Chapter 384: A True Femme Fatale
Chapter 384: A True Femme Fatale
Ethan and Nicole faced each other in the arena.
This wasn't their first time fighting against each other because the two of them were sparring partners.
But for most of the First Years, this would be their first time seeing the two fight for real.
Because of this, all of them had excited looks on their faces as they cheered for the person whom they wanted to win.
"Go, Nicole! Break his nuts!"
"Castrate that bastard!"
"Destroy his family jewels!"
"Kill!"
"Marry me, Nicole!"
"Bro, what the f*ck?"
Nicole giggled after hearing the shouts of the boys who wanted her to make sure that Ethan wouldn't be able to spread his lineage ever again. She knew that Ethan had been too popular as of late, and with the addition of another beauty like Lilian in his circle of friends, the single guys wouldn't take it lying down.
"You sure are popular," Nicole said in a teasing tone.
"Once upon a time, I dreamt of being popular," Ethan replied. "But now that I have it, I realized that the only thing it gives me is a headache."
"Let's fight for real, okay?" Nicole stated as she summoned her rapier and round shield. "I've long wanted to fight you seriously for once."
"Take it easy on me, okay?" Ethan said as he summoned his Sea God's Trident.
"Sorry, but I won't."
"What a friend you are."
Ethan and Nicole then both took a fighting stance and waited for Professor Lionel to give them the signal to fight.
The Combat Professor laughed because, just like everyone else, he was also looking forward to the outcome of this battle.
"Duel Start!"
As soon as the signal was given, both combatants charged at each other.
The sound of metal clashing against metal reverberated in the Training Ground as Ethan and Nicole exchanged several blows.
The students started to cheer louder as Nicole managed to break past the range of her opponent's Trident, giving her an opportunity to have a clear hit on Ethan's body.
Ethan remained calm despite the fact that Nicole's rapier was about to pierce his chest.
Suddenly, a whip made up of water wrapped itself around Ethan's waist and pulled him back, narrowly avoiding Nicole's strike.
"I see, so it really is autonomous," Professor Lionel muttered as he looked at the hand that had cast a water whip to save its Master.
Everyone had noticed it before, but Ethan's wand could move and attack on its own without him needing to command it.
The Professors of the Academy often discussed the young man in their free time and came to a conclusion.
Ethan was indeed a Dud, however, his wand was that of the sentient kind, which allowed him to use magic despite being magically crippled.
The young man had been tested with the Appraisal Stone twice, and both times, the result showed that he was a Dud.
Because of this, the only logical explanation was that Ethan's wand was special.
Very special.
What the Professors didn't know was that they were only half right.
Ethan's wand was indeed special because not only was it made from the rainbow scales of Mermaid Princess, but it also carried a part of her Will and Spirit.
But it could only truly manifest its power now because the young man was overflowing with magic.
Ever since the young man's magic circuits showed signs of recovery, he had been able to store magic powers for up to four days.
Because of this, he could use spells without worrying about running dry. He could even cast Partial Resonance and keep more than half of his magical reserves, giving him more flexibility in long fights.
"That wand of yours is really annoying," Nicole commented as she unleashed a barrage of Ice Bullets at the young man, who had been pulled out of her strike range.
"Don't call her annoying," Ethan replied. "She likes to hold grudges."
As if proving his point, Ethan's wand unleashed countless water whips, shredding the Ice Bullets that Nicole had cast.
While this was happening, Ethan landed on the ground and slammed the end of his Sea God's Trident, causing a surge of water to spread across the arena.
This was the same technique that Lilian used during her fight with Chloe to gain a territorial advantage against her opponent.
The Magical Fencer smirked as she stabbed her rapier into the arena and cast her own Ice Domain.
The moment the two domains collided with each other, Nicole's domain overpowered Ethan's and froze the water that he had unleashed.
"Faerie Fuga!"
A pair of Fairy Wings grew behind Ethan's back, allowing him to fly in the sky.
"Clavum Glacies Zona Occisio!"
The moment Nicole finished chanting, the ice field in the arena broke apart and shot countless Icicle Shards in every direction, turning the place into a killer ice field.
This was one of Nicole's strongest spells, and usually, she would need time to prepare to cast it.
However, after turning the entirety of the arena into an Ice Domain, she was able to use it as a medium to shorten the preparation time to cast one of her ultimate attacks.
"Sweet," Sebastian commented. "She didn't even give Ethan a chance to gain altitude and immediately used a powerful spell to end the battle."
"This girl is a true femme fatale," Ethan's Other Half commented. "I really hope that she and Ethan never become enemies in the future."
Ethan, who was now facing countless ice shards, held the Sea God's Trident Firmly in his hand, making the blue jewel embedded in it glow brightly.
"Exitium!"
Ethan roared, and the countless Ice Shards shattered at the same time, turning into water droplets that rained over the arena.
From the beginning, the young man already planned to let Nicole freeze the water domain that he tried to unleash over the arena.
So when his opponent did as he expected, he immediately took flight, hoping that she would unleash a strong Ice Spell to end the battle in an instant.
Ethan would then shatter that Ice Spell, tapping into the power of his Legacy, as well as channeling Sebastian's power to shoulder the brunt of Nicole's spell.
Even so, countering such a spell was not an easy feat.
Blood seeped at the corner of Ethan's lips as he endured the combined burden of dispersing Nicole's trump card while unleashing a trump card of his own.
"Grand Aria," Ethan said as blood spilled from his lips.
The countless water droplets then transformed into countless water needles before flying in Nicole's direction at break-neck speed.
"Reginae Contra Valkryie!"
The countless water needles instantly froze into ice and stopped mid-air.
A second later, all of them flew back toward Ethan with a vengeance, making his eyes widen in shock.
Just before the young man's body was turned into a pincushion, his body turned into particles of light, and he was teleported outside of the arena.
The boys who saw this groaned as they hatefully looked at Professor Lionel, who had a mischievous smile on his face.
"Sorry boys, not this time," Professor Lionel stated. "Ethan will live to fight another day."
Ethan spat a mouthful of blood before using the back of his hand to wipe the side of his lips.
He then looked at the pale-faced lady who was kneeling in the arena, depending on her rapier to support her body.
For a brief moment, he saw Nicole's eyes turn red, and the faint image of illusionary wings appeared on her back.
This only lasted for a few seconds, but it was enough to make Ethan realize that his sparring partner was still hiding many secrets from him.