The Arrow of Light Versus the Mass of Avarice.

A lightning struck, hitting up a cloud of dust in the arena. 

Because of that, no one could see what happened to Fabian. Maria and Lucy, sitting in the audience, watched nervously as they waited for the vision to clear. Meanwhile, Viktor grinned confidently. And when the dust settled, what they saw beyond was...

...a wall of earth, crackling with sparks.

Maria breathed a sigh of relief. Viktor's smile grew even wider, and the referee, who was about to declare the victor, put his hand down and continued to observe the duel.

Soon, the wall disappeared, and Fabian came back in sight.

That was close. I almost fell apart there. I only had time for a couple of words, but I managed somehow.

The spell that Fabian used summoned a wall of earth. Normally, that would be achieved through Mure dereme ante me voco. Fabian, however, shortened the cast to Mure dereme. 

That sort of cast shortening was incredibly dangerous. As a result of it, the spells became too inconsistent and unreliable. As the incantation lacked specifics, the spell's effects became almost fully reliant on imagination. If your visualization wasn't precise, you could create a wall in a completely random spot or just fail the cast completely. Still, Fabian had succeeded against the odds. Moreover, through this entire exchange Fabian came to an important realization.

This guy's lightning isn't actually that impressive.

The strongest and fastest roaring flash that Fabian had ever produced was when he had used it for the first time—back during lupens' attack. At the time, his spell moved so quickly that even his slowed down perception wasn't enough to make it sluggish. In comparison, Viktor's lightning moved slowly. Enough that Fabian could cast two words after the incantation had already finished. It was around the same speed as the maximum velocity Viktor's controlled projectile achieved. On top of that, his lightning failed not only to break through Fabian's earth wall but also to damage it in any significant way.

Fabian's lightning was superior. At least as long as he could replicate the spell from a month ago. 

Since then, he hadn't succeeded at producing a lightning of a similar strength. It was no doubt that his emotional state and the danger that was looming over Mary and Lucy's heads played a massive part in the strength of the spell. In other words, he achieved a strengthened version of his roaring flash through coloration.

Usually, he tried not to rely on that. He stuck to making his spells calm and consistent. But consistency wouldn't help him right now. If he wanted to have a chance of winning, he had to utilize everything he had even if it was a bit risky.

I have to defeat this guy. If he could do it then I also have to do it. Otherwise, I will never live up to him.

The boy was aware that his obsession with the status of a genius mage was dangerous. But right now, it could play to his advantage. He believed that the longing inside of his chest was precisely what would allow him to exceed his limits. If he charged all of his emotions into a single spell, the resulting lightning could rival his strongest. That's what he sincerely believed.

With that said, I only have mana for a several more lightnings. And considering the power I'm aiming for, I might only have power for two shots.

He switched off the enhancement spell from before to reduce his mana consumption and stared at his opponent. Fabian understood that he needed to challenge Viktor to a direct confrontation, but he didn't know how to do it.

Meanwhile, Viktor smiled as he watched the boy deactivate his enhancement.

"What? Still thinking? I don't have all day, you know? Hurry up and show me your best. I want to crush you head on."

In response, Fabian only furrowed his eyebrows. Seeing that he was still silent, Viktor continued.

"Or what? Struggling to think of a good plan? Or maybe you're already running out of mana? I can still keep going, but I guess I shouldn't have expected more from an upstart."

Fabian remained quiet.

"No reply, huh? Your eyes... they are practically screaming: I'm going to win no matter what! I get it. I really do," Viktor spoke, "after all, I know exactly what it's like to live under the burden of others' expectations."

Viktor then smiled wryly and suggested something completely outside of Fabian's expectations.

"Let's me do you a favor: how about we solve it through a pure competition of power?" he said and then elaborated, "my lightning against yours. No tricks, no strategic maneuvers, no complicated spellcasts—just give it everything you've got. I'll even patiently wait for your slow incantations to finish."

That offer shocked Fabian. While the boy was hesitating whether to accept it or not, his opponent slowly walked up to his golden staff and picked it up.

What is he planning? If he's that confident about his magical reserves he should be more interested in prolonging the fight rather than immediately concluding it. Is it just his arrogance at play?

...I still have my doubts. But I don't have any other choice. Whatever he's planning I will just have to overcome it with the power of my lightning.

"...Fine," Fabian replied, "if you want to lose because of your arrogance so badly, I'll take you up on that."

"Oh, how sweet of you!" Viktor exclaimed sarcastically. "Then let's do it. The most powerful lightning you can manage. We will clash head-on and see who comes out as the winner."

"...Deal."

That was the only thing Fabian said as he closed his eyes and prepared to cast his spell. Viktor did the same, constant grin never leaving his face.

A ball of light appears. It gathers itself into a shape of an arrow. It is vibrant, blinding, swift, and thunderous. Its roar is so powerful that it shakes skies and earth. The arrow of pure, destructive lightning launches from my hand and passes through all the obstacles in its way!

Surpassing the opposing magic. Surpassing people's expectations. Surpassing Viktor's thunder.

Surpassing even Fabian himself.

"Ab manō fortis fulmar ferrit!"

The piercing arrow of light released.

"Ab baculō fortis fulmar ferrit!"

And a mass of devouring thunder answered it.

Fabian's lightning was slim, yet sharp. An arrow of pure piercing light. With a thunderous roar, it rapidly shot out of the boy's hand. Its silhouette stretched and distorted as if it couldn't keep up with its own velocity. It was prepared to pierce through everything in existence as it relentlessly approached its goal.

Meanwhile, Viktor's lightning was a massive, hulking mass of pure energy. A ragged sphere of destruction. It was overwhelming, voracious, and domineering. It was meant to swallow everything in its path, greedily devouring all the obstacles on its way.

The spells clashed. Viktor's ball of avarice surrounded Fabian's arrow, trying to absorb it in its entirety. Meanwhile, the piercing lightning concentrated in a single spot, desperately striving to break through.

As the struggle ensued, Fabian's face was tense. He nervously watched the clashing spells.

This is bad. I didn't think his lightning would be this big... At this rate, his spell will reach me and break my barrier! I need to give it more... more power!

Fabian couldn't move an inch. His mind was fully focused on the arrow he launched. As the spell clash continued, he kept supplying it with energy even as it drained his mana. If he were to begin moving, his concentration would break off and he would immediately lose the magical struggle.

The ball of avarice crackled as it continued to devour Fabian's spell. With just a bit of time, it would pass beyond the arrow. 

The end of the duel was approaching.

***

This is bad, Viktor thought as he carefully watched the ongoing clash.

Viktor was long used to utilizing his avarice as a modifier for his spells. He was confident he could direct just enough of his greed into a single bolt of lightning. Enough that it wouldn't go completely overboard. But Fabian was different.

It was clear that the spell was something born out of his determination. His will and desire to win took the form of an unstoppable arrow that pierced through every obstacle on its path. That sort of reckless abandon could be dangerous, and could even result in the spell imploding and harming its wielder.

Sure, they were currently protected by the arena so if things went haywire, Fabian could probably avoid the worst case scenario. But it was still a completely crazy bet to take.

"Damn it! Not bad, upstart brat... I didn't know you had that much resolve... But I will still win!" Viktor shouted as he pushed his spell forward. He gave up on swallowing Fabian's lightning whole and instead let his own spell travel past the arrow. Simultaneously, he started another incantation.

"Mure fulme ante me—"

As he began summoning a wall of lightning, the clash between the arrow and the sphere ended.

The resulting flash of light was so bright that it blinded everyone present. But Viktor didn't need to see in order to know the result of the clash. He was convinced that the arrow had pierced his spell. Despite that, his voracious spell wouldn't stop after getting pierced. It would continue advancing, even with a hole in its center. Soon, it would reach Fabian and destroy his shield, bringing an end to the duel.

Meanwhile, what Viktor needed to do was to prepare for the arrow. The wall alone could struggle with blocking the incoming spell. Instead, he had to redirect it—deflect its power in another direction.

The wall of lightning surges and exudes energy from itself, dispersing the charge to the surroundings.

It was known that when two roaring flashes collided, they affected each other's flow and direction significantly. That could even be seen in the ongoing clash. In other words—one of the best ways to block a lightning was to use another lightning.

As Viktor expected, the arrow pierced through his spell and flew in his direction rapidly. It was so quick that he wouldn't be able to dodge. Luckily for him, he wasn't planning to do so in the first place.

"—voco!"

As Viktor finished his cast, a wall of electricity appeared in front of him. It surged and pulsed, dispersing its energy to the sides. It was by no means a perfect deflection but it still helped significantly.

The arrow clashed into the wall. It was powerful and threatened to pierce it. But the lightning's direction was actively being redirected to the surroundings. Both the wall and the arrow that was exhausted by the previous clash slowly started to dissipate. They were both weakening and fading with each passing second. And at the end—

This goddamn arrow is so powerful! Even after that clash?! But I will still hold out!

—only the wall remained standing.

That was close. Defending from it took much more out of me than I expected. Now, I just need to make sure that the upstart brat is out of com—

Just as he reached that thought, his wall of electricity faded. There, beyond the fading lightning, he saw something completely shocking. Fabian was right in front of his face. His hand was stretched towards Viktor and his lips were mouthing a spell.

The boy's shield was battered and filled with cracks, on the verge of breaking. Despite that, it still stayed active. Fabian was still in the duel.

What?! How is he still up!? Did he dodge or block the spell...? No, that's not it. His barrier is more damaged than before. Did he...

As Viktor's mind raced he was finally able to figure it out.

Did he jump through the hole in the lightning?!

By leaping through the middle, right where the arrow pierced the electric mass, he could theoretically minimize the damage and still come out with his barrier up. But that was such a reckless move that it didn't even cross Viktor's mind.

Viktor watched his opponent prepare the final spell.

"Ab manō—"

The moment he saw that, Viktor swung his staff.

***

Time itself seemingly froze as the incantation resounded and the golden staff whizzed through the air.

In that final moment, both of the opponents shared the same thought.

I've got it in the bag!

The victory is mine!

And within the next second, the duel came to an end.