Mist Versus Ice

Vergil had been fighting his battles without utilizing his full strength as there was no need to do so. His first opponent was the branch member of the Wesley family, but even that individual could not force Vergil to reveal his element as the latter easily dominated the battle using non-elemental magic alongside a special item from his father.

Although there was a ban on the use of health potions, mana potions and talisman in a match, there was no ban on treasured weapons or artefacts; rather the calibre of such items was capped. For example, for this stage of the tournament alone, the highest grade of weapon allowed was a grade three Guardian class weapon, which was a weapon on par with a first-phase Guardian mage (first stage to third stage). Anything higher than this wasn't allowed and that included Aurora's Heliotrope spear which was a grade two Guardian class weapon.

It was thanks to a sword at the level of grade three Guardian class that enabled Vergil to win his matches so far. However, the weapon was on the more average side meaning it was on par with a second-stage Guardian mage, to be exact. Although it was 'weak', it suited him perfectly thanks to that and it aided Vergil in overpowering the branch member from the Wesley family in his first match, and he easily defeated his second opponent without it.

However, against Emma, Vergil knew it would be pointless to utilize the weapon and had instead opted to use his true strength.

"Here I come."

The large yet long broadsword formed from ice above Vergil's head darted toward Emma. If it weren't for the fact that the attack lacked any killing intent, one would think that he really wanted to kill her.

Emma's face remained calm despite the danger approaching her.

Clothed in a white battle gown with slightly large sleeves from the elbow down, Emma released a large amount of mist which she controlled toward the ice sword.

Once the mist caught up with the sword, it encapsulated it from all angles. Right after that, the mist prison abruptly turned into a water ball, holding the ice sword in place and preventing it from moving an inch closer to Emma. However, that wasn't the end. Emma clenched her right palm to form a fist and the water ball suddenly imploded, crushing the ice sword within in while also melting it to water.

'Impressive.' Asher couldn't help but praise.

'She not only has a great control over her mana but is also aware of the condensation process of mist. Utilizing that fact, she easily switched between her primary element, mist, to her second element, water. If she had forced the process relying solely on her magic, the little lass would have consumed more mana. But using the science of condensation, she was able to ease the process and reduce the mana required to pull off the change. She didn't just stop there but went on to compress the water ball and utilize the force of implosion to destroy her enemy's attack.' Asher smiled. [1]

'Unlike Aurora and Lyn, she's no ordinary genius. She's a talented genius.'

While Asher gave a rare compliment to the beloved daughter of the Saunters family, the battle between Emma and Vergil was still ongoing.

Seeing his attack taken down with ease, Vergil was unaffected. He already knew this would be a tough battle so it was hopeless to think he'd get a hit so early on.

Right after his attack was neutralized, Vergil drew a large circle in front of himself with his right index and middle finger while he faced his left palm in Emma's direction. Once the circle was fully drawn, Vergil pointed the two fingers at Emma as he whispered,

"Ice Flower technique: Dawn of the Lotus."

Eleven ice daggers formed on the path Vergil had drawn with fingers, but compared to normal ice shards, these gave off a different aura and felt more powerful. At the same time, the eleven daggers reflected the light from the afternoon sun in such a way that one could spot a faint Blue Lotus behind Vergil.

"A true magic spell."

The crowd was stirred by the appearance of the Blue Lotus.

Compared to the other types of magic, elemental magic was easier to practice and had the weakness of being countered easily. For example, facing a fire mage? Bring in a water mage for support and the battle is yours. Because of this weakness in elemental affinity and negation, some mages in the past decided to research more on elemental magic. As such, true elemental magic spells were born.

True elemental magic spells went beyond just a simple manipulation of flames, water or earth. They incorporated the mysteries of mana together with an element to birth something more powerful.

However, due to their complex nature and requirement for a high level of mana control, only fourth-stage Guardian mages and above could utilize true magic elemental spells. Anyone below this level either used amplification magic on their body or weapons, or manipulated elements to a basic degree. Hence, one can see why the spectators were shocked seeing such a spell here.

The eleven ice daggers shot toward Emma with great force and power. At the same time, the match official was prepared to step in as he realized that he had underestimated the students. Based off just their skill and mana control, Emma and Vergil had already surpassed some of the past graduates of the academy despite still being in their third year.

Emma frowned in the face of the attack. Although she had expected things would not be easy, the real thing turned out far more intense than her expectations.

Emma swung her hand vertically, forming a four-layer barrier of water, mist, water and mist, to intercept the attack. Against a true magic spell, a simple water wall spell wouldn't be enough and the young girl knew this.

Splash.

Splash.

The eleven ice daggers easily cut through the first water wall unaffected, but were slowed down by the second layer of mist. Nonetheless, they still pierced through that. The third layer, which was made of water, managed to drastically reduce the force and speed of the ice daggers, but was still penetrated by the ice daggers.

At the fourth layer, Emma now focused her attention to manipulate the mist to wrap around the daggers and then condense into liquid form, before utilizing the same move as before to shatter them. She had only been capable of achieving this after negating most of the force of the daggers and reducing their speed drastically with the first three obstructions. Even so, doing this had consumed quite a bit of her mana and if Emma were to remain on the defence constantly, she would face the risk of losing the battle once her mana ran out or ending in a draw.

However, as a proud daughter of one of the most famous and strongest dukes in the kingdom, there was no way Emma would accept such a result.

"It's my turn now."

[1] For those interested in the science behind Emma's block, it's the same science that explains how the clouds are formed and rain begins. The over saturation of water molecules in the air to the point it becomes heavy and condenses to form raindrops.

I'm not sure that I got the entire science part right tho (I'm an engineering student, not chemistry or meteorology). My last class on this was seven years ago or so, so I've forgotten quite a bit on this. But I'm quite sure I got the basics.