Two 4th Circle spells had been propelled to dangerous speeds, which only increased the force of the explosion. It cracked the solid stone floor of the stadium and threw up a cloud of dust and steam.
There was zero visibility, but Theodore’s eyes shone a brilliant gold. He had activated Hawkeye, a spell he had received after consuming Hawk’s Skull. It penetrated through the cloud that covered the stadium with ease.
When Theo discovered Sylvia, his pupils contracted. Three crystals were still twinkling from her robe.
She blocked it?! The accelerated Double Blaze Shell?!
He noticed shards of ice nearby. It looked like she had cast multiple layers of Frozen Wall, a 3rd Circle defense spell. But Theo didn’t believe she could have blocked his Double Blaze Shell with anything short of Earth Wall. There was no way ice could be tougher than stone. But the moment he thought that, his skin prickled.
“… Temperature!”
He couldn’t help feeling awe when he realized how Sylvia had done it. He had only stumbled on the concept in an obscure book. The author had conducted studies on how decreasing temperature increased the sturdiness of ice. At -30 C, a shard of ice was comparable to human teeth. At -40 C, the magician had recorded a toughness that rivaled natural stones like amethyst.
If Sylvia had dropped the temperature of her Frozen Wall when she created it, it would be no different than a steel wall. The barrier had been demolished, but the Blaze Shells would’ve been expended.
Theo rapidly prepared his next spell, but Sylvia struck first. Her robe fluttered as she used her staff to draw a magic circle in midair. Theo identified the magic circle faster than anyone else.
Ah, it is the first time I’ve dealt with this spell!
Theo broke off the spell he was casting and hurriedly retreated as the spell burst out of the cloud with a chilling scream.
Shaaaaack~!
.
Liquid Snake!
It was a 4th Circle attribute control spell. The opaque body coiled sinuously across the stone floor as its delicate scales shone in the light. Clumsy magicians often couldn’t manifest more than a transparent worm, but this work of art was a testament to Sylvia’s superb control.
Shaaaack-!
The water snake charged at Theodore with a speed that belied its size. Behind it, its tail arched upward.
Dangerous!
Theo’s intuition twinged in warning. Water wasn’t heavy, but this Liquid Snake was made of highly compressed water, which would make its blows deadly. A single blow could shatter one of his crystals. Theo sprang to the side.
Kwaang!
The descending tail thwacked down on where Theo had just been standing, sending stone shards flying. Theo was silently grateful that the crystals didn’t count the fragments he was hit with as damage.
Theo leaped back, trying to get out of the water snake’s range.
Faster than I thought!
The water snake’s head swung in Theo’s direction. It was over a dozen times bigger than Theo, but it was twice as fast. Theo’s perception was the only reason he had dodged the first blow. Theo’s intuition blared in warning, and he desperately rolled to the side to barely avoid the water snake’s lunge.
Kwaang!Kwang!Kwaang!Kuwang!
The water snake rampaged across the stadium, leaving behind a trail of destruction. Every attack was comparable to 3rd Circle attack magic. Theo tried to aim an attack at Sylvia, but the water snake was far too fast and persistent.
It was like a mobile fortress as it easily intercepted and shrugged off the few Fireballs and Lightning Bolts that he fired at Sylvia. If this continued, he would run out of stamina and magic power. It was time to use one of his hidden cards.
My stored Blaze Shell doesn’t have enough power.
The 4th Circle fire spell could even the scales, but that would only put him back at square one. There was still a large difference between them, so he would just lose in the ensuing duel. The second option was Magic Bullet, which had felled the hobgoblin chief.
Theo’s right index finger prickled as he started accumulating magic power. He needed enough magic power to go straight through the water snake. Now that he had reached the 4th Circle, he could fire three or four Magic Bullets. He didn’t have to risk everything on a single blow.
“… Okay, I’m going.” Theo dropped into a crouch as the water snake barreled toward him.
Sylvia’s water snake was persistent, but Mitra had been waiting for his call from the beginning!
Now, Mitra!
[Hoing!] Mitra’s cute voice resonated in his head as the shattered floor of the stadium suddenly rose up.
Shaaack-?!
The water snake was moving too fast to stop and slammed head first into a wall that hadn’t existed a moment ago. The collision caused the earth wall to shudder, but it stayed upright. The water snake reared back and slammed into Mitra’s barrier again. The earth wall only crumbled after the water snake threw itself against it for the third time.
But a familiar scene appeared beyond the barrier.
“Too late, reptile.”
Theo aimed at Sylvia, standing behind the water, as the tip of his index finger started to glow blue. The opacity of the snake’s body blinded Sylvia to Theo, and her trust in the water snake’s defensive ability made her a perfect target for Magic Bullet.
A streak of light pierced through the stadium.
Piiing!
The sound reached everyone’s ears a beat after the light speared the water snake’s body. The water snake exploded instantly as the light went through it and toward Sylvia. Despite being caught off guard, Sylvia was still able to reflexively throw up a Shield at the last minute.
“… Ah!”
However, a basic Shield couldn’t stop Magic Bullet. It drilled through the Shield and into her abdomen.
Sylvia took an unconscious step back, as a crystal hanging from her robe shattered.
Tch-ack!
It echoed in the stunned silence. Sylvia lowered her head as her bangs covered her expression. The spectators were left wondering; how would she respond to this? Would she reveal an angry face? Or would she be in tears from the unexpected pain?
“Woah?!”
Theo’s teeth started chattering as goosebumps appeared over his arms. It wasn’t fear, but a natural reaction to the sudden and severe drop in temperature in the stadium. Theo looked up reflexively, and his expression hardened at the sight of ice arrows hanging in the air.
Oi…. that’s at least a hundred arrows…How did Sylvia produce so many arrows??
Theo drew on his magic power as the arrows began to rain down on him. If they were strengthened by temperature, they would have the same power as steel arrows. A single scratch might break a crystal. But above all, there were too many to just avoid!
“Burning Hands!”
Three hands of fire appeared above Theo’s head, heating up the air around him. Theo had learned from Vince that it was better to nullify a spell like Ice Arrow rather than trying to dodge it.
Chiiiik!
The hundred ice arrows fell on the fire palm in a furious downpour, causing steam to billow into the air as they evaporated on contact. If Theo hadn’t obtained the Blessing of the Flowing Wind from West Wind’s Protection, he would have suffered heavily. Still, Theo managed to get rid of all the arrows without a single injury.
This steam…
Theo got rid of Burning Hands and tried to use Hawkeye.
Hwaaak!
A silver-haired girl leaped out of the fog right in front of him.
“Eh?!” Theo’s eyes widened.
She had narrowed the distance in seconds. Theo knew that it wasn’t the 5th Circle magic Blink, yet Haste should not have made her this fast. The secret was below her feet.
Ice?
Sylvia had skated forward on a road of ice. It was a technique that had remained in Alfred’s memories. Normally, one needed an exquisite control of one’s center of gravity along the ice road. But Sylvia was a true monster of a genius.
Huoong!
Theo didn’t even have time to think as a staff whistled through the air.
He frantically backpedaled, only just dodging Sylvia’s swing. Her blow would’ve taken his head off if he hadn’t been warned by his intuition. But a staff’s first blow was never its last.
Huoong!Hung!Huoong!
Sylvia’s staff spun and danced as she pressed the advantage. Theo was only barely keeping his body out of the spear’s path, sometimes only by a hair’s breadth.
Damn it, I’m reaching my limit!
Theodore had never learned proper hand-to-hand combat, so he couldn’t escape from the professional techniques. He had only just managed to avoid having all three crystals broken. He needed to widen the distance, and leaped backward.
Ppak! Tch-ack!
But he was too late as the staff thrust forward to hit his crossed arms. He landed at the same time as the shattered shards of his crystal.
The score was now tied.
“Ugh, that hurts…”
Most of the damage had been absorbed, but his bones were still throbbing. He could feel a bruise beginning to develop. But at least he had fifteen meters between them now. 𝘦𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝗇𝓔t
He couldn’t allow her to close the distance again. If he took his eyes off her for a single moment, he would lose. Theodore activated Hawkeye and noticed something unexpected.
Is she… smiling?
The normally expressionless Sylvia… was smiling like an overjoyed child.