Under the gaze of the crowd, a golden long knife in Alice's hand flashed with a blinding glimmer, and a fierce blade aura, as relentless as a howling wind, surged toward Alan.
The speed of this strike was astonishing, almost imperceptible to the naked eye; however, in Alan's perception, Alice's level had been suppressed below tier-bronze.
Alan's expression suddenly turned serious.
Although the magus class was widely recognized as the strongest mage class by various powers, there were still some elite classes whose combat power rivaled that of a magus. Alice was clearly one of those exceptional swordmasters!
Swish!
The blade narrowly grazed Alan's throat; had it not been for his keen soul perception, he would not have been able to dodge it.
However, before Alan could relax, Alice's long knife, having missed its target, struck again with a twist of her wrist.
The moves were simple and unadorned but deadly, striking as swiftly as lightning!
Facing Alice's assault, Alan felt more pressure than he had against the three tier-bronze stone golems earlier.
"No wonder she's the youngest Duke of the Plantagenet Kingdom; her combat power is truly terrifying!"
Alan's pupils constricted as he gripped his staff sword tightly, ready to fend off Alice's attacks while secretly gathering magical elements to prepare his next move.
Yet, Alice's perception was extraordinarily sharp; whenever Alan attempted to multitask, her onslaught would intensify, forcing him quickly onto the back foot.
She gave him no chance to activate magus techniques and form a magical chain.
Clang!
Alan and Alice clashed fiercely, sparks flying. Using the momentum from this powerful strike, Alan retreated a few steps, creating distance between them.
Just as Alice attempted to close the gap, the blue stone arena beneath her suddenly softened, and the mud, like tentacles, clung to her feet, anchoring her in place.
Alice's expression remained unchanged as a flickering silver lightning burst forth, shattering the mud binding her feet into charred earth.
Lightning element!
At that moment, the spectators' expressions turned serious; beyond the four basic elements, there existed a special element.
Among them, lightning was the most elite offensive element, excelling in both destructive power and speed.
Alice rarely used elemental power; her fame in the Plantagenet Kingdom was due to her swordsmanship!
No one expected her to unleash her elemental power during this battle against Alan!
What shocked them even more was that Alan was indeed a magus!
Moreover, his skill was impressive!
As Alice shattered the mire, a howling wind followed, sweeping toward her, stirring up dust and obscuring the audience's view.
Swish!
The golden long knife, intertwined with silver lightning, tore through the howling wind. Alice scanned the surroundings, but Alan's figure had mysteriously vanished.
Only fireballs the size of fists surged from all directions.
As these fireballs approached, they erupted, unleashing a torrent of heat that made the air stifling.
Trapped in the midst of this scorching wave, Alice had no choice but to cover herself with a layer of silver-scaled lightning armor to withstand the onslaught.
Though she managed to fend off Alan's barrage of magical attacks, she became increasingly vigilant, scanning her surroundings.
Dense water vapor began to gather, and Alan's figure emerged from above the mist!
Alice wielded her long golden knife, slashing out to cut through the thick fog, only to find that Alan's figure vanished in that moment!
The earlier descending figure was merely an illusion conjured by Alan's manipulation of the mist!
Whoosh~
Taking advantage of the cover and distraction provided by the water vapor, Alan's true body appeared behind Alice, his sword, studded with seven gems, glimmering like a cold star as it pierced through the mist, aimed straight at Alice's back!
This sudden turn of events caused the spectators to jump; they had not expected Alan to utilize such a multitude of spells in quick succession, culminating in a final strike that was nearly unavoidable!
However, Alice's lips curled into a slight smile, as if the prey had stepped into a trap.
While Alan's heart swelled with a sense of success as he drew closer to Alice, a growing sense of danger overwhelmed him.
Instinctively, he wanted to retract his sword and retreat, but he suddenly saw a lightning sphere explode, releasing a flurry of silver sparks that danced like serpents, drawn toward the sword in Alan's hand.
Crackle!
The silver lightning clashed with the sword, producing a piercing sound of electric current, followed by a tingling sensation that surged through Alan.
Evidently, Alice had realized that the figure descending from above was just a water vapor illusion.
Yet she had turned the tables, waiting for Alan to expose himself.
With this charged lightning sphere, she aimed to paralyze him and land a heavy blow!
"You command the elements of earth, fire, wind, and water with such ease at your age; it's truly remarkable, but unfortunately..."
Alice smiled slightly, preparing to turn and slice with her knife to secure victory.
But then she saw Alan suddenly hurl his staff sword, drawing the erupting lightning toward the thrown weapon, before closing in for close combat!
Alan's change in tactics was remarkably swift. As he approached, magical patterns lit up on the surface of his body, clearly indicating he had activated some sort of martial arts.
In the split second they were nearly face-to-face, Alice's long knife was not as swift.
Alan was battle-hardened, excelling in unarmed combat, and Alice was nearly an all-rounder, so she immediately abandoned her long knife to engage in hand-to-hand combat with Alan!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Alan struck with exceptional speed, but all his attacks were blocked by Alice.
In just a few breaths, the two had exchanged dozens of blows.
Although Alice's perception was sharp, Alan, as a magus, had a soul that had been honed by the Soul Grindstone, making him incredibly powerful.
As a result, after dozens of exchanges, they found themselves evenly matched; both bore some bruises and appeared somewhat disheveled.
They exchanged glances and suddenly burst into laughter.
"Let's call it a day. When you break through to the next level, shall we fight again?"
After her laughter, Alice took her long knife back into her hand, her expression returning to seriousness.
If they continued fighting like this, it would only end in mutual destruction.
Alan's potential was vast; once he broke through, she would be able to unleash even stronger abilities.
Alan nodded.
He knew Alice was suppressing her tier, making her moves somewhat unnatural. Through this battle, he had also gained a lot.
As they ceased fighting, the surrounding spectators were agape, having never anticipated such an outcome!
Alan had fought to a standstill with Alice!
They were evenly matched!
Alice, who had been granted the title of the youngest Duke in the kingdom due to her talent and strength, was unable to defeat Alan!
Even though Alan was a magus, this result was truly hard to believe.
"Is this Alan's true combat power? He didn't use any magus techniques in his fight with William earlier!"
"The Northern District has produced a magus, which has made history! Moreover, his combat prowess is terrifying."
"The sky of the Northern District is about to change!"
Many gazed at Alan's back, their eyes filled with awe and reverence!
Though Alan had not yet broken through to tier-bronze, the combat power he had demonstrated had completely surpassed the early stage of tier-bronze, able to rival even the mid and late stages!
The key point was that he was extraordinarily young, with an infinite future ahead of him!
As the crowd began to buzz with discussion, Alice walked up to Alan, her words earnest: "With your talent, the Northern District is too small for you. If you wish to train outside, Lioncrest Academy in the Imperial Capital is a great place. This ring is my token; take it, it might benefit you."
Looking at the emerald ring Alice handed over, Alan hesitated for a moment but ultimately accepted it with gravity.
"Thank you; I'm planning to take my sister to Lioncrest Academy."
"Then we shall meet again at Lioncrest Academy!" Alice smiled lightly, then turned and mounted her aether steed, gallantly leaving.
As Alice departed, the various powers of the Northern District gathered around Alan, all wearing expressions of goodwill.
"Young Master Alan's display of might has made him the undisputed first prodigy of the Northern District, no! The first prodigy of Snowguard City belongs to you alone!"