The moment of the final duels in the Basic Combat course has finally arrived. The previous fights weren't difficult since with my current level, there aren't many students who can compete with me. So far, in my duels, I've only had to use Psionic Attack, Dash, Shadow Stealth, and my passive skills. For the final, I might need to use Fiery Mist.
As for my opponent, Nicole, he has shown three contracted monsters so far. He has his Appartiel, a Wyrmoterra, and a Bell-Turtle. The Bell-Turtle serves as his protector, the Appartiel as an attacker, and the Wyrmoterra as an assassin. The Appartiel is the big fire lion from last time, massive and capable of spitting fire. The Bell-Turtle has a bell on its back that can emit a barrier for protection, and finally, the Wyrmoterra is a mix between a Sandworm and a subspecies of dragon. The creature looks like a worm with a large mouth full of teeth and wings. It burrows in the ground and can jump out once and glide down. Generally, the Wyrmoterra launches surprise attacks from the ground and the sky. These are three almost impossible creatures to defeat alone, especially at his level. In my opinion, he must have had help from his family to be able to contract them.
"Take your seats," Tamaële shouts.
Nicole and I walk towards the arena. Nicole looks at me with her haughty attitude, as if she has already won the battle and I'm just wasting her time. I know that her contracted monsters are powerful, but are they more powerful than me? I highly doubt it. Even before the battle begins, I could already win by using my Psionic Attack ability to disrupt him while he summons his monsters and pulls him towards me, but that would be too short and not very fun. I could also use Dash and Shadow Step to get close and finish him off with my dagger, but again, that would be too quick. I intend to use Incendiary Cloud to slowly weaken his monsters and then kill them.
Unlike summons, contracted or tamed monsters can die, and since his monsters are quite rare, I would love to acquire them.
Tamaële gives the signal and Nicole begins his incantations to summon monsters. I use Incendiary Cloud with the passives of Electrification and Acidification. A dark gray-black cloud with fluorescent green hues and small electric arcs appears. It slowly but steadily covers the entire arena while Nicole's three monsters appear. Seeing that the cloud is toxic and harmful, the Bell-Turtle immediately emits its protective barrier. I can see Nicole asking his servant why he's protecting him against a cloud, and I can't help but find him foolish if he hasn't noticed the danger concealed in my ability.
His Appartiel is immune to flames, but still damaged by the electric arcs and acidification. The Wyrmoterra is hiding underground, waiting for the right moment to launch a surprise attack. Too bad for him, I can sense the vibrations in the ground and can even see his movements. Attacking me like that will never work, I think with a smirk.
"We can see you're scared," Nicole tries to provoke me. "Can't face my little servants, so you're trying to hide! Too bad for you, it's already lost. If you beg me, I might let you off with minimal damage," he continues, already thinking he's the winner.
While he blabbers on, I take the opportunity to locate the Appartiel. I aim and fire. The creature, already weakened and slowed down, doesn't see it coming. It collapses suddenly, and I chuckle. The massacre begins.
Under my feet, I feel the Wyrmoterra, thinking I am vulnerable after shooting since I am immobile, but it's all part of my plan. The ground trembles violently, and I use Shadow Step to dodge and take the opportunity to equip my breath gun. The enormous mouth of the worm emerges from the ground just a few meters away, narrowly missing me. I fire with my gun, and flames burst from the end of the barrel, igniting the monster's mouth. Shrill screams can be heard for a few minutes, and then silence returns. The carcass of the Wyrmoterra lies on the ground, cooked from the inside. I can smell barbecue.
Nicole has stopped spouting nonsense since her Appartiel died. She is probably terrified, and indeed, I can see her panicking now that the barrier of her Tortue-Cloche has disappeared, having wasted too much energy protecting herself from the harmful cloud.
I switch weapons again to my musket and take the time to reload. I aim and shoot at the eye of the Tortue-Cloche. Its head trembles, and it roars but holds on. I Dash to camouflage my position, reload, and shoot again. This time, the creature dies roaring in despair. I put away my musket and drew my dagger. The cloud conceals my presence, and I use Shadow Step one last time to slip behind Nicole. Before he even realizes my presence, I swiftly slit his throat.
Unfortunately, the equipment we are wearing prevents us from actually injuring each other, so he doesn't die. However, he clearly feels the pain as he screams and curls up on the ground.
Tamaële declares me the winner of the duel, and I dispel the cloud. I don't think I would have won so easily if I had been up against someone with experience. To be honest, his fighting ability clearly indicates that he must have been spoon-fed with a golden spoon.
Now that the fight is over, I hear the other students complaining that they couldn't see anything during the entire battle. They applaud us, but I can sense in the atmosphere that some of them would like us to start over so they can see better...
Tamaële congratulates me on my victory and asks me to stay in the arena while she goes to get the reward. Nicole, on the other hand, leaves the arena, giving me a murderous look and muttering things that are probably not flattering towards me.
The professor returns and gives me a small vial. She tells me it's an antidote and that it might come in handy later. She then finishes the class by telling us to enjoy the mid-year vacation after our dungeon exploration.