Chapter 9 - Peekaboo

The wooden dragon roared, rushing towards Rosalind. Rosalind quickly rolled to the left, just barely dodging the rush of the dragon.

"Yoohoo! Up here!" I called out to her.

She looked up at me, her eyes widening. Over fifty fire balls were gathered at my side, blazing brightly. Sadly, I don't have the mana capacity to make all 50 flame arrows, but this will do.

With a swift motion, I swiped my hand down, and the fireballs erupted into motion, streaking towards Rosalind like meteors of destruction. Each orb crackled with a furious energy, leaving trails of scorching light in their wake as they closed in on her.

"I didn't want to have to use this... but you havep8 left me no choice." She said, getting into a stance.

"What?"

Rosalind confronted the oncoming torrent of fireballs with a flurry of slashes that blurred together into a mesmerizing dance of steel. Her sword sliced through the fiery onslaught with a precision that was almost too swift for the eye to follow. Each of her calculated strikes met a fireball, extinguishing its form with a brilliant collision. For a moment, it seemed as if time itself had slowed down.

"What the hell was that!?" I shouted in surprise.

"Why would I tell you if you don't want to tell me your secret?"

Wow, that's the same line I used back in the entrance exam.

"...Touché. Also, always be aware of your surroundings."

Out of nowhere, the wooden dragon, once dormant, sprang to life, lunging forward with surprising agility. It struck Rosalind from behind with formidable force, propelling her into the air with a sudden and unexpected impact.

"AGH!!" Rosalind yelped in pain.

[Gravity magic]

I amplified the gravitational pull on Rosalind, a powerful force that dragged her swiftly back to the earth. She crashed into the ground with a resounding impact, her movements restrained by the overwhelming gravitational pressure. Struggling to rise, she found herself immobilized.

[Earth magic]

I summoned a colossal rock that loomed menacingly above me. With a decisive gesture, I sent the massive boulder hurtling downward towards Rosalind, curshing her with its immense weight. I quickly followed it up, using [Ice magic]², to conjure a sphere of ice above me. With precise control, I gradually reduced its size until it was about the size of a baseball.

Swiftly, I flung the miniature ice sphere towards the giant boulder. Upon impact, the ice sphere erupted into a sprawling glacier, a frozen tempest that engulfed the colossal boulder. The clash of earth and ice produced a cataclysmic explosion, sending icy shards and rocky debris scattering in all directions.

"And that's how you do a combo, kids." I smirk.

She should be okay, or at least I hope she is. Did I go too far? The glacier, suddenly without reason, began to crack and splinter. Deep, echoing cracks radiated through its frozen expanse, like a web of fractures etched upon its surface. Then, the glacier exploded into a breathtaking display of elemental fury. Chunks of ice and stone were scattered in every direction.

[Barrier(sphere)]

As the billowing smoke gradually dissipated, Rosalind emerged from the aftermath, her figure battered and bruised by the relentless onslaught of my attacks.

"Don't you seem quite angry? Maybe you should **chill out**." I laughed.

"Not funny."

She got into a stance. Wait a minute, isn't that the same stance from befo-

[Clairvoyance]

In an instant, she disappeared from where she was standing. I instinctively turned around, just barely ducking under her slash. I jumped back, but she didn't give me any time to recover. She rushed at me with incredible speed, slashing at me again. I quickly blocked it, forming a barrier around my arm. Though I blocked it, the impact from it sent me crashing into the ground.

"What the hell?" I stood up quickly, looking around for Rosalind.

[Clairvoyance]

I jumped into the air, just barely dodging a slash from under me. I put my hands together, pointing at her.

[Flight]

[Water magic]

Drawing upon water magic, I fired a shower of rapid, needle-like water projectiles, which rained down upon Rosalind with unrelenting speed. She attempted to deflect the shower of water bullets with her sword, yet the speed and amount proved overwhelming. Many striked her in various vulnerable spots, and the stinging impacts left her marked by a multitude of small cuts and bruises.

She jumped up into the air after me, swinging her sword at me. I quickly countered, using [Gravity magic(lesser)] to freeze her in place before sending her straight back to the ground.

"Get her, doggo!"

With a resounding roar, the wooden dragon surged forward, closing the distance between it and Rosalind with astounding speed. In a display of incredible agility, she leaped into the air, moving at such an extraordinary pace that not even my [Clairvoyance] could fully track her. In the blink of an eye, she materialized behind my wooden statue and, with a single, precise slash, cleaved it apart, scattering the pieces like a jigsaw puzzle.

"That isn't good."

She looked up at me, smirking.

"Well well well, look how the tables have turned."

"Don't kid yourself. I'm not done yet."

Rosalind charged toward me with incredible speed, her movements so swift that they left behind a trail of afterimages, It was as if she existed in multiple places at once, a whirlwind of motion that encircled me in a blur.

"What's with this speed?"

Suddenly, all the afterimages of Rosalind abruptly rushed towards me. Each of them held their sword with unwavering precision, held just below their waist, ready to execute a synchronized assault.

[Clairvoyance + Acceleration] =

[All-Seeing Eye]¹

Then, time seemed to slow down. But no, it was just my spell at work. Now, I can perceive things faster to even such a level as this. Though, I can't seem to move.

[Haste + Acceleration + Wind magic] =

[Blitzsurge]²

"There we go! I can move now!"

I gazed at Rosalind, who continued to move in a deliberate, almost languid manner within the slowed flow of time. Her actions, although considerably slowed, retained grace and precision,

"Looks like I win. I would ask if you had any last words before I kick your ass, but you can't right now!" I laughed.

Just as I prepared to execute my strike, a remarkable shift occurred. Rosalind's movements, initially slowed to a crawl, began accelerating at an astonishing rate.

"Wait a minute, wha-?"

Before I could finish my sentence, Rosalind swung her sword at me. I just barely dodged it, stepping to the side. She turned towards me and quickly swung again. I jumped back, being caught by surprise.

"How are you keeping up with me!?"

"Well, I'll tell you now. The secret is my sword."

"Your...sword?"

I took a moment to ponder this.

"I see. That's not your power. It's borrowed."

"What's wrong? You sound a bit mad." She grinned.

I stood in silence before letting out a full-blown laugh.

"AHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"Hm? What's up with you?"

I wiped some tears away, snickering.

"That's incredibly funny! You're so weak that you rely on a power that's not your own! Hahaha!"

I finally stopped laughing, wheezing as I tried to recover my breath. I stood up straight, smirking at her.

"Well, I'll let you know now. Borrowed power won't defeat me."

[Fire magic]

I wrapped fire magic over my hand before using it to pierce into my hand.

"What the hell!?" She jumped back.

Ow Ow Ow. Holy shit, this hurts. A brilliant radiance began to emanate from my hand, bathing the surroundings in an ethereal glow. With a decisive motion, I withdrew a weapon, but it was unlike any ordinary sword. Before me gleamed a blade forged not from stell, but of pure condensed mana. To put it simply, it was a mana construct.

"What in the..."

"I still have a few tricks up my sleeves." I chuckled.

I'm definitely not doing that again, my fucking hand hurts.

[Blitzsurge]

In an instant, I appeared in front of her, swinging my sword near her neck. She was just barely able to dodge it, leaning back. She jumped back, trying to regain her footing.

"Oh how the turns have tabled."

[Gravity magic]

I swiftly pulled Rosalind back towards me, catching her off balance, and delivered a powerful punch to her abdomen with my left hand. In one fluid motion, I followed up with a rapid slash from my right hand, aiming for her arm. However, she reacted quickly, creating a [Barrier(sphere)] that blocked my attack.

She ran around me, even faster this time. The afterimages surrounded me as I tried to look for the real one. Then, they closed in at me, rushing at me.

"RAH!!"

[Blitzurge + Spell Amplification]

Time seemed to slow down much more. Quickly, I found the real Rosalind out of the afterimages. I launched a relentless barrage of slashing attacks toward her. Swiftly following this flurry, I channeled [Gravity Magic] into my fist, manifesting it in a single, decisive punch that struck her squarely in the jaw. The combination of precise strikes and gravitational power sent her hurtling through the air.

I coughed a bit before falling to the ground.

"Okay... maybe I shouldn't have gone for the dick measuring move. I guess using two combined spells is too much for me currently. I need to recover my mana somehow...."

Then suddenly, I got an idea. Maybe this will keep her occupied! Rosalind came rushing back after a couple of seconds, swinging her sword at me. Her sword made contact with me. However, it was an illusion!

"What the?" She looked around in confusion.

"What's wrong? Feeling dizzy?"

More than thirty clones lones appeared in front of her, each bearing my likeness and mirroring the same proud grin I wore.

"Can you find the real me in this army of clones?"

"Illusion magic..a dirty trick."

"You're one to talk!"

With determination burning in her eyes, Rosalind charged headfirst into the sea of my clones. Swiftly, she executed a precise strike, cleaving through one of the illusions with great accuracy.

"Nope, wrong one!"

Rosalind's sword sliced through the air once more, its gleaming edge descending upon another clone with a deadly horizontal slash. The illusionary clone was severed cleanly in two, dissolving into nothingness as the force of her strike swept through it.

"Try again!"

To be truthful, I'm not even in those waves of clones. I am instead hiding in a bush recovering my mana. I wouldn't call it cowardly, more of a tactical retreat.

"Just show yourself already!" She shouted in annoyance.

Rosalind executed a single, sweeping motion that took down five of my clones in a whirlwind of precision. Yet, as the dust settled, one clone stood out among the rest. It expanded in size until it loomed like a colossal mountain, its leg raised menacingly as if to crush Rosalind beneath its weight.

Foolishly, she leaped towards the gargantuan clone, her sword swinging in an arc towards the massive clone.

Unexpectedly, the clone didn't disappear and instead began pushing her into the ground. Rosalind tried to hold it up, but it was clear that she was struggling.

"How!?" She kept getting pushed into the ground.

It's not really anything too special, just Earth magic wrapped around with Illusion magic, and then Gravity magic to keep the whole thing in place and increase the weight. That should buy me a bit more time.

After a grueling struggle, Rosalind managed to break free from the weight of the colossal clone. With an unwavering resolve, she quickly delivered a decisive blow that sliced through the giant clone.

She reentered the army of clones. Her blade danced with deadly grace, carving through each and every one of my remaining clones until none remained.

"Peekaboo!"

She looked up into the air, her eyes widening. High above, I held an immense sphere of raw, pulsating magic energy, its brilliance casting a radiant glow across the plains. The sheer magnitude of the arcane power coiled within this colossal orb was palpable, and it hung suspended above my head. This kind of reminds me of a spirit bomb.

I propelled the titanic sphere of unbridled magic energy hurtling towards Rosalind, its sheer power enough to rend the very environment asunder in its relentless path. The shockwaves of its advance wreaked havoc on the plains around, leaving no doubt about the destructive force it carried.

Rosalind summoned a [Barrier(sphere)] in a desperate attempt to repel the sphere.

"See ya!"

I pushed with all my power upon the colossal sphere of magic energy. The sphere surged forward, enveloping Rosalind within its radiant, chaotic embrace. The collision of such monumental magical forces created a colossal explosion, a blinding conflagration that engulfed all in its searing blaze.

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1. [All-Seeing Eye], a spell that allows Rei to perceive things at a much slower rate. Can be compared with [Thought Acceleration].

2. [Blitzsurge], a spell that allows Rei to move at Mach 4 speeds. Additionally, with [Spell Amplification], he moves at Mach 6. Can be compared with [Supersonic speed].

3. Sorry guys, only one chapter even though I promised two. Next time, I will definitely keep up my promise.