Above the mage

Chapter 738 A Shot of Four (Part 2)

The whole process took no more than five breaths.

Gao De stood still, the magic in his palm slowly dissipating.

With just one powerful fireball spell, which remained ferocious even when suppressed by the terrain, he easily defeated the third-ring female mage from the Blackrock Duchy.

A complete rout, no doubt about it.

Just like his strong performance in the group stage, he left his opponents no chance to fight back.

The three-ring female mage walked dejectedly back to the Blackrock Kingdom's contestant area, her head bowed, overwhelmed with shame: "Team leader, captain, I..."

'

She knew perfectly well that her performance was far from depleting the other party's magical power; it was simply a waste of his time.

"Don't blame yourself. This mage from the Golden Flower Sect is basically invincible in the third ring." The leader mage of the Blackrock Kingdom sighed, but still raised his hand to pat her shoulder to comfort the female mage.

Even so, deep anxiety still lingered in the leader's eyes.

They suffered crushing defeats in the first two rounds of capture the flag and doubles duel.

Now, after being easily crushed in the first round of the gauntlet battle, the team's morale has plummeted to rock bottom.

If things continue like this, they will only be swept 3-0 by the Golden Flower Dynasty, leaving them with no face whatsoever.

"I'll teach him a lesson and give him his first defeat," Captain Blackstone said in a deep voice.

After he finished speaking, the other teammates subconsciously clenched their fists and lowered their heads.

By pitting the captain of the Fourth Ring Road team against Gaode, they were already at a disadvantage.

Even if they win, it's only to be expected; there's nothing glorious about it, and there's nothing to talk about.

However, once the battle becomes slightly stalemate, it will cause onlookers to criticize the captain, saying things like he is bullying the weak and doesn't understand how to bully them.

A third-ring opponent forced the fourth-ring captain to resort to "bullying the weak."

Ultimately, isn't it because they are incompetent? Even with a series of attacks, they couldn't do anything against Gaode.

Despite feeling ashamed, no one came out to stop the captain.

Because they are very self-aware, knowing that they are indeed no match for Gaode.

There is no rest time in a tag-team battle; this is the rule, and it is also the ultimate test of both sides' endurance and combat strength.

As soon as the third-ring female mage from the Blackrock Duchy stepped off the stage, the referee announced that their second contestant would enter the arena.

After saying words of comfort to his team members, Captain Blackstone stopped and quickly entered the arena.

According to the rules of the gauntlet battle, the Canglang Swamp battlefield will be used indefinitely, including the traces left from the previous battle.

The shattered reefs, the billowing mist, and the fireball scorch marks in the swamp will not be repaired until the entire gauntlet battle is over.

"You are very strong, worthy of being a mage from the Golden Flower Dynasty." Upon entering the magic arena, Captain Blackstone stared intently at Gao De, who was standing not far away, and said.

Gao De looked puzzled, raising his eyebrows slightly, not understanding the meaning behind the other party's sudden words.

He simply looked calmly at Captain Blackstone.

"My teammates are no match for you, so I'm the only one who can take action. It's a way of suppressing you because of my higher level, which might be a bit unfair to you," he continued.

"But my mage level was achieved through my own cultivation; it's my own power, so from that perspective, it's still fair."

"Then you should be more durable." Gao De nodded, accepting the Blackstone captain's praise, while also kindly reminding him of something.

As for the other party's word "suppression," I selectively filtered it out and pretended not to hear it.

For him, even a mage at the early fourth level was no longer enough to suppress him.

Unless the other party is a genius like Liu Ying.

Clearly, Captain Blackstone is far inferior to Liu Ying.

To Captain Blackstone, these words sounded like blatant contempt and provocation.

He was already feeling frustrated because of the crushing defeat in the previous game, and now being so "disrespected" by a third-ring mage, his frustration was instantly ignited.

He suddenly stretched out his right hand, palm facing up.

His water elemental magic surged instantly, no longer concealed, as a torrent of water elemental energy converged wildly from the air and the swamp: "Now I'll tell you the difference between the fourth and third rings!"

It remains his specialty: the realm of water.

The same expertise can manifest in very different ways in different settings.

With the inherent water element of the Canglang Swamp, the power of the Water Realm is further amplified.

The originally murky swamp waters instantly shimmered with a rich, pale blue glow.

The water level in the swamp rose at a visible speed. The water that was originally above the calves was now above the knees, and in some areas it even reached the groin.

The water flow became rapid, carrying a rich magical power of water elements.

At the same time, countless tiny water threads in the water gathered together, transforming into translucent water blades that swam on the surface, ready to launch an attack at any moment.

The original multi-element battlefield has become his exclusive home ground.

Captain Blackstone hovered above the water, staring coldly at Gao De, his eyes filled with an air of absolute confidence.

In his view, with the blessing of the Water Realm, the terrain advantage of the Canglang Swamp, and his own strength as a fourth-ring mage, defeating a third-ring mage was just a piece of cake.

Moreover, by taking advantage of the terrain and making advance preparations, they might be able to fight Evan again this time and achieve victory.

Captain Blackstone is setting up his home turf, and Gaode certainly can't just stand by and watch.

Flames rose again from his outstretched right hand.

The scorching temperature evaporates the water vapor in the air.

"Fireball again. Although this move is effective, it probably won't be as effective against a fourth-ring mage."

"Of course, this is a fourth-ring water elemental mage, and this is in terrain that counters fire elementals. The opponent should be able to easily block this fireball."

.

"Yes, after all, it's a level advantage. No matter how strong his fireball is, it probably won't be effective. He's going to lose this match."

Another audience member chimed in, his tone certain, already "understanding": "In the end, a Third Ring Mage is just a Third Ring Mage. No matter how outstanding he is, he's still just a supporting character."

Such discussions could be heard everywhere in the audience.

Because most of the spectators who come to the Dragonspine Arena are mages.

Even if they weren't, they were generally from wealthy families and had a certain level of knowledge.

They made their judgments based on common sense such as mage level, elemental advantages and disadvantages, and battlefield terrain.

Because these are common sense facts, this skepticism wasn't limited to ordinary viewers who only had a superficial understanding; even the members of the Golden Flower Dynasty team were starting to have doubts.

"Why is Gao De still using Fireball? Captain Blackrock is proficient in water elemental magic, which is perfect for countering Fireball. We should switch to a different spell to attack!" Evan said with concern.

He had just faced off against Captain Blackrock in the second round of the two-player duel and was very familiar with his opponent's water elemental magic.

Therefore, in his opinion, even if Gao De is very good at using fireballs, he should change his tactics when facing such an opponent and not rely on habitual thinking.

Most other people thought the same way.

"Gao De's fireball spell is a bit different from the previous one." Just as everyone was secretly worried, only Liu Ying, with her outstanding eyesight, noticed something and whispered a reminder.

"It's not quite the same..." The other team members were slightly taken aback upon hearing this. They quickly snapped out of their reverie and all turned to look at Gao De on the field, trying to find the difference that Liu Ying had mentioned.

Then their pupils all involuntarily contracted slightly.

Because of the speed at which Gaode casts Fireball, the Fireball spell is almost complete at this moment.

The color and aura of the flames were completely different from before.

It was a deep red, as if it had been tempered, with tiny, shimmering golden light on its surface.

Even from a great distance, one could feel the restless power emanating from the fireball.

"What?!" Arya's eyes widened, and she exclaimed without thinking, her tone full of disbelief: "Gold's fireball was terrifying enough, but it turns out he was holding back?!"

"Isn't this a bit too much...?"

""

The other team members were also very surprised.

They had never seen a third-ring mage cast such a terrifying fireball.

On the field, Gao De's gaze sharpened, his expression extremely serious.

The moment he mobilized the magic power within his body, he simultaneously activated the [Heart of Ember] residing within his magic pool.

Under his command, the [Heart of Ember] burst forth with a red light.

A powerful force surged from the elemental seed, perfectly merging with Gao De's Green Wood magic, and along the main magic channel, arrived at the spell star sea, activating the spell model of [Fireball+].

Finally, a terrifying crimson fireball condensed in his palm.

The fireball's faint, shimmering golden light is a concrete manifestation of the power of the Heart of Ember.

At this moment, what Gao De used was no longer the ordinary [Fireball], nor was it just his usual [Fireball+].

Instead, it is [Heart of Ember - Fireball+] which is blessed by a low-level fire elemental.

It is a terrifying killing move that has been enhanced by the essence of Zhuor's magic and added points by Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, bearing twice the power of the elemental species.

A flicker of fervor and excitement flashed in Gao De's eyes.

Ever since refining the [Heart of Burning], he had been wanting to test just how terrifying the power of [Fireball+] could be unleashed by this low-level elemental seed that was a perfect match for him.

However, his previous opponents were too weak, unable to even withstand his ordinary [Fireball+] spell, and were not qualified to be the ones to test his new power.

Now, the appearance of Captain Blackrock has given him just the right opportunity.

Water elemental mages in the early stages of the fourth ring rank excel at melee combat, sustain, and defense, making them incredibly easy targets.

He wanted to see if [Heart of Ember - Fireball+] could penetrate Captain Blackrock's defenses and become his new method for advancing beyond his rank.

In the next instant, Gao De threw the fireball from his palm.

The fireball tore through the misty water and hurtled toward Captain Blackstone at the center of the Water Margin with ferocious speed.

Although the Water Realm is powerful, it also has a weakness.

That would greatly limit Captain Blackrock's range of activities, essentially confining him to the Water Margin.

Unless he is willing to leave on his own.

However, it is clear that Captain Blackstone, having become accustomed to the blessing of the Water Realm, will find it difficult to change this ingrained mindset.

He looked at the incoming fireball, a look of seriousness flashing across his face.

He could clearly sense that this fireball spell was different from the one Gao De had used before; it was much faster.

Captain Blackstone frowned slightly, conjuring an even thicker water shield in front of him, its surface rippling with water.

He took it seriously, but he wasn't completely on high alert.

In his subconscious, Gao De was ultimately just a third-ring mage. Even if his fireball spell was amplified, how strong could it be to shake him?

At most, it will just make him expend more mana.

Before the thought had even faded, the fireball was already on his face.

The next moment, Captain Blackstone's contempt turned into horror.

With a deafening roar, the fireball slammed into the water elemental shield he had erected.

Contrary to expectations, the deep red flames clung to the shield's surface like a persistent leech, relentlessly eroding its energy.

The originally intricate water ripples instantly became chaotic, and the shield's light dimmed at a visible speed.

"What's going on?!" Captain Blackstone then realized that the terror of this fireball spell far exceeded his imagination.

As the shield's light dimmed, it became vulnerable and was immediately shattered by the powerful impact of the fireball.

The moment the shield shattered, scorching flames shot out along the cracks in the shield.

A wave of scorching heat hit him, causing him to instinctively take several steps back.

The water beneath their feet was scorched by the flames, causing it to emit large plumes of white mist, and even the water elemental magic around them became disordered.

In a panic, Captain Blackstone no longer dared to underestimate him. He used all his strength to mobilize the water elemental power in the swamp to create an even denser layer of bubbles in front of him, completely enveloping him.

That was barely enough to block the aftershocks of the terrifying fireball.

Even so, the sparks that landed on the bubbles possessed a terrifying corrosive power, leaving the bubbles riddled with holes.

This is the "spell penetration" effect that [Fireball+] always works for.

Seeing is better than hearing.

No matter how much you watch, you still need to experience it firsthand for Captain Blackrock to truly understand the ferocity of God's Fireball.

The terrifying casting speed, visible to the naked eye, is only one aspect.

The strange corrosive (spell penetration) effect on his fireballs was incomprehensible to onlookers, and the sudden surge in power was something that Gao De had only just revealed.

A fireball, yet it possesses so many strange characteristics.

Even though he was in the Canglang Swamp, which is a place where fire elements are suppressed, and even with the blessing of the [Water Realm], if he hadn't reacted quickly just now, he would probably have been seriously injured and become a laughing stock.

This scene was clearly seen by everyone present.

In the stands, the audience who had been certain that Gaode would lose were now completely dumbfounded.

The certainty on their faces was replaced by shock: "This—how is this possible? A third-ring mage's fireball spell actually forced a fourth-ring water elemental mage to this point? It pierced through one of his shields, and even the second layer of protection is almost destroyed!"

In the player area, Alyssa exclaimed softly, "I knew Gaode Maps was awesome!"

The female mage who had been eliminated by Gaode earlier turned pale upon seeing this and murmured, "So he didn't even go all out against me in the last match..."

The other team members clenched their fists, mentally preparing themselves for how to face Gao De's terrifying, all-out fireball attack.

The more I thought about it, the more desperate I became.

Because I simply can't think of a solution!

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