Friendly spar

"Begin!" Mia called out. 

'Contract!' I instantly pulled out my mana from the area of the mage's tower, cutting its sphere of influence nearly by half. 

This was the method of counteracting the move Levi executed the royal with that I came up with before the duel even began. 

And with little to no surprise, Levi attempted to perform it again. 

He manipulated his mana in some strange way, sending it forth and causing his aura projection to morph. 

His mana moved through the space with ease, crossing the area from where I pulled my own mana. Yet, when it reached the area where my power circulated through my formations, his technique failed to penetrate through my defenses. 

Levi leaped forward, allowing his own aura to pull him in right toward the edge of my makeshift mana barrier. 

'Wardens, rise!' I thought, unleashing the second part of my standard fighting order.