The discussions among the three black wizards in the stands were beyond the comprehension of the apprentices below. After finishing his own battle, Sain moved with Bos to the high-level apprentice area to closely observe the ongoing fights.
"Hey, Sain, I'm over here!" His senior sister, Faye, waved to him as Sain, wearing the pale mask, entered the zone of high-level apprentices. Faye had already concluded her battle, and due to her mastery of ferocious fire magic and several magical artifacts gifted to her by Master Mosido and Senior Brother Zoro, her ranking was already secured among the top three.
Meanwhile, Sain's girlfriend, Lina, and Liliana—who had crossed paths with Sain once—were still engaged in their battles. At this point, two slots had been secured, and they were vying for the last spot.
Lina's opponent was an apprentice who specialized in the rare skill of corpse amalgamation. From this apprentice, Sain could see traces of the master dark wizard Kossoron's influence. Not only did he summon a grotesque creature made from the bodies and heads of various beasts, but he also sported four arms, sending chills down Sain's spine. Even more disturbing was a red tumor that pulsated on the apprentice's neck, the heartbeat ominously echoing as though it was nurturing something.
The combat tactics and methods of high-level apprentices far surpassed those of intermediate and low-level apprentices. They wielded numerous spells—often a dozen or more—and had various hidden trump cards. For instance, this tumor-bearer not only had a twisted creature as his fighter but also possessed some abilities akin to a death ray. Additionally, the gray cloak he wore seemed to be a piece of high-quality magical gear.
In contrast, aside from the black crystal stone bracelet that Sain was familiar with, the only other magical artifact in Lina's possession was a black bangle on her wrist. She appeared to have also mastered two new shadow elemental spells—one that shot rays from her fingers and another that formed orbs of dark energy.
As a newcomer to high-level apprenticeship for less than six months, Lina would find it incredibly challenging to come out victorious in this battle.
"Your girlfriend has some decent skills; she's managed to push Death Hand Mike this far. I thought the battle would end quickly," Faye remarked, smiling.
As an advanced student, she knew well who had the potential to secure places in the top rankings before the assessment even began. Death Hand Mike was undoubtedly among the best of the academy's high-level apprentices. Not only was he adept with death magic, but his fearsome amalgam beast was also quite formidable.
Logically, the last spot for the top three seemed destined for Mike. Yet, the current situation revealed that he wasn't as sure of victory as one might think.
In response to Faye's teasing, Sain opened his mouth to say something but suddenly froze, his expression shifting as he focused on the battleground.
Lina had,
as expected, retained her reputation as "the crazy woman," and even within the high-level circles, she hadn't changed much. As Mike alternated between close and long-range attacks with his amalgam beast, it was clear Lina's conventional tactics wouldn't suffice against him.
However, Lina was not one to easily give up. As she gathered a powerful fireball in one hand, a vibrant aura of dark elemental energy began accumulating around her crystal necklace in the other. The simultaneous readiness of these two spells caught Mike's attention, but what nobody expected was that instead of launching them, Lina's bangle shimmered. She transformed into a shadowy figure, darting toward Mike at incredible speed!
"What?!" More than one apprentice exclaimed in shock, their voices rising.
This caught the attention of the three black wizards in the stands as well. One of them, presumably wanting to diffuse the cold hostility evoked by Andis, remarked, "To release two spells simultaneously—no, more accurately, it should be three."
"Though it's suspected she has assistance from two magical artifacts, her refined mental power and delicate control of magic are remarkable," this wizard praised.
The wizard noticed the intricate coordination of Lina's three spells. In contrast, the most powerful wizard present, Andis, observed that Lina was going against the norm, choosing to close in on Mike instead of keeping her distance.
As a spellcaster, Andis understood well the consequences of being rushed. While they indeed wielded immense elemental powers, the frailty of their physiques was a well-known reality among spellcasters. Only bloodline sorcerers and a select few other magic-wielders exhibited strong melee capabilities. Most others relied on magical shields or summoned creatures for close combat defense.
Although Mike had his amalgam beast, it was evidently mindless and quite clumsy in its movements. Judging by Mike's current frantic state, he likely hadn't mastered any skills pertaining to protective magic, either.
"Boom!" The sound of a massive fireball exploding reverberated.
Following this explosion, a wave of almost twenty smaller explosions erupted in succession. Lina had enhanced her explosive fireball, which Sain had seen about two months ago in the Abyssal Street. The initial massive fireball directly obliterated the amalgam beast standing in front of Mike, and as the creature struggled to rise again, the subsequent barrage of smaller fireballs rendered it immobile.
Fire elemental magic clearly reeked havoc on the beast! Seizing this moment, Lina dashed toward Mike.
Mike hastily released two death rays, which Lina countered with one and evaded the other. Just as Mike attempted to employ another technique, Lina was already behind him, her right hand glowing with dark energy poised at Mike's neck.
"Wow!" A wave of astonishment swept across the training ground.
Two of the owls monitoring the area swooped down, their keen eyes fixed on the confrontation between Mike and Lina. Mike, now at Lina's mercy, faced a myriad of shifting emotions—his face alternated between pale and flushed. Was it shameful anger, or was the influence of his own death magic wreaking havoc on his body?
A faint, repulsive stench emanated from the joints of Mike's extra arms.
"You think you've won? Go ahead and try to make a move!" he taunted.
"But I assure you, the moment you do, your body will be engulfed in toxins from my Bone Cloak, and your corpse will become a feast for my pet!" Mike boasted.
As anticipated, the magical cloak behind him was already floating in the air, subtly blocking all avenues of retreat for Lina. The once-fallen amalgam beast was also struggling to stand back up, dripping with slime and blood, showcasing its remarkable vitality.
How could Lina be threatened by Mike, and yet still earn the moniker "the crazy woman"?
Indeed, with Mike's voice trailing off, the dark energy in Lina's hand not only held steady but intensified.
As the next moment approached and the pitch-black magic beam was set to strike Mike and turn him into a porcupine…
"Stop!" Sain's voice cut through the atmosphere from outside the arena.