Chapter 239: One Week Training Arc (2)

A few moments later

Amelia’s little tantrum of a spell actually managed to work out well, as all the trees in a 5 meter radius from her had been utterly destroyed, and cut down. 

And, right as the last stone missile had been shot, and the last tree fell down, there she was, the stupid, annoying mutt standing on the branch of a rather thick tree behind the tree that had just fallen. 

Raegis tapped her steel-branch sword at her back, a thoughtful look on her face but to Amelia who was on the ground, she felt as if Raegis was looking down on her. Also, because Raegis hadn’t sheathed her actual blade that hugged her at her hip.

“You think you’re so much better than me, don’t you? Simply because you managed to meet Willow a little earlier, you think you can just prance around like you own him?” 

Mana welled up from within Amelia, as she looked down, letting her emotions get the better of her. Today, she ended this bitch. “Guess what, I’m going to show you exactly why we enslaved your kind until a millenia ago.”

Turns out that most elves were also extremely racist, especially towards demons and beastkin. Well, that’s what happens when an especially long-lived race stays cooped up in one place for centuries. 

Amelia’s figure glowed, her slender figure wrapped in an ethereal aura as she connected to the seven major elements. Though still in the nascent stages of harnessing their full potential, her command over air, earth, fire, water, wood, light, and darkness was awe-inspiring.

“You,” Raegis pointed at Amelia with her branch-sword. “You yap too much, long ears.” Without so much as a sound, Raegis’s feet simply pressed against the branch she was on, and suddenly, she was already half the distance away from Amelia, her branch whistling like steel through the air. 

But right before Raegis’s branch-sword could pierce through Amelia, the long-eared elf casted a spell. “ᛁᚱᛞᚷᛁᛏ, Wind.” 

Immediately, an updraft of especially strong wind appeared underneath Raegis who noticed it early enough to block, but not enough to dodge as she was suddenly hurled into the sky from the force of the wind. 

But Raegis, her reflexes honed by countless training sessions, adapted swiftly. Even as she was in mid-air, with just the strength of her core, she sliced horizontally through the updraft of invisible, strong currents. And, while throwing a steel-branch behind her, she immediately used the steel-branch which weighted the same as a long-sword as her footing, before immediately jumping down, nearly arriving at Amelia in an instant.

But, Amelia was ready. “ᚠᛁᛋᚢᛚᚲᛖᛞᛁᚾ, Wind.” 

Sensing danger, Amelia, with expertise, bent her own body into an arc, akin to the way a feline’s body over-extended when they stretched, before she gracefully avoided the torrent of invisible wind that would have barraged her from the right. She landed on the floor, but in an instant, appeared behind Amelia, closing the distance between them, and already had her branch-sword an inch away from Amelia’s neck.

But, again, Amelia was ready. “ᚦ ᚠᛟᚱ ᚷᛖᚹᚨᚢᚱᚾᚨᚦᚨ ᛁᚱᛞᚷᛁᛏᚢᚾᛁᚱ. Fire.” 

BOOM!

An explosion similar to a TNT exploded right in front of Raegis, immediately sending her back a couple meters away but even this amount of explosive was only enough to momentarily stun her. 

And, Amelia knew that. So, pointing her staff at the beastkin, she chanted again. “ᛈᛖᚲᚨᚱᛋ. Earth.” 

Vines appeared from the ground, wrapping them around Raegis’s ankles, anchoring her onto the ground for a split-second before she cut them off. 

And, Amelia was right in front of her this time, with her wand pointed immediately at her eyes. “ᛖᛞᚢᚾᛖ. Light!” Amelia summoned the power of light, casting a blinding radiance upon Raegis. Momentarily disoriented, the beastkin faltered, providing Amelia with a crucial respite but simply because she was petty, she chanted again. 

“ᛈᛖᚲᚨᚱᛋ. Earth.” Pebbles turned into stones as they wrapped themselves around her leg, as Amelia, with the most determined look on her face, kicked at Amelia, aiming for her right lung. 

But, her pettines would prove to be her downfall. 

Because just as her kick landed onto Amelia’s obliques which felt like iron to her, Raegis caught her leg with the biggest smile on her face, as she opened her eyes. “Caught you.”

“Shit, ᛖᛞᚢᚾᛖ. Light!” Desperate, Amelia tried to blind her again but the beastkin had seen that trick already. 

“Too slow.” Raegis, her instincts sharp as ever, executed a lightning-fast maneuver. She simply closed her eyes, and craned her neck dodging the flash-bomb, before releasing Amelia’s leg for a second, to twist her own body and perform the most perfect 360 roundhouse kick onto the elf.

“GUH!” Releasing an un-elf like moan of pain, Amelia found herself flying away before crashing against a tree as she felt like the wind had been knocked out of her lungs. “Fhuck!”

“ᚢᚾᛖ. . .ᛈᛁᛏᛏ. .ᛁᚲᚢᛁᚱ, Wind!” 

An arc of wind sliced through the air aimed at the rushing Raegis who twisted her body mid-air, executing a breathtaking somersault that evaded the oncoming wind slice. Landing with cat-like grace, she darted forward, sword gleaming with determination.

It had been a day since they made the decision to join the tournament, and Amelia had made strides in honing her magical skills under Willow's guidance. However, her reliance on her favorite element of wind, particularly when under pressure, did not go unnoticed by Raegis.

With a twinkle in her amber eyes, Raegis deftly sidestepped another gust of wind conjured by Amelia, her agile form weaving through the invisible currents. Her sword gleamed in the sunlight as she effortlessly closed the distance between them. 

But, the wind slices were only to buy her time, as she had already chanted light to heal her enough to bring her in the game again, but Raegis was already right in front of her. 

With a swift flick of her wrist, she sent a flurry of precise strikes toward Amelia, who immediately took some scratches when she leaped to the side to dodge, as she chanted another spell. 

“ᛖᚱᛞᛖ, Earth!” 

Summoning the strength of earth, Amelia sent pillars of soil erupting from the ground, seeking to impede Raegis's advance. But the beastkin, with her unmatched agility, gracefully leaped over the obstacles, her movements akin to a nimble predator.

“ᚾᛞᛖ. Fire!”

Amelia had ran around the beastkin, aiming her staff at her before she swirled a torrest of hot flames before her, unleashing a barrage of fiery missiles at the beastkin but that also proved to be useless.

With a swift swing of her sword, Raegis sliced through a torrent of swirling flames conjured by Amelia. The fiery projectiles dissipated into smoke and ash, their power nullified by the beastkin's precise movements. Amelia's frustration grew with each failed attempt to strike Raegis.

“Why won’t you die?!”

Amelia gritted her teeth, a mixture of determination and annoyance fueling her efforts. She summoned mighty gusts of wind, attempting to buffet Raegis with its force. But Raegis effortlessly navigated through the turbulent currents, her lithe form almost dancing in the face of Amelia's attacks.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Raegis executed a flawless maneuver, countering the wind with her own aura. A burst of energy emanated from her body, neutralizing the gusts and sending them swirling back toward Amelia. She stumbled backward, barely evading her own magical onslaught.

Raegis's smirk widened, her eyes gleaming with triumph. "Run, run little elf.”

Now that really got Amelia mad. 

All she saw was red, when she decided to do something she hadn’t mastered yet. 

Amelia's brow furrowed, her mind racing for a solution. She attempted to harness the element of earth, conjuring towering walls of stone in Raegis. But before the structures could solidify, Raegis anticipated the move, delivering a precise strike that shattered the earth into a cloud of dust.

Raegis chuckled, her confidence unwavering. "Faster, faster!”

Amelia's chest heaved as she leaned against the rough bark of a tree, her heart pounding with a mix of exhaustion and frustration. Her slender figure was cloaked in the ethereal glow of her magical aura, but the glow wavered, flickering like a dying flame.

"Dammit," she muttered under her breath, casting a wary glance in Raegis's direction. The beastkin stood confidently in the clearing, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Amelia couldn't help but notice the mischievous grin playing on Raegis's lips.

Elves were known for their grace and affinity for magic, but Amelia's current predicament had shattered any illusions of invincibility. She had underestimated Raegis's abilities and found herself outmaneuvered at every turn. It frustrated her to no end.

As she listened to Raegis's giggles echoing through the trees, Amelia couldn't help but feel a surge of anger rising within her. This wasn't just a friendly spar anymore. It had become a battle of pride, and she refused to be seen as weak or helpless.

Closing her eyes, Amelia took a deep breath, attempting to regain her composure. She knew she needed a plan, a strategy that would give her the upper hand. Raegis was skilled in close-quarters combat, adept at dodging and countering. Amelia needed to find a way to catch her off guard, to exploit a weakness.

Her mind raced, considering every possibility. The elements she wielded were powerful, but their direct approach had proven ineffective. She needed subtlety, finesse, and an element of surprise.

Amelia's eyes fluttered open, determination gleaming within them. “Fuck. Looks like I have to go all in or nothing.” She had a plan. It would work. 

If it didn’t, she’d kill herself.