SSR - Chapter 88: Finals (3)

I've already made a few changes to the past chapters and I'm about to hop into editing the Jasmine fight. This battle against Hayden will probably be shortened too. Expect this chapter to change. I'll elaborate on my thoughts once I finish editing everything. Anyway, please keep giving me feedback and enjoy the chapter!

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Rylan pointed his wand at Hayden, still running.

“Water Bullets.”

Mana coalesced into liquid, then flew toward Hayden. His expression didn’t even change as the Bullets approached. Once the first one was within two meters of him, he moved. Hayden took a single step to the side and tilted his body. The Bullet passed right next to his head, failing to achieve anything. The second one arrived, but it was avoided with another step.

“Water Sphere,” Hayden suddenly said, pointing his wand at Rylan.

Rylan blinked.

He’s casting at that speed while dodging?

He let out a low whistle as he increased his running speed. At the same time, he kept his attention on the Water Bullets, forcing them to curve their simple, predictable trajectory, including the ones his opponent had avoided. Hayden frowned as he dodged two more, but they were only meant to force him to move to the position Rylan wanted him to.

Now.

Rylan waved his wand again. The last Bullet reached Hayden as he tilted his body and landed square on his chest. The impact pushed him back, coughing as the air left his lungs. Surprisingly, he didn’t fall down.

He’s going to struggle to breathe and chant.

However, Rylan had no room to capitalize on this small opening. The mana around him had coalesced into a flood, which almost completely surrounded him. The water crawled toward him with surprising speed, parts of it sinking into the earth and flowing into the cracks and holes. It was faster than even Jasmine’s Tide. Even though Hayden had been hit, the spell hadn’t disappeared.

If I get caught in the Sphere, it’s over.

Rylan knew it was unlikely that he would be able to escape like he’d done against Jasmine. Hayden was too skilled for the crude silent casting he’d used to be effective. Rylan suddenly increased his speed, forcing his body, which was already at its limit, to go beyond it for a short moment. The flood didn’t slow down. Hayden was still coughing with one hand on his chest, but his eyes were glued to Rylan. Just like the Spikes, parts of the flood sought only to restrict his possible movements instead of trying to truly wrap around him.

Once the water was almost touching his feet, Rylan leaped forward as strongly as he could, ignoring his legs’ complaints. Like a living creature, the flood followed his movements and slithered toward him. Behind him, it rose as a wave even taller than an adult man. However, that didn’t mean things were hopeless. Rylan landed lightly on the ground, like a leaf touching a lake’s surface. The place where he stood was one of the last few parts of the arena that hadn’t been covered by the flood. The water surged around him in a whirlpool and rose as curved walls, but it was as if he couldn’t even see it.

Rylan waved his wand. He’d finished his chanting.

“Wind Blades.”

Among the spells he knew, it was the hardest one to dodge, since the Blades were almost invisible.

Now, what are you going to do?

Wind Blades was a spell capable of causing a great amount of damage due to its slashing properties, unlike Water Sphere, which focused on trapping and restricting someone. Even if Hayden was capable of adapting the Water Sphere spell, like he’d done with all the others, Rylan’s Wind Blades would still likely be faster. If this were a battle to the death, Hayden should choose to keep going and sustain as much damage as needed, since the Water Sphere would end the fight. Rylan had nowhere left to run. It was similar to what had happened against Jasmine.

He won’t do that.

Rylan was calm. He was betting on the inexperience of a teenage Mage who had never seen the battlefield. Hayden was a genius, but that alone couldn’t make up for his lack of experience.

Hayden let out a breath and waved his wand in a circle. A layer of golden mana appeared over his skin. The flood around Rylan lost its guiding force and collapsed just as it was about to envelop him. It melted back into mana and disappeared as if it had been a lie. At the same time, the air around him gathered into sharp half-moons, then shot toward Hayden’s Magic Shield. The Blades dragged themselves against it but failed to slash through the layer of mana. It was within Rylan’s expectations.

“Wind Blades,” he said again.

The remainders of the previous Blades flowed back into the atmosphere as new ones took shape. Instead of appearing near Rylan, they gathered around Hayden himself. He was surrounded.

He’s going to keep his Shield up.

Rylan’s plan was to apply relentless pressure to give himself time to think about how to beat Hayden without circulating his mana. Since Hayden had chosen to dismiss Water Sphere for Magic Shield, Rylan was currently safe and on the offensive.

Hayden started running to the side, surrounded by his Magic Shield. Rylan inwardly nodded at this choice. Without hesitation, his wand pointed downward. The Wind Blades flew toward Hayden, aiming for different parts of his body. The Shield stopped them dead in their tracks, but Rylan’s attack wasn’t over.

Just like when he’d fought his very first opponent in this tournament, Rylan made the Blades lose their shape but maintain a small part of their cutting power. The now-formless Wind Blades wrapped themselves around Hayden’s Shield, ready to sink into his flesh the moment it was lowered. Rylan slightly furrowed his brow, his mind growing more tired by the second.

This application is a bit difficult.

He wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long. Hayden got behind a wall, disappearing from Rylan’s line of sight. The resistance against the Blades didn’t disappear. Rylan continued to chant.

“Wind Blades,” he said once the formless Blades were starting to escape his tired mind’s control.

The previous formless Blades vanished. As new ones were taking shape above Hayden’s hiding place, the boy suddenly dashed out of cover, his wand pointed at Rylan.

A blue beam flew toward Rylan from the wand’s tip. At the same time, Rylan’s Wind Blades fully took shape and flew at Hayden. Rylan sidestepped, but the Ray of Frost still grazed his leg. Just like it had happened when he cast it against Jasmine, the layer of frost spread throughout his leg with surprising speed. The coolness was soon replaced by chilling pain. Despite the agony, Rylan smiled as he watched Hayden cast Magic Shield and block all incoming Blades.

This kid…

Hayden had aimed for the gap between one cast of Wind Blades and the next one, when the Blades were still taking shape. Not only that, but he had also cast Ray of Frost knowing it was a persistent spell that could affect Rylan even after mana stopped being fed into it.

He cast Ray of Frost to force me to give up on the Wind Blades and cast a fire spell.

In a single move, Hayden had gone from a helpless, defensive position to actively causing damage while recovering the battle’s flow. Rylan nodded to himself with a smile as a small Firebolt appeared at the tip of his wand. He brought it closer to the layer of frost, which was still spreading. It slowly melted. Once the Shield around Hayden disappeared, Rylan jumped backward just before the ground beneath his previous position caved in. He started to run, followed by earthen tendrils. Once all the frost disappeared, he dismissed his Firebolt.

“Magic Missile,” Rylan said in a low tone after whispering a chant.

The arrow of mana shot toward Hayden’s chest. Shaking his head, the boy dodged it with a sidestep, tilting his body. Rylan grinned. The Missile curved and flew straight at Hayden’s back. The attack targeted Hayden’s blind spot, but it was as if he had eyes on the back of his head. A Magic Shield started forming as Hayden turned around and looked straight at the Missile.

The incomplete Shield wasn’t enough to stop Rylan’s Magic Missile, but it shifted the spell’s trajectory. The Missile pierced through the thin layer of skin around Hayden’s right shoulder and ground against the bone, creating a large gash. Blood flowed out of the injury and soaked Hayden’s simple brown robe, sliding down his arm and glinting in the sunlight.  

The earth tendrils chasing Rylan had already crumbled. For a few moments, Rylan stared at Hayden while catching his breath. The boy was staring back from behind the now fully-formed Shield, twenty meters away. It was as if time were flowing more slowly. Hayden took another look at his injury, then went back to staring at Rylan. Different emotions now danced in his eyes.

Rylan calmly evaluated his own condition. Various wounds, both big and small, covered his limbs and part of his torso. Some of them still bled, dyeing what remained of his clothes crimson. Stinging pain filled him, but not to the point of crippling his combat ability. His muscles were still in working order, but if he continued to get injured like this, they would soon cease to be able to support him. Rylan let out a deep breath.

The audience was mostly silent, as if every spectator was holding their breath.

“It seems like fighting in a simple manner isn’t enough to make you draw your sword,” Hayden suddenly shouted.   

Rylan blinked, then shrugged.

“As I said, the reason why I’m not drawing my sword isn’t related to whether you’re worthy or not. I have my own goals. You’re incredible, though. I’m sure you’ve worked very hard for this power,” he shouted back. “Keep going like that and you’ll become an even greater Mage. You have already overcome all the odds to get here. You just have to keep moving forward.”

The Earth Spikes alone had damaged him far too much. If he hadn’t been able to stop Hayden from continuing to channel Water Sphere, it was likely that he would have been forced to circulate his mana to escape. Hayden had already proven himself as a skilled combatant. Rylan truly meant his compliments.

Hayden stared at Rylan for a few seconds. Then, he lowered his head slightly.

“I owe you an apology, Rylan.”

Rylan furrowed his brow.

“What do you mean?”

Hayden shook his head with a sigh.

“I’m sorry for not taking this as seriously as I should. You’re powerful, in multiple ways. From now on, I’ll fight properly. Please understand, it’ll be the first time in this tournament.”

Rylan narrowed his eyes as he was about to reply. Hayden’s mana’s movement was much greater than before. The chanting that left the boy’s lips was different from the previous ones. Roland’s instincts screamed at Rylan.

I can’t let him finish.

Rylan pointed his wand at Hayden, his left hand reflexively grasping the hilt of the sword on his waist. There was no time for an advanced spell; he needed the one he could cast the fastest.

“Magic Missile.”

The arrow of blue mana coalesced and flew at Hayden, but he didn’t even blink. Rylan watched this with confusion. His heightened senses grasped his surroundings in a heartbeat. He started running to the nearest wall, his eyes still glued to Hayden.

As the Missile was about to pierce Hayden’s flesh, a golden Shield took shape around him and blocked it. Hayden hadn’t stopped chanting. Rylan’s gaze shook with genuine surprise.

Dual casting?

Hayden raised his wand.

“Fireball.”

It was as if the atmosphere had caught on fire.