Above the mage

Chapter 769 A Return of the Favor

When did this happen? And how could it be done so quietly!

Even Ellie, as an enemy, couldn't help but marvel at Gao De's powerful control over the ice element.

On the surface, wood elemental magic was used to create new terrain, but in reality, the terrain was further modified in secret, without any trace of spellcasting.

"That's interesting..." Ellie thought to herself, acknowledging Gaode's ingenuity.

That's all.

With a thought, the crimson glow at her feet suddenly intensified.

As the blood gushed forth, the muscles in her calves tightened and bulged.

The flesh twitched slightly, undergoing subtle changes, and hair like wolf fur began to grow.

The real change actually occurs in the feet.

In an instant, Ellie's feet transformed into sharp, hard wolf claws.

She leaped up again, and this time the slippery icy tree trunk could not restrict her movements.

With each step she took, her sharp wolf claws would press down sharply, embedding themselves deeply into the ice and the wood of the tree trunk, firmly locking the foothold and completely stabilizing her body.

With the help of the wolf claws' powerful grip, her speed not only returned to normal, but was even faster than before, and her boundless fighting spirit was fully ignited.

Trivial tricks are useless... She was full of fighting spirit.

However, after Ellie completed the partial deformation of her feet and increased the speed, something unexpected happened that surprised her and everyone else.

Gao De, who had been clumsy and retreating and seemed to be restricted at every turn, suddenly accelerated.

This leap forward in an instant is more than just one level.

With the complete possession and blessing of the Storm Soul Boeing, Gao De gained the top-level aura control talent unique to wind elemental creatures, breaking free from the inherent constraints of flight for mages.

When ordinary mages are levitating, their bodies become stiff and their movements become sluggish due to the effects of magical posture and air resistance.

But at this moment, Gaode's figure was as light as a feather and as swift as the wind.

The crisscrossing ancient tree branches, the layers of hanging vines, and the dense, intricate obstacles were all meaningless to him.

He nimbly darted and turned in the gaps of the tree canopy, each movement precisely avoiding all obstacles, his actions fluid and effortless.

Despite its high-speed movement, the surrounding branches and leaves remain undisturbed, truly achieving the feat of passing through countless trees without a single leaf touching you.

Such incredibly agile movement is difficult to replicate even for melee mages who are ground-based and skilled in mobile combat, yet it appeared on Gao De in flight.

The gap in position that Ellie had been steadily closing was widened again in an instant.

The newly formed close-range suppression posture collapsed abruptly.

Ellie's pupils constricted as she charged forward, her brows furrowing tightly.

A faint sense of unease finally arose in her heart.

There was still one thing I didn't understand:

Since you have this speed, what was the meaning of your clumsy appearance just now?

Was this a performance for me?

Then why put on this play?

"I'm faster than you." Just as Ellie was filled with doubt, Gao De's teasing voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

It's [communication techniques]!

As Gao De retreated, he even had the leisure to release this non-combat-useful functional spell.

The purpose... seems to be to provoke?

Ellie pursed her lips.

She did not reply, seemingly unaffected by the situation, her expression remaining unchanged.

Ellie simply pulled herself out of her thoughts, looked at God, who was as agile as a bird, and the wolf blood power within her body erupted even further.

A faint buzzing sound, barely perceptible to the naked eye, emanated from deep within her body—the sound of blood surging rapidly and boiling at high temperatures.

A layer of dark red, rust-like fine blood streaks slowly emerged and spread throughout her body, following the veins of her skin.

Blood boils.

This will grant her faster attack and movement speed.

Increased attack speed is not what she needs; she needs faster movement speed.

Ellie's feet left deep claw marks on the branches, and her speed increased instantly.

Immediately following her move, she raised her hand and instantly cast a spell, the magical aura covering her entire body.

[Acceleration Spell].

With the double boost combined, her figure transformed into a blurry, blood-red ray of light in the canopy, rushing towards Gao De.

The thin ice terrain carefully arranged by Gaode Maps could not trip her up.

The spiderweb-like thorny vines were as fragile as paper before her sharp wolf claws, and they did nothing to hinder her movement.

The fact that the distance is once again narrowing proves the hard power of the Imperial Ace.

Gao De wasn't too surprised by Ellie's outburst.

Ellie was the most outstanding battle mage under the age of twenty in the empire. If she could be completely restrained by just a few layers of thorns and thin ice, it would be unworthy of her reputation.

Moreover, he has many more tricks up his sleeve.

boom!

Ellie landed on a thick tree trunk, the impact causing the trunk to shake violently.

She bent her knees slightly and used the momentum to spring upwards again.

Even when the view is obscured by layers of tangled branches and vines, it still relies on its precise perception to lock onto Gaode's location and swiftly advance along the optimal straight-line distance.

A huge network of thorny vines blocked their way.

She was already quite adept at dealing with these troublesome thorny nets.

Her charge continued unabated, her wolf claws reaching forward to tear at the target.

The tough thorns were instantly torn open, creating a wide gap, and the figure passed through the net without any hesitation.

But just as she pierced through the vine barrier, Ellie's pupils suddenly contracted violently.

Beyond the thorny net lies not an open path, but a hidden trap.

A finer, milky-white spiderweb quietly hangs suspended, layered with the vines to form a double barrier.

This is a "spider web" technique pre-installed and staggered by Gaode Maps, hidden behind a web of thorns and vines, perfectly concealed by utilizing blind spots.

This was something that had never happened before, so Ellie was completely unprepared due to her habitual thinking.

Driven by inertia, Ellie had no time to stop and, like a moth drawn to a flame, crashed straight into the sticky spider web.

The milky white spider silk instantly spread out and wrapped around her, its strong adhesiveness clinging tightly to her limbs, torso, and clothes, pulling and binding her body.

The significant reduction in movement speed, coupled with the disruption of limb exertion, abruptly slowed down her explosive offensive.

"Oh wow, the mother wolf has turned into a mother moth."

The mocking voice echoed in Ellie's mind once again through the [Communication] spell.

Ellie's jaw clenched, a hint of anger flashing in her eyes.

Her claws moved rapidly, their sharp blades slicing across her body repeatedly.

The spider silk, enhanced with Gao Desheng's Ring-level spells, far surpassed the level of a regular second-ring spell, was instantly torn apart.

Torn and scattered.

【Spider Web】is ultimately only a second-level spell, with almost zero destructive power.

If it weren't for the surprise attack that exploited the blind spots in people's habitual thinking, there would have been no way to restrain Ellie in the slightest.

However, Gaode's goal was not to severely damage the control of the situation.

He only hoped to use this moment of constraint to buy more time to set up the scene, while also instilling a sense of apprehension in Ellie.

From then on, every seemingly ordinary thorny vine web could potentially conceal a spider web trap.

Ellie cannot charge blindly and tear through defenses recklessly; every advance must be anticipated and tested in advance.

This will, to some extent, restrict her offensive rhythm and mindset, making her attacks no longer as smooth and fluid.

Ellie stood on the branch, not launching another attack immediately.

Through the gaps in the branches and leaves, she could see Gao De calmly retreating in the distance.

Ellie began to realize that this third-circle mage, whom she thought she could easily deal with, was much more troublesome than she had anticipated.

Nearly a minute into the game, she still hadn't managed a single real close encounter with Gaode.

Throughout the entire process, the player was constantly restrained and pulled by various terrain traps and interconnected layouts.

It's like punching cotton; you can't exert your strength.

Off the field, the atmosphere had already completely reversed.

Conrad, who had been all smiles and mockery, became serious. He stared intently at the two figures that were moving erratically in the fighting arena, his expression filled with disbelief.

They were surprised not only by the flight speed demonstrated by Gaode Maps, but also by Ellie's frequent occurrence of being affected.

He originally thought it would be a one-sided match with a clear advantage, but it turned out that Ellie was constantly being "trolled" by Gaode.

"These few low-level spells are more useful in Gao De's hands than our high-level spells, it's simply amazing!"

In the Golden Flower contestant area, Arya's eyes widened, her face filled with excitement, and she couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.

A look of shock and joy appeared in Fritz's eyes, his tense face finally relaxed slightly, and a sense of unbelievable anticipation filled his heart.

The audience seats were filled with an intense heat wave.

The audience's emotions were completely stirred by the rapidly changing rhythm of the game.

Every time Ellie fell into a trap, it would trigger a series of screams and deafening shouts, the clamor sweeping across the entire Dragonspine Arena.

The dragon claw platform remained serene.

Richard's gaze was fixed on the young figure constantly shifting and turning in the fighting arena, a hint of slight surprise in his eyes.

"His technique is meticulous, his advances and retreats are measured, and his fighting style is completely unlike that of a third-ring mage," he commented.

Lady Wang Mian, standing beside him, nodded slightly, not denying Richard's praise for Gao De: "There is indeed something there."

Some things were not enough to move her, much less to defeat Ellie.

Inside the stadium.

The farce should end... Ellie licked her slightly cool lips.

Instead of stubbornly continuing her brute-force advance, she decisively switched strategies.

Ellie stood firmly on the thick, ancient tree branch, her chest rising and falling slightly, and the crimson wolf markings around her body suddenly lit up, slowly spreading across her entire body.

A dark red aura of sonic magic, visible to the naked eye, churned and surged in her throat, wrapping around her neck and cheeks.

She is casting a spell.

This is a blatant, overt scheme. Gao De would definitely be able to see that she is casting a high-level spell with a long wind-up and terrifying potential energy.

However, in order to avoid her close-range attacks, Gaode had already distanced himself from her by a great distance and used every means to prevent her from getting closer.

To a certain extent, Gaode has indeed succeeded.

However, this also meant that Gao De was unable to stop or counter her spellcasting at this moment.

It's too far away!

Gaode only has two choices.

First, abandon the hard-won advantage of the tug-of-war and actively close the distance at lightning speed to interrupt her spellcasting.

However, interrupting her spellcasting is tantamount to offering yourself up and placing yourself within her melee attack range;

Secondly, maintain the existing safe distance, observe from the sidelines, and allow this high-level spell to fully take shape, bearing the potential terrifying magical effects.

In standard magic combat, high-level spells with long wind-up animations have almost no chance of landing and are easily interrupted and avoided.

However, Gao De's layered and pulling tactics created an excellent vacuum casting environment for Ellie, which she then perfectly utilized.

Everyone present knew that this spell, which was still building up its power, could very well influence the course of the battle.

A difficult choice presented itself to Gaode.

A confident smile subtly curved at the corners of Ellie's lips.

She keenly sensed the unusual movement coming from afar, which was an airflow fluctuation caused by high-speed displacement.

Gaode Maps has taken action.

He ultimately dared not gamble, dared not allow his spell to fully take shape.

The next instant, a stream of azure energy burst through the air.

Using the extreme speed of Boeing's possession, Gao De arrived at his effective spellcasting range, and his figure clearly came into Ellie's sight.

Gao De, who could rush into the effective casting range, did not immediately interfere with Ellie.

He hovered in mid-air, silently watching Ellie as she gathered her strength to cast a spell.

What is he waiting for?

The strange pause in Gaode Maps made Ellie's heart sink and arouse her suspicion.

She couldn't figure out Gao De's thoughts, but since Gao De didn't make any move, Ellie naturally had no reason to interrupt her spellcasting and couldn't be intimidated by this unfounded empty city ploy.

She continued casting the spell, but a bad feeling crept into her heart.

Just as the spell was about to be completed, and the immense magical power was accumulating to a critical point in her throat, the instant Ellie slightly opened her mouth, a glint flashed in God's eyes.

The long-awaited [Spell Counter] has been activated.

A tiny, highly refined pulse of pure magic energy shot from his fingertips and precisely entered Ellie's body.

The high-level spell, which was about to be completed, shattered instantly, and the accumulated magic power collapsed.

The magical offensive that should have swept across the entire field was abruptly extinguished at its source.

The spell was forcibly interrupted by a counterspell, but Ellie showed no regret whatsoever.

From beginning to end, casting the spell was just an experiment; her real core purpose was to force Gaode to get close.

Now, the goal has been achieved.

At this moment, the tips of her wolf claws glowed with a faint magical light, and their sharpness surged.

[Advanced Magic Fang Technique].

Without the slightest pause, her leg muscles tensed and suddenly exploded, her entire body transforming into a streak of blood-red light, shooting out like a cannonball.

The speed at which this burst of speed occurred was so fast that it surpassed the flight speed previously demonstrated by Gaode Maps.

A piercing whistling sound tore through the air, and a blood-red claw locked onto Gao De, who was hovering in mid-air.

A close-range, deadly strike, arriving within inches!

Faced with this deadly, high-speed attack, Gao De's calm face revealed a mocking smile.

At the same time, Ellie received another message from God through [Communication Spell] in her mind.

"I told you I'm faster than you."

The crimson claw blade was only a hair's breadth away from Gao De's body, its deadly force locking down any movement.

But just as his claws were about to touch the fabric, Gao De suddenly became ethereal.

There was no afterimage of displacement, and no airflow fluctuations.

The previously hovering figure vanished into thin air, completely disappearing from Ellie's attack trajectory.

Ellie, who was attacking at full speed, couldn't stop in time, and the enormous inertia carried her forward.

The sharp wolf claws tore through large swathes of air and leaves, a strong wind howled past, and in the end, only an empty hand was left grasping.

The sudden impact caused her body to lean forward violently, and she forcefully twisted her waist and abdomen to regain balance.

Meanwhile, deep in the distance, a hazy, silvery-white mist dissipated from the treetops.

Gao De's tall figure emerged from the mist, his posture calm and steady, his breathing perfectly even.

【Stealth Step + [Rare]】

He had already planned ahead; when he rushed in, he used [Stealth Step + [Rare]] to anchor his coordinates in place.

The moment Ellie got close, he immediately activated the additional effect of [Stealth Step+].

Ignoring distance limitations, he directly retraced his position to the pre-anchored long-distance landing point, completing this perfect Shadow Stalking.

But it's not over.

Just as Ellie lost her balance and her old strength was gone and her new strength had not yet been generated, she was in a state of stiffness.

In the air, a tiny, translucent, pale blue ice crystal seed, the size of a grain of rice, which had appeared out of nowhere, suddenly trembled and exploded.