Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“Ladieeeeeees aaaand gentlemennnnnnnnn! Thank you alllll so veryyyyyyy muchhhhhh for your incredibleeeeeeee patienceeeeeeeeee!!!”

Dressed in a pure white suit, the host Johnny strode leisurely toward the center of the arena, his voice magnified by the sound-enhancing spell amplifier so as not to be drowned out by the roaring, packed-to-the-brim colosseum.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Johnny!!”
“Mr. Sparrow, look over hereeee!!”

As expected of the grand finals, the audience erupted into thunderous applause the moment Johnny appeared. With his usual flourish, he spread his left hand wide toward stage left and bowed, then his right hand to stage right, and finally spread both arms to the front before bowing deeply once more. The crowd clapped in rhythm with his gestures, and when the final bow ended, the colosseum exploded with cheers and applause that shook the air.

“Thank you, my friends! Thank youuuu so muchhhh!!! But!!! The true highlight you’ve all been waiting forrrrrrr… starts NOWWWWWWWWW!!!”
“Estea! Estea!”
“Ignis! Ignis!”
“Altered! Altered!”

Spurred on by Johnny’s booming proclamation, the stands erupted with chants of support. Surprisingly, after Estea and Ignis, the loudest cheers were for Hom’s Altered.

“Master, can you hear them?”
“I hear them, Hom. It fills me with pride.”

Hom’s voice carried a faint tremor, whether from nerves or emotion I couldn’t tell. I turned Arkecius’ head toward Altered, as though to face her. I couldn’t see Hom’s expression directly, but I could picture her standing tall and resolute through the figure of Altered.

“They’re cheering for Melua and Lemures too.”

From her tone, I could almost see Alfe’s delighted face as she listened intently to the voices. There were no cheers for my Arkecius, but that in itself worked to my advantage. At the very least, it meant less attention compared to Ignis—a favorable circumstance.

From the opening matches alone, I already knew Ignis wouldn’t listen to anything Estea or Melua said. No matter how much they warned him about me, the overwhelming gap in machine performance meant that, in Ignis’ eyes, I was nothing worth paying attention to.

“And nowwwwwwwww! Let us welcome our first entrantsss!!! From the Canalford Student Council Teaaaaam—Ignisssssss Duuuuuuuuulannnnnnnnnn!!!!”
“Ignis! Ignis!”
“Ignis! Ignis!”

Some kind of trick—part of the audience seating glowed red, amplifying the cheers for Ignis. The voices sounded far louder than their numbers should allow, so they must have used a limited amplification spell timed to his entrance.

Though amplification magic was banned during the match, it seemed that didn’t apply to the introductions—or perhaps they’d gotten prior approval. In any case, Ms. Matilda and the others made no move to intervene.

“Ladieeeees and gentlemennnnn! Look upon ittttt! Duos’ Red Saw is already blazing with fierccccce flame!!”

At the arena gate where we waited, Ignis wreathed his Red Saw in a sinister blaze, flaunting it to provoke us.

The cheering for him grew louder in rhythm with the burning flames. But then, as if in answer, voices rose for Estea and Melua.

“Estea! Estea!”
“Estea! Estea!”
“Melua! Melua!”

Perhaps the amplification spell on Ignis’ supporters had worn off. The chants for Estea and Melua swelled higher and higher, filling the coliseum.

“And nexttttttttt! The absolute ace of last year’s Zersteller — Canalford Cup Champion Team Sylphid! Esteaaaaa Siiiiidraaaaaa!!! Aaaaand—Meluaaaaa Garneeeeeel!!!!”

As Estea and Melua’s mecha soldiers strode into the colosseum, even from within Arkecius I could feel the air itself tremble.

“This yearrrrrrr! Competing as representatives of the Student Councillllll!!! Can they once again prove their strength before all as champions of the student bodyyyyyyyy!?”
“Estea! Estea!”
“Estea! Estea!”

Estea’s popularity was overwhelming. It wasn’t just the air that shook— the entire colosseum quaked with excitement. No, the waves of fervor must have been spilling beyond the colosseum, rippling through the whole city itself.

The crowd leaned forward, fists pumping the air, shouting the names of Estea and Melua. Applause and cheers thundered so loud it seemed the walls might burst.

“Aaaaaaand nowwwwwwwww!! Despite this being their first appearaaaaance, they’ve already delivered spectacular battles! Give it upppppppppp for—Reinforrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrce!!!!!!!”

At Johnny’s booming introduction, straining to rise above the deafening cheers, the three of us advanced our machines from the entrance toward the center of the colosseum.

Even as the shouts for Estea threatened to dominate, the voices cheering for Altered mixed in, and that sound was strangely comforting.

Hom’s Altered took the lead, followed by Alfe’s Lemures, and finally my Arkecius.

Once all six mecha soldiers stood together, the arena erupted again in thunderous applause and cheers—before quieting down, as though holding its breath for the match to begin.

“Well theeeeen, without further ado, let us commmmmence—the Zersteller — Canalford Cup, Grand! Final! Matchhhhhh!!!! And nowwwwwww… BEGINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!”

Johnny’s figure vanished as if swallowed into the commentator’s booth—and with that, the curtain on battle was raised.

“Then let’s see just what you can do first, shall we~!”

Whether as a probe or a warning to Ignis, Melua cast Stone Lance without a chant, calling down a rain of stone spears.

“Leave it to me!”

At the very same instant as Alfe’s shout, countless Water Lances flew forth, intercepting the barrage. Heavy and sluggish as the Stone Lances were, the dazzling swarm of Water Lances shredded them apart with overwhelming force.

“There it issss! A magical clash between magic soldiers right from the opening belllllll!!”

But Melua showed no hesitation. With a forceful sweep of her Alchemia’s magic staff, she launched straight into her next spell.

“Now that’s more like it!”
“Scorching flames—”
“O wind—”

Melua’s incantation for Explosion spell overlapped almost perfectly with Alfe’s chant for Aero Blast.

“Reduce all to ashes—Explosion!”
“Layer upon layer, bind together, and become a hammer—Aero Blast!”

Neither side yielded an inch, trading volleys of Stone Lances and Water Lances as they unleashed their mid-tier spells.

Melua launched a massive sphere of searing fire, only for Alfe to counter with an even greater mass of compressed air.

The two spells clashed in midair, canceling each other out in a roaring detonation that sent shockwaves tearing across the arena.

“Unbelievableeeeeee! A head-to-head clash of multi-vision spellcraft between the Magic Mecha Soldiers right at the start of the finals!!!”

The explosion and ensuing blast kicked up a choking cloud of dust and smoke, shrouding the colosseum in haze.

“You’re not stealing the spotlight from meeee!”

Seeing the poor visibility as his chance, Ignis burst forth from his side’s formation and charged straight ahead.

But that was exactly the move we had anticipated.

“Hom!”
“Master!”

Ignis’ reckless advance shattered his team’s coordination—leaving him wide open. That was the real opportunity.

“Lightning, surge forth—Spark Shot!”

I unleashed a lightning spell from Ars Magna, while Hom went in for a pincer strike, aiming a kick straight at his opponent’s head.

“Haaaaah!!”

Ignis forced his way through with sheer brute strength with flames clad over his Red Saw. But that, too, had been accounted for. The Spark Shot, knocked off its trajectory, clung to Hom’s right arm instead—adding the crackling power of lightning to her strike.

“Take this!”
“Hah! Buzz off, you damn fly!”

Ignis tried to deflect Hom’s strike with his Red Saw, but the blow from her right arm carried such force that his Duos reeled back violently.

“Impossible!?”
“Haaaah!!”

Catching him off guard, Hom pressed the advantage, unleashing a flurry of follow-up strikes.

“I’ll back you up, Ignis!”
“Don’t need it!”
“Third Blade—Flying Swallow!”

Estea ignored Ignis’ barked refusal and unleashed a slicing gale toward Hom. It was meant more as a diversion than a decisive strike, and Hom easily evaded it. Still, it bought Ignis the precious moment he needed to recover his stance.