"Flame, cover us. If he tries to interrupt our casting, attack him," Kirche ordered her familiar, and then quickly pulled out her wand, chanting a spell at high speed.
Kirche specialized in fire magic, and she had already reached the level of a "Line" mage.
As for the girl beside her, Tabitha, she specialized in wind magic, and her magic level had even reached the "Triangle" tier.
In the domain of wind magic, Tabitha had even surpassed the professors at the academy, earning her the title "Tabitha of the Gale."
In this world, magic is classified into different levels, with six tiers based on the power of the spells that can be cast.
The first tier is "Dot," which is the basic level of magic and represents the proficiency level of most students at the academy.
The second tier is "Line," which indicates that a mage has become a fully capable magician, able to handle various situations.
The third tier is "Triangle," marking a magician as an elite, with a deep understanding of magic.
The fourth tier is "Square," and only a handful of magicians in the current magical world have reached this level, typically high-ranking figures like the Pope or the Elf King.
The fifth tier is "Pentagram," and it's said that only the Founder Brimir ever reached this level.
As for the final sixth tier, it's rumored to exist only in legends, with the Founder Brimir claiming that an even higher level exists, though no one has ever reached it.
As soon as the referee, Professor Colbert, announced the start of the duel, Wood's right foot shattered the ground beneath him, and his body instantly transformed into a blur, shooting forward like a bullet.
The speed Wood displayed in that moment left everyone stunned. Saito had already impressed them with his speed when he defeated Guiche, but Wood's speed was even more astonishing!
Kirche had originally planned to have her familiar, Flame, keep Wood occupied while she cast a powerful spell from a distance.
However, upon seeing Wood's incredible speed, she quickly changed her plan, abandoning the long casting time required for powerful spells and opting for quicker, smaller spells instead.
It was clear that Wood's advantage lay in his mobility. If he got too close, the physically frail magicians would stand no chance against a swordsman.
Even the most powerful spells were useless if the caster couldn't complete the incantation.
As Kirche chanted rapidly, the magical runes in front of her began to glow, forming a series of symbols.
Just as Wood was about to reach her and interrupt her spell, Flame, ever vigilant, unleashed a torrent of fire directly at him.
One advantage familiars have over magicians is that they can use magic without chanting because these abilities are more like innate powers to them.
The fiery blast surged toward Wood, but before it could even scorch his skin, he sliced through the flames with a single stroke of his sword, scattering them into a spray of embers.
Seeing her master in danger, Flame loyally lunged forward.
But before the salamander could unleash a second wave of flames, Wood's unassuming fist landed squarely on its stomach, and with a firm grip on its tail, he flipped the creature over his shoulder, slamming it into the ground with such force that it left a crater, rendering the familiar unable to continue the fight.
This high-level fire-type familiar, Flame, couldn't even withstand a single blow.
Wood's display of power shocked both Kirche and Tabitha, but at least Flame had bought enough time for Kirche to complete her spell.
"Fireball!"
With the spell complete, Kirche waved her wand towards Wood, and a barrage of basketball-sized fireballs rained down on his position like a meteor shower.
At the same time, Tabitha also made her move, summoning a fierce wind with her massive wand, which was almost as tall as she was.
The wind fueled the flames, causing the fireballs, which were originally the size of basketballs, to swell to more than double their size in an instant.
Thanks to the wind, the speed of these fireballs also increased dramatically.
As the fireballs rained down, the entire arena heated up intensely, and the students watching couldn't help but gasp in amazement.
Although Kirche was only a "Line" level magician, with Tabitha's wind magic enhancing her flames, the power of the combined magic had reached the "Triangle" level.
As the referee, Professor Colbert considered stepping in to rescue Wood, who was about to be engulfed by the fireballs.
But when he saw the calm expression on Wood's face, he hesitated and stopped himself.
Clearly, Wood's expression wasn't one of desperation; it suggested that he still had something up his sleeve.
"Tsk, this body is so much weaker than my one in the pirate world. My speed and strength aren't even close to what they used to be.
But with my Observation Haki, dodging an attack like this should still be doable."
Despite being in a dire situation, Wood remained calm, even finding time to criticize the weakness of his current body.
"Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom!"
The fireballs struck the ground one after another, leaving behind charred craters, with Wood's figure completely enveloped in flames.
"Wood!
Headmaster Osmond, didn't you say earlier that if things got too dangerous, the professor acting as the referee would intervene?"
Henrietta, who hadn't known Wood for long, didn't have deep feelings for him yet, but in this world, the bond between a mage and their familiar was stronger than that between lovers or even family.
With Wood now engulfed in a sea of flames, Henrietta was understandably worried, and she even prepared to use her water magic to help.
But before Headmaster Osmond could respond, a flash of sword light cut through the flames, and the raging inferno split apart as if it were a curtain, revealing Wood emerging unscathed.
Not only was Wood unharmed, but even his clothes were untouched, leaving everyone present in stunned silence.
"Impossible! Even if you could use magic, there's no way you could have chanted a spell in such a short time. What did you do?"
No one was more shocked than Kirche, who had been certain of her victory. From her perspective, her magic had been executed perfectly.
But the result before her was something she simply couldn't accept.
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 200+ at patreon.com/Betek.