The sun is shining brightly above the open field of the Ironmarch barracks. Today, however, all eyes were not on the drills but on the center of the field, where two figures stood facing each other. On one side stood Luceran, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp, a faint bluish mana swirling around his body. Across from him, Kellen stood just as confidently, a similar presence of power radiating from him.
The crowd of spectators are Commander Borrin, his lieutenants, and Cassandra's party, watched in eager anticipation. This was a rare spectacle. A fight between two mages of such high caliber.
"Let's see how much you've improved, Luceran," Kellen said with a light smile, his voice could be heard across the field.
Luceran just gave a short nod in response. He didn't need words. His actions would speak for him.
Luceran moved first. A simple gesture of his hand, and the ground before him rumbled. A massive rock, the size of a carriage, erupted from the earth, infused with the reddish hue of fire. He then flicked his wrist, and the rock hurtled toward Kellen, a trail of smoke and glowing embers following it.
Kellen's expression didn't change. He simply raised his own hand, and the air around him grew cold. A wall of ice, thick and transparent, materialized in front of him, its surface shimmering. The rock smashed into the wall with a sound of Crack!, a shower of fire and stone fragments exploding everywhere. The ice wall held for a moment before spiderweb cracks spread across its surface and it shattered, but it had done its job.
Luceran followed up with a faster spell. He waved both hands, and a torrent of wind, sharp as a thousand swords, condensed and shot toward Kellen. But Kellen was already prepared. He clapped his hands together, and a powerful gust of chilly wind, an ice tornado formed in front of him. The two spells collided in the middle of the field, creating a swirl of energy and rain of snowflakes. The crowd shielded their eyes from the debris and dust.
"What a spectacle," Commander Borrin muttered, his eyes wide.
"They're not even at their full power yet," one of the lieutenant, Greg, his voice filled with awe.
The elemental clash continued. Luceran's mana flowed from him in a continuous stream, forming one spell after another. He didn't just rely on single elements; he was combining them. He formed a bolt of pure lightning that streaked toward Kellen, but before it could reach him, he imbued it with fire. The bolt turned from a flash of light into a searing, burning projectile.
Kellen countered by summoning a defensive spell that created a field of moisture in the air. The fire-infused lightning bolt slammed into it, and a deafening sound erupted as the water instantly vaporized into a cloud of hot steam. The field was filled with the hiss of steam and the crackle of displaced mana.
"The fluency of combining and casting multiple elements at once is amazing" Cassandra said, her voice filled with a mixture of shock and admiration.
"This is getting intense," lieutenant Pelz said, while staring intently at the field.
The intensity of the spell clash was so fierce that it was as if two gods were throwing tantrums. Spells collided, detonated, and created beautiful and terrifying displays of "fireworks." Kellen cast a series of wind blades, each sharp enough to slice through steel, and sent them hurtling towards Luceran. Luceran countered with a wall of solidified earth, which the blades slammed into, crumbling to dust.
Suddenly, Luceran's strategy changed. He stopped exchanging and throwing spells and instead, a sword materialized on his right hand and a bluish hue of mana solidified around his sword. In a blink, he dashed forward, with blinding speed. He used 'Acceleration' and concentrated his internal energy to his legs, a mixture of Arcana and Physical Path. The crowd's cheers as a sonic boomed sounded on the arena.
Kellen, who was preparing another long-range spell, was caught by surprise. He barely had time to react. He leaned to the left, narrowly dodging Luceran's downward slash, the blade whistling inches from his ear. A twenty meters long sword scar could be seen on the ground behind him. Without a moment's hesitation, Kellen cast a 'Wind Burst' beneath his feet, which propelled him backward and upward, causing him to hover in the air, creating a distance from Luceran.
The fight dynamic had changed completely. Luceran was now a hybrid of spell and melee, a fearsome combination. He would throw a fire bolt, forcing Kellen to dodge, then follow up with a fast lunge, his sword imbued with mana. Kellen was constantly on the defensive, forced to retreat and use his wind spells for mobility.
The crowd was a mix of awe and worry. They could see that Kellen was at a distinct disadvantage. He was a pure mage, focused on elemental arts and long-range combat. Luceran, however, was now using both of his paths, pushing Kellen back with every strike. Luceran's sword strikes came with devastating power, each swing cutting through the very air with a chilling whoosh.
Kellen mused to himself, 'This can't go on like this, or I'll lose. It would be embarrassing to be introduced as the top graduate and lose the fight.'
As he thought this, a powerful, invisible pressure erupted from his body. It was a silent wave, but it hit the onlookers like a physical blow. Everyone, including Luceran, felt their very souls stagger, as if a great weight had just descended upon them.
"What is this feeling?" Commander Borrin said, his voice a low growl of confusion and shock.
"It... it feels as if my very soul is being triggered," Cassandra said with an uncomfortable look on her face
Luceran, who was about to lunge again, stopped in his tracks. He lowered his sword and looked at Kellen, his eyes wide with understanding.
"Soul Engraving realm?" Luceran asked, his voice barely a whisper. He looked at Kellen's body and saw it, a faint, transparent hue, almost like a ghostly aura, circling his friend's body.
Kellen smiled lightly. "You're right." Kellen replied, "At the graduation, I was already at the Mana Engraving and Soul Engraving stage." He said lightly and with pride.
"Haah, amazing. Could expect nothing less from the top graduate," Luceran said with a mix of awe and admiration. "You were holding back all this time, you sly fox."
The fight continued, but this time, Kellen was no longer at a disadvantage. Every time Luceran cast spells or attacked in melee, Kellen would counter, not just with spells, but with something new. Luceran would launch a fire spell, and Kellen would meet it with his own, but a transparent wall would appear in front of him, absorbing the spell's impact as if it were nothing. When Luceran lunged with his sword, the same transparent wall would appear, blocking his strike with a faint, shimmering sound.
The crowd was confused. Some couldn't help but ask, "What is that?"
Cassandra, who had a better understanding of the magical arts than most, was the first to realize. "If I remember correctly, that should be soul power."
Lieutenant Karl, looking perplexed, asked, "Soul power? What is that?"
"I don't know much," Cassandra replied, her voice a bit frustrated. "I only know that it is one of the three paths of power in Primordia, alongside Arcana and Physical."
A collective wave of "Ohhh!" rippled through the crowd as they were enlightened to this path of power.
The fight was getting more intense with every passing second. Luceran and Kellen traded blow for blow. Luceran's melee attacks became faster, and his spells more complex, trying to bypass Kellen's newfound defense. He looked haggard, his breathing heavy, sweat dripping from his brow. Kellen, on the other hand, was also sweating and looked a bit tired, but it was clear that Luceran's attacks were not landing. The gap between them was becoming more and more obvious.
"From their looks, it looks like the prince is about to lose?" Commander Borrin guessed, his voice low and filled with respect for the young man who stood before him.
Suddenly, Kellen moved with a blinding speed. A transparent hue on his body expanded, as if detonating like a shockwave. Luceran, who was caught in the wave, felt disoriented and dizzy. His vision swam, and his ears rang with a high-pitched noise. He stumbled backward, his movements sluggish and uncoordinated.
Kellen took this opportunity. He didn't use a powerful spell. Instead, he simply extended his hand and cast a 'Wind Cannon'. A small sphere of compressed air, no bigger than a coconut, shot toward Luceran. The prince, still disoriented, couldn't react in time. The sphere hit him squarely on the chest and sent him flying out of the arena, where he landed with a soft thud.
"I won," Kellen said with a tired and sweating face.
Luceran, who was struggling to stand, wiped his brow and looked at Kellen. "Dammit, that last 'Soul Blast' makes me wanna vomit," he complained, his voice still a bit dizzy. He looked haggard and defeated, but there was a smile on his face. He walked up slowly to Kellen and patted him on the shoulder. "You sneaky bastard. I knew you were hiding something."