The arena was filled with the deafening roar of the storm, ice and snow whipping around in a frenzy. Cedric's shadows struggled against the onslaught, but the sheer power of Lukas's magic overwhelmed them. They shattered and dissolved one by one, unable to withstand the freezing fury.
Cedric shielded himself with a dome of darkness, but even that began to crack under the relentless assault. Lukas's vision blurred, his energy almost completely spent, but he pushed on, determined to end the fight. Suddenly, he fell on one knee with his face toward the floor.
"It's over now," Cedric said as he formed a ball of darkness on his fingers again. This time, it was as big as 200 cm. Miss Lyra gasped from the sidelines in surprise. "He still had this much mana left," she thought to herself until she suddenly realized a necklace dangling on his neck. It was a magic tool. It could replenish a mage's mana every minute, although slowly, it was still helpful in a battle. It wasn't cheating, as students were allowed to use magic equipment and tools.
Cedric laughed like a maniac as he sent the ball hurling toward Lukas, who was still kneeling on the floor. "Magic equipment, huh?" Lukas smirked as he suddenly stood up to face the incoming attack. Suddenly, a soft blue energy covered Lukas's arms. Then he caught the shadow ball with his hands while screaming out.
"What?!!!" Everyone gasped as they watched Lukas catch the shadow ball. He seemed to be infusing a certain blue energy into the ball, which made the size continue increasing. "How did he...?" Miss Lyra was taken aback until she also noticed a similar necklace to that of Cedric on Lukas's neck. "Oh...I see..." She facepalmed. What was she expecting when two nobles fought? Of course, the two parties were certainly fortified with magic equipment.
But even with that, what Lukas was doing right now was extremely difficult, even for a rank A mage like herself. But then, what was she expecting from the son of the top noble family head? Lyra mused. He was clearly infusing his mana into the enemy's attack, thereby making it even stronger. For a mage to be able to release pure mana, he had to understand all the principles of magic, and of course, Arcadians were very educated on magic, especially Lukas's elder brother, Arnold, whom she had personally mentored. "INTENSE," she thought to herself.
Cedric was dumbfounded as he stared at Lukas with his eyes wide open, "What a monster!" he thought to himself.
"ARGH," Lukas screamed out as he threw the ball that had been charged with his mana at Cedric. The ball moved at immense speed as it pounced toward its prey. Cedric stood looking dumbfounded; his body had gone numb, and he couldn't move from his spot.
"Damn it," Miss Lyra thought to herself after sensing the immense pressure emitted from the shadow ball. If she didn't intervene, it could cost Cedric his life. Lukas, on the other hand, had collapsed on the floor as he had poured every ounce of his energy into the attack.
"Such a sly guy, I never knew you were good at acting," Ellice thought to herself with a smirk as she observed the battle from the sidelines. She knew who Lukas was, and so she knew he could end the battle in one move, but that would arouse suspicion.
When the ball was two meters away from the numb Cedric, a wall of thick earth suddenly emerged in front of him, thereby blocking the attack. Miss Lyra had intervened, meaning Cedric had lost. Then suddenly, Miss Lyra noticed her earth wall cracking. "What??!!!" She then created five more walls in front of the first one. Only after the ball had gone through the fourth wall did it finally dissipate into thin air. "What power," she thought to herself as she shakily announced the winner.
"The winner is Lukas," she shouted.
The people watching were all shocked as they stared at Lukas, who was still on the floor unconscious or so they thought. "Whoa, it's finally over," Lukas thought to himself while still on the floor as he waited for the medics to come and take care of him.
Shortly after, the medics came and took Lukas away. They specialized in healing magic, and so they could take care of Lukas's wounds.
"And now, our qualifiers for the competition are Lukas, Anos, Gareth, Parker, and Anara," Miss Lyra called out.
Lukas lay on the bed in the infirmary, his mind drifting in and out of consciousness. The healing magic worked wonders, although he could heal himself if he wanted to. As he rested, he thought about Ellice. She had watched the entire fight, and he wondered what she thought of his acting performance.
Meanwhile, Ellice walked through the corridors of the academy, her thoughts consumed by Lukas. She had known his true identity for some time now, the infamous Slime Lord reincarnated into this world. Her feelings for him were complex, a mix of admiration, curiosity, and something deeper she couldn't quite name.
Ellice found herself standing outside the infirmary, hesitating before pushing the door open. She saw Lukas lying there, his eyes closed, looking surprisingly peaceful despite the bruises and cuts. She stepped inside quietly, moving to his bedside.
"Lukas?" she whispered, not wanting to wake him if he was asleep.
Lukas's eyes fluttered open, and a small smile touched his lips when he saw her. "Ellice," he said, his voice hoarse. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see how you were doing," she replied, sitting down in a chair beside his bed. "That was some fight you had with Cedric."
He chuckled weakly. "Yeah, it was something, wasn't it? Cedric's pretty strong, but I managed."
"Manage, huh?" Ellice said, her tone a bit arrogant. "You could end it with one move, though."
Lukas's smile widened. "Thanks. But that would arouse too much suspicion," he said.
Ellice's eyes softened, and she nodded. "I know. You're trying to stay low-key, right?" she said, her tone a bit concerned.
"Yeah, I am," Lukas agreed.
Ellice looked at him thoughtfully. "You've always been good at that."
Lukas shrugged slightly. "I guess it's something I've had to learn. In this world, you have to stay low-key if you want to last long, especially now we've got ice dragons."
Ellice reached out and took his hand, her touch gentle. "You're not alone, Lukas. You have friends, people who care about you."
He looked into her eyes, feeling a warmth spread through him. "I know, Ellice. And I'm grateful for that. More than you know."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, their hands still clasped together. Ellice's feelings for Lukas continued to grow, her heart aching with the realization of just how much he meant to her. She knew that being close to him meant being involved in whatever dangers he faced, but she was willing to take that risk. "Yeah, whatever!" She suddenly yanked his hand away and walked out, her face red.
Later that evening, as the academy grounds quieted down, Ellice found herself wandering near the combat arena. She replayed the fight in her mind, every move, every strategy Lukas used. She admired his skill and determination, but more than that, she admired his spirit.
As she stood there, lost in thought, Simon approached. "Hey, Ellice," he greeted, his usual arrogance tempered by a rare curiosity. "You thinking about the fight?"
Ellice nodded, turning to face him. "Yeah, it was pretty intense. Lukas did an incredible job."
Simon snorted. "He got lucky. Cedric underestimated him."
"Maybe," Ellice replied, her tone thoughtful. "But luck alone doesn't win fights. Lukas's got something special."
Simon raised an eyebrow. "You really think so?"
"Why the hell am I bothering to talk to you? It's not like you're friends with him," she said as she turned away. She wondered where her normal cold nature had gone.
Simon studied her for a moment before smirking. "Well, we'll see how he does in the competition. Don't get too attached, Ellice. This world is full of surprises."
With that, Simon walked away, leaving Ellice alone with her thoughts. She watched him go, a sense of determination welling up within her. No matter what lay ahead, she was resolved to stand by Lukas's side, to support him in any way she could.