Chapter 107: Duel (3)
Felop brought Frank as his representative.
Felop wanted to strike me where it hurt, and Frank likely wanted to kill me under the guise of a mistake. It was a convenient alliance for them.
Of course, I was fine with it, too.
Woong.
Look. Even the dagger in my left hand seemed to agree, humming happily.
Sweet.
It wont be me dying today.
Ignoring Felop, who giggled as if he had already won, I stared intently at Frank Miller.
Ordinary physique, ordinary face, ordinary style.
It was challenging to mimic such a faint presence that he had, which almost disappeared in plain sight.
Haha Ive always wanted to meet the famous junior someday Pity it had to be like this.
Were meeting for the first time today, arent we? Why do you think I spread the rumors? I may be quiet, but I dont stay silent when provoked.
Hey Junior? Will you respond? Do I look easy just because I achieved something?
Annoyed with talking to someone who was about to die, I kept quiet, but he continued to irritate me with his smug smile.
After a moments thought, I slowly opened my mouth.
You stink.
Stink? I dont smell anything Ah, if youre trying to provoke me by saying my breath stinks
Its the stench of a filthy cultist.
A cultist now? You really seem to have a wild imagination.
Frank responded as if it were absurd, but I clearly saw his reaction was a bit delayed.
Its a loss for me to talk to someone crazy. Were going to duel anyway.
Frank, who was trying to figure out how I identified him, now seemed eager to end the conversation.
After all, followers of the Boiling Silence have rarely been caught.
The few who were unlucky enough to get caught would pretend to be followers of a different Church.
Thus, everyone knew the Boiling Silence existed, but it was only known as a minor Evil God Church.
This ridiculous misconception was made possible because of their abilities.
The powers of the Boiling Silence were threefold.
The first was stealth.
Depending on the level, they could blur their presence or temporarily disappear from the world.
It was a tricky ability, but since it was unnatural, it could be detected somehow.
The second was polymorphism.
Changing appearance didnt directly impact combat, but this wasnt a perception-hindering ability and didnt trigger detection.
Lastly, there was the ability to copy powers.
While weaker and with limitations
A follower of the Boiling Silence could mimic the powers of other Gods, and even the holy magic of good Gods.
This allowed them to infiltrate good churches and pretend to be followers of other Evil Gods if caught.
Thats why I wanted to officially expose the dangers of the Boiling Silence Church this time
Hoping that my earlier provocation was effective.
Soon, Felop and the referee left, and the arena was covered with an intangible barrier to contain the effects of the battle.
All preparations were complete. Only one thing remained.
Quietly, I raised my magical power.
Thump. Thump.
Power flowed through my body with each heartbeat.
Ready to manifest magic in any position.
Meanwhile, Frank poured all his energy into a short wand.
What was unusual was that, despite his maximum power not being impressive, he was generously using his magic.
Felop must have given Frank a mana recovery potion beforehand.
I myself drank various potions before coming, so I couldnt complain.
The silent standoff didnt last long.
Ding.
With the sound of the small starting bell, I immediately invoked magic.
Swallow and explode. Fireball.
Impressive magic control befitting a third-year student.
The powers of the Boiling Silence werent inherently destructive, so they often refined their own techniques, separate from their abilities.
This spell must be one of those.
Watching the incoming fireball, I prepared my own spell.
Accelerate. Haste.
Just holding the dagger made my body lighter, and now it felt even more so.
With a single step, the scenery flew by.
The aimless fireball exploded harmlessly on the ground.
Up, Wind Cutter!
The flustered opponent hastily cast another spell.
It was slightly misshapen and weaker, probably due to the rushed casting, but its speed made it hard to dodge, even with my enhanced speed.
Invisible Blades. Wind Cutter.
I swung my staff, unleashing an intangible blade.
Ssshhh Boom!
The two Wind Cutters collided in mid-air, but Franks unstable one burst, and mine, wrapped in magical resonance, continued towards him.
Shield!
Casting a defensive spell without incantation, he looked pale, perhaps compensating with his own magic.
Bang!
My Wind Cutter tapped on Franks shield, only causing a slight scratch, but the spell had another purpose.
You!
I cast the same spell, faster, more precise, and more powerful.
We had contrasting skills. Frank gritted his teeth while the audience was shocked.
But it was too early to be surprised. It was my first time showcasing my skills in such a crowded place, so I needed to do it properly.
Using the speed from Haste, I charged towards Frank.
You are burning flames and fierce rage.
It was a longer incantation than usual, and a red line began to circle at the tip of my staff.
Cryptic symbols that resembled hieroglyphs or language filled the circle.
I was finally using the magic circle Carla taught me.
I was obviously preparing a big spell while closing in fast. With Franks skills, he couldnt perfectly defend against both.
With no other choice, he resorted to the last optiona divine power, hard to use as a trump card once exposed.
Keulk Wind Cutter!
Like when he overexerted himself for the shield, he shouted the incantation, pouring out magic. But instead of casting Wind Cutter, he dodged to the side.
He pretended to grit his teeth, biting down on something. But I saw it.
Crack!
A familiar crunching sound from behind.
He must have hidden the power of the Boiling Silence, the Void Devourer, within the Wind Cutter.
They both must have been invisible, making them hard to detect visually.
How did you?
Realizing I had noticed his trick even though others hadnt, Frank hesitated.
I quickly got up and continued with the next incantation.
However, you are also the spear of the swirling storm.
It was a grandiose incantation but necessary for my best strike right now.
Besides the red magic circle already hovering above my staff, a green line started leaving trails in the air.
Double incantation?!
Not just Frank but the entire audience was buzzing.
But they were wrong. It wasnt about using two spells simultaneously. It was a single spell in itself.
The existing red magic circle and the newly formed green one slowly overlapped.
Panicked, Frank began wildly casting spells and using his powers.
Wind Cutter! Wind Cutter! Wind Cutterrr!
But I, who had even evaded Edmereks attacks, wasnt about to be hit by Frank.
It made no sense to be outdone by Frank, who was far less powerful and skilled.
Especially now, when I also had Haste activated, a spell I couldnt use back then.
A fixed gaze, a twitch of the jaw, the distance between Frank and me, and the wand movements for Wind Cutter.
I saw it all and dodged again and again.
Even as a mid-level veteran, this wasnt too hard for me.
How can you?
Eventually, Frank, with a look of despair, prepared a shield rather than trying to stop my spell.
And just as the two magic circles finally merged into one
Click, click.
A sound, like gears interlocking, echoed in my mind.
They were red yet also shining green with strange patterns.
Complex meanings intertwined, leading to a single phenomenon.
Whoosh.
A swirling spear of flames.
It was a new spell created from Elemental Combination that had never been seen before.
I named it
Tempest Burn.
And then my vision was engulfed in flames.
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