## Chapter 2179 – Dark Moon
A mage from the Raytheon School glanced at me as he magically cleared away a pile of scrap metal called a Volt Gazer.
375.1 billion volts. That was the voltage of the Thunderbolt the mage had told me about. It was supposedly a new record among 6th-circle mages… Well, it wasn’t exactly comforting. It meant that 7th-circle mages could produce even higher voltages.
‘Whether it’s a record or not, it’s unpleasant.’
Being tested by someone. This situation itself was something I had agreed to when I received the invitation from the Magic Association, but it was still quite unpleasant. However, I couldn’t just do it half-heartedly. Considering my position and influence within the Magic Association, I had to prove myself.
‘It doesn’t matter if I show my full power.’
I would continue to grow in the future. I wasn’t satisfied with my current level.
Of course, I had no intention of showing off the Numbers Artifacts or anything like that. They were still items that were difficult for me to handle alone. If I carelessly revealed them, thieves would target me.
While I was lost in thought, the Raytheon School mage informed me of a change in the next test. They would skip the minor tests like mana capacity, mana control, and magical knowledge, and move directly to magical combat.
‘The Thunderbolt must have been quite impressive. It’s good that we can save time.’
Did they know? The Thunderbolt was an impromptu spell that I used by incorporating the mysteries of the myriad thunders.
They wouldn’t know. Even if I told them, they would probably think it was just boasting and wouldn’t believe me.
The Raytheon School mage activated the barrier around the training ground and left. I looked around the barrier. The source of the barrier seemed to be underground. As befitting the name Raytheon, it was a very sturdy barrier.
‘It doesn’t seem like I could break through it even if I kept hitting it with Thunderbolts.’
I could feel lightning attributes from the barrier. A lightning elemental barrier. Unless one had overwhelming power, breaking through this barrier with lightning elements was nearly impossible. The most efficient way was to analyze the barrier and reverse-engineer it, but that was something even professional barrier specialists struggled with, and it took time.
I was trying to figure out how to break through the barrier when a woman walked into the training ground.
She was a blonde woman with glasses. She wore a neat white two-piece suit with a black robe-like cardigan over her top. The blue circular mark on the shoulder of her robe was the emblem of the Hytel School.
Her blonde hair, which seemed to shimmer in the sunlight, was parted in an 8:2 ratio. Her hair reached down to her waist. One side of her hair was tucked behind her ear, and she wore silver, semi-rimless metal glasses. Her face was as beautiful as a doll, but she had a stern and cold atmosphere, almost expressionless.
Looking slightly down, her chest was noticeably full. Perhaps it was because of her stern impression, but her breasts seemed somewhat vulgar. Her waist was slender, and her hips, covered by an H-line skirt that reached her knees, were also large.
‘No, this isn’t the time for this.’
I was about to fight. I knew I shouldn’t be like this, but… overcoming a man’s instincts was not an easy task.
With a small sigh, I suppressed my lust and looked at my opponent again.
I noticed that the tips of her ears were slightly pointed.
‘If she had elven genes injected, her ears would be longer… It seems like she has an elf ancestor.’
She opened her mouth.
“I am Orsia Hytel, your opponent. Please give it your all.”
The voice that came from her glossy pink lips was as cold as her impression, but it was clear and easy to understand. Just by listening to her voice, one might think she was a professional announcer.
“I am Eugene Meyer. I didn’t expect to fight a mage from the famous Hytel School. Especially against the successor of the Hytel School.”
The Hytel School.
It was one of the oldest and most prestigious schools in Neo London. They mainly studied space magic. It was so famous that people said if you wanted to learn space magic, you should go to the Hytel School in Neo London.
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t interested in space magic. Just learning short-range teleportation magic could give you an overwhelming advantage in battle. However, I was hesitant about the Hytel School. It was a very rigid place, having maintained its traditions and reputation for a long time.
“Are you ready?”
Orsia asked without blinking an eye.
“Yes.”
“Then let’s begin.”
With those business-like words, Orsia opened her Astral.
An invisible force took over her surroundings. I involuntarily hesitated at her sharp, knife-like mage’s spirit.
7th-circle.
A mage who had reached the realm of the superhuman.
I swallowed hard. There was an unbridgeable gap between the 6th and 7th circles. If I used artifacts, I might have a chance of winning, but… the possibility of winning with pure magic was extremely low.
‘It doesn’t matter if I lose. It’s an opportunity to fight a 7th-circle mage, especially a space mage.’
An opportunity that couldn’t be bought for a fortune. This experience would surely be a stepping stone for growth.
[Electric Field]
Currents spread in all directions. This wasn’t an attack, but rather the creation of an environment for battle. Elemental mages were inevitably affected by their environment.
Orsia didn’t stand still. She formed hand seals and manifested magic. The Electric Field was crushed by spatial pressure and disappeared. The lightning elements that had filled the surroundings were pushed out, and pure natural mana filled their place.
The problem was that those mana were under Orsia’s control.
‘She’s a 7th-circle mage. I’ll give up mana dominance.’
I had to give up what I had to give up.
I walked forward.
Close-quarters combat using the Lightning Heaven Style was impossible. Even if I had the information of the Lightning Heaven Style in my head, putting it into practice was a different story. I had no physical talent, so I cleanly gave up on combat using the Lightning Heaven Style.
[Lightning Spear]
A spear of lightning flew towards Orsia.
[Wormhole]
Orsia chanted. A pitch-black space appeared in front of her, swallowed the Lightning Spear, and then spat it out again.
‘5th-circle space magic, Wormhole. A projectile reflection spell.’
I controlled the incoming Lightning Spear and slammed it into the ground. It was possible because it was an electric magic I had used. If it had been an attack of a different attribute, it would have been impossible to control.
‘I should assume that ordinary projectile attacks won’t work. Even the Thunderbolt will be reflected.’
Area-of-effect spells like the Electric Field would be crushed by spatial pressure, and projectile attacks would be reflected. Then, what about a very powerful area-of-effect spell?
‘She won’t give me time to chant.’
Crunch.
My body, which had been walking forward, stopped. 5 meters away from her. An invisible wall of spatial pressure was pushing me back.
‘I can’t break through it with a mage’s body.’
[Lightning Strike]
Lightning fell from the sky. Orsia’s Wormhole also accepted the lightning and reflected it. I didn’t avoid the lightning that was flying straight at me like a train. It was also because I couldn’t avoid it due to the short distance.
I took the lightning strike with my body. Electrocution? It was ridiculous for a lightning mage to be electrocuted. I used the mysteries of the Lightning Heaven Style to control the lightning. Even if sparks flew from my entire body, they wouldn’t harm me.
[Gale Lightning Slash]
Orsia drew her hand in the air. A blade of space was created and flew towards me. Of course, I dodged to the side… and almost fell over. It was because my physical abilities had suddenly increased due to the Gale Lightning Slash, and I hadn’t adapted to it.
‘First, I need to get rid of the spatial pressure using gravity. Then, I’ll freeze her with Frost.’
[Reverse Gravity]
Anti-gravity pushed back the spatial pressure. Orsia’s legs also floated slightly into the air, but she used magic and came back down.
[Frost]
Cold air rushed towards her. The barrier surrounding her body froze. I ran towards her. I reached out my hand towards the frozen barrier and chanted a spell.
[Lightning Grab]
Crackling! Just before my hand, crackling with lightning, touched the frozen barrier, my body stopped. I looked down. A spatial shackle was holding my leg.
“Your fast casting speed and magic combination are excellent. You have one of the best talents I’ve seen among battle mages.”
“…You seem quite disappointed, though?”
“I have some elven blood, so I can sense things that others can’t. For example, the mana affinity of a target. I could feel a strong mana scent from you, but… that’s all.”
“……”
So, was she saying she wanted to get hit by me? Judging by that contemptuous look, my guess seemed to be correct.
‘Even if I can’t win, I should at least land one hit.’
I activated Phase Astral, an Astral vision that a transcendent version of myself, who might not even exist, had given me in the distant future.
The Astral expanded, and all the mana rods were activated. I released the spatial shackle holding my ankle with mana resistance.
Orsia’s eyes widened in surprise. But she quickly regained her composure and gathered the surrounding mana.
[Phase Overlap]
I overlapped my original Astral with the Phase Astral. My mind was forcibly heightened. A strange sensation as if two of me had merged into one. The mana rods doubled, and my body began to feel the strain. I couldn’t last long in this state.
‘I’ll go for a quick decisive battle. Let’s see how long she can hold out.’
I cast spells as much as my mind could handle.
Magic circles were drawn in the air.
At first, they were drawn in front of me, but then magic circles were drawn on Orsia’s right side as well. The two magic circles became four, then eight. Finally, sixteen magic circles appeared all over the training ground, aiming their cannons at her.
Sixteen chants consisting of 5th-circle and lower attack magic.
‘A barrage of magic from all directions. Reflect it all if you can.’
I didn’t activate all sixteen spells at once. That would make it easier to defend against. I started the magic barrage with a slight delay.
The used spells immediately cast other spells, maintaining the 16 multi-chants.
My mana rods were burning, and my head felt like it was about to explode. But I could endure it. The transcendent’s Astral vision made the unbelievable magic barrage possible.
“Ugh!”
Orsia used three Wormholes to reflect the magic pouring down on her back at me. However, I spun around, dodging the reflected magic while chanting. Surprisingly, the reflected magic had low accuracy. On the other hand, my magic accurately targeted where I was aiming.
Magic of all attributes, such as water, fire, wind, ice, rock, and lightning, targeted her openings. Orsia was sweating profusely, focusing on her Wormholes and barriers. She used her barriers to withstand the magic attacks that she couldn’t reflect with her Wormholes.
‘Damn it. I’ll pass out before the barrier breaks.’
The good thing was that Orsia also seemed to be out of it.
Even the magic barrage that seemed like it would never end had an end. The 62nd. The last Lightning Spear that was fired hit Orsia’s barrier. The barrier wavered and then disappeared. As the magic barrage ended, I used the final spell on her, who was off guard.
‘Psychic Punch.’
The relief that the magic barrage was over, an invisible attack. She felt the psychic power at the last moment, but she couldn’t react in time and allowed the attack. The psychic punch struck her lower abdomen. The area where her uterus would be.
“Ugh…!”
With a somewhat uncharacteristic scream, her knees fell to the ground.
