CHAPTER 59— Spell showdown(2)
'A spell showdown!'
Seris raised an eyebrow.
Even the students of Grand Aetherion exchanged surprised glances at those words.
Kaizen looked at Ashwin.
A spell showdown.
Among mages, a spell showdown was one of the oldest forms of magical duels.
It's a showdown between two mages where they only attack each other once with only one spell.
No excuses.
No second attempts.
It's simple.
One attack... decides everything.
Seris swallow, a bead of sweat rolled down at the side of his face at Ashwin's proposition.
"Are you Challenging me for a Spell showdown?"
"No,"
A faint smirk appeared on his face, Ashwin closed his eyes for a moment before raising his index finger and moving it side to side.
"You are the challenger here."
Ashwin opened his eyes again and looked at Seris.
Seris flinched when Ashwin pointed his wand toward him.
"If you win."
His voice remained calm.
"I will let you go."
The cave instantly fell silent.
Several students behind him widened their eyes.
Even Kaizen looked stunned.
"No one will stop you from leaving."
Seris's pupils narrowed.
A spell showdown...
Compared to fighting twenty students at once...
Compared to trying to break through an entire formation by himself...
A spell showdown was infinitely better.
A single clash.
A single chance.
A possible escape.
This was unquestionably his best chance.
Maybe his only chance.
But there was still one problem.
Seris narrowed his eyes.
"How can I trust you?"
Ashwin didn't hesitate.
"I swear on the name of Skyren."
The atmosphere shifted.
"And on my title as a mage."
Seris's fingers twitched around his wand.
For a mage, swearing upon one's title and affiliation carried weight.
Especially coming from someone like him.
Someone known as the Skybreaker Spellmaster at such a young age.
So That definitely wasn't a light promise.
For the first time since being cornered—
Seris felt a small spark of hope.
He lowered his head slightly.
Right now, the spell showdown was his only realistic option.
But there was another rule.
In a spell showdown, both sides had to place something on the line.
A wager.
A consequence.
A reason for the duel to matter.
"What do you want me to put in the line."Seris asked.
Ashwin stared at him.
The faint smirk never left his face.
"I don't think something is more valuable than your life that's already on the line here."
His words were calm.
Almost casual.
Yet they echoed heavily throughout the cave.
Several students straightened unconsciously.
"But still..."
Ashwin's eyes narrowed.
"If you ask me then, if I win I would...."
He paused.
Then calmly stated his condition.
Seris flinched after hearing those words.
For a second his expression twisted.
Then he let out a short laugh.
"Hah."
He shook his head. A crooked grin appeared on his lips.
"Crazy bastard."
Ashwin didn't deny it.
Didn't confirm it either.
His silence somehow felt more unsettling.
Seris exhaled deeply.
Then raised his wand.
"Fine."
Dark mana slowly began gathering around him.
"Let's do it."
Ashwin Raised his wand in response too.
Blue sparks of lightning danced across the air.
Silver currents of wind spiraled around his arm.
The atmosphere instantly changed.
The cave felt smaller.
Heavier.
More oppressive.
Students stepped backward instinctively.
Nobody wanted to be caught in the aftermath.
Behind Ashwin, several first-years tightened their grip on their staffs.
Some swallowed nervously.
Others stared with shining eyes.
A showdown between a Dark Mage and the Skybreaker Spellmaster.
Nobody wanted to miss it.
The mana in the cave grew denser with every passing second.
Dark mana gathered around Seris.
Wind and thunder gathered around Ashwin.
The two mages stood facing each other.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
Waiting.
Preparing.
For a single spell that would decide everything.
---
The atmosphere inside the cave instantly became suffocating.
The students standing behind Ashwin unconsciously tightened and loosened their grips on their staffs and wands.
Some swallowed nervously.
Some had sweat trickling down their foreheads.
Others stared with wide eyes, unwilling to blink for even a second.
A spell showdown.
A single clash.
A single outcome.
It felt as though time itself had slowed a hundredfold and is now moving at the speed of a snail.
Every heartbeat echoed loudly inside their ears.
Every breath felt painfully clear.
The anticipation stretched.
And stretched.
Then—
As the anticipation went on.
Elemental Erosion.
Primal Flame.
FWOOOOSH!!!
A massive wave of dark-orange fire erupted from his wand.
The flames twisted violently as they surged forward, carrying an unnatural intensity that made the surrounding air distort from heat alone.
The cave walls glowed orange.
The bones scattered across the ground crackled under the heat.
Across from him—
Ashwin's eyes narrowed.
Wind and lightning exploded around his wand.
Skybreaker Lance
TRRRRAAAANGGGG!!!!
A single brilliant blue bolt of lightning burst forward.
Violent silver currents of wind wrapped around them like raging dragons.
The spell shot toward the approaching wave of flame.
Both spells collided with each other.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The collision so massive and intense that the students standing behind Ashwin trembled.
The cave shook as the shockwave of the collision spread, making cracks appear in the walls.
The shockwave blasted through the cavern with enough force to make everyone's robes flutter wildly.
Even Ashwin and Seris had their hair whipped back by the pressure.
Neither looked away.
Neither blinked.
Both continued pouring mana into their spells.
The clash intensified.
The dark-orange flames surged forward.
The thunder-clad winds tore into them.
Again.
And again.
And again.
At times the thunder and wind seemed ready to rip apart the flames.
Then moments later the flames would swell and threaten to devour the storm entirely.
The collision zone became a chaotic mass of orange fire, silver wind, and blue lightning.
The students behind Ashwin were now being pushed backward by the constant pressure.
Yet none of them dared look away.
Because what they were witnessing no longer felt like a battle between students.
It looked like a clash between future legends.
"Hah."
Seris winced as he continued feeding mana into his spell.
Despite that, he forced a scoff.
"You know what's funny?"
His grin widened.
"People like you calling yourselves true mages."
"Hah."
Ashwin smirked.
"That's rich coming from a soul leecher like you."
"Says the ones who doesn't know anything beyond elements."
"Atleast we never did heresy of using deads and spirits in the name of magical progess."
The veins on Seris's forehead twitched.
He looked genuinely offended by that remark.
A rare emotion flashed across his face.
"You people just call anyone heretic who doesn't align with your way of magic."
Seris shouts his voice echoed through the cave.
The flames around him surged.
The dark orange inferno expanded.
The fire responded to his emotions. The dark-orange fire started expanding violently.
"When will you people understand that magic doesn't always have one form."
The inferno swallowed more of the thunder.
The students watched in shock as the flames steadily gained ground.
"Anything can become magic."
His dark orangish flames roared in response to his will, devouring nearly half the thunder clad wind.
A grin slowly spread across Seris's face.
Victory.
For the first time since being cornered—
He could see it.
"You people are nothing but false mages."
The dark-orange inferno exploded forward.
The students behind Ashwin gasped.
The flames had already consumed more then half of the thunder-clad storm.
A grin slowly appeared on Seris's face.
He could see it.
His flames were winning.
The storm was being overwhelmed.
The distance between victory and defeat was shrinking.
The grin on Seris's face widened.
Then—
"No."
The single word sent a chill down Seris's spine.
Goosebumps erupted across his body.
His grin froze.
Ashwin was staring directly at him.
The blue thunder illuminated his face.
The silver winds danced around him like loyal servants.
The crackling lightning reflected within those metallic silver-gray eyes.
For the first time—
Seris felt as if he wasn't facing a student.
But a storm wearing human skin.
Ashwin's voice remained calm.
The thunder seemed to answer him.
The winds roared louder.
The lightning became brighter.
"We are the true mages."
TRRRRRAAAANNGGGG—!!!
The storm exploded.
The thunder-clad wind suddenly surged forward.
The flames that had been overwhelming it moments ago were now being shredded apart like a paper caught in a hurricane.
Seris's smile vanished.
His eyes widened.
The storm devoured the inferno.
The blue lightning surged forward.
The silver winds followed.
Ripping apart everything in their path. The distance between them vanished instantly.
TRRRRAAAAAANNNGGGGGG!!!!
TTTUUUUTSSSSSEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
The cave shook.
The world flashed blue.
A blinding flash swallowed everything.
The world flashed blue.
Orange.
Silver.
Then—
THUD.
Silence.
A long heavy silence stretched across the cave.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Only the faint crackling of residual lightning echoed through the darkness.
---
CHAPTER ENDS