As expected of the elder-level mage of the Raya Lucaria Academy.
Facing the terrifying earth spike attack, he managed to defend effectively. Even though the three layers of magic barriers shattered in sequence, it seemed as if he had calculated it perfectly.
By the time the last magic barrier shattered, the rain of earth spikes, like ten thousand arrows piercing the heart, was almost over. At that point, there was no longer any attack that could threaten him.
Quietly...
A sneak attack!!
Yes, a sneak attack!
During combat, a sneak attack isn't shameful; on the contrary, it's a normal fighting method.
Only sneak attacks made after a fight has clearly ended, or before it has even begun, are shameful acts.
Thus, Kaito appeared behind the mage and hurled the rock spear in his hand with terrifying force.
Instantly, like a rocket-propelled missile, the projectile broke through several times the speed of sound, tearing through the air as it flew.
The mage noticed, but the speed was too fast; he could hardly dodge.
Under these conditions, he could only channel his magic power to reinforce his magic barrier.
Unfortunately, it was futile.
His last line of defense, the magic barrier, was directly shattered after taking heavy damage, and the hard rock spear pierced straight through his kidney...
He had dodged at the very last moment; otherwise, his entire stomach... no, he would have been split in two directly!
But just as everyone was shocked and panicking, only a few within the magic academy remained composed, including Kaito, who didn't think he had won just like that.
"It seems your magic is indeed very powerful."
Kaito couldn't help but admire the slowly dissipating mage.
Had he prepared his next move back when he was using the magic barriers to block the earth spike attack?
In those ten or so seconds, had he already planned his next response?
Had he known that after Kaito finished controlling the earth spike attack, he would disappear from his original spot and attack him from another side?
Regardless, it was during the previous exchange of attacks that this mage had already made his preparations.
Afterwards, no matter how Kaito attacked him, he would display the same state as before: either the magic barrier wouldn't break, or he would 'die' on the spot, and then slowly dissipate until he disappeared.
The real him had long been hidden.
He had left this 'clone' at some unknown time, while his true self was nowhere to be found.
After praising him on the spot, Kaito slowly turned around, reformed a spear in his hand, and prepared to throw it at a tilted angle into the air.
At that very instant, dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky, and a fierce wind swept through.
Within the gathered clouds above, streaks of lightning dragons could be seen weaving.
The mage's figure also appeared in the clouds. He showed no surprise that Kaito had found his location.
If Kaito couldn't even find him, then he wouldn't have made it this far, wouldn't have reached this point today, and wouldn't be able to challenge Rennala.
"Go!!"
An ancient incantation character exploded. At his command, true lightning strikes descended from the dark clouds!
What came before was child's play; this was true lightning strike!
In an instant, hundreds of lightning dragons fell from the sky, furiously attacking Kaito's location.
But...
"The magic is cool, and the large-scale AoE attack is pretty good."
"I have something similar on hand, but not this violent. I'll have to learn it later."
Kaito spoke with a smile amidst the lightning storm. Under the Geo Archon's shield, he was completely unharmed.
After hurling the rock spear in his hand once more with great force.
This spear simply broke through the lightning storm's assault; no matter how the lightning struck it, they couldn't alter its trajectory.
Did you think that was it?
Did you think Kaito only knew how to throw spears and had no other tricks?
Facts proved otherwise.
The mage, relying on his years of experience, was immediately greatly alarmed. He hastily stopped the continuous lightning storm attack and then formed one magic barrier after another in front of himself.
And he himself kept fleeing upwards.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
The rock spear suddenly became enormous, a full thirty meters long! And its tip pierced through his magic barriers with ease, no matter how many there were!
After that, it suddenly softened, like a soaring Eastern dragon in the sky.
The rock spear slowly continued flying upwards in the air, gradually shedding its skin, the rock exterior peeling off its shaft, chunks falling down one by one.
Its true form was born.
It was a rock dragon!
After it roared towards the sky, its speed increased! No matter how the mage fled, no matter how he used magic attacks to try and destroy the rock dragon, it was all ineffective.
In front of him.
Just as he tried to use the clone trick again to escape...
Kaito had somehow disappeared from his original spot.
Or rather, when the lightning storm covered him, no one could see if he was still there!
Kaito, instead, slowly rose from the head of the rock dragon, then, after a powerful leap from the dragon's head, his figure appeared in front of the mage.
He grabbed the mage's head directly with one hand, formed ten rock walls in the air, and then violently crashed him through them!
The magic shield on his body quickly failed, his body suffered massive trauma, and the rock walls shattered one after another!
"You lose."
Stopping at the last rock wall, Kaito embedded him into the wall.
The rock dragon flew in front of him but didn't continue its assault; instead, it hovered steadily in the air, allowing Kaito to stand on its head.
"Ugh, cough... I lose."
Healing magic continuously worked on his body.
Honestly, he felt like he was about to die.
If Kaito hadn't held back, if he hadn't gone easy, then with the previous attack, it wouldn't have been simply breaking through walls and suffering impacts!
The pain was certainly intense; he felt like all the bones in his body were nearly shattered.
But as a mage, his physical constitution was far from the withered appearance it showed; ordinary attacks couldn't even scratch him.
"Lord Kaito, thank you for holding back."
"Heh, no problem! You performed very well too!"
"...To be praised so highly by you, Lord Kaito, I think my all-out effort earlier was worth it."
"Go get some rest. The injuries inside your body still need proper healing to avoid hidden damage."
"Yes, Lord Kaito!"