Elora regained her focus, thoroughly impressed by how adeptly Ryan had incorporated his newly acquired Nature Manipulation into his combat style. His creative utilisation of the technique was both insightful and refreshing, exposing her to ideas she had never even considered.
Meanwhile, the divergence in their styles was primarily due to Ryan's foundation in Combat Magic and her mastery of archery. Nevertheless, she couldn't deny his ingenuity. He consistently surprised her, making it nearly impossible to predict his next move. He was the type to always keep you on your toes, always attempting to think ahead.
Swiftly closing in on Elora after launching Fluffy into the air, he left her unsure of what to anticipate. She took a step back, drawing her bowstring taut. Yet, before she could release an arrow, he propelled himself toward her, conjuring plants from beneath his feet to launch him forward like a living missile.
"Classic Ryan," she thought, bracing herself for a direct clash.
-
Ryan rocketed through the air with astonishing speed. His leg shot out for a side kick, anticipating Elora to nimbly evade to the side. However, he wasn't done yet. With agility and flexibility that would leave anyone impressed, he executed a mid-air spin, landing a lightning-quick spinning back kick.
Elora had no choice but to block his follow-up attack, mirroring his tactic of using vines to maintain her balance. Ryan's combat prowess, along with his creative application of Nature Manipulation, was truly remarkable, so it didn't hurt to take what she could from it.
Seeing that, as they were caught in a brief moment of eye contact, Ryan gave Elora a mischievous smile before continuing his offensive assault. Capitalising on the few seconds he had before Fluffy charged at him once more, he sought to gain as much of an advantage as he could.
But doing so wasn't easy.
After their extensive sparring sessions over the past two weeks, both had grown to understand each other's skill levels and abilities, making the battle even more intriguing. Taking advantage of the fact that he had landed the first blow and was on the offensive, Ryan picked up the pace.
However, Elora followed suit and was far from being fazed.
She had faced off against Ryan numerous times and never once had he bested her in pure combat skill without relying on some form of advantage or surprise tactic.
This time wouldn't be any different, or so it seemed.
Blow after blow, they exchanged attacks, their movements a blur. Neither managed to gain the upper hand in their fiercely contested battle. Then, in a calculated manoeuvre, Ryan pushed Elora back and suddenly slammed his hands onto the ground.
Elora braced herself, expecting an impending Nature Manipulation attack. Fluffy, too, prepared for what was to come, on the verge of jumping into the fray. But their anticipations were entirely off the mark as Ryan sank unexpectedly into the ground.
Before they could react, he had vanished entirely, and they were left unable to sense where he would reemerge.
"He can even use Earth Magic? Who taught him that?" she couldn't help but ponder.
However, despite being caught off guard, she joined Fluffy and prepared for whatever attack he had in store for them next, which she weirdly felt excited about.
Meanwhile, underground, Ryan found himself in a surreal state. It was as if he had melded with the earth itself, able to move through it freely.
His experience with Spatial Warping and Mana Projection had accustomed him to such unnatural states, making him strangely comfortable within them. Mana almost seemed to embrace his existence, exuding a warm sensation and drawing him towards it.
The magic he was using was called Earth Synthesis, or so he believed, and was similar to his Mana Form. The only difference was that it utilised Earth Mana rather than pure mana. Spatial Warping was another similar technique, but it employed Spatial Mana. Both allowed him to transcend his physical form and meld with his surroundings.
The Warlock had used something akin to Earth Synthesis during his battle against Elora while Ryan was unconscious. When Elora suggested that Ryan's unique constitution could make such magic more accessible for him, he realised she was right while experimenting alone.
But hiding the fact he could use Earth Synthesis, he waited for the perfect moment to surprise Elora with it and gain the upper hand.
What better time to do so than during their final spar?
-
Ryan's thoughts raced underground as he sought a plan. The battle had reached a critical juncture. Though it may have seemed as though he had the upper hand against Elora, the reality was different. She remained poised and defensively strong, gracefully countering his every move. Moreover, the relentless assault would soon leave him vulnerable to an attack from Fluffy, Elora's faithful companion, who was about to rejoin the battle.
Realising he needed to change tactics, Ryan broke from the confrontation, diving below the earth's surface. However, once submerged, he found himself at a loss for what to do next.
'Can't we just end this spar already?' he mused to himself, though deep down, he couldn't deny the exhilaration of a magical battle. There was nothing quite like it, especially when facing adversaries who truly pushed him to the limit.
As he deliberated underground, his opponents above grew increasingly anxious, unable to discern his next move.
-
Emerging from beneath the ground, Ryan's presence was an enigma, impossible to detect through the usual means of mana sensing. In a whirl of action, he used both Earth Magic and Nature Manipulation, sprouting a cluster of trees seemingly at random. Yet within the chaos, one tree harboured a secret; it was hollowed out, concealing Ryan as he materialised within its core.
From this covert vantage point, he unleashed a rapid succession of mana beams. His intent was clear: target both Fluffy and Elora. However, Elora, sharp-eared and quick-witted, sensed his concealed position within the tree.
In response, she summoned an array of trees with astounding speed, interposing a wooden barricade to shield herself and her loyal companion from the incoming mana beams.
Before Elora could mount a counterattack, Ryan demonstrated his premeditated strategy. In a blink, he retreated beneath the earth once more. The battle's rhythm was disrupted briefly, but he swiftly attempted the same manoeuvre, emerging once again to assault his opponents.
But Elora, having grown accustomed to his tactics, detected the hollow tree by sound and intuition, dispatching a volley of arrows towards it even before it fully sprouted.
Ryan, though seemingly caught in a perpetual dance of strategy and counter-strategy, had anticipated Elora's reaction. Reemerging from below her instead, he unleashed a potent uppercut that landed squarely on her jaw, catching her off guard. The sheer force of the blow was enough to lift Elora's feet from the ground, a first for Ryan in all their training sessions.
Yet, rather than debilitating her, this bold strike seemed to stoke a fierce determination within her. On the heels of this decisive move, Fluffy lunged at Ryan with unrelenting aggression. He sought to deny Ryan the precious time and space needed to employ his exceptional abilities, such as Earth Synthesis or Spatial Warping.
Meanwhile, in response to the escalating clash, Elora unveiled a new facet of her formidable skills that Ryan had not witnessed before...