Alaric had been experimenting with his new skill - mana shaping - for the whole day. The skill was very fun to use since it enabled him to craft a variety of mana constructs that were not possible with the mana solidification skill.

For instance, he could now mold mana into a form that had the consistency of a thick fluid instead of simply solidifying it. Crafting fluid-like structures was much faster since they didn’t have the mana density of solid structures.

Of course, mana in fluid form was also very unstable. Just like water, it evaporated when left for some time. Alaric chuckled. I wonder what Edgar would think if he discovered that I've been experimenting with mana shaping instead of training for my fight with Therin.

Many people believed it was important to train daily in order to be in top fighting form. Alaric agreed with them and usually embraced that concept. However, he also believed it was important to figure out exactly how one can wield their powers in the most effective way possible.

And, that was only achievable through experimentation and creative applications of their skills and abilities. A little time invested in determining what works and doesn’t work can come in quite handy during an actual battle.

In fact, he already had a few ideas on how to utilize his new skill to enhance his fighting style. Another thing he noticed was that the skill synchronized well with a few other mana skills such as mana shield, mana blast, and mana scrambling.

It was still too early to determine the best way to incorporate his new skill into his fighting style but for now, he had a plan. After concluding his experimenting session, he went to find his friends. It was time to teach Therin a lesson.

***

“Alaric, are you sure you can take him on?” said Gareth. He glanced nervously at Therin’s direction, who was clad in full-steel armor, discussing something with Sir Baldwin.

“We’ll see.” Alarin smiled and scratched his cheek. He didn’t want to declare outright that he had a strategy for the fight or appear too confident. Nobody could predict the future, and anything could happen in a fight.

Edgar had informed him that Therin was approaching the fight much more seriously than he expected. In fact, Therin had been training diligently with Sir Baldwin the whole day, probably devising his own strategy for the fight.

Even now, Therin cast frequent glances at Alaric, as if doing so would somehow grant him an advantage during the fight. He’s probably more wary of me now since I’ve managed to defeat Rowan. Alaric chuckled.

“Since Alaric managed to defeat Rowan, he can defeat Therin as well,” said George, throwing him a knowing look.

“Yes, I have complete faith in you,” said Rowan before Alaric could reply. “Although, I’m still puzzled how you managed to endure the final attack.” He chuckled.

All of his friends eyed him, waiting expectantly for an answer. Alaric simply shrugged. He didn’t want to disclose he had a rare skill at this stage. When his friends realized he didn’t want to discuss the matter any further, they let it go.

***

As Alaric stepped inside the training ground, the runic sigils on the ground glowed and a green shimmer of energy blanketed the whole ground, dissipating after a second. All the protections were in place.

Opposite him stood Therin with his large shield in one hand and his sword in the other one. A grim expression shadowed his face with no sign of his usual smugness. He donned an exact replica of the armor that all the knights of House Vermond wore.

However, Alaric knew that would change as soon as the battle started. Therin possessed a strong metal affinity granted by his bloodline after all.

Alaric scanned his mana core. It was filled to the brim with potent liquid mana. Yes, I can experiment properly with my skills today. His goal for today’s match wasn’t only to win. It was to devise new ways to effectively wield his set of skills.

“Commence fight,” shouted Sir Baldwin.

None of them moved but they had started their preparations. Therin’s armor liquefied around his body and reformed into thin, silvery-grey strands of metal that wriggled on his body. A mist of dark grey sand-like substance billowed from the ground and encased him.

As more of the metal-sand merged, the wriggling metal strands interlaced into a dense layer of threaded armor enveloping his whole body from head to toe. Only two slits marked his head - one for vision and one for breathing.

It was fascinating to watch. Perhaps I should also attempt to create mana strands like him one day.

Alaric dismissed that thought. For now, he concentrated on sheathing his fists with a layer of pliable mana and then encasing the whole thing with a layer of hardened mana serving as a protective casing.

It was a refinement he tested on his usual mana gauntlet. Simply generating a layer of hardened mana around his fists was not viable for battle at his current stage. Although it provided a strong offensive option for close-range combat, it also inflicted damage on the bones and muscles of his fist.

However, integrating a layer of pliable mana - with the consistency of thick viscous liquid - in between his fist and the hardened shell of mana served to mitigate the strain of the impact.

Alaric activated [Zen Flow], [Mana Strengthening], and charged at Therin, swinging his fist with all his might. Therin braced himself, deflecting the attack with his armor, and retaliated by swinging his sword at him.

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Alaric evaded his sword strikes and continued pummelling him with punches. Yes, this feels nice.

He could clearly perceive the difference by adopting this strategy. The middle layer of mana absorbed a significant portion of the shock which alleviated the strain on his arms considerably.

As a result, he didn’t have to rely on his [Vital Mana Flow] skill as much, although he still activated it to reduce the strain.

Unfortunately, Alaric’s punches were making almost no impact when they clashed with Therin’s dense, metal shield. The few times he managed to strike his body, the metal armor absorbed the impact, leaving him completely unscathed.

The body armor Therin wore was reinforced with his mana. As a result, it was far more resilient than regular armor.

“You cannot leave a scratch on me, Alaric,” said Therin through his armor peace. “No matter what you do.”

Alaric wasn’t fooled. Hah…sustaining that body armor must consume a tremendous amount of mana. Alaric could practically smell the mana oozing out of the armor. He shouldn’t be able to maintain it for long.

Alaric shifted his strategy. He created some distance and hurled mana javelins at Therin. However, the mana javelins were equally ineffective at piercing through his armor.

Therin hadn’t shifted from his spot yet, trying to project an illusion of overwhelming dominance. His strategy was simple. It was to endure the barrage of attacks while the opponent exhausted themselves before striking back when their morale was broken.

The strategy was solid and would’ve worked on any other kid. It was difficult to persist when one witnessed their attacks having almost no effect on their opponent. However, Alaric was just getting started.

He aimed at Therin and launched a few mana bullets in quick succession. The mana bullets staggered him as they collided with his shield. So, you are not as infallible as you seem after all.

The mana bullets packed much more power than mana javelins. So, Alaric continued to bombard him with mana bullets from all angles as he danced around him.

Therin finally had enough. Breaking his stance, he lunged at Alaric and slashed his sword. He was surprisingly agile, but Alaric managed to evade the attack. For a while, they were locked in a stalemate, neither of them able to land a decisive blow.

However, that all changed when Alaric unleashed his [Mana Scrambling] skill at close proximity and followed it up by striking him with his mana gauntlet.

The wave of pure mana unleashed by Alaric went through Therin, unraveling the interwoven armored metal threads that shielded his chest, exposing the vulnerable area. Moments later, Alaric’s blow landed.

Therin buckled under the force of the impact and was launched backward, crashing to the ground. He coughed up blood for the first time in the match.

A few spectators gasped, but Alaric paid them no mind. Instead, he aimed his palm at him and charged up a mana blast, ready to end this fight. However, Therin immediately recovered and rethreaded the metal strands to restore his full body armor.

Alaric launched the blue orb of condensed mana, and it approached Therin’s way with frightening speed, reading to cause devastation. However, instead of fleeing, Therin stood his ground with a smirk on his face.

He triggered some type of skill, and the mana around him surged into motion. He drove the triangular end of his shield into the ground and crouched behind it, bracing for impact.

It blazed with a grey glow and expanded to twice the size, providing cover for this whole body.

The pure ball of mana smashed into Therin’s shield, and he roared, refusing to back down. For a moment, it looked like an unstoppable force had met an immovable object.

However, little by little, Therin’s entire body began to slide backward, the shield carving a trench in its wake.

Unfortunately, after a while, the ball of mana fizzled out. Smoke wafted from the shield, and as it dissipated, Alaric couldn’t spot a single scratch on it.

He must’ve used a combination of uncommon skills or perhaps a rare skill for his defense.

Therin emerged from behind his shield, panting, but grinning. He didn’t hesitate a second before unleashing another skill. A grey shimmer enveloped his entire body, and his sword pulsed with an ethereal glow.

A torrential amount of mana amassed in his vicinity before being absorbed into his blade.

That’s not good. Alaric scrunched his brows, preparing for another mana blast. This time he cupped his palms together to unleash the full power of his [Mana Blast] skill. However, he had to stop mid-way while condensing the mana and shift focus to shielding himself with a mana barrier.

Therin had stopped being on the defensive and switched to a relentless offensive. His sword started glowing like a lightsaber.

Without moving from his spot, he slashed the air, hurling arcs of razor-sharp mana at Alaric as if he had limitless reserves. Arcs of blazing white energy cleaved through Alaric’s shield like butter as he dodged them.

Somehow, he had gained a tremendous surge of mana and a potent long-range attack. Or perhaps, he had been concealing his true capabilities, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Whatever power-boosting skill Therin had activated, it didn’t just enhance his physical abilities. Alaric suspected it also amplified his focus and mana reserves significantly.

Alaric couldn’t close the gap nor remain stationary long enough to amass enough energy for a fully charged mana blast. All he could do was evade the scorching arcs of energy, channeling his [Zen Flow] and [Mana Strengthening] skills to their limits.

Every mana-infused slash that struck the ground carved deep grooves into it or tore up the earth. Therin cackled like a madman, fully lost in the thrill of the fight. Perhaps it is some type of berserker skill?

Alaric was tempted to channel the power of his chakras but he wanted to experiment with his skills some more. Instead of conjuring a single layer of mana shield, he wove multiple layers of protective barriers around his body. Still, it wasn’t enough.

The layers of mana shields he forged were shattered by arcs of sword slashes just as quickly as he formed them. Alaric was burning through mana at a tremendous rate, but a grin adorned his face. He was enjoying the challenge very much.

He adjusted his approach. Using his [Mana Shaping] skill, he infused the gaps in the layers of the mana shield with pliable mana to fortify them. The arcs of sword slash still cleaved through them, but it slowed down just enough for him to cup his arms and unleash a fully powered mana blast.

The attack drained almost a quarter of his mana. The condensed ball of mana was larger this time, and it devoured the sword arc slashes on its way as it barreled toward Therin.

The knight commander’s squire once again invoked the same defensive skill. He anchored his shield into the ground, ducked behind its protection, and roared.

However, this time his shield expanded to four times its size, and the grey energy that accumulated was so dense it blackened. The large mana ball slammed into his shield with a massive boom, triggering a colossal explosion.

Alaric was gasping for breath. This had better work; otherwise, I’ll have to try that. He had another trick up his sleeve, but he wasn’t sure he could pull it off without practice.

As the dust settled, Alaric observed a crater gouged into Therin’s location, followed by a deep trench at the end of which he remained intact with his shield raised.

Alaric clicked his tongue. The combination of that formidable defensive skill and his immense offensive power boost had enabled him to withstand the blow.

Once again, there wasn't a single scratch on his shield. Therin slowly rose and aimed a finger at him. “Is that all you’ve got?” he cackled a harsh laugh. “Well guess what, I’m not done yet.” He roared, and his sword started radiating a brighter glow until it blazed orange.

The kid is burning too much mana. Alaric sighed. Cannot blame him though. Alaric grinned and relaxed his stance. He cracked his neck and threw a taunting gesture at him. “Bring it on.”

Therin grimaced and his eyes bulged with red veins. Instead of launching sword slash arcs, he lunged at Alaric.