In a large tent on the forest's outskirts.
"He burnt lava?"
"Does that even make sense?"
"Lava is the hottest magic affinity, how could he have possibly 'burnt' it?!"
"What was the name of his magic affinity?"
"Such a show-off." Elder Mars's stoic expression curved into a sly smirk.
***
The forest's centre
"He can burn lava?" Amber frowned.
"That just means we no longer need to hold back!" Luna cackled.
Leading the charge against the Seventh Rising Star ahead of Jerald, Luna, Tarzy, Maxwell and Toni, Lutz propelled himself forward using Gale magic.
Gale magic: Mercury's manuevar
Aiding the eager combatants, Amber fired a series light beams at the young man on the platform.
TSHU
TSHU
Accompanying the beams albeit at a much slower speed were a series of serrated arrows
WHOOSH
WHOOSH
Sensing the fluctuation in mana, Adonis exhaled sharply and activated hell shroud; destroying the light beams and the arrows with ease.
Inferno Magic: Hell Shroud (matter variation)
'I'm not fast enough to deal with all of them at the same time.' Adonis deactivated the shroud of ivory flames and turned his attention to the approaching magic knights.
'I'll use this opportunity to test your speed.' He grinned.
"Inferno magic: Hell's Artillery." In an instant, the silver-eyed youth was surrounded by seven small magic circles.
(matter variation)
Not even a second later, Adonis made the magic circles eject a bullet of ivory flames respectively; each bullet moving at 25% of their maximum speed.
"I get it now." Amber nodded.
"What?" Flora looked at the Light Prodigy.
"There's practically no point in us firing projectile attacks at him, he'll always respond with that spell of his."
"If he does that every time doesn't that mean he'll run out of mana soon?"
"I doubt the battle will go on that long." Amber shook her head.
"Then we'll have to adapt." Flora steeled her resolve.
***
In a tent on the forest's outskirts.
"So it turns out the brat can cast that spell?"
"But it seems the spell is moving slower than it usually does."
"Is his magic output hindered somehow?"
"His goal isn't to win the event." Having stood silently for the whole event, Professor Fitzburg voiced his opinion.
"What?"
"Huh?"
"What're you even talking ab-"
"Hahahaha!" Interrupting the thoughts of the academy's staff was the laughter of a powerful young man.
"..."
"..."
"Elder Mars?" Professor Fitzburg looked at the tall young man whose very presence shook his spirit.
"Tell me more. What do you think Adonis's plan and motive is?" Elder Mars's crimson eyes locked onto the professor.
'The Scipio Mars knows Vindicta's name?' Fitzburg arched his brows.
"This is just a theory but... I don't think that he doesn't want to win the event or rather that isn't his goal." Fitzburg put his finger on his chin.
"Then what is it?" Elder Mars sharpened his gaze.
"It seems he wants to prove something...sir."
"Hahaha! I knew I wasn't overthinking it." Elder Mars looked back at the large screen in front of him.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"What does he want to prove?" Hiram looked at her superior.
"He wants to prove that he's stronger than everyone else." Professor Fitzburg replied.
"He did that at the outing, plus he's the only Tier 9 in the grade. What more does he have to prove." Unsure of her fiance's motivations, Hiram frowned.
"Well, with the outing no one actually saw him do anything. And while Tiers are good measuring metrics of ability, they don't measure aspects like martial skill or magic ability."
"I see."
"He not only wants to prove he is the strongest. Adonis Vindicta wants to prove he's the best magic knight in every single aspect... Magic, martial arts, physical ability, stamina, endurance... All of it."
"T-that's."
"Greedy. Adonis Vindicta is extremely greedy."
"No, I don't think it's greedy. "
"You don't?" Professor Fitzburg smiled.
"I don't think it's out of greed... I think he wants to make a statement."
"Statement? What kind of statement?"
"I'm here." Hiram's purple eyes glowed warmly.
***
Having their speed hindered by Adonis's Hell's artillery, the magic knights were forced to attack Adonis one at a time.
Using Mercury's manueavar, Lutz attacked the seventh Rising Star first.
"Alexian armour." Enhancing his rapier with Earthly Aura, Lutz targeted Adonis's chest.
WHOOSH
"So, you are the fastest." Adonis rotated his torso away from the attack and countered with an elbow toward Lutz's cheek.
"You don't look as surprised as you sound." Maintaining his annoyed expression, Lutz crouched and shot his rapier at Adonis's chin.
'You've always been fast...Lutty. 'Utilizing his good arm, Adonis narrowly deflected the blow with his gladius.
"Well, you are a bit famous." With a pained grin on his visage, Adonis sliced through the air, carrying his blade toward Lutz's throat.
"In family name alone." Lutz leaned backwards.
"I disagree, talent garners fame."
"If that's the case, why haven't I heard the name Adonis before." Lutz allowed his blade to greedily absorb his Earthly Aura.
Alexian Arts: Assail
Lutz took a big step forward, leading with a devastating thrust toward Adonis's neck.
WHOOSH
"Me, fame? Oh please, I'm nothing more than a lowly commoner." With a sarcastic smirk, Adonis easily dodged the attack.
Without losing steam, Lutz aimed his rapier at the middle of Adonis's forehead.
'It's faster?' Frowning, Adonis lowered his head to evade the blow.
"Tres." Lutz pulled his arm back and struck at Adonis's lower abdomen, just above his waist.
WHOOSH
'Again?' Adonis lowered his blade and blocked the rapier.
CLANG
"Quattuor." Doubling his attack speed, Lutz attacked Adonis's uninjured shoulder.
WHOOSH
"Wha-" Adonis waved his blade to deflect the attack.
SNAP
When Adonis's gladius collided with Lutz's rapier it snapped in two, allowing the attack to continue on its path.
"As much as I'd love to continue to study your martial arts, but I'm afraid we'll have to end this here." Alarmed by his broken blade, Adonis kicked Lutz's shoulder, removing him from the small grass island.
BAM
"Now to deal with you." Moving at his top speed, Adonis caught the floating blade fragment in his left hand.
"You've been a pain in the ass Amber Shine." Adonis enhanced the blade with Earthly Aura and threw it at unimaginable speeds.
DUMM
WHOOSH
The blade cut through the air effortlessly, honing in on Amber's right hand.
"Arh!" Unwilling to be cut by the blade, Amber dropped the magic staff immediately and moved her hand.
THUD
"Inferno Magic: Hell's Artillery." Adonis fired a swift bullet of ivory flames at the magic knight's falling staff.
(Matter variation)
Before she could even blink, Amber's staff was reduced to nothingness.
'He was after my staff?!'
Appearing right behind Adonis, Jerald sliced at the Rising Star's back.
SHING
"Huh?" Caught off guard by the attack, Adonis turned around; only to receive a deep slash in his chest, destroying his entire breastplate.
SPLURT
Piling on the pressure, Flora fired an arrow at the back of Adonis's head.
WHOOSH
'I'm gaining too many injuries.' Using the same magic circle he used against Amber, Adonis shot a fire bullet at Flora's approaching arrow.
Inferno Magic: Hell's artilliery (matter variation)
"Even when he's busy he can easily deal with our projectiles." Flora frowned.
Not waiting for him to be ready, Jerald cleaved his gladius at Adonis's waist.
Adonis enhanced his forearm and lowered it, blocking Jerald's attack.
'That's going to leave a bruise.' Adonis responded by throwing a left hook at Jerald's jaw.
'I'm not dealing with that again.' Sensing a surge of mana beside him, Adonis summoned a magic circle above his head.
Joining the battle, Luna fired a stream of electricity directly at Adonis's head.
Inferno magic: Hell's curtain (matter variation)
Lightning magic: Electric thread
Treating it like anything else, the wall of ivory flames eradicated the short cord of electricity into nothingness.
"Lightning too?" Luna frowned.
Resuming their encounter, Jerald forced his blade toward Adonis's torso.
With no space to evade the attack, Adonis extended his hands to grip the blade while simultaneously causing his hands to combust in a blinding white flame.
Inferno magic: Hell's Armament (matter variation)
Realizing his gladius's time was over, Jerald let the magic knight grip his blade and let go immediately.
"Boom Bitch!" Standing on a platform he had made using Earth Magic, Toni Modster fired a large wave of magma at Jerald and Adonis.
Lava magic: Magma Carronade
Cautious of the deadly magma, Jerald leaped off of the grass platform, abondoning Adonis.
Without batting an eye, Adonis opened his palm and ejected an even larger wave of ivory flames that consumed Toni's lava in a few seconds.
Inferno magic: Hell waft (matter variation)
"The hell?!" Toni connected the two islands, and leaped at Adonis, swinging his mace wildly.
'Am I already running low on mana? No, something feels wrong...' Ignoring a subtle burning sensation in his soul, Adonis raised his arm to block the incoming mace.
SPLURT