Sword Saint's Reincarnation-Chapter 82: Semifinals (3)

Rylan stared at Jasmine with a grin, letting her catch her breath.

She ran her fingers through her sweaty hair after wiping her forehead with her shirt. It changed her hairstyle, but she clearly didn’t care.

“How did you become so good?” she asked, looking at him with some confusion. “Even if you’re a genius who has been training for years… the difference shouldn’t be so great.”

Rylan shook his head, smiling.

“Can’t a man have some secrets?”

Jasmine frowned.

“I just want to train in the same way. We’re not done. I’ll fight you as many times as it takes to finally defeat you.”

“I can suggest you some training methods. You wouldn’t be able to copy me completely, though.”

“Why? Are you saying I’m not good enough?”

Rylan blinked and smiled bitterly.

“No, that’s not it. It’s just complicated.”

“Tell me, then.”

He stared at her determined expression with tired eyes. Were all teenage girls this exhausting? He couldn’t remember.

“No,” he stated firmly, making sure there was no room for disagreement.

Jasmine clicked her tongue and pouted a bit before sheathing her sword. Steel slid against leather. She grabbed the wand on her waist.

“…Even if you’re better than me at swordsmanship, it isn’t what I’m best at,” she said. “Just give me a few minutes to rest.”

Rylan nodded with a grin. Almost immediately, she lay down on the floor, looking at the sky while taking deep breaths, arms and legs spread out in a star shape. He laughed. Why did she trust him not to take advantage of her defenseless state? Maybe it was because this was a friendly competition, or because she thought they had a bond as swordsmen.

Well, it’s not like I’m gonna do anything.

Rylan sheathed his weapon and stretched his body. He used this lull to look at the higher floor where the judges sat. He first looked at Alice, who was staring at him like he was a ghost. She narrowed her eyes once their gazes met. Before she could mouth anything, he looked at the person who interested him most. Damian Gassiec was staring at him with a slight grin.

Rylan sharpened his perception, making it reach its current peak. His full attention was turned to the Headmaster. However, no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t get a firm grasp on Damian’s power. It bothered him.

Peak of the Fifth Circle? Higher?

This was without considering that his combat ability could be even greater than it seemed. Rylan was flooded with the feeling that Damian was an opponent he couldn’t defeat yet, even though he had reached the Second Circle and acquired the Mana Cultivation Skill.

Some people in the audience shouted, while others desperately waved their arms, but Rylan ignored all of them. Lost in his thoughts, he only barely noticed Jasmine getting up after some time.

“I’m ready,” she said as she dusted off her sweaty clothes. Her body still trembled, but it was clearly more stable than before.

Interest twinkled in Rylan’s eyes as he turned toward her and took three steps back. A moment later, his wand was pointing at her. He smiled.

“This time, you’ll be the one to show me your pinnacle,” he said.

Of course, this little battle hadn’t been his peak. He hadn’t circulated his mana or used any Sword Arts. However, he didn’t know what the consequences of showing all that in front of so many people would be. The moment his abilities surpassed what was considered ‘possible,’ others would try to learn anything they could about how it was achieved. Mana Cultivation had the potential to revolutionize the way this world looked at mana, or, at least, this kingdom.

If Aura exists in this life, I’m certain there are people out there who have awakened it.

Yet, so far, he hadn’t seen even the smallest bit of knowledge acknowledging its existence. Before he understood why, it would be better to keep Mana Cultivation and his knowledge about Aura a secret.

His concentration dragged himself back into the present once Jasmine raised her wand. He honed his senses, raising his focus to the peak. When it came to spellcasting, she was above him. From now on, their roles would switch.

After a second of silence, Jasmine started chanting. Rylan immediately dashed to the side, circling her and starting to cast Magic Missile. Even though he was casting the simplest spell, they finished at the same time.

“Magic Missile.”

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“Fire Ring.”

Flames coalesced around Jasmine and expanded outward, but Rylan’s Magic Missile forcefully pierced through them. Jasmine only took a single step back, avoiding the spell as the fire roiled over the stone floor.

She aimed it low.

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The flames touched the ground, scorching the tiles. It meant that he couldn’t duck under the spell like he had done before. There was no need to consider if retreating was an adequate course of action; against a superior Mage, widening the distance would actively play to his disadvantage. This was without mentioning that her Fire Ring could probably go all the way to the mana barrier.

The only possibility was to jump over it using his full strength. However, Roland’s battle senses and experience told Rylan that was exactly what she was aiming for. Leaping over the spell would cripple his ability to dodge to the side without using Snowfall to step on the air, which he naturally couldn’t reveal.

Rylan’s senses reached their peak. The fire approached him rapidly as he cast without moving. A wave of blistering heat hit his face, but he didn’t even blink. The moment the flames were about to wrap themselves around him, a small layer of mana appeared over his skin. The Fire Ring clashed against his Magic Shield; it was abundantly clear to him which one was going to win. However, he didn’t need to block the spell completely. All he needed was some time.

Rylan shot forward as the flames melted through his Shield and reached his skin, crawling over it. They charred whatever they touched, flooding his senses with pain and forcing him to grit his teeth. He forcefully broke through the Ring, sustaining the necessary injuries. Without stopping for a single second, he continued to run with focused eyes. Jasmine blinked before waving her wand. The flames disappeared like they had been a lie.

His lead foot stepped strongly on the floor.

“Earth Spikes.”

A ripple flowed from the point of contact as the stone rose and pierced at Jasmine. A Magic Shield appeared around her, but she didn’t stop moving. She weaved between the Spikes, relying on her Shield for the ones he couldn’t properly dodge.

Very good.

Even though it hadn’t been long at all since they started fighting with magic, he could tell she was a step above the opponents he’d faced before. This feeling would likely only intensify as the battle went on.

What did he have to do to win?

Rylan’s heart thumped in his chest as he tried to reach his most optimal state. This question endlessly repeated in his mind, but he didn’t stop casting or moving. Once more, they finished at the same time.

“Ray of Frost.”

“Water Sphere.”

From the tip of Rylan’s wand, an icy blue beam shot toward Jasmine. She stepped to the side, but it still grazed her right leg. Almost immediately, a layer of frost started crawling over it, spreading throughout her thigh. Meanwhile, water took shape around Rylan and flowed around him in a circle.

She’s using area-of-effect spells.

Was it because he had already shown his ability to dodge simple spells in other battles? Instead of aiming for him with Firebolts or even Earth Spikes, she was prioritizing spells that he couldn’t easily avoid. Coupled with his lack of knowledge about which spells she could use, it meant that he would need to push his body further to avoid getting overwhelmed.

This will be difficult.

Rylan smiled. This was where the fun started.

Lowering his center of gravity, he leaped over the water as it began to rise in the shape of a sphere around him, forcefully pushing through it. The water disappeared, melting back into mana, immediately drying up his previously drenched clothes. Rylan looked at Jasmine, still chanting. A small flame had appeared over her wand. She brought it close to the frozen part of her thigh with gritted teeth. It was an opening he couldn’t miss.

“Ray of Frost.”

Still in the process of melting the ice, Jasmine sidestepped. The icy beam passed her uselessly, fizzling out in mid-air before even reaching the mana barrier. Rylan couldn’t help but nod at her reaction speed, especially because it was hindered by the pain. The frost disappeared into droplets of water that ran down her skintight pants. The flame disappeared, but he was already done casting another spell.

The stone underneath Jasmine’s feet rose and wrapped itself around her feet. Rylan swung his wand to the side. The stone pulled, making her stumble and ruining her balance. It flowed back into the floor once she started falling. Rylan began casting Wind Blades, intent on ending this fight.

Nevertheless, he was forced to change his plan with surprise as Jasmine twisted her body. With one hand on the ground, she did a cartwheel and stably fell on her feet. She pointed her wand at him.

“Fireball.”

Mana ignited in front of her in the shape of a large sphere. It flew toward Rylan.

Impressive.

She hadn’t stopped chanting even as she lost her footing and moved, which had resulted in her finishing first. Frankly, he hadn’t expected her to be able to simply use her body to get out of that situation. He couldn’t help but feel some appreciation.

“Wind Blades.”

The air gathered. Instead of aiming the Blades at her, Rylan pointed his wand toward the floor. The Wind Blades reached the Fireball in mid-air, trying to slash into it. The spell powered through them, but its structure was disturbed and altered. Just as it was about to reach Rylan, the last Blade slashed into it vertically. It dug into the gaps created by the previous Blades, just like he’d planned. The Fireball was split in half right before reaching him.

He dashed forward, feeling the spell recover its structure as it passed him. Behind him, the Fireball became whole again. Almost immediately afterward, it detonated in a burning explosion. More flames reached Rylan, even though he was already running. They singed his back, making him grit his teeth. The sheer number of burns was starting to disturb his steeled concentration. Pain assaulted his senses repeatedly, wave after wave.

Faster.

His movement speed increased.

“Rupture,” Jasmine said, finished her chanting.

The arena cracked and shifted. Parts of it rose into walls or ramps, while others sunk and caved in. It was the same spell that Isaac had cast against him. Just like him, her plan was likely to hinder his ability to move around by sealing off certain paths. Even though it meant that he would be able to use the newly-risen walls for protection, the benefits offset this cost. Area-of-effect spells like Water Sphere would reach him all the same, while Wind Blades and Earth Spikes could go around the walls.

Rylan smiled widely as he ran, dashing behind a wall as a Fireball crashed against it. The storm of fire wrapped itself around the wall’s sides, almost reaching him even though he was hiding behind the wall’s center.

His heart thumped within his chest. His Mana Core roared at him, begging him to circulate his mana, but he paid it no heed.

This is it.

It had taken this long into the tournament, but he was finally face to face with his current limits. Now, it was up to him to overcome this. With a smile, Rylan stepped out of cover and shot a Magic Missile at Jasmine. It grazed her left shoulder and drew blood, making her yelp.

I can do this.

Roland had thrived under massive pressure, and Rylan was determined not to be any different. The threat of defeat loomed over him, but he only laughed at it.

Facing a greater Mage than him only made him feel alive.