Two silhouette could be seen in the training room, circling each other. Slowly but surely their distance increase little by little and after a few moments the distance were apparently 50 m and they stopped their legs from moving and face each other.
“Should we get started, this last magic combat of ours. I’ll gauge your combat capabilities using magic. Like I had told you before, no using Light Stance combat arts in this duel. All spell from level 10 until level 0 is usable. No restriction on fatal spell. Winners determined by inabilities to continue. Did you understand that?” Stella’s clear and crisp voice could be heard by Serias that is standing a good 50 m away from him.
Serias only nodded his head signalling that he understood that rules. Stella took a gold coin from the pocket in her long hooded robe. She tossed the coin high into the air. Both of Serias’ and Stella’s pupils contracted, focusing on the coin’s trajectory. The gold coin with ornamental pattern flew in the air, rotating for a few moment before hitting the ground with a loud sound.
Both of them moved backward quickly to create distance between them. Standard mage tactic that denote them as glass cannon. Powerful but weak in close combat. Serias quickly cast smokescreen made from melded magic of three elements; earth, fire and wind. It barred any visual confirmation of a target. To make it difficult for Stella, he also dispersed a good amount mana into the air to make detection using Sensing Field useless. He also triple casting with his chantless incantation by using Soul Shock that directly attack the soul. Stella however fended of the soul attack successfully by her powerful soul defence.
Stella nod in satisfaction with her disciple quick thinking. Triple casting was almost impossible for her that didn’t excel in soul magic. She quickly moved outside of the smoke area using Blink, an instantaneous movement spell that allow the caster to move to a short distance in a straight line in their line of sight. Three Ice Spear impaled the ground where she was before. She blinked again. This time around 300 m from the smoke. Stella knew that Serias’ Sensing Field could only cover 250 m radius maximum at any given time. Using the smoke that surround Serias as reference point she cast a level 1 wind attributes spell; Maelstrom Tempest, a single target spell that would obliterate anything in its way to the target. Her abilities that she called Short Chanting allows her to only say the name of the spell without long chanting that would be useless and troublesome in high speed battle.
The Maelstrom Tempest flew at high speed and tore its way through the smoke screen. The magic didn’t meet anything in its way and only pass through the smoke screen without any resistance. “He is not there” was what Stella thought when suddenly a hot plasma ball came crashing down from above. She quickly cast Blink just a moment before the impact causing the ground to melt from the heat and momentum. Before, she thought without using Soul Perception she could caught Serias from the Sensing Field but she guess could not.
“Let’s bring this duel up a notch, shouldn’t we?” Stella’s vicious smile and voice gave a chill down on Serias’ spine.
Stella caught Serias when she used Soul Perception. Gauging the distance, she was sure it was about 25 m up in the air with 73 m distance from her. She only smiled and activated Zero Field which freezes everything in a radius of 1 km. A really vicious level 0 spell. The area around her freeze like a frozen hell. The mage in the centre of it, Stella stood majestically with her hooded robe fluttering under the cold wind that blew across the frozen field. Two block of ice appeared both in the air where her Soul Perception had detected earlier. Another is about 50 m behind her. “So he is thinking of backstabbing me using his Light Clone but failed.” She walked slowly toward the block of ice that fall from the sky. When she entered the distance of about 3 m from the ice block it shine brightly in white light before exploding, engulfing everything within 10 m radius.
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A few minutes earlier.........
Serias quickly Blinked away when he saw Maelstrom Tempest was heading his way. He’s not going to test his body endurance against that deadly level 1 spell. After that spell tore halfway through the smoke screen, he quickly create 2 clones and filled one of it with artificial soul that he had created earlier. He send those two to do his bidding while moving further away from his master. Knowing Stella’s temperament she would probably use a wide area of effect spell to obliterate anything in her vicinity. While doing so, he also casted Invisibility spell using voiceless incantation. It was a result of him tinkering with the soul. He directly imprint the spell formula on his soul layer giving him the almost cheat-like ability.
He was about 1.5 km from her and using light attribute spell he spied his master and saw all that were happening. He feel bad for his clone with the artificial soul that were trapped in a chunk of ice. When he saw that Stella was within 10 m of the ice block, his heart was fluttering happily. Then he unleashed the complicated trap that he embedded on the clone. It exploded with a loud bang. His original magic, Energy Conversion. He get the idea to create it when he realized that the blade of light was made from coalesced light particle which gave it shape and mass. Then by using the light particle, he could converted it back into light energy and could further convert it to another form of energy. It also converted energy to another form with 100% efficiency using mana as its catalyst.
Stella was thrown backward a few meters from that explosion but quickly got on her feet. Serias could feel she was using Soul Perception when a sudden wave hit his soul. He quickly retreat back and while leaving something on the ground. Stella Blinked to his previous position while slashing her fire sword down. The floor was smashed to pieces with some of them flew up with flaming red colour. Serias surmised that that Stella couldn’t use Soul Perception for a long time. ”Probably for a few seconds only, but that time is precious.” He quickly activated his second trap. Few rope made from water spurted out from the smashed floor and constrict her before freezing up binding her. All in rapid succession.
Stella just smirked and break the ice binding like it is nothing and use Blink again to decrease the distance between them. She sprint forward by reinforcing her muscles with magic boosting her speed three fold. She also summon a fire sword in her right and ice sword in her left hand. Serias having no choice create 4 layers of earth wall with a height of 3m and width of 5m. He knew with the flaming red and freezing blue sword in her hand, Stella was unstoppable with just the puny wall in front of her. His master was renowned as ‘Juggernaut’ when she is travelling in a hundred years back. She would bulldozed anything that dare to stand in her way.
The flame sword was powered by mana and couldn’t be extinguished by robbing them of oxygen. To counter it was not an easy thing to do. Serias create a vacuum blade in both of his hand and filled it with flaming blue plasma made from the surrounding gas. “This should keep the plasma in place for a while”. A few moment later the wall was sliced to pieces by Stella’s flame sword. The flying debris was blocked when Serias employed a thick wall of wind in front of him.
Serias opted not to retreat. Their blade met a second later after the wind wall was cancelled as it will only cause disturbance. The ice sword was cleaved into half while the flame sword met with the high temperature plasma blade. The point of meeting of the two sword release numerous sparks.
“Hou! I don’t know that you could enhance your blade into this.” Stella scowled seeing the plasma blade.
Crooked smile was carved on Serias face. His smile hid his annoyance at his master’s flame sword. Using his feet as point of activation he activated a spell. A yellow light glowed dimly under his feet before forming a magic circle. He quickly leaped backward as the magic circle spit a swirling tempest skyward, nearly hitting Stella. Stella knew that he would activated something when she saw the light glowing under his feet.
“Hahahaha. Reckless enough to activate Maelstrom Tempest at point blank. But, did you thought that it will be enough.”
Stella Blinked and appear right behind Serias and elbowed his back hardly that he gasp for air. Not wasting any moment she hacked downward with frightening speed using her flame sword. Serias although quite dizzy still react by turning back and parrying the sword before using Blink to shift himself up directly on Stella. He fired about 4 Win Cutter that moved at high speed crashing on Stella. The Wind Cutter crashed harmlessly at Stella’s Vacuum Wall. Wind Cutter that use high speed wind to cut was rendered useless in a vacuum area.
Stolen story; please report.
Serias frowned looking at the Vacuum Wall. He was still high in the air. Using Air Burst to propel him down, he reverse grip his plasma blade to give it much more penetrating power using his momentum. As the plasma blade touch the Vacuum Wall, the plasma was spread quickly into the area in the Vacuum Wall causing the surrounding area to expand in rapid pace causing the Vacuum Wall to rupture. What follow after that is an explosion that rivalled even a fragmentation grenade as a plasma explosion is a nightmare that could cause 4th degree burn to normal people.
Serias was thrown high into the air before came crashing down with a loud thump. He groaned painfully as his back hit the floor. His entire chest area were blackened by the explosion. His clothes is in tatters after the explosion. He quickly applied Supreme Healing magic to heal his body. He stood up to see how Stella fared.
Stella didn’t fared any better than him probably worse as he could see crater where the explosion had occurred. Stella grunted as she also applied Supreme Healing magic. She was far worse comparing the two of them. She was directly under the explosion point and was crushed by the shockwave sent by the explosion creating a 1m deep crater. Few of her rib and bones were cracked, not broken thanks to her augmented body.
Standing up, she quickly shrugged the debris off her body. She called to Serias that was looking at his tattered cloth.
“You won this time. By a small margin as you recovered faster than me.”
“Haha. Not an easy task master.” Serias only grinned.
“Come to my study tonight. I’ll give you something important.” Stella turned her back to Serias as she make her way to the door of the training room.
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That night Serias was walking along the dark corridors aided only by a single mage light that he casted. The dim light only illuminated around his near vicinity showing the cold marble floor that he step on and the black coloured wall and ceiling. The tower as Stella had told him was made from a certain material that was synthesized using alchemy. A really precious material that could absorb and store mana. The tower not only acted as shelter but also as mana storage point for the portal and the wards that guarding the area of the tower. Near 100 km around the tower not a single life form except insects could be seen. Occasionally he could see a rabbit or two wildly running freely. The area of 100 km of the tower contain a large magic circle below the ground that powered the portal spell. That is why the area along the circumference of 100 km radius of the tower is heavily warded and it didn’t even let a single animal pass through it. The lush green forest was deforested leaving only the centre untouched. The whole area turned into a large green field that he could only see in pictures back on Earth. Nothing but green lush field that extend beyond the horizon.
He arrived at the front of the study and knocked the door thrice. Without waiting for an answer he open and enter the study. The knocking only to signify that he had arrived. He found that Stella was standing near the window looking beyond it. It is white outside. Full of white snow. Winter that he truly didn’t like. He took a seat in front of the only table in the room, located opposite of the door, at the far back. Two cup had been prepared beforehand, with the steaming hot tea releasing white steam from the teapot. Taking the teapot he poured the content into the two cup. Stella turned around and step slowly to the table. Taking the cup she sipped the golden tea calmly.
“From now on your training is completed. You are now a full-fledged Archivist. Your responsibilities from now on is to collect and archived any known magic in this world. Some of the Precursor’s ruin may contain knowledge that could not be saved by the end of the Precursor last war. All method during the compiling the magic are acceptable as long as you don’t kill innocent. Although Archivist is a powerful existence we still follow an ethic codes that states that we didn’t kill innocent.”
Serias only nodded, conveying that he understood what she was saying. After saying that Stella brought out a black outfit and on it was a silver ring, unadorned and still new. She put it on the table and brought out a thin but long sword. It could be easily concealed under the layers of a mage robe.
“This robe have been engraved with magic circles. It have two abilities, first it will act as catalyst to activate a full body armour made of light. Second ability is illusion magic that will divert any eyes from you. Just channel your mana into it to use the magic. The ring is actually a terminal that allow you to access the Archive from anywhere within this world. It also made your recording your find and research easier. And this sword is made the lightest metal so it could be used with Light Stance combat arts. Really durable.”
“Why would I need a sword?”
“Did you think it is okay showing your magic prowess to anyone that came across when you are killing monster. Just use it when you are thinking to kill something in quick way. A stab to the heart that bypassed any armour or slit their throat.”
“Your word is vicious master”
“Well, yes I am”
“Prepare your equipment, tools and some provision. That included your food, some spices and potion.”
“For what?”
“You are out of this place in 48 hours.”
“What?!” Serias face distorted, shocked by his master’s word.
“You’ll be traveling the whole world to compile all of the magic that have been created a few hundred years back since the last time I was out. Truthfully I don’t what is the condition of the continent right now. In peace or at war. You’ll just have to adapt while continuing your travel. Start preparing from tomorrow morning. You’ll have many thing to pack up.”
Serias could only sigh. He nodded slightly and step to the door. Uttering a small thanks for the black outfit and the ring he open the door to the corridor and left for his room.
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After about 48 hours had passed, both Serias and Stella was on the 3rd floor of the tower. This is where the teleportation room was situated aside from the testing room and experiment room. He occasionally use the experiment room to in the past to experiment and to create new magic.
The room was about 10mx10m with white colour blanketed the whole room. There were a magic circles in the centre. The pattern were very intricate as a spell that bend the space were very complicated and dangerous as a small mistake could rip apart space and cause death.
Stella gestured to Serias to move to the centre of the magic circle. He slowly moved to the centre and waited for Stella. For today he wore the black outfit that Stella had gave him before. He also wore dark blue robe with hood as his outfit with the sword on his left hip. His beg was safely tucked at the back of his hip for easy movement. That beg was enchanted so it could carry a large amount of item even if it is small.
“I’ll channel the mana from now on. I have set the location to the outskirt of the town called Ast. It is quite dangerous for people to know see you suddenly popped out of thin air.”
Serias only smiled at his master and nodded in satisfaction for the explanation. The magic circle started to glow brightly in various colour. His vision started to become fuzzy as the space started to distort. He could only heard the voice that his master said:
“Good luck”
And all his vision become dark.
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Double chapter for today. Advice and comment are really appreciated. rate this fiction if you like it.