheers from the audience and tears of joy from Miyuki. Tatsuya jokes about Leo stealing the spotlight at the end. Mikihiko is shocked by Leo’s durability, having got up again after taking the hit from Ichijou with no defences up.

25

Imperial Wrath

In the First High tent Mayumi gives a pep talk to the girls in Mirage Bat as with their 140pt lead, the competition can be won tomorrow. Tatsuya begins to start tuning the CADs and is scolded for overdoing it when injured. In Chinatown the local leaders of the ‘No Head Dragon’ are panicking over the results as they will lose 100million in bets. They fear the consequences for their failure and plot to have all First High’s competitors drop out forcefully.

26

Imperial Wrath Part 2

Tatsuya observes the weather and comments its good for Mirage Bat but feels like the harbinger of a coming storm. Miyuki is worried, but Tatsuya promised to protect her. In the first match Kobayakawa is up for First High and after the first round is in the lead. In the audience Mizuki has taken off her glasses to watch for sabotage. The others are concerned but Mikihiko has a barrier up to help her with the discomfort. Erika teases them over Mikihiko saying he’ll protect Mizuki. The second round gets underway but Kobayakawa’s CAD shorts out and she falls out of the air and is only caught at the last second before she would have hit the ground. Her engineer Hirakawa is in pieces thinking it’s her fault. Tatsuya realises it’s likely Kobayakawa will lose her magical abilities over this accident. Mizuki calls to tell Tatsuya she saw spirit magic bursting out of the CAD just before the CAD failed. Tatsuya thanks her. Tatsuya brings in Miyuki’s CAD for inspection before her match. Tatsuya spots magic being inserted into the Cad and drags the official over the counter and throws him down in rage. Security rush in to stop it and hear Tatsuya demanding to know what the official implanted into the CAD and who he’s working with. Answered with silence Tatsuya is about to execute the man when Kudou Retsu arrives. Tatsuya apologises and explains the situation and that the man is a saboteur. Kudou recognises that Electron Silkworms have been implanted and demands explanations from both the saboteur and the Committee for this scandalous occurrence. Kudou advises Tatsuya to use a backup CAD and asks to speak with him in the future.

27

Fairy Dance

News of Tatsuya violent outburst has reached First Highs tent before him and everyone is uncomfortable. Miyuki is upset as Tatsuya got angry for her. He consoles her and reminds her it’s her big day in the spotlight so not to cry. Mayumi breaks the cosy mood by joking that Tatsuya has a sister complex. Miyuki’s match begins, and Miyuki gets off to a good start but is being marked by Matsui, one of the favourites to win so only reaches second place in the first round. Miyuki turns it around in round two but only has a slim lead. Wanting to win Miyuki asks Tatsuya if she can use their secret weapon. Tatsuya agrees and hands over the second CAD. Shizuku notices the change but only Honoka knows what the secret weapon is. The third round starts, and Matsui gets the first point, but Miyuki accelerates past her and stays airborne racking up point after point. The audience is shocked and slowly realise Miyuki is using Taurus Silvers flight magic. Miyuki scores an overwhelming victory. The No Head Dragon leaders upon hearing this order a massacre of the audience using Generator No17. Before he can kill a single person he is intercepted by Yanagi of the Independent Magic-Equipped Military Battalion, and thrown out of the stadium.

28

Fairy Dance Part 2

Yanagi confirms the attacker is an augmented human and with the help of Fujibayashi and Sanada quickly subdue the Generator. Miyuki joins Tatsuya in his room and the two have lunch. Tatsuya comments he’s been too bust to spend much time with Miyuki and asks if there is anything she want’s. She asks him to stay with her whilst she rests for the Mirage Bat final. While she sleeps Tatsuya reflects that before three years ago they had no real contact with one another but despite that his one emotion is his love for Miyuki. He gets a message from Fujibayashi telling him of the attempted massacre. The final gets underway, but all the competitors are using flight magic. Tatsuya suspected the committee might leak the sequence. Mayumi is fuming that safety was not prioritised over winning. Tatsuya tells her not to worry as there is a safety feature. The other contestants cannot keep up with Miyuki at all. The first of them runs out of Psions and is about to fall when a safety activates bringing her safely to the ground. Inspired by Tatsuya’s gaze on her, Miyuki dominates the match and all the other competitors retire before it completes leading Miyuki as the last one standing. After the match the team gathers to celebrate Miyuki’s win, but she says Tatsuya retired early as he was tired. However Tatsuya actually meets with Ono Sensei.

29

Sniper

Tatsuya meets with Ono and buys the intel on the No Head Dragon leadership. Ono is shocked by the amount she’s paid. Ono is worried and asks if this is just for insurance, which Tatsuya confirms. Ono leaves and Tatsuya immediately meets with Fujibayashi at her car. He tells her Ono is with Public Security. He inputs the map data and the two head out. Meanwhile Kudou Retsu meets with Major Kazama to discuss Tatsuya, who he knows from the Yotsuba. Kudou asks if this isn’t regrettable as Tatsuya and Masaki could both be future pillars of Japans military. Kazuma calls out Kudou who wants to weaken the Yotsuba who are getting to powerful. Kazuma points out Tatsuya is already a vital part of Kazuma’s unit and unlike Masaki, is on a strategic level. Tatsuya and Fujibayashi arrive at Yokohama Bay Hills Tower.

30

Sniper Part 2

Fujibayashi uses magic to hack the doors and security cameras to cover up the operation and they head to the roof. At the china town hotel the No head Dragon leaders are in a panic and preparing to leave and plan to assassinate Tatsuya in reprisal but cannot find any information on him meaning someone very high up deleted his data. On the tower roof Tatsuya discusses the situation with Fujibayashi. Tatsuya takes aim at a Generator in the hideout and reflects on how only his love for Miyuki really separates the two. Tatsuya pulls the trigger and disables the rooms protections along with a section of the wall before disintegrating the Generator. Tatsuya then calls the rooms telephone.

31

Sniper Part 3

Tatsuya greets the leaders of the No Head Dragon branch as he disintegrates another Generator with Trident. One of the men tries to take aim with a sniper rifle but the lens is shattered with magic. The last two generators are disintegrated next. Another tries to call for help but finds his phone is hacked. Tatsuya kills the sniper next, then one who tries to flee. Douglas Huang tries to negotiate with Tatsuya and promise to withdraw from Japan. Tatsuya questions him about the syndicates boss as he executes another of the leaders. Huang gives the bosses name and location in desperation and Tatsuya kills another leader leaving only Huang alive. Huang realises in his last moments the spell is ‘Demon’s Right’ as Tatsuya kills him too. Next day the soldiers debrief with Tatsuya who thanks them for their help. Sanada points out they need stopping due to the manufacture of Sorcery Boosters as it uses magicians as actual components. Tatsuya is dismissed and so joins Miyuki in the stands to watch the Monolith Code semi-final with the First High team lead by Juumonji.

32

The Winners Personality

In the match Hattori rushes the enemy and unleashed a torrent of attacks to overwhelm the enemy while Juumonji defends with Phalanx and Tatsumi takes the finishing blows ending with a First High win. In the final however, under orders from the clan meeting, Juumonji launches a solo attack and using Phalanx overwhelms the Third High team, taking the win single handed. After the rewards ceremony everyone takes part in an afterparty. Miyuki is surrounded by boys and Masaki makes a move but is greeted by Tatsuya instead. Masaki’s is initially rude but seeing Miyuki annoyed realises they are siblings. Tatsuya tells Masaki to dance with Miyuki and then is roped into dancing with Honoka, Shizuku and finally Mayumi whose crazy moves leave him exhausted. Juumonji takes Tatsuya aside and asks him if he’s from the 10 Master Clans. Tatsuya says no so Juumonji suggests marrying into the Saegusa. Tatsuya decides Juumonji, not just from his magic but many other aspects, is his natural enemy. Miyuki arrives to collect Tatsuya and she requests the dance the last dance together outside. Tatsuya reflects that despite the world and stars around them he only sees Miyuki.