The silence was suffocating. While the audiences were nervous, the two people were looking at each other's eyes silently. Basil was still calm and unfazed. In the other hand, Ansley was having an unreadable expression on his face.
Boom!
The pressure battle from the start resumed once again. However, unlike before, this time they were releasing their full might. Second-Circle versus Fifth-Circle. Even though Ansley was handicapped, in terms of pressure he should be superior than Basil.
However, reality often disappoints people. The pressure Basil emitted could stand to toe with his pressure. He could even feel he was getting slightly overwhelmed by it.
How could he not? Mana Pressure wasn't determined on how much Mana one had. It was determined by one's control over Mana, and how well one could condense it to pressure the opponent.
In terms of quality, Basil's Magic Circles were superior. However, in quantity and maturity, his Magic Circles were clearly inferior. Fortunately, it wasn't everything Basil had. He had his experience on how to control Mana better.
Although his control over it wasn't as good as he had been in the past yet, the Mana Pressure he exuded was enough to stand against Ansley's.
"Impressive... It seems I have underestimated you."
Ansley's Spatial Bracelet flashed and another Magic Sword appeared in his hand. The Magic Sword was thinner than before, however anyone could see it was another quality sword compared to the sword he had used earlier.
"Let us find out why I am a tiger, shall we?"
Ansley swung his sword horizontally once. The surrounding air was swept along with the swing of the sword. Basil still looked at that display calmly. He wasn't fazed in the slightest.
'Guide, who is my opponent?'
[Answering the Host's ignorance...]
[The Host's opponent is Ansley Woster, the master of Woster County, and a Fifth-Circle Battle Mage. His Magic Circle composed of five Major Circles. He is somewhat acceptable at using sword. He is also...]
Information was constantly embedded into his brain. The process was so quick Ansley would never think Basil was digging his information in that short instant. Basil nodded his head as the surge of information finally stopped.
Everything was just as he knew. The only difference laid in the terms used and the standard the Guide provided. There were many different terms that the Guide often used. However it wasn't that hard to figure out what the Guide meant.
The only troublesome thing regarding the Guide was the standard. With the high standard it used, Basil found it rather tricky to determine the real value of something as he didn't know what the Guide used as a comparison.
For an example was his personally modified Body Forging Technique, [Gentle Waves Crushing Boulder]. It was the technique that had brought him to prominence in the past, however it was rated as a defected technique.
Still, despite that, to say the Guide wasn't helpful would be a lie.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
With intricate movements, Ansley dashed toward Basil and used every sword technique he had sharpened in the battlefield. Their sword clashed against each other, exploding the surround air in each clash.
Their swords flashed. Every swing was a blur to the audience. The sound of steel clashing against each other was strongly reverberated through the whole arena. Sparks of fire could be seen from time to time, showing how fierce the attack was.
However, none of them used their Spell or Art yet. As if on cue, Ansley and Basil took a step back and muttered their own Spell.
[Fire Bath]!
[Rolling Waves]!
Both of them were Battle Mages. They had trained themselves to shorten the incantation needed in a spell. Therefore, no one had to utter any incantation. Fire met against water. Ansley's attack met against Basil's attack!
Whoosh!
A strong hydro explosion was produced by the evaporating water. Two of the fighting people couldn't bee seen by the audiences as the Battle Ground was completely covered with the mist.
Clank!
Boom!
Fortunately, it didn't take long for the audience to be able to see the fighting people once again. As the two blade clashed against each other, a way fiercer clash ensued, producing an equally strong gust of wind.
The fighting people could be seen once again, as the area was finally cleared of the mist that had covered them just a while ago. Two of them were looking at each other's eyes. One was bewildered and the other was as calm as ever.
"Who are you...?"
"Basil."
Clank!
Stepping back, Ansley looked at Basil deeply. He was trying to gouge the real identity of Basil. He had known Basil had been a talentless genius who turned out to be a late bloomer.
However, no matter how explosive one's growth, Basil's was too illogical. That kind of speed could normally be found in the Capital City, Randalvine. He heaved a bitter sigh. In the end, he didn't have any choice other than giving him a slap on the wrist.
No matter how talented Basil was, as a father he couldn't let the one who had hurt his son pass just like that. There was a need to warn Basil so he wouldn't disturb his son's mind in the future.
Ansley muttered an incantation under his breath. Mana surged inside his body. The three Magic Circles he used were utilized to their best. Then, he muttered a word that changed the surrounding instantly.
[Domain: Infernal Rage]!
Burn!
The ground was engulfed in fire. It cracked and melted stone could be seen from the gap. Earth surged upward creating a pillar of burning stone. The surrounding air heated to the point of distorting.
The audiences could feel the hell like situation as they gasped in surprise and horror. Chester was frowning. Domain could only be achieved at the Fourth-Circle. He had one himself.
Therefore, he could tell, no matter how downgraded a Domain was, Domain was still a Domain. Once it was activated, there would be no Third-Circle Mage and under could stand against it.
He threw his head at Blake, hoping Blake would stop this nonsense. Unfortunately, he didn't see what he had expected.
"Three minutes and a half has passed since the beginning of our fight. You hold your ground very well."
"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to see your Domain."
"Hoh.. you aren't fazed, are you?"
"..."
"Fine. Let's see how long you could last. Surge!"
Roar!
A mighty roar that chilled the spine of everyone who heard it resounded through the Battle Arena. The roar invoked the surrounding fire to head toward Basil like tsunami.
"Brother!"
"Senior!"
"Master Blake!"
Each of the audiences shouted their own worry to the person they intended. Whole Shirley and Julia expressed theirs by calling out Basil name outward, Chester shouted at Blake to stop the match.
However, Blake seemed to pull a deaf ears on Chester. He merely looked upward, observing the Barrier he had created earlier to not invoke any unwanted attention from other people. Then, he looked at Basil.
'A monster indeed.'
He sighed in amazement. Surely, he had grasped the situation earlier than any other people.
Basil looked at the surging wave of fire coming at him in amusement. He was amused by the stupidity of the person called Ansley.
'Why would you imitate water using fire?'
He shrugged his shoulder inwardly and activated his Step Art.
[Slip]!
Much to Ansley's bewilderment, Basil merely passed the wave like a slippery eel in one's grasp. He just passed through it like nothing. He didn't even have any scorch on his clothes.
That's a high quality clothes for you!
Surely, Basil didn't stop at that. He had been just swinging Kusanagi earlier. This time, he would properly use it as it should be.
[Killing Art: Wind Blade Incarnation]
Whoosh!
Fire surged upward along with the wind, surrounding Basil like a shell. His two Ultimate Circles flashed in a bright light showing how much he used it. His Mana Heart beat faster, pumping Mana to his blood and circulating it.
Basil's brown eyes shone in a golden light for a brief moment. He moved his right foot to the front and leaned his body slightly. Kusanagi was held horizontally beside his waist. His left hand was on top of the middle of the blade covering it with Mana.
Then —
Dash!
Whoosh!
— he flashed in front of Ansley.
!!!
Clank!
"Kuuhh..."
Ansley was taken aback by the power behind Basil's attack. His hand trembled ceaselessly because of that.
'Nonsense! How can he beat my [Reinforcement]? A mere Second-Circle can do that? Ridiculous!'
Unlike Knights, Battle Mage didn't have a durable physic. Therefore they had to count on their [Reinforcement] to stand against their enemy. The absurd strength they showed with their body was all due to Mana.
It was the reason he was bewildered at Basil's abnormal strength. A lower stage Battle Mage would never be able to beat the [Reinforcement] of a higher stage Mage. It was because the Mana used in the [Reinforcement] was different in quantity and quality.
However, Basil could stand against his. Unless he was a Knight, he wouldn't be able to do it.
"You can't be...?! How?"
He was confused. He looked at Basil asking for answer, however Basil had none of it. He merely smiled mysteriously and waved Kusanagi once to throw Ansley away.
Screech!
An unpleasant sound was heard to Ansley's ears. If not for the instinct he had trained in the battlefield, he was sure he would be shredded to pieces.
"Expand!"
He gathered the fire within his domain and exploded it to the front to fend Basil's attack.
Boom!
He could see it, the crazy amount of wind blades surrounding him. He gulped unconsciously. It wasn't that surprising of a thing to him. He had seen far worse than that. However, seeing it done by an academy student made his blood run cold.
'A monster indeed.'
As if proving Ansley's thought right, Basil came out of the firestorm created by Ansley and swung Kusanagi to the best he could. Kusanagi flashed briefly before a crazy amount of wind swept the surrounding fire in one motion.
Whoosh!
Ansley was forced to hold his ground as the wind could blow his body away. The audiences gaped their mouths opened as if the thing they saw was ridiculous. Fire surged upward to the sky before disappearing.
The ground that was previously cracked and covered in fire was slowly returning to its original state. In the process, they could feel the strong wind that forced them to hang on right on the fence of the audience seat.
"Ha-ah! What a talented student of mine!"
Blake exclaimed in glee and slight disbelief. He knew the Domain was unstable due to the lack of Mana supply, however it still couldn't be a reason for Basil who had no Domain could defeat Ansley.
Basil didn't mean to stop his attack. Just like Ansley, his Mana was already spent — meant wasted. Even though his control over Mana was superior to any other person, his control over his absurd amount of Mana wasn't good enough yet.
Luckily, he still had his Qi.
[Feather Step]!
As light as a feather, he moved like a person that was carried by the wind.
[Slip]!
Coupled with his Step Art, he became a feeble and unpredictable bullet. The wind was parted due to Kusanagi passing through it, creating a wheezing sound that proving how fast he moved.
Ansley looked at the incoming Basil with his Mana infused eyes. Even with that, Basil still looked so fast. He smiled bitterly and shook his head.
'I have no choice.'
Lifting his thin sword upward, he swung it down to meet Basil's attack.
[Carnage]!
[Synchronization]!
Clink!
It was the only sound they could hear before a very loud explosion that destroyed most of the ground ensued.
Boom!
The earth was lifted upward. The ground dented and cobwebs like crater decorated the ground below them. The highest level of Sword Mastery Technique against a Personal Art from a Battle Mage. The result should be obvious.
However, it was only the case when Basil was on a higher stage than his current stage. Ansley could managed his ground well. Surely, it wasn't without any price. He was forced to use his five Magic Circles.
Sigh.
"It is my lost."
Ansley retracted his sword and sheathed it before slinging it on his waist. He shook his head bitterly and extended his hand forward.
"It seems I am not a tiger, huh?"
He chuckled amiably while gazing at Basil. The latter merely stored his sword inside his Spatial Bracelet and looked at Ansley right in the eyes.
"You are a tiger." Basil took the offered hand in his hand and shook it firmly. While still gazing at Ansley's eyes, he continued, "However, I am a dragon." Ansley could only laugh helplessly. He couldn't refute that!
"I can see that you are a father before a Mage. However, you could never forget that you are a human before a father. Do what is right, not what you think is right."
People say eyes are the window to the soul. Ansley had thought it as a mere poetic yet impractical words.. However, looking at Basil's eyes, he could somehow understand the meaning then.