We arrived at the Grand Coliseum and observed that a few people were already present.
The members of Elf Royalty were seated at the opposite end of the circular hall.
It was a massive structure located within the Palace.
The size was something that should have never been possible with the way the Royal building looked from the outside, which suggested that Magic was at work.
We sort of faced each other, separated by the wide gulf that was the stage itself.
Standing on the stage were the two contestants—Aurora and Serah.
I wasn't the slightest bit worried about the effects of their battle. After all, the defensive array the Elves had was impressive enough to block off the effects of certain Magic on the Transcendental Level.
This was protection given by the Sacred Tree itself, so I was guaranteed its potency.
'Besides, they're only having a Friendly Duel, so it shouldn't be a big deal... right?'
I would be a fool to believe that.
Both of these two women were scary.
Serah was a wild savage that had been craving a fight ever since we started this expedition—no, even before then.
As for Aurora, hidden behind her gentle smile and calm demeanor, was a monster in her own right.
She was more talented than her sister in Magic even though she was younger.
To be honest, this Elf was a prodigy in every way. It was no wonder she had been able to live so long and was even an active Queen to her people.
Though I was a bit curious about this fight, it was clear that Aurora had the advantage.
This was Elf territory, and Mana was densest in the Royal Palace, thanks to the Sacred Tree.
As a result, she had access to the Mana locked in the environment.
Humans didn't know how to tap into that, so in terms of Mana, certainly, Aurora was superior to Serah.
But, why did I have an unsettling feeling as I stared at the scene? Serah's confident grin didn't stem from ignorance.
It was as though she believed the match was going to end up in her win.
'Well, there's only one way to find out.'
*************************
Rules for the match were established them. Among them was an obvious restriction.
"Since this is only a friendly match, we won't be utilizing Original Magic," Aurora spoke with a gentle smile.
She had a scepter in her hand. The object looked like intertwined branches of an aged tree. Atop it floated an orb that shimmered with multiple colors.
Anyone could tell at first glance that it was an immensely powerful Magic Device.
"Ah, please don't mind this little thing. I won't be using the power within. It's just more comfortable fighting with it."
"I see. That's regrettable. I truly wish to fight you at full strength." Serah said, a little less thrilled.
"As do I. But diplomacy calls for moderation. Perhaps at a later date, we can enjoy ourselves to the fullest."
"I would very much like that!"
Both women smiled at each other. Even though they were strangers who had only met a few moments ago, they felt a comradeship that couldn't be explained with mere words.
These two were known as the strongest in their respective Kingdoms. No one dared stand against them, and so they had been desirous of a greater challenge.
Now that they stood before each other, they were glad to have met.
'This time, for sure...' Both females thought.
... They would have the privilege of going all-out—at least, to an extent.
Their grins were evident, and the referee—Derius—made sure to keep his distance before even dreaming of starting the match.
Once he was within the array of protection, he raised his voice so everyone in the hall could hear him.
"Let the match begin!"
And thus began a match... of utter CHAOS!
>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!<
Starting the 'friendly' sparring session, was an explosion that could have devastated a small city.
The destructive blasts of wrath as both parties clashed caused those who watched to gulp in both fear and admiration.
People like Ivan had their skins jumping in fear. Power like this was beyond anything he could ever muster.
Watching two monsters duke it out like this reminded the boy of someone in his own grade who had also attained a realm of unimaginable power.
It made Ivan feel inadequate, but he kept watching.
Even though he was a weakling who was among the truly strong, Ivan steeled his resolve and decided to do all he could to keep growing.
Spectating battles like this would help broaden his horizon—or so he had thought.
However, after watching the two women exchange a few blows, Ivan realized it was futile to watch the match.
Their abilities were beyond what he could measure
Their fight was too fast for his eyes to follow.
Their powerful Magic was far above his comprehension.
This wasn't even in the realm of what he could learn from.
It was a complete catastrophe!
'C-can I really learn anything from this?!'
**************************
It was an amazing battle.
I was calculating everything as they fought. With every thrust and evasion, every defense and offense, I analyzed the actions of both parties.
Watching strong individuals fight was a fine learning experience and I was glad to be able to witness these two duke it out.
In terms of battle prowess, Serah had the upper hand.
Aurora mostly took to the defensive and evaded Serah's assaults. Then, she would counterattack with a powerful Spell.
The end result was—
>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!<
This back and forth occurred for some time, and the two were at a stalemate.
Considering how the Mana of an individual was finite, I expected Serah to run out of steam in a battle of attrition.
However, if I were to compare her Mana Pool to Neron's, it would take an extremely long time before she got tired.
In the long run, though, Aurora would win this fight since she had an almost infinite stock of Mana on her side.
This was another advantage of being an Elf.
With the abundance of Mana in their environment, their bodies naturally attracted the force of Mana, allowing them to strengthen their Spells and restore expended energy.
In a way, it was similar to Spellcraft.
'That's no surprise, though...'
After all, it was because of this discovery of the Elves that I could invent my greatest trump card.
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[A/N]
I need more reviews and interaction for this story. It's to encourage me and also get your suggestions.
So, please, I would like to appeal to the readers to give their reviews... and also comment more.
Thanks for reading!
