Chapter 152 What the Hell! Start again!
"I hope you are prepared, the Brave Mage who didn't surrender."
Suddenly, Gryfinn heard a demonic voice and he felt goosebumps all over his body. He, however, did not give in.
'Not like this! I can still win this!'
With that thought in his mind, the Mana in his Mana Veins moved again,
[Air Blast] and [Weaken].
*Boom*
Using the same spell with the same intention, Gryfinn created more distance between him and Vaan. Unlike Vaan, he couldn't cast and move at the same time, so the only way he could continue creating distance between them is… was this little trick of his.
Of course, there was also the option to stop casting altogether and simply start running, however, only fools would choose that option. Mages were supposed to fight using Magic, this was much truer for Basic Mages who needed at least 2 seconds to absorb the surrounding Mana and get back into casting position.
If he abandoned his casting position and started running, Vaan would simply start targeting him using his [Firespike] and that combined with [Speed] and [Direction Manipulation], the chance that he would survive by just running alone was… zero.
'Alright, I need to calm down now.'
Gryfinn spoke inwardly and started thinking, his strategy was simple.
*Boom* *Boom* *Boom* *Boom*
He would continuously use Air Blast to continue to create distance between each other.
Crystal Dome was a strong spell that defended a Mage from all directions, of course, its strength was weaker than normal defense spells, but using [Strengthen], this gap could be covered. Despite that, Crystal Dome wasn't preferred by most Water Mages, why?
Because the Spell itself could act like a trap.
Once a Mage is surrounded by Crystal Dome, he is isolated from the rest of the world, the air and Mana inside the Dome are limited, which means that sooner or later, the Mage would either run out of Mana or air to breathe and would have to eventually cancel the spell.
Gryfinn was waiting for that opportunity.
He would continue to use Air Blast again and again and once Vaan is forced to cancel the spell, he would shoot an Air Blast at him, before using Wind Blade to end the battle.
It was a foolproof plan where his victory was pretty much guaranteed.
Or… that was what he thought.
And as if he knew what his opponent was thinking, Vaan chuckled.
"Ah right, I forgot to mention.
My Crystal Dome is a little different than normal ones."
He commented and suddenly, Gryfinn paused and glanced at Vaan.
Vaan simply pointed at his feet and Gryfinn's expression changed when he realized something.
There was a gap.
There was a 3-inch gap between the floor and the Crystal Dome that allowed both air and mana to pass through.
'N-No! There is no point in a defense spell if there is a clear opening!' Gryfinn shouted inwardly.
Vaan then activated [Direction Manipulation] and the Crystal Dome moved down, closing the gap that was formed.
'…'
Gryfinn turned silent.
Vaan simply smiled, the Crystal Dome moved up again and Vaan continued his walk with his hands in his pockets.
The meaning behind his words was clear.
Gryfinn could jump around like a monkey as much as he wanted, it simply didn't matter
'T-This bastard!'
Gryfinn cursed.
"Do you have any other tricks? Or should we end this?
I feel quite good today, so I will give you a chance to surrender before I start beating you up."
Vaan spoke as he glanced at Gryfinn and cracked his knuckles.
"…" Gryfinn turned silent.
Even he could see the disparity between Vaan and him.
Vaan's defense was almost unbreakable, his attack power was not weak, actually, being supported by 7 Inner Circle Spells, Vaan's offense could be considered as one of the strongest offenses amongst the 2nd Circle Mages.
Vaan was using two extreme Inner Circle builds that were completely impractical, however, for a cheat like him, it was a perfect fit. Even if people completely ignore the absurd ability of being able to move while casting spells, with best Defense and best Offense, defeating Vaan was…
Impossible.
This battle… from the start to finish… Gryfinn never had a chance to win. The only reason he made it this far was because Vaan was taking it easy.
It was the Semi-Finals of one of the biggest Magic Tournaments in the entire world and… this bastard was simply playing around… he was that assured of his victory.
Gryfinn felt humiliated.
His body trembled as he clenched his fists in anger, however, when he stared at Vaan standing still, looking at him and waiting for his decision, Gryfinn bit his lips and,
"I… I surrender." He gave up, not wanting to humiliate himself even further.
"…"
"…"
The entire stadium turned silent.
One had to know, currently, both Mages were in their top condition, there were no injuries in their bodies, heck, one of the two mages hadn't even used more than 5 spells, and yet... none of the mages sitting there disapproved of Gryfinn's decision.
The difference between the two mages couldn't be more apparent. The people in the crowd finally understood why all the other mages gave up without even trying to fight that monster.
No power had 'manipulated' anything, the skill difference between Vaan and other Mages was so absurd that right now, Gryfinn, the Mage who stood against Vaan looked like an ignorant fool who had no clue who he was facing and came here just to humiliate himself.
"Oh? A smart opponent? How rare is that? I thought you would be jumping at me and then I would get to beat you up. I guess it's true when they say Mages are more reasonable than others." Vaan muttered, surprised by how his opponent actually gave up.
It was a pity that he didn't get to land a few punches, but oh well, there was always a next time."
"Oi, what are you doing? He surrendered, announce the results." Vaan spoke as he turned towards the referee.
"O-Oh, right." The referee finally came out of his reverie and,
"The winner of the Second Semi-Final, Vaan Astra Vesta!" he announced. Vaan momentarily glanced at the crowd and smiled.
Then, he glanced at Gryfinn and, "You are good, you should consider changing sides. Choosing the correct boat is one of the most important decisions that could singlehandedly make or break your future path.
A broken Boat won't take you far no matter how much you row it.
And the current boat you are on is one of those broken boats."
"You don't even know what Faction I support," Gryfinn spoke, trying to prove Vaan wrong.
"It doesn't matter.
If it is not mine, then it is a bad choice."
Vaan simply shrugged.
"You are too arrogant."
"I have all the reasons to be arrogant, Gryfinn Vesta. What you saw today isn't even half of my actual strength." Vaan replied as he looked into Gryfinn's eyes.
"That's bullshit."
Gryfinn snorted, not believing his words for even a second.
"I'll prove it in the finals." Vaan didn't care.
"Go back and see it for yourself.
I'll go all out this time."
He spoke as he then glanced at the announcer and,
"Start with the finals."
"Y-Young Master Vaan can rest for half an hour before we continue with the fin-"
"It doesn't matter.
We are already behind schedule, there are still two Tiers left, so start the Finals,
I'll end it soon enough anyways."
Vaan interrupted. The unwavering confidence in his eyes looked so convincing that most people had already crowned him as the Winner of the Second Tier.
The Announcer glanced at Astra, seeking her permission, Astra nodded, the announced nodded back, and,
"T-Then as per Young Master Vaan's request, we will be continuing the Finals without any break! Now whether it is arrogance or confidence,
We will find it soon enough.
Young Master Elowen, please step out."
The announcer announced and the crowd erupted in cheer once again, most of them already knew who the victor would be, however, they still looked forward to the fight.
Or maybe… they were actually looking forward to how Vaan would humiliate his opponent and as if he had sensed it,
Rather than Elowen, a voice was heard,
"I surrender."
"Huh?"
This time, Vaan was actually taken aback.
Surrender?
What?
He had to fight in the Semi Finals and now his opponent in the Finals was giving up? How did that make sense?
Why would you do that?
Who was he going to beat up if the opponent didn't show up?
Vaan seemed concerned.
He wanted to save the beating for the last but what's with this anticlimactic end?
He wasn't yet satisfied! How could he not punch any of his opponents even once in an entire tournament!?
Then suddenly, Vaan's eyes fell on Gryfinn…
Should he just fight him again?
He wondered in his head.
For some reason, Gryfinn felt that something was wrong, therefore, just to be on the safer side, he quickly rushed to the Hall the other Mages were gathered in.
As for Vaan…
He was crowned as the Winner of the Second Tier… without hitting any of his opponents even once…
'What in the hell? I want to start again! This wasn't what I expected!'
Vaan however, didn't seem very satisfied.
