Chapter 58.2- Doom Days

“Potter vs Serrano” The screen flashed out, knocking me solidly out of my thoughts. It was almost like the second I thought I knew who I would be facing in the finals, the fates decided to see me fight them right then and there. It meant more entertaining duels both for me and the audience. It also meant that shit kept ramping up. I knew Serrano would give me a good duel. He was too good not to. I also knew that I could not afford more than a few seconds of sloppiness. Beating Serrano would probably require a level of skill higher than what I had shown so far. Good thing I still had lots of head room when it came to that.

I walked out to the field, moving only a few seconds after he did so. We did not share any words during the walk. He did not even look in my direction a single time. I sent out a testing probe and was faced with rock solid shields. Not as good as what the best masters of the mind arts would have, but more than enough to stand the test of a cursory examination. I would really have to try to break his shields and that was sating something.

We reached the field and took our positions. The wheel flashed through the options, before landing on red. Now, we had each dueled in a variety of environments, and more importantly, gotten a chance to watch others duel in each of the environments. It meant we had mental designs, plans, strategies to take advantage of each of the elements. And then the ground shook and we were in the middle of a volcano.

I felt the heat travel through my body, almost making me break a sweat instantly. This environment was one of the more interesting. Someone had fallen to heat stroke, while we’d seen another get asphyxiated from his opponent taking a hold of the cooling charm he had carelessly layered upon himself. Neither of us made that particular lapse in judgement. Bog standard environment adaption charms weren’t made to be used in combat and that had been driven home on more than one occasion. Maybe after this I would turn my mind to that solution, I thought as I felt a drop of liquid fall from my face to the floor.

I bowed as my opponent did the same with a flourish and then the referee kicked things off. If I expected a slow start, I was sorely disappointed.

Two bludgeoning curses rang like gongs against my conjured shield. I banished it at him while he twirled around it, a piercer on the tip of his wand. I danced to the side, allowing the three spells that left his stick of acacia (?) in quick succession. I tore the platform up with an upwards slash, banishing a hundred pounds of stone and dust at him. In a blink they were vanished and I was deflecting even more spells.