‘What would you have done if you were in my position?’
‘Burn it down.’
‘…right.’
Kael realized his mistake.
Asking the Fire Dragon was outright foolish; he had to come up with something on his own.
Clearly, Albert was doing everything in his power to stop him from closing the distance.
Kael had once read about what he was doing.
It was a Domain Type Magic.
A magic that affected one’s surroundings and altered it to the caster’s wishes. It was strong and extremely effective in both group and individual battles,
But…
It had a fatal flaw.
Mana Reserves.
Domain Type Magic drained Mana faster than any other magic because it required the caster to not only cast more than a few spells at the same time but also to maintain those spells using their own Mana.
For mages, especially for Lower Level Mages, keeping up a domain for more than a few minutes was impossible.
So…
If Albert wanted to keep Kael from closing the distance so desperately, that was what Kael would do.
He would stay still until Albert’s Mana ran out and he makes a mistake in desperation.
“…”
“…”
Silence fell over the Stage. Kael didn’t move, and Albert, who had created this domain thinking Kael would run into the danger on his own, frowned in confusion.
‘What is he doing?’
He wondered in his head.
Unlike Kael, whose vision was hindered by the Mist, Albert could sense everything clearly because the Wind itself told him what he wanted.
This was also possible because of one of the spells he had used to create his domain. After all, it would become pointless if he lost sight of his opponent while casting his spells.
Because of this, Albert knew what Kael was doing…
He was…
Yawning.
‘Has he lost his mind!? Why isn’t he moving!?’
Albert snapped.
He had prepared more than a few traps for Kael to fall into the moment he came running toward him, which was what every mindless warrior does.
Some of these traps were so lethal that the Hero could even die. Of course, he wasn’t exactly planning to kill the Hero. Tower Head Selene was here; she would move the instant the Hero was in danger and protect his life.
It would not only make the Hero rely on her, but it would also help her create an image as the strongest and the most perceptive person here. It would show the Hero what true power actually looked like and the difference between Xenthalor and other forces.
Yes, he would face backlash for using such dangerous spells, but in the end, Albert knew that Tower Head Selene would secretly support him.
This was his way of climbing the ladder.
This was his ultimate plan, a plan where he sacrificed himself to get a Ninth Circle Mage’s support and soar to heights he never normally could.
But…
‘Why isn’t he moving!?’
It looked like the Hero was prepared to sully his plans—not that he would let him do that.
He would make him move.
Albert decided to add another spell into his Domain. Yes, it would drain his Mana, especially since this would be his sixth spell, and the more spells he used simultaneously, the more taxing it became, but it didn’t matter.
It wasn’t the battle of attrition like the Hero was making it out to be. It was a one-on-one battle where one mistake was more than enough to lose.
And this was exactly what the Hero had done.
He had made a mistake.
Staying still when his vision was compromised? That was foolish. After all, even though he had created a domain, it didn’t mean he couldn’t use attack spells in his domain.
Quite the contrary, inside a mage’s domain, attack spells became even more lethal than normal. This was the advantage of using spells that required more Mana than usual. Even a simple wind blade, a First Circle Spell, could become as lethal as a Third Circle Spell, and at the same time,
It could come at you from any direction.
Inside the domain, the caster had control over his surroundings. He could form a Wind Blade from any direction and aim at the target, making it pretty much impossible for the target to avoid the attack.
‘You didn’t want to move, did you? Then I’ll take away your ability to move.’
With that thought in his mind, a Wind Blade formed behind Kael and aimed for his right leg, prepared to leave a deep wound that would need instant treatment from the Healers.
Albert grinned, imagining how foolish the Hero would look. He had already thought about how he would represent this scenario after he won.
‘The Hero was frozen in fear the instant I created my Domain. Clearly, he wasn’t prepared to face an expert of such a level. What were his instructors thinking?’
This was how he was going to start—or at least, that was his dream…
But…
The moment the Wind Blade was about to hit, the Hero jumped in the air, dodging it.
‘What…?’
Albert’s expression changed.
‘He dodged…?
But how?
He didn’t even turn around?
Does he have an ability to sense his surroundings?
Is that the reason why he didn’t move in the first place? Because he sensed all the traps?
But I was told he only had five abilities. Where did this one come from!?’
In an instant, his panic surged as all these questions filled his head. He had already used six spells in his domain. His Mana was being consumed at a horrifying rate. He had to end the battle in the next ten seconds, or he would run out of Mana.
Time was short.
Albert had no other way out!
Unable to think it through, he blamed it all on luck.
‘Yes! That is what it must be!
He got lucky!’
As his thoughts strengthened, he cast another Wind Blade.
Yes, another spell, a spell that would chip away half a second from the time he had. Adding the time it took to cast the spell itself, one Wind Blade took an entire second of his time, but without thinking,
Whoosh
Albert shot the blade again, this time targeting Kael’s right arm, but suddenly, Kael lazily stretched his right arm, repositioning it and accidentally avoiding another Wind Blade.
‘That bastard’s too lucky!’
Albert cursed inwardly and attacked again, then again, then again, but every single time, Kael accidentally dodged his attacks and he failed.
‘What in the hell is happening!?’