Chapter 158: [158] Perfoming Magic (2)

Although Ark had made a show of tanking Cain’s attack as though it was nothing but a passing breeze, his little show had actually been due to a complex mix of several of his skills.

First, the most obvious of them was his trait, [Heat Resistance]. This was the very trait that allowed the basilisks on the volcanic plains to literally swallow lava.

Sure, there were spells much hotter than lava, so there was a chance he still would have been in trouble.

But that was only if he had relied on that spell alone...

He still had [Armament], the skill that allowed him to enhance every single part of his body, bolstering his defence....

The Iron Body trait that made his bones as tough as iron, mana defence that could shield him against any form of attack...

Combining all these and more, adding to the fact that Cain had spread out his attack instead of concentrating it on one point, all Ark had felt was a pinch at best.

As for the soul-corroding aspect of his spell. Well, Ark frankly had no idea why he was able to defend against it. He hadn’t even known it had such an element until he heard someone scream it in the crowd.

But if it had anything to do with the mind, then Ark was immune to mind attacks as well. It was that simple, but of course, Ark had no plans on explaining anything to Cain.

"You’re keeping me waiting. I don’t like to wait." Ark stared at the spells in his hand. "Are you going to make a decision, or?"

Cain’s grip on his staff tightened as he frowned deeply, his face contorting with rage.

"Do you think I will be fazed by your little party tricks?"

He waved his staff upwards, with effort, as though he was pulling the staff through a thick wall of glue.

’What sort of spell does he plan on using now?’ Ark was honestly impressed by how many spells Cain had gathered.

Unlike him, who had gathered so many skills in different classes, Cain had concentrated on his field. He was the prime example of what a spell caster should be.

That was why the notion of fighting him excited Ark—

?!

Crack!

Ark stared down, just as claws made out of black ash suddenly tore through the ground below his feet, reaching at him from all sides.

He immediately dashed to the left, one of the claws brushing his robe. The moment it made contact, Ark watched as the fabric melted away.

It was no ordinary ash...

’Is it corrosive?’

Ark dashed to the side, his two feet ankle deep into the floor as he used [Dirt Drifter] to evade the spell.

Bang—Swoosh—Bam!

The ash chased after him while Cain coordinated it like a mad minstrel, the ash burning every single thing it made contact with.

"Haven’t you gotten tired of running? You should be a dancer instead of a mage!"

Cain swung his staff down, and Ark was suddenly blanketed by a large shadow. He stared up to see a large cloud of ash in the sky.

’It should be easy enough to dodge.’ Ark mused. Since it was concentrated at one spot, he could—

Booom!

The words died on his lips as the cloud suddenly burst apart, sending over a hundred arrows of corrosive ash coming down on him from all directions.

Ark laughed. "I see..."

His wand was suddenly covered by orange fire as he waited for the strikes.

’Finally!’ Cain thought internally.

Ark had tried to insult him by refusing to use an advanced spell. But this was an attack that he could not evade without pulling out whatever he had been keeping hidden.

He stared at his flaming wand with narrowed eyes. ’What spell is he going to unleash?’

The black ash came in all directions, and Ark suddenly flipped in the air, causing dozens of projectiles to melt into the floor.

And then he swung his hand at the other projectiles, his hands moving so fast that he was a blur of orange motion.

He dashed from place to place, swinging his wand as though it were a sword and dismantling arrow after arrow, leaving the crowd more than stunned.

Gently, seconds later, Ark had dismantled every single one of them, all without summoning a single spell.

’This bastard!’ Cain hissed in his mind as he raised his staff.

"How dare you insult me?!"

The only time another mage stuck to using basic spells was when he was sure he could dominate his opponents without using anything else. This was usually when his opponent was a trainee or his disciple.

"You asked me a question earlier..." Ark said as he dusted off his cloak. There were a few burns here and there, but overall, it was still intact.

"You asked whether I am not tired of dodging." Ark sighed. "Actually, I am."

He pointed his wand towards Cain, and the crimson crystal began to glow fiercely. Orange flames sparked into existence, the fire curving around the staff to form a small ball of fire.

— Isn’t that a basic fire spell?

Someone in the crowd noted as they watched Ark.

There was no doubt about it, from the shape and the pattern of the mana, it was definitely a basic fireball—

’Spell amplification.’ Ark activated his skill in his mind.

The fireball sparkled turbulently, growing larger, brighter and several times more fierce.

’Armament.’

Orange fire flickered with red flames, the mana flaring with even more intensity.

And finally...

’Transcend!’

VWOOOOSH!

The fireball suddenly expanded, growing ten times the size of a regular F-Rank fireball. Red flames danced within the orange fire,

Ark’s clothes were billowing back from the sheer intensity of the flames, and the floor below him began to melt.

The spectators could not believe their eyes.

— Is that really a regular fireball?!

— That is not possible! It is at least twenty times the size!

They began to argue among themselves, unable to figure out what was happening before their eyes.

A good number of them in the crowd were mages, but to them, Ark was performing magic. Because there was no logical explanation for what they were seeing.

Sure, high-level mages with maximum comprehension, or spell amplifiers could have similar results. But Ark was a fledgling who hadn’t even ascended! To them, it was impossible.

Once again, Ark was stealing all the spotlight, and this caused Cain’s mouth to turn bitter.

"Use as many tricks as you want, you won’t scratch me with that paltry display!"

Green fire began to form around Cain’s staff as he pointed it forward. But unlike last time, where he had expanded it just to swallow Ark, he kept it at its normal size.

One part of the room was bathed in a bright orange glow, while the other was coated in an eerie green gleam.

And then they both unleashed their spells.

SWOOOOSH!

The two fireballs collided with a shockwave that shook the very arena down to its foundation.

The dome around them trembled, cracks forming across its surface as fire lashed out at it.

"Ha! An F-Rank spell versus an A-Rank?!" Cain screamed over the raging fire, his hair billowing in the resulting winds.

"You may have made it bigger, but did you really think it would get to me?!"

At the other side of the room, Ark silently watched as the colossal fireballs tore at each other like hungry beasts, neither able to maintain dominance over the other.

’I guess I underestimated him...’ Ark mused.

It was already impressive enough that his F-Rank spell was able to compete with an A-Rank, but it seems it would take a little more practice to overcome it.

"Very well."

He pointed his staff at the fireball and then he flicked it to the side.

Suddenly, the orange inferno split into two equal halves, and curled around the green fire, before charging right at Cain.

Cain’s eyes were bright as the fire descended upon him like a flood, his mouth wide open in awe.

"What the actual fuck?"