Strongest Warlock - Wizard World Irregular

Chapter 478: The Origin Of Magic [Part 2]

"Professor, you want to fight me… in the sea?" Ethan asked. "Are you sure about this?"

Professor Barret chuckled. "Ethan, my boy, you must be reaaaaaaaaaaally confident if you think you can beat me easily just because we'll be fighting on your home turf. Do you perhaps think that having the power of the Tide Bringer guarantees your victory?"

Ethan didn't answer right away and stared at the Professor, whose wand was still pointed in his direction.

"Ethan, the Lands of Alastor and the City of Zentris might be far from the Shire Continent," Professor Barret said with a mischievous smile on his face, "but that doesn't mean that we don't have friends in faraway places."

"Did you or the Headmaster tell the Royal Family about it?" Ethan inquired.

Back when he was in the Royal Palace, he was quite surprised when Princess Evangeline asked him out of the blue if he had acquired the Tide Bringer's Legacy.

Now, he was hearing the same thing from the Professor, who had suddenly asked him to become his Disciple without any kind of warning.

"We didn't," Professor Barret replied. "But it will be best if you don't underestimate their information network. After all, your travel to the past was properly documented when you were interviewed by the Ministry, who handle the research on Nexus and Legacy Gates."

Ethan and Lily did get interviewed after they managed to return, causing an uproar among the researchers in the Magical Bureau.

"Also, it doesn't help that yours and Lily's statues are standing at the plaza of the City of Zentris." Professor Barret added. "How odd. It's said that the statues have been there for hundreds of years. If that is true, it means that you and Lily were fated to return to the past. Otherwise, those two statues wouldn't have come into being."

Ethan had also pondered about this fact after returning to the academy. However, since things became hectic after he returned, he decided to put this topic at the back of his mind for the time being.

"Anyway, it's safe to assume that the Royal Family, Edmond, and probably a few High Ranking Nobles who serve as the Pillars of the Kingdom are suspicious of you," Professor Barret stated. "But as long as you don't admit or confirm anything, their suspicions will remain as suspicions.

"Now, let's set this history lesson aside and start fighting. I believe that you think you're invincible in the sea, right? How about you put that belief to the test? Oh, before I forget, let me tell you one more thing. If you beat me, then this means that you can beat Lily's Father. So, this is like a preparation for your battle with your future father-in-law."

Ethan still had many questions, but he decided to postpone asking these questions until his fight with Professor Barret had ended.

The last thing that the Professor said caught his attention.

If he could beat him, then he could also beat Lily's Father.

This was all the motivation that Ethan needed in order to fight.

The Sea God's Trident appeared in Ethan's left hand while he held his wand in his right.

Seeing him take a fighting stance, Professor Barret waved his wand casually, sending countless Fire Balls in Ethan's direction.

The young man thumped the butt of his trident over the sea, and countless giant water snakes materialized to clash with the Fire Balls that the Professor had unleashed.

"Not bad," Professor Barret commented. "But you need to do better than that if you want to win."

"On it, Professor," Ethan smirked as he waved his wand, creating countless giant water snakes that rose up from the sea and charged in the Professor's direction.

Professor Barret stood casually with his left hand still tucked in his pocket, while his right hand held his wand and pointed it on the sea beside his feet.

"Most Wizards and Witches live their lives while only using their Core Magic," Professor Barret said as if he were inside a classroom and not in the sea, with water that had risen up to swallow him whole. "A wand can easily help someone channel magic and manifest their desires into reality.

"The reason why most Wizards and Witches need to chant the name of the spell they are going to cast is to allow their minds to imagine what kind of spell they are using. Words have power, and saying these words strengthens the image in their mind. For example…"

"Leviticus!"

Professor Barret pointed at Ethan, but instead of using the Levitation Spell to make him levitate on the ground, all the water snakes that were about to descend on him froze completely.

Ethan's mouth hung wide open because the Professor had clearly cast the Levitation Spell, but what actually happened was that all of his Water Snakes had been frozen in ice.

"You see, Ethan, a high-level duel between powerful Wizards involves a few tricks." Professor Barret chuckled because he found the young man's reaction quite amusing. "Sometimes, all it takes is a blink of an eye for a battle of such magnitude to end."

The Ex-Magistratus then spun his wand around his head, and the frozen Water Snakes shattered into countless ice shards, which all flew in Ethan's direction like homing missiles.

Ethan remained calm and held his ground.

When the icicles were only a few meters away from his body, all of them shattered, turning into an icy mist that spread in the surroundings like a sea of clouds.

This immediately lowered his visibility to up to a meter in front of him, making him frown.

"When Wizards use an element that they aren't proficient in, the effectiveness of their spell drops down to more than half."

Professor Barret's voice, which made it sound like he was lecturing students in a classroom, reached Ethan's ears.

"The reason why most Wizards and Witches stick to the magic they are proficient in is because it allows them to save up their magic reserves, allowing them to last longer in a battle of attrition.

"Most of the time, this is the best thing to do. However, this limits their flexibility when it comes to facing foes that serve as a hard counter to their abilities.

"Even I am not exempted from this rule, so what do you do when facing an opponent that directly counters your element? The answer is really simple. You should study that element as well."

Suddenly, Ethan heard a familiar sound, which made him raise his guard to its highest.

The sound of clinking chains reverberated in the surroundings.

The young man knew that this was Professor Barret's Core Magic, his well-known ability to create unbreakable chains to bind his enemy, allowing him to capture the rogue Wizards and Witches when he was still active as a Magistratus.

All the Magistratus knew of him for they considered him as the strongest among them.

He also gained a title when he was still in service, and his comrades and acquaintances knew him by his other name, which was…

The Chained Paragon.

Since the visibility was low, Ethan decided to distance himself from the icy white mist that blocked his vision.

But as he was retreating, dozens of chains emerged from the mist all around him, forcing Ethan to dive into the sea to escape their pursuit.

However, he clearly underestimated what Professor Barret's chains were capable of.

Even when he was underwater, the chains followed him like they had a life of their own, eager to capture the young man who was planning to finally get serious in his battle against his Professor.