"I see, so it's Earth-elemental magic?"
"I almost let myself be fooled!"
Fairy Academy provided a systematic education in magical knowledge. Even if the students lacked practical combat experience, they had learned plenty of theory. Once the lowerclassmen calmed down and thought about it, they could naturally judge by the fluctuations in the air that the phenomena were caused by magic, specifically identifying Serena's magic type.
On the dueling grounds.
The release of magical power caused Serena's eyes to glow with two streaks of white light, an intimidating sight. The next moment, a sharp cry rang out.
"Cavern Dragon's... Earth Collapse!!"
Crack—
Under the pressure of the magic, the ground of the duel arena shattered into a dozen pieces, bursting from the surface in every direction. Streaks of white light shot out from underground, pillars of magic soaring into the sky.
Rumble!!
Everywhere the white light rose, the ground exploded in succession. In the blink of an eye, there was almost nowhere left to stand in the entire arena. A thick cloud of dust spread out, gradually swallowing the figures of the two combatants.
"Hahahaha..."
"How is it, Descartes?" Serena stood with his arms wide, laughing wildly with over-the-top arrogance. "You've never seen magic like this before, have you? This is the strongest magic in the world!!"
"World's strongest?"
A gust of wind blew, and the dust cleared. Descartes walked out slowly from the haze. His clothes were covered in some dust, but he was uninjured. He came to a stop and spoke clearly: "I thought it would be some impressive move, but it's just mere Dragon Slayer Magic!"
"I have at least nine ways to defeat you."
How to deal with Dragon Slayer Magic and Dragon Slayers? This was common knowledge that students at Fairy Academy learned in the sixth grade of elementary school. Descartes wasn't afraid at all.
"Big talk!" Serena didn't believe a word of it. "Cavern Dragon's... Roar of the Earth!!"
The magic in the atmosphere shifted again. The stones that had been scattered by the previous explosions quickly condensed into several stone storms, lashing out at Descartes from all sides.
However, Descartes was as steady as a mountain when still and as swift as a lightning bolt when moving. His feet tapped the ground rapidly; even though the stone storms were incredibly lethal, they could only chase the afterimages he left behind.
"Such fast movement!"
In an instant, Descartes had charged right in front of Serena. Unable to react in time, Serena took another heavy punch to the chest! But Descartes' assault was far from over. He used both fists, striking left and right, treating Serena like a punching bag.
Serena was beaten back repeatedly, looking quite pathetic. After dozens of punches, Descartes finished his combo with a flying kick, sending Serena flying a dozen meters away.
"Great!!" In a corner of the stands, Layla couldn't help but cheer for Descartes. But the moment she shouted, she realized her mistake and quickly covered her mouth, not daring to make another sound while peeking at the reactions of her three seniors.
Fortunately, Ur and the others were completely absorbed in the duel and didn't notice the girl's outburst.
"No way, Serena is getting beaten so badly he can't even fight back!"
"If he loses like this, I can't imagine how he'll face the sun tomorrow..."
"Just watch, he's only just about to show his true skill!"
Layla retracted her gaze, secretly sighing in relief and patting her chest, feeling lucky. Other students in the stands were also excited by Descartes' advantage.
"Nice work, Descartes!!"
"Just keep up the momentum and take the win!!"
However, those voices came to a screeching halt. Under the gaze of the crowd, Serena stood up once more. The next moment, a magical power even more surging and violent than before erupted from his body, turning into an invisible pressure that swept through the entire arena.
"What's happening? This magical power... it's unfathomably massive!!"
"No way?!"
"Is this the true strength of the Royal Capital Magic Academy's Number 1..."
"He wasn't being serious just now?"
The crowd was suddenly choked by this powerful aura, unable to catch their breath or stand straight. Even the upperclassmen close in age to the duo, as well as several academy instructors who had come for the show, felt a massive sense of dread, breaking into cold sweats as their hair stood on end.
Only Vice-Principal Chris remained seated in her spot from beginning to end, smiling and silent, as if nothing were happening.
On the field, Descartes looked at Serena, who had taken dozens of punches yet stood up as if nothing had happened. He felt slightly surprised. "So, is this your true strength?"
Serena snorted. "I was trying to keep this place from being destroyed, so I held back. But now, I'm not in that mood anymore!"
"Witness the gap between us and fall into total despair!"
This guy... he hasn't gained a single advantage, yet he talks bigger than anyone!
As he thought this, Serena extended his right palm. Magic gathered in his hand, and an attack entirely different from the previous one roared out.
"Purgatory Dragon's... Blazing Inferno!!"
With a whoosh, the magic transformed into a massive pillar of fire nearly two meters in diameter.
"Fire?!" The completely unexpected attack made Descartes freeze for a second. "Can he use more than one attribute of Dragon Slayer Magic?"
Normally, mastering one type is difficult enough. But considering the opponent was a genius from the Royal Capital, it wasn't impossible for him to train in two and master them both. If he had mastered two, a third or fourth wasn't out of the question. If that were the case, Descartes had to be wary of him merging different attributes into a stronger attack...
Thinking of this, Descartes didn't rush in blindly. He retreated quickly to avoid the brunt of the fire, waiting for Serena to show all his cards before making a move.
Serena did indeed have more cards. Having suffered several setbacks, he had lost the mood for play and only wanted to reclaim his lost pride. One pillar of fire wasn't enough; next, a storm shot forth.
"Gale Dragon's... Song of Wind and Moon!!"
The storm exhaled from his mouth caught up to the fire pillar from his palm. Upon collision, they exploded into a massive, more violent fireball, as if to burn everything in sight to ashes. With wind and fire combined, the temperature in the arena spiked by a dozen degrees instantly.
Descartes was forced to the edge of the arena, with nowhere left to retreat.