12: The Clash: Flames Vs Frosts

The sun was setting, casting a reddish glow over Rylinth Academia of Mages. Evelyn left her room after practicing with her amulet, eager to explore the vast academy like the other new students. She walked through the beautiful hallway of the dormitory and reached the training grounds.

As she walked towards the library, she noticed Zoya heading towards the Arcane Arena to spar with a second-year student. Evelyn had never been interested in watching sparring matches before, but something caught her attention this time.

Those crimson hair of hers, flickering golden flame illuminating her features, and the wicked smirk playing on her face. It was all familiar. And it struck a chord within Evelyn. She recognized her immediately. It was Sushi, her number one enemy and the girl who had humiliated her years ago. Evelyn had always wanted to become stronger so that she could get revenge on Sushi.

Evelyn clenched her fist upon recognizing Sushi, her fingers cracking from the tight grip. Her blood came to a boil as anger burned in her chest, causing her eyes to shift from black to blazing gold. She took a deep breath, attempting to compose herself, as she noticed several students looking at her inquisitively. The last thing she wanted was for Sushi to notice her now that she is still too weak.

So, she decided to watch the sparring brawl between her archfoe and roommate, Zoya, while staying hidden from Sushi's view.

*****

"I hope you don't mind sparring with a first-year," Zoya said audaciously, accepting the challenge to spar with Sushi.

Sushi smirked upon hearing Zoya accept the challenge, relishing the opportunity to prove her superiority as a higher-ranked mage.

"I will mind, because I wouldn't want an ignorant fool to get fried to a crisp. But if you insist, I'll gladly use you to send a message to those proud fools out there who think they can disrespect their seniors," Sushi said, playing with the flickering golden flames dancing around her hands.

Zoya's demeanor changed as she heard Sushi call her a fool - a word she despised. The air around the training grounds became boreal as if the water vapor was freezing in the atmosphere. The commotion attracts to the scene. All were amazed by the confidence of the new girl. Evelyn, hidden in a corner, frowned because she knew how wicked Sushi could be. She had experienced Sushi's evil side firsthand.

"Must you go on blabbering this rubbish when you could have saved us both time by keeping your tired mouth shut? Senior." Zoya mocked, leaving the surrounding students flabbergasted. They wondered what gave the first-year student the courage to talk back to her senior. Evelyn smiled upon hearing Zoya's comment. She couldn't contain the refreshing feeling she got from looking at Sushi's furrowed brow.

"Just you wait... I'll certainly teach you some manners that you failed to learn at home," Sushi declared.

Zoya stepped into the ring for the sparring match. She glanced at Sushi's watch, which displayed a 7-star rank. Despite being a 5-star mage herself, Zoya was determined not to back down, especially since she knew that her ice powers were the best counter for Sushi's fire elementals.

Sushi also glanced at Zoya's watch and grinned even wider. She was aware of the significant power difference between their ranks. As a 7-star expert mage, she didn't expect a 5-star intermediate mage like Zoya to be able to match her, even with both of them being limited to using only 30% of their elemental power.

The rule keeper, a middle-aged man with brown hair and a beard, stepped forward into the ring and proceeded to explain the rules to the two challengers. The sparring individuals were prohibited from using weapons, and their elemental power would be reduced to 30%. Fatal injuries were strictly prohibited, and they were also not allowed to use their spirit spells. The spar was friendly, so the rules were straightforward.

After explaining the rules, he also outlined the criteria for winning the match, which involves gaining an advantage after three rounds have been completed. The rule keeper moved to the edge of the ring to ensure that the participants followed the rules. He announced the beginning of the sparring altercation.

Standing on opposite sides of the ring, the two student mages took their stances, preparing for the clash of powers.

A firestorm erupted from Sushi's body, yet her clothes remained unburnt. The intense heat from the blazing flame caused the nearby students to step back. Surprisingly, the surrounding air seemed to cool down the heat's effect, and misty icicles formed by Zoya surrounded the ring.

Sushi hurled a large fireball at Zoya, but she swiftly conjured an ice wall to defend herself. When the fireball hit, it was immediately extinguished upon impact.

But then, more fireballs followed, hitting the ice wall until it melted. The scent of steam rising from the melted ice wafted through the nostrils of the students gathered around the ring.

With the ice wall gone, three fireballs struck Zoya's frozen body, but they failed to penetrate her defense. A loud bang echoed through the training grounds, causing Zoya to be lifted off her feet by the full brunt of the attack. She was then slammed hard onto the ground, her skin scraping against the rough surface. She tasted the metallic tang of blood and spat out a mouthful.

Evelyn watched the match from behind a pillar, feeling concerned for Zoya as she shivered from the impact of the attacks. As a flame user herself, she was unable to feel the flames much, but she could perceive that Sushi had grown stronger since their previous encounter. Zoya lost the first round without getting a chance to strike back, showcasing the might of a higher-level mage.

Zoya stood up with a smile on her face, surprising those around her. During the first round, she strategized and didn't bother dodging the fireballs. Instead, she focused on planning the best way to defeat her opponent.

Zoya created a thick coating of ice around her body, her pale blue eyes filled with determination. The atmosphere turned frigid, causing some students to conjure barriers to shield themselves from the cold bite.

Several sharp ice shards formed in the air in front of Zoya and were launched towards Sushi. In response, Sushi burst into flames once again, dispersing the ice shards and daggers with her rippling waves of fire.

Zoya smiled, seemingly glad that her scheme had worked. The ice shards and daggers were just there to distract Sushi's attention. As Sushi stood on the ground, she watched in horror as ice rapidly spread towards her, encasing her in a thick layer from head to toe as it made contact with her feet. She fell for Zoya's trick leaving an opening for her ice to touch her. Zoya quickly conjured an ice ball and hurled it at the frozen Sushi, causing her to crash to the ground.

Slowly, Sushi began to melt the thick ice cage with her body heat and eventually broke free. Blood was seen leaking from her mouth and nose. Zoya had won the second round.

In the third round, flames and ice attacks clashed in a flurry, sending waves of energy across the ring and striking the students who were standing outside. Both Zoya and Sushi engaged in close-range attacks, hitting each other with balls of flames and shards of ice.

After what felt like an intense battle lasting half an hour, they unleashed their final attacks, causing both of them to collapse to the ground due to the sheer impact of the last strike. The spar ended in a tie.

The other students were astonished to see Zoya and Sushi covered in bruises, burn marks, and sharp cuts.

The rule keeper stepped into the arena, signaling the end of the match. The two brave girls, bruised but determined, got up and gave each other a "we shall see" glare before leaving the ring. It was already dark, and they were likely headed back to their dorm rooms.

Zoya felt relieved when she saw Evelyn approaching her as she was leaving the ring after Sushi had stormed off in anger. Evelyn gave her a thumbs up while looking disdainfully at Sushi as she departed.

"Do you know her?" Zoya asked, noticing Evelyn's rising anger.

"Yeah... kind of. She is from my hometown. We've had some encounters in the past," Evelyn replied, but she didn't want to discuss the details.

"I suppose she bullied you because she doesn't strike me as someone who easily lets go of a weaker person. I accepted her challenge because I cannot tolerate people like her who believe they are superior. It annoyed me," Zoya explained. "Thanks to the 30% power restriction, I was able to teach her a lesson." However, she noticed the frown on Evelyn's face when she referred to her as 'a weaker person'.

"I think you should go to the academy's infirmary for treatment now. I can't accompany you because I have somewhere to be," said Evelyn as she walked away. She despised being labeled as weak or trash.

As Evelyn made her way toward the library department, she overheard students praising Zoya's bravery during the fight. It annoyed her even more that she was the only weak one in her group. She turned around and headed back to her room.

Tomorrow, the academy's activities for new students would begin in full swing, and Evelyn couldn't wait to become stronger. She knew she would have another encounter with Sushi soon.

Clutching her amulet, she pondered how to maximize its power to help her quickly rise through the ranks.