The battlefield had become almost unrecognizable.
Jagged crystal formations covered large portions of the arena, transforming what had once been an open field into a maze of glittering obstacles. Above them, the Shardstorm continued to rotate relentlessly, thousands of razor-sharp crystal fragments sweeping through the air in a deadly vortex.
Everywhere Alex looked, there was crystal. Everywhere he moved, he encountered restrictions. The battlefield itself had gradually become Evelyne's domain.
Alex narrowly avoided another wave of crystal shards before retreating several steps, his boots scraping across the frost-covered ground.
His expression remained calm, but inwardly he couldn't help feeling annoyed.
'Damn it.'
The thought surfaced almost immediately.
'If I could use Dark Magic here, this battle would be far less troublesome.'
Against crystal structures and battlefield-control spells like these, his dark magic would have been incredibly effective.
Unfortunately, none of that mattered. Using dark magic here wasn't an option. Alex suppressed the thought with a quiet sigh.
Complaining wouldn't change anything. This fight would be decided using the abilities he could reveal.
Across the battlefield, Evelyne remained standing amidst the crystal formations she had created. Step by step, spell by spell, she continued tightening her control over the arena.
Alex steadied himself as cold mana surged through his body.
The surrounding temperature dropped even further as streams of icy mist gathered around his outstretched hand.
A familiar spear of ice rapidly condensed above him.
"
The enormous lance took shape within seconds.
This spell had already earned a reputation throughout the tournament as one of Alex's most powerful attacks.
The surrounding air crackled with cold as the lance continued growing larger and denser, its surface gleaming with an icy blue radiance.
The massive projectile shot forward, leaving a trail of frost in its wake as it tore through the air toward Evelyne with terrifying momentum.
Even the advancing Shardstorm split apart as the lance carved a path straight through it.
Across the arena, Evelyne finally reacted.
"
A flawless crystalline mirror materialized in midair.
Moments earlier, it had completely reflected Draim's Tier-5
The Glacial Lance collided with the mirror. Then something unexpected happened.
The entire crystal mirror shattered on impact.
A sharp cracking sound echoed across the stadium before countless fractures spread throughout the reflective surface. The next moment, it exploded apart.
Evelyne's calm expression shifted ever so slightly.
For the first time since stepping onto the stage, a trace of genuine surprise appeared in her eyes.
Countless crystal fragments scattered through the air as the Glacial Lance punched straight through the defensive spell.
Although its power had been greatly reduced during the collision, the attack continued toward her.
The stadium erupted. Even several individuals in the VIP section visibly leaned forward.
Until now, Crystal Mirror had appeared nearly invincible.
Yet Alex's attack had shattered it outright. Rather than reflecting the attack, the mirror had been overwhelmed by the sheer force behind it.
Evelyne, however, immediately demonstrated why she was considered one of the tournament's strongest participants.
Despite the unexpected outcome, she didn't panic.
The crystal formations surrounding her responded at once.
Dozens of nearby crystal spires twisted and converged. The jagged structures compressed together while rapidly rotating, forming a massive conical drill of crystal directly in the path of the incoming lance.
The two attacks collided moments later.
The already weakened Glacial Lance slammed into the rotating crystal drill.
A violent shockwave erupted outward.
Frost and crystal fragments exploded across the battlefield as the opposing forces struggled against one another.
The crystal drill ground relentlessly against the lance, shedding fragments with every rotation.
Cracks spread through both constructs.
For several tense seconds, neither side yielded.
Then the remaining power within the Glacial Lance was finally exhausted.
The frozen lance shattered apart.
Countless shards of ice scattered across the arena as the crystal drill continued spinning, though it too had been heavily damaged.
For the first time since the battle began, Alex had forced Evelyne to abandon her composure and react unexpectedly.
As the shattered remnants of the crystal drill scattered across the battlefield, Alex's eyes narrowed slightly.
Something felt off.
The defensive maneuver Evelyne had just performed was unquestionably effective, yet the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
He had been watching her carefully throughout the entire exchange. There had been no chant or magic circle. Not even a trace of spell activation.
The surrounding crystal formations had simply... moved.
Alex frowned.
'That didn't seem like a spell at all.' The realization surfaced almost immediately.
Before he could think further, Aurora suddenly floated beside him with a smug, knowing smile on her face.
"You noticed it too."
Alex kept his eyes fixed on Evelyne.
"The crystal drill."
Aurora nodded.
"That wasn't your typical magic."
Alex's expression shifted slightly. Aurora's golden eyes drifted toward Evelyne.
"What you saw was closer to Mind Magic."
Alex blinked.
'Mind Magic?'
Aurora folded her arms.
"You can think of it as a form of telekinesis. Moving small objects isn't particularly impressive, but controlling something on that scale with such precision is extremely difficult. Even powerful mages struggle to manipulate large structures that smoothly."
Her gaze lingered on the countless crystal formations scattered throughout the arena.
Alex followed her line of sight.
Suddenly, many things began making sense.
Aurora continued. "She's essentially combining two different systems. Crystal Magic creates the structures, and Mind Magic allows her to manipulate them freely afterward."
A faint grin appeared on her lips.
"Honestly, it's quite clever."
Alex remained silent as he looked across the battlefield.
The crystal spires surrounding Evelyne suddenly felt far more threatening than before.
Because they were no longer simply part of the terrain; they were extensions of her will.
Every crystal she created could become a weapon at any moment. A wall, a shield, a spear, or something far more dangerous.
More importantly, unlike conventional spells, she didn't need to recast them.
Once the crystals existed, she could continue controlling them as she pleased.
The realization made the battlefield look completely different.
What had initially seemed like scattered crystal formations now resembled a vast arsenal waiting for a command.
And judging from the amount of crystal covering the arena, Evelyne's control over the battlefield was far greater than he had originally realized.
Across the arena, Evelyne stood calmly amidst her crystalline domain. The countless crystal structures surrounding her remained perfectly still. Yet now that Alex knew the truth, that stillness felt strangely deceptive.
At any moment, the entire battlefield could move against him. Alex didn't have the luxury of continuing the discussion.
Across the battlefield, Evelyne was already moving again.
The longer the battle continued, the worse his position became. The entire battlefield had gradually become her territory.
To counter it, a conventional approach wouldn't be enough. He needed to change the battlefield itself.
Immediately, a Tier-6 spell surfaced in his mind,
Without hesitation, Alex raised his hand.
The surrounding mana surged toward him in enormous quantities. The change was so abrupt that even Evelyne's movements paused slightly.
A massive magic circle began unfolding high above the arena.
The sheer amount of mana being drawn into the spell caused visible ripples throughout the atmosphere. Winds began to stir long before the magic was completed, carrying with them an unnatural chill.
Several spectators immediately widened their eyes.
"What is he casting?"
"That amount of mana..."
In the VIP section, more than one person unconsciously straightened in their seat.
Even Elena's expression became slightly more serious.
Then the spell was completed. An arctic storm exploded across the battlefield.
Violent winds swept through the arena as freezing snow and ice filled the air. Within seconds, visibility dropped dramatically.
The entire battlefield vanished behind a curtain of swirling white.
The temperature plummeted and frost spread across the floor at an astonishing rate while snow accumulated around the crystal formations Evelyne had created. The once-glittering structures became coated in thick layers of ice and frost.
Jagged crystal spires disappeared beneath blankets of snow. Countless crystal shards froze solid. The battlefield itself began changing.
The audience erupted.
"What happened?!"
"I can't see anything!"
"The whole arena disappeared!"
From the spectator stands, the battlefield had become little more than a swirling sea of white. Only vague silhouettes occasionally appeared through the storm before vanishing once again.
The raging blizzard swallowed everything.
Even the officials monitoring the match found themselves struggling to observe what was happening inside.
The uproar throughout the stadium intensified.
Then someone finally realized something. "Wait..." His voice was filled with disbelief. "Fuck! That bastard can cast a Tier-6 spell."
The entire stadium erupted.
"What the hell?!"
"You're kidding!"
"Since when can he do that?!"
The reactions spread like wildfire.
The thing was, Alex had only awakened his talent for magic recently. No one knew the exact timeframe. Most estimates placed it at several months, perhaps even less.
Even that sounded absurd.
Casting Tier-4 magic could still be explained through exceptional talent.
Tier-5 was already difficult to believe.
But Tier-6?
That crossed into an entirely different realm.
Throughout the VIP section, numerous nobles, academy representatives, and powerful mages stared toward the raging blizzard with expressions of disbelief.
Some had initially dismissed the rumors surrounding him as exaggerations. Others had suspected he was talented but assumed there had to be limits.
Now those assumptions were crumbling.
None of them had ever witnessed anything remotely comparable.
Even among the greatest prodigies of the current generation, reaching Tier-6 magic after awakening one's talent only months earlier bordered on the impossible.
Meanwhile, within the heart of the storm, visibility continued to deteriorate.
Snow and ice swirled relentlessly through the air.
The crystal formations scattered throughout the arena groaned as frost accumulated across their surfaces.
For the first time since the battle began, Evelyne's carefully prepared battlefield had been forcefully disrupted.
The crystal domain she had spent the entire match constructing was no longer functioning under ideal conditions.
And that had been Alex's objective from the beginning.
He hadn't cast
Now the arena had become a frozen wasteland.
And the fight would continue under conditions neither side could fully control.