Chapter 657
Still Fireball
Chapter 657 Still Fireball
Karen's powerful sword strike missed once again.
The fierce energy struck the air, causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly.
The powerful force propelled his body forward a few steps due to inertia, leaving him in a slightly disheveled state.
This time, before Karen could regain her footing, turn around, and re-lock onto her target, God's next spell had already materialized and been released without the slightest delay.
【Frozen metals】.
This is a second-circle spell, but it is also an ice elemental spell.
After inheriting the knowledge of the Zhenbing bloodline, Gao De's understanding and control of all ice spells were like that of a grandmaster who had been immersed in them for decades.
The speed and accuracy of the spellcasting were beyond comprehension.
The spell's target was the extraordinary longsword in Karen's hand, which glowed with a pale purple aura and was imbued with demonic power.
[Slow Spell] is designed to disable your speed, while [Frozen Metal] is designed to disable your weapon.
How much fighting power does a demon warrior have without his demonic weapon?
Gao De didn't know, but he waited and saw.
The longsword in Karen's hand, which was originally enveloped in a pale purple halo, suddenly lit up with a dazzling silver-white light the moment the spell hit.
That silvery light was not the light of magic, but rather the light condensed from pure, extreme cold.
Immediately following, the sword, which originally shone with a pale purple luster, was covered by a thin layer of crystal-clear frost at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The trail of frost spreading was clearly visible, from the tip of the sword to the hilt in the blink of an eye.
A bone-chilling cold surged wildly from the sword, instantly engulfing Karen's entire right arm.
The chill was not ordinary cold; it carried the corrosive power of ice elements, penetrating to the very marrow.
Karen felt as if countless fine, hair-like ice needles were piercing her fingers as she gripped the sword, and every inch of her skin and every finger bone was throbbing with excruciating pain.
The pain was so intense that he almost let go of the sword hilt.
"Damn it!" Karen cursed inwardly.
He could clearly feel the longsword in his hand growing cold at an alarming rate.
The icy aura seeped into his palm like a living thing, as if trying to freeze his hand and the longsword into one.
Karen tried to use magic to dispel the chill, but found that the cold was like a leech, clinging firmly to the sword and impossible to remove.
No, Karen's face suddenly turned deathly pale, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.
He could clearly feel the coldness of the longsword penetrating his skin and flesh, invading his muscles and bones, and even chilling his marrow.
If this continues, they will either have to abandon their swords or their hands.
Without allowing him the slightest hesitation, Karen made a decisive decision.
He swiftly raised his left hand, and a pure, unadulterated white light condensed at his fingertips, shooting precisely at the longsword in his hand without the slightest deviation.
[Dispel the spell].
As a counterspell, it can dispel or terminate persistent magical effects.
The layer of crystal-clear frost covering the sword melted away rapidly under the white light, like spring snow melting.
The biting cold receded like the tide, and Karen's hands finally regained feeling, though a trace of cold numbness remained.
However, every advantage has its disadvantages.
[Dispel Magic] is a double-edged sword. While dispelling the [Frozen Metal] spell cast by God, it also removes the [Enchanted Weapon] buff that Karen herself had cast on the sword.
The pale purple magical aura that had been swirling around the sword receded like a tide and quickly dissipated into the air.
"Success!" Karen breathed a sigh of relief. Although she lost the enhancement of the demonized weapon, she at least kept her hands and weapon, and retained her ability to continue fighting.
But before this feeling of relief could linger in his heart for even a moment, a scorching wave of heat suddenly rushed towards him, carrying a destructive temperature that burned his skin painfully.
"Oh no!" Karen thought to herself, and looked up sharply.
Just as he concentrated on casting [Dispel Magic], his attention focused entirely on the longsword, God had already simultaneously materialized and cast his own spell, giving him no chance to catch his breath.
[Fireball+]
Another condensed fireball, carrying raging flames and scorching heat, hurtled down like a meteorite, its target perfectly precise.
Without the enhancement of the [Enchanted Weapon], Karen's longsword had lost its ability to cut through magic.
It was now impossible for him to split the fireball in two with a single sword strike.
Normally, his longsword, which he often used and had anti-magic stone powder added to it, would be a piece of cake to deal with this kind of evocation spell.
The power of the anti-magic stone can easily distort and sever magical energy, giving him a huge advantage when facing mages.
However, the rules of the gymnastics challenge strictly forbid the use of any extraordinary equipment containing anti-magic stones.
The reason is that the effect of the magic-suppressing stone is too overpowered, which seriously undermines the fairness of the magical battle.
"Damn the rules!" Karen cursed inwardly, feeling utterly frustrated.
At this moment, his only option was to dodge with all his might.
The enormous fireball, carrying destructive force, slammed into the spot where Karen had just been standing.
The violent explosion instantly engulfed that space.
At the last second, Karen used the residual speed from the [Acceleration] spell to scramble to the side and narrowly avoid the direct impact of the fireball.
Even so, the hem of his Buddhist robes was still scorched by the flames, making a sizzling sound as it burned, and a burnt smell quickly spread.
He could even feel his cheeks burning from the heat.
"That was close!" Karen felt a wave of fear wash over her. Before she could even feel relieved, she was horrified to discover that another fireball had already formed in Gao De's hand.
It flew towards him again, carrying the same intense light.
"Holy crap!" Karen was both shocked and furious, a sense of powerless despair welling up inside her.
At this moment, he could finally understand the despair and helplessness of those gym mages who had been swept away by Gao De's fireball spell when faced with this impenetrable barrage of fireballs.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions echoed one after another, and the entire magic-suppressing ring seemed to have turned into a sea of fire.
The intense heat distorted the air, and Karen's figure appeared and disappeared in the firelight, looking extremely disheveled.
His physical strength was rapidly depleted during the high-speed exercise, and his breathing became increasingly rapid.
Even if you narrowly dodge each fireball attack, you can't avoid being burned by the aftershocks.
His clothes were already riddled with holes from the fire, and his skin was covered with burns of varying depths.
Karen also chose fire resistance for his elementalized body, which is the key reason why he was able to barely withstand the barrage of fireballs.
However, it is clear that fire resistance is not very effective against Gaode's fireball spell, which has a spell penetration effect.
The time his body could sustain him was far shorter than he had imagined.
Karen tried to fight back and regain her rhythm.
But every time he had an idea, Gao De's fireball would accurately strike his position again, forcing him to abandon his idea and continue dodging.
Karen was caught in a desperate cycle: dodging, getting burned, dodging again, getting burned even more... Meanwhile, the worsening burns made his movements increasingly difficult and slower.
Gao De remained suspended in mid-air above the magic-suppressing ring, his posture as steady as a rock, his expression calm and undisturbed.
He was like a cold and ruthless fireball launching machine, constantly conjuring fireballs at his fingertips and launching them one after another with precision toward Karen's position.
Without the slightest deviation, Karen was firmly suppressed, giving him no chance to breathe or retaliate.
Everyone in the audience was stunned.
The previous discussions and cheers had long since disappeared, and everyone's face was filled with shock and disbelief.
They originally thought Karen could suppress Gaode with her close-combat advantage, but they didn't expect the situation to reverse so quickly and so completely.
At this moment, Karen had lost all of the fierceness and strength of a demon warrior. Instead, she resembled prey being toyed with by a hunter, struggling in vain and powerless to fight back.
"That's the seventh one already..." someone in the audience muttered, their voice filled with disbelief and shock.
The sound was soft, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.
On the field, Karen's eyes were bloodshot, and his endurance was nearing its limit.
He felt excruciating pain from the burns all over his body with every step he took.
At that moment, the eighth fireball came crashing down.
“It’s over!” Gao De’s voice was cold and clear, reaching Karen’s ears through the surging flames.
There was not a ripple, yet it carried an undeniable resolve.
Karen watched in despair as the fireball drew ever closer.
He knew, just as Gao De had predicted, that he couldn't dodge the fireball.
Just as the fireball was about to hit him, the guard badge he wore on his chest suddenly burst forth with a dazzling golden light.
An invisible golden barrier, made of pure energy, instantly unfolded around Karen, protecting him firmly within it.
The raging flames and shockwaves relentlessly battered the barrier.
In the end, the barrier stubbornly withstood the fatal blow.
As the aftershocks of the explosion subsided, the golden barrier, as if having fulfilled its mission, slowly dissipated into the air.
Karen was left slumped on the ground, panting heavily, her face filled with deep disappointment.
He knew he had lost.
Like the other guardian mages of the other counties, they ultimately failed to break through God's seemingly simple yet incredibly powerful barrage of fireballs and were eventually defeated.
The entire room fell silent.
Inside the vast art gallery, the only sounds for a moment were the crackling of the flames and Karen's heavy breathing.
In particular, the number of spectators in the stands kept increasing. Most of them came from the Royal Academy of Magic, the Golden Flower Academy, which was opposite the Glorious Magic Hall, and were Karen's fellow students.
They had high hopes for Karen.
Because the outcome of this French duel carries two additional layers of expectation.
Firstly, the mages of Glorious County should be stronger than those of the mages of the other twelve counties.
This is the pride of Glorious County.
They had hoped to use Karen's help to firmly grasp this pride.
The mages of Byro County whom you can't beat, we of Glorious County will.
Secondly, as the only magic hall in the Golden Flower Dynasty guarded by academic mages, if Karen can defeat God, it will be a vindication for all academic mages.
Who says that you military mages who fight year-round are necessarily better at magical combat than us academic mages?
But now, both of these expectations have vanished like bubbles, shattered completely.
Fortunately, Karen managed to take eight of God's fireballs before losing.
Compared to the guardian mages of other counties who were defeated by just five or six fireballs, they were much stronger.
If one really wants to comfort oneself, then it's not entirely impossible.
Karen, who was ranked third in her class at the academy, was assigned to guard the gymnasium. This was not because the academy did not value the gymnasium challenge; on the contrary, it was because they valued it that they made this arrangement.
The only reason was that the runner-up and runner-up of the same year were both official members of the Golden Flower Dynasty in the Unparalleled Fighting Tournament.
There's definitely no reason to have official team members guard the venue.
Aside from these two top-tier official team members, plus several older students, Karen is the strongest gymnast that this year's academy can boast.
However, this strength is still not enough to be considered by Gaode Maps.
Looking at the young man standing tall in the fighting arena, Derian had to admit defeat.
As the steward mage, he was naturally better able to see the huge gap between Karen and God.
Keep in mind that Gao De is several years younger than Karen.
This guy is a monster!
Derian has determined that even the final Ryuga Art Museum will not be able to stop Gao De.
Because in his eyes, Gaode was already at the level of a full member.
While they may not be as strong as the top three, it's hard to say who is stronger or weaker compared to the last two official members.
The outcome was obvious to the naked eye. Without wasting words, Derian decisively announced the result and handed the shield-shaped Glory Hall badge to God.
Eleventh badge obtained!
After leaving the Glorious Art Museum, Gao De didn't rush in and out this time.
With only one Ryukago Gym remaining in the Gym Challenge, time is no longer of any pressing issue.
Furthermore, this glorious city beneath our feet is the royal capital of the Golden Flower Dynasty, the most prosperous city in the western part of the Nolan Continent.
As the saying goes: Since we're already here.
We should at least take a short tour.
Although Gao De felt in his heart that he would come back to this city sooner or later, and not too long afterward.
The area where the Glorious Magic Hall and the Royal Academy of Golden Flower Magic are located is naturally the magic district of a city.
For a monk, the most attractive place in a city has always been the monk district.
This place holds the most intense magical atmosphere of the entire city, as well as the most unique and extraordinary business formats.
Gaode Maps is no exception.
Therefore, after leaving the art gallery, he strolled along the street.
Strolling along, the buildings on both sides of the street are mostly pointed roofs and domed windows, with signs for various potion shops and scroll workshops hanging above the doorways.
In a sufficiently bustling city, any niche field can have a considerable market.
So along the way, Gaode saw many unique shops that you can't find in other cities, such as repair shops that fix broken and extraordinary items.
There were even three or four fortune-telling shops with half-drawn curtains, displaying astrolabes, crystal balls, and dominoes inside, where fortune tellers were quietly interpreting the results for their customers.
(End of this chapter)