Of course, Marissa hadn't deliberately kept this ability hidden. During her training, when Luke had fed the mandala flower with flames, the energy had overwhelmed it, leading to an accidental explosion before they could observe the full effects.
"This trick is ingenious. If the opponent doesn't anticipate it, they'll suffer immensely," Luke remarked with genuine admiration.
In battles between mages, there was always a brief vacuum after casting a spell. The faster one could connect their stars and cast subsequent spells, the smaller this gap. Neo Vadis, however, had completely let his guard down after releasing his Fierce Fist, assuming the match was already won.
His complacency was his undoing.
"This is bad! The explosion range is too wide—I can't shield him completely!" the referee exclaimed, his voice strained with urgency.
