Lia began summoning a mass amount of decay mana. Her surroundings were starting to shift as the wind began picking up. Once she was sure she had accrued enough, she spoke to Saro. 'Point out the cracks and I'll filter it in and change its internal structure. Magic of Decay should be enough to corrode parts of the sigil, allowing me to change it in any way I'd like. I have an interesting idea in mind, it should prove to be a gorgeous sight in the end.'
Saro nodded. She wasn't as magically inclined as Lia was, but her 'All Seeing Eyes' allowed her to read mana structures effortlessly.
The process was slow but extremely easy. Lia had decided on a relatively strange command for the new sigil. 'Grow' was the command she had chosen.
The first impulse of mana went in silently and effortlessly. Lia closed her eyes as she felt for the mana conduits. It almost felt natural to her. After a few moments of searching, Lia's mind could instinctively feel them. She fed more and more mana into the sigil as it began to change shape and form.
The decaying mana ate away and corroded each part of the sigil it touched. The conduits were left unharmed, as they began to ferry her mana across the sigil. From there, it was smooth sailing as her magic took over, almost doing it herself.
The conduits were like veins as they connected to each part of the sigil. The mana she filtered in acted like contaminated blood as it quickly attacked and destroyed the opposing mana signatures. The whole process was vaguely similar to how cancer worked.
Lia watched on with fascination as she held her magic from rampaging. The sigil began to slowly change color. Every area her mana touched had morphed the sigil. It flashed ash gray and began to deform.
Lia was puzzled as her mana was sucked away silently. It eventually subsided and left a liquefied sigil. Her eyes widened when she realized she could re-shape it.
.....
The three figures sat in the room silently. They were watching her perform this strange task.
Silvana spoke up. "She's truly immeasurable. It's fascinating to watch her work."
The old man was the next one to speak. "Indeed. She is incredibly talented. The system won't be able to judge this. We will have to go there."
The man in white armor nodded. "Yes. We haven't had to do this in a very long time. I'm looking forward to meeting her."
Silvana raised an eyebrow. "You were reluctant before, Shino, what has changed your mind?"
Shino, the man in resplendent white armor put his hand on his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose it was the talent for healing she displayed. Her brutality and bloodlust can be controlled. She has already shown signs of expert levels of control. She'll make a fine addition to the academy."
The old man nodded. "Indeed, her talent is unmatched among the contestants this year."
Silvana chuckled. "Too bad for you~ She'll be in my class."
Both the old man and Shino clicked their tongues. That was a hasty decision that they were now regretting.
.....
Lia looked at the finalized sigil. It was an ash-gray, almost deathly color. The sigil itself looked nowhere near the same as it did before. It was now an exact two-dimensional copy of her family crest.
She looked at it curiously as she began speaking out loud. "I wonder...will the auto-grading system even recognize this?"
She waited, staring at her finalized product for a few minutes, but there was nothing. Scowling, she sat down and waited impatiently. She just had to wait until the judges showed up themselves.
She waited a solid five minutes before a large black sphere opened up in front of the sigil. The first to step out was Silvana, followed by a man in white and gold armor, and finally, an old man with a long beard.
Silvana spoke first. "Greetings, Lia. We're here to grade your sigil. The auto-grading system is unable to."
She stood up slowly. "Finally. It took you guys long enough. Nice seeing you again, Silvana. Who are these two?"
The man in white armor spoke next. "I'm Shino, it's a pleasure to meet you. Your work in this tournament has been magnificent."
The old man spoke after a slight cough. "Indeed, your work has been awe-inspiring. I'm Shaw."
Lia nodded. "Thanks. Are you ready to see what the sigil does? I put a lot of effort into making it work."
The three of them nodded and watched with fires of curiosity deep in their gazes.
Lia approached the sigil and tapped it. There was a warbling sound, followed by the sound of glass breaking. The grass beneath their feet began to lose its color as it wilted and died. The trees swayed and the color was drained from them. The world around them grew silent and the air ran still.
When the sigil had grown large enough, their surroundings had morphed into an eerie wilted forest. The trees had lost their leaves, the grass had died, and even the air around them seemed heavier. When the sigil was as large as a human being, she spoke another command word. "Bloom."
Mana instantly washed over everything. It exploded out from the sigil as the sigil itself dissolved into countless mana particles. The formerly green grass was the first to change. Vines began to sprout from the ground. They completely covered the grass before blooming into countless black roses. Sharp jagged bones protruded from the vines, taking on the role of the rose yard's protector, they were the thorns.
The entire floor beneath them was now a sprawling mass of interconnected vines, blooming with black roses, and protected by thorn-like jagged bones. Lia smirked when phase one was complete.
The trees shook before wilting away into ash, clearing the landscape. The earth beneath them began to rumble as massive spikes of spiraling bone shot out of the ground, reaching toward the sky. The spikes were fewer in number than the former tree line, but more magnificent in shape. Their spiral structure was delicately carved with her family crest.
Sweat poured from Lia's body as she held onto the spell. Something of this size was incredibly difficult to control. Her head began to ache, but she pressed on.
The air grew heavy with mana, covering it like a thick blanket. The blanket of mana began to rise, as everyone watched the sky become a dull, muted gray. The sun's rays barely pierced through.
Lia stumbled forward, and Silvana caught her mid-fall. She sat her down, as the thorny vineyard moved to accommodate her. Silvana slowly righted herself before staring at the scene in front of her.
The judges looked at the scenery around them. Bewilderment was written across all of their faces as Shino gulped audibly. "This..this is..."
The old man, Shaw, finished his sentence. "Magnificent."
Shino nodded. "By the goddess...it's...beautiful."