"Gravity?"
In the spectator stands, Bluenote's eyes flickered. As a user of Gravity Magic himself, the moment Descartes created a gravitational space, he felt an uncontrollable urge to test his skills against him.
"That guy is truly remarkable!"
Silver leaned half-over the low wall in front of the stands, watching the scene in the arena with a sigh of admiration. "Creating an 'Ice World' one moment and a 'Gravity Field' the next... his magic alone is more versatile than the four of ours combined!"
"Is Space-Make really that strong?"
As he spoke, his eyes kept darting toward Ur beside him. Though he didn't say it aloud, his expression seemed to scream: Look at him, then look at you. Same type of magic, aren't you ashamed?
Ur, naturally noticing Silver's look, gave a cold snort.
"While Maker Magic is said to be the freest magic, it doesn't mean you can create just anything you want. Much of what Descartes has shown actually exceeds the boundaries of Maker Magic itself; it requires a vast foundation of knowledge in other magical fields. Without that knowledge, Space-Make is like a piece of wood suspended in the air—with nothing to hold it up, it's destined to fall."
Silver blinked. "...So? What are you trying to say?"
"So, it's not that Space-Make is strong, it's that Descartes is strong, which makes the magic look powerful! If anyone else used it, they wouldn't get these results. Conversely, if he used any other attribute of Maker Magic, he could make it just as spectacular."
Ur understood this truth, and Silver did too. Layla might not have understood it before, but after hearing Ur's explanation, it became clear to her as well.
...
On the Dueling Grounds.
Seeing the eight dragons pinned to the ground and unable to move an inch, Serena pushed his magic further.
"Eight Dragons... Scattered Splendor!!"
The bodies of the eight giant dragons began to swell at a visible rate, looking like over-inflated balloons on the verge of popping.
"This is..."
Descartes saw it immediately, it was the precursor to the magical energy inside the dragons being detonated. If those eight bursts of energy were allowed to explode, the resulting destruction would be catastrophic!
"Space-Make: Dark Orbit!!"
Inside the gravity field, a black hole appeared out of nowhere. A second later, a powerful suction force erupted from within.
The airflow in the arena shifted instantly. The stones on the ground were the first to go, sucked into the black hole by the hurricanes blowing from all sides and vanishing without a trace. Light was the next victim; though it couldn't be seen or touched, it existed within the space, and its consumption caused the shadows on the ground to be dragged toward the hole as well.
Finally, the black hole extended its claws toward the eight magical dragons. The gravity field and the black hole existed in the same space, and their effects should have cancelled each other out, but they weirdly formed a "non-aggression" pact. Thus, the eight dragons about to explode were forcibly sucked into the black hole under the intense gravity.
Boom, boom, boom—!!!
The dragons exploded, but the energy generated could not escape the shackles of the black hole. Then, the space shook slightly, the black hole vanished, and the magic settled down, leaving only a lingering breeze and silent rubble.
"What was that magic just now? It looked incredibly dangerous!"
"It even swallowed light... that's just absurd!"
The warm wind carried the gasps of the academy students onto the field, adding fuel to the fire of a battle that had already reached its peak. Seeing the afternoon sun beginning to dip toward the west, Descartes knew it was time to end the fight. He struck his palm against his fist, switching from defense to offense.
"Space-Make: Iron Garden!!"
Clang, clang, clang—!!
Countless flowers, bushes, thorns, vines, and trees made of iron sprouted one after another from the ground. From a bird's-eye view, it looked like a black wave starting from Descartes and rushing toward Serena, covering the entire arena in an instant.
"Child's play!"
Serena maintained his confident smile, his eyes showing a mix of disdain, contempt, arrogance, and a hint of nonchalance. "Did blocking a few of my attacks make you get ahead of yourself? To use this kind of magic against me... you're looking down on me too much!"
"Cavern Dragon's... Earth-Shattering Shock!!"
Rumble—
The ground beneath him exploded, sending a shockwave directly against the iron tide. The two spells collided violently. The destructive force was immense! The leading iron constructs were quickly destroyed, scattering into irregular shards.
However, Descartes' molding speed was faster! For every three inches of the wave destroyed in the front, the wave behind advanced a foot. It was continuous and unstoppable!
Serena was secretly alarmed. Such fast molding speed! It's faster than Ur's Ice-Make!!!
In the blink of an eye, the iron tide had reached him. Serena didn't dodge, preparing to take the hit head-on. "How foolish! Iron of this hardness can't possibly break through the Diamond Dragon's defense!"
But just an instant before the wave reached him, a change occurred! Several iron thorns lunged from the ground, binding Serena at lightning speed and hurling him into the air. Immediately following that, dozens of sharp iron spikes shot toward the sky, attacking Serena from different directions!
"What??!" Serena was stunned by the sudden turn of events.
In fact, after learning the Cavern Dragon's magic, he gained a passive ability: as long as he stood on the ground, he would receive a steady stream of power from the earth. Though it wasn't extremely fast, it greatly enhanced his endurance in battle. Now that his feet were off the ground, that passive ability vanished.
Did this guy see through my hidden ability? His eyesight is praiseworthy, but my strength doesn't rely solely on power drawn from the earth!
"Diamond Dragon's... Nation-Destroying Bullets!!"
Suspended in the air, Serena remained calm. His fists struck downward rapidly, firing countless rock-hard projectiles that smashed the incoming iron spikes and the entire iron garden below into scrap.
On the ground, Descartes' eyes remained steady.
"Space-Make: Ocean Kingdom!!"
In a flash, the terrain changed again, shifting from an iron garden into a massive water cube. Seeing this, Serena couldn't help but laugh loudly.
"Hahaha... did failing your combo make you lose your cool?! The Diamond Dragon's attacks can't destroy water, but don't forget—one of my eight Dragon Slayer magics is Water-attribute! By creating this water cube, you're just giving me free magic power!!"
With a splash, Serena fell into the water. He opened his mouth wide, preparing to swallow the entire water cube.
But the next second, he felt himself land on a solid object. Immediately, a familiar yet unwanted sensation of dizziness rushed to his head. His wide-open mouth instantly switched from "inhaling" to "vomiting"—vomiting uncontrollably.
It was a trap! Serena finally figured it out, but by then, it was too late!
The center of the water cube arched upward, and a simple wooden boat carried Serena as it slowly floated to the surface. Descartes watched this scene with a triumphant smile.
"Why so surprised? There are boats in the ocean, isn't that perfectly normal?!"