"Tch…"
Iz's eyes widened—an extremely rare reaction from him.
BOOM!
[Soul Burst]!
It detonated instantly!
The entire space shuddered violently under the shockwave!
Even Iz Palut's magic was swept away and shattered by the aftershock of that explosion.
The destructive power of that strike…
was on an entirely different level compared to ordinary Tier 2 magic.
Did it hit?
Rei didn't relax his guard. Instead, he immediately layered barriers around himself again, summoned the Molten Lava Shield, and raised Heavy Walls on all sides.
BOOM!
But the next second, the elements stirred once more!
A Wind Spear pierced through four Heavy Walls in an instant, penetrated three layers of barriers, and only dispersed just before striking the Lava Shield.
It didn't hit!
Rei's gaze followed the direction the Wind Spear had come from.
It was located diagonally across the arena.
Iz stood nearly five hundred meters away.
Around him floated a spherical mass of condensed earth, a burning lava orb, a hurricane-wrapped wind shield, and flowing water that formed a protective curtain. Inside, vines and roots twisted around like living coils.
A dazzling array of defensive barriers.
They were visibly restoring themselves, and were almost completely recovered already.
Iz… your defenses really are like a damn iron turtle.
"Not bad. So this is your line of thinking as well."
"But you failed to find the real target."
"If you can't even distinguish between a Water Mist Phantom and the real body, then no matter how powerful your attack is, it's just hitting empty air."
From within the protective shields, Iz raised a hand toward Rei.
[Mana Detonation (Tier 2)]
Above Rei's head, magic power surged violently!
What?!
[Repulsion Wind Blast]—Rei instantly blasted himself backward to create distance!
Barriers and Heavy Walls stacked together to isolate the impending explosion!
BOOM!
The spot where Rei had been standing moments ago erupted with a terrifying blast.
Was it just his imagination?
Did Iz just learn Rei's Soul Burst and convert it into a mana-release version?
Rei continued retreating—using repeated bursts of Wind Blast to move explosively across the battlefield, dodging the endless barrage of ice, wood, and earth spikes erupting from the ground.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
"Rei, you truly always bring me surprises!"
Tier 2 spells did indeed have limitations.
Even if you poured in more magic power, their destructive force wouldn't increase by much.
It was like a tire that could only hold a limited amount of air.
There was a maximum amount of mana it could contain.
You couldn't inflate it infinitely—overfill it and it would simply burst, exploding right in your own hands.
Every spell Rei and Iz cast was already charged to its maximum mana capacity.
Each one had been infused with as much magic power as it could possibly hold.
That was the absolute limit of its power.
However, Iz's technique was clearly superior. The amount of mana he could safely infuse into his spells was obviously greater than Rei's.
Fortunately, Rei possessed [Mage Mastery — Transcendent].
Every Transcendent Magic he cast was significantly enhanced in all aspects.
Because of that, when Rei and Iz's spells collided—
their power was roughly evenly matched.
But Iz knew more spells, had finer control, cast at a higher frequency, and released spells faster than Rei.
On top of that, he understood the counter-relationships between spells far better.
All of it combined to keep Rei firmly suppressed.
Worse still—
Iz was improving during the battle itself.
Rei had figured it out by now.
As long as Rei cast a spell once, Iz could seemingly learn it immediately. And not only that—the proficiency level wasn't even low.
Hey…
Which one of us is actually cheating here?
Once again, brilliant spells clashed violently in midair.
Kumironi's small mouth formed a perfect little "O."
This was the first time she had ever seen someone fight Iz like this—
someone who could actually exchange blows with him in the domain of magic.
Iz Palut was recognized worldwide as the most talented mage in existence.
At least within the field of magic, no one could rival him.
But judging by little Rei's current performance…
If he were given a few more years to grow, perhaps he really could stand shoulder to shoulder with Iz.
Perhaps he might even…
surpass him.
The entire training ground had been devastated.
Chaotic forests of wood and thorns, stone pillars, frozen surfaces, and seas of fire littered the battlefield.
Rei's body moved rapidly through the destruction, weaving and repositioning.
Even during combat, Rei was growing rapidly.
His methods of dealing with Iz's spells were becoming increasingly refined.
The gap between them was still huge.
But Rei's control over magic was clearly improving at a frightening pace.
[Soul Burst] ×3
[Sacrifice Soul — 20,000 Souls]
Buzz—
Rei pointed toward the direction where countless barriers had formed in the distance.
Kumironi's eyes narrowed slightly.
Little Rei…
The Iz over there is just a Water Mist Phantom.
However—
just an instant before the Soul Burst completed—
Tap—
The spell was cancelled!
Immediately afterward, a new Soul Burst formed at the center of the training ground!
[Soul Burst] ×3
[Sacrifice Soul — 50,000 Souls]
Kumironi's pupils shrank.
She turned sharply toward Rei.
There she saw him narrowly dodging chaotic eruptions of earthfire and ice spikes, yet the expression in his eyes was filled with excitement and madness.
Iz.
In terms of spell usage, power, quantity, and knowledge…
I truly can't match you.
So the ability to sacrifice souls…
must be my greatest advantage over you!
If he couldn't locate Iz's real body beneath the Water Mist Phantoms—
then he would simply increase the power further.
Increase it enough to cover the entire training ground!
Blow the entire arena apart!
Iz!
With only Tier 2 defensive magic, can you withstand this attack of mine?!
Today, I'll make you admit it wholeheartedly—
that within this realm, I'm stronger than you!
The polite, well-behaved child image Rei normally displayed was nowhere to be seen.
Kumironi saw only excitement, madness, joy, and fierce confidence in his eyes—the proud certainty that he could defeat Iz Palut.
"Excellent!"
"Wonderful! That expression is truly delightful!"
"Just as expected from the disciple I admire!"
"You are worthy of witnessing my true thinking!"
Iz's voice exploded inside Rei's mind.
BOOM—
In an instant—
the entire training ground lost its color.
No… not lost.
The elements themselves had been vacuumed away, forming a void within the arena!
RUMBLE—
At the center of the training ground, there was now only a condensed hollow emptiness.
Around the outer ring of that void, colorful elemental forces spun rapidly in orbit.
"Tier 2… Origin Magic."
"Element — Void."
THUD—
A pressure so intense it felt like his heart might stop.
Rei felt an indescribable suffocating oppression.
He needed to sacrifice more.
[Sacrifice Soul — 80,000 Souls]
No…
150,000 Souls!
The soul light of the Soul Burst blazed brilliantly.
The radiance completely filled the entire training ground.
"Two lunatics."
Kumironi's pupils contracted as she watched the scene unfold.
She immediately raised her hand.
A jade-green wall of light expanded outward!
SWISH—
In that instant—
the entire world was suddenly reduced to black and white.