Chapter 243: The Escalating Sparring
Flamme's smile froze completely, and the fruit in her hand fell to the ground with a thud.
An invisible tension, like a taut bowstring, permeated the space between the resting group.
The fruit at Flamme's feet seemed to act as a fuse, finally igniting the eerie atmosphere.
She looked at Serie, whose expression was indifferent, her words still echoing in her ears. Then she looked at Kurtz, who showed no sign of refusal. The courage she had been building up over the past few days and the surging love she felt finally broke through her last bit of hesitation.
But she did not choose the most drastic approach.
She took a deep breath, picked up the fruit, wiped off the dust, took out a handkerchief from her bosom, carefully laid it on the ground, and then placed the fruit on it.
After doing all this, she looked at Lady Serie, who was still holding Kurtz, with a resolute expression in her eyes, and even her tone carried an almost formal sense of challenge.
"Lady Serie," her voice was clear, "I have always admired your power and regarded you as the ultimate goal on the path of magic. Today, your disciple Flamme wishes to have a spar with you."
She deliberately used the word "sparring" in an attempt to disguise the conflict as a legitimate master-disciple contest.
But her eyes, her tightly clenched fists, and the magical energy that involuntarily began to gather around her all proved her true intentions.
She wanted to use her own strength to prove to this seemingly insurmountable peak that she was qualified to stand beside Teacher Kurtz, and even compete with her!
Upon hearing this, Ayla's expression changed instantly. She immediately wanted to step forward to stop Flamme's reckless actions, but was glared at by Serie and kept in her tracks.
She could only frantically try to signal Flamme with her eyes, attempting to get her to retract her outrageous statement.
Even Frieren noticed that something was wrong.
Kurtz frowned.
'It seems that Flamme has been driven mad by love; she's eaten too many red beans and is now lovesick.'
He was about to say something, but Serie reacted first.
She looked at Flamme, her gaze devoid of any emotion, only a pure and utter coldness.
"Sparring?" Serie repeated the word, her tone devoid of any emotion. "How do you want to spar?"
Flamme felt a pang of unease at Serie's overly calm reaction, but the arrow had already been released, and there was no turning back.
She forcefully suppressed the excitement in her heart and declared loudly: "Naturally, in the manner of a mage! Please instruct me, Teacher!"
"Okay!" Serie chuckled, releasing Kurtz from her embrace.
The crowd immediately stepped back, clearing a space for the two of them.
"You're even more foolish than I thought!" Serie said, looking at Flamme, who was already in a fighting stance.
Before she could finish speaking, Flamme's magical power erupted!
Flamme knew that any probing against Serie would be futile; only by going all out could she possibly... show her her determination!
She thrust her staff forward with a swift motion, and countless spears of light, imbued with destructive energy, instantly condensed in the air. They tore through the air and pierced toward Serie at astonishing speed!
This attack surpassed the full-force strike of an ordinary archmage.
However, faced with this ferocious attack that could pierce through rock, Serie simply raised her hand casually, her fingers spreading out in the air.
There were no complex magic circles, and even the slightest fluctuations in magical energy were barely noticeable.
A solid magical shield instantly appeared in front of all the light spears.
BOOM—!!!
A deafening explosion echoed through the woods!
The violent energy turbulence splashed wildly, blasting the surrounding grass into patches of scorched black.
However, the seemingly fragile shield remained completely still, without even a ripple.
The terrifying spears of light struck it, but aside from emitting futile energy turbulence, they could not advance an inch and eventually dissipated into nothingness after exhausting their energy.
Flamme's pupils contracted sharply. Although she was mentally prepared, the shock she felt when she saw her full-force attack being so easily neutralized was still beyond measure.
'Lady Serie's strength is truly amazing!'
"Too weak." Serie's cold voice rang out, just like her daily instruction. "The magic concentration was too rushed; more than 20% of the energy was lost, and the control was also lacking. It's all show and no substance."
Her comments were very accurate, pinpointing the problems with Flamme's magic.
"It's not over yet!" Flamme gritted her teeth, unleashing her magic power, and more magic circles lit up around her.
In an instant, a torrent of colorful high-level magic poured down on Serie like a storm!
Flamme unleashed all her magic, releasing every offensive spell she possessed without reservation, engulfing the entire forest in a raging torrent of magical energy.
Ayla was already so frightened that she pulled Frieren back one step at a time. The space that had been cleared for the two of them earlier was no longer enough for them to squander, and the aftershocks of the battle were still spreading.
Frieren stared wide-eyed at the frenzied magical clash, her small mouth slightly agape.
Faced with Flamme's magical release, Serie finally began to take it seriously.
This disciple was far more accomplished in magic than she had imagined.
But that wasn't enough!
With each wave of her hand, a corresponding spell would silently appear, canceling out Flamme's attack.
Kurtz watched as the two escalated their "sparring," his expression growing increasingly serious.
He had two magic circles in his hands, which were shield magic, and had been quietly applied to the two of them to prevent anyone from getting hurt.
However, as Flamme and Serie used increasingly powerful magic, Kurtz began to doubt whether his magic shield could withstand it.
But it's okay.
He comforted himself with this thought.
He was confident in Serie's abilities; she could easily defeat Flamme, making her realize the skill gap and dispel her unrealistic fantasies.
But for some reason, he had a bad feeling about it.
On the other side, Flamme's breathing became increasingly rapid, her magic power was rapidly depleting, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
She felt as if she were fighting against a god; the other party easily neutralized all her attacks, and she could even see the smugness on Lady Serie's face.
'Is the gap really that big?'
A deep sense of powerlessness almost consumed her.
"Why... why doesn't it work!"
She muttered resentfully, and finally, as if she had made a decision, she threw down her staff and desperately squeezed out all the remaining magic power.
"Lady Serie! Please be careful! This is the magic I created myself!" she warned in a hoarse voice.
As she channeled her magic, an extremely complex but highly unstable massive magic circle instantly unfolded above her head, causing the surrounding space to vibrate violently with magical energy.
This was the highest level of magic that Flamme had access to, created not long ago. Although it was incomplete, its power was extremely terrifying.
[End of Chapter]
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