Tracy and Ross automatically glanced at Wallace as if asking for his judgment about the battle. Their eyes were asking who won the bout.

"I'm not quite sure as well. Let's hear the referees."

Wallace smiled wryly at the two. They were only watching the monitor within their camp so they have limited vision and couldn't use mana detection to determine the winner.

Internally, Wallace was hoping that Shirley won the bout but even if she lost, he contemplated that it would still be acceptable.

Everyone was waiting for the referee's announcement especially the crowd supporting Leonhearts and Mystic Gate's Academy.

On the other stage, the battle between Isolde and Sacred Peak was still ongoing but only their solid supporters were watching the match. Even some of the students from their school were watching the exciting battle between Shirley and Kyla. Isolde and Sacred peak will still battle for the 4th match.

As the referee announced the result, the seated crowd was surprised and cheered for the winner.

"Mystic Gate's Kyla won!"

Shirley missed the beat to affect Kyla with her Ultrasonic Burst and destroy her Mana Shell. This resulted in her first loss in the competition.

"Wow! So Shirley can be defeated."

"I wonder what magic did Kyla used so she won't be affected by Shirley's sonic attack."

"That was an awesome battle."

"Don't feel down Shirley! You did great!"

"Good luck in your next match!"

"Woooh! Kyla! Kyla! Kyla"

The passionate crowd did not all came from the students of their academy but with other academies as well and even non-students that supported the two.

It would be a lie if Shirley wouldn't feel disappointed about the outcome as she did her best.

"That's okay Shirley, Kyla wouldn't have enough time to replenish her Mana Pool."

Kite, their team leader said smilingly and wasn't showing that he was affected by the loss. The automatons were now cleaning the stage and the 4th battle will soon start once they finished.

He knows that they still have their advantage and have a high chance to defeat Kyla's team.

***

Wallace concluded the same thing with Kite.

"The last spell Kyla used, Frost Blade Tempest, expended almost all her mana. This may have been the cause for her protection against Ultrasonic Burst to disappear. It means that the next match would give the pair an advantage."

"Maybe, Kyla knows that she couldn't maintain her defense any longer so she decided to use that Grade 2 Spell instead even with the cost of her defense. But in the end, she still spent a lot of mana in the process." Ross added as he heard Wallace's conjecture.

"Yes, that could also be the case. We don't know the duration and tenacity of her defense after all." Wallace agreed with that and the three of them were not too worried now that their team will lose the next fight. They have a huge advantage now that Kyla expended a lot of her mana.

They just have to be careful and they will win the fight. Even the commentator and announcer agreed on this.

"Kyla did a very good job against Shirley's inconceivable attacks." Felicia said sincerely as she can see how difficult it was to defend against those sonic attacks. The four previous academies were helpless against the latter but Kyla managed to overwhelm her with her abundant mana pool and power. Albeit with the cost of expending almost all her mana just to destroy the Mana Shell.

If it was a real solo fight though, to spend all her mana pool just to destroy the opponent's Mana Shell and not to incapacitate the enemy would not be a very wise decision. Especially if the opponents still have abundant mana despite having their Mana Shell being deactivated momentarily.

***

Within the arena, the group of three who were related to the Ministry of Magic Education were also appreciating the battle that has ensued.

"Uncle Kurt! How come the referees are so blind! Shirley has won! You hired them, right?" The young lady within the room said to the middle-aged man sitting beside her.

"Ehem. The referees were all veterans and titled Battle Mage so they should have made a correct decision." Kurt answered the young lady explaining to her without getting mad at her word.

"Also, although I recruited them. It was agreed on by the whole committee." Kurt said this last part in a soft voice that could barely be heard.

"I still think that you should replace them for the 4th match. They're not doing their job correctly." The young lady insisted. This time, it was the silent Sir Mace beside who replied.

"Well... Miss Erza, do you know what's the combat magician's path?" Sir Mace asked Erza patiently and willing to explain her more not just about the referees.

"Mhm, It was taught to me by my mom. If I'm not mistaken, once a combat magician was acknowledged by the country through a series of licensure examinations, a Battle Mage title will be given to the magician and after that, once the titled Battle Mage passed another examination they will be given another title of Adept Mage. It should be the same as other magician's path."

"That is correct. Whatever path the magician has taken, they will be given a title by our country as a recognition. Remember, the Battle Mage title wasn't being given to just anyone. Not all magicians can be a combat magician as well as not all combat magicians can be a Battle Mage."

Sir Mace explained to Erza, although he wasn't used to teaching or explaining and always requires assistance from his secretary for his every speech where he is required to attend, he can still explain something as simple as this for her.

Kurt nodded at this and decided to elaborate it for her.

"Sir Mace is telling that the referee wouldn't easily make mistakes on their decision. Their title as a Battle Mage isn't just for show after all."

Erza, the young lady, calmed down after hearing their explanation but still not feeling good about her friend's loss.

"Well, looking at the current situation, it is highly likely that Leonhearts will still win the overall match." Kurt's eyes glinted as she observed Kyla. He comforted Erza as he noticed that she was still indignant about the result of the battle.

"Really?" Erza asked him for confirmation. Her mood immediately brightened up.

"Of course, looking at Kyla, everyone can see that she exhausted a lot of mana by activating that massive Frost Blade Tempest. It was already an amazing feat to use and maintain that Domain Magic together with her other mysterious magic defense. Sending that last attack that covers the whole stage is too much even with a prodigy like her." Kurt said the same thing as he was clear about Kyla's mana fluctuation as well.

"That's right, the Mystic Gate's team was still bound to lose but Kyla had already proven herself. Their team won't lose the match because she was weak but because the difference in mana artifacts is huge compared to your friend's team." Sir Mace said seriously as if contemplating something. The two middle-aged men looked at each other thinking the same thing. It seems they made an agreement with that simple look as well.

***

Their prediction didn't disappoint them and as expected, the overall match winner was still taken by Leonhearts even with one lose point in the third round.

"Leonhearts' Kite and Shirley won!"

Kite's support magic together with Shirley's offensive magic earned them another win against Kyla's team at the 4th match giving them their 5th victory. They needed to fight 6 more battles today to end the competition for their division.