98TH GEAR – SPEEDMAGE CHAMPION OF THE EASTERN ZEPHYR

“If you are a child of the wind, you should be able to walk in the skies like me.” Arwyn arrogantly said.

The opponent half-elf drifted in the wind and continued pursuing the next Checkpoint Tower as she followed the hologram line below.

“That was amazing! Did you see it, Jonathan?” Flu asked with a thrill in her voice.

“Yeah, that is Air Walk. I think you have seen it in the Speedmage Tactics book.” I said.

“But we never got to try it. It’s the same principle as the Air Trampoline, right?” Flu asked.

“Maybe. Focus on touching the 2nd Checkpoint Tower for now.” I said.

“Roger!”

I am not sure about the magical circle formula engraved on the Air Walk magic, but I am pretty sure that both spells are similar. I have a feeling that Flu will copy that spell and make her version since I can see a glint in her blue eyes.

Flu managed to close into the 2nd Checkpoint Tower. She turned off the Exceed enhancement on her Stardust Accel Spell, then she touched the checkpoint and drifted to the next line!

Beep!

Point for Fluonessia, at 1:1!

By the time Flu tied the score, Arwyn has already covered 40% of the distance towards the 3rd Checkpoint Tower. If Flu wanted to have a battle of raw speed, then she will have to change tactics as Stardust Accel Exceed is not enough to outspeed the opponent!

“Hup!”

Flu jumped up in the air and enchanted the soles of her Speedmage Shoes with stardust energy. A small Stardust Trampoline manifested, and then she used it to skip in midair! She alternated her feet in creating small floating pink magical trampolines and used them as her platform!

“Look, Coach! Look! I can now walk in the skies!” Flu happily celebrated as she skipped and hopped in midair while having her Stardust Accel active. Right now, Flu is rapidly catching up with the opponent’s speed!

“Amazing! You managed to copy my speed spell just after watching it the first time!?” Arwyn exclaimed astounded.

“Yeah!” Flu smiled with confidence. “I will call this speed spell: Star Walk!”

Color me surprised. Flu’s brain is like a sponge: hollow and full of air. But she can easily absorb any information, especially regarding speed spells and Speed Battle techniques.

30 meters! 20 meters! 10 meters! Flu is catching up on Arwyn who is still on the lead! But the half-elf Speedmage managed to close into the 3rd Checkpoint Tower and touched it!

Beep!

Point for Arwyn, at 1:2!

All of a sudden…

Beep!

Point for Fluonessia, at 2:2!

Arwyn was speechless when she saw that Flu was just literally one step behind her. The moment the two Speedmages drifted in midair, Flu pulled a sudden boost that left the astounded half-elf Speedmage!

“Yaaaaaaah!” Flu roared as she finally made it to the lead!

“That’s great, Flu!” I pumped my fists.

Flu can do this. She may be a Counter Speedmage who has a disadvantage in a race against a Speedster, but her speed spells, genius mind, and ultimate instinct made her able to surpass even the speed of a Speedster like Arwyn Gweiss.

The two Speedmages continue to race in the air. Flu is maintaining the lead, but Arwyn is not far from behind.

Soon, the pink-haired Speedmage closed into the 1st Checkpoint Tower and touched it to score a point!

Beep!

Point for Fluonessia, at 3:2!

At this moment, Flu has a ten-second lead in this race. She drifted once more in midair and then boosted forward, aiming for the 2nd Checkpoint Tower!

I briefly looked at the tall half-elf navigator of the opponent. His look seemed stern and calm, which means he is not troubled at all even if they are at a disadvantage. It’s almost imperative at this point that they will show their trump card for this fight right… now.

“Arwyn, time to use your ultimate speed spell!” The half-elf navigator said through his mic.

“I know.”

Arwyn stopped running and floated in midair, still stepping on her mini magical circle trampolines. She looked at Fluonessia who is having the time of her life running with the Star Walk.

“I admit it, Fluonessia Asahime. You are a bona fide child of the wind. However, I am the Speedmage Champion of Eastern Zephyr. You merely adopted the wind, but I was born with it, forged by it. I can hear the songs, the cries, and the thoughts of the wind ever since I was a child.” The half-elf Speedmage said.

Arwyn’s mana signatures became more chaotic. The wind started to swirl around her, and lightning streaks started to blast around. The roar of the thunder was initiated in the dark cloudy skies.

“Storm Walk!”

Mixing the magical energy of wind and lightning on her magical circle platforms significantly boosted her speed! She blasted forward in a flash and there is nothing else left to be seen in her except for the green wind and blue lightning streaks on her trail!

Swoosh! Arwyn touched the 1st Checkpoint Tower!

Beep!

Point for Arwyn, at 3:3!

The half-elf Speedmage did not even drift in midair, she just turned and boosted like a fish! She has magnificent control over her turns! And now, she is ready to take on Flu in a battle of speed!

“Flu! Watch out!” I cried.

“E-Eh!?”

The moment Flu turned back, the lightning-fast Arwyn passed through her at a breakneck speed! Wind and electricity blasted right on Flu’s face!

“Kyah!” Flu cried as she covered her face.

The pink-haired Speedmage was left in the dust as Arwyn blasted forward to reach the 2nd Checkpoint Tower!

Beep!

Point for Arwyn, now in the lead at 3:4!

“T-That was so fast! I don’t think I can catch up at all!” Flu said with a smile.

“Are you going to try to beat her in a race?” I asked.

“I wanted to, but at this rate, I will not catch up to her,” Flu answered.

“I’m pretty sure that you can outspeed her if you had set up for Chain Trampoline: Omnitouch, just like what you did against Vincent,” I said.

“Tahahaha.” Flu scratched her head and gave a wry laugh. “I kind of forgot. I’m such a failure after all.”

“Don’t worry about it. I would have reminded you to do it if we were planning to outspeed her. But I am not.” I said with a smirk.

“So what’s the plan now, Coach?” Flu asked.

“Yield the towers and go for a Striker playstyle,” I said.

Arwyn Gweiss is a proud child of the wind and the champion of Zephyr. There is no doubt that she is the ruler of the skies. She would win if the question is about who is the fastest skywalker on the face of the planet.

However, we are not fighting in the skies. We are battling in the Triangle.

And this Triangle shall be Fluonessia’s domain!

Arwyn managed to close into the 3rd Checkpoint Tower and tapped it to score a point!

Beep!

Point for Arwyn, at 3:5!

The high-elf turned without recoil at all and then proceeded to chase down the 1st Checkpoint Tower!

“I’m in position, Coach!” Flu said as she guarded the 1st Checkpoint Tower, her limbs spread out like a goalkeeper. She is now stepping on the ground and not wasting any mana in creating magical circle platforms.

“So you have given up being a child of the wind,” Arwyn said. “Well then, I will show you what a zephyr is capable of!”

The half-elf Speedmage blasted forward with her Storm Walk magic. It will be ten seconds before she will be able to cross paths with Flu! But since Arwyn is walking in the skies, there is no way for Flu to block the queen of Zephyr if she just stays on the ground!

“Flu! Adjust elevation scan at 20 degrees! Your Stardust Trampoline must also be tilted at 35 to 40 degrees! The margin of evasion is about eight meters wide! Block her with all your might!” I shouted.

“Yes, Coach!”

Flu’s blue eyes glowed as she spread out her arms and created three Stardust Trampolines on her back. She jumped on the center, then to the left, and then to the right, and repeated the process until she was able to create triple copies of herself!

“Chain Trampoline: Triforce Phoenix Arrow!”

Three Fluonessias enhanced their feet with fire magic, and then shot toward the sky walking half-elf Speedmage! With a wide area of effect of assault, it made Arwyn discombobulated!

“Shit!” The beautiful elf cried as she swerved to the right, trying to evade all three Fluonessias!

However, Flu used her hands to glide smoothly and change the direction of her trajectory! One of the Fluonessia clones managed to block Arwyn from her path!

Bzzzzt!

The repelling effect of the magical barriers blasted Flu Clone and Arwyn in opposite directions!

“Gah! Darn it!” Arwyn cried.

But it does not end there! Two Fluonessias immediately changed their trajectories by creating a Stardust Trampoline, and then jumped towards the opponent’s back!

Beep! Beep!

Two pink magical circle point indicators appeared!

Two points for Fluonessia, now draw at 5:5!

Arwyn has pushed once again due to the repelling force! As a result, she crashed to the ground!

“Mother fucke-”

The beautiful elf could not finish her curse. Her green eyes widened when she saw Fluonessia, the real Fluonessia, charging towards her back at her full speed!

“One more point!” Flu cried as she dashed with Stardust Accel and struck her opponent’s back!

Beep!

Another pink magical circle point indicator manifested!

Point for Fluonessia, now in the lead at 6:5!

And at that moment, the whistle was blown to end the first round of the National Speedmage Tournament.

Fweeeeeet!

“Match over! The winner for this First Round is Fluonessia Asahime!”