Magic Made Simple

Chapter 19: Tournament End

The second battle my team had fought in proved to be even easier than the first one. They were actually weaker than our previous opponents, and had only made it to this point due to their previous opponents being even weaker. We had absolutely wiped the floor with them.

This just left the final fight of the night, and the one every spectator had been the most excited for. Me, Jade, and Ryker versus the "spear queen" and her teammates. By an unspoken agreement, none of the other four participants would come between me and the woman. If they did, they'd likely be eliminated fairly quickly.

As we entered the arena once more, the announcer began speaking.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the last fight of the night! Which shall prevail? Might or Magic? Tonight we find out as the apex of each clash against one another!"

He was definitely playing up the drama a bit. I wouldn't even dare to say I was at the apex of magic. Hell, I felt like I could probably upgrade my mana manipulation skill if I gave it another week of practice. Not that I would for now, as gaining levels and advancing through the floors was likely to be more beneficial for the amount of time invested.

"Fighters!" The announcer continued. "Get ready! 3... 2... 1... Go!"

Despite what probably everybody was expecting, the countdown was not followed by a burst of movement and the clashing of weapons. No, instead the countdown had simply been when Jade, Ryker, and the two mages on the spear queens side to split off and have their own fight on the opposite side of the arena. While they began duking it out, the spear queen spoke aloud to me, pointing her spear in my direction.

"You seemed pretty confident that this wouldn't be a tough fight for you. Do you think you are ready to back those words up?"

So, she also wants to play up the drama. I might as well go along with it for no other reason than to put on a show for the crowd. I summoned a shield in one of my hands, with my staff appearing in the other. Both were accompanied by a flash of light as I wasted a bit of mana to make them glow briefly. "I'm more than ready to prove it." I say, tapping the bottom of my staff against the ground in beat with my words, adding emphasis to everything I said.

"Then come and show me the strength you believe you have!" She says, bending her knees slightly and taking a proper fighting stance at last. Contrary to what she said, I did not run straight towards her. Sending five mana bolts her way in rapid succession made that clear to her.

She began rushing towards me, closing the distance between us with great speed. She expertly dodges each bolt of mana that is sent her way, and even manages to dodge the one I'd shot at double speed. Having taken no injuries by the time she got to me, she thrust her spear towards my neck. My shield comes up to block it, and a mana blast sends her spear off to the side to prevent a quick follow up attack. The next mana blast is sent straight towards her, knocking her back a meter or so.

She quickly recovers and once more closes the distance. The tip of her spear begins to glow a deep crimson, and instead of trying to outright block the attack I angle my shield to try and deflect the strike away. Her spear hits my shield, and immediately bites into the mana construct. It manages to find purchase and deliver a significant amount of force directly into my forearm. She pulls the spear back, striking my shield several more times before I can hit her with a double cast of mana blast. This use of my spell is much more effective, and manages to knock the spear from her hands.

I rush in to get in some more meaningful damage, but her entire body glows white for a moment before she runs towards her spear nearly twice as fast as she had managed to move before. The white light fades, but doesn't disappear entirely. Her next few attacks come even faster than her previous ones, her spear continuing to glow red. It must have been some sort of anti-magic skill, as after the tenth hit, my shield shatters under the pressure of the attacks.