City ​​of Witches 1025

Chapter 1025 – #245_Trial Semester (4)

#1020

1.
A hidden powerhouse’s refreshing, righteous retribution.
A satisfying plot that captivates busy and tired modern people.

But when you actually apply it to reality, such things rarely happen.

It’s called a refreshing, righteous retribution, but even if you lash out, it’s only momentarily satisfying, and more often than not, the aftermath is more troublesome, isn’t it?

The same goes for hidden powerhouses.
It’s fun to imagine, but it’s something that rarely happens.

In that sense, there is one good thing about being a witch in a man’s body.

Even if I don’t particularly hide my power, everyone treats me like a loser, so it’s automatically possible to have a hidden powerhouse persona.

Moreover, if that opponent keeps picking fights with you?

The joy of righteously punishing an opponent who was running their mouth is something that any Korean man who enjoys competitive online games would understand, I believe.

The duel began.

Aria Sparrow is a ‘Glacial Witch’ who uses water elemental magic, especially ice magic.

She was confident in her skills, and in fact, she was at a level that she could be proud of.

Having been given the first move, Aria analyzed the current situation while preparing her magic.

The student council president, Shin Siwoo, had fallen for her provocation.
Not only that, but he had countered with a provocation that he would only use 14th tier magic.

At first, she thought it was just bravado, but the more she thought about it, the less it seemed like simple bravado.

It wasn’t because she was being overwhelmed by the pressure she could sense from him as he took a combat stance.

Isn’t it obvious that he’s hiding something?

If they were to fight head-on with equal power, it would be a situation where Aria would unconditionally benefit.

In a situation where there is a difference in tiers, even if they were to compete by limiting their power, Siwoo would naturally have the advantage.
It was also Siwoo who dragged Aria into the extreme method of a duel.

If they fought like this, Shin Siwoo would have nothing to gain even if he won.

So, he deliberately took on a penalty by saying nonsense like he looked easy.

If he gave up the first move and then gave up another move, the return if he won and the risk if he lost would both decrease.

It’s a very political move for someone so young, but….

He made one mistake.

‘Oh, you look very easy.’

He didn’t know when to stop and made such a confident provocation, and that statement was being filmed by an accomplice who was secretly recording.

If he showed an arrogant appearance and was defeated miserably, that would be truly ridiculous.

From the beginning, the client wanted to tarnish his reputation, so in the end, it worked out well.

“You can go first. I hope your skills are as excellent as your way with words.”

Aria stretched her arms out to the sides.
The ultra-low temperature was so intense that the air currents could be seen rippling.

The floor she was standing on turned into an ice rink, cracking the dry ground.

Just because it was limited to the 15th tier, it didn’t mean that its power should be taken lightly.

The duet of Odile and Odette, who inherited the vessel, has a power of about the 8th tier.
Even this level is enough to deflect the main gun of an advanced tank and penetrate a heavily armored bunker.

“Freeze!”

Sparkling diamond dust began to scatter around Aria.
Sharp ice shards bloomed amidst the scattering sparkles, like a sea of stars.

It was an absolute low temperature that could freeze even a boiling furnace, but even this was just a smokescreen.

The thin, needle-like spears refined within the sparkles were the real target that Aria was aiming for.

“As expected of a great witch. She finished optimizing in such a short time…”
“Is that magic with its power limited to the 15th tier?”

Aria chuckled at the exclamations of admiration coming from the surroundings.
Now, if she froze and shattered that shameless face, the scenario would be over.

“It’s perfect timing. Tomorrow’s class will be about the use of magic in magical combat. Let’s do some pre-study today.”

Nonsense suddenly spilled out.

As everyone was making puzzled expressions, black ribbons woven from shadows unfurled around Siwoo.
The ribbons, fluttering like a flag, were engraved with magic formulas that controlled the field.

As elegant and flexible as his current appearance.
The ribbons, like a beautiful law, began to weave through space.

-Clang!

Aria, who had been captivated by the graceful sight of dozens of ribbons swimming freely like limbs, froze in surprise.

The ribbons that had penetrated the magic that was being deployed began to interfere.
Moreover, they were disrupting the most threatening part, the core component of the magic formula deployment.

The most aggressive defense method in magical combat.
Dispel.

“Such a large-scale magic demonstration inevitably creates gaps.”

-Whoosh!

Aria felt a chill run down her spine.

Could it be? In the brief moment she thought that, about 30% of the structure had collapsed.

In that short time, the ribbons, having seen through the weakness, were frantically increasing their interference, trying to nullify the spell itself.

But it was impossible.
Aria gritted her teeth and resisted the interference.

Dispel, which can break down large spells with relatively little power, has long been denied its practicality.

Even though it consumes little magical power, it requires a high degree of calculation and inhuman information processing ability because it is deliberately sticking one’s head into the area where the opponent is most confident.
Also, if the dispel fails, it carries the risk of revealing a huge gap.

In other words, it’s a teabagging magic that’s good for a master to send a novice on a sightseeing tour.

She had been careless, and her pride wouldn’t allow her to be defeated in such a way.

Aria concentrated on her calculations until her face turned bright red, trying to shake off his dispel.

“As such, since magic can be directly interfered with and disrupted, it is best to prioritize speed, but…”

However, even while calmly spouting nonsense, his dispel was wrapping around Aria’s magic as surely as a spider web.

-Clang!

In the end, the magic, having become a complete mess that could not be endured with stubbornness, returned to amorphous magic particles with the sound of glass breaking.

“If you think you’ve lost the initiative, it’s better to give up decisively and prepare your defense.”

-Swish!

Since Aria’s first attack had been nullified by dispel, it was now Siwoo’s turn.
The ribbons did not miss the gap that was revealed as the magic was disrupted.

The ends of the ribbons, twisted like sharp spearheads, rushed towards Aria’s neck like carnivorous plants.
Aria tried to belatedly erect an ice wall to separate them, but it was already too late.

Aria sensed defeat.

-Thud!

“Huh?”
“Otherwise, there’s a high probability that the gap will be exploited. It’s what’s called a magical dynamic reverse operation.”

However, the ribbons were blocked by the ice wall.
Aria had managed to freeze all the ribbons in a fluster, stopping Siwoo’s attack, but she soon grasped the situation.

The reason this was possible was because Shin Siwoo had held back and not continued his attack to the end.
She was being completely underestimated.

-Crunch

Aria clenched her teeth so hard that her molars were about to break.
There was a limit to how much you could make a fool of someone.

“Freeze!!”

-Crack!

A wave of ice surged forth from the frozen platform.

The wave of ice, which was moving like a storm, forming sharp shapes like iron filings attracted by magnetism, surrounded Siwoo and then exploded.

The fragments of sharp and hard ‘cooled’ ice scattered like a claymore, and the cold itself swirled like a storm.

This was actually an attack that exploited a loophole in the rules.

One of the conditions for defeat in a duel is ‘the activation of self-defense’.

Even without making a precise attack, she aimed for victory through a full-range attack that was difficult to deal with one by one.

-Boom!

However, the fragments and the storm of cold that should have poured towards the center curved and soared into the sky.
The trajectory itself was twisted as if it had been guided along the curved surface of the distorted space.

“What, what is it?”
“What happened?”

While the other witches were flustered by the thick smoke and the aftermath of the magic, Aria stared intently at the epicenter of the explosion.

“Furthermore, it’s best to refrain from using magic that obscures your own vision.”

Aria was startled and turned around at the voice that suddenly came from behind.

There, Shin Siwoo was standing calmly as if this was nothing.

What is it?
Did he jump through space?
Is it possible to do this with only the use of the 14th tier?

“You should always pay attention to what your opponent is trying to do.”

What was that defense method just now, and why is he standing behind her? She couldn’t even begin to guess.

“Show off!”

Siwoo’s subsequent attack was too shabby compared to the skills he had shown so far.

The duel’s exchange was limited to three times.
Shin Siwoo had given up his attack opportunity and conceded another attack.

At this point, Aria was also getting heated.
He must have used some kind of cheat.
There was no way such a ridiculous thing could be possible otherwise.

He was clearly using power beyond the 14th tier and was just not getting caught.

Aria further increased her inherent power.

The deeper saturation of her magic power created an output comparable to the 17th and 18th tiers.
It was a clear violation of the rules, but it was the other side that had violated the rules first.

“Ah…! Ms. Sparrow?”

Only Stigma, a detection-type witch who was acting as the referee, noticed the anomaly, as she had even cleverly disguised it.

“Freeze!!!!!”

The cold, which was at a level that could not be compared to the previous one, created the shape of a single flower.

There is a limit to ultra-low temperatures.

In thermodynamics, absolute zero, the lowest temperature, only refers to the state of the absence of heat.
In other words, it can be 0, but it cannot be negative.

But magic transcends that limit, and the ‘ice flower’ that has reached the negative absolute zero began to freeze everything around it.

At that moment, when the cold that would instantly kill a normal human just by being near it rushed towards Siwoo.

“Lastly.”

-Thwack!!!

Siwoo’s straight kick, which was launched forward at a speed that could be described as ‘folding space’, crushed the ground and extended a right fist towards Aria like a flash of light.

-Clang!

His fist, which delivered a terrifying wind pressure, was not only fast, but also had the power to crush the ice flower that Aria had created with just the wind pressure.

“You must not forget to control yourself when you are swept away by emotions.”

Aria looked ahead with trembling eyes.

A fist stopped right in front of her nose.
Countless calluses and scars were engraved on the uneven, rock-like surface.

“Because that is what your opponent wants.”

-Thud thud thud

The remains of the shattered ice flower tapped Aria’s head, but she couldn’t even swallow her saliva properly.

If this fist hadn’t stopped, would she have been able to block it with self-defense?

The duel was over.
In the face of the overwhelming result, only silence filled the arena.

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