Above the mage

Chapter 768 I'm Faster Than You

"Captain, tell us quickly, what trump card does Gaode have up his sleeve? How does he have the confidence to directly confront that she-wolf of the Empire, even though he's a level above him!"

While Gaode and Ellie stepped into the ancient tree garden and took their places, Alyssa could no longer contain her curiosity and asked Liuying for an answer in a low voice.

Although the others were not as carefree and easygoing as Arya, they shared the same doubts and curiosity.

Everyone is aware of the significant difference in mage levels.

In the late stage of the third ring versus the mid-stage of the fourth ring, coupled with Ellie's wolf blood and extraordinary magic resistance, it would normally be a one-sided crushing defeat.

They simply couldn't understand why Gaode dared to claim he could win.

But Liu Ying's unwavering recommendation just now convinced everyone that Gaode must have some unknown trump card up its sleeve, and that Liu Ying knew something about it.

That makes sense.

After all, it's obvious to everyone that Liu Ying and Gao De have a very close relationship, and it's definitely not just a team member and captain relationship.

For a moment, the entire contestant area fell silent.

Everyone quietly pricked up their ears.

Even Fritz, who is usually calm and composed and maintains the demeanor of a team leader, slowed his breathing and focused all his attention on Liu Ying.

He had prepared himself for defeat, but Gaode's words of confidence and Liuying's guarantee rekindled his extinguished hopes.

However, this hope was unfounded, and he still felt uneasy, desperately needing to get definite reassurance from Liu Ying.

Faced with the team's attention and Arya's persistent questioning, Liu Ying answered without hesitation: "I don't know."

'

"...Don't know?!" This was an answer that Arya never expected.

"Yeah, I don't know." Liu Ying thought Ailiya hadn't heard her clearly, so she repeated herself.

"You know nothing, yet you dare to believe he can win?" Arya was so surprised that she even subconsciously ignored her respect for the captain, and her tone unconsciously rose a few decibels.

"Since Gao De says he can win, I believe he can win," Liu Ying nodded slightly, affirming with a firm tone.

Arya was both amused and exasperated: "You believe everything he says?"

"Yes, I believe whatever he says."

Whether others trust Gaode or she trusts others, there needs to be a reason.

But she trusts Gaode Maps without needing a reason.

After speaking, Liu Ying said no more, her gaze quietly turning to the battlefield of the ancient tree garden, focusing intently on the two figures facing off.

The two players are in position, and the match is about to begin.

Fritz and his teammates were left frozen in place, dumbfounded, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

Anxiety, confusion, anticipation, and absurdity intertwined, creating a complex feeling that defies description.

Inside the fighting arena, the gnarled roots of old trees rise from the ground.

The ground was covered with moss, and vines hung down from the branches.

Tiny wood element particles, like countless fireflies, floated gently and surged toward Gao De's body.

Of course, while the terrain may have some elemental biases, it will never be to the point of significantly affecting the course of the battle; it will remain within a balance.

The reason for this phenomenon is that Gao De's [Wood Element Symbiotic Body] began to exert its power the moment he entered the fighting arena.

When you are in an environment with a high concentration of wood elemental particles (such as forests, ancient forests in demiplanes, or near wood-type magic springs), your body will automatically form an "elemental particle siphon field": wood elemental particles within a 5-meter radius of you will slowly converge towards you. Even without actively practicing cultivation techniques, you can passively absorb a small amount of particles, providing a trace replenishment to your mana pool.

"The decisive round of this year's Unparalleled Magic Fighting Tournament begins!"

The final match of this year's Unparalleled Fighting Tournament began with the referee issuing the signal to start the battle.

It seems I was the one who played in the very first match of this year's Unrivaled Fighting Tournament. In a way, does that mean I fought from start to finish...?

At this moment when everyone was incredibly tense, Gao De even had the leisure to daydream, thinking about things that had nothing to do with the competition.

However, he only lost focus for a moment.

The thought vanished in an instant, and Gao De immediately gathered his scattered thoughts and returned his mind to its proper place.

Despite his confidence, he never underestimated his opponents.

Ellie, as a mid-stage fourth-ring werewolf mage, possesses top-tier speed, resistance, and close-range burst damage, leaving no room for negligence.

Moreover, he not only needs to win this battle, but also needs to preserve his core strengths to the greatest extent possible and avoid over-exposing them.

Immediately, Gao De mobilized the Azure Wood magic power within the magic crystal in his body and began to activate the spell model.

On the other hand, Ellie's starting speed was even faster.

At least visually, that's how it appears.

A crimson glow suddenly enveloped her limbs and body.

Wolf Blood talent fully unlocked.

Her figure left a faint blood-red afterimage in place, and she instantly entered a state of rapid advance.

At this moment, her speed far exceeded that of the second round of the duo team battle.

Because she needed to conserve her strength and coordinate with her teammates' strategy in that match, she deliberately held back.

But this is a singles decisive game, so there's no need to worry about any backup plans; all you need to do is defeat your opponent and win.

She can unleash her full power without holding back.

Ellie Warwick, as a typical melee burst mage, maintains a consistent strategy when dealing with ranged turret mages:

At all costs, quickly close the distance to the enemy, compress their spellcasting range and space to maneuver, and eliminate opportunities for long-range spell bombardment and tactical deployment.

With the super-high movement speed and agility granted by wolf blood, she is able to evade most conventional orbital spells and quickly close in on most ranged turret mages.

However, Gaode did not prepare conventional spells to intercept her. Firstly, Ellie's dash speed was too fast, making it difficult for conventional spells to lock onto and track her.

Secondly, in the second round, he had already witnessed Ellie's extraordinary magic resistance firsthand. Even if ordinary spells hit, they could not break through her defenses and could not cause effective damage, making it a complete waste of effort.

Without any extra casting motions, a slight fluctuation of wind element rippled through the air.

The cyan wind elements coalesced into a translucent humanoid phantom, appearing behind Gaode.

Second-tier Storm Soul, Boeing.

Boeing immediately transformed into a streak of blue light and crashed into Gao De's body.

At the moment of the collision, it completely dispersed, transforming into a layer of fine cyan light patterns that evenly adhered to Gao De's limbs and bones.

Possession!

A feeling of lightness instantly filled my entire body.

With the burden on his body lifted, Gao De lightly touched the ground and suddenly took to the air, heading straight for the canopy of the giant tree above.

He did not rashly take off and suspend himself in the air.

The airspace above the competition venue has height limits and boundary barriers.

High altitudes with no obstructions or terrain to rely on actually reduce the advantage of pulling.

His goal was simply to shift the battlefield to the complex terrain of the canopy layer, using the intertwined branches and vines of the giant trees to fight Ellie.

Below, Ellie, who was rushing forward rapidly, suddenly looked up and saw Gao De's retreating movement. A cold smile appeared on her lips.

Is it safe once we get to higher ground?

She took a deep breath, her chest sinking slightly.

The blood in my body is boiling.

Her bones creaked softly, her muscles swelled slightly, and her pupils sharpened as she locked onto the figure weaving through the canopy.

The leg muscles suddenly tensed and exploded, the blood-red light intensified, and the explosive power was maximized.

boom!

With astonishing jumping ability, she broke free from the constraints of gravity and leaped into the air, landing steadily on the thick, giant tree branch beside her.

The heavy force of the landing caused the ancient tree branches to tremble violently, enough to give a glimpse of the terrifying impact of the leap.

After regaining her footing, Ellie rose again.

She started running.

Yes, it's running, not climbing.

She darted and leaped swiftly through the crisscrossing branches of giant trees and the gaps between vines, her vertical movement almost unrestricted by gravity or terrain.

The complex terrain of the ancient tree-lined courtyard, which would be an obstacle for ordinary monks, was like a smooth road for her.

She relentlessly pursued Gao De, who was retreating from the canopy layer, at an incredible speed, rapidly closing the distance.

"What a foolish decision!"

On the sidelines, Conrad grimaced and sneered—the divine radiance energy left by Liu Ying was still tormenting him, but thankfully he surrendered quickly enough that his injuries weren't too serious.

But this injury did not stop him from coldly mocking Gaode.

Conrad's sarcasm was not unfounded.

Flight is a spell that a third-ring mage unlocks and masters.

However, it is not a mindless spell, but more like a skill for specific situations.

When a mage floats in the air, the magical hovering posture restricts the flexibility of their body, making it far less free and easy than running on their own.

Furthermore, flight continuously consumes mana, putting immense pressure on endurance; its speed on a flat surface is even slower than a mage's full-speed sprint after casting a spell.

Its main advantage lies in its height.

Gao De chose to fly to the canopy layer, but Ellie did not need to rely on flying skills. With her strong mobility, she could move freely among the crisscrossing tree trunks and branches as if walking on flat ground.

This actually made the speed difference between the two more obvious, which was tantamount to actively paving the way for Ellie to make a close-range attack.

On the field, the situation was clear to the naked eye.

The crimson figure rapidly ascended and closed in, the distance between them constantly shrinking.

As Gaode retreated from the canopy layer, its posture was "stiff and sluggish," and every move it made was clumsy.

"At this rate, Gaode is not far from defeat," Conrad muttered to himself with a cold laugh, his tone certain.

"Land quickly! Land now!"

Inside the Plantagenets' section, Gareth could no longer contain himself and whispered urgently.

Of course, Gaode couldn't hear him; he was just anxious on his own.

He couldn't understand how Gao De, who clearly had extremely rich experience in French Bulldogs, could make such a wrong decision and not correct it in time.

With branches and trunks covering the canopy in such a complex and intricate manner, the already limited agility of flight would further reduce the speed of the aircraft.

It's equivalent to binding one's own hands and feet.

Not only the team members, but all the audience members had already seen the situation clearly, and were filled with anxiety, all deeply concerned about Gaode's wrong decision.

However, Gao De on the field remained unmoved and composed.

The spell to summon Boeing, [Wild Agility+], is only a first-level spell, and for him, the casting time is almost non-existent.

He awkwardly retreated in the opposite direction of Ellie, trying to create distance, while continuously casting spells rapidly.

In an instant, he mobilized the rich power of the green wood magic, activating the spell model.

[Overgrown with thorns and brambles].

Green leaves fall onto the surrounding tree trunks.

Visibly, thick, dark green vines are sprouting and spreading wildly at every node of the tree trunk and the drooping vines.

One second they were sparse, thin vines, and the next they grew into tough thorns as thick as an arm.

With its intertwined branches and thorns, it is incredibly resilient.

Countless new vines stretched and intertwined, spreading out along the veins of the ancient tree trunk.

Instead of growing wildly and haphazardly, the trees are arranged in a staggered and well-spaced manner, like a huge and fine spider web, completely blocking the path of the entire canopy layer.

This thorny barrier is not just a simple obstacle, but a battlefield terrain reshaped by Gaode itself.

The newly sprouted branches intertwine to form a natural barrier.

"Such powerful control and magic power." Fritz exclaimed in admiration despite his anxiety upon seeing this.

When an ordinary mage casts [Thorns Overgrowth], the thorns grow haphazardly, making it impossible for them to be shaped into a spider web with the precision of a high-ranking mage.

Not to mention that the thorns that grow under the influence of the thorns are exceptionally thick and grow at an astonishing rate.

Even though Gaode's casting speed is already incredibly fast, Ellie's dash speed is still superior.

The crimson afterimage darted through the gaps in the branches, quickly approaching the first barrier of thorny vines.

Her scarlet pupils pierced through the fine vine mesh, precisely locking onto Gao De, who was floating and retreating behind her, and their eyes suddenly met.

Ellie's lips curled into a cold and sharp smile, her speed undiminished as she shot straight into the vine net like an arrow released from a bow.

Her hands had already undergone partial deformation, transforming into sharp wolf claws.

The fingertips gleamed with a chilling light, their sharpness fully revealed.

scoff!

The incredibly tough thorny vines, strong enough to withstand the slashing of melee weapons, are as fragile as paper under the wolf's claws.

Ellie tore and slashed with her claws, instantly tearing a wide gap in the dense vines, sending fine twigs flying everywhere.

Without pausing, she smoothly broke through the barrier, her advance proceeding without the slightest pause.

The moment the barrier broke, chaos erupted both inside and outside the arena.

Everyone believed that Gaode's terrain layout had completely failed and was a waste of time.

She looked up and saw Gao De pause slightly in place, his figure frozen for a moment, as if he was stunned by the sudden change and helpless.

The entire audience and the Empire team members were convinced that Gao De had panicked.

Even Ellie, who was in charge, thought so.

Her mind was completely focused on the battle; she had no time to think about the details.

However, a small number of people saw through the real mystery.

"What is that?" On the dragon claw platform high in the sky, Richard's gaze pierced through the arena's barrier and caught a glimpse of something unusual.

"A very special and concealed spell," Lady Wang Mian said softly.

Her gaze pierced through the protective magic array of the fighting arena and landed on Ellie's bare left arm inside the arena.

There, a tiny, faint green dot quietly appeared, even more inconspicuous under the crimson glow that Ellie herself had activated.

Even with their keen eyesight, due to the distance and the blood-red light obscuring the true appearance of the green dot, they were unable to see it clearly.

At this moment, Ellie was completely unaware of the strangeness in her body.

After breaking through the first barrier of thorns, she precisely targeted the thick branches to her side and rear to land on, thus gaining a second burst of strength.

But as soon as their feet touched the tree, their feet suddenly slipped.

The strong inertia caused her to stagger violently, and she almost fell directly off the tree canopy and branches.

Ellie's core strength tensed instantly, and she exerted force in her waist and abdomen to stabilize her unbalanced body and barely manage to stand.

A look of surprise flashed across her eyes. She looked down and examined the branches closely, only to discover that a very thin layer of transparent ice had formed on the surface of the branches.

The ice layer is clear and transparent, conforming to the texture of the tree bark, and almost blends into the tree trunk, making it extremely difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.

She quickly looked around, her expression finally becoming slightly serious.

All the surrounding branches, vines, and slopes were covered with a thin layer of the same ice at some point.

This seemingly damp, rough, and easily accessible wooden terrain has quietly transformed into a smooth, unsteady natural ice rink.

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