Felix stood in place, his arms splayed wide. A crown of flames had formed on his head. The thin whisp of fire could not compare to the spell of legends Zeke had read about. According to the texts on the four great families, the [Crown of Fire] of the Feuerkranz family was as imposing as the ornament of a king. Still, a scaled-down version was already impressive for a mage on Felix's level. Zeke had not anticipated him to be able to cast it at all.
Katja's face also turned serious. She seemed to have shared Zeke's opinion. This was not good news for her. The [Crown of Fire] allowed the Feuerkranz family to control all fire in an area around them. It was akin to an infinitely improved version of [Fire Manipulation].
The spell also worked on other Mages' flames. In war, the spell was used to concentrate the firepower of many Mages into a single spell. In a duel, it made them almost invincible against other Fire Mages while strengthening their own spells. Katja regained her composure a moment later. She plastered a smile on her face.
"There is no way you can control my [All Consuming Flame], not at your level," she stated. But the slight tremble in her voice made it clear that she was not that certain herself.
"How about we find out," Felix challenged.
The girl nodded. With all her strength, she tossed the ball of flame right at Felix. The audience was deathly quiet as everybody tracked the projectile closing in on Felix. He had extended both of his hands and was firing one spell after the other at the incoming blue ball.
The [All Consuming Flame] only seemed to get bigger as it devoured all his attacks. The onslaught of [Fireballs] was barely able to slow down the spell at all. Zeke's eyes were also trained on the now head-sized orb.
Zeke was one of the first to spot the change. The spell was slowing down! The shift was only slightly noticeable at first. The more of Felix's flame the spell consumed, the slower it got. By the time it was a couple of meters away from the Feuerkranz Mage, it was barely moving at all.
Finally, Felix lowered his hands. A bead of sweat had also formed on his brow. Even so, he had a satisfied smile on his face. He drew a circle in the air with his index finger. To Katja's horror, her spell started to circle around Felix. She had lost control.
"It seems this is your loss," Felix proclaimed. Katja gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. It seemed like she would start an all-out attack. However, the tense atmosphere lasted only a moment. With a sigh, her body relaxed. Her eyes were still focused on her spell. The blue fireball was now docilely floating in the air behind Felix.
"Fine, Fine, it is my loss," she admitted. "I surrender the fight."
There were some scattered cheers from the spectators. The fight had not nearly been as interesting to watch as the previous one. Everything had been decided in an invisible clash of spells. Zeke could not blame the crowd for the lukewarm response. He was also disappointed by this outcome. He would have much rather seen the two clash head-on.
"Congratulations to Felix Feuerkranz for advancing to the semi-finals," Jorgel announced. "To the next competitors: Please get ready for your fight."
"That's you, Zeke," Sophia said. "Do you want some advice?"
Zeke reluctantly nodded. He didn't like the idea of having an unfair advantage through outside help. Still, it was not in his nature to turn down an available source of knowledge. He was certain that Roland would also use every possible method to win their fight.
"What do you want to know?" Sophia asked with a smile.
"How much do you know about the specialty Magic of the Erdherr family?" Zeke asked. "I have a pretty good grasp on Roland's capabilities from a month ago. But I don't know what his family might have taught him."
"Thats easy," Sophia stated, "You have already seen it yourself, in his last fight."
Zeke thought back to the battle between Rona and Roland. Roland had hidden underground and then defeated his opponent with a surprise attack.
"Is it his ability to move below ground?" Zeke guessed.
"That's right," Sophia praised, "This ability might not seem like much at first glance, but it is very problematic for some. Wind Mages, for example, have no counter for this strategy at the lower levels."
Zeke ran the simulation in his head. Roland would hide underground, the Wind Mage would take to the sky. The problem became immediately obvious. Roland could remain underground for an almost indefinite amount of time. On the other hand, a Wind Mage at their level could not stay afloat for long. The fight would be over the moment the Wind Mage depleted his core. With no way to strike at a buried target, a Wind Mage had no chance at victory.
A cowardly tactic befitting a cowardly person. Still, Zeke had to agree that this was a huge advantage. Another Earth Mage could easily counter a target underground, but this was a problem for most other Mages. Zeke thought about his options for the coming fight.
"How far is his reach while underground would you say?" Zeke asked with a furrowed brow.
Sophia did some quick calculations before answering. "A couple of meters," she responded.
"How much exactly?" Zeke asked.
"Maybe around five meters. His control is gonna get weaker and weaker the further away he is. I don't think his effective range could be any larger than that. Unless he has a secret I don't know about," she said. Her response brought a smile to Zeke's face.
"Thanks a bunch, Soph," Zeke said, "I'm off!"
"What are you gonna do?" she asked.
"You'll see," He said with a wink as he turned. Without wasting any more time, Zeke made his way to the staging area. He still had a couple of minutes, but he would use that time to get in the right state of mind for the fight.
A short while later, Zeke was fully equipped and waited for the signal to enter the arena. He leaned against his staff as he stared straight ahead. His chance was finally here. He had regretted not stopping Roland during the battle royale for a while now. Had he known about the other boy's detestable character, he would have acted differently.
Instead of the Earth Mage, Rona and Peter might still be in the tournament. He had been too pragmatic in his thinking. Zeke was aware that this was the influence of his Mind core. His Mind affinity would let him determine the most beneficial path in a split second. However, the emotionless pragmatist that was his Mind affinity would not take any kind of feelings into account when advising.
Zeke had to be careful. If he blindly trusted in the intuition of his Mind core he might one day pay a terrible price because of his own choices. His thoughts were interrupted as the man next to the gate tapped him on the shoulder.
Zeke looked up and found the man nodding toward the gate. It was time. He stepped onto the grounds of the arena for the second time today. The applause was even louder now than during his first appearance. Zeke had managed to wrestle the crown of most popular contestant away from Leo. His impassioned speech combined with his ferocious fighting style had won over the masses.
Zeke saw Roland enter the arena from the other side. The young noble was visibly annoyed at Zeke's popularity. For a moment, he thought about making a spectacle in order to annoy the boy even further. However, he let go of the idea. He was too excited to postpone the fight any longer.
Jorgel did a short introduction. He was smart enough to know that any further delay would only annoy the crowd. There was no need to create any further hype for this fight. With a gesture, he signaled the same fat man to strike the gong. A moment later, the loud clang resounded through the Colosseum. The fight had begun.
Roland immediately threw himself on the ground. Zeke was certain that this was to prevent the same situation that had happened with Karl. It was wholly unnecessary, as his staff had not left his hands. He watched as Roland landed flat on the ground. Upon noticing that Zeke had remained motionless, his ears turned red. However, his embarrassed expression didn't stay visible for long as he began to sink into the ground almost immediately. A second later, the Earth Mage had vanished from sight. Compared to when he had fled from Rona's spell, not even a hole remained visible this time.
Zeke started to walk forward. He came to a halt in the middle of the arena and waited. He could take to the air using his [Air Step], but that would lead to the same situation as the Wind Mages faced. Even if he could outlast his opponent that way, the crowd would be bored to tears waiting for one of them to tire. Zeke didn't want to follow up his speech with the most boring fight yet. Also, he had come up with a much better strategy.
He concentrated on his [Perfect Spatial Awareness]. The sphere reached down a couple of meters into the ground. His range might be enough to spot Roland if the other boy were to hide directly below him. However, Zeke didn't mean to rely on chance in this fight. He focused on the ground just below his feet and used his [Spatial Barrier] spell.
[Spatial Barrier] was one of the most powerful defensive spells at their level. The immense defensive capability was offset by two major downsides. First, the Mage had to remain in place while casting. This was not a definite requirement, but the shift in one's position made it extremely difficult to keep the spell going. The second problem was that the Mage had to have a constant line of sight to the area they were affecting. Even a screen of dust was enough to break the spell. Zeke could get around this requirement somewhat with his [Perfect Spatial Awareness] when casting the spell close to his body.
Zeke created the barrier right under his feet. He could affect the ground for a couple of meters in every direction. A moment later, he felt the earth solidifying. The sensation was all too familiar to him. He was using the same principle as with his [Air step]. As long as Roland didn't attack the barrier, he would be able to keep it up indefinitely. With his preparations complete, it was time to enact the next step of his plan.
Zeke yawned heartily. With a bored expression, he looked around the arena as if searching for his opponent. He folded his arms over his chest and waited. After a couple of seconds, he started tapping the ground with one of his feet. It was important for his plan to put on a show.
The crowd soon picked up on the strangeness of the scene. Zeke looked half asleep as he was waiting for his opponent to act. His staff lay discarded on the ground. To any observer, it appeared like Roland had fled underground out of fear. The Earth Mage seemed to be hiding without any intention to fight at all. This perception was only strengthened when Zeke sat down without a care in the world.
"Coward!" a woman yelled. It was like a dam had been broken as a torrent of exclamations could soon be heard from every direction.
"Not so brave now are you, laddie!" A man yelled.
"Hiding like a rat! Disgraceful!" Another exclaimed.
"Fight like a man!" Somebody yelled.
"You bring shame to your house, coward!" A shrill voice claimed.
Even Jorgel's attempts to rein in the people had no effect. The ceaseless onslaught of insults only gained momentum the longer Roland stayed inactive.
A smile found itself on Zeke's face. The people had no idea that Roland had been pushing against his barrier for minutes already. However, all his attempts had remained fruitless as the Earth Magic was no match for the [Spatial Barrier], especially not from a distance. It seemed the insults of the crowd were getting to Roland. Zeke could feel the attempts to break through the barrier gain in intensity. This could only mean one thing: The Earth Mage was getting closer to his position.
For good measure, Zeke yawned once more. The crowd started to curse Roland with renewed vigor. Finally, Zeke registered movement at the very edge of his sphere. Still, he remained motionless. Only the ever-spreading grin on his face gave away his elation.
The crowd quieted down upon noticing that something was happening. After most of the spectators had gone silent, a new voice could be heard. It was laughter, but not one borne of mirth or joy. This was a laugh filled with malice, an insidious cackle that sent shivers down the spine of all who heard it. The sound seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, echoing off the walls of the Colosseum and creating an eerie, ominous atmosphere in the now quiet space. It took a while until the spectators found the source. It turned out to be Zeke. With his gaze toward the ground, he was chuckling maliciously.
Zeke was looking straight down as if observing something only he could see. In a voice too quiet for the audience to hear, he proclaimed his triumph, "This is gonna be good."