Just A Reincarnation Story (Summoning Japan Edition)

Chapter 79: Justiφ's

Ignismens (Month 7) 15, 1616 Central Calendar, 15:00

Roguerider Foundation HQ Training Ground, San Redentore District, Runepolis

"Begin!"

As soon as Adonis signaled the start of their sparring bout, Kaios quickly sidestepped and swung his arms in a wide arc, directing the water magic he conjured to intercept a blast of wind hurled by Meteos' opening move. He had no time to savor the feeling of actually controlling water like it's another limb without the troublesome verbal chanting as Adonis' lessons kicked in, forcing him to pay attention to his footwork and constantly circle around the circular sparring area lest his opponent would catch him off guard from the back.

Watching the air current and the water stream cancel each other with a loud hissing noise, the silver-haired boy somersaulted backward to create some space between the two combatants while Kaios tried to waste no time and willed a defense to form around himself, causing more water to appear and coalesce into a shimmering ring that encircled him acting as a mobile barrier. Meteos himself tried to not remain static, silently following Kaios' movement in the opposite direction and coiled around the arena together, keeping each other in their lines of sight.

And then, with flicks of Kaios' wrists, baseball-shaped water projectiles shot out from the water ring's edge in order to assail Meteos.

His opponent reacted immediately and channeled his own elemental magic, as Kaios expected. A vortex of wind manifested around Meteos' hands, and in the face of incoming water bullets, he quickly swung his hand in sweeping arcs, cleaving through the oncoming attack and reducing them to harmless droplets that rained down on the arena floor. The defensive maneuver derived from a certain circular walking martial arts style was elegant and efficient, but Kaios wasn't finished yet.

With a determined grunt, Kaios whipped his left foot forward, this time conjuring more water that appeared to be erupting from the ground in a wave-like attack. Meteos also didn't stand his ground this time. Instead, he launched himself into the air and performed a somersault over the wave's crest. In response, Kaios retracted the water with his hands and made it circle around him briefly before directing the water in a stream toward his airborne opponent.

Meteos landed lithely on the balls of his feet and immediately pivoted on his left foot, bringing his other leg in a high arc roundhouse kick aiming for the incoming water stream. Amidst the maneuver, the wind magic was willed again, revealing a powerful surge of air that slammed into Kaios' attack. As a follow-up, Meteos continued to send various forms of wind magical attacks while darting sideways, forcing Kaios on the defensive by manipulating the water to either intercept or block the strikes.

'Are all wind elemental mages such twinkle toes...?' Now sure that he is on the back foot, Kaios tried to make sense of his opponent's movements.

Occasionally, he would launch his own counterattack, but Meteos' movements soon morphed into a whirlwind. He twirled and pirouetted across the arena floor, each step seemed barely a touch upon the ground as if he danced on the very edge of wind currents. The air itself seemed to bend to his will, swirling around his body and deflecting Kaios' water projectiles effortlessly.

Eventually, Kaios found himself being subjected to an onslaught that stretched his water manipulation to its limits. With every dodge and leap, Kaios felt his focus narrow, his mind consumed with conjuring one defense after another. He became so fixated on blocking the incoming attack that he turned into a helpless turtle, constantly withdrawing into his shell while Meteos, the swift and agile hawk, circled overhead.

'Oh, shit—'

He blocked an incoming air blast with a large amount of water stream in its general direction, only for Meteos to quickly change position and launch what felt like a compressed air bullet(?) whistling past Kaios' ear.