Hearing Tza’har’s offer, Thorian stood silent for a few seconds before smiling. "You already know that I will accept, so no need for the theatrics.”

“Still, asking for your consent is a required step,” Tza’har chuckled.

Before asking about the contents of the third trial, Thorian did a mental check-up of his body. Even though he had been experimenting for hours to create lightning, his mana capacity was still full.

As for his mental strength, Thorian had been able to work without any impediments for two days straight when he first reincarnated into his new body, and that was when all of his stats were still in the double-digit range. A meditation seance of just a few hours could not significantly weaken his mental state.

Confident in his readiness, Thorian turned back to Tza’har. "What’s next for me?”

“You will have to challenge a special someone,” Tza’har responded with a mysterious grin. He then looked around and sighed, “But this is no suitable place for this trial. Let’s go back outside.”

Leading the way, Tza’har walked out of his dimension through the portal, and Thorian followed. Once the two were back at Tza’har’s grand library, the latter closed the portal with a wave of his hand.

“This duel will unfold in the colosseum,” Tza’har said, clapping Thorian on the shoulder as he revealed a hidden door. Together, they descended the stairs to the arena, the site of Thorian’s challenges in the two previous trials.

As the two walked, Thorian felt a strange sensation in his body that he hadn't paid attention to before. It was as if he was more attuned to the mana around him, feeling its presence and discerning its nature without even using his Elemental Sight.

The prolonged exposure to that mana-rich circle must have enhanced my senses, he speculated, quickly dismissing the thought to focus on the present.

"So, who will I be facing?" Thorian asked, catching up to Tza’har.

"Allow an old man his pleasures; the revelation will come in due time," Tza’har responded with a chuckle. "But you shall see for yourself momentarily."

He really likes to have his fun, Thorian mused, rolling his eyes. But then, who can blame him? If I had spent aeons isolated in this dimension, I too would savor every bit of drama. It’s hard to imagine how beings like him perceive time within these confines.

While Thorian was lost in his thoughts, Tza’har snapped his fingers, and an old man arose from the middle of the arena. He wore a fur-lined purple robe with golden stripes, his long silvery beard was well-kept, and his blue eyes shone with the brightness of lightning.

Looking at the old man’s figure, Thorian furrowed his brows. That’s the same man, isn’t it? The one in the painting right at the end of the hall’s corridor outside.

"This is but a clone of the elder magus from the Thunderous Citadel," Tza’har declared, his grin widening. "You may know him by the name Tza’har Assaher."

Thorian's expression stiffened at the revelation, drawing a hearty laugh from Tza’har. With a puzzled frown, Thorian stared at the undead magus. “This is you?”

“Yes, in my youthful days,” Tza’har replied, his laughter echoing around the ancient walls. “A failed experiment in my quest for immortality, nothing more than a half-baked attempt.”

Dumbstruck, Thorian paused, then sighed deeply, scratching the back of his head. “So, how am I expected to win this challenge?” He then looked at the expressionless old man and activated his Elemental Sight. The amount of mana it was exuding was otherworldly. “Even as a weaker version of yourself, this seems impossible. You are, after all, a transcendent.”

“You aren’t meant to defeat it,” Tza’har chuckled again, shaking his head. “Setting such a challenge would be unreasonable, and the gods themselves would not permit it. There are rules, even for me.”

He sighed, then elaborated on the challenge's true nature. “Your task is to simply land a clean hit on my clone. Any means you employ to achieve that will count as a victory.”

Thorian took a deep breath before looking back at Tza’har’s clone with his Elemental Sight. From the mana it’s projecting, this copy should be at the peak of a Grandmagus, or maybe at the level of a beginner Archmagus.

“Let’s start with something simple,” Thorian raised his Elemental Sceptre and intoned his first spell. “Fire Arrow.”

The flaming projectile sped towards the clone, which raised its hand in a fluid, indifferent motion. Moments before impact, the fire arrow disintegrated completely, vanishing without even marking the purple robe.

Thorian stood, stunned, for a few seconds before his gaze shifted thoughtfully downward. A sudden realization flashed across his face, and he looked up at Tza’har, astonishment etched into his features. “Was that spell disruption?”

Tza’har’s laughter echoed through the coliseum as he watched Thorian’s efforts. “Yes, indeed, that was spell disruption. I’m surprised you're aware of such a concept,” he chuckled. “A standardized spell like 'Fire Arrow' could never touch me, even if this is but a youthful, more reckless version of myself. Its mana signature is far too simplistic to penetrate.”

Thorian’s brow furrowed in concentration. So, any spell I've learned from a skill scroll is essentially useless here, he realized. His eyes narrowed with determination. But what about combining spells?

Raising his Elemental Scepter once again, Thorian conjured his Galeforce Spear before combining it with a Fire Arrow. He then launched the flaming spear at the expressionless clone. Tza’har’s copy once again raised its hand to intercept Thorian’s combination spell. However, instead of immediately nullifying it, it conjured a transparent hexagonal barrier.

The flaming spear, in a clash with the barrier, slowly eroded it. However, before the barrier could break, the spear fully dissipated, nullified in the same way the Fire Arrow was in Thorian’s previous attempt.

“You combined two standard spells to forge a new one? How intriguing,” Tza’har remarked with a wry smile. “Such a tactic does obscure the underlying mana signatures, but only superficially. Deep down, those original signatures are still present, making the spell susceptible to disruption with enough analysis.”

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“This is just a clone, and yet it performs such complex calculations?” Thorian scoffed, turning his incredulous gaze back to Tza’har.

“Like I said, it’s but a failed experiment,” Tza’har shrugged dismissively. “I endowed it with knowledge of spells and combat tactics, but I could never quite replicate my own sentience or behavior. Despite my efforts, it always acted too unnaturally—so much so, that I eventually preferred it to remain silent and unhumanlike.”

“Your failed quest for immortality, huh?” Thorian wryly smiled as he looked back at the clone. “For a ‘failed experiment,’ it certainly holds remarkable power.”

Normal spells seem to be out of the question right now. And considering that all of the trials before involved element manipulation skills, it’s clear that they are the answer to this one too.

Thorian frowned as he contemplated his next actions. Since it has such an enormous amount of mana, half-baked attempts won't cut it either. I need to put all of my mana into one attempt, or else this clone will just block it with its barrier magic.

Standing in silence, Thorian considered all the possible ways he could approach the problem at hand. While the easiest solution seemed to be just putting all of his mana into one fiery attack, Thorian knew it would be easily disrupted if the spell was too simple. The clone could not just disperse standard spells, but any skill with a simple mana signature could fall prey to this trap.

It must be complex and swift, Thorian concluded, an idea forming in his mind. That way, it won’t have the time to counteract properly.

With renewed determination, Thorian raised his staff. “Raging Tempest,” he intoned, channeling all his focus into the invocation.

As he cast the spell, the air around him churned into chaos. Winds accelerated to a ferocious pace, howling ominously as they gained momentum. What began as a breeze soon escalated into a formidable storm, enveloping the entire arena. Debris whirled through the air, turning the environment into a dangerous maelstrom.

Caught within the heart of the storm, the clone's barrier magic was severely tested by the sheer force and complexity of Thorian's spell. The raging winds battered against the barrier, seeking to penetrate its defenses and disrupt the clone's concentration.

Amid the tempest and the deluge, Thorian's spellcraft reached a crescendo. As the clone's barriers met the brunt of the storm's fury, Thorian added another layer to his assault with Deluge Cascade. Dark, swelling clouds unleashed a torrential downpour, reducing visibility and transforming the arena into a watery battleground. The clone's silhouette flickered within the curtain of rain, barely discernible.

Yet, Thorian was only setting the stage.

Taking a deep breath, Thorian clenched his Elemental Scepter and looked to the clouds. Even without any action on his part, there were sparks of lightning flashing across them.

Using his newly gained ability, Thorian imbued these clouds with lightning mana, making them even more charged. Bolts of lightning cracked as they struck the ground, filling the arena with thunderous roars.

“Using lightning magic against my clone? How daring,” Tza’har cackled at the sight.

However, Thorian paid no heed to his words. It wasn’t out of any disrespect towards the undead magus, but the last steps of his plan demanded full concentration.

Using his Elemental Sight, Thorian could see all the lightning mana particles around him. They glowed a vivid blue, the amount of lightning mana being orders of magnitude higher than what he had expended.

At the same time, the sensation he had been constantly feeling flared up to an intense degree. He felt that with just a touch, he could control the mana around him.

This is an enlightened state, Thorian concluded with a grin. With it, I can control all of this external mana, and then unleash a fully empowered attack.

As Thorian continuously imbued the swirling clouds above with lightning mana, they started shimmering with blue and purple auras. The lightning strikes became denser and more frequent, wreaking havoc on the ground below. Yet any bolt that headed toward the clone was blocked by an amalgamation of hexagonal barriers that it conjured.

This is too wasteful. I need to concentrate all these strikes onto it.

With this goal in mind, Thorian gritted his teeth and squeezed his mana heart. With his will, he commanded the external lightning mana to focus on Tza’har’s clone.

Slowly, the clouds and the lightning strikes bent to Thorian’s command. Most of the lightning focused on the clone, bombarding it with an unending assault. Only a few rogue bolts struck the ground around them.

Yet as the clone increased its defenses with more and more complex barriers, Thorian’s chest tightened. His heart sank as the clone finally disrupted its first lightning strike.

I can’t let it end like this!

In the pit of despair, Thorian bit his lips until they bled before issuing another command to the world. The lightning strikes stopped bombarding the clone’s shield, and instead clashed and merged with themselves. Finally, with a thunderous roar, a massive, serpentine shape emerged, crackling with raw power. The lightning mana coalesced, taking on the form of an incomplete dragon, its body composed of pure electrical energy.

The clone, sensing the imminent threat, began to weave a complex series of barriers around itself. The hexagonal shields multiplied and interlocked, forming a multi-layered defense that shimmered with arcane energy. The barriers pulsed and shifted, adapting to the changing nature of the lightning dragon.

Thorian, his eyes glowing with determination, poured more of his mana into the construct, feeding its growth and solidifying its form. The lightning dragon grew in size and intensity, its incomplete form becoming more defined with each passing second.

With a final surge of mana, Thorian directed the lightning dragon to strike. The creature let out a deafening roar as it descended upon the clone, its jaws wide open and crackling with electricity.

With a blinding flash and a deafening roar, the dragon and the barriers collided, sending shockwaves rippling through the arena. The clone's defenses held firm at first, absorbing the brunt of the impact. However, as the dragon continued to press its attack, the barriers began to crack and splinter under the immense pressure.

Thorian, sensing the weakening of the clone's defenses, channelled more mana into the lightning dragon. The creature's form became more complete, its scales solidifying and its eyes glowing with an intense blue light.

With a final, mighty roar, the lightning dragon surged forward, shattering the clone's barriers and engulfing it in a blinding flash of electricity. The clone's form convulsed and distorted as the lightning coursed through its body, disrupting its magical structure.

Before Thorian could see the result of his attack, he fell to one knee, his breath shallow and his head dizzy. The veins atop his head pulsated with such intensity that they threatened to burst, and his muscles weakened so much that he could barely stand.

Congratulations! You have unlocked a new skill through your own hard work and enlightenment: “Half-Dragon Lightning Fury”.

Congratulations. Your skill "Lightning Manipulation I" has been upgraded to "Lightning Manipulation II"

“You’ve done well, young one,” Tza’har grabbed Thorian’s arm and supported him. He then took out a shimmering blue pill from his robe pocket and handed it to Thorian, “Eat this. It will help you.”

Nodding at the undead magus’ words, Thorian swallowed the pill. Instantly, he felt mana rushing through his conduits, feeding his muscles and bones before settling within his mana heart. The wave of fatigue washed away as he slowly steadied himself.

“Did I finish the trial?” Thorian looked back at the copy. Its purple robes were ragged and full of soot, but its body was mostly intact. It stood strong, as if the lightning dragon that struck it was but a passing breeze. Looking at this sight, Thorian let out a resigned sigh, “What a monster you’ve created.”

“You’ve succeeded,” Tza’har smiled. “The task was not to defeat my copy, just to land a clean hit on it. You’ve passed that test with flying colors,” he laughed with his distinctive cackle.