Magic Discovered

Chapter 15

As Ren held the lightning sword in his hand, whispers from the audience erupted around the stadium. "That's a spell that's been passed down through their family for generations. He's been training with that sword since he was young!"

Delta was aghast. Even though the blade didn't hold the power of a full weapon, it still possessed tremendous power. Hrell's laughter didn't help.

"Your teammate is doomed now!" he said. "There's no way he can possibly beat Ren when he's using that sword. It's simply too much!"

One of the masters stepped forward at this time to pose a question to the judges. "Does the sword created by the spell Thunder Blade classified as a weapon? And if so, is it banned from the competition as a result?" He did this in order to clarify the situation for audience members, in order to avoid a protest later.

The judges briefly consulted and then spoke out, "No, the sword is not a magical weapon. It is created by a spell and requires magic to sustain itself, therefore it is not banned." They motioned for the match to continue and the master sat back down.

James was not very hesitant. He didn't know what special abilities the Thunder Blade had, so he didn't want to jump in and find himself in a situation that could spiral out of control. In this situation, he had to rely entirely on his planning and strategies, and that meant he first had to see what Ren could do.

Of course, Ren, with his arrogant attitude, was eager to show James exactly what a true prodigy could do. He suddenly swung the sword through the air, sending a wave of lightning arcing forward, and James waved his arm, gathering up a shield of stone to block the attack. Ren swung, again and again, relentlessly casting lightning waves as he smiled viciously. James fell back under the assault and it looked as though Ren could continue doing this forever.

Ren stopped swinging, but then spun the blade in his hand and dashed forward at an incredible speed. Even Delta, an Aetherling and a mage of speed, was shocked at how fast he could move. In addition, as he charged, the sword trailed on the ground, leaving behind a trail of lightning that rippled across the arena in a brilliant light show.

James quickly absorbed a large amount of Kuitheium, the 162nd element, into his body as he had done earlier. Using the element of speed to augment his body, he was able to dodge Ren's lightning-fast attack but was forced to spin around and avoid another almost instantly. Ren's slashes were precise and accurate and never ceased, causing James to be defensive the entire time. To make matters worse, he discovered a weakness to his affinity that he hadn't known about before. When he was channeling a vast amount of a specific element like he was doing now, he was unable to split his mind and concentrate on anything else. That meant that as long as he was dodging Ren's attacks, he couldn't cast any other spells!

"Do you understand now?" Ren grinned as he did an overhead slash, almost cleaving off James' arm. "This is the distance between you and me. While you are wallowing in the mud, I am soaring through the sky like a bolt of pure lighting! I've been trained since I could walk to wield a blade, and as soon as I discovered my affinity my family began to school me on their magical techniques. There is no way you, or your friends, can hope to beat me and save Algon's planet."

"But why!?!" James asked, avoiding a thrust. "Why are you so cruel and arrogant? Why do you hate Algon so much? Tell me!"

Why?" Ren laughed. "Because I am better than all of you. I have the power, wealth, and heritage to become great. Your friends simply need to learn their place, that's all there is to it. And now you need to learn yours!"

Ren suddenly cut forwards, using a reverse grip that knocked James off balance. The blade cut into his arm, sending waves of electricity coursing through his body, and James was sent flying backward from the force. He rolled to a stop on the ground, his entire body shook from the pain. The audience winced and Delta clenched his jaw, his face white.