The Fiery Counter

Magic is an extremely precise art. Wielding spells beyond one’s control often leads to a magic rampage, or the exhaustion of one’s mana, even draining life force. In essence, any such mishap invariably jeopardizes one’s very existence.

Furlan, however, was beyond such concerns. He cared not if casting magic beyond his limits would endanger his life. His eyes were now clouded by rage, his sole desire to annihilate the person who had shamed him before the entire student body.

As Furlan rapidly chanted, his face grew alarmingly pale. He felt his mana rapidly depleting, pushing him into a frantic overdraft. Disregarding all else, he endured the severe repercussions of mana exhaustion and pressed on with his incantation.

From his spatial ring, he then retrieved several Tier 2 magic stones and promptly swallowed them. Magic stones were the solidified essence of magical elements. Though solid, they readily reverted to flowing magical energy upon contact with a magic source. Given the volatile nature of mana within magic cores, the mana in magic stones offered many mages an excellent way to replenish their reserves.

Typically, magic stones would be combined with other ingredients to formulate mana potions, not consumed crudely as Furlan was doing. Alas, blinded by fury, he ignored the potential dangers of raw consumption and directly absorbed their power.

After two or three magic stones had been swallowed, Furlan’s meticulously prepared Tier 4 magic finally took shape under the watchful eyes of the crowd. Around him, more than a dozen water pillars, resembling towering tornadoes, surged forth from the ground. They arrayed themselves densely, beyond the layers of the magic shield.

As the final chant concluded, the spell materialized. Furlan, overcome by exhaustion, instantly collapsed to the ground. He struggled to lift his head, using his last vestiges of strength to control the magic.

“Go!”

He brandished the hand clutching his staff, directing the course of the spell. The dozen or so tornado-like water pillars surged towards Ai Ou like a swarm of bees. They converged from all directions, sealing off every possible escape route for Ai Ou. It seemed there was no way to block them.

The roaring whistle of the rotating water pillars echoed ominously, their surging power enough to strike fear into anyone who witnessed it. The students, previously stunned by Ai Ou’s performance, couldn’t help but cover their eyes at the sight of the Tier 4 spell.

“Well, it looks like Ai Ou is going to lose.”

“I originally thought student Ai Ou would be slaughtered, but his fierce display just now truly amazed me. What a pity, will Furlan still win in the end?”

“This Tier 4 magic is too powerful! Just hearing the sound of the swirling water tells you how immense the power of these water tornadoes is.”

“Look at those water tornadoes! These are rare offensive spells within water-elemental magic! See the destructive force of their rotation—even this magic-resistant floor is starting to crack!”

“Ah, what a shame. He had a chance to finish Furlan off in one go, but student Ai Ou became overconfident and gave Furlan an opportunity to cast his magic shield. If he had pressed his advantage, Furlan wouldn’t have been able to cast it at all. It will take a long time just to break through these dozen layers of magic shields!”

The students lamented Ai Ou’s predicament. If the water tornadoes struck Ai Ou, his body surely wouldn’t withstand their tearing force. He would likely be ripped to shreds. They couldn’t bear to watch Ai Ou be hit by the water tornadoes, and some of the girls, unwilling to see such a handsome young man fall here, averted their gazes.

Vivian, watching the oncoming water tornadoes, was consumed by a torrent of thoughts. She desperately wanted to intervene and stop Furlan’s magic. However, school regulations strictly forbade interference before a student surrendered, to maintain fairness in duels. Moreover, Ai Ou was not yet in mortal danger, so she couldn’t act. She wrestled with the conflict between preventing a potential disaster and the rules, but ultimately, the school’s regulations bound her hands. She could only watch, her heart burning with anxiety, as the water tornadoes continuously lunged at Ai Ou.

“Student Ai Ou, be careful!”

“Dodge quickly!”

What happened next occurred in the blink of an eye. Though it seemed to stretch on for ages, in reality, only a few seconds passed on the field. Ai Ou’s gaze remained as calm as ever, even as a dozen water tornadoes relentlessly charged at him, sealing off his movement from all sides. His eyes were fixed on Furlan, as if he intended to completely disregard the spell.

In the eyes of others, however, Ai Ou appeared to be frozen in shock by the magic’s immense power and speed. After all, he was a new student, inexperienced with magic, and likely lacked the appropriate countermeasures for such a spell.

Boom!

Suddenly, Ai Ou raised a hand. It seemed ordinary, but in an instant, a small wisp of flame abruptly erupted from his palm. Yet, no one had seen Ai Ou chant! The nascent flame instantly swelled to the size of a basketball, firmly clasped in Ai Ou’s hand.

“Is this… Fireball?”

“Why is his Fireball different from ours? Why is his Fireball so huge!”

“No, the important thing is, did you see him chant? That’s instant cast magic!”

“But it’s just a Fireball spell. While instant casting is astonishing, it’s completely useless in the current situation, isn’t it?”

Then, Ai Ou placed his other hand on the fireball. The fireball seemed to possess no heat whatsoever. Typically, when a mage casts Fireball, only the casting hand is immune to its temperature. Though Fireball is merely a common Tier 1 spell, its temperature can still reach over a hundred degrees. Yet, no heat emanated from the fireball on Ai Ou. His other hand rested within the flame, completely unharmed, demonstrating an incredibly precise mastery over the Fireball spell. This level of control requires an exceptionally high degree of mana manipulation combined with potent mental energy. To witness it in a Tier 2 transfer student was truly unexpected.

Disregarding Ai Ou’s age, one might easily mistake him for a high-level mage casting a spell.

“Such an extent!”

Vivian wondered how many times she had been shocked today. She felt Ai Ou was full of mysteries, igniting a desire to unravel them. She hadn’t expected him to be capable of instant casting! No chanting, just instant casting, and incredibly fast, without any stiffness whatsoever. What an insane level of control over the elements must be required to achieve this!

Moreover, compared to typical chanted spells, the intensity of his Fireball made it seem as though he was using a chanted spell, and everyone else was using instant casts. His Fireball was several times larger than anyone else’s.

Was this genius?

She had initially thought his dual-elemental affinity, rated as ‘superb,’ was merely on par with others. However, Vivian now felt the academy’s assessment was flawed. It wasn’t that Ai Ou’s elemental affinity was merely superb; it was that ‘superb’ was the highest rating the academy offered. She had encountered several mages with superb elemental affinity, but none possessed an affinity stronger than Ai Ou’s. At the very least, this single Fireball spell alone surpassed anything she had seen from other mages, including Academy Head Douglas.

How old was he? Seventeen or eighteen, perhaps?

Vivian could only gape, wanting to speak, but no words would come out. However, would this Fireball spell be effective against a Tier 4 spell? As Vivian pondered this, she wasn’t alone. The other students also wondered what the point of using a Fireball spell was at this moment. No matter how powerful it was, it was still only a Tier 1 spell, far too weak to contend with a Tier 4 water tornado.

Just as everyone was bewildered, Ai Ou’s lips curved into a slight smile. He held both hands out flat, and abruptly, the fireball’s flames surged. A faint red glow emanated from Ai Ou, and then the flames on his hands began to spread up his arms. His hands, his body, his legs, his head—in no time, Ai Ou’s entire form was engulfed in flames. Ai Ou had become a man of fire.

Then, the flames grew larger and larger, eventually forming a spherical shell, like an egg, completely encasing Ai Ou within. As the fiery shell solidified, the water tornadoes finally arrived, sweeping over Ai Ou. The dozen water tornadoes crashed into the flame-constructed shell, and the collision of water and fire continuously emitted sizzling sounds—the sound of the flames evaporating the water.

Fire and water are two conflicting elements. Broadly speaking, fire magic is countered by water magic. However, this is relative; while water magic counters fire magic, why wouldn’t fire magic also counter water magic? If fire magic possesses sufficient power, it will evaporate water magic, rendering water magic ineffective as a counter. Instead, the steam constantly released by the evaporating water will enhance the damage of the fire magic. This steam, generated by the water magic, essentially adds a scorching effect to the fire magic.

Sizzling sounds incessantly echoed. The Tier 4 water tornadoes unleashed by Furlan, with their dozen water pillars, continuously impacted this fiery outer layer, seeking to break through the flames’ restraint and strike Ai Ou within. Yet, no matter how they crashed, they simply could not penetrate, only colliding with the flames, being ceaselessly consumed by them, and generating steam with a constant hiss.

Before long, the entire dueling arena was enveloped in a misty haze, created by the steam from the water tornadoes being neutralized by the flames. The vision of all spectators watching the duel was obstructed by this fog, preventing them from seeing the situation on the field.

“Cough, cough, cough! What’s going on?”

“Why is there a layer of fog?”

“Who won on the field?”

“What did student Ai Ou just cast?”

“I only saw flames start to spread over his body, and then suddenly there was fog.”

“Could it be that student Ai Ou was consumed by the flames? After all, playing with fire can burn you, and fire is the most difficult element to control.”

“Why is everyone curious about that? Why isn’t the point of curiosity that we are clearly water mages, but Ai Ou just cast fire magic?!”

At this point, everyone desperately wanted to know what had truly transpired.