Sword is equal to Wand, Chapter 28 (Patreon)

I learned something very quickly as I watched the first round of the second years who were fighting one another... I wasn't outmatched because of pure strength, talent, or accumulated magical power.

But by the second year. Almost everyone had a spirit beast contract/partner. And the difference between someone who had one and not was staggering. A tiny girl, like fun sized four foot ten inches, I saw punch a hole through a giant of a guy's chest because her spirit beast partner was a magical elephant, and she inherited that innate strength.

Another guy I saw who had a contract with a Lava Borne Lion was capable of flash boiling his way out of a water orb that tried to drown him by his opponent. Just the innate gifts that were shared between the wizard and the spirit beast made them so much stronger.

Not to mention the fact that they themselves would gain a portion of the spirit beasts strength and magic resistance.

'No wonder the school pushes the Spirit Beast contract so hard... It is a total game changer in a wizard's strength and ability to survive outside in the world filled with monsters.' I mused.

So... Yeah, although they weren't summoning their spirit beasts to directly fight for them as well. It was clear that they had a major advantage that I did not. Which was clearly why McGonagall wanted me to wait and see what I was up against.

But in the end... I felt my blood warming up as I felt my autistic cultivator senses telling me that if I Unga Bunga smash real good. I will get good things and pretty women.

So when the head of my house threw me a glance that clearly said. 'You sure you want to be part of this?' 

I hurriedly nodded and all but jumped onto the arena even as my opponent, a second-year fellow Grriffindoor, brother gave me a dark look as he complained. "Oi, Professor, what is this nonsense? Whats he doin here?" 

McGonagall cleared her throat and then said primly. "Mr Finnegan, Jake has won the first-year tournament as you likely know. He wishes to see where his strength truly lies. I will not begrudge him that request."

Arnold Finnegan in front of me just shrugged and said helplessly. "Alright freshie. I am not going to be insulted by the last stages winner just wanting to see where he lies. Just a heads up, though, I am a speed type fighter as you might have noticed." 

I knew he was trying to give me a minor handicap so that I woudn't get overwhelmed so quickly just to save my own face. So I nodded and said with his eyes going thin. "I know, you practise using the Wind Shearing Spear technique with a Wind Tearing Weazle as your spirit beast partner."

And even as McGonagall called a start to the match, he said evenly as his body glowed with a silver green energy as he put his spear angled a bit downwards. "You see a lot there Jake... Maybe that Greengrass girl was right about your talents in teaching as well." 

There was no further response from me as from his angled spear. A blast of shredding wind blades shot from the front of his spear. Hit the ground and then somehow bounced upwards towards me at an odd angle.

I spun my large spear sword around me with a tornado of fire surrounding me, and as his compressed ball of countless shredding wind blades collided with the tornado of fire.

His wind fed my fire, and the wind blades were ground down in the swirling tornado of fire that threw the blades upwards and away from me.

Then my swirling spear was stopped as his own spear shot through the fiery tornado at blinding speeds and I was knocked backwards even as I sent the fire tornado at him.

But then he laughed and called out as his spear shot out a green ray of light. "Arresto Momentum!" And the swirling force of the tornado abruptly stopped, and with that broke apart as I realized, as I looked at his spear.

That he had slotted his wand into his spear so that he could cast his magic through it so much more easily. Without needing to take both hands off of his spear.

I sent a bolt of lightning at him and with a clattering noise. He sped across the arena with a single step and I mentally cursed as I realized this guy was a counter for my elemental attacks with his sheer speed.

And he fell upon me with his spear, crashing into my own as I went on the defense, only to lose as I couldn't block his stream of brutally fast spear thrusts. As he wisely danced just inside the reach of my longer spear that I coudn't make match his own tempo.

Finally, as he stabbed the back of my hand, I dropped my sword spear. I saw his eyes light up, and he stabbed forward with all his strength as he used a technique to anchor the back base of the spear into his palm as he stabbed the whole length of the spear towards me.

But I yelled out. "Smash!" And conjuring a fuck load of wind and sound, I clapped my hands together, making a sharp invisible pressure wave that slammed into him and sent him flying as he overcommitted to the lethal blow he sent into my guts.

'Fuckkk... This hurts, this hurts so fucking bad.' I thought as I kneeled in agony, feeling the wonderful sensation of a good chunk of my intestines being shredded by the swirling wind blades at the end of his spear.

But even as I was about to pass out. McGonagall called out firmly. "Mr Finnegan has lost the bout to Ring-Out! Mr Bariss, you have won!" 

And then. Abruptly, the wound was gone, and I finally got to feel the sensation of lethal wounds suddenly disappearing

'No wonder so many girls had nightmares that first night of combat class.' I thought even as I stood up with a grimace as I held a hand over my stomach at the feeling of phantom pains.

And as I left the arena and watched the other second years of other houses also doing their battles. I realized all too quickly that there was an all too valid chance I would lose this tournament of upper years because I didn't have the boosts that came with having a Spirit Beast partner.