In a contest of raw strength between two mages, the stronger will always come out on top. That's what it means to be a strong mage. But a mage battle is so much more than raw strength of mana. You must know how to defend yourself, or else only destroy each other without winning. You must know how your opponent defends themselves, else they may parry you with ease. How your opponent attacks you, so that you may not be taken off guard. How to react. What unique attacks may get through your opponent's defences. For me, it's not a game of who knows the other better, who can adapt to the other's strategies faster anymore. I know all that. Long since lost count of how long I've had to learn him now. It's a game of how fast I can run right through his defences, ruin him. 4.23 seconds is my personal record.

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  The countdown starts. The announcer is the only reason I still remember he even has a name. It's not important anymore. How can anything be? I pass the time in other ways. The announcer himself isn't even a mage. He was no fun. Most of the audience watching us now are mages. Even they all fall to the same trick, though.

  "FIGHT!"

  His strategy is defence. It only took a couple of tries to find the holes. I hit the base of his neck with an angled javelin of force. Non-lethal but enough to knock him out cleanly. 5.53 seconds. Slow. I let myself get distracted. Maybe I should try lethal force again. Trying to escape was fun.