On the dueling stage, Alyssa drew her sword in one fluid motion and told him to bring out his weapon. Abel replied that he wasn't in the habit of relying on magic tools in a fight.
Alyssa laughed, calling him old-fashioned. Without hesitation she charged, swinging her sword with lightning ferocity. Abel silently acknowledged that her skills were impressive by the standards of this era. He didn't move, and yet the moment the blade was about to make contact, he vanished.
In an instant he had appeared behind Alyssa with effortless composure. Alyssa spun around in shock, but the fighting spirit in her eyes burned even fiercer than before. She gathered her magic again, and flames more intense than ever blazed along the length of her blade. A second flame cleave came roaring out with even greater force.
This time Abel had no intention of simply dodging. With a lift of his hand he constructed the same fire element spell, but the magic behind it was far richer and more violent. Alyssa hadn't anticipated this at all. She found herself at a complete loss as to how to counter it, her mind going blank.
The next second the two forces of magic collided in midair with a thunderous crash. A blinding burst of light shattered outward, swallowing everything. When the roar faded, smoke billowed, and a terrifying crater had been carved into the ground.
Abel reached out with his senses but could detect no trace of his opponent. A flash of regret passed through him, worried he may have gone too far.
Then a sharp rush of wind came screaming down from directly above. Alyssa plummeted from the sky like a meteor, launching a surprise attack. She had used a technique to conceal her presence.
What a pity, he thought. Her opponent was him.
Magic took shape in his hands in an instant. Twelve blazing fireballs launched simultaneously, shrieking through the air. Alyssa's eyes went wide, her mind flooded with shock. That casting speed — and he could control twelve at once? She finally understood. This man was frighteningly strong.
A chain of explosions sent a pillar of fire roaring into the sky, the force of it leaving the crowd breathless. The onlookers murmured among themselves that the gap between them was painfully obvious.
When the smoke finally cleared, Alyssa was down on one knee, but the fighting spirit in her eyes hadn't been snuffed out. If anything it burned even hotter. A faint trace of surprise flickered through Abel's mind as well.
The examiner announced that her defensive spell had been broken and the match was over. But Alyssa gritted her teeth and objected. She wasn't done yet. She demanded that the duel continue.
Abel couldn't help but smile, genuinely admiring that stubborn refusal to give in.
Alyssa pressed her sword into the ground and pushed herself upright, making a declaration to everyone watching. She was going to prove to every single person here that she was stronger than all of them.
Abel let his smile fade and voiced the question in his mind. In a time of peace like this, why was she still so fixated on becoming stronger? This was nothing like the war-torn past. These days, even those without power ought to be able to find happiness.
Alyssa fired back with conviction. Peace was nothing but an illusion. Even with a peace treaty in place, it was no guarantee of permanence. No one could promise that another demon king wouldn't rise, and the neighboring nations had never stopped building up their armies. She refused to let herself sink into the comfortable delusion of a peace that could shatter at any moment. That was why she had to become strong, strong enough to protect everything.
And then, she said, she was going to restore the family that had raised her.
That line gave Abel a sense of something significant, but before he could dwell on it, Alyssa unleashed the last of her magic. Scorching flames enveloped her completely. Every person present was struck speechless. She called out the name of a forbidden spell.
The flames surged upward and transformed into a massive pair of wings. With a sharp cry she launched herself into the sky, carried aloft by the fire. The crowd cried out in disbelief at the breathtaking sight before them. Alyssa spread her wings high in the air, like a goddess of flame. From the stands came a stunned cry. Flight magic was actually real.
Abel understood. This required precise simultaneous control over multiple attributes. Even two hundred years ago, only a rare few had been able to master this technique. This was not a skill that could be achieved in a short span of time. A familiar figure flashed through his memory, an old comrade from long ago.
He hadn't expected an ancient magic to have been passed down so completely intact. What her family must have sacrificed and poured into this was beyond imagination.
He announced that the display was over, and now it was his turn.
A violet beam of light shot out with blinding speed, aimed directly at Alyssa in the sky. She braced herself and endured it, but felt the very foundations of her spell being rapidly torn apart. The next second a searing burst of light erupted from directly behind her. Those magnificent wings of flame dissolved into scattered sparks in an instant. She cried out, and her body began to plunge.
Abel leaped upward and caught her in midair. Holding her in his arms, he asked softly the answer he already knew: whether she was a descendant of Maria, the hero of flame.
He brought her down to the ground safely, his tone carrying a hint of genuine appreciation. He told her she had real talent, and encouraged her to keep growing stronger.
The examiner's voice rang out, declaring Abel the victor, and the whole arena erupted. The crowd surged toward him with cheers, treating him as a new hero. Alyssa stood alone in the distance, watching the clamor from afar, and a fierce mix of embarrassment and fury rushed through her at the same time. She raised a hand to cover her burning face, unable to understand how she had lost so completely.