"Duels?"
"The advisors want us to fight one another?"
We receive the news while resting at the inn. Since the members are equivalently strong this time, it was quite difficult to make the decision, so the advisors simply came up with the easiest way possible: letting the members duel one another. However, only six members need to take part in the duels. Me, Ai Jiangtu, Nan Yu, Nanrong Ni, Zhao Manyan, Zu Jiming, and Jiang Shaoxu are exempt; the latter 4 for the special roles they play and the former 3 for our strength. Jiang Yu, Lu Yilin, Li Kaifeng, Mu Tingying, Zhou Xu, and Guan Yu will be battling each other.
I focus my attention on the girl currently walking inside with Feng Li, the bad-tempered advisor.
Her blue dress sets off her silver hair and snowy skin, striking the image of an ice princess. Mu Tingying's countenance darkens when everyone gazes at the new arrival.
The advisors announce, "Let's proceed with the duels."
…
…
Disinterested in the upcoming matches, I elect to converse with Mu Ningxue on a walk outside. Surprisingly, she proposed the outing.
"I have something important to tell you. I stumbled across something at Tianshan Mountain and I think it might be related to someone you know. Are you familiar with Qin Yu'er?"
I start slightly, but recovering quickly, I reply, "Yes, Zhang Xiaohou mentioned her to me. She was Zhan Kong's love, but under some unfathomable circumstances, she was trapped under the ice deep within Tianshan Mountain. Zhan Kong swore to free her once he reached the Super level. How did you learn of her name?"
"She told me. Apparently, she woke up after being trapped for 10 years in limbo, so her memories and body are stuck in a decade ago. The first thing she saw after awakening from her coma was the back of a man in black armor."
[Oh.]
Mu Ningxue notices the flicker in my eyes and pounces. "Tell me what you know. I'm so confused by everything."
"That man is Zhan Kong. Or possibly the Ancient King, Ying Zheng. The Chief Military Instructor of Bo City was hunting down Salan, and he eventually tracked her to the Ancient City, Xi'an. I'm sure you're aware of the undead calamity there, but the untold story is his involvement. He merged with the consciousness of Ying Zheng, suffering incredible pain to force the specter to respect his wishes, and he led all the undead away from the Ancient City. It seems his mind hasn't been fully consumed, if he could still recall that unfulfilled promise of freeing Qin Yu'er."
Her eyes slightly mist up after listening to me. We finish our walk in silence.
…
…
A minor commotion arose while we were gone: Li Kaifeng used forbidden arts when Jiang Yu's Night Rakshasa cornered him in their match. He severely injured Jiang Yu, but the small black cat sliced off his right arm in retaliation. Afterward, he apologized profusely, demonstrating sincere remorse, so Jiang Yu's easygoing nature allowed forgiveness. He's still on the team, but temporarily suspended from receiving resources. Like me, Mu Ningxue, and Zhao Manyan.
Speaking of Mu Ningxue, she ended up replacing Lu Yilin. I couldn't be bothered to seek revenge for his attempted murder in that valley, but I suppose his comeuppance arrived: the others outperformed him.
Attempting to lighten the solemn atmosphere, the advisors fly us to the Sacred Hall of Liberty in New York Harbor after we secure Mexico's stamp.
Five Magic Associations represent each of five continents: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The Sacred Hall of Liberty is the highest Magic Association of North America, and it's widely considered the strongest in the world.
When we arrive, Oleena is there to escort us, still draped in those black and gold robes like everyone in the Sacred Hall. She leads us to an open gate at the base of the Statue of Liberty, which shines with a sacred blue and gold aura.
We travel up to the 31st floor, which houses the nation's Training Hall. Entering, we find dozens of students practicing their magic. One of them paces over to us, or rather to Oleena. Judging by his blue eyes and facial features that match hers, he's her younger brother, although his long brown hair is a red herring.
Oleena and I have been conversing all this while.
"I haven't thanked you yet. Casso's existence was a thorn in my and Barnes's careers, one that we hadn't resolved for almost a year. And previous Sacred Hall Mages failed to capture him years before us."
"I was in the right place, at the right time, with the right skillset. And I was lucky to stumble across a captain of the pirates that held little loyalty, so he confessed almost immediately when I threatened him. Nevertheless, your gratitude flatters me."
"As it should: any normal person would be embarrassed to receive it. Oleena, why are you thanking this guy? He just got lucky! Any one of us could have handled some pirates."
Oleena smiles apologetically. "Fred, this is Yang Jianyu. I hope the two of you can be friends."
"You're absolutely right, Fred. Serendipity was the chief contributor to my success."
I extend an arm, and he confusedly completes the handshake, perhaps puzzled at my lack of hostility to match his.
We join the others, whose eyes are fixated on a huge wall. Rather, on the flags covering it. Nearly 200 banners are displayed, with a date and either a cross or check adjacent to the majority of them. Few checks exist, belonging to countries like England, Russia, and Germany.
[Clearly, most nations are having a tough time facing the USA's defensive lineup.]
Mirroring my thoughts, Fred proudly announces, "We have a 15 country winning streak right now!"
Jiang Shaoxu frowns, noticing something awry. "Why… is there today's date and a red cross next to China's flag?"
"Oh, the captain probably filled it in after receiving word of your arrival. He's the type that hates wasting a single second of his time."
"Aren't you a bit too full of yourselves?"
Fred shrugs. "Look at the wall. Many countries that ranked far higher than you in the last tournament lost to us. What makes you think you stand a chance?"
Jiang Shaoxu snaps at him, "It's not about the result. Don't you realize how disrespectful it is to draw the cross before the duels even begin?"
"Respect? Only strong teams deserve to be respected, don't you agree? Oh, I almost forgot, your country likes being humble. I'm sorry, our people have trouble learning how to be humble, since it's totally unnecessary," Fred shoots back.
"How infuriating!" The proud Mu Tingying is the first to express her frustration.
The others grumble as Oleena brings everyone to the 8 American representatives. A handsome man with a bandana covering his head is currently scolding his teammates loudly.
"That's our captain, Robert," Fred pointed out for them.
Robert stops exhorting his team and turns around. Scanning us, he declares, "Let's not waste any time. Shall we start at once?"
"Shouldn't we decide on the rules first?" Nan Yu interjects.
"Oh, right. The usual, a single match of five versus five?"
Nan Yu discusses it with the others. I have no complaints, and neither do the rest. Captain Robert immediately chooses the USA's representatives. Oleena's brother Fred volunteers to join the duel, provocatively gazing at me.
"Your brother really wants to fight me," I murmur to Oleena.
She frankly responds, "I don't think he can take you on."
Oleena's words instantly infuriate Fred, who snaps, "I could easily have arrested those bandits myself! I don't think he's any stronger than me! Stop talking nonsense and come up here, so I can show you my strength!"
I wryly smile. Instead of responding, I glance at Ai Jiangtu, who's raring to go, and mildly rebuke, "As the captain, it's better if you don't take part in the duel. It's unwise to expose too much now."
"I must join the fight, just in case. Since Fred and Robert are so prideful, the American team must be quite strong. We cannot risk missing out on the tournament because of one stamp." Ai Jiangtu seriously replies.
"Stop fighting over the spot, both of you will take part in the duel! We must take the badge from them," Nan Yu heatedly states.
"That works too. We'll go, we still need three more people," Ai Jiangtu agrees.
"I'll go," Mu Tingying pops up.
[Feeling insecure because Mu Ningxue is here?]
The members discuss it and finally decide on a final formation consisting of Ai Jiangtu, me, Jiang Yu, Mu Tingying, and Nanrong Ni.
The five on the enemy team are the captain, Fred, a tall woman with golden-brown straight hair, a Mongolian man around one hundred and ninety centimeters tall, and a short girl in a green shirt.
Without any tedious formalities, we begin.
Jiang Yu summons a towering Rock Golem cast in white granite. It roars and charges at the other team, but Fred just smirks. He raises his hand, and Ice Lock after Ice Lock batter and freeze the earthen creature's joints. It stalls to a halt a dozen meters away, so Jiang Yu clenches his teeth and recalls it into the Summon Plane.
Fred hoots, "That's right, get your shitty beast out of here!"
Now the two teams are free to engage. Jiang Yu aligns the stars for a Summon Star Pattern; Night Rakshasa springs forth. He remains behind the rest of the group along with Nanrong Ni, while his little black cat dashes forward with me.
"Hey, little girl, we'll leave that bandanna guy to our captain. Mu Tingying can take on the tall woman. That makes a 3 vs 2. I'll cover you with a Nyx Regime."
She hisses at the 'little girl' jibe, but otherwise nods her head.
[Alright, it's time.]
A suffocating, fear-inducing darkness envelops the 5 of us; I ensured to restrict its range to not interfere with the other fights. Fred instantly panics, firing spiky Ice projectiles in every direction. The Mongolian man displays the polar opposite reaction: he grins and begins to construct an Earth Star Constellation. One that he quickly cancels upon sensing a dozen Shadow Nails approaching him.
[Does he have the Light or Shadow Element?]
He doesn't clarify by casting a spell from either Element. Instead, a rocky barrier encapsulates him, stopping the Shadow Nails cold. Unfortunately for him, I tilt my head to avoid a stray Ice Lock and pounce as gleaming obsidian shortswords materialize in my hands. Hacking apart the earthen partition reveals… an earthen body? It seems he barely casted Eyes of the Rock Demon: Petrifaction in time on himself. His remarkable control over the Earth Element enabled precise modification of the spell to harden his flesh while remaining mobile.
Unfortunately, it and all his hastily summoned Magic Equipment are cleaved right through with a sword, but I let him off with a small cut along his torso.
"You're out."
Ducking my head to avoid an Ice spike, I start heading for Fred. He's surrounded by Ice blocks, though he hasn't cast the Ice Advanced spell yet, probably to conserve energy.
I'm free to construct a Water Star Constellation. The 2nd tier Advanced Water spell, Flower Sky: Collapsing Waterfalls! Crushing columns of water pile on Fred, decimating the ice and battering his body covered in Magic Armor. It defends him.
[Fucking useless Water spells…]
A barrage of Shadow Nails finishes the job, penetrating right through his defenses. So much for conserving his energy.
Not far away, the tall woman's neck is covered in light scratches. Evidently, she didn't accept her defeat when the Night Rakshasa went easy on her by lightly pressing a claw to her neck, so the little cat was forced to demonstrate its full prowess by repeating the action over and over.
[Although the Abyssal Domain certainly made it trivial to split them up and eliminate them, it also obscured Oleena's sight of the battle, so she can't proclaim the tall woman's elimination.]
I dispel the pitch black substance, revealing three battered combatants of the American team. Mu Tingying (buffed by Nanrong Ni's Blessing Element) and Ai Jiangtu are finishing their opponents as well, and they simply give up after witnessing their teammates' losses.
[Ever since I unlocked the Shadow Advanced spell, I've been unstoppable.]
My premonitions upon awakening the Element were correct: Shadow has grown to become my most effective source of offense.
Robert inclines his head. "I apologize for our rude display earlier. We'll erase the cross and replace it with a green check."
Mu Tingying sniffs, "Backing down after getting thrashed? I bet you wish you were humble from the beginning!"
Ai Jiangtu directs a severe gaze at her, effectively shutting her up. He receives Oleena's stamp, and nods a farewell to the Training Hall students. Oleena escorts us out of the towering Statue of Liberty and sees us off.
…
…
Later that day in the evening, the team is walking to a hotel, tired from the exertions demanded by thorough exploration of New York City. One group comprises Zhao Manyan, Jiang Shaoxu, Mu Ningxue, and me, and three more groups contain the rest. The Chaotic Piercer is conspicuously missing from my back; Oleena insisted I not bring it into the general public, lest I scare people and cause a ruckus.
"Ow!"
A hunk of ice the size of a tennis ball elicited that noise from Zhao Manyan when it struck his head just now. Hundreds more are raining down, peppering the black streets with white objects. Reinforced glass shatters like wet paper under the onslaught of projectiles.
[Hail? The night's so warm, though…]
Each of the four groups dashes to the nearest building; in our case, it's a cozy cafe. A young Chinese woman is the lone employee, and she greets us with a welcoming smile despite the abnormal weather.
Zhao Manyan's eyes light up as he coolly approaches her, engaging in a conversation. I imagine his list will grow by an entry before daybreak.
[Perhaps not.]
I'm ill at ease. This hail is painfully unnatural. Mu Ningxue frowns at the abnormality as well, choosing to stand near the entrance with me. As we watch the streets through the glass, white haze envelops the entire block, concealing the deadly ice hammering the ground like so many anvils.
[If she's sensitive to the current circumstances, the answer's obvious.]
"Ningxue, can you feel the churning of Ice Element particles?"
"Yes. Someone with an imperious Ice Domain is here. I can't affect the Ice around me ...."
[Control over Ice that outmatches her natural affinity for it? What an incredible Soul-grade Ice Spirit…]
Our bodies remain tense as we wait. Moments flash by.
Mu Ningxue hesitantly voices, "Maybe we're overreacting?"
As I shake my head in the negative, the windows shatter, spraying glass everywhere. Billowing white mist flows violently into the cafe, instantly dropping the ambient temperature to near freezing. Luckily, Zhao Manyan prepared several layers of protection around himself, the Chinese employee, and Jiang Shaoxu.
I did the same for myself and Mu Ningxue as we waited. A Flower Sky: Heaven's Water Curtain shields us from the shop's entrance, and I covered us both in the 3rd tier Advanced Light Spell, Descending Light: Light Scale Holy Armor.
A storm of icy projectiles hurtles through the empty space previously occupied by glass. The barrier of water falters after several seconds, then dissipates under the onslaught of ice. There's no room to dodge, nowhere to go. I stand in front of Mu Ningxue and activate my Bull Xenon, but the sharp icicles tear through my light armor and then the Bull Xenon's protection in just a few moments.
I bought enough time to cast Nyx Regime: Abyssal Domain. A suffocating darkness fills the cafe and spills out onto the street, quickly clashing with the Ice Domain for dominance over the region around me. It's losing ground, but I estimate around a minute will pass before it's crushed entirely.
"Ningxue, protect them from the ice and lead them somewhere safe. I'll hold him off and regroup with you later!"
Before she can react, I run outside to face the attacker. Just past the turbulence of Shadow and Ice particles that compose the boundary between the domains, I glimpse a man of average stature wearing a blue hoodie. He's cunning to stay out of my Abyssal Domain: he's clearly aware that he'd be at a disadvantage facing a storm of Shadow Nails.
That wise decision does little to improve his mood, since I see a frown appear on his countenance.
[Annoyed you can't track me in the darkness?]
For the first time, I summon the Dark Noble Mantle in battle. For good measure, I activate the Blood Tabi.
I melt into the darkness, no longer merely enveloped by it. My form vanishes from this plane, now tethered to the Dark Dimension, and an untraceable, invisible shadow is all that remains. My senses still pervade our reality, enabling my 'movement' on Earth.
While he's still confusedly searching for my presence, I glide behind him and prepare to launch a devastating strike. My body materializes from the shadows, and the smooth grips of gleaming short swords enter my hands as I swing at his unprotected back.
However, he swivels around to offer me a chilling grin. Barriers of compact ice devour all my momentum, even though it was enhanced by the Magic Boots. I decisively unsummon the swords, but his form suddenly splits into 12. A dozen bodies surround me, each casting its own Advanced Ice spell.
[Chaos? But I don't sense its presence… Maybe it's an effect of his domain?]
While I ponder, my body vanishes once more. The Dark Noble Mantle's effects still haven't disappeared, but I've used 2 of my 3 Magic Boots.
He's unperturbed by my disappearance and ceases aligning his Ice stars, waiting for me to show myself once more.
[How did he react to my attack so quickly?]
The Focus Necklace around my neck vibrates while influencing my Spiritual World, collapsing the dozen men into a single one and giving me the answer. Psychic magic revealed my presence to him instantly. Additionally, he's a Psychic Magician who focuses on illusions.
[I'm running out of time.]
My Abyssal Domain will collapse in 30 seconds, and he'll be nearly invincible in his Ice Domain without another one clashing against it to weaken it. The Dark Noble Mantle will unsummon itself in a few more minutes. Running away is an option, but that will merely give him more time to reflect on our battle and devise a devious plan for his next ambush. Not to mention the possibility of him hurting my friends in the cafe. Plus, once the Focus Necklace ceases revealing his location, he'll have me by the balls with his Psychic Element.
I reenter the physical world, hastily using the remainder of the mana in my Light Galaxy to encase myself in a Light Scale Holy Armor twice as strong as the ones Mu Ningxue and I wore.
He disdainfully smirks at my bold approach, neatly blocking the Shadow Nails I fire at him with Ice Locks. A sharp Psychic attack consumes the Focus Necklace's protective blessing at an alarming rate.
Suddenly, his body starts hurtling towards me—I altered gravity around his body to aim at me. It's a continuous process, one that requires finesse with Chaos magic and rapid construction of Chaos Star Paths. Startled, he ceases his Psychic prodding and conjures up ice partitions to block his movement.
[How perceptive.]
My ambush with the Dark Noble Mantle lasted at most 5 seconds, but it seems that was sufficient for him to realize I'm proficient in close combat. Perhaps he even noted the danger posed by my swords.
Unfortunately for him, I continuously change the direction of gravity to swing him around the wall of ice, and he's a mere 10 meters away now. In a tense moment, he reacts admirably by conjuring a dome of ice around himself. His Psychic Element tips off my location to him, and he commences firing icicles at me from his spherical bunker.
However, a simple Shadow Evade warps me behind him once more… and the Light Scale Holy Armor's radiance falters. The culprit is icy thorns that quickly form a thicket filling the dome, doubly serving to immobilize my legs. Before they grow to deal further damage, I melt into the shadows via the Dark Noble Mantle. All protections derived from spells vanish along with my body, but Magic Equipment remains summoned.
[I underestimated his cunning. Although I'm confident in my non-magical prowess, he's been refining his Ice and Psychic combat skills for longer than I've been alive.]
He bellows a raucous laugh. "How long will you keep escaping into the shadows, little rat? Run away, and I'll kill your friends. Stay and die while facing me, and they'll live. What'll it be?"
I rematerialize outside the dome of ice to reply, "Alright. Do your worst," before dematerializing once more.
The ice around him fragments into innumerable needles that fly every which way, but they accomplish nothing. He was obviously bluffing with his false dilemma: if he goes after my friends, he'll lack the visual awareness to deal with my Shadow Nails and other methods of assault. With this in mind, I reappear a meter away from him.
"Marvelous! Deliver yourself to your own death."
With impeccable timing, my Abyssal Domain succumbs to his Ice Domain: white mist floods into the regions previously occupied by plumes of darkness. Without the external source of wear, I estimate his prowess has increased by at least 30%. He instantly exerts his advantage by conjuring dozens of thorny whips that lash at me, attempting to wind around my appendages and immobilize me.
Before the thorns eviscerate my skin, I clad myself in the Black Snake Armor, but it fails to prevent me from getting trussed up like a pig for slaughter. He laughs and waves his hand, sending a volley of icicles at my body, but I vanish yet again. Anticipating my evasive maneuver and a subsequent ambush, he imprisons himself in an ice sphere once more, amusedly reprimanding me, "Yang Jianyu, I'm giving you a sporting chance here. Blend into the shadows one more time, and I'll just leave. Days, weeks, even months later, I'll slit your throat when you least expect it. You'll live a half-life until then, one of constant vigilance and fear. If you abandon that crutch of a Magic Cloak and stop using the Shadow Element, you'll receive the opportunity to eliminate me. Also, get rid of that armor, and I won't use the Psychic Element. Deal? Here, I'll ease off on my Psychic attacks once you step back into reality."
I cautiously reappear a few meters in front of him, and I indeed no longer feel my Spiritual World getting prodded with a hot poker. Superb timing, as my Focus Necklace was only around 5 seconds away from losing effectiveness.
[Why give himself such handicaps? He can just take control of me after 5 seconds, rendering me incapable of fighting back. Maybe another minute of waiting, and my Black Snake Armor will unsummon itself.]
Unless… unless he's also in a time crunch. He desires my rapid demise. One without the interference of authorities, who may arrive any minute now from panicked calls concerning abnormal hail. Therefore, he wants me to dispose of my means of protection, and he's confident enough in his Ice Element to handle me from there.
"Oi, drop that armor and the cloak, I already held up my end of the deal."
The layer of black scales and the billowing shadowy cloak disappears. My compliance draws a winning smile on his countenance; I can't resummon the Magic Equipment until their cooldowns finish.
"Oh, the gullibility of the youth. A true shame," he drawls. A whirlwind of razorsharp ice blades centered at his body grows into a tornado dozens of meters tall. My feet are clad in gray fur boots, the Rabbit Feet enhancing my agility as I dash at him. The ice razors mostly deflect to my sides, as if a force field prevents them from lacerating my body. Thin cuts drip blood all over my skin, but at least it doesn't look like I passed through a blender.
Of course, it's not a force field, but rather Change of Order: Direction. Two invisible hemispheres encase my body on the left and right. Projectiles entering the left are shifted by 20 degrees clockwise, while projectiles entering the right are shifted by 20 degrees counterclockwise. I can't keep up the continuous Basic Chaos spells forever, but they currently suffice for me to close the distance to a meter. He smirks and raises his hand, encasing me in a dome of ice and stalling any horizontal progress.
Or rather, that's what he meant to do. Instead, the intended spherical prison condenses behind him. And my outstretched sword pierces his heart.
His knees collapse beneath him while his face loses all pallor within seconds, and he violently coughs out blood while kneeling in front of me. I bear little desire for hearing his final words, so I eliminate the threat entirely by decapitating him. His headless body keels over and flops onto the ice beneath him, which is steadily melting in the absence of his Ice Domain.
I steadily place myself on the ground. I'm hemorrhaging blood from tiny incisions all over my body, and I'm already feeling lightheaded from the low blood pressure.
[Chaotic Vortex would have been too much.]
I needed to show weakness, to lull him into a false sense of security. My eerie moves in the battle amplified his caution too much: close combat ambushes, entering the shadows, strong armor. If he defaulted to turtling inside a dome of ice filled with spiky traps every time I made a move, I'd be no closer to a victory than if I simply ran away. He and I shared the goal of eliminating our opponent before the authorities arrived. Him because he'd have to leave and it'd be tiresome to hunt me down later. Me because he'd leave and it'd be tiresome to constantly expect an ambush.
If I displayed the Chaotic Vortex on top of all my other cards, I'd expect him to leave on the spot and wait for a more opportune moment to end me.
Plus, the vortex is not suited to handling adversaries like him. Straightforward offensive spells and the Chaotic Vortex are a match made in heaven. Ever-shifting forms of icy assault? His Ice Domain would exert control over any projectiles I directed back at him.
No, I needed to feign weakness. A 'force field' that failed to deflect all of the deadly ice razors, leaving me badly wounded? He believed the win was already his, and he'd just have to stall for blood loss to take its toll, finishing me off when I'm too woozy to fight back. A Change of Order: Movement reversed all his actions, transforming what seemed like my final vestiges of bravery into a deadly blow. The dome intended to restrict me appeared behind him instead, allowing my black blade to sink into his chest.
[What an overwhelmingly strong, cautious, experienced assassin.]
A single wrong move, and I may have lost my life in my attempts to end his.
I close my eyes and calm my heart, reducing the rate at which blood exits my arteries and veins. The last thing I see is a worried Jiang Shaoxu, and the last thing I hear is Zhao Manyan yelling at a Sacred Hall Mage in a black and gold outfit.
…
…
"His name is Philip?"
I'm conversing with Oleena, who's sitting in a chair next to my white hospital bed, the only one in a small room.
"That's right. An Executioner of the Black Vatican. Arrogant, lawless people, all of them incredibly strong and experienced. They don't necessarily believe in the drivel spouted by those cultist freaks, but the organization's penchant for violence suits their desires."
"He seemed to be familiar with how quickly you respond to incidents like these, or else he'd never have the confidence to pummel me on the streets of New York City."
The mage next to her, Captain Luther of the Sacred Hall, grimaces at my observation. "Of course he is. He was once one of us, but circumstances led to his betrayal."
Oleena adds, "We're in your debt now that you've eliminated this stain on our reputation. The Sacred Hall of Liberty possesses a myriad of items that can't necessarily be bought with money. Take a look at this catalog and let us know if anything catches your eye." She hands me a sizable booklet that I begin leafing through.
They wait patiently as minutes pass. After flipping the final page, I've made a decision.
"I'll take it all." Their faces immediately contort, only loosening when I add, "Just kidding. I'm completely helpless against the Psychic Element and my Focus Necklace simply isn't enough at times. However, it bears sentimental value. Can you upgrade it?"
They glance at each other and nod. Luther warily eyes me and queries, "Up to what specifications?"
"Enough to resist a 9th-level Spiritual Attainment Psychic Mage's mental attacks for 10 seconds."
He glowers at me. "Such a Magician would be capable of controlling even the strongest Rulers. And you want an item of that value when all you've done is eliminate an Advanced Mage? Be more reasonable, boy. We appreciate your efforts, and we're aware you risked your life, but consider the standard of reward appropriate for what you've accomplished. And don't think you deserve something as valuable as the Dark Noble Mantle, even if Casso was like a baby compared to Philip. That was a one-time thing that occurred because a powerful Shadow Magician wanted to give his old Magic Equipment to the younger generation."
"... 8th-level for 10 seconds?"
"7th-level for 1 second at most!!" he roars. Giggling, Oleena receives the pendant in my outstretched hand. "We'll get it back to you in a day or two."
Pleased, I beam at them as they exit.
[What a steal.]
Not a single student in the World College Tournament has ever reached the advanced realm of Spiritual Attainment. Even if I face 6th-tiers, their mental attacks will be at least 10 times weaker than those of a Psychic Mage who crossed the unfathomable chasm between the intermediate and advanced realms. Therefore, the necklace will last for 10 seconds instead of 1. 30 seconds against 5th-tiers, 90 against 4th tiers, 900 against 3rd tiers…
[How unfortunate for all the Psychic Mages in the tournament.]