CHAPTER 107: ZEPHYR VS KOMI

STATUS OVERVIEW

CURRENT STATUS

Rank: Tier 1

Physical Condition: Excellent (97%)

Mental Condition: Excellent (90%)

NEW ATTACK SPELLS

Ice Spear

Casting Time: 4.98s

Power (Inherent Scale): 39%

Notes: Long range piercing round

NEW SUPPORT SPELLS

Regular Ice Spell

Casting Time: 1.55s

Notes: Basic Ice Spell

’Hmm, not bad.’ Zephyr checked his current status as he stretched his body in preparation for the spar that was about to take place. Komi was standing on the opposite side of the room with her arms crossed. It had been two days already and even though Zephyr had recovered to peak conditions just the day before, he had waited till today, working on... a few things before the spar today.

He could’ve even tried comprehending another word, but he decided against it so as not to expend his mental energy before his fight with Komi. He could move on to the next step of comprehension after the fight. And besides, he actually wanted to see how he fared with his current strength against her.

"Are you ready yet?" Komi called from the other side.

Zephyr steadied his breath and got into a ready stance.

Immediately, his status panel went into performance mode, displaying vital information and preemptive spell suggestions.

PREEMPTIVE SPELL SUGGESTIONS

Ice Spear – 4.98s – Recommended for first gauging shot.

Fire Arrow – 1.03s – Follow up quick burst attack.

Zephyr noted the suggestions, already having the same idea. From Komi’s posture, he could tell she was going to receive his attacks first to gauge his strength before attacking. And he was going to make the most of that.

"I’m ready."

Immediately after Zephyr spoke, he dashed a few steps backwards and ran in an arc around Komi’s general position where she stood unmoving with her arms crossed. He quickly began to cast the Ice Spear, shaping a floating orb of water in his hand. He siphoned from it to form the spear as he ran to the side of the room, and then fired it off with rapid speed.

Komi flinched in slight surprise at the speed of the ice projectile from her unmoving position but was able to react appropriately, raising her hand and spraying some dust into the air around her before activating a mana shield with a spell model that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

The ice spear shattered against the mana shield, but not without pushing Komi’s outstretched hand backwards a bit.

She had just taken a few steps to face Zephyr a bit more seriously after that when fire arrows cut through the lingering ice particles still floating in the air and landed on the shield in quick succession, each within a second of each other.

Komi took a few steps back again in surprise, having to evade after Zephyr accurately hit the same spot that the ice spell had landed on the shield, shattering it and sending the following fire spells right through the gap.

She dodged and stopped being passive, finally taking Zephyr with more seriousness. She dodged the incoming fire arrow spells without excess movements, noting the time interval it took for each spell to land. Instead of widening the gap like previously, she charged in the direction of Zephyr, while still weaving through the fire arrows directed at her.

As she got closer, Zephyr also widened the gap, leaving the distance between them constant.

Komi frowned. The boy was fast! Even while moving backwards with his body turned straight at her firing off spells, she couldn’t seem to get any closer to him.

She abruptly stopped, realizing she needed to do something to change this passive situation. She dipped her hand into a pouch on her side and scooped out another handful of dust—this time, a specially made dust that was more mana conductive than the regular one she used previously.

But as she made to wave the dust into the air again, Zephyr immediately dashed towards her direction, startling her.

’What is he trying to do?’ She was taken off guard yet again. Closing the distance was a very terrible idea from her point of view. The only reason he was able to fire off his spells repeatedly was because he had enough time due to the distance between them. Wasn’t that why he had kept the distance between both of them constant despite her efforts to close it just now?

She put the thought away. Whatever he had planned in mind was not going to work. That much she was very certain about. But she was going to give him the benefit of the doubt and be wary just in case he continued to surprise her.

She still waved the dust in the air like before, but this time, she switched the long range attack spell she had planned on firing off at Zephyr to something else. She didn’t bother hiding the spell model this time. It activated in the air in its full glamor, displaying the intricate symbols, loops, and logic gates that told the mana what to do. It materialized into a twirling dome of fire that surrounded her like a shield wall that could not be crossed without getting burnt, but was still malleable enough that it could be repurposed into an attack spell that could be let loose at any moment.

She watched Zephyr close the gap within seconds, marveling at his quick burst speeds yet again, but watching closely for what he was about to do.

As he reached her, he stopped abruptly with a practiced ease, moving his body the same way he had a few days ago against Sage Maximus. He let the floating orb of water that was somehow still intact while he had been shooting the fire arrow spells at Komi, spread into the air around the area of their battle in an arc, surrounding them like a larger dome. Before then scattering it into tiny gas-like droplets of water with a strained focus.

The blistering heat around Komi’s fire barrier sizzled against the now moist air and licked at Zephyr’s skin as he got too close. Komi was not going to let his daring display slide. She immediately directed the fire spell around her to his position like a whip, sizzling the air around even further and reducing visibility from the steam that was emitted.

She had even begun to feel guilty and worried she might hurt Zephyr way more than necessary with her decisiveness... but the cry of pain she expected never came.

Her fire whip only hit empty air before smacking on the ground and spreading.

Her pupils constricted in shock. "He’s gone so fast?! Had he been limiting his speed the whole time...?!"

As she was muttering to herself and scanning the surroundings, her sharp sense for battle immediately warned her of an impending danger, and she reacted instantly, dashing out of the range of the mist while clearing a path with her fire spell... but it was too late.

Her hair stood on its end as the moisture in the air around charged with positive ions.

A crackling, razor-thin blue bolt of lightning materialized in the blink of an eye, barreling towards her from within the swirling haze of steam that she had unknowingly helped create. It was too fast, too sudden. Her fire spell was a useless match against it, and she didn’t even have the time to weave another spell model. She could only watch and try to minimize the impact as it slammed into her side like a sledgehammer.

She felt the electricity course through her body, sizzling through every nerve ending and seizing up every of her muscles. A strangled cry of pain caught in her throat as her body was violently thrown back, skidding across the ground with a side charred black, unmoving.

"... Komi?"