And now, the semi-finals between the four academies had arrived. As always, Edric stepped forward to announce the order of the matches. He was taken aback by the unexpected outcomes of the matches. Mana Pearl and Stellaris Academy, whom he had high hopes for due to their impressive performance in the magic skill test, had been disqualified.
"Everyone, we have reached the pre-final matches among the last four academies who have proven themselves worthy to reach this stage," Edric declared, pausing briefly before continuing. "The matches are arranged as follows:
NIMBUS ACADEMY VS AETHERIUM
WYVERNWOOD ACADEMY VS ARCANE CITADEL"
The contestants stepped forward from both sides. Representing Nimbus Academy was a girl with bright red eyes and long crimson hair. Confidently, she faced her opponent from Aetherium, who wore a slight grin of mockery. "They dare send a girl against me? I'll end this in one move."
"Begin!!!" Edric shouted, stealing a nervous glance at the female contestant. She was rumored to be the daughter of the city's only X-rank mage, Theresa Gandulf, known as a top-ranked A mage. "Let's see how this unfolds," he thought.
The boy closed his eyes and raised his hands to the sky, focusing intensely. He was determined to end this in one move. Dark energy pulsed from his hands as he shouted, "DAWN OF EREBUS!"
Instantly, the entire arena was shrouded in darkness. A magical barrier swiftly activated, allowing those outside to witness the contestants within.
"Hmm, this spell," Lukas mused with a smirk. "It's over for the girl now; escaping this is unlikely." The spell was perilous, steadily draining mana from its target. The only escape was to land a blow on the caster, but with the target blindfolded, such a feat seemed impossible.
Theresa calmly stood still and closed her eyes, attuning herself to the flow of the magical currents amidst the darkness that covered the arena. In contrast, the boy rushed forward, exploiting the shadows to conceal his swift advance. His movements were agile and soundless, akin to an assassin stalking his prey. With a fluid motion, he summoned a blade of dark energy, aiming a lethal horizontal slash at Theresa's neck.
The audience erupted in shock and disbelief.
"Is he trying to kill her?" gasped someone in the crowd.
"Stop the duel!!!" Edric's voice thundered through the arena, but his attempts to deactivate the magical barrier failed.
As the blade closed in, Theresa's form blurred and vanished from its deadly trajectory.
"Hmm, such speed," mused Lukas from the sidelines, recognizing the foreign mana that controlled the boy. "Soul manipulation," he muttered with a frown. "They're trying to distract us."
Infuriated by Theresa's evasion, the boy pivoted and swung his sword backward, anticipating her presence behind him. The spell granted him heightened awareness, allowing him to sense her movements despite the darkness. Theresa's figure blurred once more, reappearing behind him in a seamless transition.
"So, the ice dragons have started their invasion," Theresa remarked, her voice cool and composed despite the chaos around them.
Without hesitation, the boy lunged forward, tendrils of darkness coiling around his blade as he unleashed a flurry of slashing attacks. Each strike was swift and calculated, aimed to overwhelm Theresa's defenses. Shadows danced around him, enhancing his speed and agility, while Theresa countered with bursts of intense flame.
Their battle became a mesmerizing spectacle of contrasting elements, fire and shadow, light and darkness clashing amidst the magical barrier that shielded them from the audience's view. Theresa's flames surged with raw intensity, casting flickering orange hues against the swirling shadows conjured by the boy.
With a swift motion, Theresa conjured a swirling vortex of fire, directing it toward the boy with precision. The flames roared and crackled, threatening to engulf him in a searing inferno. The boy reacted swiftly, weaving a web of shadows to deflect and dissipate the fiery onslaught.
Their confrontation intensified, each combatant pushing the other to their limits. Theresa's mastery over fire granted her formidable offensive capabilities, while the boy's shadow magic afforded him unparalleled speed and versatility in evasion and counterattacks.
In a daring move, the boy enveloped himself in a shroud of darkness, blending seamlessly with the shadows that swirled around him. He launched a surprise assault from multiple directions, his movements fluid and unpredictable. Theresa responded with a wall of flame, casting a brilliant barrier of heat and light to repel the encroaching darkness.
The arena trembled with the force of their clash, magical energies colliding in a symphony of destruction and creation. Spectators held their breath, captivated by the sheer intensity of the battle unfolding before them. The air crackled with tension as Theresa and the boy continued their deadly dance, each maneuver a testament to their skill and determination.
Theresa suddenly dashed forward, her speed catching the boy off guard. With precision born of her fiery resolve, she aimed a deadly strike at his chest with her fist. The boy's eyes widened in realization, but before he could react, Theresa's fists ignited with swirling mana, the impact of her punch connecting with devastating force.
A dark red liquid spilled from the boy's mouth as he staggered back and collapsed, overwhelmed by the attack.
"What?!!" Lukas gasped in astonishment.
"Yeah, I'm surprised too. How did she manage to use your technique, albeit in a modified form?" Andre Parker remarked, joining Lukas as they observed the aftermath of the battle.
"Miss Lyra, who is that girl?" Lukas inquired eagerly. "She's truly remarkable."
"She's Theresa Gandulf, daughter of the only X-rank mage in Valoria. She's no ordinary opponent," Miss Lyra explained with a hint of concern. "Let's hope we don't face her in the finals."
"Yeah, let's hope so," Henry added nervously.
"Daughter of an X-rank mage, huh?" Parker mused, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"How could she use that technique? It's exclusive to Slimes," Lukas pondered aloud. The move he had created was designed to deplete an opponent's spiritual energy, draining their mana reserves with a single strike. Back then, only Roshan and a select few of his Slime soldiers could wield it effectively.
As minutes passed and the boy remained motionless on the ground, Edric and the other instructors breathed a collective sigh of relief. The match was over, and Theresa had emerged victorious. They certainly didn't want to incur the wrath of Gandulf, the formidable X-rank mage.
Surprisingly, the magical barrier deactivated on its own after Theresa's victory. As the sky darkened ominously, Theresa glanced upwards, a grim realization dawning on her.
"They're here," she murmured, her eyes scanning the gathering shadows.