**Chapter 153: This Battle Favors Me**
The effect of the Mayfly Fireball is actually quite useless. It disperses the explosion power of the complete Fireball Spell, splitting into tiny sparks like mayflies, sacrificing the explosive nature and giving it the characteristic of burning continuously at high temperatures, with the only advantage being its wide coverage.
As I pondered, the Fireball Spell in my hand had already manifested, yet it did not explode and just quietly remained at the tip of my magic wand.
But in the next moment, as I waved my wand, the fireball shattered and exploded, scattering flames across the sky like a fire tree and silver flower.
The approaching poison bees seemed to be quite wary, but like my Spirit Cat, they were mindless summons, continuing to charge towards me under Tan Han’s control.
With a flourish of my wand, the flames blazed like meteors in the sky, leaving long trails of intense heat. So many flames danced together, creating a chaotic yet stunning spectacle.
They wove into an impenetrable net, using their residual heat to sh**t down all of Tan Han’s summons.
This process lasted for several seconds before the flames extinguished, only leaving a wave of heat in the air as proof of their existence, akin to the fleeting life of a mayfly.
“What kind of technique is this?” Tan Han, astonished by the dazzling display of flames, couldn’t help but ask.
“Fireball Spell.”
Although Tan Han was my opponent at the moment, I still told her.
“Fireball Spell? Impossible! If you don’t want to tell me, then don’t,” Tan Han frowned, but the spells in her hands did not stop.
“Believe it or not, it doesn’t matter.”
I had no objections to that. After all, I needed to launch a counterattack soon, I couldn’t afford to delay any longer. A Fireball Spell consumed a bit of magic power, equivalent to the total magic power of an entire Magic Source. Even if I could improve the magic power conversion efficiency to reduce consumption and maintain power, I couldn’t hold out for long.
Don’t forget, I possess not just the Fireball Spell, but also the Energy Shield!
The Energy Shield could defend against spells and attacks, naturally serving as a foothold. Tan Han’s plan to trap me with terrain spells was failing.
Though I had never performed many complex maneuvers, it was different after physical enhancement, especially combined with the cat transformation spell, inheriting the agility, flexibility, and balance of a cat person.
I could do many things, like leaping several meters high, and flipping mid-air was no longer difficult.
So, under the watchful eyes, I jumped up, my cat-like features revealing themselves.
My cat ears bounced, and a furry tail extended from behind me. This was the effect of the spell and could revert; if it couldn’t revert, it couldn’t be called a spell but rather a bloodline.
At this point, I didn’t want to meddle with my bloodline. Being human, or rather a witch, was still quite nice.
As I landed, just about to fall into the corrosive mire, my toes tapped on the Energy Shield, causing ripples of energy to ripple out.
Such a small piece of the Energy Shield provided me with a foothold; theoretically, I could set up such a thing in mid-air, allowing me to pivot and maneuver continuously in the air.
However, doing so would only consume energy and display, with no real benefit.
I only wanted to quickly close the distance before Tan Han could react.
Otherwise, my spells would miss, and all this would be in vain, even wasting magic power which I could least afford to waste.
As I approached Tan Han, several Fireballs also emerged beside me, circling around me like stars cradling the moon.
This was my initial attempt to break the inherent understanding that Fireball Spell couldn’t be controlled for flight after release.
The biggest advantage of this technique was that it stored power, casting spells from the spellbook in a limited time and releasing them instantaneously, equivalent to a kind of implied instant spell.
The downside was that it couldn’t achieve suddenness, allowing the opponent to prepare.
But with so many fireballs behind me, this momentum created a sense of breathtaking beauty.
Even Tan Han’s pupils constricted slightly as she saw me rapidly approaching.
Could it be that even someone as powerful as Tan Han can show such an expression?
Perhaps the terrifying quantity of magic sources and powerful spellbooks she possessed didn’t feel as overwhelming when facing real combat.
At the moment I held the elongated Fireball like a spear, Tan Han made a counteraction. The rapid operation of her magic source brought me a very bad omen—this was an extremely terrifying consuming spell!
But I still resolutely threw the Fireballs in my hand.
This distance was enough for me to hit her, and she was still releasing a spell that consumed horrifying amounts of magic. Even if she intended to dodge, the explosive aftermath of such a quantity of fireballs would still make her suffer.
However, the unusual elemental disturbances around the arena made me quite uneasy; the spell hadn’t even been released yet, and it had already triggered such a phenomenon. Since it was related to elements, was it an energy-manipulating spell?
I was quite familiar with energy-manipulating spells since they were a mainstream type of violent output spell and one of the few that required physical resistance, with hardly any room for trickery—especially true for these area-of-effect attacks.
Because of this characteristic, those who majored in energy-manipulating spells were also known as spell cannons, providing absolute firepower suppression.
“Xiao Han, is Fireball Spell all you can do? Just this level is too underwhelming!”
Tan Han raised her protective spell, somewhat struggling to withstand the initial Fireball Spell, and judging by the damage on that shield, it should have been a low-consumption spell, indicating her defensive ability was not particularly high.
But obviously, Tan Han wouldn’t make such a mistake, leaving such a flaw for her opponent.
Since if her defense was weak, other areas would have to be exceptionally strong, strong enough to ignore the weakness of her defensive spell.
So, in the next moment, she gave me an answer.
Flame Lord.
This was the effect of her spellbook, summoning a flame lava monster that consumed vast amounts of magic power, capable of altering the entire terrain.
Its appearance instantly extinguished the damage from my remaining Fireball Spells; the explosion of the fireballs merely flipped over the lava stones on its body.
“A summoning spell?”
I stared in astonishment at the giant monster before me. Its emergence instantly turned the arena ground into lava, with massive fire elements erupting from the cracks, the continuously high temperatures roasting the entire battleground. Thankfully, spells at the arena’s edge had contained it, otherwise, even the surrounding area would have been affected.
At this moment, I had completely lost my foothold and could only stand on the Energy Shield, continuously consuming my magic power.
“Roar——!”
The lava lord let out a roar, sending a wave of heat rushing towards me.
An attack of this magnitude naturally couldn’t hurt me, but the even more frightening effect was yet to come; the lava debris on the ground seemed to come alive, forming a monster about human height at the sound of that roar.
A tactic of overwhelming numbers?
Summons could also summon minions?
How could I deal with this?
“Xiao Han, are you still going to struggle?”
At this moment, Tan Han stood atop the shoulder of the lava monster, where a rock was conveniently positioned for her to look down at me from above.
“Struggle, of course, I will! To give up just like that is not my style. Do you think you’ve already won?” I spoke to Tan Han.
But primarily, I was buying time; I was using Spirit Vision to identify the weaknesses of this massive creature.
The Flame Lord was a construct of spells, so it certainly would have weaknesses like spells themselves, just well-hidden.
To defeat a summoning spell’s creature, one could physically damage its body, forcing the controller to expend more magic power until the opponent voluntarily ended the spell’s effect.
Alternatively, one could break its core, which was driven by a spell ceremony; destroying it would essentially break the spell and could even lead to the possibility of the opponent suffering a mental backlash.
“Then let’s give it a try.”
Tan Han sighed, her gaze turning cold; it was evident she was getting serious. After all, this was a spell that consumed triple-digit magic power, and starting such a spell indicated that the battle had reached its climax.
As the Flame Lord appeared, the audience erupted in excitement. The might of hundreds of magic-consuming spellbooks was enough to satisfy the spectators’ anticipation for destructive spells.
Especially with the lava domain that transformed the entire arena, it felt like igniting the battleground; even the commentator’s tone became very excited.
“It’s the Flame Lord! The Flame Lord changed the entire arena as soon as it appeared!”
“Contestant 14 is in jeopardy. Although we don’t know what method Contestant 14 used to stay suspended in the air, the earth vein information shows that she has only used three spellbooks so far—simply incredible.”
“Contestant 14 has launched a counterattack! A Fireball Lance has appeared in her hands again; earth vein information indicates it is a Fireball Spell, but the discerning eye can see the difference. It seems the Earth Vein Operating System may need an upgrade.”
Though the commentator’s tone was lively, no one knew how tense she actually was!
She had commentated for so many matches without witnessing such a frustrating one; her eyes told her that Contestant 14 was a new student who had grasped multiple fire-element series spellbooks, each spell quite unique—but this d*mn earth vein information was showing it as a Fireball Spell!
She nearly wanted to smash it! d*mn Fireball Spell! I see you, you Earth Vein information looks like a Fireball Spell!
“This weapon summoning spell of fire element is nothing more than a tickle for the Flame Lord. It’s clear Contestant 14 is making a crude move… wait!”
“Contestant 14’s Fireball Lance has pierced the core of the Flame Lord!”
At this moment on Arena 1, even with protective spells around me, I was sent flying far away by the final self-destruction of the Flame Lord.
And the one who was even more shocked was Tan Han; she couldn’t believe what had just happened. My previous strike seemed not to have shattered the Flame Lord but rather the elemental theory she had firmly believed in since learning it!
The Flame Lord’s control over fire elements was unassailable!
What level of consumption was that spell to break the Flame Lord with a single hit and even… cause her to suffer from backfire effects?
This kind of fire element attack should have been integrated by it.
Tan Han landed somewhat unsteadily, a flicker of confusion in her eyes, but quickly a resolute determination helped her regain her composure.
Because she realized that she had just suffered from spell backlash, meaning the summoning spell of that Flame Lord was destroyed.
Could a core-destroying hit be possible?
There had been no attempts, no disassembly; the opponent didn’t have such a spell and shouldn’t know its structure.
But now was not the time to hesitate and ponder these unanswered questions.
She should counterattack immediately!
She originally thought that the Flame Lord spell could end the battle, but now it seemed impossible.
Her magic source could not withstand such consumption, and even with potions for replenishment, it wouldn’t help. Her brain was racing, searching her “limited” spellbooks for an attack that could finalize everything.
But I wouldn’t give her such a chance; I should press the attack!
I briefly scanned my magic source; the consumption hadn’t even exceeded half—quite a decent reserve.
It seemed that improving the magic conversion rate and using the Energy Shield in specific areas, which consumed little, was indeed quite suitable for someone like me who had limited magic sources.
Of course, I still had more than most new students.
The Flame Lord was completely obliterated by my attack, but the molten state of the ground wouldn’t disappear immediately. However, it didn’t prevent me from launching a surprise attack on Tan Han.
To be safe, I even used Illusionary Clone; although it didn’t provide much practical help, its disorienting effect was excellent and hard to detect, perfect for tricking the opponent’s targeted spells.
It could also distract her; even if she knew the clone was fake, her body’s instincts would still react when a fist came flying towards her face.
“Tan Han, without other means, I might seal your fate.”
At this moment, Tan Han met my gaze, and she seemed to sense the fleeting distorted patterns in my eyes, akin to a hallucination.
But in the next moment, if she didn’t act, she could truly be eliminated just like that!
“The outcome is not yet determined.”
Tan Han quickly responded, enhancing her protective spells; various spells were released as if they cost nothing, and even the effects of alchemical items on her were not spared.
At this distance, I couldn’t effectively dodge; the effects of numerous spells meant the protective spell was the only path for me.
But soon I sensed something unusual.
Mental interference, silencing, body convulsions, spell dampening, physical vulnerability.
I could only faintly perceive some abnormalities, but soon I realized that although I wasn’t a specialist in spells, I had still read many professional papers and resources.
I naturally understood this was aimed at spells or, rather, towards the internal rituals of spellbooks.
For instance, if my internal ritual for a spell was “Chanting·Ceremony,” then silencing would directly interrupt my casting.
But regardless, the mental interference had certainly hindered my spellcasting somewhat, but not to the point of being unable to cast even a Fireball Spell.
“Small tactics.”
I commented on this, noting that these effects only lasted a few seconds, used for interruption rather than continuous interference. Such spells were likely low-level spellbooks with no internal rituals, explaining why they were released so quickly.
“But holding you back is enough.”
Although Tan Han was casting spells somewhat clumsily at this moment, she still maintained an excellent mindset, indicating she still had a backup.
But what it was, I didn’t know.
“Hold me back? What do you intend to do? In your current state, it isn’t enough for you to cast powerful spells, and your ordinary means only match me at best. How… are you thinking about trying a war of attrition?”
I manipulated the modified Fireball Spell, maintaining the vitality to cover; presumably, Tan Han had never thought that she would also experience being overwhelmed by firepower at this moment.
The split Fireball might be somewhat weaker, but its numerous numbers and the explosive effects, akin to regular Fireball Spells, forced Tan Han to maintain her protective spells continuously.
“Indeed it isn’t enough, but I never thought of engaging in a war of attrition, because that itself would mean I lost the battle. But do you know? Some spells can produce enough overwhelming pressure that the opponent cannot resist even while being cast.”
While Tan Han was speaking to me, she was also distractedly defending against my Fireball Spell attack; all this consumption was preparing for this moment.
That was an energy-storing alchemical item; since it had no offensive capability, it could only store magic power, and was thus allowed to carry.
After all, new students generally have low magic sources and need replenishment, but Tan Han’s was clearly not an ordinary energy-storing alchemical item; it was one with a capacity of thousands of magic power!
This was Tan Han’s final trump card, an alchemical item specially prepared for her spellbook that consumed over a thousand magic power.
This was her strongest spellbook and the core spell for her combat system she was building at this stage.
A transformation spell that empowered herself and ensured her safety, complemented by summoning spells to engage in overwhelming tactics.
Plus, her understanding of “elemental theory” and simple application of “elemental countering” could create explosive damage combinations of ice and fire.
In general situations, fire and frost colliding would lead to melting, but when fire elements and ice elements countered each other, it could cause terrifying explosions!
Deeper theories also extended into energy alchemy, which Tan Han had yet to explore.
But now it was sufficient to deal with this battle.
Summoned creatures could have weaknesses found; what about transformation spells?
After the transformation, she was no longer a clumsy Flame Lord waiting for the opponent to attack.
“Let’s try the bone-chilling frost of ancient ice!”
