Roland found himself getting closer and closer to the invisible barrier Ezekiel had created under his own feet. He had been trying to attack the insolent peasant with [Earth Spikes]. However, his attempts had remained fruitless so far. He had underestimated the strength of Ezekiel's defenses. Still, he wasn't worried, being defensive would only get you so far.
Roland noticed movement up above. Through his [Earth Sense] ability, he observed Ezekiel sitting down on the ground. He didn't get a clear picture through his spell but he was pretty certain that his opponent had just yawned.
He gritted his teeth. How dare that peasant pretend to be bored? His thoughts were interrupted when the earth trembled slightly. For a moment, Roland was worried that this might be something that Ezekiel had done. However, he quickly found the true reason for the disturbance. The audience had gotten to their feet in droves. What could have prompted this? Did Ezekiel cast some kind of Magic where he couldn't see?
Roland strained his senses in order to pick out what the people were yelling. The way [Earth Sense] worked was through vibrations. Experienced Mages could perfectly pick out voices through this technique alone. Roland, on the other hand, only got a hint of what people were saying if they yelled loud enough. Fortunately or unfortunately this was the case here.
He could hear hundreds of voices calling him a coward, a disgrace, and an embarrassment. His temper flared. Did they not understand that this was simply a strategic way of fighting and not cowardice?! He would show them! He would show them all! All he had to do was break through Ezekiel's barrier and obstruct his line of sight to the ground. There would be no way for him to protect against his Magic then. Roland began to attack the barrier with a renewed sense of determination.
Roland could feel the barrier weaken. It was only a matter of time now until he broke through. If he could just get a little more power. He moved a little closer to the barrier. He still had to be careful not to get too close to the surface. He could not lose his head in this situation. There was no need to take any unnecessary risks after all.
His newfound calm was soon replaced with impatience under the jeers of the crowd. This was taking too long! Maybe he could just get a little closer. It was not like Ezekiel had any way to attack below ground anyway. With his mind made up, Roland approached the barrier to a distance of two meters.
Suddenly, something changed. He could not control the Earth anymore. The ground was vibrating with a new sound. As the surroundings got quiet he could clearly make out the sound of laughter. A malicious cackle that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Not good! He had to get out of here!
To his growing horror, Roland noticed that the earth all around him had hardened as well. He tried to use his [Tunnel] spell to move, but it was all to no effect. Roland started to panic. He tried to move his arms and legs. Nothing. Why couldn't he move? It was as if there was an invisible barrier all around him. But that was impossible, how could…
Was this Ezekiel's doing? Did he somehow create his barrier below ground? No, that was impossible. The spell needed a direct line of sight, he was sure of it. He focused on his [Earth Sense] in order to make out what Ezekiel was doing.
The other boy had gotten to his feet, by now. Roland's blood froze when he saw Ezekiel's face. He couldn't get a clear picture of the other boy through his spell. All he saw was an outline of his silhouette. But even this was enough to shock him to his core. Ezekiel was looking right at him.
The silhouette's mouth moved and with a slight delay, Roland heard Ezekiel's words through the vibration on the ground.
"This is gonna be good."
Ezekiel had gotten to his feet. With a satisfied smile, he took in Roland's form. The Earth Mage looked like a bug trapped in amber. Despite the earth separating them, he was sure that Roland must have some way to observe him.
Zeke looked up at one of the screens that displayed the fight. From the angle of the recording, he quickly identified the position of the crystal that was recording him. He turned his head in that direction and looked directly at the recording crystal.
"Mom, make sure Maya doesn't watch this next part," he demanded in a loud voice. Then, much more quietly he added, "This is going to be brutal."
Zeke could see Roland's struggles intensifying. He had to hurry up. He wouldn't be able to keep such a large area frozen for long. Not while Roland was fighting teeth and nails against the spell.
Zeke extended his right arm. A line of blood immediately shot out of his palm. He extended his [Blood Whip] to the length of four meters. The sanguine thread had only a fraction of its usual girth. The spell didn't have a problem cutting through the ground even while being a finger wide. But the additional friction would still slow the attack down.
Zeke had a much better mastery over the spell compared to a month ago. He used it in two different forms now. A version to cut and a version to grab. The two versions of the spell were summoned with different intents. For the sturdier version, he would imbue the spell with the intent to hold a lot of weight and be robust.
In stark contrast, the version he had summoned now was only made for a singular purpose, to cut. This [Blood Whip] wasn't much thicker than a hair. Despite how thin the spell was, it was hard to miss. The Magic shone with a sinister red light. It perfectly matched his hair in color as he swung the spell over his head to gather momentum.
When the [Blood Whip] was only visible as a blur above his head, Zeke decided that it was time. He released the barrier that was holding Roland in place just before slicing through the ground beneath his feet.
The thin thread passed through the ground unhindered. The spell emerged on the other side a moment later and Zeke quickly retracted it back into his body. The entire stadium was silent. The cut in the ground was so narrow that it could not even be seen from a ways off. It appeared to the audience as if Zeke's attack had done nothing.
A moment later, the silence was broken by a muffled scream. The voice seemed to come from below ground. Zeke stepped out of the way as a brawny man landed in his former spot. The man pointed upward. The earth parted at his feet. It took only an instant for a screaming Roland to emerge from the ground. The howls of agony were much louder now that he was no longer buried.
Many spectators gasped in shock upon seeing the boy. Roland's upper body seemed to be unharmed, with not a hair out of place. The same could not be said about his legs and feet. The problem was that the two parts of his body had emerged separately. There was a clean cut separating his legs from his torso.
A squad of healers was not too far behind the Earth Mage. They shot Zeke dark looks as they passed him. He could do nothing but accept the criticism. He was making them work harder than all the other contestants combined.
Despite the severity of the injury, the extremely clean cut made it easy for the professionals to reattach his legs. Not even a minute later, the now comatose boy was made whole again. Zeke had not waited around for them to finish their work, however. He was already on the way to the exit. Halfway there, the crowd finally awoke from their stupor.
A deafening wave of applause swept over the Colosseum. Zeke waved with a smile as he made his way through the gate.
"Blood Dragon! Blood Dragon!"
Zeke could still hear them chanting his nickname by the time he stepped out onto the balcony of Sophia's lounge. He saw that his three friends were in deep conversation. They didn't even seem to notice his approach.
"How the hell did he do that?" Viola asked. "Did Roland just decide to pass under him at exactly the right moment?"
"I told you," Leo insisted, "Zeke has eyes in the back of his head. It is downright creepy how much he can see!"
"Even if that was true, how can he see through the floor?" Viola said. "What do you think, Soph?"
"I think," Sophia began, "that we should just ask him directly." She turned her head and smiled at Zeke. The girl had that particular look on her face. He knew what it meant. She had found a new mystery that she wanted to solve. Too bad for her, as he would not divulge his spells.
"Must have gotten lucky," Zeke responded to the unasked question.
"Luck my ass," Viola responded with a snort. "You better start talking, mister, or there will be consequences…"
Zeke chuckled at the toothless threat. He knew exactly what those consequences would be. Viola would start to pout and throw a tantrum. Still, he would like to avoid that situation if possible.
"I really can't say," he quickly said. "Leo is going to be my opponent in the final. I'm sure you don't want me to lose because he knew about all my trump cards, right?"
Viola didn't seem to believe the excuse completely, but she wasn't so childish as to push when he had already said no. A Mage's spells were his own personal matter after all. It was considered extremely rude to pry. Viola, being from one of the great families, understood that point well. This was nothing more than a temporary interest for her.
The blonde girl that was staring at Zeke with hungry eyes was much more trouble. He sighed and sat down next to her. The two of them were out of earshot of the other two.
"I really can't say, Soph," he explained preemptively. The other girl studied his face. She must have felt his resolve, as her own gaze lowered in intensity.
"Hmm, how about this: I ask you a couple of questions and you just answer if you want?" Sophia proposed with shining eyes. Zeke knew that he probably shouldn't agree to play, but he just couldn't say no to those eyes.
"Fine, you get three questions," he replied after a moment of hesitation.
"YAY! First question: Did you know Roland's exact position before you attacked?" Sophia asked. Zeke nodded. There was no harm in telling her that much. Only a fool would assume that he had swung blindly.
"Second question: Was Roland immobilized before you attacked him?" she asked with a glint in her eyes.
Zeke remained silent. Dammit! This was what he got for playing around with Sophia. Even if he refused to speak, the answer would be made clear by his refusal. He nodded his head again.
"Third question: Did you find a way to use your [Spatial barrier] without having a direct line of sight?" she asked. The smile on her face told Zeke that he didn't need to answer this question either. She was onto him.
"Why even ask if you already knew?" Zeke asked in annoyance.
"All I had was a theory. Your reactions are what confirmed it," she responded with a beaming smile. The girl seemed to delight in his vexation. If he wanted to play those kinds of games with Sophia in the future, he would have to work on his mental poker face.
"Keep it to yourself, alright?" Zeke instructed.
"Don't worry, you can trust me," Sophia replied readily.
The two of them rejoined the group just as the announcement of the next fight was made. Edmund Steiner and Tanya Windspiel entered the arena. Zeke liked them both and didn't have a favorite. Still, his spell told him that Edmund had a much higher chance of victory.
Tanya was a proficient duelist, but her true focus lay in team battles. She enjoyed taking on a supportive role in combat. The Steiner boy on the other hand was a brawler at heart. He excelled in solo fights. Edmund was a one-man army.
Zeke hoped that he would get to see their trump cards. He would have to face the winner of this battle in the next round, after all. The fight started predictably with Tanya taking to the sky and Edmund encasing himself in [Earthen armor].
[Wind Slashes] rained down on the Earth Mage, leaving deep cuts behind. Edmund didn't seem overly bothered by the damage. His armor was repaired almost immediately. He just stood still, weathering the onslaught. His proficiency with the spell was high enough that he could outlast his opponent without a problem.
Tanya also realized this and landed on the other side of the arena. This would be a battle of attrition and she couldn't afford to waste mana on staying airborne for the entire fight. The girl cast her [Wind Steps] spell as she sidestepped the spikes that had just emerged from the ground below her feet. The Wind Mage sprinted toward her opponent. Her every step was augmented by the Wind at her back and the spell at her feet. She was moving at a speed that even Zeke could not hope to match.
It only took her a moment to appear before Edmund. She extended both of her palms toward her opponent and finally released the spell she had been channeling. Zeke recognized the distorted air between her finger as a [Pressure Lance]. This spell was extremely devastating at close range. As expected, the impact sent Edmund stumbling backward. The [Earthen Armor] protecting his chest had been pulverized.
"Nice!" Viola exclaimed. She had her fist clenched. She would naturally support the only remaining Wind Mage in the tournament.
Zeke was curious as to how Edmund faired after taking such a hit. He couldn't imagine him losing that easily. He was not disappointed as the hunched-over form of Edmund rose to his full height only a moment later. Zeke saw no blood on the boy's chest. What had been revealed was smooth stone instead of flesh.
"[Stone Form]", Sophia whispered. "It seems there are more than just a few talents in your grade."
[Stone Form] was one of the spells the Steiner family was most famous for. Instead of being encased by armor as with the [Earthen Armor] spell, it turned the very body of the caster to stone. Zeke had read that only Mages that were at the upper end of the Earth affinity were able to perform this spell. This meant that Edmund was not too far away from having a perfect affinity himself.
Edmund didn't waste any time as he immediately launched a counterattack. The ground rose in a circle around his opponent. The pillars of Earth and stone reached toward the sky in order to trap the girl inside a dome-like structure. Tanya didn't stay still either. She crouched down and got into a sprinter stance. An instant later, she appeared outside the dome.
For a moment, Zeke thought she had teleported. He looked over at Sophia for an explanation. The girl did not disappoint him.
"That was the [Wind Dash] spell. You can think of it as the weaker version of Viola's [Wind Dance] ability. The Windspiel family is related to the Windtänzers," Sophia explained. He nodded at her before returning his attention back to the fight.
The two combatants were sizing each other up. None of them moved. It seemed this fight was far from over. Zeke was intrigued by how this battle was unfolding. Who would come out on top? Unmatched speed or inhumane endurance?