How many things could be done in two hours?
It was probably enough time for a tired office worker to take a nap at noon, enough time for a distracted student to attend two classes and then complain about the teacher delaying the class, enough time for a writer who had writer's block to stare blankly at the table for a while, or enough time for a writer who was slacking off to play two rounds of games … Cough cough, two hours was an unusually delicate period of time, especially for a mage.
Recovering mana and fatigue was not enough, and preparing a spell to counter the opponent was even more impossible. Studying the opponent's techniques, tactics, and combat habits … This bit of time was probably not even enough to finish reading the information.
But when the two-hour waiting period was over, and Rorschach once again stood across from Archmage Anthony, that less than ten percent chance of victory had been completely reversed.
At the very least, he now knew nothing about his opponent.
"Your Excellencies Archmages, good evening. I'm Tiana, a member of the Guild on duty. Thank you for your support and newcomers to our Guild's work, especially Archmage Anthony. I'm personally very grateful for your constant support for our work. It's already so late, but we still have to trouble you."
This time, the referee was not the previous window staff. Instead, a third-grade female mage appeared here, wearing the Guild's armband. She had short aqua-blue hair and was very spirited. Whether it was the way she spoke or her temperament, she was very capable and experienced.
But now, her expression was not good. After all, nobody wanted to work overtime, let alone such a dangerous shift. Not long ago, she had given the window staff in charge a torrent of abuse.
"If he wants a fifth-grade certification, just give it to him. Mana can't be faked. And even if he faked it, you're not the one who'll die quickly if you come into contact with a job that exceeds your limits. Why do you care about him?"
Tiana was in a very bad mood. It was not her turn to be on duty in the first place. A text message had called her out from a date, and she had to act as the referee for two fifth-grade archmages … This job was extremely dangerous. Considering that one of them was a pure fire mage with a violent personality and astonishing destructive power, Tiana's mood became even worse.
Perhaps the Guild thought that her female identity could help ease the atmosphere.
"… But there are some things I still have to say. This is only a mage's trial. The Guild doesn't want to see any archmage die. Please be sure to stop when necessary …"
In a sense, this repeated statement of the union's position and safety regulations was also a sign of their strong desire to survive.
Finally, after getting the nod and acknowledgment from the two participants, Tiana breathed a sigh of relief and retreated to the edge of the area.
This was an empty space in the 442nd Street. It was an unfinished building area left behind by those who failed to invest in real estate. In a remote city without a dedicated duel arena to settle grudges, this area was already a good choice for a battlefield.
The two great mages were easier to deal with than expected. She had heard that the young man had a venomous mouth, but now it seemed that he was easy to talk to. Tiana breathed a sigh of relief.
But looking at the situation around her, she became nervous again.
"Heaven Alchemists, Colored Headhunters, Radiance Blade … they're all here."
The 442nd Street was not a busy street. The three-digit number indicated that it was just an ordinary suburban area. There were only a few Magic Organizations in the city. Now, all the Magic Organizations had arrived.
Of course, Tiana did not think that they were here to watch a show. The fact that they had sent out an observer after only two hours without a doubt showed that they had been keeping an eye on the Guild and were very interested in this new archmage.
Anthony was a law enforcer sent here by the headquarters. He was probably one of the strongest mages in this area. And, the thing that all these clubs had in common … Yep, in Rorschach's words, was that they were all highly active social organizations.
"… I hope nothing goes wrong, at least not when I'm on duty …"
But obviously, no God would respond to a mage's prayer. This kind of wish would most likely not be answered.
Especially when there was a guy who didn't know what restraint was and always made a big scene.
Looking at the fiery old man in front of him, Rorschach also felt that it was a little funny.
Sometimes, professional prejudice was somewhat reasonable. Fire Mages were all hot-tempered. Two hours had passed, and not only did the fire in the old man's heart not disappear, it was clearly burning even more fiercely.
"Laugh, you won't be able to laugh for much longer. Let this old man teach you how to respect your elders."
Alright, just a laugh could be misunderstood. In the eyes of someone with a bad temper and a bad mood, the whole world was mocking him. This was probably the reason why his fire was burning even more fiercely.
Rorschach did not explain. The mask he had just bought was not specially made for soundproofing. If he added fuel to the fire, the old man might really explode.
The young man bowed slightly. Anthony held his staff and performed a Magic Salute, which represented the start of the battle.
And then … it exploded.
Yes, it exploded. The entire unfinished building was history. Flames occupied the entire area. The flames and high temperature directly distorted the air. There was even a flow of molten magma-like crushed stones on the ground.
In a sense, attracting hatred was also a manifestation of one's ability. And to attract the hatred of so many people and still not die was the complete manifestation of this ability.
At least, from the teeth-gnashing complaints of the members of the Vitality Society, Rorschach was sure that the opponent was really something.
Instant Spell Casting and Spell Amplification were the two Metamagic Specialties of spellcasters. The old mage had mastered them to perfection. In the first moment of the battle, he released a sixth-circle High Temperature Domain.
After paying several times the mana cost, Instant Cast saved a minute and a half of incantation preparation time. As for Spell Amplification, it turned a prelude spell that created a high-temperature environment into a high-temperature volcanic area, giving it powerful and long-lasting lethality.
And as an environmental spell with a large area of effect, its lethality radius became extremely wide. It was simply impossible to dodge.
Of course, the price of playing like this was that a sixth-circle mage would use more than half of his mana just for the first spell. This was probably more than ten times the additional consumption of a normal sixth-circle spell.
But was it not worth it?
Ordinary opponents would probably have been killed in an instant, so there would be no problem of consumption.
Just at the beginning, Anthony had already given Rorschach a lesson (if he were still alive) on what a spellcaster's battle was.
It was impossible for a low-level mage to cast a spell while the other cast a shield. High-level mages were all deformed children with high attack and low defense. When faced with an unknown enemy, they would use their trump card. If the opponent died, they would naturally be safe.
But now, Tiana's face was as pale as a corpse's. She had made such a good promise before, but it turned out that it was all a lie. The old mage didn't take her seriously at all.
"He won't die just like that, right? Then what about the report from before? "
But fortunately, the next moment, Tiana breathed a sigh of relief.
Elemental fluctuations were the signature of a spellcaster. Perhaps the person didn't appear, but this elemental fluctuation was clearly different from that of a fire mage. It was obvious that the young man was preparing to counterattack.
But soon, Tiana realized that she had been happy too early.
"Boom!"
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