Above the mage

Chapter 754 A String of Four (Part 7)

Olivia silently left the stage.

Before this battle, her performance today was definitely one of the most outstanding in the Linhai City team.

Although she ultimately lost the first capture-the-flag battle, her performance was undoubtedly remarkable, a true MVP-level display for the losing team.

In the second round of the two-player competition, they successfully won.

She broke through the stalemate at close range, paving the way for Elwin's decisive strike.

Even though the credit goes to Elwin for the instant-cast [Lightning Storm], her tactical value and performance on the field remain irreplaceable and outstanding.

But it was precisely these two stunning performances that made her current defeat all the more pathetic.

This duel was no different from being instantly defeated.

The key point is that no matter how much she reviewed the brief spelling process in her mind, she couldn't find where she had made a mistake.

He made no mistakes throughout, yet was completely outmatched and ultimately suffered a swift defeat.

This is the most despairing part.

The outcome is not determined by mistakes, but purely by a vast difference in strength between different levels.

Faced with an absolute barrier of strength, any ingenious tactics, perfect execution, or skillful game of strategy are meaningless.

Olivia sat down in silence, a deep melancholy settling over her face.

Faced with her teammates' gentle words of comfort, she couldn't muster a smile. She simply looked down at the extraordinary longsword in her hand, her heart filled with helplessness.

His pride, which had always stood at the top among his peers, was shattered in those brief three breaths.

Not only Olivia, but the remaining three contestants from Linhai City who had not yet competed were also feeling extremely heavy-hearted at this moment.

Olivia is already the team's elite player with the best close-combat talent and the most outstanding one-on-one ability.

If even she ended up so helplessly, how much better would the outcome have been if they had been on the field?

Linhai City has always had a profound heritage. Even though its overall strength is weaker than that of the Golden Flower Dynasty, it is by no means inferior in terms of cultivating top-notch mages and refining its spell system.

In particular, the Nolan Magic Academy, established in Linhai City, has snatched the title of the continent's premier magic academy from the Golden Flower Royal Magic Academy.

Therefore, those of them who came from Linhai City believed that, at least in terms of the strength of young mages, the Golden Flower Dynasty was inferior to them.

But at this moment, facing Liu Ying, these elite mages from Linhai City felt a deep sense of powerlessness for the first time.

The game continues.

"I'll go. I'm good at defense. Even if I can't beat her, I can at least hold out a little longer and let her show more of herself."

In the silence, Horry looked at the girl's figure in the fighting arena and stepped forward.

Born into a commoner family, he lacked the resources and inheritance that noble children were born with, but he possessed a resilience and mindset that elite noble mages lacked.

This resilience allows him to face failure more calmly, and even treat failure as nourishment for himself.

As soon as he finished speaking, Horry took a deep breath, suppressed the heavy feeling surging in his heart, and stepped out.

Upon seeing this, the referee on the high platform activated the loudspeaker array again, announcing the start of the second round of the gauntlet battle.

The moment he stepped onto the stage, Horry raised his hand and instantly cast a spell.

A thick magical barrier enveloped him.

This is an [Elemental Shield] specifically designed for the light element.

Unlike conventional all-purpose shields, the [Elemental Shield] abandons other defensive capabilities, maximizing the isolation and weakening effects on a specific element, making it a highly targeted and effective counter-defense spell.

In Horry's mind, the reason Olivia was defeated so quickly was probably because she was a melee mage who focused on offense and had relatively weak defensive capabilities.

However, her offensive abilities, which she excels at most, are far inferior to Liuying's, so she was instantly defeated.

But he is different.

He is the team's top defensive mage. While his one-on-one attack ability is not outstanding, he excels at holding the line and wearing down the enemy.

He had no desire to win this time.

The sole objective is to rely on extremely targeted defense to steadily hold the line, buy time, deplete Liuying's mana, and force her to reveal more details of her spells, thus creating an advantage for her teammates later on.

The moment the [Elemental Shield] was secured, Horry raised his hand again, and dense earth elemental magic rapidly gathered.

He prepared to cast protective spells to solidify the double defense system.

But the next second, reality shattered all his ideas and plans.

Liu Ying remained standing still, without moving an inch, only a faint light flickered at her fingertips.

A finer, more restrained and concentrated ray of light shot out from the sky.

It has no dazzling luster, is almost hidden in the air, and its trajectory is extremely difficult to detect with the naked eye.

This seemingly insignificant wisp of light landed precisely on the [Elemental Shield] that Hori had painstakingly constructed.

In theory, this highly specialized light resistance shield should be able to withstand the barrage of all orthodox light-based evocation spells at the fourth level and below, with an extremely high resistance threshold.

But at this moment, the expected magical stalemate did not occur.

The thick, solid magical barrier was completely purified and disintegrated silently and without a trace, just as the scorching sun melts ice and snow.

The entire shield structure collapsed and dissipated from its elemental foundation, without even the slightest hindering effect, before completely vanishing without a trace.

Horry's pupils suddenly contracted, and a storm raged in his heart.

The light magic in Liu Ying's hands has long transcended the boundaries of conventional magic.

Her light energy can purify all barriers constructed by conventional magic.

Whether it's water element or other targeted magical energy, they are essentially the same in the face of her unconventional magic.

The light filament pierced through the airspace where the shield had dissipated, its momentum undiminished, heading straight for Horry's body.

They were so close, there was no way to avoid them, no way to block them.

In a split second between life and death, Horry gritted his teeth, a resolute glint in his eyes, and instantly unleashed all the magical power he had stored up, activating his trump card.

Specialty: [Iron Shield].

This was his key asset in standing out at the Norlan Academy of Magic: a top-tier defensive specialty.

It can instantly overdraw and consume all of its remaining mana to condense an absolute protective shield purely constructed from its own mana essence.

Unlike shields with fixed thresholds in conventional spells, the [Iron Shield] has no fixed upper limit to its defensive power; it is entirely based on the user's remaining mana reserves.

The more abundant the magic, the thicker and stronger the shield.

Furthermore, it is perfectly compatible with all elemental damage and physical impact, and has no attribute disadvantages, making it a truly all-around defensive solution.

However, this specialization comes at a great cost, exhausting all mana, and can only be triggered once a day. It is a trump card that is only used at the last moment.

hum!

A dark, thick, and extremely dense magical barrier instantly enveloped Horry's entire body.

This shield has no fancy special effects, but it exudes a stability far exceeding that of ordinary spells.

Every inch of the barrier was compressed and condensed from his pure magical power, tightly protecting all his vital points.

The light filament struck the Iron Shield barrier with pinpoint accuracy, finally exhausting its purifying power and annihilating it completely.

"Huh?" Liu Ying let out a soft exclamation upon seeing this scene, and a faint interest finally appeared in her clear eyes.

But it was only a tiny bit.

It was like seeing a stubborn rock that could barely withstand a gentle breeze; it was novel, but nothing stirred within me.

She raised her hand again, and a faint light danced between her fingertips.

A dozen or so fine strands of light intertwined and, in an instant, coalesced into a pure white arrow of light with smooth lines and a refined texture.

With a casual gesture, an arrow is shot.

The light arrow pierced the air and landed precisely in the center of the [Iron Shield] barrier.

There was no violent explosion, no booming or trembling, only a continuous yet domineering purification and dissolution.

The fluorescent light element, like the most extreme solvent in the world, seeped into the original structure of the [Iron Shield] thread by thread, slowly but irreversibly dissolving it.

This [Iron Shield], which drained all of Hori's magic power and carried all his resilience and hope, was already the pinnacle of defense at its level.

The insurmountable barriers of different levels are not something that willpower and resilience can overcome.

After a dozen or so breaths of wear and tear, the once indestructible dark barrier cracked, then the magic dissipated, the structure collapsed, and finally it shattered and vanished into the air.

The last wisp of light streaked through the air and gently hovered before Huo's face.

Without injuring anyone, the outcome of the match was completely decided. Seeing this, the referee immediately brought down the gavel and announced the verdict, his voice echoing through the deathly silent arena: "Second round of the gauntlet, Golden Flower Dynasty Flowing Fire, wins!"

It was another near-unsolvable, swift and crushing defeat.

The only difference between this and the previous game's ultimate instant kill was that Horry managed to survive for another dozen or so breaths thanks to his top-tier defensive specialization.

However, this negligible delay could not change the outcome of the battle in any way, nor did it force Liu Ying to use any other means.

White stared intently at the slender, graceful figure standing calmly in the center of the arena, filled with shock and disbelief.

Two matches, featuring two top elite mages from Linhai City.

One is unbeatable in close combat, the other has the ultimate defense.

They were all outstanding individuals of their age, yet they didn't even have the qualifications to make Liu Ying take a serious stance or unleash a few more spells.

As a fellow top genius of the same age, he considers himself to have exceptional talent and top-notch combat ability.

Even though Ellie repeatedly warned him of Liu Ying's strength, he still harbored a sliver of resentment and confidence, firmly believing that they were ultimately on the same level and that he still had the strength to fight her.

The continuous and overwhelming dominance completely shattered his understanding.

A teammate standing nearby sighed helplessly, "This is a gap that can't be bridged by experience in magic combat or a magic-based system."

"Her spells have transcended the constraints of conventional spells and the common logic of spellcasting," Ellie Warwick said softly.

Ordinary geniuses hone their spells to the limit within the rules of magic.

But Liu Ying has already transcended the rules of magic.

This is the most fundamental and insurmountable difference between Liu Ying and all the genius mages in the world.

In the contestant area of ​​Linhai City.

Amidst the continuous cheers of the audience, Alvin, under immense pressure, slowly walked towards the fighting arena.

Like Liu Ying, he was a traditional artillery mage.

Because they shared the same school of thought, he understood the despair of the current situation better than anyone else.

The duel between turret mages is all about spell power, elemental manipulation, magical strength, and casting speed.

The two sides have completely overlapping areas of advantage. Once one side gains a crushing advantage in basic stats and spell levels, the defeat will only be faster and more complete.

Olivia was almost instantly defeated, and even Hori's top trump card only lasted a short while longer.

He found it hard to imagine what chance he, as a fellow turret mage, could possibly have of turning the tide.

Alvin entered the arena at a moderate pace, neither too fast nor too slow, walking unhurriedly.

He was adjusting his mindset, trying to remain calm and not be alarmed by the foreseeable failure, so that he could take the stage in the most peaceful state.

Even if defeat was already inevitable, he would still uphold the dignity and composure of a top mage in Linhai City.

Entering the French fighting arena, the third round of the gauntlet finally began.

The Golden Flower Dynasty's Liu Ying battles against Elwin of Lin Hai City.

At the very start of the game, without the slightest hesitation, Elwin decisively raised his hand to cast a spell.

Lightning elemental energy instantly converged.

[Lightning Arrow] Instant cast.

The pale purple lightning crackled and leaped, arcs of electricity zigzagging and leaping, carrying a sharp penetrating potential as they shot straight toward Liu Ying.

He planned to launch an offensive using his most proficient lightning-based fast attack strategy.

For turret mages, only offense matters!

However, in the face of Elwin's attack, Liu Ying simply raised her right hand without changing her expression.

A delicate, pure white shimmer light dances on your fingertips.

An extremely condensed, ultra-thin light blade was instantly unleashed.

She compressed this blade of light to its extreme, making it as thin as a cicada's wing and as fast as a streak of light, without any superfluous power.

The next instant, the light blade struck the purple lightning arrow with pinpoint accuracy.

The originally violent and fierce lightning arrow was instantly annihilated the electric arc the moment it touched the light blade.

The light blade continued its momentum without diminishing in the slightest; in fact, its speed increased even further. Like a sharp blade slicing through thin paper, it pierced through the dissipating electric space and landed precisely in front of Elwin.

Elwin reacted extremely quickly, instantly activating [Shield] to block.

However, this conventional magic shield, like all previous defenses, was instantly dismantled by light energy.

The remaining force of the light blade hovered gently in front of his chest.

What's even more terrifying than Power is Flowing Light's ultimate control over his body.

This is like being able to stop instantly during a 100-meter sprint; it's reached an inhuman level.

"In the third game, the Golden Flower Dynasty wins!"

The referee's verdict came almost immediately after the attack, crisp and decisive.

It all happened in a flash.

The dignified fourth-ring artillery mage of Linhai City, who was comparable to Liu Ying, was instantly killed in one move before he could even cast a second spell, completely losing his right to fight again.

The cheers in the arena grew louder and louder, a wave sweeping across the entire Dragon's Spine Arena.

The audience was completely engrossed in the festivities, with shouts rising and falling in a continuous, unending roar.

From the players' bench, Alyssa gazed at the ever-composed figure on the French fighting field and subconsciously murmured, "The captain is practically a giant version of Gaode."

'

... Gaode Maps.

"That's certainly a vivid description." Feng Lin nodded firmly in agreement as Gao De remained silent.

In the group stage, Gaode swept all opponents with his unstoppable fireball spell, which was revealed to be his secret weapon.

The gameplay is simple and brutal, with no strategic thinking involved; it's all about overwhelming numerical superiority.

Enter the arena, unleash a fireball, and then end the battle.

And now, Liu Ying's playing style is exactly the same.

Enter the arena, fire light filaments, light blades, or light arrows, and then end the battle.

It's equally unreasonable, equally predictable, and equally pure numerical dominance.

The only difference is that Gaode swept aside third-ring mages, while Liuying crushed a group of solid fourth-ring mages.

Or from another perspective, is there no difference?

Since Gaode himself is only a third-level mage, sweeping through a third-level mage is the same as sweeping through a mage of the same level.

As a fourth-ring mage, Liu Ying swept aside mages of the same level, which naturally meant she swept aside fourth-ring mages.

They are essentially the same.

Therefore, Arya's assessment is indeed very apt.

However, Gaode still feels somewhat speechless about the title of "larger version of Gaode".

Could it be a four-in-a-row?

This is no longer a question, but an almost certain outcome.

Even if the last player from Linhai City who hasn't yet taken the stage is their captain, their ace player.

But in the eyes of the audience, no one believed that he could stop the unstoppable flow of fireflies at this moment.

"A four-in-a-row!!"

It's unclear who shouted the first cry, but it instantly ignited the entire audience.

The second, the third, and countless shouts rang out in succession, completely resounding throughout the Dragonspine Arena.

Amidst the deafening shouts that swept through the entire arena, Linhai City Captain Tris Igor silently stepped forward.

He raised his hand and gently patted the shoulder of Alvin, who had just been defeated and looked dejected. Then he passed by his teammates and walked steadily towards the French fighting ring.

As he walked forward, the deafening shouts at the scene subsided slightly.

The noise subsided somewhat, and all eyes in the room focused on him.

But Triss knew in his heart that this brief silence was never a sign of awe, but merely a short pause in the audience's anticipation of the final, crushing victory.

When he is defeated, the cheers for "four in a row" will only be more surging and more frenzied than before.

To win is as difficult as ascending to heaven, almost impossible.

But he must produce something meaningful, something that embodies the spirit of the monks of Linhai City.

If even he is instantly killed without thinking, all four of them will be crushed and defeated without any power to resist.

In the upcoming five-person team battle, Linhai City didn't really need to fight.

He must stabilize the situation.

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