A True Genius Worries

by Sophia Schmidt

  Chapter 80 Day Two¡¯s Aftermath

  While Termyn was still in a daze, Belia didn't miss the opportunity to strike with her most

  powerful lightning spell. The Cingy was incapable of using fusion magic, so it took a clean hit,

  its whole body going into a spasm, keeping it an easy target.

  "Dammit!" Belia thought. "I was so scared when those things attacked, that's only thanks to

  Phloria's instructions that I didn't freeze again.

  And to add insult to the injury, I was in such a rush that I ended using the Bladed Battle

  Armour instead of the Bashing one. Edged weapons are useless against such thick protections.

  F*ck my life. Here goes everything!" ¨C

  As soon as the lightning struck, Belia rearranged the ice shards that composed her armour,

  turning the gloves in war hammers, that she slammed with the combined strength of her

  arms and flight spell between the Cingy's eyes.

  The impact was strong enough to make the beast take a few steps back, while shaking its

  head trying to regain focus. The several blades conjured from the ice armour, started to spin

  on their axis, turning into buzz saws.

  Following Belia's will, they encircled the enemy attacking from all sides, managing thanks to

  their high-speed rotation to cut through the rock-hard skin.

  Termyn scoffed at the girl's efforts.

  "Please! The first hit is for free, the next ones you have to earn them." -

  Just like the day of their first encounter, the Cingy activated Mountain Body, its strongest

  defensive spell. Every inch of Termyn's body turned to a shiny black, its density raised to the

  extreme thanks to a massive flow of earth magic.

  A short charge forward was enough to send Belia crashing against tree, stopping the blade

  swarm in its tracks. Phloria had no idea how to stop something so strong and heavy, yet she

  had to try.

  It was in that moment that the situation turned for the worse, with lightning and dark

  projectiles raining from the sky.

  "That's a game two can play!" Visen inwardly screamed. "Gods, why in the heroes' tales

  they are never caught in the middle of a spell? Talking should be a free action!" ¨C

  It was his time to shine, yet he was forced to keep chanting the third Warden formation, while

  with his foot he activated the magic symbol he had engraved in the ground.

  All he could do was use first magic to create a bang noise, alerting his companions.

  Instantly, the entire area of the fight was surrounded by magnetite enriched stone pillars, that

  acted like powerful lighting rods and intercepted every single electricity magic-based attack.

  "Sh*t! I wanted to complete all three to maximize their effect, but we are losing ground

  every second. ¨C Gritting his teeth, Visen activated the second array, creating a ten meters (11

  yards) radius low gravity field.

  The four mages had all stored a flight spell in their rings or were already flying, so they could

  instantly cope with the sudden change. Gravity or not, it made no difference to them.

  But when Termyn tried to take on Phloria's shield, she only had to give it a strong push

  upwards to send it in the air, like the Cingy was just a balloon.

  Belia's armour had already reformed, and she was ready to intercept the enemy.

  According to the plan, she should have kept it in the air, exploiting the Cingy's weakness to

  wear it down with physical and magical attacks, giving Phloria the time to take care of the Ry.

  But avoiding the sudden hail of dark bullets and foiling all Termyn's attempts to reach the

  ground, required all of her focus, leaving Belia no time to attack.

  Termyn was conjuring tendrils of earth to get back down, generating at the same time thick

  ice shields to intercept Belia's spells and ice bullets to keep her away.

  The Cingy couldn't allow to be hit by a Lift again, it would have been too humiliating failing

  twice for the same trick. Termyn was giving its all, swimming towards the tendrils.

  All Belia could do was use her conjured weapons to cut the tendrils as soon as they arose

  from the ground, while dodging the combined attacks the magical beasts were raining on her.

  Lith could only curse their bad luck.

  "Who would have thought that magical beast can use arrays too? Based on what I have

  seen, if I could use true magic, I could fight on par with one of them. But as a fake magic user,

  we need two of us to make one of them.

  Even if Mirna was still with us, we would still be at disadvantage.

  We have only until Visen's formations run out of juice before the wipe out. Got to take care of

  that Cron, and fast!" ¨C

  As soon as the second Warden array was activated, Lith circled around the flabbergasted

  M'Rook, whose legs were now a few centimetres floating above the ground, grabbing it by

  the tail and throwing it toward Phloria.

  According to the plan, it was up to her to get rid of the Ry with the ace in the hole Lith had

  kindly provided. But even without the lightnings, Sentar's control on the array was on another

  level, compared to Visen's.

  Sentar could freely manipulate the dark bullets aiming only to their enemies, greatly reducing

  the advantage the low gravity field granted the man-pups. The Cron would also reinforce the

  barrage adding wind blades, making any attempt to attack her allies even harder.

  Despite always having refused to learn how to fly, M'Rook was a natural at air magic. Even

  just reacting by instinct, the Ry was able to move enough to avoid almost all Phloria half-

  baked attacks.

  Seeing no other way out, Lith decided to resort to a ridiculous plan that had just popped in his

  head. Termyn was completely focused on Belia and at controlling the tendrils, its back was

  wide open.

  The Cingy had yet to notice that Lith and Phloria had switched opponents.

  Lith shoot a fireball at the ground below Termyn, the resulting explosion propelled it in the

  air, away from the earth tendrils and scattering the defensive shields.

  Lith moved below the belly of the beast, pushing it upwards with all the speed and strength

  he could muster. Visen's array didn't cover that much space, Lith needed to gain momentum

  fast, before the reduced gravity effect wore off.

  He soared the skies, willingly walking into Sentar's trap. Using Termyn as a shield, though, it

  was the poor Cingy that took all the damage in his stead, grunting at its opponent for using

  such a dirty tactic.

  Sentar was forced to temporarily stop the sky array. Termyn could take lightnings all day and

  whistle the whole time, but darkness bullets were another story. Every time they hit, they

  would sap the strength and vitality of the victim.

  When all the momentum had dissipated, and the Cingy started to plummet, Sentar hesitated

  for a moment. The Cron could see its friend had gone limp, its eyes were clouded by the

  fatigue and pain from all the friendly fire it had endured.

  Sentar was worried that falling from that height, Termyn could get seriously wounded if it

  didn't manage to soften the landing.

  Lith exploited their friendship, using that moment to reveal himself, cast
ing his new and

  hopefully sure kill spell. Despite its name, Checkmate Spears had yet to defeat a single

  opponent.

  "Burning Prison!"

  Six fireballs appeared at the same time around Sentar, one above, one below and the others

  in a square shape, resembling for a moment a giant, flaming eight faced die.

  Without giving the enemy the time to react, they all detonated together, inflicting heavy

  damages despite the air shield Sentar had managed to conjure at the last split second.

  Back at the castle, having nothing else to do, the Professors were spectating and

  commentating their students' performances.

  "That's my student!" Professor Vastor was puffing his chest with pride.

  "I always told you, Thorman. Healing magic develops calm and foresight. That alone wins half

  of a battle." He said while actually looking at the Headmaster, trying to get extra funds from

  him, like everybody else.

  "Bullsh*t!" Professor Wanemyre replied. "That's thanks to my classes. Only a Forgemaster can

  have such a quick casting and precision at timing his spells."

  "Bah! You should get a full check-up as soon as possible. Clearly there is something wrong in

  your head." Vastor scoffed at her remark.

  "What if I killed you both at the same time? You are ruining my show!" Manohar yelled

  throwing salty snacks at them. Unlike the others, he was sitting on a very comfortable looking

  armchair, surrounded by bowls filled with delicacies.

  He was zapping from fight to fight, looking for something interesting. Right now, he was trying

  to follow Phloria's group from different angles through the surveillance mirrors.

  "Man, this stuff is good." He said while eating a pretzel-like snack.

  "We should record and sell it. I call dibs on the profits. I need more funds. Okay, Linjos?"

  The Headmaster could tolerate the lack of honorifics, but the idea of making a business out

  the sweat and blood of his students was too much. Those were the lives of young adults, not

  the entertainment for some rich and bored noble.

  Yet the idea had its allure. The academy was a black hole for money, no matter how much the

  Kingdome invested on it, there were never enough.

  "I'm more interested in one student managing to develop a tier four personal spell after a

  month. Great job, Nalear." Professor Nalear replied with a polite bow, using the hand behind

  her back to give the finger to her boastful competitors.

  Before the smoke dissipated, Lith was already charging full speed ahead.

  "I bet everything I have that the f*cking Cron is still alive and kicking. No matter how much I

  put in a single spell, it's never enough against a magical beast." ¨C

  And he was right. Sentar was injured, but far from being knock out. It had managed to

  compensate quality with quantity, conjuring a series of concentric air barriers, halving the

  spell effectiveness.

  While the Cron was still dazed by the booms and the blinding flames, Lith appeared through

  the lingering smoke. Putting the potions finally at use, he punched Sentar multiple times, in

  the head and body.

  Back on the ground, without covering fire, M'Rook was losing ground quickly. The array

  intercepted every lightning, while Phloria's shield offered protection against any quick spell it

  could whip up.

  Phloria was managing to hit more and more often, her sword was perfect for piercing the

  thick fur and skin of the Ry, that was now bleeding from multiple points.

  After using Blast Guard to throw her opponent off balance, she took out something from her

  dimensional amulet, using first magic to keep it on the tip of the sword.

  At her next stab, M'Rook did its best to dodge, but Phloria still managed to use her superior

  mobility to stab through, injecting the Clacker's poison Lith had saved from the previous day

  in the enemy's side.

  Chapter 81 Celebratory Banque

  All those who where spectating, were so astonished to be at loss for words.

  Scarlett and the Headmaster called each other so fast that it was impossible to know who had

  called who.

  "What the heck is that thing?" Asked Linjos.

  "How the heck did a fourth-year student got her hands on a Stunner Clacker's venom?" Asked

  Scarlett.

  Having got his answer already, Linjos returned the favour.

  "Yesterday that group was attacked by Clackers. One of the poisoned ones was recued and

  managed to detoxify himself. I never expected for him to actually store the venom for later

  use."

  "Son of a¡" Scarlett turned back at the fight, were the tables were quickly being turned.

  Termyn had managed to land safely, but its energy reserves were scraping the bottom of the

  barrel. Belia, on the other hand, was could finally show all her prowess.

  By rearranging the ice shard that composed her armour, she was able change the shape and

  size of all its parts.

  Sacrificing her defence, she turned her limbs in giant swords, hammers, sickles, whatever

  came to her mind that was better suited to juggle the Cingy in mid-air, while her conjured

  weapons darted around piling up the damage.

  Phloria kept sticking close to the Ry, while the venom started to take effect, making its

  movements sluggish and uncoordinated.

  Lith instead, could feel that something was wrong. Despite all of his efforts, after a few blows

  Sentar had managed to put some distance between them, blocking the incoming attacks with

  air cushions that dissipated the force of each strike before it could reach the Cron's body.

  "Dammit! Solus, remind me never to get close to a magical beast until I get a decent

  weapon. First the Ry, now the Cron, I'm too weak to get anything from physical attacks, f*ck

  my life." ¨C

  "There, there." Solus replied. "Look at the bright side, you learned this during an exercise,

  instead of risking your life on a gamble."

  "Yeah, you are damn right. This time the glass is half full, even for me." ¨C

  Lith stopped giving chase and started casting another powerful spell, but Sentar was too fast,

  even in its debilitated state. Swallowing its pride, the Cron admitted defeat, using air fusion

  and air magic to run away as fast as it could.

  Sentar swooped down, rescuing Termyn from Belia's clutches before it was too late. With a

  sudden U-turn, it grabbed also M'Rook, using true air magic to make both its companions

  weightless.

  It was only then that Visen completed the third array, conjuring multiple elemental spheres

  that would attack any opponent he would design as a target. Alas, there was no one left.

  To his defence, the whole fight had barely lasted a minute, and every time he had to activate

  an array or dodge an incoming attack, his casting speed had been severely affected.

  Wardens' spells were more suited to be prepared from the rear guard, rather than in the line

  of fire.

  "F*ck!" He yelled. "Right now? All that casting and sweat for nothing?"

  "Who cares?" Belia was on cloud nine. "We won! This time they were the ones running away.

  We should celebrate¡"

  "Where is Lith?" Phloria cut her short, refusing to lower her guard yet.

  "Right here." Said a voice from above.

  Watching his face, one could think they had actually lost. Lith could barely contain his anger

  and frustration.

  "Why did I even wast
e all that time learning martial arts again? They are useless against

  magical beasts, and against humans I just need the simplest spell to kill or incapacitate them."

  "Well, maybe because you were so clumsy you would trip on your own feet?" Solus

  sarcastically reminded him.

  "Also, they are not useless. All that footwork practice saved our lives countless times. If in the

  future you get cornered, what would have you said if you did not do it? 'Oh, why I was so

  arrogant? Why didn't I learn them again?'.

  You are unbelievable, nothing is good enough for you. Too cold, too hot, too lukewarm.

  Enough with you control issues, quit whining and rejoice! You'll ruin everyone's mood." -

  Just looking at him, everyone assumed back their combat position, believing Lith's demeanour

  was caused by an impending danger he was going to warn them about.

  "Where is the enemy?" Asked Phloria looking left and right, keeping an ear out for any

  suspicious noise.

  Lith used Life Vision, searching the proximities for any sign of danger.

  "Gone, I'd say. Even from above, is all trees and small animals."

  "So, did we really win?" A radiant smile appeared on Phloria's face, finally lowering her estoc.

  She turned towards her companions, her arms raised to the sky in sign of joy. The others

  followed her suit, getting close to each other.

  Before something unspeakable, like asking him to partake in a group hug, could happen, Lith

  burst their bubble.

  "Do you really want to start screaming in this gods-forsaken forest? I say that with all the

  ruckus we made, it's better to go back to our haven, before another uninvited guest shows

  up."

  "Party pooper!" Solus scolded him. "Nonetheless, let's get out of here. The rings are empty,

  and your mana reserves are dangerously low."

  "I know. Using a tier four spell requiring hexacasting, while using three kinds of fusion magic

  really did take its toll. And I can't even use Invigorate too much. Having an apparently infinite

  mana capacity would rise too many questions." ¨C

  His words spoiled the happy mood, and by the time they got back at the cave most of the

  euphoria was gone.

  "I still can't believe it." Belia's cheeks flushed at the thought of their battle.