Ron’s light arrow attack didn’t inflict fatal damage on Edwin, but that wasn’t his real objective.
When the twelve light arrows hit their targets separately, they did not immediately dissipate like a normal attack; instead, they left twelve faint light marks on Edwin’s magma armor.
These light marks clung to the armor surface like a malignant tumor.
They pulsated along with Edwin’s movement, containing some kind of special energy structure within.
"It’s time to end this."
Edwin hadn’t noticed these deeply hidden marks.
Flames roiled around him as the temperature of his magma armor continued to rise, ready to unleash an even more powerful attack.
He began to accumulate greater power, and the temperature of the flame wings on his back rose sharply, causing the air in the entire arena to warp and distort.
Scalding energy churned within him like molten magma, ready to end this test in one strike.
"Edwin is about to use ’Magma Burst’."
Patty and Laku showed expressions of fear and used spiritual power to warn Ron:
"This is the ultimate technique personally taught to him by the headmaster, with a power comparable to a small volcanic eruption, which even seasoned Moonlight Level Mages dare not face directly."
Yet a smile played on Ron’s lips; this was exactly what he had been waiting for, Edwin to unleash his ultimate technique.
He hadn’t been wasting his time these days; Salamanda had given him special training.
Though it was described as special training, the scenes in his memory seemed more like the impatient headmaster showcasing his amazing skills.
.........
"Kid, if you’re going to participate in Elemental Night, you must understand what real fire elemental control is."
Salamanda stood on a vast sandy plain, emitting a heat as intense as the sun:
"Your previous magical fusion can only be considered child’s play. True elemental manipulation is like this!"
As soon as the words fell, Salamanda’s body began undergoing astonishing changes.
Not Edwin’s partial magma transformation, but complete form transformation.
His flesh began to melt and reorganize, his bones extended and expanded, and his whole body inflated rapidly like being filled with air.
In the blink of an eye, a three-hundred-meter-tall magma giant appeared in the desert.
Every inch of the giant’s skin was flowing lava, and with each breath, it spewed thick smoke.
When he raised his arm, all the underground magma within a radius of several kilometers boiled.
The entire desert’s temperature instantly increased by several tens of degrees, even glassing distant sand dunes.
"This is the ’Magma Colossus’ form, the manifestation of my Phantom Skeleton Prototype."
The giant’s voice echoed like thunder throughout the heavens and earth, with each syllable carrying the power to shake mountains:
"In this state, I am a moving volcano, a living geological disaster."
To demonstrate the terrifying nature of this ability, Salamanda casually waved his hand.
Hundreds of magma balls, each as big as a house, appeared in the sky, containing world-ending levels of energy.
They fell like a meteor shower, creating giant craters with diameters of dozens of meters on the ground.
What’s more frightening is that each crater became a small volcanic vent, constantly spewing magma, completely altering the surrounding terrain.
"Of course, maintaining this form consumes an enormous amount of magic power."
Salamanda slowly reverted to his human form, but the surrounding environment had been thoroughly transformed, with a radius of several tens of kilometers turned into a magma hell:
"Even I can only maintain it for a dozen minutes, but those minutes are enough to turn any enemy to ash."
In the days that followed, Salamanda didn’t impart any specific fire elemental magic to Ron but demonstrated many clever tactical usages.
"Magic isn’t about the size of the power, but about the timing of its use."
Salamanda pointed to the marks left by Edwin on the sandy ground during his training:
"The idea of delayed explosive detonation you mentioned earlier is very smart but can be even more refined."
He extended his finger and sketched complex energy trajectories in the air:
"For example, utilizing elemental resonance to disrupt the opponent’s magical accumulation process. Or creating environmental changes at critical moments to break the balance of the battle."
Salamanda’s fingertip ignited a seemingly insignificant small flame.
But when this flame touched the remnants of light elements left by Ron’s prior practice, something miraculous happened.
"See? There’s a natural resonance frequency between different elements. Find this frequency, and you can achieve great results with little effort."
The entire area’s light elements began to violently undulate, as if stirred by an invisible hand.
This vibration gradually spread, affecting the elemental balance over a larger range.
"Elements do not exist in isolation; they have complex interrelations. Master this relationship, and you can take the initiative in battle."
Though it was just simple guidance, each of Salamanda’s words was a revelation.
Ron felt that his understanding of elemental manipulation had undergone a qualitative leap in these days.
[Elemental Perception Experience Points + 1]
[Elemental Perception Experience Points + 1]
[Elemental Perception Experience Points + 1]
...
[Breakthrough! Elemental Perception (Proficient 100/100) → Elemental Perception (Mastery 1/200)]
["Resonance" Traits evolve into "Elemental Disturbance"]
[Elemental Disturbance: Able to perceive and interfere with the elemental fluctuations of a target, creating energy disarray at critical moments to interrupt enemy’s magic deployment]
.........
Returning to the current battle in reality, Ron displayed a subtle smile on his lips.
"Now is the time."
He whispered, simultaneously activating the true killing move hidden within the light marks.