Ari glanced at the approaching lance and smiled.
He charged another Magic Missile and rotated ninety degrees to face the lance, then raised his left arm below his chest.
Maya finally glanced at him due to his strange actions.
Lana and Marissa’s eyes widened at what appeared to be a desperate attempt at countering the lance, but it was obvious that he wouldn’t make it in time.
Just as the lance was about to impact his chest, Ari lifted his left arm to intercept.
<Magic Counter>
Ari’s forearm shone with a golden light.
Tong!
A round, golden magical shield materialised on Ari’s forearm, absorbing the lance.
Ari used the momentum of the impact to rotate ninety degrees, then launched the lance with twice the force it struck his shield.
Maya’s eyes widened.
Boom! Bang! Bang!
Ari’s counter shattered two blocks of ice instantly.
Dun!
A double-layered block of ice finally halted the lance’s advance, but Ari no longer paid attention to it.
Maya’s expression shifted to an excited grin.
Ari launched the charged Magic Missile at Maya as soon as his feet hit the ground, then used Blink.
Bang!
Dun!
Maya did not expect this much resistance from Ari.
Although his movements, tactical awareness and creativity surprised her, it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle easily.
But in that moment.
‘This is so much fun! Come Ari, show me more!’
Maya launched a barrage of Ice Lances over a wide area, making it impossible to attempt a frontal approach.
Time slowed as Ari’s mind, senses, and reflexes sharpened to supernatural heights.
He leapt back as the hail of Ice Lances descended.
Doom! Doom! Doom!
The gears in Ari’s head turned as he searched for an opening.
Maya’s assault was oppressive and unrelenting, but Ari was undaunted.
He tracked the trajectory of a lance then sprang into action.
Tong!
Ari used his shield to deflect an incoming lance into another, creating a gap barely big enough to place his foot.
But that’s all he needed.
His eyes darted around, scanning the falling projectiles, then he made his move.
Despite pushing his body and abilities to the limit, Ari could not avoid getting tagged by the Ice Lances.
It was inevitable given his opponent.
However, Ari’s feet never stopped. He weaved through the hail of Ice Lances, calculating the optimal route to take the least amount of damage.
Marissa and Lana could not believe their eyes.
It was obvious their mother held back. She could overpower Ari if she really wanted to.
As a special existence, her magic and Mana control were far above those of standard ranks.
Even if she only used one spell at a fraction of her normal power, realistically, that should be enough to deal with someone of Ari’s rank.
The sisters who were ranked far above him, knew this all too well themselves.
Their hearts raced as they watched Ari challenge the summit of their world with a wide grin, and the one standing at the peak, beaming from ear to ear, as she tried to crush him.
[System Message]
[Active Effects: Enhanced Recovery]
[Time Remaining: 1 Minute]
Ari briefly glanced at the screen before Maya’s expression stole his attention.
He grinned. ‘It’s been a long time since you felt your heart race like this, isn’t it, Maya?’
Ari finally managed to break through the Ice Lance barrage, coming within twenty meters of Maya.
He dashed towards her, dodging the concentrated attack of Ice Lances.
‘Why don’t I shake things up?’
<Magic Missile Barrage>
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Missile and lance collided in an explosive exchange of raw power.
Maya smirked as her Ice Lances were intercepted with perfect precision.
“Is that the best you can do, Ari?”
Ari grinned. “I’m just matching your level, let me know if it’s getting too much for you.”
Maya giggled. “That’s my line.”
Doom! Doom! Doom!
Suddenly the amount of Ice Lances exploded, so too did the ferocity of the force behind them.
Ari’s missiles were decimated without mercy, forcing him to dodge.
Despite being forced back, the grin on Ari’s face never disappeared.
He activated Boost.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Flashes of blue and purple dyed the training room as their attacks collided, only this time, it was Maya’s Ice Lances that were destroyed by Ari’s enhanced attack.
Maya erected a wall of ice to block the incoming barrage, then continued launching her Ice Lances around it.
With the boost still in effect, Ari dashed towards Maya then executed three perfect dodges.
Maya raised Ice walls around Ari to pin him in, but he performed a double jump to clear the walls easily.
When he reached the top of the wall, four lances closed in on him from all sides.
Ari executed a third jump to dodge the lance aimed for his back.
Tong! Tong! Tong!
As time slowed, Ari used his shield on the remaining lances to generate three counters, and launched them consecutively.
Boom! Bang! Bang! Bang!
A double-layered ice wall blocked the projectiles a few meters in front of Maya.
Doom! Doom! Doom!
Maya ramped up the pace of the Ice Lances, forcing Ari to twist his body to barely avoid them with perfect timing.
[System Message]
[Active Effects: Enhanced Recovery]
[Time Remaining: 20 seconds]
‘Shit! I have no other choice.’
Ari used Actualisation and cast Boost a second time.
He felt his Mana reserves drop dangerously low to the point of causing immediate dizziness.
Ari bit into his bottom lip to help regain his focus, he couldn’t afford to waste a second.
<Dragon Breath: Fire>
Ari’s chest expanded and shone with orange and yellow light, followed by the expansion of his throat that shone with an even brighter light.
WHAAAAAAR!
With a roar that shook the training room, Ari released a tsunami of flames from his mouth.
The pristine white room instantly transformed into a Hellscape.
Marissa and Lana froze in shock and awe as the heat from the flames reached them dozens of meters away.
Rumble Rumble
Maya’s reaction was swift. She layered multiple walls of ice, six meters in height to match the inferno headed towards her.
BOOM!
The breath attack tore through the first layer of ice effortlessly, forcing Maya to reinforce the walls in real time.
Ari chained Blink, and Dash to circle around Maya before the breath attack dissipated.
Tap
Poke
Ari panted heavily, but flashed a daring grin when he noticed the razor-sharp blade of ice floating above his shoulder with its tip kissing his neck.
Maya glanced at Ari’s hand on her shoulder and grinned.
“That was fun,” Ari said.
“Indeed it was, and...it appears that I have lost our wager.”
Gasps echoed in the training room following Maya’s declaration.
“N-no way.”
“I...don’t believe it.”
Maya glanced at her daughters with a mischievous smile.
Ari ignored the sisters and stared into Maya’s eyes.
“I know you were holding back, Maya. Are you sure you want to accept your loss? You’re not allowed to back out after this, no matter what.”
Maya giggled. “You did your best to reach me, and I failed to stop you, that’s all there is to it,” she said, flashing a radiant smile.
“You were magnificent, Ari,” Maya said, then glanced over his shoulder.
“Wasn’t he, girls?”
They nodded.
“It was thrilling to watch. I can’t believe Darling is F-Rank,” Marissa said.
“I couldn’t look away,” Lana said. “Darling, how are you this strong?”
“To think, you even have a breath attack in your arsenal... You really are exceptional, Ari,” Maya commented.
She cupped his face with her left hand. “As for your reward. I’ll need some time to...”
Ari grinned at the faint blush dying Maya’s cheeks.
“About that. I have an alternative reward in mind.”
Maya narrowed her eyes. “I’m listening.”
Ari chuckled. “Can you remove this first?”
He pointed to the blade of ice that repositioned itself against his neck.
“That will depend on what you say next.”
Ari flashed a wry grin. “Instead of the original reward, I would like you to grant me a permit for the tower.”
Maya’s eyes widened and the blade of ice vanished.
“Did you receive a directive?” she asked, her voice laced with concern.
“Something like that. I need to enter the tower and hunt monsters on the lower floors.”
The tension in her face slackened.
She sighed. “If it’s limited to the lower floors...I can manage that.”
“Great, thanks Maya.”
Ari gazed into her amber-coloured eyes and flashed a charming smile. “Don’t be too disappointed about the reward change.”
He leaned into her ear. “I’ll accept your lips anytime.”
He turned around, choosing not to look at her expression.
“What were you guys talking about?” Lana asked.
He approached the sisters.
“Nothing much, Maya is going to give me a permit to enter the lower floors of the tower.”
“What?” Marissa remarked.
Ari shrugged. “We decided to change the reward for our wager.”
“T-Then, Darling and mom won’t...” Lana commented.
Ari grinned. “Not today, no.”
They struck his abdomen.
He placed his hands on their shoulders. “It’s your turn now, isn’t it?” he asked loudly.
“H-Hey, Darling!”
“Shush!”
“Oh right, I forgot. Thanks for reminding me, Ari,” Maya said. “You girls have to show Ari how Reese women fight!”
If looks could kill, Ari would have died a thousand times over.