In an instant, Decanis’s aura shifted, her flames intensifying until the ice chains surrounding her simply hissed and vanished into thin air.
She lunged at Lancias, her blade burning with a ferocity he hadn't seen before.
As she closed the gap, Lancias slammed his hands into the earth, sending a jagged,
frozen plain hurtling toward her to crush her.
But Decanis didn't falter; she conjured a fiery barrier around herself for protection
while simultaneously launching four massive fireballs toward the frozen ground.
The ice plain was heavily scorched, but it still rumbled toward her.
As it approached, the fiery barrier vaporized the obstacles with ease.
Decanis then decided to return the favor, creating a searing wave of fire that surged toward Lancias.
He countered with the same icy technique, sneering as he deflected her flames. "You use my own tricks and think they’ll work on me?"
Decanis felt a sting of insult. She decided to end the match, summoning a colossal
vortex of flame that roared toward her opponent.
Lancias, not to be outdone, conjured a massive ice cyclone, wrapping it in a layer of wind to stabilize its structure.
He sent it hurtling toward Decanis.
The two storms collided in a breathtaking display of elemental power that left the students in the stands mesmerized.
However, the fire vortex began to crumble. The wind layer Lancias had woven into his
ice cyclone acted as a stabilizer, allowing it to shred through the flame vortex with terrifying efficiency.
The ice storm plowed forward, closing in on Decanis.
She didn't panic; she channeled her flames beneath her feet, using the explosive force to grant herself a massive burst of speed.
She narrowly dodged the crushing ice storm and, in one fluid motion, manifested a highly condensed fire arrow.
She launched it with lethal intent toward Lancias.
He caught the arrow with a layer of ice, weakening its impact before parrying it with his ice sword.
He chuckled, his arrogance returning. "Is that the extent of your flame's power?"
Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!
But then, Lancias froze.
He looked toward the spot where Decanis had been standing a second ago, only to find the arena empty.
He sensed a presence flickering directly behind him.
As Lancias desperately tried to pivot to strike back, the cold edge of Decanis’s blade rested firmly against his throat.
She purposely used only fire magic from the start, Lancias thought, his mind racing.
She baited me into overlooking her dark-attribute capabilities.
She used that last arrow specifically to distract my vision, allowing her to utilize the 'Shadow Step' to appear behind me.
Lancias lowered his guard and turned to her, offering a weary, respectful nod.
"You win. That was a clever trick."
Decanis flashed a faint, triumphant smile. "You performed well, too."
The referee stepped in, his voice booming across the arena: "Match over. Winner: Decanis."
"Next match: Sylvia versus Selina," the referee announced.
Archion watched from the sidelines, his thoughts quiet and calculating.
Good. Everything is unfolding exactly as it did in my previous memory.
Sylvia strode onto the arena floor, her silver hair shimmering like moonlight and her
emerald-green eyes locked on her opponent.
On the opposite side, Selina stepped forward, her golden hair and matching eyes glowing with an innate radiance.
Ray leaned toward Archion, a wicked, jagged smirk playing on his lips. "Look at that, Archion.
It’s your beloved's match. Aren't you going to offer some encouragement?"
Archion replied, his voice chillingly cold. "Won't you stop?"
Internally, he seethed. This variable is truly an annoying thorn in my side.
If he weren't so strong—if I didn't need to exploit his power for my future plans—I would have cut his tongue out ages ago.
Ray let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "No, I don't think so.
I feel like I've only just started having fun."
The referee roared: "Begin!"
Sylvia immediately began her incantations. She summoned a massive water spirit in
the shape of a tiger and a towering rock golem.
The golem, constructed of dense, ancient stones, stood several meters tall, a hulking monument of raw defense.
At her command, the water tiger opened its jaws, launching a barrage of
pressurized water arrows toward Selina.
Selina didn't retreat. She manifested arrows made of pure, piercing light.
They collided with the water projectiles mid-air, puncturing them and causing them
to rain down in a wet, chaotic puddle in the center of the arena.
Selina’s light arrows, however, continued their path toward Sylvia.
Sylvia quickly ordered the rock golem to intercept.
The stone giant slammed its massive palms together, creating a shockwave that
shattered the incoming light arrows and cracked the floor of the arena beneath its feet.
Sylvia seized the opportunity created by the puddle on the floor.
Her water spirit surged out of the mess of liquid, launching a surprise strike at Selina.
Selina narrowly dodged the tiger’s claws, raising a shimmering barrier of light that absorbed the impact.
She didn't waste a second, channeling her light essence into a brilliant, concentrated spear of radiance.
She hurled it toward the water spirit, piercing its core before the spear continued its trajectory toward Sylvia.
Sylvia frantically ordered the golem to block, but the light spear pierced through
the golem’s stone chest like a hot needle through wax.
It slammed into the ground just inches from Sylvia, who dodged it by a hair's breadth.
Good thing I’ve been tempering my body, Sylvia thought, her heart racing. Otherwise, that would have been the end of me.
She gritted her teeth, veins bulging in her forehead as she channeled her wind and fire spirits simultaneously.
The spirits consumed an immense amount of her mana, and merging the two conflicting elements pushed her body to its absolute limit.
Despite the blood leaking from the corner of her mouth, she smiled, her resolve sharpening.
"Try blocking this!" she shouted,
unleashing the massive, spiraling storm of fire and wind toward Selina.