by Zhuang Bifan
However, it became a prolonged one.
Gryffindor had to allocate huge amount of mana to maintain the effects of the Water Shield. The attack of the Pyroblasts on it was never-ending. He even took a minute to recite a Thundershock that only required eight seconds of recitation in the usual situation. In that period of time, he had to withstand all the unruly Pyroblast attacks…
Every time a Pyroblast landed on the Water Shield, Gryffindor could only convince himself that there was nothing bad about it—Felic would be doomed when he ran out of his mana. Hence, Gryffindor was very patient in waiting for Felic to use up his mana…
However…
Gryffindor realized quickly that the situation was not as easy as he had expected. The mana of the Jarrosus bumpkin seemed to be unlimited. He had been using Pyroblasts on him ever since he broke out from the ice.
One minute passed.
Two minutes passed.
In the whole of three minutes, he did not stop his recitation at all. There were roughly 20 attacks of Pyroblast already…
The audience were entirely hyped up. Almost everyone was shouting loudly.
"Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty!"
"Keep it up, fella! One more, one more!"
The cheers were in tempo, just like a well-rehearsed cheerleading team's. The atmosphere in the entire Aurora Square was lit up by the 20 Pyroblasts. Everybody was in a state of excitement and thrill. Before the battle started, none of them had expected to become the witnesses of such a historic exchange.
Look at this mage who has not even reached the age of 20! Just his honorable achievement of blasting 20 Pyroblasts is enough to put him in Anril's history annals! Everyone could foresee every mentor casually telling their own students about how a certain number of years ago a young mage named Felic cast over 20 Pyroblast in the Aurora Square!
None of the excited mages cared about Gryffindor's feelings. At the moment, Mage Felic was everything to them. He was the brightest star of the whole Aurora Square. The thousands of mages were in sync when they counted the number of Pyroblast he cast, and saluted him with applause and cheers.
Even Herza, who was supposed to have a neutral stance in the event, also stood up in anticipation. As for Hoffman, who was beside him, half of his body was leaning out of the VIP seats. He was cheering and clapping loudly for the young mage…
"Damn, are you still human?" Gryffindor really felt like vomiting blood. Felic was too freakish! He did not draw a breath when he was attacking Gryffindor with the 20 Pyroblasts. Felic continued to recite his spell and casually unleashed a fireball as big as a sink…
The whole battle was like his own performance. He had never taken a break in his recitation of spells. The Pyroblasts he unleashed turned Gryffindor into a clown who was desperately trying to ensure his Water Shield protected him. The attacks he occasionally unleashed were totally ineffective. It was as though he was scratching his itching feet through his boots. The only impact it created was some ripples on Lin Li's Elemental Shield…
Gryffindor really could not understand how a normal human could be so freaky. The mana required to cast a Pyroblast was equal to that necessary for two Flaming Storms. Many Archmages above level-16 would never dare to choose such a method to blast the opponent's shield forcefully, what was more for a young mage who had not even reached level-16.
He even secretly suspected that the fella had some equipment to recover his mana.
Yet, even if it was equipment helping him to recover his mana, it would not have such an intense power. This was the continuous blasting of Pyroblast! If he did not have a real theurgy, how could he recover so much mana?
When the 20th Pyroblast was out, Gryffindor really lost all of his hope…
He could not believe how a normal trial battle would progress to this stage. What background did the Jarrosus bumpkin have? How could he be so freakish to survive the Thousand Miles of Ice and cast 20 Pyroblasts in one go as though he was addicted…?
Holy, are you trying to joke with me?
Gryffindor nearly went crazy. The blasts of Pyroblast seemed to be never-ending. While Gryffindor was feeling the tiredness from holding onto his Water Shield, his opponent had no intention to stop at all—not only that, for he also became more violent with his attacks…
That was right, the speed of Gryffindor's opponent indeed became much faster.
While the audience might not have realized, Gryffindor, being at the core of the Flaming Storm, felt it very clearly. The speed of the Jarrosus bumpkin casting his spells indeed became faster and faster. He'd still needed seven seconds to cast a spell at the start. Yet, now he only used no more than five seconds to do so. The mere thought of Lin Li compressing the speed of casting a spell by one-third made Gryffindor want to crash himself into a tree…
Did you get yourself addicted to attacking me? F*ck you!
"Goddammit, are you still human?" Being surrounded by fire, Gryffindor even had the urge to seek death. He laughed at how he'd treated Felic like Mason at the beginning, when he still used Mental Control to drain his mana. Now, Gryffindor knew he'd made a grave mistake…
Damn! The way this bastard casts his Pyroblast is as casual as how he has his meals! Will his mana ever be depleted?
Thank goodness I didn't attack him like how I did to Mason! Or else, I would have shamed myself for life. That bastard would be still attacking him with Pyroblasts while he drained his mana by casting the Psychic Storms…
However, it was meaningless to say anything now…
The only thing Gryffindor could do was to try his best to ensure his Water Shield didn't break. He made himself withstand the Pyroblast amidst the dazzling fire sparks, and waited for his mana to drain to the very last bit…
Indeed, the change of tide was filled with sarcasm.
At the start, his intention was to drain the mana of that scoundrel. It was like how an ant wanted to f*ck an elephant, but in the end got f*cked by that elephant. Felic was definitely a monster. The mana required to replenish a Water Shield was one-tenth that of a Pyroblast. To use his level-15 Pyroblast on a level-16 Water Shield… Anyone would know it was a losing deal.
Yet, the fella was shameless enough to use Pyroblast against him…
"F*ck, you are daring, eh?" Gryffindor hissed as he glared at Lin Li breathlessly while he busied himself by replenishing his mana for his Water Shield. This time, his heart was set. Since his attacks had no impact on Felic, why wouldn't he bet on all of his mana? I just want to use my Water Shield against you, let's see how long you will last!
After making this decision, Gryffindor's brain popped out a random thought—life was like a r.a.p.e: since he couldn't prevent it, he should just stay silent and enjoy it…
"This fella is clever…" Lin Li commented knowingly when he saw that Gryffindor stopped his recitation. He could not help but laugh at Gryffindor. Gryffindor's title as the top mage of Felan really suited him when he thought of such a solution…
But, it didn't matter already. Although casting Pyroblast required a huge amount of energy, it was not a problem for himself.
Even if he was not in this battle, he could have blasted a hundred of them. Now that he consumed the true Multicolored Potion from the Guru-level, he gave himself at least 10 seconds of resistance to magical attacks, as well as 10 seconds to cast level-15 spells instantaneously. The medical effects that were left would remain for 10 minutes. It would keep on triggering his mental strength and allow the recovery of his mana to speed up by 10 times…
To normal mages, ten times their speed of recovery of mana was nothing. However, how many mages could own the mental strength that even Andoine was envious of?
Not to exaggerate, a recovery speed that was ten times faster meant that they would have full mana at any point of time. In other words, in ten minutes, he would not use up any amount of energy at all. What was Pyroblast to him? If he had a higher ability, he would have used a hundred Dragon's Breaths to kill him…
Unfortunately,
Mason's mental strength was not strong enough. Or else, if he had had the Multicolored Potion, which ensured that his mana would not deplete in 10 minutes, at the start, he would not have been bashed up so harshly by Gryffindor…
"Oh, yes. I promised Mason to torture you to death!" Lin Li hollered. His deadly glare was fixed on Gryffindor, and it was obvious that he sped up his recitation—a spell that was already compressed to five seconds of casting time became four seconds. At that moment, loud noise thundered throughout the whole Aurora Square. The heat produced felt as though the Pyroblasts were lighting the air up with fire.
The Pyroblasts kept coming at Gryffindor. Lin Li was like a cannon. When one Pyroblast just landed on Gryffindor, the next one was already lit with a red glow on his hand…
"28, 29, 30…!"
"Another one, another one!"
"60!" As the crazy digit was out of their mouths, Gryffindor's Water Shield could not take the pressure anymore. It turned into white vapor amidst the dazzling flames…
"Alright, Mage Gryffindor, don't worry. As you say, it is just the start…" Lin Li jeered as he held onto his Aether Staff and slowly walked towards Gryffindor, who was lying on the ground.
Chapter 268 - Round-Robin
Gryffindor's complexion was extremely pale. The last Pyroblast not only broke his Water Shield, but also created a serious impact on his body. His left arm was left hanging weakly before his c.h.e.s.t, while his delicate robe had long been burnt to ashes. If not for his right hand that was still gripping tightly onto his staff, no one would be able to tell that the young man who was looking like a beggar was still the top mage of Felan a minute ago…
Even Gryffindor could not help but admit that he was in an extremely messy situation. His left arm had been fractured by the Pyroblast. Any bit of movement was enough to inflict excruciating pain. The skin on his c.h.e.s.t suffered a very serious burn, and every breath he drew brought him agony. Other than these, he also had countless wounds of different sizes…
Gryffindor was very clear of the impact of the Pyroblast. If he did not have the Water Shield to absorb those attacks, as well as the protection from the four master-level mageweaths established by Aldwin, he would have turned into ashes after being hit by the first Pyroblast.
And, those were not the worst…
To Gryffindor, the depletion of mana was the most terrible thing that could happen. In fact, he still could not believe how that Felic fella could drain his mana with 60 Pyroblasts.
What the h*ll, is that bastard still human?
Gryffindor was not the only one in disbelief. Everyone was shocked when Lin Li shattered the Water Shield with his Pyroblasts. They were all discussing the 60 Pyroblasts as well as the young Archmage. Even the other people who knew Lin Li personally—like Macklin—couldn't help but rub their hands in anticipation.
They had no choice, either; it was too freakish to cast 60 Pyroblasts…
If they had not witnessed it themselves, those like Macklin would have never believed such a bizarre situation. The amount of mana that 60 Pyroblasts required to cast was astronomical. If it was an Archmage-level spell, it would take one full day.
The great amount of mana could only be described in one word—horrifying.
Hoffman, on the other hand, was laughing heartily without reservation.
"Goddammit, why are you laughing…?" Herza pursed his lips, and his face became more wrinkled. He knew why that fatso was laughing. If he were Hoffman, the deal that was worth millions of gold coins might make him more hysterical than Hoffman.
That damn fatso was lucky…
Although the round-robin comprised of two rounds, a blind man would know that the ultimate victory would belong to the young mage from Jarrosus. The young man was beyond crazy. Even if Matthias tried to hide his true abilities, would he be more powerful than such an abnormal human being?
Look at what that Felic guy did! He did not even draw a breath when he cast those 60 Pyroblasts! Just his terrifying mana was enough to set him apart from Matthias. Not to mention Matthias, even Herza, who was close to the Legendary level, would not be able to it. 60 Pyroblasts were indeed a little too much…
"Hahahaha! Old man, feel free to be jealous of me…" Hoffman laughed as though there was nobody else with him. He had no time to care about Herza's feelings.
"Hehe…" Herza laughed. He was neither angry nor jealous of Hoffman at all…
That was right—Hoffman really won millions of gold coins for himself. But, so what? While the Glittergold Trade Union gained more money for its already huge pool of funds, the Supreme Council gained a bona fide freakish power!
At this time, Herza really wanted to remind the fatso beside him that the young man who had cast 60 Pyroblasts was a member of the Jarrosus Guild of Magic. In other words, he would become one of the members in the Supreme Council.
Furthermore, after this battle, he would be in charge of a new guild. Until then, as long as the Supreme Council approved, he would be able to borrow the young man whenever he needed. How would that be measurable by millions of gold coins?
Damn, why would the Glittergold Trade Union have such a foolish decision maker? To still be elated after he let go of the valuable prize just to grab at trifles…
At this time, Lin Li already walked to Gryffindor.
"So sorry, Mage Gryffindor. I might have accidentally won…" Lin Li apologized and smiled hypocritically.
"I'm warning you not to do anything funny! It is a serious crime to injure the guild's steward!" Gryffindor withstood the gripping pain on his body and moved backwards subconsciously. Although his words were threatening, his face wore a horrified expression. A moron would be able to tell that although he appeared menacing, he was actually in a weakened state…
"Oh, really…?" Lin Li reached out a right hand doubtfully. Before anyone heard him recite any spell, they saw the distortion of magical waves in their surroundings. Afterwards, a ball of fire lit up in his right hand. However, Lin Li was not in a rush to send the Flaming Hand to Gryffindor. He fiddled with it in his palms while giving Gryffindor a deadly glare.
"That's great, I am actually quite curious about the consequences of injuring our steward…"
"You…" When the flames rose, Gryffindor could feel his eyebrows twitch. His right hand that was against his c.h.e.s.t trembled weakly. He could not expect what happened to Mason would be happening to himself so quickly…
"Take it easy, Mage Gryffindor. Don't be so anxious! You know, I don't like it when other people injure my friends…" Lin Li said, and smiled warmly at Gryffindor before casting the Flaming Hand onto him the moment the word "friends" was pronounced. At that instant, a sizzling sound could be heard. What followed was a thick white smoke and a burnt smell…
"AHHHHH…!" Gryffindor's shriek broke the silence in the Aurora Square. Instantly, he felt as though there was a soldering iron on his c.h.e.s.t. The pain was so excruciating that he even had the d.e.s.i.r.e to die.
The two judges who hid themselves faraway could not help but frown as they saw how Gryffindor struggled and screamed. It was a reenactment from the previous battle. There were the same sanguinary and menacing situation, just that the victim was not Mason, but Gryffindor…
"Sigh…" Macklin sighed while he sat at his seat. The fella's temper did not change at all. Bearing grudges like no other people, this fella would find a way to make his enemies pay by returning the affront tenfold…
But to think of it, it was Gryffindor's fault to offend the wrong person. He had already warned him against that. It was his own recklessness to make things difficult for Felic by abusing his authority as the guild's steward. That bastard was definitely going to suffer in Felic's hands…
However, since that scoundrel was the student of Rosen, he was afraid that old Andoine was going to get a headache for quite some time…
"Damn, how can such an affable man have such brutal methods?" Hoffman gasped at the violent scene in shock. He'd always thought that the young pharm
acist was a gentle person…
It was no wonder that Hoffman would think that way. During the previous gathering, although Lin Li entered a conflict with two other people, it was only a minor matter. Neither Milo nor Elin crossed his bottom line. Hence, it gave Hoffman the impression that he was an agreeable man…
"Affable man…?" Macklin nearly choked on his saliva when he heard those words.
Damn, since when was he an affable man?
From how Orrin's minor injury triggered him to fracture the four limbs of the Marathon Family's descendant, and how his attendant's injury nearly caused the death of Darian's nephew… To say that Felic was an affable man was too absurd…!
"How is it, Mage Gryffindor? How do you feel now?" Lin Li asked after he flicked his hand to remove the remains of the fire spark.
"You… What do you want to do?" Gryffindor asked cautiously and backed away in fear.
"What do I want? Hehe, Mage Gryffindor. Do you still need to ask me what I want…?" Lin Li said smilingly. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he kicked Gryffindor's c.h.e.s.t forcefully. "You injured two of my teammates and still have the cheek to ask me? Alright, let me tell you what I want now…"
Lin Li was a man who had the true abilities of a Smithing Guru. Not to mention that Gryffindor was gravely injured now, even if he were at his normal state of health, Lin Li's attack's result would be serious. Everyone could hear Gryffindor's shriek and see how he curled up like a dried shrimp on the ground. Even the two judges from afar could not help but feel sorry for Gryffindor when they heard his w.h.i.n.es.
Chapter 269 - Blood-vine Spell
After that harsh kick, Lin Li was still not satisfied. When he gripped the staff again, Gryffindor immediately felt a vigorous distortion of the magical waves around him. What followed was a persistent creaking sound. Before he could react, Gryffindor saw a formation of thick vines. It was as though they had their own lives when they stretched towards him at an insane speed. Then, he felt tightness on his body. It came from those vines, which wrapped him up in the blink of an eye.