The opposing mages seemed nonplussed with Sammy's grand portrayal of my character. They doubted my prowess. I was still an unknown factor on the streets, that would soon change.
We lined up directly across from each other. The narrow space would surely aid the lightning mage in his conducting. A small area to work with was all he needed to become even more deadly. His control hadn't reached the level where he would be of much use anywhere else.
However, with this low level of engagement, he would be more than enough against a standard small time local mage.
Unluckily for him, he was facing me. I would not prove to be so easy an opponent, even with his elemental advantage.
His strikes would be able to tear through any magical defense I might put forth. There were other ways to beat lightning. Hopefully, I could pull it off without getting electrocuted too severely.
The crowd moved slowly back as we all got ready for the battle ahead.
Lightning circled his fists in an attempt to intimidate. I had yet to master any of the elements I had access to such a degree, so any showmanship on my part would have been useless.
The representative from the Bloody blades bid the match to begin.
Before I could move, there was already lightning heading my way. It was only the magic shield I had managed to put up surrounding me that stopped me from getting fried.
Jumping to the side, I managed to avoid the follow-up blast. The other two mages were expecting me to be paralyzed with the lightning magic as two bullets went whizzing past the area where I had been.
Moving low, I sent several bullets back. Andreas managed to jump over the oncoming attacks. The two apprentice mages were not so quick and were sent to the ground. Another spark pushed me back before I could capitalize on their weakness.
He was unrelenting in his attacks. I was moving as fast as I could. Even then, they were starting to make a dent. My magic shield slowly being deformed as he pressed his advantage. I needed to change the pace before the twins got back on their feet.
I decided it was time to try out the new spells I had bought on a moving target.
Two fire bolts were sent flying past Andreas, impacting the twins just as they got up. They hadn't managed to get any meaningful defense up just yet, so the fire bolts, as weak as they were, managed to deal quite some damage.
Andreas pressed further with the opening I left with the attack. I managed to turn the stronger bolt he sent into a glancing blow, it still sent my left arm hanging limply from my side.
I turned quickly as I moved back. Trying to reduce the target Andreas had access to, I was running out of space and would need to move fast.
Forming the familiar neutral mana around me, I sent a volley towards Andreas. His lightning reflexes allowed him to take out all but two of the offending bullets. They rebounded harmlessly on his armor. The moment of inattentiveness allowed me to lead an attack with my left side.
I barreled straight into him. An inglorious move indeed. Luckily there were no rules against physical contact.
Now I would have to press the advantage. Moving forward as he tripped, I brought my fist up, layered in mana, that struck him to his core. With a cry, he went shooting back. He would be out of the fight for quite a bit. It was allowing me to deal with the apprentice mages.
My focus on Andreas had allowed them to recover somewhat. Both shooting weakened magic bolts. The space that Andreas left was quickly filled with magic intent on hurting me. A simple shield was more than enough to block their weak attempts at a counterattack.
They were still suffering from the pain of the fire. They had yet to build up the mental strength to ignore the pain in favor of fast and robust casting. That would come with time, but for now, I could pray on their immaturity as mages.
I continued my assault. Their basic shields couldn't hold for long under my empowered magic missiles. I didn't want to resort to any significant power drainers like fire bolt while Andreas was still on the playing field.
The basic attacks would have to suffice. They had a surprising amount of strength, having quite the synergy, their magic slowly diffusing with each other.
They would soon succumb. I couldn't press the advantage for long as Andreas sent a burst of lightning from his position on the ground. I only barely threw myself out of the way, the power of the strikes scorching the walls behind me. A stark reminder of what would happen if I allowed him to get a proper strike on me. I had to move fast to get the upper hand once again.
A shield rose from the ground encircling me, ready to intercept any attacks that were headed my way. It would do little against the lightning but would be more than capable of blocking anything the twins could throw at me. With the added protection I felt confident moving forward.
I figured it was time to start taking the fight seriously. A burst of magic under my foot sent it careening into one of the twin's face. I kept close to them, limiting the collateral damage that Andreas could wreak.
He had only gotten to his feet, still weak from the blow I had struck him earlier. He was only aiming one hand at me. Another burst of speed off the top of the other twins back sent him crashing to the ground and put me once again within striking distance of the mage.
He was more prepared this time. His defense, while still hasty, was a solid lightning wreath around his arms. It was forcing me to keep my distance. His speed increased at the same time. He was truly a talented mage, able to cast in quick succession even at the low tier he was at. That was still useless against me for the moment. His movements still appearing slow to my trained mind.
I had grown used to tracking far faster people while I was far weaker, so the newly empowered mage, as fast as he was. Was nothing in my eyes.
I formed several spells in my mind, ready to be unleashed. The neutral magic coming easily to me, the fire bolts were taking slightly longer to create. They all shot out in a barrage towards him. Andreas couldn't evade all the attacks; I maneuvered his defense with the primary attacks, so the fire bolts did the maximum damage, taking him unaware as he began to pivot towards me for a counterattack.
That sent him to the ground alongside his teammates. Now I could see if I could use an earthen wall for both offense and defense.
The extra power it took from me nearly sent me to my knees. I had never had the pleasure of using such a mana intensive spell before in either of my lives. The rush of higher magics was intoxicating. I could only imagine how higher tier spells felt.
The spell wrought wall exploded underneath my opponents; they went flying into the sky; they were then struck by a barrage of simple magic missiles that took them all from the match.
I had ensured victory. It was a little harder than I had expected. Certainly not the overwhelming power I had wanted to show off. Even still, I had changed the course of the future in the first little way for someone else.
Sammy would now have opportunities that he wouldn't have got until it was far too late in our past lives. Now he might be able to make a difference to both the lives of the locals in our area and the future destruction that would be wreaked. That was the first step of many.
The cheering from my surroundings brought me back from my contemplation. The announcer had declared my victory. Sammy came bounding over to me with a massive grin on his face. I braced myself for his hit. My slim form would fold entirely into the hardened teen. Realizing himself first, he pulled to a halt and was satisfied with a firm slap on my shoulder.
"Thanks, man. How have you become so strong?"
I could barely hear him over the raucous crowd behind him, so feigning ignorance, I began to lead him out of the street. People were smiling and clapping me as I went past. The tiny crowd beat out the feeling I had got from the scar. They were cheering for me. Not some masked figure. For me. That was a new feeling that was extremely pleasant.
It wasn't the ideal debut, but I was happy with it all the same.
