Rena chugged down all the potions she had saved up before her last duel.
Ugh… The horrifying taste twisted her face, but she endured it.
She had no chance against her opponent if she didn’t give it her all. No, even if she gave it her all, victory wasn’t guaranteed.
– “Is it fun just to stab from behind?”
Rena recalled something that had just happened. Maybe it was unnecessary provocation against her last duel opponent.
In the already stale feud between them, it might have been like reigniting a fire instead of just letting it slide.
But…
– “Why throw away all those valuable potions?”
– “Guess they think they’re something special just because they’re the top student.”
It wasn’t even her business, yet hearing that made her feel so bad.
Realizing the person who said it was once a friend, she couldn’t just let it go.
Rena briefly recalled a memory from the past and frowned. It was a memory she didn’t want to think about.
– “This burn scar is all your fault, Rena. Don’t you feel anything?”
– “They say it’ll be a permanent scar. Your flame did this to me.”
Shoving those intrusive thoughts aside, Rena stood up. It was about time.
Now was the time to face the shadows of the past.
*
Wendy was like a mirror for Rena.
With similar skills, backgrounds, and even personalities, it was only natural for them to become closer.
They held the top two spots at the same magic high school. It was only possible because it wasn’t as big as the Imperial Academy. Until they realized the vastness of the world through experience, they thought this dynamic would last forever.
Tasting success at a young age makes humans arrogant. Both of them were no exception. There was no one in that small school who measured up to them.
For Rena, the only one on her level was Wendy, and for Wendy, the only one who could duel her was Rena.
They thought their alternating reign as the top two would last indefinitely. Until a transfer student came along who surpassed them in every way.
The top spot they shared was fully claimed by someone else, taking all the attention and interest that had been directed at them.
Rena asked Wendy,
“Hey, that person is so damn annoying, right?”
“Do you think so too?”
As expected, Wendy, who always got along well with her, agreed with Rena’s opinion.
Looking back now, that seemed to be the start of all the tragedies.
Rena stood in the dueling arena. There was someone waiting.
Blue hair fluttered in the wind. A familiar face, and a familiar stance.
This wasn’t the first time Rena was dueling Wendy. In fact, it had happened countless times before. So many that she saw overlaps with the Wendy from her past.
“………”
But then again, it was different.
Wendy’s expression was sharper than Rena remembered, and she had grown in more ways than one.
It seems the only one who stagnated was herself. Rena bittersweetly stood across from Wendy.
“Want to forfeit now if you don’t want to see any blood? You know my temper.”
Wendy was famous for not holding back in duels. If you didn’t give up, she’d mercilessly unleash attacks until you were a bloody mess.
Of course, Rena knew that all too well. How could she not? Wendy was just like her—a reflection of herself.
The difference was, Rena had changed, while Wendy had not. In fact, she had become worse.
It was the result of two individuals, who were once together, now heading down different paths.
Rena silently stepped forward. It was a sign she would accept the duel.
Wendy frowned and said,
“You’ve definitely changed.”
Rena ignited flames in her hand, answering her words.
“You need to change a bit too.”
Just as those words ended, the signal to start the duel sounded. Rena unleashed flames while Wendy immediately created an Ice Sword and leaped towards her.
Wendy was strong both in close combat and at range. That was why her win rate was so high.
Against knights, she would keep her distance to intercept; against mages, she would close in and attack their weaknesses.
Of course, there was no weakness for someone as superior as Wendy. She was also one of the hardest types to deal with in personal combat.
As she dodged the flames, Wendy swung her sword toward Rena.
“Ugh?!”
Most mages can’t exert their strength in close combat. They never have enough time to cast spells, nor do they want to get caught in their own powers.
Rena was no exception. The Ice Sword grazed Rena’s skin. It wasn’t the blunt pain of hitting a wooden sword. It was a sharp pain that made Rena take a step back.
Blood spurted from her wound, staining the arena floor. The wound felt cold. It was because the sword was made of ultra-low temperature ice.
But there was no time to feel the pain. Immediately, sharp ice spikes came flying toward the retreating Rena.
“Bloom.”
Rena burned her mana, igniting a strong flame. In terms of firepower, Rena had the upper hand.
The ice fragments that once sailed through the air melted away before reaching her.
Of course, the sword that Wendy held also melted away, so this time, she had to step back.
After escaping the range of the flames, Wendy laughed, holding a newly created Ice Sword in her hand.
“Yeah, I figured you’d respond that way. Just how long can you hold on?”
Rena exhaled hard.
She had been tricked into using a big skill on purpose. Rena’s momentary firepower was threatening to Wendy, which was her intention to consume her mana.
On the other hand, Wendy was placing pressure on Rena while using minimal mana.
Wendy extended her left hand toward Rena.
“Pierce.”
The ice spikes created right there were deadly for their low mana cost upon impact.
Wendy had crafted the spell to maximize efficiency by trimming it to her form.
Through this spell, she had faced numerous mages.
It was a threat she couldn’t just let slide and blocking it would mean a significant mana loss. Defensive magic consumed a lot of mana, and countering with a spell that had less mana than Wendy’s ice spikes was impossible.
Thus, when facing mages, she forces them to a mana deficit. Continuously draining the mana that was the lifeblood of mages.
She had over a dozen magic users kneeling before her. How long could Rena hold out?
Rena had no chances left. Wendy’s tactics were optimized for an attrition battle, plus her mana pool was larger than Rena’s.
As Rena’s flames enveloped the arena, Wendy, unable to approach, retreated and formed sharp spikes. With a light flick of her fingers, azure spikes filled the air densely.
There were so many spikes it was hard to even count. Wendy created that quantity using less than half the mana of Rena.
“What, are you planning to keep your distance? You thought you’d have the advantage at a range?”
Although she was skilled in close combat, Wendy was essentially still a mage at heart.
In fact, most of Wendy’s capabilities came from engaging at range to intercept. She embodied the essence and standard of the Combat Magic Department.
And…
“……..no.”
There was someone who knew Wendy’s tactics best. Rena.
She knew that Wendy was the natural enemy of mages, adept at attrition warfare, and powerful regardless of distance.
And she knew that keeping her distance wasn’t a great choice against her.
“That’s why I’m going.”
Distancing herself from Wendy was merely to buy time.
She needed time to overlay spells and heat up her flames.
Rena disregarded the ice spikes surrounding her and ramped up the firepower of her flames.
A massive flame surged up around her in no time.
As the intense heat wave spread, Wendy’s ice melted, and Rena’s mana rapidly dissipated.
It might seem like a foolish act to waste mana like this against another opponent, but that didn’t apply to Wendy.
If you tried to save mana, the more time passed, the more it tilted in Wendy’s favor.
If time was on Wendy’s side, then she couldn’t afford to give her any more time, all things considered.
“Bloom.”
A massive flame wrapped around Rena’s right hand.
With each step she took, flames followed. In the arena, a hellfire erupted in an instant.
Though she felt somewhat overshadowed by girls like Iria and Lucia, Rena had once been a strong candidate for the top spot in her entrance exam.
Though her duration was short, her firepower was unmatched.
Rena, who once held overwhelming flames, stood before Wendy.
Watching Rena approach slowly, Wendy gulped.
“………You’re crazier than you look, huh?”
The confidence in Wendy’s expression vanished.
