Chapter 153: The Advantage Is Mine
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 153: The Advantage Is Mine
The effect of the Mayfly Fireball Spell was actually quite underwhelming. It dispersed the explosive power of a complete Fireball Spell, splitting it into tiny sparks that flickered like mayflies. By sacrificing its explosive properties, the spell gained points of light that burned with sustained high temperatures. Its only merit was its vast area of coverage.
As I thought, a fireball manifested at the tip of my wand. It didn't explode, instead resting there quietly.
But in the next moment, as I swept my wand, the fireball seemed to disintegrate. Countless sparks scattered through the air like a dazzling display of fire trees and silver flowers.
The swarming poisonous bees seemed very wary, but like my Spirit Cats, they were mindless summons. Under Tan Han’s control, they continued their assault.
I waved my wand, and the sparks streaked across the sky like meteors, trailing long, searing lines of heat. So many lights danced together, creating a chaotic yet breathtakingly beautiful scene.
They wove into an airtight net, using their final embers to shoot down every last one of Tan Han’s summons.
The process lasted several seconds before the lights died out, leaving only a wave of heat in the air to prove they had ever existed—a fleeting life, gone in a flash, just like a mayfly.
"What kind of technique is that?" Tan Han asked, unable to help herself, clearly startled by the brilliant display.
"Fireball Spell."
Even though she was my opponent, I told her the truth.
"Fireball Spell? Impossible. If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to," Tan Han said, her brow furrowing, though she didn't stop casting.
"Believe what you want."
I didn't mind. It was time for my counterattack; I couldn't afford to stall any longer. Each Fireball Spell consumed one point of mana—essentially an entire Mana Source's worth. Even if I could increase my mana conversion rate to reduce consumption while maintaining power, I couldn't keep this up forever.
And let’s not forget, I didn't just have the Fireball Spell; I had the Energy Shield too!
The Energy Shield could block spells and attacks, but it could also serve as a stepping stone. Tan Han’s plan to trap me with terrain spells was about to fail.
While I had never been particularly athletic, things were different after my body strengthening. Combined with the Cat-person Transformation spell, I inherited the agility, speed, flexibility, and balance of a cat-person.
I could do many things now, like leaping several meters high or performing mid-air flips with ease.
So, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, I lunged forward. Features of a cat-person began to manifest on my body.
My cat ears gave a springy twitch, and a fluffy tail extended from behind me. This was a spell effect, meaning I could change back. If I couldn't, it wouldn't be a spell—it would be a bloodline.
For now, I didn't want to mess with my own bloodline. Being a human—or rather, a Witch—was perfectly fine.
As I descended toward the corrosive mire, my toes tapped against an Energy Shield. Instantly, a ripple of energy shimmered across its surface.
A small Energy Shield like this provided a foothold. Theoretically, I could place these in mid-air and maneuver through the sky indefinitely.
However, doing so would be a waste of stamina and nothing more than showing off.
My only goal now was to close the distance before Tan Han could react.
Otherwise, if my spells didn't hit their mark, all my effort would be for nothing, and my mana—the resource I could least afford to waste—would be gone.
As I drew near Tan Han, several Fireball Spells manifested around me, orbiting my body like stars around the moon.
This was my initial attempt at breaking the established notion that a Fireball Spellbook couldn't control a spell's flight after it was released.
The greatest advantage of this technique was its readiness. I could use the spellbook to prepare the spells ahead of time and release them instantly when needed, effectively turning them into instant-cast spells.
The downside was the lack of surprise; it gave the opponent time to prepare.
But with so many fireballs behind me, the momentum carried a certain aesthetic of mutual destruction.
Even Tan Han’s pupils contracted when she saw me approaching at such high speed.
So, even someone as powerful as Tan Han could show such an expression?
Perhaps Tan Han’s rumored, terrifying number of Mana Sources and her devastating spellbooks weren't as insurmountable as I had imagined when it came down to actual combat.
Just as I held a fire spear elongated from a fireball, Tan Han made her move. The high-speed operation of her Mana Sources gave me a very bad omen—this was a spell with an astronomical consumption rate!
Regardless, I threw the fireballs in my hand all at once.
At this distance, I was guaranteed to hit her. She was in the middle of casting a massive spell; even if she tried to dodge, the sheer volume of fireballs meant the explosive aftershocks alone would cause her significant grief.
However, the surge of abnormal elemental energy around the arena made me very uneasy. To trigger such a large-scale phenomenon before the spell was even released—since it involved elements, was it an Evocation spell?
I was very familiar with Evocation. It was a mainstream, high-output offensive school of magic, and one of the few types of spells that required a direct defense. There was usually no room for clever tricks, especially with area-of-effect attacks.
Because of this characteristic, those who specialized in Evocation were often called "witchcraft turrets." It was absolute fire suppression.
"Xiao Han, is the Fireball Spell all you know? If this is your limit, it's far too underwhelming!"
Tan Han raised her protection spell, struggling slightly to block the initial fireballs. Judging by the damage the shield took, it was likely a low-consumption spell. It seemed her defensive capabilities weren't actually that high.
But obviously, Tan Han wouldn't make the mistake of leaving such a glaring weakness for her enemy.
If her defense was weak, then her other areas had to be incredibly strong—strong enough to ignore the frailty of her protection spells.
In the next moment, she gave me her answer.
Flame Lord.
That was the effect of the spellbook—a summoning effect. It consumed a massive amount of mana to shape a flaming lava monster large enough to alter the entire terrain.
Its appearance instantly nullified the damage from my remaining fireballs. The explosions didn't even do more than knock loose a few lava rocks from its body.
"A summoning spell?"
I stared in shock at the giant monster. Its arrival instantly turned the arena floor into molten lava. Massive amounts of fire elements erupted from the cracks, and the sustained high temperature began to bake the entire stage. Fortunately, the spells at the edge of the arena isolated the heat; otherwise, even the neighboring matches would have been affected.
I had completely lost my footing and was forced to stand on an Energy Shield, which continuously drained my mana.
"ROAR—!"
The Flame Lord let out a thunderous roar, sending a wave of heat crashing toward me.
An attack of this level couldn't hurt me, but the more terrifying effect followed. Under that roar, the lava and rubble on the ground seemed to be granted life, forming man-sized monsters.
Human-wave tactics?
The summon could summon its own minions?
How was I supposed to deal with this?
"Xiao Han, do you still intend to struggle?"
Tan Han stood on the Flame Lord's shoulder, where a specific rock provided a foothold, allowing her to look me in the eye from high above.
"Of course I'm going to struggle. Giving up isn't my style. Do you really think you've won?" I replied.
I was mostly stalling for time, using my Spirit Vision to find the giant thing's weakness.
The Flame Lord was a construct made of magic, so it naturally had a weakness like any other spell; it was just well-hidden.
To defeat a summoned construct, one could either physically destroy its body—forcing the caster to expend more mana until they deactivated the spell—or strike the construct's core. The core was driven by a magic ritual; destroying it was equivalent to breaking the spell itself, and could even cause the opponent to suffer mental backlash.
"Then let's see."
Tan Han sighed, her gaze turning cold. Clearly, she was getting serious. Activating a spell that cost triple digits in mana meant the battle had reached its climax.
As Tan Han’s Flame Lord took the stage, the audience erupted in excitement. The power of a spellbook that cost over a hundred mana was exactly the kind of violent magic the spectators craved.
The lava domain that had transformed the entire field seemed to set the arena on fire, and even the commentator’s voice became incredibly agitated.
"It's the Flame Lord! The Flame Lord has changed the entire battlefield the moment it appeared!"
"Contestant No. 14 is in dire straits! We don't know how she's staying airborne, but the Ley Line Information shows she has only used three spellbooks so far. Truly incredible."
"No. 14 is counterattacking! That fire spear has appeared in her hand again. The Ley Line Information says it's a Fireball Spell, but anyone with eyes can see the difference. It looks like the Ley Line Operating System is due for an update."
Though the commentator sounded upbeat, she was more stressed than anyone!
She had commentated on countless matches, but she had never seen anything this frustrating. Her eyes told her that Contestant No. 14 was a freshman who had mastered multiple fire-element spellbooks, each with unique characteristics. But that damned Ley Line Information kept insisting it was just a Fireball Spell!
She wanted to smash the terminal! To hell with your Fireball Spell! Your whole Ley Line Information system looks like a Fireball Spell!
"This kind of fire-element weapon summoning is like a tickle to the Flame Lord. Clearly, Contestant No. 14 is making a desperate move... wait!"
"Contestant No. 14’s fire spear has pierced the Flame Lord's magic core!"
On Arena No. 1, even with my protection spell active, I was blown back a great distance by the final collapse of the Flame Lord.
But the one most shocked was Tan Han. She couldn't believe what had just happened. My strike hadn't just shattered the Flame Lord; it felt like it had shattered the elemental theory she had believed in since she started learning magic!
The Flame Lord’s mastery over fire elements should have allowed it to absolutely crush any other fire spell!
What kind of mana consumption did that attack have to destroy the Flame Lord in one hit and... even send her into spell backlash?
A fire-element attack like that should have been assimilated by the Flame Lord.
Tan Han landed somewhat clumsily, a trace of confusion flashing in her eyes, but her firm resolve quickly allowed her to pull herself together.
She realized that because she had suffered spell backlash, the Flame Lord summon had indeed been destroyed.
Destroying the core in a single hit—was that even possible?
There had been no probing, no dismantling. The opponent didn't have that kind of spell, and she shouldn't have known its internal structure.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on unanswered questions.
She had to counterattack immediately!
She had originally thought the Flame Lord would end the fight. Now, it seemed that wasn't the case.
Her Mana Sources couldn't handle this kind of drain, even with potions. Her mind raced, searching through her "limited" spellbooks for an attack that could end this.
But I wasn't going to give her that chance. Pressing the advantage was exactly what I needed to do.
I did a quick check of my Mana Sources. I hadn't even used half. A very comfortable margin.
It seemed that increasing mana conversion rates and using low-cost methods like localized Energy Shields really suited someone like me who didn't have many Mana Sources.
Of course, "not many" was only in comparison to Tan Han. My actual count was still quite high among the freshmen.
The Flame Lord had been blown apart by my strike, but the molten state of the ground wouldn't vanish immediately. That didn't stop me from lunging at Tan Han.
To be safe, I even deployed an Illusion Clone. While it couldn't provide actual help, its deceptive effect was excellent and hard to detect—perfect for baiting the opponent's targeted spells.
It could also distract her. Even if she knew the clone was fake, her body's instincts would still react when a fist came flying at her face.
"Tan Han, if you don't have any other tricks, I'm going for the kill."
Tan Han met my gaze. For a split second, she seemed to see a distorted pattern flash in my eyes, like a hallucination.
But in the next moment, she knew that if she didn't act, she really would be eliminated!
"The outcome isn't decided yet."
Tan Han reacted instantly, layering protection spells and firing off various spells as if they cost nothing. She even activated the effects of her alchemy items.
At this distance, I couldn't dodge effectively. I had to let my protection spells clear a path through the barrage.
But I soon felt something was wrong.
Mental interference, Silence, limb tremors, spell weakening, physical vulnerability.
I could only vaguely sense the anomalies, but I reacted quickly. Even though I wasn't a magic specialist, I had read plenty of professional papers and materials.
I knew these were targeted at spells—specifically, the internal rituals of a spellbook.
For example, if my spell's internal ritual was a "Chant Ritual," the Silence spell would have directly interrupted my casting.
Regardless, the mental interference did hinder my casting slightly, but it wasn't enough to stop me from releasing a Fireball Spell.
"Cheap tricks," I commented.
These effects only lasted a few seconds; they were meant to disrupt my state rather than provide continuous interference. These were likely small spellbooks without internal rituals, which explained why they were cast so quickly.
"But stalling you is enough."
Though Tan Han’s casting was a bit frantic, she maintained an excellent mindset. This meant she had a trump card.
I just didn't know what it was.
"Stalling me? What else are you planning? Your current state isn't enough to cast a high-power spell, and your standard methods are at most on par with mine. What... do you want to try a war of attrition?"
I controlled my Modified Fireball Spells to maintain fire coverage. Tan Han probably never expected to be the one under fire suppression.
These split fireballs might be weaker, but there were many of them, and they still exploded like normal fireballs. This forced Tan Han to keep her protection spell active.
"It's true that it's not enough, but I never intended to fight a war of attrition. Choosing attrition is an admission of defeat. But did you know? Some spells generate a pressure so powerful the opponent can't even resist while they're being cast."
Tan Han spoke to me while distracted by blocking my fireballs. All of this expenditure was preparation for this moment.
She pulled out a mana-storage alchemy item. Since it wasn't offensive and only stored mana, it was permitted.
After all, most freshmen didn't have many Mana Sources and needed supplements. But the one in Tan Han’s hand was clearly no ordinary storage item—it held thousands of points of mana!
This was Tan Han’s final ace: an alchemy item specifically prepared for her spellbook that cost over a thousand mana.
This was her strongest spellbook, the core spell around which she had built her current combat system.
She used transformation spells to strengthen herself and ensure her safety, supplemented by summoning spells for human-wave tactics.
Combined with her understanding of "Elemental Theory" and a basic application of "Elemental Opposition," she could create a devastating explosive combo of ice and fire.
Normally, fire and frost would just melt when they met, but the opposition of fire and ice elements could cause a terrifying explosion!
More profound theories involved the field of Energy Alchemy, which Tan Han hadn't fully explored yet.
But for this battle, it was enough.
A summon could have its weakness found, but what about a transformation spell?
Once transformed, she wouldn't be a mindless brute like the Flame Lord, waiting for the opponent to attack.
"Now, feel the bone-chilling frost of the Ancient Remnant Ice!"