Ch. 183: The Second in Class and the Wizard
Elina: “.........sh!” (*sfx exhale)
Blowing out one quick breath, Elina kicked the ground. She closed the distance of 10 meters (～30 yards) in one instant, and swung her sword.
Igni: “[Equip Flame] {Ignition}!”
Igni barely dodged the sword as he initiated his incantation.
The practice sword cut a few strands of Igni’s crimson hair, and as her sword end came close to the ground, she flipped the blade upwards.
But before she could swing, Igni poured Magic into his {Fireball}.
Igni: “[Launch] {Fire}!”
Elina: “{Water Lance}!”
Elina fired her Spell at the same time!
The spear made of water shot straight towards the {Fireball}.
When the two Spells met, the water vaporized to instant steam and exploded!!
Elina: “.....fuh!!” (*sfx exhale)
Elina took one step forward and swung her sword.
But Igni had already stepped back.
Igni’s most comfortable fighting distance is mid-range.
He had no intention of fighting Elina in her preferred close proximity range.
Elina: “[Vine] {Trap}!!”
As their view turned into solid white from the vaporized mist, Elina initiated a Spell towards Igni. Breaking through the iced earth, vines appeared and wrapped around Igni’s right foot!!
Igni: “........I see. You’ve gotten stronger, Elina!!”
Elina: “I can finally show you my true strength, Igni!”
Elina roared with laughter as she charged forward.
She was determined to keep Igni at close distance!
Understanding her intent, Igni positioned himself low to the ground and manipulated Magic.
He then began spinning it around.
Igni: “[Spinning Ember] {Ignite}”
Magic began circulating inside of his body to raise his physical abilities, and the world began slowing down.
With the world in slow motion, Igni slowly reached forward with his right hand and placed the palm of his hand on the flat of Elina’s blade to deflect it.
Now, her body was exposed and he struck with the palm of his left hand.
Igni: “........hah!!” (*sfx exhale)
As he exhaled, Igni stepped in and palm striked the center of Elina’s body.
With Magic circulating at 30 cycles per second, he was as strong as a Wizard who used {Physical Enhancement}!!
Igni: “Take this!”
Elina: “.......! [Physical Enhancement] {Active}!”
As the blow threw Elina backwards, she initiated a Spell.
She threw her legs into the earth to slow down her flight.
But on a field of ice, her feet continued to slip on the surface and prohibited her from stopping immediately.
Hence, Igni took the opportunity.
Igni: “[Equip Flame] {Ignition} : [Anti-Armor} {Pierce}!!”
A shrill sound came from the {Fireball} as it began whirling at high speeds
The rotating {Fireball} rubbed against the surrounding air with a high amount of friction.
Igni had created 5 {Fireballs} around him.
As he poured his Magic into all of themー
Igni: “[Launch] {Fire}!!”
He fired all five!
Elina: “[Physical Enhancement] {Active} : [Duet] {Double Boost}!”
A moment later, Elina cast two layers of {Physical Enhancement}.
And as Igni’s {Fireball} sailed towards herー
She deflected all five!
Igni: “......[Equip Flame] {Ignition} : [Scatter Shot] {Cluster}”
Inside a shell of a larger {Fireball}, Igni shoved countless {Fireballs} inside.
Igni: “[Explode] {Fire}!!”
He directed the main body towards Elina and fired!
The {Fireball} shot towards Elina head on and exploded.
The {Fireballs} stuffed inside scattered all around and exploded!
An enormous explosion followed and carved away the thick layers of ice.
But Igni did not expect Elina to go down with just that.
He began scanning the area to locate her.
Elina: “.......as expected of you, Igni.” He heard the voice coming from above.
Elina: “You planned to trap me in the air.”
Igni: “You can’t dodge if you’re in the air, right?”
Elina: “No, Igni. You’ve underestimated me.” And Elina readied her sword while still in midair.
Elina: “Did you know, Igni?” With one quick exhaleー
Elina: “A sword’s slash can…fly”
Igni knew that fact.
Sword skills are skills to support Magic Spells.
Magic Spells have ruled close range, mid-range, and long-range. In comparison, sword skills can only cover close-range.
And Magic Spells are hard to predict until the incantation is made. So being able to see the sword from the beginning, in a battle situation, a sword will be disadvantageous just for that reason. …….and this is a well known fact. The more adept a Wizard you face, they will have the means to take you down with long-range Spells.
Adept Swordsmen have no means to combat that.
They would be taken out before they could even see the Wizard.
That’s why Swords Skills have fallen out of style.
ーーthat was…until a certain Elf [Extreme] appeared on the scene.
She could not see and could not use any Spells.
She had a weak body and no height. She had no compatibility with Magic or the sword.
But reaching the heights of <Magic> with just the sword, her presence revived hope for all swordsmen.
It’s true. The sword can only be used for close combat.
It’s true. With a sword, you cannot fight in the same arena as Magic.
That’s why the Elf came to one absurd conclusion.
[Then…..if we can……..make the slashes fly…..we can win……right?]
And thus, the sword achieved a way to kill a Wizard.
Elina: “[Wind Sickle] {Kamaitachi}”
A faint breeze blew by.
The airflow was abruptly cut and the ear-piercing ring of metal followed moments later.
Igni’s left arm flew into the air by itself.
Igni: “Impressive, Elina.” With his remaining right arm, Igni adjusted his aim towards Elina.
His right-leg was tied down with a powerful vine, but Igni could have escaped if he wanted to.
But instead, he chose to lure Elina even if it meant sacrificing his left arm.
Unlike Spells that can be predicted by the manipulation of Magic, with a sword slash produced by pure skill, Igni could not predict when and where the sword strikes would come from.
That’s why he decided to take a hit to create a decisive opportunity.
Igni: “[Equip Flame] {Ignition} : [Anti-Armor] {Pierce}”
Elina landed on the ground.
And to deliver the final blow, she charged straight at Igni.
Igni: “[Launch] {Fire}”
She deflected Igni’s {Fireball} with her sword.
But she could not see the 2nd {Fireball} that was hidden underneath. Her eyes opened wide with surprise andーー
Igni: “I win.”
ーーit struck right through her.
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