Chapter 43: Frost Nova
Down below, the Ice Mage who had previously lost to Thunder by running out of mana muttered under his breath. *Regrets… If only I'd thought of this trick last time, I wouldn't have lost to Brother Thunder!* But it was too late—his failure had become a lesson for his classmates. *Thunder's winning streak ends here.*
"Hey, everyone down there—how's it going?" Thunder waved cheerfully at the audience, sparking a wave of cheers. His opponent, the Ice Mage, smirked at the display. *This guy really thinks he's something, huh?*
"So shameless!" Sis, who was preparing for her own match, muttered under her breath.
"Any questions before we begin?" The referee cast protective shields over both competitors.
Thunder and the Ice Mage shook their heads.
"Good. The match ends when one breaks the other's shield. Begin!" The referee quickly leaped aside.
The Ice Mage grinned as he slowly advanced. "Brother Thunder, don't blame me for what happens next."
"No hard feelings!" Thunder replied amiably. Despite the fierce competition, most mages maintained good sportsmanship—unlike the brawling warriors from the Combat Division.
Knowing Thunder couldn't cast spells, the Ice Mage confidently stopped about eight meters away and pulled something from his robe.
Thunder's eyes narrowed. *A scroll?* He hadn't expected someone else to pull *his* signature move.
His mind raced through Ice Mage spells, quickly identifying the most likely candidate.
Sure enough, the Ice Mage unfurled the scroll and began chanting. The temperature plummeted, frost forming on Thunder's hair as ice-elemental energy gathered.
A ripple of invisible power surged outward. The Ice Mage shouted, **"Frost Nova!"**
A ring of jagged ice exploded from him, covering most of the arena.
This was an area-of-effect spell—unless Thunder could *fly*, dodging was impossible.
The Ice Mage exhaled in relief, grinning triumphantly. "Game over, Brother Thunder. This scroll took me *weeks* and dozens of failed attempts to make. I was saving it for the finals, but you forced my hand. Now you can't run—let's see you *jump* now!"
The arena was a field of icy spikes, leaving only a tiny safe zone around the Ice Mage. Thunder, struck directly, moved sluggishly, his breath visible in the cold air.
*Frost Nova* was a Tier 2 spell—powerful, but draining. The Ice Mage couldn't cast it unaided, hence the scroll.
The crowd gasped. No one had expected this!
"Brother Thunder, crush him!" someone shouted.
The Ice Mage scoffed. *Crush me? Look who's frozen solid!*
Just as he prepared to attack, Thunder reached into his robe—and started *scratching*.
Then, to everyone's shock, he pulled out *several scrolls*.
"Uh… I've got these too," Thunder said sheepishly.
The Ice Mage nearly fainted. Before he could react, Thunder tore open a scroll—and a thick bolt of lightning struck him head-on, rattling his shield violently.
Erick gaped. He'd seen Thunder inscribe *Lightning Strike* scrolls yesterday, but their *power* exceeded all expectations.
One hit had already weakened the Ice Mage's shield significantly.
The audience felt it—Thunder was no longer holding back. He was a beast unleashed.
The Ice Mage panicked as Thunder prepared another strike.
*This is karma.* The *Frost Nova* that trapped Thunder also *pinned the Ice Mage down*—he couldn't dodge either!
His shield flickered. One more hit, and he was out.
"Ref! I protest!" the Ice Mage yelled desperately.
"Protest what?"
"He's *cheating*! Everyone knows he can't cast spells—how can he use scrolls?"
"Who says you need to cast spells to use scrolls?" the referee countered.
"But—if he can't cast, how could he *make* scrolls? I bet someone else made those for him!"
The referee hesitated. That *was* a valid point.
**"I can confirm Thunder made those scrolls himself. I saw it."**
Teacher Maria's voice silenced all doubts.
The referee shrugged. "We'll verify after the match. Any *other* protests?"
The Ice Mage sniffled. *Why is life so unfair?*
**Will Thunder's scroll barrage crush his opponent—or will the Ice Mage pull off a desperate counter?**