Chapter CXXVII - Final Day of Training (part 1)

Three days passed by like a breeze. 

Nothing much happened besides training and more training. There is no club day on Sunday due to the Autumn event, so we are down to more training.

The student council has been very busy in setting up the event. Their members can be seen jumping around the academy at high speed while doing their work like transporting stuff.

The disciplinary committee members are also helping them in setting up. Looks like Milly needed all the help she could get.

But, she ain't getting help from me. Not now, at least.

Because today is the final day of our training.

Everyone will go all out against me on the training ground one by one, and I will find their flaws and show them what they can do to fix it. I also wanted to see how far they have changed ever since the beginning, which is around two months ago.

It started with Maneil, one of the best ones in the class. She was very eager to show off her new water magic techniques to me, and everyone also wanted to see how this went. She has been training her abilities rather intensely during the past week while I wasn't looking, and she is going to show them to me now.

And today, she will let them all out on me.

On the training mountain, the earth magicians classmates had set up a single stone arena just for the battle. On the side is where the students lined up.

"Okay, Maneil. Any time you are ready."

I said as I took a fighting stance. 

FWOOOMM!!!!

Maneil did not waste any second and quickly activated her most powerful form. She cladded her whole body in water magic. And now, it's like she is wearing an armour made completely out of water.

Her hand formed a water lance, and she held it with one hand while the other was making a circular water blade. It looks like a blue Japanese shuriken with a small ball at the center.

"Those are some cool weapons."

"Yeah, and don't you think you needed one too?"

"Nope. This is enough."

Seeing how I am underestimating her made her pissed slightly. She quickly dashed forward.

FWOOOSHH!!!

She unleashed her water blades at me and it flew at high speed. I was able to dodge it very easily, but now I lost a slight balance and she is already very close.

The water lance she created quickly stabs forward, but I simply parried it with my left hand and pushed it to the left. Using my right hand, I formed a flaming fist and punched Maneil, but she lifted her left hand and formed a water shield.

BOOOOMMM!!!!!!

The punch enchanted with green fire met the super dense water shield, causing a slight mist. The punch was powerful, and it managed to throw Maneil backwards. But, she didn't move ahead right away. 

Instead, she is waiting for something.

I knew something was wrong, and then I immediately sensed something coming from the right.

FWOOOOSHHH!!!!!!

I quickly ducked just in time as the blades of water she threw earlier nearly cut my neck.

"W-Woah! That's dangerous."

"Cih! That didn't work…"

So, that was her plan... The blades of water flew back like a boomerang and nearly cut me while I had my full attention on her. Luckily my senses are quite high today, and I dodged just in time. Plus, that thing is fast, so I was indeed very lucky.

She quickly formed ten more boomerang water blades, all with four sharp blades at each side. She threw them at me one by one.

I leaped to the right, left, ducked and jumped. Every single one of the boomerang blades I was able to dodge, but in the end, they will come back to attack me again. 

I need to destroy them.

FWOOOMMM!!!!!

I conjured multiple firebombs on my palms at the size of a ping pong ball, and threw them at high speed towards the water shuriken. 

Even at the size of a ping pong ball, the explosion is still pretty nasty.

BAAAAAARRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sometimes I forget how cracked I am...

The explosion from fire and water quickly closed the area with mist, making Maneil couldn't see anything.

And out of the sudden, fireballs came out of the mist towards Maneil. She quickly jumped up to dodge, but then a shadow tail emerged from the ground and grabbed her foot. The shadow tail lifted her up and made her hang in the air with her head on the bottom.

Maneil used her water lance and destroyed the shadow tail in one strike, and the shadow shatters to pieces when it drops to the ground. 

By the time Maneil landed on the ground, I was already walking steadily at her, and a firebomb the size of a bowling ball was in my left palms.

"While you were too busy setting yourself free, your opponent had created a powerful attack. You are still too busy thinking about your safety, when your body is literally cladded in water armour."

I turned off the firebomb and it disappeared from my left hand.

"If your opponent managed to get one powerful attack, they might actually hurt you through that armour. So, while you were being pulled up like that, you can still shoot some water blades to annoy your opponent."

I said as I got closer to her. Maneil doesn't like losing, I can tell that much. But against me, she knew she never had a chance to begin with. So instead, she took my words as a lesson.

She grinned as she turned off her water armour.

"But really, that water armour looks really dope."

"I know, right!? I didn't expect it to be this cool looking."

She is very proud of her water armour. Well, it is indeed cool.

After her, the students came one by one to the arena and I tested them. After sparring with them for quite a while, I told them their flaws and where they can improve.

Everyone finally had their turn, and now the last person is stepping up into the arena.

"People always say the final boss is always the most difficult."

I said to my opponent. She quickly took a stance as she spoke.

"Yeah? Well then, I hope you can get serious with me, Rize."

"I'm planning to do just that, Jericho."

Both Jericho and I are not showing any mercy. 

FWOOOMMM!!!!!!

She quickly cladded her whole body in light magic and her wind wings are forming behind her. No, there's something else.

"Since when you had four wings?"

"Since now."

She has four wings now, like an evolving dragon. Her third and fourth wings are smaller than the first two, and they are placed under them. They are smaller, but I can tell. With those extra wings, she has a more powerful effect when flying.

Her whole body is cladded in light magic and she has four wings behind her back. So… that's her most powerful form, huh?

What about mine?

I augment my whole body in shadow magic, but for some reason it just doesn't work. I can only augment my foot and my arm. And now it looks like I'm only wearing a gauntlet and boots out of shadow magic.

I also added fire magic on my arm and body augmentation. And as a result, the spikes on the shadow armour pieces have this fire lit on the edge. Not only that, my cheeks are also burning with streaks of flames.

My hair is swaying around from the heavy pressure I am giving out, but this is not my full one. If I give out my full pressure, I don't think anyone here can breathe.

"So… that's your most powerful form? Why aren't you covering your body with shadow armour? Like Elmone did."

"I... can't."

"Oh. Then let's go."

Jericho lifted her right hand, and on her palms, a gauntlet made of wind blazes formed. It looks barely visible, but I can tell it's very powerful.

Just like her, I also formed my own elemental weapon. I lifted my right hand and formed a shadow sword. 

The shadow sword looked very similar to my knights sword, but at the end of the hilt, a small burning flame could be seen.

It's because I am also adding a slight fire magic to the creation. And now, this thing can also use fire magic.

"Okay. Any time you are ready."