Alaric had been regularly training with Edgar in the whispering woods for a few days now. He hadn’t revealed all of his skills when fighting with Edgar yet because he wanted to surprise him when it mattered the most.
That’s why he refrained from using his chakra-based powers and his two evolved skills - mana blast and mana scrambling.
However, the man was perceptive. Edgar could discern that Alaric was restraining his strength during their training sessions for some reason, but he never pried.
Usually, they discussed various types of fighting techniques and strategies to defeat different types of monsters. They engaged in sparring sessions occasionally since, even when restricting himself to mana-based skills and abilities, Edgar was too powerful for Alaric.
Today, Alaric decided to broach the subject of inviting his friends here for a sparring session. Although he liked training with Edgar, he was longing for his friends.
“I would like to invite my friends to the training session tomorrow,” he stated. “And, perhaps, Therin as well, sometime in the future.”
Rowan and Therin had both succeeded in advancing to Tier 2 a few days ago, and Alaric wanted to measure himself against them.
Edgar’s eyes gleamed with curiosity. “Did you already grow tired of me?”
Alaric ignored his antics and conveyed that he simply wanted to spar with Rowan and Therin. Edgar was a little surprised and took some time to think before responding.
“You are very talented, Alaric,” he smirked. “But I don’t think you are prepared to handle Tier 2s yet.”
Alaric flashed him a confident smile and asserted, “I think I can take them on at their current level.”
He could see the man hesitating. “Well, I suppose you could,” he mused, crossing his arms. “If you acquired the advanced mana manipulation ability. Would you reconsider learning it?”
He shook his head. “No. Besides, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
Edgar’s curiosity deepened, and he finally gave in to his demands.
***
When Alaric’s friends arrived at the training grounds inside the whispering woods, they were all amazed. The area had been restructured for training purposes using some type of artifact. Runic lines were inscribed into the boundary surrounding the large circular sparring area.
The new modifications enabled cultivators to unleash their full power without worrying about damaging the environment. In fact, Edgar informed them that they could battle inside the sparring area without fear of permanently hurting their opponents.
It was enveloped in a special spatial and temporal magic that restored any damage sustained during the sparring sessions - both to the environment and the cultivators who fought inside.
Alaric was aware of the existence of such training grounds within the top academies. He couldn’t fathom how much it must have cost the count to establish all this. His father was not hesitant to invest the money.
“You have a neat setup here,” said Gareth while eyeing the forest clearing. However, he averted his eyes as soon as he saw Edgar and the count waiting patiently to the side. Captain Aldric Farrow and Sir Baldwin were positioned on the other side, finalizing the preparations to ensure everything was set.
Therin and his group lingered to one side as well. Almost all of them were curious, but Therin was especially eager to demonstrate his skills. He threw frequent glances at Rowan, who simply ignored him.
Alaric grinned when he noticed that and nudged Rowan. “Therin assumes he can overpower you easily now that he has ascended to Tier 2,” he remarked.
“Let him believe that,” Rowan smirked. “I have a surprise for him,” he eyed Alaric and continued, “for you as well.”
Well, I have a surprise for you as well. Alaric grinned, opting to remain quiet.
“Everybody listen,” Edgar announced why they were all summoned here. Each of them would have the chance to engage in one-on-one duels with any of the other kids. Of course, not all of them were eager to participate. Most were simply keen to witness the duels.
As expected, only Rowan and Therin stepped up to participate in the duels. The last one was Alaric.
***
Rowan and Therin were currently clashing inside the ring. Alaric observed the breathtaking battle with his friends. After advancing to Tier 2, Rowan had learned to wield a combination of earth and sand-based powers. He probably learned them from Captain Farrow.
Rowan had told him that his goal inside the Tower of Trials was to forge a bond with the same beast that his father had bonded with. It was an Earth elemental and would elevate his current powers to an entirely new level.
However, for now, it was an impressive display to witness him wielding the earth, stone, and sand so effortlessly.
Therin was no slouch either. He followed in the footsteps of Sir Baldwin and commanded metal-based powers. His entire body was enveloped in a sleek, metal armor that effortlessly withstood the barrage of rocks and stones Rowan hurled at him.
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However, even clad in that formidable armor, Therin was remarkably nimble and seamlessly kept pace with Rowan’s speed. He also wielded a sword and shield combination, as expected of a knight entrusted with protecting his lord.
It was uncertain whether Therin had been invited to the Tower of Trials as well, but Alaric resolved to inquire about it later.
Both of them had completely different fighting styles - while Rowan concentrated on offense, Therin prioritized defense. However, it seemed they were evenly matched.
Rowan couldn’t penetrate Therin’s shield and overall fortification, while Therin remained steadfast in his defense for now.
After observing for a while, Alaric determined that both of them had yet to show the ace up their sleeves. He chuckled. They are waiting for the other one to reveal their trick first.
When it became evident that the match was going nowhere, Sir Baldwin decided to call it a draw. Everybody applauded and cheered. It was a thrilling fight, albeit slightly anticlimactic.
Well, the real fun will begin tomorrow when I get to fight these two. Alaric couldn’t wait for his turn tomorrow.
***
Alaric weaved through a hail of stones that Rowan launched at him, eager to close the gap. His friend was keeping the distance for now, opting to harass him from afar. His initial strategy was to engage in close combat, but since that wasn’t feasible, Alaric adapted his strategy.
He forged a mana javelin and flung it at Rowan, who summoned a barrier of earth around himself to intercept. Alaric clicked his tongue. That’s a strong barrier. Unlike his mana barrier, the earth barrier was significantly stronger since it had real mass reinforcing it.
“Give up, Alaric,” said Rowan. “I’m far stronger now.” He launched razor-sharp spikes of stone at Alaric, which were troublesome to evade since they shattered on impact, forcing him to dodge the fragmented shards as well.
Alaric kept his mana shield active on one side to deflect the barrage of rocks and stones. Handling Rowan had become far trickier now that he had secured a long-range advantage.
Of course, he could bombard Rowan with mana bullets from a distance too but, it was too early to reveal that skill without a decisive advantage. He activated [Zen Flow] and [Mana Strengthening] to sharpen his senses and enhance his physical power.
Suddenly, the projectiles Rowan hurled at him didn’t seem as swift as before, and he dodged them with ease. Spotting an opening in Rowan’s assault, Alaric finally closed the distance and attempted to pierce his shield with a mana gauntlet lance.
His attack pierced through the earth shield, but Rowan parried it with a mana sword of his own. Both of them were evenly matched at this point, but Rowan suddenly smirked. “Got you.”
The ground beneath Alaric morphed into quicksand, and he found himself sinking up to his knees. He was stuck, unable to muster the strength needed to wield his mana gauntlet lance without being able to push on solid ground.
A swirl of earth coalesced behind Rowan, solidifying into the shape of a massive lance aimed at him. Rowan was elated. “You should’ve mastered a long-range combat skill, Alaric,” he said. “Give up now and you won’t need to suffer.”
Alaric could see the calculations running behind his friend’s eyes. So, you think you’ve already won.
He was proud of his friend. Rowan had purposefully created the illusion of being weak at close combat while orchestrating such an effective strategy to disable his opponents.
If Alaric lost now, nobody would blame him. Truthfully, he hadn’t anticipated such a move, and escaping this state of entrapment would be difficult even if he unleashed his full power. A smarter move would be to forfeit this match for now, preserving his evolved skills for the next battle.
However, the reason Alaric had refrained from using his evolved skills thus far was that he considered them overwhelmingly powerful. Becoming dependent on them could turn into a detrimental habit at this stage, where he still needed to refine his combat style.
So, he wanted to check how far he could take the fight without relying on them. Now, he had witnessed it. Besides, losing to his friend without utilizing his full power would be disrespecting him.
***
Rowan’s POV
Rowan had yearned for so long to engage in a proper duel with Alaric. During their group delving sessions, he had witnessed Alaric’s growth first-hand. He was a natural at learning skills and utilizing them effectively.
Deep down, Rowan knew that the day Alaric would surpass him in power wasn't very far. So, when he secured all the cultivation resources and ascended to Tier 2, he finally believed he had established a significant gap between himself and Alaric.
His reforging was a success, and his father had taught him basic earth elemental techniques. Granted, he was still grasping how to properly utilize his newly learned techniques and adjusting to his new fighting style.
Still, he had no doubt that he could defeat Alaric at his current stage. That’s why he was elated when Alaric fell into his trap. Fortunately, Alaric had yet to develop a long-range skill, and now, victory was within his grasp.
“Who says I don’t,” said Alaric. Before Rowan could realize the meaning of his statement, Alaric pointed a finger at him and unleashed a mana bullet. He hastily conjured a shield of earth just moments before the mana bullet would have struck his face.
And even then, the concentrated mass of mana punctured through the shield, grazing his cheek and drawing blood. Impossible! Why did he wait so long to use such a potent long-range skill?
Even through the shock, Rowan realized the need for ending the fight right that instant. It wasn’t he who had trapped Alaric. No, he was the one who fell into Alaric’s trap. He released the earth lance at Alaric, fully expecting it to land on him. Alaric’s mana shield wasn’t strong enough to withstand the sheer force of the earth lance.
However, contrary to what he expected, Alaric didn’t use his [Mana Shield] skill to defend himself. Instead, a wave of pure white mana erupted out of his body, and as the earth lance went through it, it crumbled into dust, harmlessly dispersing over his body.
Rowan was stunned. He had no idea how Alaric had accomplished such a feat. However, he refused to concede. Drawing upon a huge portion of his mana, he unleashed his [Sand Tsunami] skill.
I’m sorry Alaric but I cannot give up. This skill was the ace up his sleeve. It exhausted a tremendous amount of mana, and he could barely maintain control over it, but it was worth the effort.
The whole training ground shook and the terrain convulsed and transformed into a turbulent mass of sand. Rowan gestured at Alaric, and a colossal wave of sand surged forward, ready to engulf him completely.
Alaric struggled to maintain his footing as the solid ground beneath him dissolved into shifting sand. In response, he fired several mana bullets at Rowan. Rowan simply encased himself in a hardened cocoon of sand.
His skill enabled him to manipulate the density of the earth, and at that moment, he reinforced it to be as resilient as steel.
The mana bullets slammed into the cocoon of sand but couldn’t penetrate. A smile spread on his face as he noticed Alaric hadn't managed to evade his attack in time. The massive sand wave crashed into him. Yes, I got him!
However, the next moment, he saw that bright sphere of light surround him once again, effortlessly keeping the sand at bay. Moments later, he spotted Alaric aiming his palm at him with a grin as a ball of blue energy gathered at his palm and surged toward him.
Rowan instantly summoned a series of sand shields in front of him and fortified the density of the sand cocoon that encased his form. However, the blue ball of energy tore through every obstacle, devouring his sand shields and slamming into his sand cocoon.
A huge explosion blurred his vision and a high-pitched sound echoed in his mind as everything turned dark and he lost consciousness.