LHAHS Chapter 413
Aina heightened her senses to the extreme using aura.
I can't distinguish the real one.
The four spells Juen had fused together were invisibility, ice clone, explosion, and mana distribution.
Invisibility continuously sharpened her opponent's senses, accumulating fatigue. By hiding her body among the ice clones and using explosion magic, she blocked Aina from finding the real one by attacking indiscriminately. And with mana distribution, she prevented detection through mana perception.
A perfect counter.
Aina's eyes narrowed. I can't find the mage's position, but…
Whir—! Flash!
A powerful surge of mana accompanied Juen's magic bullets as they shot toward Aina.
Aina's golden eyes gleamed.
Whack!
She evaded the rapidly flying bullets using Aura Step.
The moment she attacks, her position is revealed.
No matter how well Juen hid, the instant she launched an attack, her location would be exposed.
Whoosh—!
Moving at a speed barely visible to the eye, Aina dashed toward the origin of the magic. If she hesitated even slightly, Juen would disappear among the clones again. Not giving her any such chance, Aina aimed to finish the match in an instant.
Closing the distance in a flash, Aina thrust her sword without hesitation.
Shk!
"Guh?!" Juen let out a pained gasp as the sword pierced through her shoulder.
Whoosh—!
Her invisibility unraveled.
"It's over," Aina said calmly.
Juen trembled with her head bowed. Then suddenly, she stopped shaking, lifted her head, and smiled. "Mm, nope."
"…!"
Flash! BOOM—!
Once again, an ice clone exploded.
Aina grimaced as she shielded herself with aura armor.
How…!
Just as Aina reeled in shock…
Flash—!
Another one of Juen's attacks flew toward her.
"Tch!"
Barely dodging, Aina rushed at Juen once more.
[Ohhh! Juen is dominating the fight against Aina, completely taking control of the battle!] Runeba shouted in excitement.
"Whoa! I didn't see this coming," Eliana said, munching on popcorn as she widened her eyes.
Many had predicted Aina's victory, though some expected a close match. However, no one had anticipated Juen overwhelming Aina like this.
At that moment, Eliana spotted Carl passing by and called out, "Carl! Get me another popcorn! With caramel on top!"
"Oh! Thanks for the business! But hey, that's already your third one. You're gonna turn into a pig at this rate."
"Who the hell are you calling a pig?!"
Furious, Eliana kicked at Carl, but he dodged nimbly with an infuriating smirk.
Carl approached Leo and asked, "Leo, what do you think?"
"If Juen maintains control, she'll win," Leo said, eyes fixed on the match. "And taking back control from her won't be easy for Aina."
Juen Torvina, the talented daughter of the Southern Magic Tower Master.
She could wield all elemental magic, with exceptional mastery of each. On top of that, she possessed powerful mana and fast spellcasting speed.
She isn't a mage who overwhelms with sheer firepower, but as a traditional mage, she's extremely well-balanced.
Her greatest strength was her ability to launch a constant barrage of high-level magic. Also, because she handled such a variety of spells, she was highly adaptable to different situations.
Against a mage like that, once you lost the initiative, it was incredibly difficult to regain it.
"But this won't end so easily."
Even now, Aina was rapidly cutting down Juen's clones. The ice clones kept exploding, striking Aina over and over. Yet, they weren't dealing any major damage.
It wasn't because Juen's magic was weak. Her magic was certainly powerful.
"Mages as versatile as Juen aren't easily beaten with tricks."
A mage's most dominant moment was in a fortified position. For a mage, seizing control meant securing the surrounding area as their stronghold.
"And if you try to break through head-on, you'll only destroy yourself."
Leo watched as Aina lowered her stance.
"The thing is, Aina has more than enough ability to take Juen down in a direct confrontation."
"Hmm!" Carl folded his arms, his expression serious. "Well, not that she thinks that deeply about it. She mostly fights on instinct."
Put nicely, she was the type to charge forward head-on.
Put bluntly, she was a muscle-brained fighter.
But sometimes, fighters like that are the scariest opponents.
Aina was exactly that kind of opponent.
This girl, seriously…!
Hiding in invisibility, Juen shouted internally.
Aina was silently cutting down Juen's clones. Each time, she was caught in the resulting explosions and took damage, yet there wasn't a single moment of hesitation in her movements.
There's a limit to how reckless you can be, damn it!
The damage from a single ice clone wouldn't amount to much for Aina. However, even minor damage accumulates over time, eventually becoming significant.
Most people would hesitate when caught in a dilemma like this, but Aina didn't waver in the slightest. Without blinking an eye, she charged forward without hesitation—destroying anything in her way first and asking questions later.
I never expected to beat Aina with this strategy alone… but I didn't think she'd break through my invisibility this fast either.
Clicking her tongue inwardly, Juen gripped her staff.
I need time.
There was no chance of winning in a direct confrontation. To defeat Aina, she needed a decisive strike.
Her magic had immense firepower and rapid casting speed. It was strong enough to take down most knight department students in an instant, but Aina was on a completely different level. Moreover, Aina's sword was faster than her magic.
Aina can even cancel out my attacks with her sword strikes.
Juen's eyes narrowed.
Even if my attacks hit, her aura armor will block most of the damage.
If that happened, she would be left open for Aina's counterattack. Unlike Aina, who could endure several of Juen's attacks, Juen would be finished the moment she took a single hit.
If I can't finish it in one blow, I lose.
She needed time to prepare that one decisive strike. Juen adjusted her grip on her staff.
Just as Aina was about to cut down Juen's last clone…
Flash—!
Juen aimed her staff at Aina and instantly unleashed her mana.
Bzzzt—! Flash—!
A powerful mana bullet shot toward Aina.
In that moment, Aina's golden eyes gleamed.
Flash—! BOOM—!
Slashing her sword from below to above, a golden arc of light cleaved through the magic perfectly. Juen's invisibility unraveled, revealing her true form.
"Found you."
Aina immediately charged at Juen, but Juen unleashed a barrage of spells. Magic poured from spell circles forming in midair.
Aina's golden eyes flickered as she gripped her sword tighter and swung at the air with full force.
Whoosh! BOOM—! BOOM—! BOOM—!
Countless magic attacks exploded midair.
"Again!" Juen gathered more mana and launched another indiscriminate attack.
[Ah! Juen is attacking too inefficiently! If she keeps using magic at this scale, she'll exhaust herself quickly no matter how vast her mana reserves are!] Runeba shouted urgently.
"Invisibility magic was a good move," one upperclassman murmured. "But Juen Torvina is at a huge disadvantage. If this were a battlefield with cover like an urban setting or a forest, it might have been a more even fight."
"Well, it's inevitable when a mage is fighting a knight in melee combat."
Once again, Juen's spells were cut down by golden sword strikes.
"Huff… huff…"
Overexerting herself with magic, Juen was gasping for air. Blood trickled from her lips due to the strain.
Her limit.
Juen instinctively knew she had reached it. Meanwhile, Aina still looked relatively fine. Despite being hit by several spells, she was nowhere near as spent as Juen.
"You can't beat me by just throwing numbers at me." Aina let her sword rest at her side. "This is just stalling. Accept your defeat."
"I can't just accept defeat from someone who acts like no one else matters."
"I've never looked down on others," Aina said, lowering her gaze. "I'm just focused on what I need to achieve."
"That's what it means to look down on others," Juen shot back, clenching her teeth.
At first, when Aina had become the grade representative, Juen had been frustrated but had acknowledged her. Aina's skills in the entrance exam were clearly superior.
Even now, Juen had no choice but to recognize that Aina was stronger. The same went for Haviden and Sasha. They had set their sights on Aina, determined to take the grade representative title from her.
Aina Beidna! Just you wait, I'm going to take that title from you!
However, when Juen had boldly declared her challenge, Aina had responded with indifference.
"I don't care about the grade representative title."
"What? Then why are you in first place?"
"To be acknowledged by Leo. If you want to be the representative, take it. I don't care."
"Hold on. I don't want to win by default like that. I need to beat you and take the title myself!"
"Then just consider yourself the winner."
"What?"
"I'm going to take you down," Juen declared.
Aina shook her head. "You can't in that condition. You're already at your limit."
Juen smiled. "Isn't our school's motto to surpass our limits?"
"……"
"And because you only see what's right in front of you…"
"…?"
"That's why you get caught."
"…!"
Juen pointed downward, and Aina's eyes widened as she looked at her feet.
What…?
She couldn't move her legs.
Invisible threads?
Thin strands of mana wrapped around her like a spider's web.
Click—!
Juen aimed her staff at Aina. "The magic I used before was a distraction! The real trap was this!"
When did she…
Juen's unique spell, Arachne, was a technique that entangled an opponent's feet with mana threads like a spider's web. The more one struggled, the tighter they were bound.
Aina could break free if given a little time, but…
"That time is all I need!" Juen screamed, her mana surging much more powerfully than before. "Maximum firepower!"
BOOM—!
The air trembled as if a cannon had gone off. Aina's eyes flickered as the spell hurtled toward her.
KWOOM! BOOM—! BOOM—! BOOM—!
Explosions erupted, obliterating the battlefield. Juen gazed at the dust cloud rising.
Whoosh—!
Through the dust, Aina emerged. Her body was tattered, but her golden eyes still gleamed fiercely. She had endured Juen's full-force attack and made it through.
"I knew this wouldn't be enough to take you down!" Juen shouted.
"What?" Aina's expression twisted in shock.
Still pointing her finger at Aina, Juen unleashed her mana. Even while coughing up blood, she fired a magic bullet.
Bang—!
"Guh?!"
Hit directly, Aina was sent rolling across the ground.
Now… this really is my limit…
Using her sword for support, Aina struggled to stand. She gritted her teeth and tried to move, but her body wouldn't obey.
Juen staggered forward, still aiming at her.
Step… step…
Seeing that no attack came, Aina lifted her head. Juen stood there, her trembling hands barely holding up, eyes unfocused.
Thud—
Juen collapsed.
Mel approached, checked Juen's condition, and announced, "Winner, Aina Beidna."
"Whoaaaaa!"
"That was close!"
"Wow! If the conditions weren't so favorable for Aina, Juen would've won!"
Excited voices filled the arena.
Aina looked at the unconscious Juen. She had reached her limit long ago, yet she had kept pushing forward.
Aina clenched her jaw. She would give up the moment she hit her limit, while Juen had fought to the very end.
If she had remained conscious just a little longer, I would have lost.
Her heart wavered. She had never expected such a difficult battle. She had only been focused on proving herself to Leo, but…
How pathetic.
Even as the crowd cheered, Aina walked with her head down. Juen's desperate struggle resurfaced in her mind, and so did the image of Luke, constantly fighting against his own limits.
Can I push myself that far?
Staring at her hands, Aina grimaced. She had wanted Leo's recognition. She had wanted to inherit the Sword Saint's legacy and take revenge on Tartaros.
Until now, she had never doubted that becoming stronger would earn Leo's acknowledgment, but now…
Can I really be recognized by Leo like this?