An expression of confusion and trepidation appeared on Grant’s handsome face after he was struck. Because he panicked, the domineering phoenix of flames dissipated as its source of power had been cut abruptly, causing the sky to return to its normal color.
In the next instant, both sorcerers lengthened the distance between themselves and withheld any more attacks. It was as if they had both realized that the duel had long since gone astray of its original intention.
Grant still could not come up with any explanation for Baiyi’s sudden appearance. He did not believe that Baiyi had any form of space-style magic to simulate teleportation; this was because he had watched the Soul armature naively try to protect himself with an elemental shield, and his psychic energy had never left Baiyi. If Baiyi had used any space-type magic, Grant would have been alerted to it instantly. Hence, there was no way Baiyi could have teleported behind him in those few seconds!
However, solving this conundrum would not help soothe the Holy-level sorcerer’s soured mood. Grant gazed down at his robe, unable to ignore the loss of its luster. In a desperate act of self-defense, Grant had used the best protective gear he had to save himself from Baiyi’s sudden blow. That was why he was shocked to see how dim his robe now looked.
‘Was his attack that lethal?’
‘Should I even continue? Or should I call it a tie?’
Grant had lost his confidence. His state of the art protective gear may have saved his life, but he could no longer afford to be relaxed. Although he was not completely sure of how he was struck, he had realized that the attack was lethal. At that moment, Grant felt that he had survived only because Baiyi pulled his punches.
Grant’s speculation was right; Baiyi did hold back. The soul armature had realized that his opponent had not really intended to go all the way, so he figured out that Grant did not intend to kill him. This was why Baiyi chose to spare his life, instead of inviting the vendetta of the entire Sorcerers’ Association. As for how Baiyi managed to escape his predicament, probably only one person among the audience knew.
“Why didn’t VP Grant halt Master Hope’s Teleportation spell? This allowed Master Hope to get out of that whole thing easily and swing a hard punch while he was at it!” One of the advanced class members thought out loud.
“Maybe he focused too much on the Wings of Inferno, so he was not able to detect and disrupt that teleportation spell?” Someone next to him offered, helpfully.
That suggestion was instantly met with skepticism. “You mean VP Grant lost be he displayed a weakness that only a fledgling sorcerer would make? Do you know how far-fetched that sounds? No, his opponent must have used something we have never seen before…”
The spectator was right. No seasoned sorcerer would neglect the possibility of their foe trying to escape their high-damage magic using teleportation, let alone a Holy-level sorcerer like Grant.
As the audience focused on debating, Baiyi’s students were focused on something else.
Little Mia tapped her flat chest and sighed in relief. “That seriously scared me….” Her other hand, which Laeticia had grasped, was wet with sweat emanating from panic and worry.
Mia did not really care how Baiyi had escaped that dreadful attack. To her, Mister Hope was always awesome like that!
Tisdale also heaved a big sigh of relief and smiled. “Sir will always be Sir, huh? There’s no way he would get beaten by a ploy like that!”
She dropped her voice suddenly, asking, “But then again… How did Sir get out of that mess? Anyone of you saw what happened?”
Attie brought her mouth very close to Tisdale’s ear and whispered, “The War God’s Sword.”
Tisdale’s face brightened. Her teacher’s gear was no less powerful than his opponent’s, at all!
Since it was a gift handed down by an actual deity, the War God’s Sword could not possibly be overwhelmed by a mere Holy-level human. In fact, as long as Baiyi had the sword by his side, he would not be harmed by any form of danger; thus, even if he could not fight his opponent, he would have no problems escaping easily!
That was one of the reasons why he was not worried about this battle.
“Shall we continue with our dangerous game, or shall we tone it down for the students?” Baiyi asked good-naturedly as he watched the Vice President’s shaken expression. Baiyi was not only trying to remind Grant of the original intention of this duel, but he was also letting Grant know that if he tried something fatal again, Baiyi would not hesitate to reciprocate.
A flash of embarrassment crossed Grant’s face for only an instant, and his usual composure returned. “Master Hope truly is unlike any other I have ever faced. I do hope to learn a bit more from you… of course, appropriately.”
Grant seemed to have realized it as well. If he shed all pretense of cordiality again, he would not be able to gain the upper hand as he would have liked. His original plan had been to show off his powers and his skill in manipulating mana, but that had gone south already.
The next round began, and this time, the fight was toned down. Both sorcerers soared through the sky, shooting all kinds of colorful orbs, light rays, aura, and just-about-anything-dazzling at each other. When their opponent retaliated, they were just as conservative in defending, and neither of them tried to one-up their foe through brute force.
Honestly, this seizure-triggering light show was much more breathtaking to those who had no idea how sorcerers fought. The second round scored more in the special effects and visual departments than the first round did.
However, to the knowledgeable members of the audience, especially to the advanced class sorcerers, the fight had become a little too tacky. A real fight between seasoned sorcerers would never focus incessant special effects; it would be like the first round, where both opponents quickly unleashed their most devastating techniques. Hence, to these members of the audience, the most essential part of the duel was already over.
This did not mean that the rest of the fight offered nothing of value. As the battle progressed into a comfortable turn-based tempo, Grant began to gain the advantage because he had high-end gears and higher mana output. With both of them, Grant was able to put Baiyi on the defense for longer periods of time.
“How boring. Once the fight was toned down, the advantage of being in a higher rank overtook having any real battle prowess. I mean, our VP is overwhelmingly better in mana output and speed of spell-casting! It’s all about tossing elements at each other now… That Hope guy is probably done for, but gosh do I pity him. Hey, at least my bet is safe!” One of the advanced class students commented, feeling pity for Baiyi’s current plight.
“I don’t think this battle is a foregone conclusion, yet! Hope may be getting pushed back, but he’s superb in his defense! Sir Grant may have the upper hand, but he has not really been able to take Hope down. Maybe Hope is saving up a big one for the right time!” Another student argued.
Watching direction that the fight had now taken, Baiyi’s students were starting to worry about him again. Seeing Baiyi at a disadvantage, Little Mia was sweating and panicking. Her free hand pinched on Laeticia’s hand so hard, and no matter how Laeticia struggled, she could not retract her hand. Hence, the village girl could only comfort Mia by rubbing the back of her hand, saying, “Don’t worry too much. Have faith in Mr. Hope.”
“I-I think… I think he just doesn’t want me to be in too much pain…” Little Mia blabbered in guilt. On her side, the king-sized octuplet twin crystal was no longer transparent; it was now completely blue. The blue was so vivid, it seemed as if the color was about to burst out of the crystal. It was obvious that the vessel was at its limit. The Owl, which had transformed into her long dress, was tasked with taking on some of Mia’s burden, and it was now shivering — a sign that it had also reached its limit.
Whenever a battle occurred between individuals in different ranks, especially elemental battles, the party occupying the lower rank would easily get pushed around. Baiyi did not fret much at the disadvantageous turn of events; he just sighed. “Tsk tsk. Even with my Expansion Formation, and some help from the Owl… I’m still completely outmatched, huh? This is one difficult fella right here, eh?”
‘Having your mana output restricted is seriously annoying…’ 1 He concluded quietly in his mind. Then, he asked Nota, who was still hiding in his helm, “Are you scared?”
As soon as Baiyi asked that question, flaming meteors soared towards him. Blazing fire rained down on Baiyi like a pyromaniac’s net. The soul armature nimbly dodged the rocks and deflected other flame projectiles by spinning his Saint Quartz Staff around himself. Using his psychic energy, Baiyi disrupted his enemy’s Sluggard and Binding spells, and escaped the flaming meteor shower via the least dangerous path.
Nota could see everything that Baiyi could because she had been inside his helm the whole time. To a lily-livered fairy like her, the entire battle had been nothing short of cardiac arrest inducing. Many times, she had believed that flaming meteor brushed right past her, inches away from scorching Baiyi’s helm.
The fairy could no longer contain herself and shrieked in fear.
The sound of a lady’s scream did not escape Grant’s ears. He froze in mid-action, and his mind was filled with questions. “What was that? Was that… the sound of a young lady? Don’t tell me… Mr. Hope’s real identity is a woman?!”
‘An opening!’ Baiyi seized the opportunity and retaliated.
If one could only tell a soul armature’s gender by their voice, then most would consider Baiyi a transsexual, for they had seen him speak with a manly voice and scream like a girl.
Nota’s screams disrupting his opponent’s tempo was never part of Baiyi’s plan; he considered that a low blow. However, Baiyi had not expected a soft-spoken fairy like Nota to scream so shrilly, neither was he ready for the fairy to give away her presence at this point!
On the flip side, Nota’s scream bought him some time, and Baiyi had no plans to let the opportunity slide. He released a flood of spells at his opponent, he cast a Calming Spell on himself to pacify poor Nota.
“This is it! Raise the cap of my magical damage, Nota, ’cause this is it! It’s now or never!” Baiyi cried out as the hidden horns of his helm sprang out from its case.