564 The show of ice and acrobatics
*Bam. Shatter!* The icicle landed against Ester’s chest. The ice cracked and broke. Ester’s complete mana defense worked wonders like a bulletproof vest.
The protection result was great initially. However, the impact was too powerful for the light-weighted Ester to resist.
Ester was sent flying in the air, and no one was prepared fast enough to catch her. The sigil tattoos changed color, and her skirt fluttered opposite to the wind. Her body contorted, and she spun in mid-air like a doll being controlled by a puppeteer.
*Step* Ester landed on her feet elegantly as if the spar was scripted to allow Ester to show her new spells. Ester was like the main dancer of the show.
“Ester. Are you injured?” “How are you feeling?” “That looked dangerous. Are you okay?” Many worriedly asked about Ester’s wellbeing.
“Maybe a bruise from the cold and impact.” Ester fixed her blouse and patted her chest. “I think combining both elents next ti would be better.”
While those spectating the spar sighed in relief, Maria frowned because Ester gave her a good scare. Furthermore, her brows angrily twitched after guessing Ester wasn’t using her full power.
Maria chanted for the second Ice Lance. She shot it at Ester a little later, hoping to teach the confident Ester to take this spar seriously.
Ester made a swift areal cartwheel while maneuvering mid-air as if she were light as a feather. She evaded the icicle, but a surprise was in store for her. The icicle shattered and exploded, sending multiple fragnts of ice at Ester.
.....
The ice fragnts hod in on Ester with Maria’s proficient control of ice. Ester landed and perford multiple back flips and cartwheels to dodge all the ice fragnts.
*Clap, clap, clap*
Ester srized the audience, and they couldn’t help but clap.
Maria beca furious when Ester was being praised as if this was a show. “This is a serious spar.” She angrily said.
The more Ester surpassed Maria’s expectations; the more Maria had the urge to go all out. Regardless of her current feelings, Maria tried her best to keep acting as a teacher and help Ester get used to her new power while satisfying any curiosity Maria would develop in the process.
Maria cast Ice Lance in multiple successions. Even though their power was lacking, the sheer number of sharp projectiles was enough to bring fear to the caster’s opponent.
A slight breeze of wind surrounded Ester. She perford multiple acrobatic ground and aerial moves to dodge incoming projectiles swiftly.
Ester landed on her feet after evading the final icicle with a back flip. She felt the ground shake and the multiple icicles crack.
*Shatter* Dozens upon dozens of ice fragnts soared through the sky and rained at Ester.
Ester threw away her shoes. She pulled out from her storage bag an ordinary-looking hiltless blade. She tossed the sword in the air and perford a back handstand.
One set of toes caught the sword by the hilt, and the other set of toes caught the piece of long cloth attached to the hilt to provide comfort. Both the audience and Maria were curious as to what Ester was going to do now.
Ester perford multiple backflips in quick succession. When the ice fragnts reached her face, she would use her hands covered by Wind and Frost Sigils to destroy the projectiles. When her hands were on the ground, Ester would kick the sword and pull it back with the other leg.
The move wasn’t perfect, though. Ester was hit multiple tis. Her clothes needed fixing, and her body was gradually becoming bruised.
At the sight of Ester receiving many hits, Vincent started to wonder if Ester could keep going on or not. He thought Ester would lose if she kept receiving hits while not knowing the mana ratio between protecting her body and attacking with her sigils.
Ester landed on her feet elegantly, yet her hands slightly trembled from the pain of the bruises she was tolerating. Her plan didn’t work. She learned her lesson to trust in her sigil tattoo next ti.
“The ability to protect your body is astonishing. No wonder the previous King of Lusterfall was among the top ten strongest humans of his ti. But the intensity needs to increase. I need to see your full potential.”
“I agree, teacher Maria. Help see how far I can go.”
After a brief pause, the two won resud the spar.
Maria cast Ice Lance upon Ice Lance. She didn’t shoot them. Instead, she controlled the icicles to hover above her.
Ester let go of the sword and relaxed her shoulders. She moved her fingers constantly as if preparing her hands for strenuous activity. She was ready to dance.
Maria waved her wand, and the icicles hovering above her shot one after the other. The barrage of one-ter-long icicles started full swing.
Ester threw a slap with a strong gust of wind swirling around her hand. The ice was pushed to the side while being shredded as if it had been thrown into a shredder.
The icicle’s trajectory was altered, and it passed by Ester. However, the next projectile was too close to use parry for the second ti.
Ester spred her legs and perford a spilt. She bent her back and the icicle passed by her.
Ester slamd her hands on the ground and lifted her body with a gust of wind. When her feet touched the ground, she jumped up high in the air as if she was weightless.
“Ester is flying!” Many comnted out of amazent, yet it was the beginning.
Ester used the Wind Sigils on her feet and spun multiple tis upwards from the sudden burst of wind. Two icicles headed her way, yet they didn’t last long.
Ester swung her leg, and an arch of destructive condensed wind shot from her leg. Both Ester and Lupa thought it was similar to what Feng ngli used when he casually swung his arm to cut the Royal Guard Ants in half.
The two icicles were destroyed imdiately, yet Maria didn’t feel threatened. She could feel the further the arch of wind traveled, the weaker it beca. The condensed mana was wavering like a building with the last foundation holding it from collapsing.
“Ice Shard.” Maria simply said. She shot it right through the middle, and both spells canceled each other.
Ester landed on her feet. She looked surprised to have accomplished what soone as strong as Fang ngli could do. Ester would have a destructive move in her arsenal if she could lessen the need to build montum and control the wide arch of wind.
Ester felt proud to use a similar move that the strongest human without mana in the world uses. Well, even though it had a fraction of Feng ngli’s Heavenly God Mantis Art – Scythe.
“My mate. Can I join sister Ester? I can’t let her have all the fun.” Request Lupa with a pair of puppy eyes, begging to fight alongside Ester.
“Haven’t you started adapting your body?”
“I have! I have completed the Filtering stage, or whatever it is called. Vivid said I have trained so hard, and my foundation is almost perfect that I can do it faster than my mate, hehe.”
*Sigh* “Even though you have already completed your first adaption, you should focus more on adapting your body instead of fighting.”
“Humph!” Lupa puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms. She beca unhappy with remaining a spectator.
While Vincent and Lupa talked, Ester was acrobatic, dodging the ice Maria threw at her. Their mana wasn’t infinite as the spar kept going, and the duration kept increasing.
The spar was at a stalemate. Ester and Maria looked at each other as if they wanted to end the spar with their next move.
Ester started sprinting at Maria, but she suddenly stopped. Maria looked in pain. She held her hand while her body began to glow. A sudden burst of cold gust escaped from Maria like an explosion.
[Maria has awakened!!!]
“Teacher Maria awakened too?” Vincent questioned what was happening today. It felt like buying one awakening and getting another one for free.
Vincent and those beside him looked at Maria with gentle wind moving her hair and clouds of cold fog surrounding Maria’s body.
“Vincent. How strong did teacher Maria beco?” Ester asked. She wanted to know how challenging to impossible the spar was going to get.
.
[Na] Maria
[Race] Human
[Age] 31
[Condition] Healthy
[Traits] Mana Tempered Body Stage Five, Mana Body, Double Cast
[Class] Grand Witch
[Stats] Strength 42 || Agility 27 || Perception 63 || Mana 5753
.
[Class Grand Witch]
*Ice Wall
*Ice Shard
*Ice Lance
*Ice Spike
*Ice Coat
*Ice Manipulation
*Wind Wall
*Wind Manipulation
.
“Very strong. ” Vincent answered honestly and briefly.
[Yeah. Maria was not going all out previously, but now it has beco impossible for Ester to win.]
-Double elent and double casting, Maria has beco scarier to piss off than before.-
Maria looked at Ester with a delighted grin.
“Thank you, Ester. After years of futile results, you were the catalyst to help awaken. Additionally, I have beco attuned to the wind elent. I can now learn to fly at last. Not to ntion gaining the rare Double Cast imdiately.”
Everyone couldn’t believe the cold grumpy Maria could look so happy. After many years of training, the long dream to awaken was finally achieved.
“Can we continue?” Requested Ester.
“Sure, hehe. ” Maria said with a smug expression.
Ester prepared herself, yet her eyes thought they were playing tricks on her. With every chant, two icicles floated above Maria. Additionally, it appeared Maria could control more Ice Lance spells ready to be shot.
.....
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