True to its name, needle-like red projectiles manifested in the air around Freon, radiating a subtle, but intense heat. It was easy to tell how hot they were just by standing there! This was a spell that sacrificed the explosive power and wide range of normal fire-type spells in favor of highly concentrated and lethal projectiles. It was perfect for Arcanists that were on the weaker side and lacked the Magic Energy for larger spells. This was why Freon learned it before. He could pose a serious threat even when he was a Low Gaseous Fog. However, since his training with his uncle, his Core had matured by leaps and bounds, pushing him to the apex of Gaseous Fog.
He no longer had a need for these elementary spells was what he thought, except this situation was exactly what the spell Fire Needles excelled at. It had a low interference strength and high lethality thanks to its potent form, meaning it would not interfere with the others' spells. There were no flames to speak of either, so nothing should catch fire. Of course, there was the glaring problem of range. Fire Needles was a Low Gaseous Fog spell, so naturally, its power reflected that. It manifested a dozen needles at most, and they vanished after a short distance. It was best suited for a close-range battle with few combatants. It was hardly a viable option for a battlefield as big as this. That would normally be the case but… Thousand Core Resonance! He fully unleashed his Bloodline Ability and attuned it to the spell, strengthening it to another level! The projectiles quickly multiplied to fifty, as they grew longer and redder until they became blackened lances! Furthermore, two Magic Circles appeared as he utilized double-casting, doubling the number of lances to one hundred! One hundred lances floated above him in a menacing celestial array, ready to rain down destruction.
The sight left the Ten Dawns and the other Arcanists dumbfounded. They knew what the spell Fire Needles was. Everyone did. It was one of the most basic spells taught in the academy. However, no one thought it could be pushed this far. That was the power of the Arcellius Family's legendary Bloodline Ability, Thousand Core Resonance! Him double-casting was the final touch on top. People almost mistook him for a Ten Dawn. Elizabeth was impressed as well, though for a different reason. Half-Condensed Drop! Through her Magic Perception, she could tell Freon had reached Half-Condensed Drop Core Level already! It had only been a few months since the Battle of Liguang, yet his growth remained astounding. This ignited a rivalry in Elizabeth. She could not fall behind!
She held her bow out and drew back the bowstring. Angelic white wings bloomed as she channeled her Magic Energy. Unlike Freon, she made little progress towards Low Condensed Drop. Progressing between minor Core Levels, such as Low Gaseous Fog to Medium, was not particularly hard. Certainly, it still required time and effort to cultivate enough Magic Energy and not everyone could do it. Freon anguished for years at Low Gaseous Fog with only meager results to show for it. His story was not unique. Hundreds of students enrolled in the magic schools every year only to fail and drop out. This showed how hard it could be. Conversely though, many did graduate, meaning that the difficulty was great, yet possible. Progressing between major Core Levels, such as Gaseous Fog to Condensed Drop, was a different beast altogether. Elizabeth had been steadily building Magic Energy in her Core, but that final step continued to elude her. She was missing the key for her breakthrough!
Still, a Half-Condensed Drop Arcanist was formidable on this battlefield. She could practically be considered a Ten Dawn with the power she showcased! A shimmering arrow of light formed as she focused on her spell. She had three primary offensive spells: Eclipsing Theatre, Gale Inversion, and Sky Piercer. Eclipsing Theatre and Gale Inversion boasted immense destructive power and wide area of effect, but Sky Piercer surpassed them both in sheer range. This was especially important after the loss of the Featherwind Sect's flying ship, which deprived her of a safe platform to attack from. She needed to consider the spell's interference strength too… Sky Piercer thus became the obvious choice. However, unlike yesterday's performance, she did not have to aim precisely anymore. Anywhere she pointed, there would be enemies! Therefore, there was no use for her eyesight-enhancing spell, Far Sight. She had the leeway to choose another spell, and she knew exactly what to use.
A spell was a phenomenon manifested by an Arcanist's Magic Energy, so whenever two spells collided, they would fight over who would dominate that space. This usually led to mutual destruction. This was separate from the commonly known interference strength, otherwise known as the world's restoration force. This was spell-to-spell interference. Arcanists could not collaborate in large-scale spells for this very reason. Every individual spell would clash and lead to a massive backlash on everyone involved. It was extremely dangerous to attempt. The Ten Dawns circumvented this problem by combining their energy into a single Magic Circle and thus a single spell, but it was not easy to reproduce. Elizabeth and Freon using Eclipsing Theatre and Infernal Dragon was a special case too. They were not combining spells, so to speak, but using the resulting phenomenon to empower the other. Elizabeth's Eclipsing Theatre produced a dragging wind current behind it, one that was unrelated to magic, and Freon's Infernal Dragon strengthened itself using it. The loss from the interference strength was offset by the gain from the empowered spell. In neither case did the Ten Dawns nor Elizabeth use two spells in tandem; however, that did not mean it was impossible.
Elizabeth dug her feet into the soil and braced herself. Whoosh! A large vortex of wind manifested before her, blasting the air and dirt away from her. It came so suddenly that nearby spectators were pelted by leaves or rocks. Everyone hastily retreated to a safer distance, but the wind speeds kept increasing, almost unendingly. Higher and higher it went, howling as it did so. Even Freon was not spared as an Arcanist erected a barrier around him. He looked at Elizabeth, who stood in the middle of the tempest, in amazement. Rainbow light scattered as tendrils of World Energy descended. She was amassing a huge amount of Magic Energy into her two spells! Unlike Freon who focused on 'quantity', she focused on 'quality', a single super powerful spell pushed to the absolute limit! Controlling the vortex of wind, she gradually spun her arrow of light at an insane speed. It complimented her Sky Piercer without interference! And by adding something simple like rotation, her arrow's destructive potential reached obscene levels!
Her Sky Piercer and Freon's Fire Needles fully captivated everyone, especially the Ten Dawns. Their Magic Perceptions could sense how close Elizabeth and Freon were to Condensed Drop. It was incredible! Ten Dawn Iris and Rosemary's shock were particularly strong since they knew the growth these two exhibited. Starting from Low Gaseous Fog and climbing to Half-Condensed Drop in one year… That speed blew everyone away! It was unreal! Only Ten Dawn Nassandra's achievement of reaching Condensed Drop as a child surpassed it. How did they do it? What was their secret? Everyone burned with curiosity, desire, and even jealousy. Just how high would they climb? What was the limit of their potential? To those that knew Freon's ties to the Arcellius Family and Protector Avin, this was a less surprising result, but Elizabeth was the true outlier. Her freakishly high Magic Potential left everyone questioning her origins. Their thoughts were halted when the enemies arrived in the distance.
Everyone began conjuring hundreds of different Magic Circles hastily. Of course, Elizabeth and Freon's display were the most eye-catching, though the Ten Dawns were not far behind. They used their Bloodline Abilities and planned to unleash their strongest methods all at once! The other Half-Condensed Drop Arcanists hung their heads in shame because there was no way to compete. Under the Brigade Commander's orders, they attacked. Elizabeth released her bowstring in a humongous shockwave of wind! Bang! It sounded like an explosion went off. Her arrow of light streaked across the sky like a bolt of lightning and as it spiraled, it generated vast gusts that obliterated the nearby trees and rocks where it passed. Freon followed suit and released his flame lances. Whoosh! All one hundred lances shot forward with monstrous momentum and pierced through everything in their way. His Bloodline Ability empowered this basic Low Gaseous Fog spell to unbelievable levels! Their two spells led the charge with hundreds of other spells trailing behind. The spectacle was both beautiful and terrifying to see!