Considering that you're down to the quarter-finals, you decide to go for broke with your visual enhancement techniques. The remaining eight competitors are, by definition, the best in their division, and if they're going to do anything mystical, you want to see it as clearly as possible.
"Your eyes are glowing, Alex," Kahlua notes. "Is that normal?"
"It is when I'm casting spells to improve my vision - and why are you looking at my eyes, anyway?"
She smiles. "They're pretty."
"They are not," you deny at once, with all the fierce certainty an eight-year-old boy can muster against the dreaded P-Word.
"At first they were sort of a golden brown, like honey or maple syrup," Kahlua continues, ignoring you. "Then they flashed, and now it's like looking at glowing gold."
Oh, goddesses, now she's got the other girls craning forward to look.
"Huh," Cordelia says. "I hadn't noticed that before."
"It is rather... distinctive," Moka agrees. Her choice in vocabulary almost makes you want to hug her. You'd rather go for "intimidating" or "powerful," or maybe "eldritch" - which is just a NEAT word - but you'll take "distinctive" over the P-Word any day.
Kokoa says nothing. Whether that's because she can't actually see your eyes, being short and on the other side of both her sisters, or because she just isn't looking, you neither know nor particularly care; all that concerns you is that there is no the added commentary from the rugrat section.
Luck is with you, as the Announcer declares the opening of the third round and brings a halt to any more conversation or observations from the girls. The first match is between the tonfa-wielder and the gauntlet-wearing fist-fighter, both of whom you know to be pure humans, based on what you saw of their auras and performances in the previous rounds. You also already know that the tonfa-user, Jiro, has no magical talent, but you didn't happen to use divination on the other boy, Touji, when you saw him fight before. Doing so now reveals a magical signature strong enough to indicate conscious use of whatever his talents may be - and as the match gets underway, you have a chance to see that it's mostly physical enhancement, overlapping with the young man's ki abilities. Using both types of power in synergy would explain how Touji was able to withstand that snow-girl's pocket blizzard and punch out all her icy creations without being obviously harmed in the process. Not that ki use alone couldn't do it, but the added magical factor would make things easier.
The two boys go at each other full-force from the outset, Jiro's tonfa blazing with ki and Touji's entire body surging with ki and mana. You also spot characters of the Japanese language blazing into brief existence around Touji's gauntlets, and with your multi-layered visual enhancement, you're able to read several of them and extrapolate possible meanings for others based on the energy now flowing through and around them. A minor abjuration to protect the gauntlets, with a stronger augmentation focused on speed - which quickly comes into play as Touji's fists start to fly with shocking speed. Jiro manages to keep pace with the dizzying onslaught for all of twenty seconds, mostly thanks to his use of Body Flickers, before a badly-timed block rips one of his weapons from his hand. Five seconds later, a classic uppercut rocks Jiro's head back - and there is definitely blood from that hit. The Announcer immediately calls a momentary halt, which lasts all of three seconds before Jiro stubbornly insists that he can continue.
Ten seconds and a three-hit combo after that, Jiro is down on the floor, and not looking like he's about to get up. The Announcer makes a ten-count, but it's a mere formality; the match is Touji's win.
Gained Abjuration F+++
Gained Augmentation E++
Gained Body Flicker F++
Gained Ki Concealment F
Gained Ki Enhancement E
Gained Ki Power F++
Gained Ki Sight D+++
Gained Looking E+++
Gained Mana Control E
You let your visual enhancements lapse briefly while the medics are carting Jiro away to the infirmary, then bring them back to full strength for the next match, which pits the red-skinned demon swordsman - his name is Evoreth, apparently - against Hayate. After entering the ring, both competitors bow deeply to one another, draw their weapons with a slowly, formal grace, and proceed to channel power into the competition blades. Thick demonic aura and pale human ki swirl about the swords as they are swept through almost ritualistic maneuvers, after which both fighters stand ready.
"FIGHT!"
The previous round's display of swordsmanship made you think of Star Wars, even though neither competitor resorted to superhuman acrobatics, let alone the telekinesis. You get the feeling that this is because Evoreth is a basically honorable type who was matching his skills to his opponent's, because as soon as Hayate pulls out the ninja acrobatics and Body Flicker, he's met with even greater levels of demonic strength, sorcerous illusions, and something that looks a LOT like the Emperor's Force Lightning. Hayate does a far better job of parrying that particular attack than Luke, momentarily shifting his grip on his weapon from two-handed to one, so that he can throw a patch of ki-hardened air into his foe's face, making him flinch and break off the blasting.
After a minute and change, you can tell that Hayate has the upper hand. He's not massively outperforming his opponent, but he definitely has the initiative. He's just a bit too fast for the demon to keep up with, especially with the way he keeps blinking in and out, and Evoreth doesn't appear to have a way to bridge the-
-and holy crap, he just summoned four red-clad ninja into the ring.
"And in an unexpected display of magical skill, Evoreth decides to fight ninja with ninja!" the Announcer crows.
The next thirty seconds are VERY busy, as Hayate finds himself pressed from all sides, with very little room to maneuver and absolutely none for error. He ducks, weaves, dodges, and parries for all he's worth, and still takes at least three clean hits from the blunted blades of the red ninja. Then he lands a flying kick that causes one of the summoned shinobi to go up in a burst of smoke. Tucking and rolling backwards towards the edge of the ring to avoid the swords that come at him, Hayate lures a second ninja into an ill-considered charge, which he avoids by using another Body Flicker to the far side of the ring - leaving his would-be attacker to stumble out of bounds in surprise. A well-aimed brace of throwing knives put an end to the remaining summons and force Evoreth to block, keeping him in place long enough for Hayate to close. This time, Kasumi's brother dispenses with the hit-and-run approach and keeps the pressure on, denying his opponent the time necessary to cast more spells.
The end comes at the two-minute mark, and in a flash, as Hayate musters a ki blast that you haven't seen him use before. You soon learn why, because the technique involves a large amount of ki, very tightly controlled - and when Evoreth's aura-charged blade hits it, something goes wrong, the flows twisting in a way you've never seen before, but which makes some part of your inner being shiver and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, right before the whole thing explodes. Both contestants are knocked flying and go down, twitching under a crawling, vaguely electrical-seeming back-blast of unfocused ki.
Gained Divination D
Gained Doppelganger F
Gained Elementalism E
Gained Illusion F+
Gained Ki Control E+++
Gained Knife Training F
Gained Lightning Elementalism F-
Gained Mage Sight E+
Gained Mana Concealment F
Gained Summoning F+++
Gained Sword Training F+++
"Okay, that looked nasty," Cordelia hisses over the crowd's sudden cries of alarm.
"You should see it from this angle, Cordy," you tell her.
Before you can follow up, your attention is drawn back to the ring, where Evoreth has managed to shake off the effects of the violently-disrupted technique and drag himself to his knees. Moving with a stiffness that suggests he is either dizzy, partially paralyzed, or both, the red warrior retrieves his sword - which fell from twitching, nerveless fingers in the wake of the blast - and then staggers across the ring to Hayate. The young ninja sees the "attack" coming, but something is really off with his aura, which is much more visible to you now than it was even when he was devoting so much control to that failed technique. Whatever Hayate's trying to do, he just can't seem t control his energies well enough to pull it off, and when Evoreth lowers his sword to the young man's throat, Hayate concedes with a sigh.
As soon as the Announcer has called it for Evoreth, the demon smiles faintly, and allows himself to fall over.
The medics are summoned at once - but what appears around the ring are ninja.
A LOT of ninja. At least twenty.
"Uh-oh," you say needlessly, as the shadow warriors go tense. You can see no less than three distinct groups: one wears the same red clothes as Evoreth's summoned support; the second are clad in a style very similar to Hayate, Kasumi, and Ayane's uniforms; and the third seem to be wearing dull brown. They're the smallest group, numbering a mere four to the even ten of each of the other two groups, but they're led by a fifth man who all but radiates power and confidence. Something about his face reminds you of Shiden, only... mean.
Ryu, incidentally, has just appeared next to his friend, and is very clearly keeping between Hayate and the big man who sort of looks like his father.
"Oh dear," Kahlua sighs. "Am I the only one who thinks all of that looks like something suspicious and violent that's about to happen outside the ring?"
You recall Akasha's departing remark to her daughters, and ponder how to reply.