Chapter 38: 39: The Showdown: Evelyn Vs Zoya
"So, Cedric... What is it that you said you wanted to tell us when we were in the canteen?" Zoya asked after they had discussed Elvis' duel enough, to change the topic and lighten the atmosphere.
"Oh, that... I just wanted to inform you all about the plan to have a particular type of weapon refined for the upcoming adventure. I got the idea while I was taking the blacksmithing class yesterday. The weapon will be shaped like shards... But I will need beast cores to start crafting it," replied Cedric. Discussing his plan with the other three.
"That sounds like a good idea," said Zoya.
"I already have three beast cores that I snuck out from home, but I still need about three more to start. That is just the problem." Cedric said with a scowl on his face as if he were worried.
"I have a beast core with me, though," Evelyn said, astonishing the others. Elvis glanced at her. If she had a beast core, why not absorb it to enhance her mana core? That is what Elvis would be thinking now.
"It was given to me by my mother. But I don't think it will be of much use to me. So I will contribute it."
Now, Elvis remembered the beast core she was talking about. It was given to her by their mother on the day they departed for the academy. It was only the beast core and the bow and arrows that were given to her, while he received a spatial pouch and his father's sword.
"Then, we should devise a plan to scout for the remaining two beast cores, allowing me to commence weapon crafting at the earliest opportunity."
They all agreed on it. Perhaps they could buy the two beast cores when they go to the black market outside the academy. After discussing various topics related to their dungeon adventure, they decided to make their way to the sparring unit.
When they got there, all three of them - Evelyn, Zoya, and Cedric - took out their weapons to spar against Elvis. This, they believe, would help him in his duel tomorrow. Evelyn was using her dragon whip, Zoya took out her rapier, Cedric was wielding a spear, and their opponent, Elvis was brandishing his sword.
"Elvis, you are now our enemy. So, get ready for a triple threat. Three against one, just like the fight with Wilson... All three of us see you as Wilson's clone. Be prepared to parry our strikes." Cedric said sarcastically as he pointed his spear at Elvis.
Evelyn and Zoya imitated his demonstration and aimed their weapons at Elvis, anticipating the rule keeper of the Arcane Arena to declare the beginning of their sparring match.
Due to the significance of this sparring match for Elvis, they ensured that it was arranged by the rule keeper.
"Bring it on." Elvis tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. He would have been nervous now if not for what Evelyn had told him. Her words seemed to have strengthened his determination to prove himself. Especially, he will be capable of protecting his sister, Evelyn, from oppressors.
The rule keeper, after stating the rules, stepped to the corner of the ring and announced the start of the match. Afterward, the three of them lounged around Elvis. He was busy parrying whipping attacks from Evelyn's whip, thrusting moves from Cedric's spear, and slashing strikes from Zoya's rapier.
Anyway, it wasn't easy for him, a 4-star, to handle those three: two 5-star and a 4-star. But this was the best possible training he could get to witness what a duel with a 7-star would be like tomorrow.
One hour later, the four of them were seen exiting the sparring ring, drenched in their sweat. That was the end of their meeting today; afterward, they dispersed. Some of them went back to their rooms, while others went to the library to gather more information.
***
It was already getting dark in the academy. Evelyn returned to her dorm room, followed by Zoya. Today, she decided to give herself a break. She had been training non-stop before their sparring match with Elvis and she wasn't planning on going to the library either. Especially since Steve had told her in the morning that he wouldn't be able to help her with her archery training.
Reaching their door, Evelyn tapped her ID card on their dorm room, which creaked open in response to the tap. Both of them entered the room and went straight to their respective beds.
"How do you assess his progress in swordsmanship? Do you think he would emerge victorious in the duel?" Zoya sat up on her bed, looking at Evelyn when she asked this.
"His progress has improved greatly. But winning the duel, I think I can only attribute it to luck, based on what I heard from Cedric. Do you expect someone who has practiced swordsmanship for about eleven years to be easily defeated by someone who has only practiced for just three days? Unless Logan lets him win, but that is unlikely."
"True. You are right. So, you had a breakthrough earlier, right?"
"Yes, I have finally transitioned to the intermediate mage level."
"Why don't we have a little spar here? I just want to test your abilities. What do you say?"
"Hmmm. Okay. What about destroying things in...?"
"Don't worry about those," Zoya said. She waved her hand in the air after getting out of bed. Then, the two beds, their side tables, chairs, and the huge wardrobe-like cabinet were encased in a thick layer of ice, about four inches thick.
"To encase the room with ice, I have depleted a significant amount of my spiritual energy. So, technically, we are now on the same level in terms of spiritual energy." Just as she finished speaking, she lunged at Evelyn with her fist thickly coated with ice. It will be a devastating blow if the fist were to connect with Evelyn.
Evelyn quickly ducked to the side, narrowly avoiding the punch. But unfortunately, an ice ball hit her in the back. Zoya might have anticipated her opponent's move and created the ice ball.
However, Evelyn didn't feel the impact of the hit as she had expected. Instead, she felt a cold sensation in her back where the ice ball had made contact. And then it felt as if it was melting inside her, seeping with a chilling sensation into her bones and encroaching towards other parts of her body.
"Aren't you going to summon your flames? If you intend to fight me without your elemental powers, then be ready to admit defeat," said Zoya, who had turned around with her fist coated, preparing for another punch.
This time, Evelyn wanted to dodge the hit just like before. However, she soon realized that her feet were trapped in the ice beneath her. So she was left with no choice but to either brace herself for the impact or find a way to shield herself from the punch.
But why hasn't she used her flames or even her lightning yet? That was because, even though she had advanced to an intermediate level, she was still having some problems controlling her elements and she hadn't mastered Leo's method in a real spar like this.
'I can only try his method now, and I hope it works.'
"Flare!"
Her body burst into flames, vaporizing the frost on her back and feet, attempting to immobilize her. But using her flames like this has its downside. However, she was relying on Leo's method and hoping that it wouldn't disappoint now.
[Inferno Shield]
In front of her, a thick barrier of flames began to form as she supplied it with more spiritual energy using the method Leo had taught her.
[Frosty Gauntlet Fist]
However, Zoya was too fast. Her fist, which appeared to be more heavily coated with ice than before, now looking like a gauntlet of ice, collided with the flame barrier.
"Bang!"
When the impact connected, just like a gun recoiling backward after a shot, both Zoya and Evelyn were pushed backward by the wave of energy from the collision.
Only after the collision did Evelyn's flame barrier disperse. Same as Zoya's frost-coated hands, which were reddish now.
"Not bad," said Zoya as she shot an icicle at Evelyn, who had just regained her footing. But unfortunately, she wasn't prepared for the incoming attack. She had mistakenly believed that it was over after the earlier impact.
Zoya's face turned pale instantly. She had never planned to hurt Evelyn. She thought Evelyn would be able to defend against the attack, but alas! She cannot do telekinesis to redirect the trajectory of the icicle.
All of these happened in just a matter of seconds. The icicle was already a few centimeters away from Evelyn, and it was traveling at a very high speed. Evelyn braced herself for impact as she engulfed her body in flames, hoping to minimize the damage it would cause.
However, as the icicle was about to hit its target, her amulet began to glow. It was a golden glow. The ashen Zoya stood a few distances away, her mouth wide open in surprise as she witnessed the turn of events.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
De_Prodigy
De_Prodigy Zoya have seen her amulet glowing. Do you think Evelyn will erase her memory just as she did to the healer in the Infirmary. Drop you comment and don't forget to add to your library and vote it with power stones.
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