With flight magic, you gain control of the skies.
In combat, the side that can't fly—no matter how agile or how well they dodge on the ground—will be at a massive disadvantage.
Under the night sky more than twenty meters up, Iris's wings of light scattered countless particles like drifting stardust.
She looked beautiful when she cast spells, and she looked beautiful when she flew.
You had to admit it—she was an elf favored by heaven and the gods.
"Leon Bellron, your casting speed really is astonishing. I admit I underestimated you earlier. You have seven moves left—use them quickly!"
Iris's voice floated down from above, utterly composed.
For a third-tier to cast an intermediate spell, the mana cost was usually around twenty points.
Only with extreme proficiency—or after reaching fourth tier—would the cost drop to around ten or so.
Considering Iris's traits as a pure-blood elf—fast mana recovery—and the fact that this was elemental magic, her overall consumption likely wasn't that high.
In other words, even after casting an intermediate spell and a beginner defensive spell, Iris still had plenty of mana to spare.
As for how long the light wings could last, based on Leon's previous-life experience, Iris could probably maintain this steadily for seven or eight minutes without issue.
Beside Leon, the invisible, formless Bisce had also dropped her earlier sympathy for Iris and switched to schadenfreude toward Leon instead.
The ghostly familiar spun around Leon's waist, grinning as she mocked him nonstop.
"Hahaha, Leon, Leon—so you finally get your turn to crash and burn! You're flipping over at last!"
"And?" Leon asked.
"What do you mean 'and'?" Bisce scoffed. "Iris can use flight magic now—how are you supposed to hit her? You have no chance anymore! After your remaining seven moves, you'll just be stuck taking hits. How do you win like that? Phantom Walker skills can't fly either, can they?"
"Bisce," Leon said, "since you put it that way… want to bet with me?"
"Uh…"
The moment Leon said "bet," Bisce instantly wilted.
In life, she'd been a fifth-tier expert. Even after dropping to the weakest kind of third-tier wandering spirit, her knowledge and experience were still there—yet she'd still been trapped by Leon's wagers and ended up as his contracted familiar.
So the phrase "bet with me" genuinely triggered her.
"You're just acting tough!" Bisce blurted after a pause.
"Then do you want to bet?" Leon asked.
"N-no. You… you got this."
Bisce shut up.
Leon didn't tease her further. He stared up at the sky more than twenty meters away.
It really was hard to land a hit while Iris kept circling in the air.
Leon trusted his aim—but the range of beginner spells was a real issue.
Fireball wouldn't work. A large area spell traded away distance.
Only spells like fire bolts or ice bolts—sacrificing coverage to focus on penetration and range—were viable.
But precisely because they covered less area, they were even harder to land on a moving aerial target.
As for his second-tier Phantom Walker abilities, they leaned toward stealth assassination—too vicious, not suitable for a sparring match like this.
Sure, if he really wanted to, he could force it with some clever play.
But that would expose his trump cards too early.
So Leon decided to win this fight purely with a mage's methods. After all, with dual-class mana backing him, he—this first-tier mage—wasn't inferior to a second-tier in practice. And beginner spells were compatible across the first three tiers; his "first-tier mage" label could honestly be treated as second-tier strength.
Aside from fourth tier and above—where stats and skill levels truly diverged—combat in the first three tiers leaned more on strategy, tactics, skill selection, and mana/stamina management.
As a high-level player who had pushed every stage to its limit, Leon had spent significant effort early on—after awakening his memories—learning how real-world combat differed from game combat.
After blending both sets of experience, his practical fighting skill far exceeded his current tier.
After thinking for a moment, Leon formed a plan. He spread both palms and thrust them skyward.
Whoosh—!!
A violent wind surged upward.
Thirty ice bolts rode that gale, rocketing forward at high speed.
Beginner Wind Magic: Gale ×3
Beginner Water Magic: Ice Bolt ×6
Nine spells, cast in one breath!
So far since the start—mana: -12.
The combined effect of nine spells was outstanding. The gales wrapped around thirty ice bolts as thick as sandbags, and the temperature of the wind dropped sharply all at once.
This was Leon's pseudo-intermediate spell—built by chaining multiple beginner spells together:
Cold Front.
A technique only possible with chantless casting and high-frequency spell output.
One of Leon's strongest "hidden cards" as a mage at this stage!
Its power still didn't match a true intermediate spell—but it surpassed the upper limit of beginner magic in one leap, combining high speed and long range with heavy power and wide coverage.
Using it repeatedly could also increase mastery toward the "real" intermediate version, letting him learn it early—something required for reaching fourth tier.
Most importantly, it currently cost only nine mana!
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh—!!
Driven by the Cold Front's powerful gale, the attack slammed into Iris's position in an instant.
Even flying high above, Iris was suppressed by the shocking speed and broad coverage. She had no choice but to halt midair, thrust both hands forward, and cast a high-strength defensive light barrier.
BOOM!!!!
Seventeen ice bolts smashed into Iris's defensive shield under the Cold Front's push.
The remaining thirteen grazed past the edges.
Under the impact, the light barrier rippled with chaotic distortion—
a sign that its defensive integrity had dropped sharply.
Even though part of the power didn't connect, it was still pseudo-intermediate magic—its force was absolutely extraordinary.
After weathering the initial hit with her barrier, Iris immediately sensed the danger. She beat her light wings and retreated, avoiding the follow-up surge of the Cold Front.
"I've already used more than ten beginner spells' worth of moves, Iris—you can make your move now!"
Leon's voice carried up to her.
A look of understanding flashed in Iris's eyes.
"No wonder that spell felt like an intermediate spell… it was multiple beginner spells fused through rapid high-speed casting?"
Since the ten moves were over, Iris didn't intend to hold back anymore.
Facing Leon's repeated rapid-fire assaults, she had actually felt pressured—rare for her—and she regretted how proud she'd been to give him that ten-move opening.
If Leon used that kind of attack one or two more times, even with flight, she probably couldn't tank it for long.
"Judgment, descend!"
"Six suns—molten golden spearhead! Four split dark-runed edge!"
"Condense—O holy Hermes' Spear of Judgment!"
As Iris chanted at high speed, a spear of light condensed in her palm. She drew her body back, poised to hurl it with a full extension of her arm at any moment.
It was technically beginner elemental magic—but in Iris's beautiful pure-blood elven incantation, the spear was compressed to an extreme, its radiance contained inward—clearly holding terrifying power.
"This is a soul-linked spear—an unavoidable strike!"
"Leon, you should be able to tell I'm not lying."
"You'd better think carefully about whether you can defend against it. If you can't, you'll take severe physical damage. If you're unlucky, you might need months to recover!"
"Even now—you can still concede!"