Moon's gaze was fixed on Eliza as she walked to the opposite end of the courtyard. With each step she took, he thought about his strategy for the mock battle, determined to give her a taste of the harsh reality of combat. He understood the importance of demonstrating that enemies wouldn't hold back, resorting to underhanded tactics to gain the upper hand. As he observed her, he knew that this training session would shape her readiness for the challenges ahead.
As soon as Eliza turned to face Moon, he wasted no time in launching a blast of lunar energy directly at her. Simultaneously, his focus shifted to the moon above, which began to shine brightly, casting an soft glow over the courtyard.
Eliza countered the blast of lunar energy with her blackhole spell, absorbing it into its vortex. However, before she could react further, Moon closed the distance with surprising speed, swinging his Warhammer with great strength. Eliza's magical barrier shattered upon impact, sending her staggering backward from the force of the blow.
As Eliza staggered backward, the moon seemed to intensify its glow, unleashing a mass of lunar energy directly at her. Caught off guard, Eliza braced herself as the powerful wave crashed into her, sending her sliding across the courtyard ground, struggling to regain her footing.
Suddenly, the once blue moon transformed into a blood-red hue. Without warning, it unleashed a laser beam aimed directly at Eliza, the crimson light illuminating the night sky.
Eliza used her mana conversion technique, transmuting her mana into cosmic energy, creating a distortion field between herself and the deadly moon beam. As the beam struck the barrier, it diffused harmlessly into the surrounding space, leaving Eliza unscathed.
As the moon shifted to a crescent shape, Eliza braced herself for the next onslaught. Without warning, it unleashed sharp energy crescent discs flying towards her.
Eliza focused her concentration, channeling her mana into her usual blackhole spell. She unleashed it towards the incoming crescent discs. The spell expanded to a size larger than she had ever conjured before, swallowing each sharp projectile and siphoning the energy Moon had released above in the sky earlier.
Moon's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Eliza's enlarged blackhole, but his expression quickly hardened with determination. He sprinted towards the swirling vortex, quickly closing the distance. Reaching out, he grasped the sphere with both hands. He began to exert immense pressure, slowly but surely crushing the blackhole until its energy dissipated into nothingness.
Eliza used the opportunity while Moon just finished destroying the blackhole. Quickly using her mana conversion, she channeled dark magic and cast multiple temporary curses on Moon. His movements slowed, his attacks were weaker, and his senses dulled, leaving him vulnerable.
With Moon now weakened by her curses, Eliza saw her chance to strike back. She focused her energy and cast her expel spell, launching the absorbed lunar blast from her blackhole directly back at him. The blast hurtled toward Moon with twice the intensity it had when he first sent it, turning his own power against him.
Moon deflected each of the attacks with his Warhammer, the force of the impacts reverberating through the courtyard. Eliza's eyes widened in surprise; she hadn't expected him to have so much strength left despite the curses she had placed on him. Eliza then continued her attacks, using her mana conversion to channel light magic. She summoned a volley of light arrows and sent them hurtling directly at Moon.
An idea popped into Eliza's mind as she began to run behind the arrows. Timing her movements perfectly, she stayed hidden in the bright trail of light. As the arrows drew closer to their target, she prepared her absorb spell, ready to drain Moon of his mana the moment she got close enough. She knew this could turn the battle in her favor.
The moment she was close enough, Eliza felt a surge of energy run through her as she activated her absorb spell. She focused intently, feeling the flow of Moon's mana being pulled into her own reserves. The transfer was quick, and she felt her own power increase significantly as Moon's energy diminish.
Moon felt his mana being drained, but the intensity took him by surprise, he hadn't expected nearly all of his energy to be siphoned away. Nonetheless, he managed to counter the volley of light arrows with a powerful blast of lunar energy, neutralizing the immediate threat. However, the strain was evident, and Eliza could see he was running low on reserves.
Moon noticed a large magical circle covering nearly the entire courtyard. His eyes widened in surprise as he realized Eliza was unknowingly using mana field, tapping into a technique she hadn't yet mastered. The ambient mana around them buzzed, and he could feel the shift in energy as she drew power from the field.
Moon grinned as the moon above him shone down, encasing him in a protective armor of lunar energy and imbuing his Warhammer with its radiant glow. The air crackled with power as he prepared to fight with all of his strength.
Eliza quickly stepped back, wary of Moon's next move. Unsure of his plan of attack, she decided to keep her distance and attack from afar. Using her mana conversion, she conjured bolts of lightning and hurled them at Moon, hoping to keep him at bay while she assessed the situation.
Moon deflected each lightning bolt with his warhammer, but he realized that he needed to act quickly. With his mana reserves running low, he knew that his lunar enhancement spells wouldn't last much longer. Moon unleashed a barrage of lunar blasts, aiming to create a diversion and close the distance between them.
Eliza swiftly conjured spheres of water, not to neutralize the lunar blasts, but to encapsulate them and throw them back towards Moon.
Moon sighed, acknowledging Eliza's adept response to his attacks. However, he realized he was now close enough to bring the battle to a close.
Eliza redirected the lunar blasts, empowered by her water magic, back towards Moon. As she prepared to counter his attacks, she noticed Moon's final move: he threw his warhammer directly at her.
The lunar blasts came flying towards Moon, but he intercepted one, using it as a shield against the others. The absorbed energy swirled within the captured blast, intensifying its power to greater levels. Despite his efforts to control it, the energy began to overwhelm him, burning his hand and forcing him back.
Moon then, using all of his strength, threw the empowered moon blast towards Eliza. Unfazed by the threat, she remained composed, swiftly conjuring her blackhole spell to counter the oncoming projectile. This tactical move played directly into Moon's expectations, he then charged towards the lunar blast, weaving through its energy despite his rapidly depleting reserves of mana.
Eliza's eyes widened with surprise as she saw a silhouette emerging from within the projectile. Before she could fully process what she saw, Moon dashed through the lunar blast. Reacting quickly, he grabbed his warhammer and brought it crashing down on Eliza's arm, shattering her concentration and disrupting the flow of her blackhole spell.
Before Eliza could even wince in pain, Moon grabbed her by the back of her head, forcefully turning her to face the lunar blast. Caught off guard by his sudden move, Eliza found herself staring directly into the swirling maelstrom of energy.
As Moon observed Eliza's unconscious creation of a condensed and fortified barrier of mana, his attention was suddenly diverted by the searing impact of burning fireballs striking him from behind. The lunar blast collided with Eliza's shield with a resounding impact, sending ripples through the air as the barrier began to show signs of strain, its surface slowly cracking under the relentless force of the lunar energy.
Suddenly, Moon's lunar enhancement vanished, leaving him completely drained of mana. Realizing the situation he was in, he released his grip on Eliza, knowing he had to evade the incoming attacks or risk sustaining severe damage.
Eliza used her blackhole spell, directing it to absorb not only siphon the lunar blast but also her own mana barrier, assuming it might be useful later. With the immediate threat neutralized, she shifted her focus to Moon.
Eliza pouted, rubbing her arm tenderly as she addressed Moon. "You know, swinging your hammer on my arm like that didn't feel very good," she remarked.
"Looks like I've already won," she commented casually, a smirk on the corners of her lips. "Looks like you're completely out of mana," she noticed.
Moon exhaled deeply, conceding defeat with a smile. "I concede, you completely got the better of me. White magic surpassed my expectations," he admitted.
Eliza began to heal Moon, "So, does this mean our combat training is complete? Am I ready to learn the three techniques now?" she asked.
"Not quite. While using brute force worked against me this time, it won't be effective against every opponent. We need to focus on strategy, especially with each element, and incorporate the use of union mana," Moon replied.
Moon directed Eliza's attention to the ground, where the magic circle was revealed. "Take a look," he said. "It seems like you can use mana field somewhat."
"Huh, this advanced training won't take as long as I thought..."