Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 341: Prodigies

Chapter 341: Prodigies

Lightning crackled within the black cloud, loud and encompassing the fake sky. With a gesture, Princess Elara caused a stronger rumble of lightning and instantly directed it towards the charging fire serpent.

The serpent hissed and charged. The lightning struck it. For a moment, the arena was filled with the blinding light of their clash. The crowd gasped in awe. Kazi’s left eye pulsed to see the outcome in advance.

It was a battle of elements, fire against lightning. To think that teenagers were responsible for this was ridiculous. It reminded Kazi of his own battle with Jack.

The serpent was left standing, albeit nearly about to collapse. To call it a victory was foolish. The dark clouds had not dissipated. Princess Elara had much more to offer.

Much, much more. Kazi sensed a thousand Martas worth of mana in the black clouds.

Unwilling to lose ground, Theo manifested a magic circle underneath the serpent to give its form back. The fiery snake lunged at the princess, but with a sweep of her arm, she directed another powerful bolt of lightning from the cloud and channeled it into the serpent’s open maw. The creature roared, its fiery body writhing as it struggled against the onslaught of electrical energy.

"Theo’s serpent is in trouble! The long-range supporting magic circle isn’t enough!" A second magic circle appeared underneath the serpent and the commentator kept going. "Can it withstand the princess’s relentless lightning?"

’That magic circle...’ Kazi’s left eye pulsed and he leaned forward. ’He’s using it against her—’

Theo’s eyes were closed. The magic circle underneath the struggling serpent flared brighter and the fire serpent began to glow with an intense, white-hot light. It wasn’t resisting, it was converting the magical power.

’And since it’s closer to the princess—’

Theo leaped back.

BOOM!

The serpent exploded in a burst of flames, sending a wave of heat towards Elara equivalent to a kiloton of TNT.

The explosion was truly massive, shaking the entire stadium. The barrier between audience and fighters granted total protection. No one was concerned for their own safety. The crowd instead held their breath to see the outcome. When the smoke cleared, Elara was still standing, protected by a shimmering dome of white-blue light. The barrier was cracked all over, but she looked otherwise unharmed.

"Amazing! Princess Elara’s barrier held strong against the huuuge explosion! Offense, defense—the princess has it all!"

Theo, panting and clearly exhausted from the effort, knew he had to change his approach. From his hands, he created small orbs of fire and hurled them up. They didn’t seem to move, they were stagnant and waiting patiently.

Princess Elara didn’t see a reason to wait. She raised her hands to the sky and the storm cloud swelled, darkening further. Her silver staff gestured left and right and the cloud unleashed a torrent of lightning bolts towards Theo. There were so many moving so fast that it seemed impossible to react to.

"Flame Whip!"

In his hands, the young Theo gripped a literal whip of flames and snapped it toward one lighting bolt. Bam! As for the others, the orbs were already in position to intercept them. Several orbs collided with the two bolts. Now gone, Theo was forced to replace the orbs and then repeat himself when the bolts of lightning kept coming.

"Flame Whip!" Bam! "Flame Whip!" Bam!

It was a dazzling display of skill, but the strain was evident on Theo’s face. He could barely keep up with the relentless torrents. Having to replace the orbs and then immediately activate Flame Whip, it was like he was fighting against mother nature itself.

The princess pressed her advantage. The dark clouds loomed down closer and closer. Faster and faster. The magical energy became so thick that the man beside Kazi stood up.

"Princess...you can do it...!"

Lighting bolts hurled down to distract Theo. Lightning bolts then came together to create a single, mighty spear. The princess was doing two great feats of magic at once. The mighty spear being created appeared delicate. If Theo could strike it, it would implode.

That did not happen.

The spear was ready and Princess Elara’s voice echoed for the first time in the battle.

"Great Spear of Þórr!"

The spear hurled at Theo and the clap of thunder broke the sound barrier several times over. Theo managed to summon one last Flame Whip, but it shattered under the force of the great spear.

The spear struck Theo’s side and he ragdolled away. Stopping, his form was smoked black. The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, reaching a fever pitch. The male beside Kazi sat down, relieved.

Was it over?

The referee raised his hand to signal the end of the match.

Yes. Yes, it was.

"The winner is Princess Elara von Aschersleben!" the commentator announced. "A performance of pure magisteeerium from the princess! Her control over lightning is nothing short of legendary!"

"That’s the princess for you," the man beside Kazi nodded his head and stroked his moustache.

"You know her?" Kazi asked, addressing him at long last.

"Hrm? Ah, yes." The man was well-dressed, clearly either of noble status or of immense wealth. "I am Professor Uwe."

"Oohh, a professor. Nice to meet you." Kazi extended a hand and the moustached blond took it. "What do you do if you don’t mind me asking? I presume you teach a lightning-related course."

"Precisely. I tend to teach the Shape of Lightning course for second-years. I taught the princess at the behest of her family. She’s my best student." A healthy amount of pride shone across the professor and his moustache.

"I can tell, she’s amazing. That cloud thing was creative."

"An original spell," the professor explained. "She’s never used it in combat before but as expected, the results were no different than if she hadn’t used it. She’s a prodigy, alright."

’A prodigy, huh?’

"If I’m not mistaken, manipulating clouds is as hard as establishing an octa-circle," Kazi commented. "Creating them should be even harder."

"Correct. You are well-informed."

"Haha, nothing like that, it’s what a friend told me."

"This tournament is where our youth come together. It is a time of prodigies and the next generation. You should pay close attention. It is who will lead us in the coming times."

"I will." Kazi eagerly waited for the next battle. The energy in the stadium was electric and he knew that he was witnessing something truly special.

Prodigies. Creativity. Formality. Lessons.

Everything he, a novice of magic, could hope for.