Chapter 43: Fake Stigmata (6)

Clap. Elissa’s light clapping sound resonated in the training hall, and along with it, the lines of a magic circle spread out radially from the girl.

The overflowing water mana boiled, and water filled the floor. The training hall became humid at the girl’s gesture.

[Elissa (Lv.45) activates her unique magic ‘Water Domain’]

“…Interesting ability.”

Yelena looked at the magic circles that filled the floor of the training hall and raised her mana.

[Yelena Frost (Lv.50) activates her Stigmata ‘Winter’s Boundary’]

[Stigmata ‘Winter’s Boundary’ inflicts status ailment: ‘Frostbite’ on Elissa (Lv.45). As time passes, the player’s movements will slow down and the damage received will increase.]

The blizzard of the Northern Absolute Defense Line unfolds inside the training hall. As Yelena raises her right hand, ice fragments gathered in the air to form a sharp blade.

The air trembled slightly as the two girls simultaneously deployed their abilities. The mana density in the air rapidly increased, and the sensations of cool ice and refreshing water were felt at the same time.

“Are you both ready?”

The two girls answered by nodding their heads lightly. The swirling blizzard and the seething water domain were waiting only for the two girls’ commands.

I closed my eyes quietly, looking at the scene. I’m concentrating on the nature of the mana that Elissa holds.

“…”

Honestly, I don’t want to doubt Elissa. Although I’ve only met her for a few days… I could feel that this girl was really a kind person.

But there were a few things that bothered me. Representatively, Elissa’s mana excess.

Mana excess is a really rare disease. Cases that occur naturally are so rare that they don’t appear in the game. The only mana excess patient I saw in the game was one of the dying experimental subjects of the Dark Cult.

So I couldn’t help but be suspicious. A mana excess patient who didn’t appear in the original work is a combination that can’t be ignored.

“Then, start the sparring!”

The fake Stigmata used by the Dark Cult is not made through normal routes.

If the Stigmata is a contact with the natural mysteries wielded by the stars, the fake Stigmata is a key to the mysteries of darkness. In other words, contact with the dark mana used by the Demon King.

The materials for making that key are the intense anger and resentment of many people.

So if Elissa is really a fake Stigmata holder, a sticky and unpleasant mana must flow out, just like when I faced Marcus last time.

It would be difficult for ordinary students to notice… but Yelena and I have fought countless magical beasts directly. If we are familiar with dark mana to some extent, we should be able to notice it.

“Nice to meet you.”

“…”

The sparring of the two girls began with Yelena’s indifferent greeting.

Yelena re-gripped her sword, narrowed the range of her Stigmata, and took a step forward. At the same time, Elissa raised her mana.

“I, I’m also looking forward to working with you.”

Tap.

Elissa lightly stomped her foot, and six streams of water erupted from the floor as if flowing backward.

Water attribute mana holds gentleness, and gentleness means that there are no restrictions on form. The biggest advantage of water attribute mana is its utility, which is not limited by form and use.

As she said, when Elissa clenched her beautiful hand, the water pillars began to bend their huge bodies and intertwine in the air. The mana that swirls like a fierce torrent gathers in the air.

“…Certainly, it’s amazing.”

Yelena muttered quietly and glared at the water pillars.

Normally, it would be right to avoid such a large-scale attack, but now was the time to develop Elissa’s skills.

It’s definitely an enormous amount of mana for a first-year student of the Academy’s magic department. She could overwhelm ordinary students with just the overwhelming amount of mana.

But Yelena Frost was the future guardian of the North. She had experienced countless battlefields and realized long ago that quantity was not everything.

Perhaps what Sian wants is to teach Elissa that quantity of mana is not everything.

Flicker. The Stigmata shines again.

Yelena, on the contrary, reduced the area of ‘Winter’s Boundary’ to a minimum. The blizzard, concentrated to the limit, formed on the sword.

[Elissa (Lv.45) activates her unique magic ‘Raging Torrent’]

However, Elissa had no intention of giving Yelena time to prepare.

As she opened her clenched fist and swung her arm, the sphere of water gathered in the air exploded instantly. Three huge streams of water ripped through the sphere and scattered water in all directions.

The streams of water that rose like three dragons rushed towards Yelena from different directions. The water attribute mana that spread in all directions clung to Yelena.

[Unique magic ‘Raging Torrent’ inflicts the ‘Wet’ effect on the opponent in ‘Water Domain’]

[The movement of the opponent affected by the ‘Wet’ effect is slowed down. The opponent affected by the ‘Wet’ effect takes increased damage from ‘Raging Torrent’]]

At the same time, Yelena, who had been silently watching Elissa until then, moved.

It started with a simple horizontal slash. A sword slash that seems meaningless in front of the pouring huge streams of water. But the aftermath was never light.

Charrrr-

With a sharp sound, the blizzard concentrated on the tip of the sword was shot in a crescent moon shape. One of the water pillars that met the condensed blizzard froze in the air and fell.

Crash-

Two consecutive sword strikes shattered the pouring water pillars. The pouring spray turned into ice fragments and scattered with the sound of ice breaking.

“Ugh?!”

Startled, Elissa flinched and raised her mana. An overwhelming amount of mana was released into the space, and eight additional water pillars soared.

Elissa raised both hands like an orchestra conductor. To buy time, Elissa divided the control of the eight water pillars between her two hands.

Following the neat and clean girl’s command, three water pillars poured towards Elissa.

“Hmm, a useless act.”

Yelena’s clean slash cut through the air. Three crescent moons race through the air. As soon as the slash touched the stream of water, the stream of water froze in the air.

Thud-

The stream of water, which had turned into a huge ice sculpture, smashed into the floor of the training hall and crashed down. Yelena’s mana touched the shattered ice fragments.

In the meantime, the five water pillars summoned by Elissa merged. The five water pillars intertwined in the air were sucked back into the magic circle, and a huge water whale emerged from the floor, emitting a majestic cry.

[Elissa (Lv.45) activates her unique magic ‘Deep Sea Ambush’]

Boooom-

A majestic cry echoed inside the training hall building. The huge whale slowly rose towards the training hall and gracefully swam in the air.

Yelena’s eyes, which had been calm until now, became serious.

[Yelena(Lv.50) activates unique sword technique ‘Whirling Blade’]

Ice fragments gathered around Yelena’s sword, which was in a drawing stance. The ice fragments, compressed to the size of a small blade, gathered around Yelena and rotated sharply.

“It’s amazing, but that’s it.”

Kiiiing-

A sharp drawing sound echoed in the training hall. The ice fragments gathered around Yelena gathered around the sword and created a long sword.

Instead of answering Yelena’s words, Elissa clenched her hands tightly and controlled the whale.

The whale, which was roughly several tons, turned its head towards Yelena. The whale, which uttered a heavy cry, opened its mouth wide and rushed towards Yelena as if to swallow her.

The change happened then.

Instantly, Yelena’s Stigmata flickered, emitting a sky-blue color. A faint sky-blue color spread in the silver eyes, and a quick sword strike that could not be recognized by my eyes was shot towards the air.

Crack!

With a terrifying ice sound, a white line was engraved vertically across the huge body of the whale. The movement of the whale, whose whole body was split in half by the ice, stops for a moment.

Yelena didn’t miss that gap. Dozens of ice fragments that were rotating around Yelena were fired all at once.

Consecutive slashes from Yelena cut through the air, and dozens of trajectories tore the whale into small pieces. The carcass of the whale, split in half, crashed into both sides of Yelena, causing a splash of water.

At the same time, Yelena kicked off the ground and rushed towards Elissa.

“Ugh…?!”

Elissa was so startled by the overwhelming appearance Yelena showed that she couldn’t respond.

She tried to summon water pillars to somehow block the rushing Elissa, but they all froze and shattered by Yelena’s slash.

A cool slash pierced the pouring water pillar in a straight line and headed towards Elissa.

“Ugh, I surrender… I’ll do it.”

The sparring ended with Yelena pointing the ice blade at Elissa.

And, only then could I understand why the teacher said Elissa was ambiguous.

Because what I felt from Elissa’s mana was ambiguity itself.

I couldn’t feel the stickiness I felt from Marcus’s mana in Elissa’s mana. However, it wasn’t clean like ordinary wizards.