Thanks to my Harem, I Rise as the Dragon King-Chapter 22: Duel between talent and determination (1)

«Aaah... I wonder if those two will ever get along...» Viktoria murmurs with weary exasperation.

Viktoria, Selene, and I sit in the front row of the arena stands, waiting for the duel between Jasmine and Arielle to begin. We can only hope this will finally be the time they put an end to their squabbles.

Strangely, the stands are quite crowded this afternoon. It’s not that their match isn’t worth attention, but neither of them has ever made it past the semifinals in the nine semester tournaments they’ve entered. From the outside, it might seem like a duel that doesn’t look particularly exciting, yet the large crowd made me think twice—probably curious since this is their very first duel. They had never faced each other before, not even in the school tournaments.

And of course, that brat with the Sacred Phoenix Crystal just had to be there, sitting next to Professor Selunara in the front row. It’s obvious that Rebecca Asheart is only there to study Jasmine and Arielle’s progress and analyze their fighting styles even more thoroughly. That girl is truly unbearable, and having her less than ten meters away makes me so nervous I’d rather not think about it.

«You’re right, big sis,» Selene agrees, swinging her legs back and forth like a cheerful child. «Those two have been teasing each other for four years, and now that I think about it, I’m honestly surprised they’ve never actually faced each other until now.»

«Big sis?!» Viktoria repeats, puzzled and slightly annoyed. «I never gave you permission to call me that. It already bothers me enough that when you hook up with Jade you take the liberty of calling him big brother, but with me that won’t fly.»

«You became my big sis the moment the three of us had sex to celebrate Jade’s victory, remember?» Selene retorts, tilting her chin up smugly. «From that night on, our bond got even stronger, and you earned the privilege of joining the small but amazing family of me, big brother Jade, and now you, big sis.»

«And to think that organizing that threesome was my idea... I should’ve just minded my own business,» Viktoria grumbles.

«Arielle and Jasmine already gave me a headache yesterday, I don’t need you two starting as well today,» I snap at them in an annoyed tone.

«You’re right, Jade. Forgive us...» Viktoria murmurs.

Meanwhile, Jasmine and Arielle step in through the opposite gates of the arena, heading toward each other in the center.

«Did you get yourself a soft chair, my dear Jasmine? Because after I’m done kicking your ass, you won’t be able to sit for an entire month!» Arielle sneers, fixing her rival with a defiant glare.

But Jasmine doesn’t even flinch at such childish provocations. In terms of magical power, the two of them are evenly matched in my opinion, but when it comes to maturity and seriousness, Jasmine is far ahead of Arielle, and she’s just proven that once again.

Finally, Professor Selunara signals the start of the match.

They both leap back at once, using Enhancement Magic to boost their speed, doubling the distance between them in an instant.

That choice isn’t surprising—the two of them are mainly elemental mages, more inclined to ranged battles than to intense close combat like the ones Viktoria and I fought against Rebecca.

Arielle raises both arms toward Jasmine.

«Elemental Invocation • Water/Wind: Frozen Shard Blizzard!»

From Arielle’s palms, a violent burst of sharp, slender ice spikes erupts, like a hail of frozen needles.

Most people who master elemental magic can only control a single element—I wield fire, Selene wields wind. But there are rare cases: mages who can command multiple elements and combine them to form new ones beyond the four elemental standards (Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth). Arielle belongs to that rare category—she can manipulate both water and wind, merging them to cast ice invocations, a powerful set of spells only possible with that specific combination, which earned her the title of "Ice Princess".

The swift rain of thousands of sharp shards closes in on Jasmine, but she doesn’t just stand still. She presses her palm against the hard-packed dirt of the arena floor. And... «Elemental Invocation • Earth: Stonewall!»

The ground in front of Jasmine shatters, and a tall, thick stone wall rises instantly, standing between her and the oncoming ice shards that slam into the rock. The wall cracks and collapses into rubble, but it’s enough to stop Arielle’s assault.

Unlike Arielle, Jasmine can only use a single element. She lacks an Ancient Crystal like Viktoria and me, and she can’t cast Inherent Spells from other classes like Selene, who also wields Alchemical Invocations. These are natural gifts—you’re either born with them or you’re not. Yet Jasmine has never let that stop her. She never complained about not being born with our talent. Instead, she threw herself into books and training, pushing her one element to its absolute limit. She’s stubborn, fiercely determined, and once she decides on something, she’ll see it through no matter how many failures it takes. She didn’t let the language barrier stop her when she first came to Astralea, and she has no intention of letting it stop her now, even though on paper she’s the most disadvantaged among the five of us. I deeply admire her determination, which is why I’m confident that one day she’ll become a great mage renowned across all of Kristalia.

«Elemental Invocation • Earth: Golem!»

The stones that had formed the defensive wall now begin to levitate, converging and clustering at a single point. In an instant, they form a gigantic rocky body, a spherical figure about three meters wide with equally long arms and legs.

«My, how monotonous. Do you only know those two Elemental Invocations? In four and a half years at Astralea, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you use any others,» Arielle mocks, covering her mouth and feigning a yawn.

«Better to master a few than to fumble many,» Jasmine replies, a faint, inexplicable smile on her face.

Strange—I’ve never seen her this confident before. And yet, Arielle has a point. Jasmine deliberately chose to perfect only those two specific Elemental Invocations, becoming the best at them in all of Astralea, even though nearly thirty other students can wield the Earth element. But it leaves her at a huge disadvantage against someone who knows her selective style inside out—and Arielle is exactly that kind of opponent.

The element of surprise is crucial in a fight this evenly matched, but how can Jasmine hope to catch Arielle off guard if she always relies on just those two spells? To make matters worse, Arielle has the broadest arsenal of spells in the academy—there are countless ways for her to hit Jasmine with something unexpected. Which only makes me more curious. Where does all the confidence shining in Jasmine’s smile come from?