Chapter Twenty-One: Fusion Magic

"Of course," Vail replied coolly, and followed the fair-faced youth to a vast dueling ground. Once, this arena had been built specifically for testing magicians applying to join the Mage Guild, but now, with a single step, dust billowed up easily from the floor.

"You know, it's been a long time since the Mage Guild has found such a promising candidate like you," the fair-faced youth chuckled, pulling a slender wand from his breast and waving it casually. Instantly, a gentle breeze swept through the arena, blowing away the dust.

"Are you a wind-element magician as well?" Vail watched his actions, stepping back slightly to deliberately keep some distance between them.

"Vist, give this kid a wind-element wand!" Noticing Vail's empty hands, the fair-faced youth immediately turned and called out to another female magician. Vist, second in strength among the six, was a seventh-tier mage. She did not speak upon hearing his request, merely nodded, then fetched a slender wind-element wand from a magical cabinet. After wiping off the dust and checking its usability, she handed it to Vail.

"Thank you," Vail accepted the wand, testing its grip. This wand was not made of sago wood, and though its magic core belonged to the wind element, the magical power within was pitifully sparse—hardly useful. Still, now was not the time to be picky. Sago wood, prized for its exceptional magical conductivity, was exceedingly rare. Having any wand in hand was far better than none.

"No need for thanks—just remember to return it when you're done," Vist's complexion was pale, almost devoid of any flesh tone, and her body appeared frail, giving the impression that a gentle push would topple her.

"I will," Vail nodded in agreement, then turned his attention to the fair-faced youth.

"The test is simple: withstand my attacks for three minutes," the fair-faced youth explained as he walked to the side of the arena, raising a time hourglass. "There are no other rules; you may dodge as much as you wish. As long as you last three minutes, you'll officially earn the title of magician."

"Understood. Then, let's begin." Vail nodded, brandished his wand, and began chanting a spell.

"O element of fire, heed my call, burn away the enemy before me—Blaze Spell!"

"Hmph, crafty boy," the fair-faced youth was not angered by Vail's premature attack, merely laughed softly and waved his wand, swiftly gathering wind-element magical energy from all around.

"O spirit of wind, assemble the power of the element, sharp wind blades, rend all—Gale Blade!"

Both chanted their spells at remarkable speed, and in moments, their magic was cast. Countless bursts of fire appeared in midair, filling the basement with crimson light. On the fair-faced youth's side, rows of emerald wind blades materialized, each radiating an icy chill. With a sharp whistle, dozens of wind blades streaked toward Vail as green flashes!

Due to the difference in rank, the simple Blaze Spell could not withstand the razor-sharp wind blades. Seeing the oncoming barrage, Vail reacted swiftly, wielding his wand and commanding the flames before him to whirl rapidly in midair. In moments, they formed a fiery vortex, blocking most of the wind blades.

"Oh? It seems you have real potential in elemental control," the fair-faced youth remarked with surprise, not expecting Vail to deflect his wind blades so easily. Yet, his wand did not pause; he waved it again and chanted, "O spirit of wind, transform the force that pierces the void into invisible wind spikes—destroy all!"

With his chant, the remaining wind blades quickly converged into a wind spike as thick as a barrel, emitting a piercing hiss as it hurtled toward Vail!

"O element of wind, sweeping force—Roar of the Wind!" Almost simultaneously, as the wind spike formed, Vail completed his own incantation. He waved his wand, and an invisible hurricane surged forth, merging with the fiery vortex he had already conjured. Wind and fire, inherently intertwined, complemented each other. Driven by the wind, the flames swelled severalfold, and with the hurricane's momentum, the fiery vortex transformed into a fire tornado, roaring headlong into the fair-faced youth's wind spike!

Boom!

Red and green energies collided, erupting in a violent shockwave. The basement was not particularly large, so those outside the arena felt the blast to varying degrees. Fortunately, among them was Claire, an earth-element magician, whose shield absorbed most of the explosion's force.

Vail was pushed back a dozen steps by the shockwave, barely steadying himself, gasping for breath. After casting just two spells, he could already feel half his magical power drained—a troubling sign for him.

On the other side, the fair-faced youth, after casting two spells, remained composed and unruffled. The disparity between the two was now clear.

The greatest difference between a mage and a magician lay in their magical reserves. Even a ninth-tier mage would have only a third the magical power of a first-tier magician. A two- or threefold difference—what did that mean?

In other words, compared to the fair-faced youth, Vail's challenge was not so much in rank as in insufficient magical power. If he could not overcome the fair-faced youth before his magic was depleted, he was certain to lose this duel.