A large three meter mass of earth rose from the center of the tower just as Sylvia finished blocking the earth spike attack. She turned to the large rock and put up her shield, expecting it to be thrown at her, but it stayed in the air, floating.
[[Terra Spikes] leveled up! (9 -> MAX)]
[[Terra Spikes] reached MAX level, evolve skill?]
Sol ignored the system messages. He was too focused on controlling the mass and couldn't afford any distractions. He could feel the weight of the massive rock through his magical connection and didn't have much time left with [Overpower], so he had to make this quick.
'COMPRESS!'
The mass rumbled as it shrunk down half a meter and became significantly harder, but Sol didn't stop there.
'COMPRESS!'
'COMPRESS!'
'COMPRESS!'
[Natural evolution has begun to occur!]
Each compression was more drastic than the last. The originally three meter large mass shrunk down to half a foot. It was extremely dense and somehow heavier from the mana infused into it. The color changed as it squeezed out all the impurities, making it now pure brown. It also took the shape of something Sol was very much used to making: a spike.
For some reason, the illusion did not attack during this time. At first, it could've been explained by her initially believing the mass would be thrown at her, but while it was compressing, she had every chance to interrupt it. She instead continued to hold the shield stance but with a different expression on her face. If before it was full of contempt from his flimsy attacks, now it was a mix of approval and even excitement.
Sol saw her expression and understood what the illusion wanted. "You want to take it head on? Fine! Have it your way!"
He dropped his Lipon, and as if he were throwing the spike with his own hands, he pushed with his entire body, sending most of his remaining mana into the spike.
FWSHOOM!
A shockwave stronger than the ones created by the illusion blasted air, knocking Sol backward. The spike was sent at a frightening speed directly towards fake Sylvia. In response to the incoming attack, she overlapped the orbiting shield with her own and another shield condensed of mana on top. In addition to that, she activated another skill that made her entire surroundings glow, making her even stronger.
CRACK!
In an instant, the spike made contact with the first mana shield, breaking it instantly.
CRACK!
The orbiting shield fared no better, being punctured directly through the middle.
SHREE!
The final shield held off better than the previous two, creating a terrible screeching sound as the metallic shield began to crack under the pressure. Sol was worried the spike would stop there, but he still had hope as the mana he propelled it with was still active, continuously trying to push forward. Soon the same sound rang out.
CRACK!
The spike broke through the final shield and drove straight through the illusion's torso before continuing past it and into the wall of the tower.
[[Terra Spikes] evolved into [Terra Manipulation]!]
Sol saw the message and, while glad it finally evolved, he was more focused on the illusion still alive before him, though not for long.
[Health: 82/2200]
The most amazing part was that the illusion still lived even though the spike punctured through her torso and destroyed everything in its way, including her heart.
Sol complimented the illusion of his mother, "I'm not sure if it's because of your incredibly high vitality or because it's an illusion, but the fact you still live amazes me."
He then thought, 'As expected of my own mom.'
She coughed up blood and spoke weakly, but no words came out. Sol couldn't read her lips so he didn't know what she was trying to say but she repeatedly kept trying until her health reached zero. Unable to say her final words, she disappeared in a puff of smoke.
'What the—?'
...
"What the fuck did I just watch?!"
The illusionist was shocked and awed by the sheer display of power he had just witnessed. The fight was considered impossible by everyone who knew the rules of the illusion. It was meant to show the applicants what they could hope to achieve and to learn from them. The illusionist couldn't believe someone actually beat them.
Technically, the two A-Rankers also beat the knight on the first floor, but it wasn't a fair fight to begin with. The illusion formation was unable to simulate anything of A-Rank level because it would consume too much energy to maintain. It was theoretically possible if the illusion formation was used to trap just one A-Ranker and create only one A-Rank enemy to match them, but that was highly impractical for the test, not to mention a waste of resources.
Zaman was also shocked but managed to better conceal his expression.
"To have an epiphany mid-battle… That attack also almost reached the level of an A-Ranker."
He did plan for the recruits to learn from fighting the fake knights, but he didn't expect someone to show results in the midst of battle.
The Commander turned to the man next to him.
"Did anyone else see that fight?"
The illusionist sent mana into his orb and checked on his other illusionists who were maintaining the formation before shaking his head.
"No, boss. They were either watching other candidates or eliminating rule breakers."
"Good. Speak not of this to anyone."
The illusionist felt chills on his back from the Commander's tone. "Y-yes, boss!"
Zaman then looked not at his orb but at the young man in the distance who was waking up from the illusion. He didn't have to keep what had just occurred to himself, but if he didn't, it would surely attract the attention of a few parties he would rather avoid. The problem wasn't the power he showcased, it wasn't impossible to reach that level of strength—it was at most rare, what was truly unique was his ability to learn and adapt at any time. If this wasn't just a pure stroke of luck and the young man was indeed a genius, then the Commander needed to be careful with this information. He put away the orb and made his way back to the knight headquarters. Nothing he could see from the other applicants would impress him the same way that young man did, so there was no point in staying. On the way back to his office, he pondered strategies and methods to help the young man reach his full potential.