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n“Begin!” Alphonse declared.

nWithout wasting any time, I cast my spells silently, launching several fireballs at my tutor.

n‘Yep! Silent casting is a thing.’

nA dozen balls of flames burned through the air as they approached him at a fast pace, but Alphonse was too quick for any to hit him. Enhancing his body with magic, the crazy old man glided away from all of them, swiftly avoiding them as he lunged at me.

nThe fireballs exploded behind him, and in a few moments, he would reach my location. Usually, at this moment one would feel a sense of panic, since it was bad news for an opponent to close the distance on you when you’re a mage.

nHowever, for me, it only proved to be more exciting. A wide smile formed on my face as I cast another spell.

nInstantly, I used Magic to affect the earth surrounding me, except for where I stood, creating a quicksand in an instant.

n‘Sinking Ground!’

nAlphonse’s legs got caught up in the sinking earth, but he didn’t even appear fazed at all. This gave me a little window to create more distance between the two of us, though, so I jumped away from him, using wind magic to strengthen my leap.

nAll of these were basic magic, possible for anyone who had formed a Magic Core.

n“Cheh, cheeky kid.” Alphonse grinned, using wind magic as well to fly away from the ground and launch himself toward me.

n‘Ground Spikes’

nInstantly, many earth structures came from all around me, creating sharp projections of the earth.

nAlphonse used Wind Magic, one which I suspected to be Wind Slice to cut down the rocks in an instant, while he chased after me.

n‘He’s holding back, I know… since he wants to simulate a realistic battle. After all, if he goes all out, I won’t be able to stand a chance… or so he thinks!’

nI decided to kick things up a notch.

nCreating about half a dozen fire Balls and half a dozen water balls simultaneously, I launched them at Alphonse at once.

n“That’s pointless!” He stated, dodging them with ease.

nI saw from his expression that he was amazed by my actions, though. After all, an amateur couldn’t create spells of different elements at the same time.

n‘It’s a good thing I have three separate mana Cores working at the same time.’

nOf course, I realized none of my spells were going to hit him, so they weren’t exactly targeting him, to begin with.

nThe opposing elements hit one another, causing an eruption of mist. I quickly leaped out of the area of impact since I was further from it and secured my landing while watching the outcome.

n“Perfect!” I grinned.

nInstantly, the mist cleared as Alphonse used Wind Magic to disperse everything around him.

n“Did you really think your ice magic formation would be effective on me?” He asked, referring to the trick I had used to defeat his golem in the past.

nI had perfected it already, and was able to use it more freely since I had more Mana Cores. However, that wasn’t my goal.

n“Who knows… maybe?” I smiled.

nAlphonse shook his head and sighed.

n“Even now, why do you appear to be having a good time?”

nWell, that’s because I was about to pull off something very exciting. It was only a matter of time.

nOur fight continued, with me avoiding a direct confrontation, while using basic magic to trap him for a short moment.

n“Now then, let’s try this!” I grinned.

nI created over a dozen fire Balls, and a score of water balls, ensuring the temperature of the resulting clash would be more attuned to the cold nature of water, and not heat.

n“This again? I’ll just dodge it and-”

nI instantly launched them, not allowing Alphonse to finish his statement. However, unlike before, my aim was placed very high, sending the projectiles into the air.

nThe elements crashed, creating a cloud of cold fog above our heads.

n“What are you doing?” Alphonse asked, partly curious and confused by my seemingly random and pointless moves.

nHowever, he had been with me for five years and oversaw a lot of my magic training, so he was already aware that I didn’t do anything without a plan.

nDeciding that there was no use deliberating over the outcome of my Spell, Alphonse appeared to have resolved to end the match before I could activate any more spells.

nUnfortunately, I had already prepared a large quicksand for him as a treat.

nWhile he was focused on my spectacle above, I made another Sinking Ground spell where he was, causing his movements to be hindered.

n“W-wha-?!” He yelped.

nThis gave me the perfect window to create my next barrage of spells.

n“Mini Ice Balls!”

nInstantly, tiny portions of ice were formed in multitudes.

nI launched them at the formation in the sky, further confusing Alphonse.

nWhat was my plan?

nThe ice particles burst upon touching the fog, turning into tiny fragments of ice. The end result was a more solidified version of the mist above us… a cloud.

n“This is just bizarre. Don’t tell me you’re experimenting on Magic again when we’re having a duel!” Alphonse spoke, slightly annoyed.

nHe broke out of the quicksand and lunged at me, this time with the intent to finish things entirely.

nHowever… it was too late. Bringing my fingers together, I rubbed my thumb with my middle one, making a-

nSnap

nAnd then, the unbelievable happened.

nVWOOOOOHHHMMM The clouds instantly darkened, and a bright flash appeared from within it, causing Alphonse to look above him as a result of the shocking occurrence.

nGrinning at another window of hesitation he displayed, I cast binding spells on my dearest tutor to slow him down.

n“Strong Bind, Earth Bind, Sinking Ground”

nMany whips of white light wrapped themselves around him, and the earth brought forth many of its constraints to hold him. The ground began to sink beneath him once again, creating a triple-layered trap all at once.

nAlphonse was stunned by this trap, and as he tried breaking free, my little gift for him was prepared.

n“Fall!”

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