Anneliese moved with graceful precision, effortlessly deflecting Eitel's sword strikes mid-air. Each clash echoed in the space around her as she skillfully diverted every projectile that came her way. Then, with a sudden, deafening roar, one of the swords exploded, sending a shockwave through the air. The blast triggered a chain reaction, and in an instant, the remaining swords erupted in a blinding cascade of flames and metal
"I tried changing my tactic, how did that taste?" Eitel taunting Anneliese with a smile.
As the smoke slowly began to clear, the audience remained transfixed, their eyes locked on the swirling haze. Within the thick veil of darkness, a faint light shimmered, growing stronger with each passing second. Suddenly, with a burst of energy, Anneliese scattered the lingering smoke with her geistkraft. Emerging unscathed, she stood tall, bathed in a radiant glow, encased in a protective sphere of her own geist.
"Are you just going to keep defending yourself? You know you won't win that way, right?"
With no other means of dealing damage against Anneliese, Eitel continued to taunt her, hoping to provoke a reaction. Yet Anneliese remained unfazed.
After being on defense the whole time, Anneliese finally lifted a finger. Rejoicing, thinking His taunts managed to work on her, Eitel only noticed a flash of light in Anneliese's action. Looking down, Eitel saw his torso pierced by Anneliese's geistkraft, forming a hole.
"Don't worry, you won't die. Within this area, at least." Anneliese took the spot at the top of the hill as she watched Eitel fall.
The audience was in awe, watching Anneliese overwhelm Eitel. Schatten climbed to the top of the hill, sitting just below Anneliese as he watched Eis fight Hochmut. Hochmut was clearly outnumbered by Anneliese's group, and in the audience's minds, the outcome was certain: it would go to Anneliese.
With everyone's eyes locked on Eis and Hochmut, it wasn't until now that the crowd noticed Schatten sprawled on the ground, lying unconscious, and Anneliese staggering, having taken a significant hit. In one swift motion, Eitel had knocked Schatten out cold and delivered a devastating blow to Anneliese, reclaiming the top of the hill.
"What is going on?" The emcee's voice rang out over the murmurs of the crowd. "Ever since the start, it seems like Eitel has had his spot taken from him multiple times. Yet he keeps reclaiming it without anyone noticing! Just what in the world is Eitel doing?"
The audience shifted uneasily, their eyes glued to Eitel as they processed the unfolding drama.
"So you have more than one expression, huh?" Eitel laughed, a glint of mischief in his eyes as he mocked Anneliese. "It isn't apparent, but I can tell that's the expression of someone who's angry."
The tension in the air thickened as Anneliese's eyes narrowed, revealing the simmering frustration beneath her calm exterior.
Imbuing the ground with her geist, using her technique, Anneliese formed two pillars directed towards Eitel, crushing him.
[Saule Herrscher.]
As the pillars retracted, Eitel's unconscious body became clearly visible. Before Anneliese could even relax, a sword came hurtling toward her, only to be blocked by her geist. To her shock, Eitel stood at her side, unscathed, with not a speck of dust on his clothes, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
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"I reckon, this is the cue for me to finally show you my trump card."
With a smirk, Eitel spread his arms wide, and sparks of blue lightning erupted around him, crackling with raw energy. The air buzzed with tension as, in an instant, perfect clones of himself started to materialize beside him, its eyes glinting with mischief and power.
[Doppelgänger.]
The audience was captivated by Eitel's breathtaking display of high-level technique. Gasps of awe echoed through the crowd as a perfect recreation of oneself emerged, requiring intense concentration and a vast amount of geist. This technique, mastered by only a select few, marked its wielder as a first-rate conjurer. Among the students, only a small number could perform such feats, making the emergence of two exceptional talents—Eitel and Schatten—within the same batch truly remarkable. Their extraordinary abilities eclipsed those of seasoned geist practitioners, instilling hope in the hearts of the masses for the promising years ahead.
Not wasting a single moment, Eitel commanded his clones to conjure swords mid-air, a crackle of blue lightning dancing around the shimmering blades. Imbuing them with geist, he unleashed the projectiles towards Anneliese, who responded instinctively, enveloping herself in her own swirling geist. The air crackled with energy as she deftly deflected the swords, their sharp edges glinting dangerously, while narrowly navigating the chaotic onslaught.
Continuing to apply pressure, Eitel produced two more clones, commanding them to conjure towering pillars of spikes that erupted from the ground, aiming to trap Anneliese in their deadly embrace. The air crackled with tension as she realized the dire situation, her heart racing as she searched for an escape amidst the chaos.
Unable to think straight under Eitel's relentless pressure, Anneliese faltered, distracted by the erupting pillar. The moment of hesitation caused her to stumble and fall to the ground. Without wasting a beat, Eitel waved his hands, conjuring a metallic cage that would constrict her movements.
Constrained by Eitel's technique, Anneliese wore the expression of someone who had given up. Thoughts surged through her mind, a tide of sorrow as she faced the painful reality of losing. But the weight of her defeat was compounded by a deeper fear, one that loomed larger than her struggle against Eitel.
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Barely dodging the sharpened ground surging upward from Hochmut, Eis was tripped by Eitel's sword. Looking up, he saw Eitel emerging, seemingly victorious.
Outmatched by the two, Eis jumped, shouting Anneliese's name. Hearing Eis's voice—like a river with clear water flowing strong yet gentle. clearing her mind of negative thoughts. With newfound determination igniting within her, Anneliese straightened, her resolve stronger than before.
As the three felt an incredible spike of geistkraft rising in Anneliese's direction, a huge bubble of geist expanded, reaching its maximum size and spanning from one side of the venue to the middle. Suddenly, the bubble exploded, splashing across the stadium and covering it with glittering geist. Floating effortlessly, Anneliese charged her geist with all her might, rumbling the ground beneath her. Clenching her fists, she squeezed tightly, altering the terrain and revealing three of Eitel's hidden teammates.
[Endziel.]
"Now I understand why you can produce so many clones; you were using your teammates' reserves, huh?" Anneliese said, her eyes narrowing as she assessed Eitel.
"Nonetheless, being able to actually create perfect clones is impressive." As she finished her thought, Anneliese charged her geist for one last attack, determination burning in her eyes.
A pure geist energy formed in the palm of Anneliese's hand from the remains of her reserves. As she continued to compress her geist, a bead of sweat trickled down her brow, her determination intensifying with each moment. With firepower increasing as she prepared to release it, Eitel gathered his and his allies' remaining reserves to counter her impending attack.
Both parties released their charged attacks, Eitel and Anneliese clashed with their pure geistkraft. A powerful gust of wind blew in the opposite direction, lifting rocks and creating a sparkling halo of geist around them. Both strained against the force of their energy, each unwilling to yield. Unable to expend any more geist, neither could overwhelm the other's beam, resulting in an explosion as their energies collided, shaking the very ground beneath them.
"You monster," Eitel gasped, barely able to stand as he delivered his final insult before collapsing to the ground.
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"I just thought about it, but wouldn't you be able to float by imbuing the air with your geist?" Eis inquired.
"I never thought of that," her eyes lighting up with intrigue. "But for regulators who can control their surroundings like me, it shouldn't be impossible." Her index and thumb pressing on her chin, Anneliese murmured.
"That would make things easier to observe wouldn't it?"
Tilting her head slightly, Anneliese's brows curled asking Eis, "But what if I can't see anything despite floating above?"
Pausing for a second, as if he is stating the obvious, replied "That's simple, just destroy your surroundings."
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.
.
After almost losing to Eitel, Anneliese realized how easy it is for her to lose her nerves when confronted with a challenging situation. “As someone who has faced multiple challenges—not just in battle but also those presented by society—it is truly amazing that you are able to withstand something like this, Eis.”
Hearing Eis' voice was enough to fuel Anneliese's determination. As she looked toward him, fighting Hochmut, she let out a soft smile before passing out from exhaustion.
"The sheer spectacle of that clash was truly sublime everyone! The two top students showcasing their abilities to the fullest was truly amazing! However the match is not over yet. With only 8 minutes remaining, I wonder who will come out on top. The underdog or the top one!"
The audience cheered to their utmost as the match finally neared its end, a wave of excitement rippling through the crowd. Eagerly awaiting the outcome, some were already certain of the top contender, while others passionately rooted for the dark horse. The air buzzed with energy, and the anticipation was palpable.