In volume 9 we get back to the tournament, and personally I have never been a fan of tournament arcs. Sure, the fights are well written, and give quiet a bit of exposition to the magic system and in some cases some interesting character development. It is just that the stakes are low, and the end result were very predictable. Add in that almost compulsory flashback in the middle of the fight about the (predictable) background of a minor side character we likely never see again and it just left me bored at times (especially chapter 1). The ending is very promising though and highlights what I like about the series, although it is a bit abrupt and feels like a cliff hanger of sorts even though it is more of a teaser of what is to come next. So, a decent read, but for me certainly not the best of the series.