A storm of flame filled half of the arena, boosted by blades of wind that aimed to shred all that survived the firestorm. The arena's ground undulated like waves, as the elements crashed down onto Alastor's position.
Alastor dodged the few wind blades that arrived early, and swung his spear at the wall of fire approaching him.
With the Spear Aura boosting his attack, the wall of flame was cut apart. Alastor simply moved with the wave-like motion of the ground, as he aimed his spear at Alicia, who immediately felt an immense sense of danger.
Following her instinct, she dodged to the right, but her ear was pierced through even then. Suprisingly, Alicia did not even acknowledge the wound as anything major.
A healing light appeared as her ear was suddenly back to it's original form.
The reason everybody called Alicia the next Illia, was not the fact that she had all the elemental Roots, or her abnormally high amount of mana. It was because she possessed the Healing Root as well, being the only other human other than Illia who could cast healing spells on herself and others.
Alastor did not allow her time to plan her next attack, and leapt off the still wavy ground towards her.
His Instinct and mana sensitivity warned him as he ducked, barely dodging the wind blade that formed mid air where his neck would have been if he continued the jump.
He heard Alicia whisper, "Yes, of course that wouldn't work. I know your sensitivity to mana is much higher than normal."
Even as they continued an intricate dance, Alicia not letting Alastor get closer while regenerating the damage he was causing from afar, and Alastor seeking to end the fight as perfectly as possible.
Alicia felt her shoulder be pierced by Spear Aura once more, as she grit her teeth. Her face suddenly twisted into something no one had seen her do till date. She smiled widely.
Alastor was wary, but soon found out why she did so.
Alicia's mana had flooded into the surroundings. It was impossible to tell a spell from just released mana. Only someone with her immense amount of mana could manage such a wasteful move.
Alicia's smile did not waver, as she essentially used her remaining mana to bombard Alastor. Thick steam and smoke filled the center of the arena as Alastor barely dodged every strike, running lower and lower on mana himself.
Alastor did not panic in such a scenario, 'To perfectly take her down is such a pain.'
Alastor grabbed a sharp icicle that was headed his way, remaining hidden in the ever increasing cloud of steam and smoke caused by Alicia's own spells colliding.
Alastor enveloped the icicle in Spear Aura, and threw it at Alicia's torso. She naturally tried stopping it, but the Spear Aura on the icicle cut through the wall of earth she raised, broke the blade of wind that tried stopping it, parted the curtain of flame in front of it, and barely missed as Alicia dodged, panting in exhaustion already.
Alicia suddenly realized, Alastor wasn't in front of her anymore. She turned around, ready to blast him, but was puzzled as she did not see him there either.
'Where did he go?'
She saw her shadow suddenly get larger, and looked up as Alastor brought the spear down on her hastily raised ice and earth combination barrier.
Alicia shouted in agony as she felt the Spear Aura shred her arm, even though her barrier diverted the actual spear, piercing the arena instead of her.
'He already has such mastery over the Spear Aura?'
'Truly, a monstrous genius! Every move we exchange is a struggle to survive for me, but he looks absolutely calm! How many calculations must YOU be making, to survive all of that without a scratch?'
Alastor balanced on his spear with his arms, before kicking the weakened barrier after pumping even more mana into his legs. The ice and earth barrier shattered, but Alicia was no longer under it, scrambling away just in time to avoid the kick that caused a sharp crater to appear in the arena.
'I suppose this is the most physical activity I've ever had to do in a fight,' she thought to herself as she used the fragments of her barrier to attack Alastor, just for them to be swatted away by an extremely fast spin of his spear.
Alicia made a split second decision, and chose a desperate course of action.
Alastor's spear pierced her shoulder fully, but she grit through the pain and healed her wound with the spear still inside it. She kept increasing the output of her healing as Alastor pulled at the spear, keeping it stuck within her shoulder as she formed a fireball in front of Alastor's face.
"Checkmate."
The fireball exploded in front of Alicia, swallowing the area where Alastor had been moments ago.
Alicia gasped and panted as she fell to her knees, before ripping the spear out of her shoulder and healing it, 'That hurts!'
She surveyed the smoke cloud made by the explosion, 'Did I get him?'
Then, a familiar and magnetic voice rang out from behind her, "I'll be having that back now."
The spear leapt from her hand, and into it's master's.
Alastor placed the spear at Alicia's neck, "I win."
Alicia sighed, before cursing for the first time in her life, "You fucking monster."
...............................................................................
Alastor looked at his hand as he walked back to the competitor's area.
An extremely small singe mark could be seen on the back of his hand. Alastor's eye twitched, as he did not use demonic essence to heal it.
For a moment, Alastor felt rage. He did not show it, and sat down next to Karna, their match being twenty minutes later to let the fighter's prepare.
Karna spoke up, "I'm conceding beforehand. I know my limit."
Alastor nodded, and the news quickly reached the Professors, who allowed it.
Alastor was declared the winner, but the man himself was nowhere to be seen, him and Karna appearing in the intensive care unit to visit Axel the moment the exam ended.
Alastor looked at Karna and Amber, and then back at Axel's burnt and frostbitten form, covered in healing herbs and mana suppliers.
Alastor said, "A moment, if you would."
Amber looked hesitant, but left the room with Karna.
Alastor said to Axel, "Wake up."
Axel's eyes fluttered open, groggy and disoriented, but awake.
He muttered softly, "I...did my best to...not disap-"
Alastor cut him off, "I know. You did well, Axel."
He asked, "Why do you follow me so?"
Axel answered raspily, "B-Because, following you....is better than the empty path of mediocrity...I was on. I want to....keep following you.....and see where this dazzling...path of yours leads to."
Alastor countered, "Even if it goes against the gods?"
Axel replied after some thought, "Yes."
Alastor said gravely, "Even if it means betraying everyone you have ever known or loved?"
Axel pondered for longer this time before answering, "Yes."
Alastor, seeing his determination, told him, "From now on, Axel, you will become my blade. You will serve me without question. You do not need to think about your path any longer, for I will be the light that guides you in the world."
Axel's face contorted, as small tears trickled down his face, "Yes."
Perhaps it was for the best that Axel could not see properly at this moment, as Alastor's face held an insane and malicious grin.