One Up + Hex Spells + Deviant Casting
Eren has started perfecting the use of his support-type spell One Up which would allow him to cast a Rank-2-like spell while still being in Rank-1. It just used a higher amount of mana, something he had an abundance of.
However, One Up had a problem. It would take a lot of time for him to use it in conjunction with the required spell. Even using it to cast Hex spells didn't solve that problem for him.
That's when he started using the deviant casting technique he had learned from Aleph. It allowed Eren to cast spells in their half-baked format, cutting their casting time. The spells became unstable as a result. But that played into Eren's strength as it made them more lethal. He would inject more mana into the spell's basic build block, increasing their instability and lethality along with it.
Blitz Wave
Gian's eyes opened wide when a series of flying slashes with threatening mana fluctuations started approaching him. He immediately knew that he wouldn't be able to brush Eren's attacks off his shoulders like previously. He held his ground and used his weapon arts to defend himself against the incoming attacks.
Meanwhile, Eren appeared behind Gian and started casting another set of spells. He first cast Solid Sparks and threw them towards Gian before they could explode in his hands.
The Blitz Wave attacks were highly unstable because of the deviant casting. Some of them detonated themselves even before they reached their destination, causing a cluster of lightning to form. The others were detonated right as they met Gian's weapons, exploding in his face. The flying slashes had turned into mini explosions because of their inherent instability.
"Aaaargh!"
This Gian felt the impact of Eren's spells as they managed to breach his natural mana defense layer. The lightning streaks penetrated deep into the close combat expert's skin and started causing a foreign mana invasion inside him. And because the attacks were unstable, to begin with, they disrupted Gian's mana flow even more and caused him more internal damage.
Gian screamed with all his might and sent his mana circuits into hyperdrive to get rid of Eren's mana from inside his body. However, Eren's consecutive attacks had arrived at his doorstep by that time.
Eren kept on throwing more Solid Sparks at Gian while changing his position from time to time. The lightning rods approached Gian from all angles at once, making it difficult for him to dodge.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Solid Sparks were detonated as soon as they found their target. As the detonation of the Solid Sparks continued, a huge cluster of blue lightning appeared on the scene.
Gian was subjected to electrocution. This was his first time fighting such a radical lightning-element ranker. His skin started to feel numb and his internal organs started to hurt as he found himself inside a blue net of lightning.
Gian greeted his teeth, ignored the pain he was facing, and cast his movement spell. He also cast a defensive spell that manifested around him in the form of a thick, colorless, and semi-transparent gel.
Gian finally got himself out of Eren's trap using the water-element spell as his defense. He was a dual-element wielder. And his affinity for water had a peculiar aspect. It allowed him to change the viscosity of the water, turning it thinner or thicker than the standard viscosity of water.
"Brat… you are fucking with the wrong man. I'll not give you an easy death anymore."
Gian was lucid when he got out and stared at Eren who had remained at a distance from him. He was angry at the fact that a Meta ranker had managed to hurt him. This was something unimaginable for him. His whole belief system about the world was shaken as a result.
Eren couldn't keep casting spell after a spell when deviant casting was involved. He needed to select his spells right and stick with them until their bitter end before casting new ones.
Aleph's way of casting deviant spells had spared Eren from experiencing mana deviation. However, his mana circuits still felt the strain because of them. That's why he decided to attack Gian using the strongest set of spells he had in his arsenal after initial testing.
Igni Lotus
Suddenly, Gian felt an odd mana fluctuation in the surrounding area. His skin started to tingle as he felt he was being pulled into the depths of a scorching lava pool.
Gian looked up to see the evening sky disappear from his vision. A layer of flames obscured the sky as it spread in every direction around him. So, all he could feel around him was the scorching heat coming from the flames.
Eren's domain attack this time was different from the ones he had cast before. The basic building block had been altered, making it of Rank-2 caliber. Plus, the flames it produced started exhibiting the properties of combustion. While burning the object they came into contact with, they exploded.
"Domain spell!"
Gian's eyes widened in surprise when he realized Eren could cast a domain spell. A Meta Ranker was casting a domain spell of Rank-2 caliber. The close combat expert would have laughed his ass off if anyone had told him that such a thing was possible.
Worse. The domain spell he had cast was highly unstable and could burst like a bubble at any time. The domain spell was already very dangerous, to begin with. The fact that it was unstable made it a ticking time bomb.
"Where… where the fuck did you learn to cast spells like these?"
Gian asked Eren with a baffled expression. He had already implemented a preventive measure against Eren's domain attack. A gel-like viscous layer of water had started protecting his body. It made him look weird. But he wasn't too concerned about his looks at this point.
'Heh! Tory would have made a "yo mama" joke to answer that question.'
Eren thought to himself and chuckled before focusing on his next set of spells. For him, there was no point in talking to Gian. The guy was bound to launch an ambush on him sooner or later. He had just escalated their conflict to gain control of the situation. And that's what he aimed to do with each moment.
Alfem!
Igni Chains!
Igni Shards!
Igni Bolt Blast!
Eren started casting his fire-element spells one after another. Since the fire domain provided him with an additional boost to all his fire-element spells, they were cast quicker than before and contained more power than before.
Eren first let his firebirds manifest themselves inside the unstable fire domain. Igni Shards acted as the scales of these birds and made them more prone to explosive detonations.
The battlemage then took out his two crossbows and aimed them straight at Gian. A bunch of Igni Bolt Blasts was conjured in the weapons' loading bays before the triggers were released.
Gian was about to change his position when the Igni Chains sprouted from thin air and latched onto his arms and legs. They also climbed over his torso and made him stay in his current position.
The firebirds attacked him as soon as the Igni Chains acted on him. They wrapped Gian in such an intense cloud of flames that it made him feel that he would be roasted to a crisp inside them.
Gian would have faced serious burn wounds if it hadn't been for his water-element defensive spell protecting him. And he was glad that he was an Awakened ranker. Because he wouldn't have survived Eren's spells if they were at the same rank.
'This man is dangerous. He has really come out of his den to kill me.'
Gina thought to himself and his thirst for revenge intensified. He started casting water-element spells to counter Eren's fire domain.
Aqua Shield
Aqua Spears
Aqua Spikes
Aqua Whips
Gian first cast a water-element sphere around him that would further alleviate his suffering through fire torture. Water-element spears formed behind him while he held two defensive spells around him. The viscosity of these manifested weapons was altered, making them solid-like and more destructive.
Gian applied his lightning mana to the Aqua Spears. Therefore, the manifested weapons became engulfed in red lightning mana, increasing their effectiveness. The solid-like viscosity of water the weapons were formed with along with the red lightning mana ensured a very deadly output.
The next thing to form were water spikes that flew toward the incoming firebirds and attacked them. The Aqua Spikes would detonate as soon as they found their target, decreasing the birds' detonation efficacy.
Aqua Whips subjected Eren to the same bondage Gian was currently facing. The battlemage watched with narrowed eyes as the lightning-charged Aqua Spears started approaching him at breakneck speeds.
It was now Eren's turn to feel stressed inside his own fire domain.
"Nobody said it was going to be easy."
Eren smirked to himself before preparing himself for his next move.
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