Chapter 24 Boss Battle: ‘BOSS Iris’ vs. Ianthe
It was eleven in the morning, and the crowd was unusually filled for the first battle of the day. Reasons vary—some just didn’t have anything to do, while others had quickly become fans of the never-seen-before Iris.
“The first battle of the day— Iris, Level 6 caster vs. Ianthe, Level 5 Executioner.”
The crowd cheered at Iris’s name, leaving her feeling even more self-conscious. She did not like big crowds. Still, she took a deep breath and walked onto the stage.
The stage had been fixed. The referee was different today. A pointless change, she thought. Now that Felix was not here, the existence of a referee was worthless.
She wore the same clothes as last night. Of course, Diantha helped her wear them, and she found herself even more awkward after the morning’s outburst. At least, Diantha made no mention of it.
Lady Ilona’s outburst was something she had not expected. She could still feel a shiver just from remembering that moment. Yet, it filled her with another excitement she had not expected. A battle with her, she would lose, but that did not make her any less excited. She wanted to try it on her. Can Ilona defend against it?
She wanted that kind of power for herself. The strength to shake the whole of Gracia just from presence. What was her rank? How far above a Lord was she? Was she as strong as Mother? Iris shook her head. They were so far above her she could not fathom their difference.
Iris wondered, would she be as strong as them if she had enough time to grow? Perhaps, Hecate would grow up to be as strong as Ilona. She did not know much about her strength, but Hecate was chosen by Ilona; she must be special.
…
Ianthe stepped on the stage. The most notable thing about her was her long ice-blue hair, which was in a braided style, reaching down to her waist.
Followed by the sword that she held in her hand, a cleaver sword, half a foot in width and a meter long. The blade was blue, with black lines running across it, creating a geometrical pattern. A bushy animal fur, white, on the hilt that was otherwise completely unguarded. It matched her blue aesthetic.
Her clothes were very simple. A white tunic with an insignia, a dragon’s skull pierced from above by a rapier, on the chest and simple black pants. A red bangle on her left hand that had a single rune carved in that read—Slave. And writing around it that meant— I must win every battle, the price paid is irrelevant.
Ianthe noted the small girl on the stage; she had to double-take to determine if this was honestly the Level 6 her master had ordered her to fight. Her impression was that of a child, or it would have been if not for the insurmountable presence she held within.
She held no arrogance as a Level 6; her posture was simple, unbothered, and bored? Ianthe was unsure. Iris seemed lost in her own thoughts.
“Greetings, Lady Iris,” Iantha clasped her hand and bowed; her voice was powerful and resonating. “I’m Iantha, Level 5 Executioner.” Iantha straightened, her eyes fixed on the awkwardly shuffling girl.
“I-i’m Iris,” Iris cleared her throat. “Level 6 Caster, titled ‘Lightning Lord.' Please call me just Iris.”
Ianthe nodded. Her initial reaction to this anomaly was awkward and unused to being addressed with respect.
She knew Iris was going to restrict herself to Level 5 to give her a fair chance at victory. Ianthe was grateful. She was not delusional enough to think she had the strength to harm a Level 6. The gap between a Level 5 and a Level 6 was bigger than that between a Level 3 and a Level 5.
“Beg–”
“Wait!” Iris stopped the referee. “Are you aware of the condition of this battle?”
“I am. You will restrict yourself to Level 5,” Iantha answered.
“No, the conditions have changed. I will give you a fair chance, in which you will actually have a chance to win.” Iris's words confused Ianthe. “You can say it is my pride as a Level 6, but fighting you at Level 5 while you’re burdened by a wager is unfair. I’ll restrict my Level to 4.”
Iantha tried not to spit at her arrogance. Victory is what matters. If her opponent believed in burdening themselves with pride, so be it. She just needed to win.
“All right,” Iantha muttered indifferently, her heavy voice making Iris’s jaw clench.
“Begin,” the referee announced.
Iantha stood in her place. “For the kindness you’ve shown me, I’ll allow you the time to cast a Co-equal spell.”
Co-equal spells were the foundation of Caster versus close combat fighters. They ranged from a barrier to environmental alteration, anything that a caster could come up with to equalize the unfairness they had in an open terrain against a close combat class. Generally, it was a race against time for who would be faster. If the close combat class struck first before the Co-equal spell was cast, the battle was already over.
Iris was quiet for a moment, “Aren’t you an honourable mage? I shall accept your offer.”
Iris conjured Seven Weaver’s orbs, formed a platform on one, and sat on it, her legs folded as if she were meditating. A purple barrier rose around her. Following that, a purple magic circle appeared on the floor, causing Ianthe to step back. It spun clockwise. Two of the Weaver’s orbs transformed into rods and pierced the circle, causing the magic circle to come to a halt.
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Another magic circle, encircling the first one, formed on the stage, spinning in the opposite direction of the first. Two more Weaver’s orbs drove into the second circle, bringing it to a halt. The process repeated a third time. Now, three magic circles occupied half the stage.
Iantha had managed to escape the magic circles and was on the precipice of the stage. She gulped as she stared at the magnificent spell, something worthy of a Level 6. Yet, she knew this was within Level 4 mana and spell capabilities. Her master and Lady Ilona, both were watching the match; they would have intervened by now.
“Tier 3 Magic: Lightning barrier, Consign spell—Leverage Pin. This is the pinnacle of Level 4 spells. Can you get past this barrier? Since you’ve allowed me to cast a spell, I’ll return the favour. If you can break through this barrier and make me move from this spot, I’ll consider you the victor. For the next five minutes, I’ll not do anything.”
Ianthe’s blood boiled at the blatant mockery of her kind gesture. “Are you making a joke?” Her grip on her blade tightened.
“No. It is a fair chance, and frankly, I’ve always wanted to try it—the overwhelming strength where I can just sit and watch my opponent as they make all the effort they can and realize how hopeless the gap between me and you is.”
“I’ll make you regret this decision,” Iantha spoke. No longer was her blood boiling; it was frozen, just like the stage beneath her feet and the air around her. Moisture in the air started to freeze around her body.
“I’ll give you a hint,” Iris pointed at the Mana rods. “At exactly five minutes, they’ll burst and blow everything on this stage to smithereens. If they are broken before that, they will affect the barrier.”
Ianthe raised her sword at a horizontal angle, all geometrical lines on it lit up.She vanished from her spot. The next moment, she was upon the barrier. Her sword's edge met the barrier, which absorbed all the impact, and cracks spread like a spider web around it. Ianthe was elated at the damage.
One more swing.
Ianthe pulled back and swung her blade again, with the same momentum. The recoil from the swing made her hand feel a little numb. The cracks grew. Ianthe believed she was close to shattering the barrier.
She swung the blade with all her might. It made no effect. Ianthe sighed. The barrier was almost on the verge of collapse. She could see how loosely they held onto each other.
Ianthe decided to use her skill.
The floor beneath her feet froze, and she let out a misty breath, "Desolate flower."
The ice around her bloomed into a white flower, sprinkling white spores in the air. Her sword glowed with white light.
Iantha swung her blade again, and this time, the place where her blade met froze instantly. Ianthe was sure this swing would break the barrier. The barrier was still on the verge of collapse, bent deeper, and where her blade clashed was completely folded inside. Yet, her blade could not get past the empty space.
"A minute has passed," Iris pointed out monotonously. "I'll give you another hint—the damage you inflict upon the barrier would be visible on the magic circle, and vice versa. I expect more from you…"
Iantha shifted her focus to the flowing circle she stood on. It was perfectly intact. The second one was too. The third was crumbling, yet they were glowing and slowly mending.
Three circles? Ianthe's eyes widened. There are three barriers! She had solely focused on the first barrier.
[Ethereal Sight]
Iantha's eyes illuminated as the world turned grey, and she witnessed the horrific sight she was not expecting. The second barrier was completely different from the first. It was woven from fine threads. She could assess from a single glance that it could not be cut.
She focused on the magic circles. She needed to destroy the circles. "Snow flame," Ianthe whispered in low voice. Her sword absorbed all the white spores, and the floor on the stage took the form of thick white liquid. As the white aura wrapped around the sword, it began to take the shape of white flames.
Ianthe's blade came down like a landslide, making the whole Colosseum quiver. Sparks flew, and white flames began to spread on the innermost purple circle.
“You’re far more capable than my opponent from yesterday,” Iris made an offhand comment. She did not have any intention to divert Iantha’s attention.
“I’m not like him; I have become Level 5 through my strength alone,” Iantha replied as she watched the flames spread like wildfire, but they never left the circumference of the first circle.
“Inert Viel, huh? I wonder what that is?” Iris asked. Frankly, watching someone fight with themselves was not as entertaining as she had hoped.
“Do not ask me!” Iantha swung the blade at the barrier.
Finally, the outermost barrier broke, only to make her feel miserable. The outermost barrier circle was still in place. With her ethereal sight, she saw the Mana rods pinning the circle discharging mana into the circle, and it started to mend. The shattered pieces, too, slowly began to reform.
“What kind of abomination is this?” She muttered in despair.
“The Weaver’s orb absorbs mana from the atmosphere and uses it to hold the barrier. Unless you destroy them, all the efforts are worthless.”
“How the hell is this tier 3 magic?”
“Unless you’ve gained the knowledge required to achieve level 6, you cannot complete this spell. The Leverage pin is tier 1 magic that is impossible to execute because the efficiency required to perform it with another spell is not possible for anyone below six. I hope you understand why this is unfair. No matter the restriction, my mastery remains unchanged.”
“It still does not change the fact that you’re making a mockery out of me,” Iantha said through her clenched teeth, knowing her opponent is level 6 did not make the situation any less sad. The white flame on the first circle died, leaving behind a broken circle that was healing already.
She channelled mana into the blade; the flame rose to her height. “I just need to destroy the rods, right!” Iantha dashed at the outermost circle’s rod.
The frustrating part about the rods was that they were on the opposite end of each other and scattered around. She cannot make a beeline to destruction.
Ianthe swung at the meter-long rod.
Ianthe did not know what she had expected when she swung the sword, but it was not to meet with an ear-splitting screech of scraping iron. The sound reverberated through the Colosseum, making everyone cover their ears.
Iantha used mana to create a filter on her ears.
“I’ll create a sound barrier to save you all from the pain,” Iris said, raising her hand. A small black magic circle formed on it. “VOID ROOM!” It spread throughout the entire stadium.
“You can continue,” Iris said, and let out a yawn. It was boring, and she had no plans to try this again. Being a boss is boring and tiresome. She wondered how those bosses in the Labyrinth could sit and watch as their minions wasted hours delaying the inevitable.