The glowing sun hung high above the field clearing, casting a bright glow over the sparse trees and the two figures facing each other.

Any who witnessed this confrontation would think it was unfair.

Mordred was practically the best Mage in the Kingdom. His darkened hair fluttered as he maintained a stern demeanor.

He stood tall and confident, his deep blue cloak swirling slightly in the cold air.

Across from him was Neron, a twelve-year-old boy.

The result of the battle was already decided just based on the matchup.

But… these two knew better than to judge their fight based on such factors

Neron glared at Mordred with intense focus. His black eyes blazed with determination and curiosity, his hands crackling with barely restrained power.

“Remember, Neron,” Mordred called out for the last time, his voice steady. “This isn’t just a duel—it’s a lesson. Use everything you’ve learned from me, but think for yourself. Show me your ingenuity.”

Neron nodded, his expression serious, his fingers twitching with anticipation.

The magic crackled in the air around them, waiting to be unleashed. The boy’s dark robe fluttered as he began to move in a circle, assessing his father’s stance. 𝑖.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Mordred mirrored his movements, keeping a cautious distance.

In an instant, Neron lunged forward, his hands shooting out as he conjured a ball of blazing fire and hurled it toward Mordred.

With Neron already mastering Chantless Spells, this was no surprise at all.

~WHOOSH!~

Mordred quickly responded, raising a barrier of water that doused the flames in a sizzling cloud of steam. The elder mage smiled faintly at his son’s aggressive start, nodding approvingly.

“Good!” Mordred called, his eyes fixed on his son. “But don’t just attack recklessly!”

Neron absorbed his father’s words but did not pause.

Instead, he summoned a swirling tornado of wind, sending it roaring toward Mordred. Mordred reacted swiftly, conjuring a wall of earth that rose from the ground to block the powerful gusts.

~FSHUUUUU!~

The wind howled around the barrier, but Mordred stood firm.

Neron did not waste any time admiring his father’s skill. Instead, he let the tornado build and then shifted its direction, causing it to arc around the barrier and attack Mordred from the other side.

Mordred barely had time to react before the wind knocked him off his feet. He quickly recovered, lifting his hands and casting a chain of lightning at Neron.

~ZZZTTTZZZ!~ .

Neron dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the electric assault. His heart raced as he recognized his father’s tactical prowess.

He couldn’t rely solely on one type of magic—he had to adapt. Neron countered the lightning with a blast of ice, freezing the air around him and creating a shield. The lightning struck the ice, shattering it but losing its potency.

With his path clear, Neron pressed on, summoning sharp shards of ice and launching them at Mordred in a rapid barrage.

Mordred weaved through the projectiles, using bursts of air to alter their trajectories and deflect them harmlessly away.

The two mages moved fluidly, each testing the other’s defenses while maintaining their own.

Before they knew it, the two were smiling wildly as they resumed their assault and defense.

“Hahaha!”

“Haahahahaha!”

The expression on their faces depicted the pure emotions that were being felt in that moment.

They were both having so much fun.

~ZZUUUU~

Neron decided to change tactics again. He conjured a wall of thick fog, enveloping the clearing in a dense, eerie mist.

Mordred’s sharp vision was obscured, and he frowned as he tried to locate his son.

The dense Mana in the air, coupled with several mirages, made Neron practically invisible.

He took advantage of the situation, sneaking up on his father with the precision of an assassin.

As Mordred scanned the fog, Neron unleashed a barrage of earth spikes from the ground, aiming to trip his father and gain the upper hand.

Mordred intuitively sensed the attack and nimbly jumped over the spikes, but one caught his cloak and tore it slightly.

Neron used the distraction to close in, his hands glowing with magical energy.

Mordred grinned, impressed by Neron’s quick thinking. He unleashed a burst of wind, scattering the fog and revealing Neron’s position. Neron swiftly adjusted, shifting his stance and launching a wave of fire towards his father.

Mordred countered by conjuring a massive wall of earth that absorbed the flames.

As the fires licked the rocks, heat began to spread all around the area.

And, with that heat came the climax the boy had been waiting for.

“Huuu…” Now with a clearer field of vision, Neron decided it was time to combine his spells.

He summoned a hurricane of wind and directed it toward Mordred. As the elder mage tried to stabilize himself, Neron quickly followed up by raining down bolts of lightning into the storm.

Mordred raised a barrier of water, absorbing the lightning and grounding it safely. He then gathered the swirling wind, forming it into a powerful whip of air that he lashed at Neron.

The young mage dodged the attack, but the whip grazed his shoulder, knocking him off balance.

“Gahh…”

“Come on, Neron. That can’t be all you have for me.” Mordred grinned as he taunted his son with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Of course, before starting the fight they had already established some ground rules—such as the absence of Original Magic or any Spell beyond the Intermediate Level.

Of course, even in the Intermediate Stage, there were multiple Tiers associated with it, so it wasn’t a straightforward fight either.

Besides, even though he could cast even more potent Magic, it was much safer for Neron to use lower Tier Spells against Mordred so the older man wouldn’t respond with more brutal attacks.

If he upped the stakes, Mordred would be forced to do the same.

However, there was only so far such a safe tactic could take you.

Realizing he needed a strong move to turn the tide, Neron decided to take a risk.

It was time to kick things up a notch.

“Here goes…” He concentrated, channeling all his elemental magic into one powerful spell.

He thrust his hands forward, and an enormous vortex of combined fire, wind, and lightning formed, hurtling toward Mordred.

Mordred sensed the gravity of the spell and reacted quickly. He summoned a massive wall of stone to shield himself, but the vortex shattered the rock into dust.

As the dust cleared, Neron found his father standing firm, though visibly surprised by the intensity of the attack.

With the battle reaching a fever pitch, Neron drew on his reserves of power. He channeled magic into his hands and thrust them forward, creating a radiant barrier around his father.

The barrier was an amalgamation of the elements, glowing with intense energy.

Mordred’s eyes widened slightly at his son’s advanced control over elemental magic. Trapped within the barrier, he struggled to break free, but Neron’s grip was strong.

‘I see. So he made sure the barrier is currently fluctuating in Mana distribution and elemental allocation.’ The old mage had to smile to himself.

‘That way, it’ll be difficult to dispel it with a Spell of equal magnitude within the same Level.’

“Well done, Neron,” Mordred called out, a hint of pride in his voice.

“But the fight isn’t over yet!”

This content is taken from 𝘳.𝑐𝘰