Chapter 265: Team Spar II

The ability to read the trajectory of inanimate objects.

That was Zild’s gift: Trajectory Reading.

It was not necessarily a strong gift, yet he was able to use it to its maximum efficiency.

Everything he identifies would, in his eyes, show their trajectory as red lines and, in turn, take a toll on his mind and stamina.

Furthermore, for every additional red line added after the initial one, the toll on him would worsen.

Thus, Zild immediately distanced himself after deflecting Palma’s arrows and Sera’s sword.

Sweat trickled down his left temple as he smiled, "You should be proud for making me use my gift this early in the match..."

"Hah!" Sera scoffed as she grinned as well, "You’re still the same— using arrogance to mask your weakness. You aren’t fooling anyone, ya’know? We could hear you gasping for breath."

Zild slightly shook his head, "Well, I guess I just need to end this quickly then."

[Force Step]

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure blurred as aura pulsed from his legs, giving him enough power to instantly arrive before his opponent.

Force Step was one of the commonly known aura arts by all professionals in the path of aura.

Aside from the fact that it was easy to learn, it also did not have any affinity prerequisites.

Sera immediately raised her shield, fully focusing on defense.

Thud— Thud— Thud—

The sound of the wooden weapons clashing with one another resounded in the area, but the battle seemed to be at a standstill.

"To think that Exemplar is holding their ground despite having fewer members..."

Killian commented from the spectator’s side.

"She hadn’t made a move yet." Pandora answered, her voice calm and quiet.

Marzana and Killian both turned to her, their curious expressions demanding an explanation she did not provide.

On the other hand, Regis and Aurelia seemed to be anticipating something.

Killian could not help but turn to Regis, "Boss, what did she mean by that?"

"Haven’t you noticed? Gotun’s mage still haven’t made a move yet."

"Wha— What mage?"

Killian scanned the area again as his eyes finally landed on the leader of Gotun.

Holding what looked to be a two-handed mace in her hand, Lesfera’s muscles bulged as she seemed to be focusing on something.

Sensing the movement of mana around her, something finally clicked in Killian’s mind.

"She’s a mage!?"

Almost at the same time, Lesfera’s green eyes opened as she chanted.

[High Rank Magic: Freezing Cold]

The mana in the surrounding churned as it was influenced by her own mana.

Fog materialized as the temperature dropped quickly below freezing, and the floor was covered with a thin layer of slippery ice.

The cold fog emanated throughout the training hall, but it was stopped by a magic barrier before it could get any closer to the spectators’ side.

"Thank you, Pandora." Regis said with a smile.

Pandora glanced at him with a slight smile, "You’re welcome, Brother."

Looking at the situation ahead, Marzana could not help but frown, "Casting high rank magic at her age is truly amazing, but it seems she’s still inexperienced. For an adventurer party, I was expecting more..."

"What exactly did you find disappointing, Your Royal Highness?" Regis asked casually with a smile.

The elven girl had a matter-of-fact expression on her face as she replied, "Isn’t it obvious? Casting a wide range spell would surely affect her allies as well, would they not?"

However, just as she finished speaking, something else caught Marzana’s attention.

Even Killian could not help but be surprised.

At this moment, Gotun’s members were moving in a strange manner.

They had their knees slightly bent, lowering their center of gravity, while their feet moved as if they were intentionally sliding on the ice.

Furthermore, no matter how quickly they moved, they did not lose stability.

"W-What’s this!?"

"I’ll fall if I move!"

"What should we do, Captain!?"

...

The members of Exemplar were surprised but did not panic at the unexpected situation before them.

’The floor is slippery... we won’t be able to move normally, much less use aura arts...’

Zild calmly assessed the situation before shouting, "Focus on defending! Let’s regroup slowly!"

"As if we’d let you!"

Sera glided through the ice as she threw her sword.

"Throwing your weapon like that? You must have a death wish.’

Zild parried the sword perfectly, but he also lost his chance to get close to his team members.

In an instant, he decided to rush towards Sera instead.

However, he found no opening; a steady volley of arrows kept him pinned in place.

Due to the slippery floor, Zild had no choice but to parry the onslaught of attacks continuously.

His dark blue eyes darted around the area, seeing his teammates who were barely holding their own due to the disadvantageous situation.

’The terrain’s not in our favor, passively defending will only delay our defeat...’

Zild, as the leader of an adventurer party, had encountered countless situations that were much more dangerous than their current one.

Of course, even though this was just a friendly spar, the two parties decided to take this seriously.

After all, this would highly affect how Regis— their savior— sees them.

And if there was someone they look up to so much that they would be willing to offer their lives; it would be none other than Regis.

As such, Zild’s eyes seemed to burn with determination as he shouted, "Execute Plan G!"

Exemplar’s members, Hans, Sora, and Dabi, seemed to have made up their minds as soon as they heard their leader’s order.

Gotun’s members felt apprehensive as they sensed their opponents’ shift in moods.

Palma tightened her grip on her bow as she observed their opponents’ expressions, wanting to have an idea as to what ’Plan G’ meant.

Lesfera frowned as she maintained the wide-range magic spell, Freezing Cold.

Sera, Morgana, and Kara, Gotun’s main tankers, positioned themselves tightly in front of the previous two as they prepared for Exemplar’s attack.

Finally, Rumi, the party’s assassin, seemed to have disappeared on the battlefield without a trace.

At the spectators’ side...

Marzana’s long, pointed ears twitched as she seemed to have sensed something.

"Wait... What?"

She could not help but speak out loud, "Divine Power? Demonic Power? No..."

"This is strange..."

Elves, being children of nature, have sharp senses and are able to sense changes within the surrounding mana.

This was the reason why Marzana had been affected by Regis’s demonic power just the day before.

However, right at this moment, she seemed to sense something strange.

An undocumented power that did not belong to the four major known energies in the world.

A new kind of power... or perhaps, simply a forgotten one.

It was then that a faint energy began to cover Exemplar’s members.

"This..."

Marzana did not know what to say as what greeted her sight was not the familiar bright blue mana nor the lively red aura.

She did not notice it earlier when Zild used Force Step nor when Lesfera casted Freezing Cold.

This was due to the certain aura art’s discreet nature and the magic spell’s nature of influencing the surrounding mana.

Added to the fact that they were simply not going all out earlier.

Of course, had it been other, flashier techniques, Marzana would have sensed it earlier.

Still, what greeted the elven girl’s eyes made them widen.

At this moment, sensing the fluctuations in her emotion, Regis smiled, "Relax, Princess. Lest you faint again."

’To think he would mock the elven royal princess....’ Aurelia, who heard his remark, could not help but think as the corner of her lips twitched.

Meanwhile, Pandora and Killian seemed to think of this as normal, as they focused on the battle before them.

Marzana could not help but ask, "Just how many surprises are you planning to give me?"

It took all her strength to control her emotions, which ultimately turned into a joking remark towards Regis.

The person in question merely smiled, "Quite a few."

Wooong—-

The purple energy that covered Zild and the others’ bodies filled them with strength as the ice beneath their feet cracked before shattering.

[Force Step]

[Force Step]

[Force Step]

[Force Step]

...

Exemplar’s four members simultaneously chanted as they dashed forward at the same time.

If not for the reinforced floor of the training hall, the ground would have cracked from the sheer force of them dashing while enhanced by aether.

"Brace yourselves!"

Sera shouted as Morgana and Kara beside her assumed a defensive stance.

[High Rank Magic: Hail]

[Swallow Arrow]

Swoosh— Swoosh—- Swoosh—-

Two chants resounded at the same time as projectiles, which were a mix of hail and arrows, showered the members of Exemplar.

As if expecting this, Hans, Sora, and Dabi quickly fell in line as they positioned themselves behind their leader.

[Trajectory Reading]

Zild’s eyes shone as his longsword traced a strange, flowing path, parrying every attack with flawless precision.

As such, the hail and arrows that were meant to slow them down did nothing at all.

The team spar between Exemplar and Gotun had now entered its final phase.