The bold characters will be Diana's chant. Enjoy the chapter.
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As we arrived at the arena, the crowd was already formed.
Diana's silver hair gleamed in the sunlight as she raised her staff, her expression focused and determined. The pressure she was emanating was also changed, different from the time when we trained.
To be honest, I was also eager to know. What kind of position I was in, in terms of magic alone? Where did I stand? Should I have trained more, or was my progress enough? I wanted to know more about that.
That was one of the reasons why I accepted her offer.
"Let the match between Diana and Callius Augustride, the top two ranked students, begin!"
SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
And the moment the referee announced the start of the match, immediately a bunch of vines spurted from the ground at high speed, aimed at me.
'It seems she doesn't want to let me down at all.' I thought, raising my fire magic as well.
SWIRL SWIRL
The explosive fire mana lingered around my hands as my eyes read every bit of movement appearing before me.
BOOM BOOM
Blasting the vines, I immediately entered my duel mode as well. My brain was solely focused on the fight as I continuously chanted and used my fire magic.
I knew the strength of Diana's magic, and I knew even with my high mastery over lower spells, I couldn't damage it no matter what unless I wasted too much mana.
Therefore, I went with higher rank spells.
The duel between Diana and me continued to intensify as we exchanged spells and maneuvers. Diana's nature magic was versatile and fluid, making her a formidable opponent. She conjured vines and roots from the ground, using them to ensnare and restrain me, while leaves and branches formed a protective barrier around her.
I, on the other hand, focused solely on my fire magic, using it both defensively and offensively. I conjured fiery shields to block Diana's nature attacks, and whenever I had an opening, I released bursts of flames at her. The arena became a dance of fire and nature, with the elements clashing and intertwining in a mesmerizing display.
However, I could see the reason why she was the second-ranked student. Even though her magic was not focused solely on offense, her attack power was still almost close to mine, showing the difference between our overall magical strength.
After all, expecting that I would be able to catch her efforts of 6 years in simply one year would be too optimal in my case, no matter how talented I was. She was also one of the most talented magicians out there that could rival the Ancient Elves….
I don't even want to talk about her authority yet.
"Brother, this is not training anymore, you know that, right?"
Diana spoke with a cheeky smile on her face as she raised her hand while moving her mana all around.
SWOOSH SWOOSH
Even though she spoke to me with a cheeky tone, I couldn't do anything to refute her claim. After all, I was busy while dealing with the vines she had been attacking me with. The ground under me also obeyed her command as if nature itself was against me.
In fact, it was. Though, I couldn't think about those things right now. A weird-looking dust was blocking my vision while at the same time, the spears formed by pure nature energy were attacking me. This time Diana didn't even bother with injuring me. I could see the ferocious glint in her eyes that I hadn't seen at that time in the training room.
Though there was no killing intent, after all, no matter how much of a villain she was a person that hadn't killed others could never know how it meant to kill.
But at that moment, my ears perked up to a small voice chanting.
"By the earth's embrace and the forest's might,"
Diana, with her hand raised, was chanting. However, the important thing was the amount of mana getting sucked by her spell. It was evident that the spell she was using was a strong one.
"Tch." I clicked my tongue in frustration as I closed my eyes.
'It is not the time to conserve your mana.' I thought to myself, deciding to go for a stronger spell to get rid of those annoying vines around me.
Immediately using my brain at a rapid speed, I chose the spell I wanted and chanted instantly while also raising my hand. With that, I also aimed to interrupt Diana's magic.
"Book of Xenos. Incendium Vox."
"The voice of fire, Burn through the darkness, take me higher. Speak with tongues of searing flame; unleash destruction in your name!" As it is how it was supposed to be, the chant itself contained the destructive property of fire magic.
BOOM SWISH
Following my chant, a wave of fire was immediately released, like a bomb, taking away all the annoying plants with it. Only a graze of destruction was left around the arena, as smoke arose from the dead vines.
TOK
"Grant me the power of nature's light."
Though sadly, the said wave of fire couldn't get past the barrier Diana conjured around her, as if the fire was absorbed by the barrier itself.
'What?' And it was.
The fire mana disappeared from my eyes upon contacting the barrier as if it never existed.
"With whispers of leaves and rivers that flow, Let my magic awaken and steadily grow."
But, I knew it was not the time to stop. Immediately, I started conjuring another fire magic while chanting. From the mana consumption alone, I could say that the magic she was using was at least 4-star rank and it was already late for me to answer her with a same-grade magic since the chants for such magic were a lot longer than any normal.
"Beneath the moonlit sky, beneath the ancient trees,"
SWIRL SWIRL SWIRL
Therefore, I did what I have always done. Commanding the fire around me, I conjured another three-star magic.
The magic that I had used at the entrance exam that I learned from the Xenos' diary.
"Ignis Infernus." A spell that didn't need a chant at all, as I had already mastered it to a certain extent. Moving my mana from my core, I conjured the magic I envisioned.
"I call upon the forces that sway in the breeze." Though even in the midst of my fire magic, Diana didn't stop as she kept her chanting.
Following that, a shower of fire rain descended upon Diana, aiming to injure her at that moment, or at least make her stop her chant and defend herself.
SWISH
But, something unexpected happened.
WHIRL
A random vortex appeared out of nowhere, and the fire rain was absorbed by it.
"Grant me the strength of the mountains tall," Even while Diana was still chanting her magic. Even the mana movements were not visible to me like someone other interfered.
"Dual chant?"
The audience was surprised. Dual chanting or poly-chanting was something that was incredibly hard to do, even for higher rank mages like 5-star or 6-star.
But I knew it was not a dual chant.
'Spirits.' A type of living beings that Diana could speak and communicate.
"Grant me the strength of the mountains tall."
"Nature's Rhapsody."
As the chant of Nature's Rhapsody reached its climax, a wave of vibrant green energy erupted from Diana's staff. The arena seemed to come alive as the air itself hummed with the power of nature.
It was only a moment of a second that I needed to conjure another fire magic, but she had finished her chant before I could do so. The appearance of the spirit's magic completely caught me off guard, as even in the game I didn't know such a thing existed.
Leaves and petals twirled around her in a mesmerizing dance, and the ground beneath her feet glowed with a lush, verdant hue. The remnants of my fire attack were absorbed by the very essence of nature she commanded.
The spectators watched in awe as Diana's power surged. The aura she emanated was awe-inspiring, reminiscent of a goddess awakening from her slumber.
For a moment, even I couldn't help but stop and be captivated by the beauty of her magic. But I quickly snapped out of it, knowing that this was not the time to be distracted.
Diana's eyes sparkled with determination as she focused her power on her next move. With a graceful gesture, she sent out a barrage of enchanted seeds that scattered around the arena.
And then, the magic began to bloom.
From the seeds sprouted vibrant vines, blooming flowers, and towering trees, all in a matter of seconds. The entire arena transformed into a breathtaking, enchanted forest.
"Brother, shall we really begin now."
With those words, she emerged from the middle of the forest, her eyes shining bright green. She was covered with a graceful green aura as the spirits of nature around her were visible.
'Wow….To think I would be seeing this state this soon.'
It was her boss state....
--------------------A/N---------------------
Hope you liked the chapter. I am a little better now. Resting and taking a day off helped quite a lot. I will try to write another chapter today.
You can check my discord if you want. You will be able to see the illustrations here and engage in a conversation with me if I am available.
The link to the discord server is in the description of the book.
Check out my new book if you are interested.
This time it will have a modern hunter theme, where MC will be driven by the feeling of vengeance.
The name is; Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest.
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by (f)reew𝒆b(n)ovel.com