Chapter 172: Temporary Alliance; The Battle Begins
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Chapter 172 Temporary Alliance; The Battle Begins
"Speak of the devil..."
Rylan barely managed to say, his eyes wanting to close.
Without hesitation, Lyrian snatched the mana elixirs from Alten's hand, a grin on his face. He looked at the elixirs as if they were golden beetles, "Perfect..."
He looked over to Rylan, tossing him two out of the bunch, before chugging down the rest. The mana elixirs were bright blue and almost even shiny. They didn't taste like anything, but their effects were instant.
The moment the elixir traveled down Lyrian's throat and into his belly, it quickly traveled through his meridians, empowering his body, and also pouring into his core.
It wasn't an incredible amount of mana, as they were only weak elixirs, but for now, it was better than nothing, especially since Lyrian wanted as much mana as possible for Yang.
"Did you defeat Spade?" n0velusb.C0m
Leon randomly asked as Lyrian swiped the leftover elixir off his lip.
"Kind of... but not really. He was hiding his true power. At this current state, I would probably have to go all out to beat him, and even then I'm curious whether I could."
Lyrian's tone sounded serious as he spoke. Leon was silent on hearing this.
'I was thinking I would fight him if Lyrian hadn't finished him off... but it's probably best to leave that to him.' Leon paused, looking at Lyrian, 'If he can barely beat him at full power, I doubt I would be able to. I don't know how... but Lyrian's gotten so much stronger in the span of these 30 days. His cultivation may have gone up from absorbing the golden liquid of the Earth Guardian, but more than that, his demeanor, ability, and battle presence have all evolved to far greater levels. Standing next to him, even when simply talking about battle, feels like I'm standing next to a seasoned soldier.'
"Hey... let's not waste any more time. Who knows how long it will be until this exam ends. If we don't make it back to the center by midnight, we will automatically fail."
Leon shouted out as he began walking towards the mango, where Yang was perched atop.
'It's like he's a newborn... learning extremely quickly and effortlessly. What kind of life did he lead to have such an ability...'
The more he thought about him, the more Leon became intrigued.
Rylan found that he could at least walk after a couple of mana potions. He got up, catching the gun cube tossed to him by Alten, as the four all began walking toward the large mango.
At that moment, the final Magma Dweller was slain by Glis, who had already returned to her team. Lyrian scanned the tower top, noticing barely any figures left...
There was him and the other three next to him. Following them was Spade, the only one left of his crew. Next was Jackson, and one more of the White Knights. After that was Silvus' group, with himself, Glis, and Cedric left over.
That was it...
Out of everyone that Lyrian had encountered during the entire exam, these were the only ones who had a chance of passing? It seemed insane.
He then remembered that there still were kids back at the center domes who refused to leave for the golden-tiered core, liking their safety in passing. Still, all in all, Lyrian imagined that not even 30 kids would pass the exam in total.
It was insane to fathom that since the exam started off with over 800. As he looked at Silvus' group discussing something, he caught Cedric glancing over at him for a split second, before suddenly lowering his gaze, seemingly filled with shame?
Was it a shame? Guilt? Sorrow? It was odd. Lyrian couldn't tell, but it confused him slightly, enough to make him raise an eyebrow.
'Now that I think about it... he was making that same expression back then after I got Yin's core.'
Lyrian thought to himself, the two pieces of information not making much sense in his mind. Not wanting to dwindle on confusing stuff any longer, he shrugged this off and refocused his mind on Yang.
It hadn't finished eating it, in fact, it wasn't even close. However, Lyrian and the others weren't simply going to wait for it to enjoy its meal either.
"We will all try to betray each other soon!"
Lyrian suddenly yelled out, as the leftover examinees turned their attention towards him. Even Yang lifted its head up from the mango for a split second, noticing the loud human.
"However! Working together to beat this beast, for now, is the best, and only option we have!"
As he said this, the remaining kids began to make their way over to where he was. Before long, they all faced Yang with determined expressions on their faces.
"Yes... We must work together for now."
Silvus said calmly, stepping up ahead of Lyrian before continuing with his cool demeanor.
"Glis, I want you to--"
But then, that coolness ended quickly as he was abruptly interrupted.
"Humph! Don't order me around! I'm only on your team because it's better for me than being alone. You aren't my leader, you are just a pawn!"
Glis activated her ice skates, her hands chilled with a layer of ice/
Silvus clenched his jaw, clearly pissed off.
'Stupid bitch...'
He thought to himself, trying to keep his calm demeanor.
"Cedric!"
He yelled, getting a haste response.
"Y-Yes! Prince..."
Cedric replied as Lyrian raised another eyebrow due to the boy, looking back at him in confusion.
'Huh? Is that Cedric or Cirdec!? Why does he sound like that? The Cedric I know would never be so cowardly and take this type of ordering tone, not even from Silvus himself.'
He thought to himself, bewildered, as he saw a nervous-looking red-haired kid who waited for Silvus to speak.
"Gah... nothing. Just don't get eliminated before... You know what, never mind!"
Silvus suddenly got frustrated.
"Let's just kill this thing!"
He shouted, taking out his wand. Glis quickly skated forward, jumping into the air as she launched herself at the mango.
"Take this! Ice Stampede!"
Glis' body flipped in the air several times, as her ice-coated leg finally descended onto the unassuming bird. The attack was fierce and quick, nearly landing just before Yang abruptly rose and flapped its wings, sending a powerful gust of wind that propelled Glis backward.
*KAAW*
It screeched, lunging into the air before soaring high up into the sky in mere seconds.
"What the!? Is it trying to escape!?"
Jackson's teammate, one of the other White Knights, exclaimed in surprise as he saw the bird begin to blind into the bright sky above them. For a worrying moment, there was a moment of silence, where the bright bird turned into nothing but a spec of light.
But then... that spec of light suddenly began to expand at extreme speeds, and it remained a body of light, not feathers.
"It's nose-diving towards the ground at full speed! It wants to destroy the tower top!"
Alten yelled, noticing the body of light coming down.
Everyone quickly dashed to the pillars once again, holding onto them as tightly as possible. They had dealt with powerful forces before in the blizzard storm, so at the very least, they knew that the pillars were there to help him.
As if it was a meteor, the bird crashed into the tower top with incredible force.
The impact was cataclysmic. The tower shuddered under the tremendous force as the bird of light collided with the pinnacle of the tower... before breaking through the thick surface of black stone and flying further inside of the tower.
The collision sent shockwaves rippling outward, the ground itself shaking beneath the examinees' feet. Dust and debris were kicked up into the air, obscuring their vision and adding to the chaos that had become a constant presence on the battlefield.
The pillars, designed to withstand such powerful forces, groaned and creaked as they absorbed the impact. The examinees clung to them with white-knuckled grips, their muscles straining against the sheer force that threatened to tear them away. The wind howled, and the very air seemed to vibrate with the intensity of the collision.
Slowly, as the dust began to settle, they caught glimpses of the aftermath. The tower top had suffered significant damage from the impact, and its structure was visibly compromised. The ground around it was cracked and churned, a testament to the sheer magnitude of the crash.
"Is everyone alright?" Alten called out, his voice carrying a note of concern as he surveyed the scene.
One by one, those on his team confirmed their safety. They had faced countless challenges since the start of the exam, and this encounter was no different.
Glis, her eyes narrowed, scanned the large hole left by Yang in the middle of the floor. The bird of light had disappeared into the aftermath of its own collision, leaving a sense of uncertainty in its wake.
Suddenly, it emerged from within the tower, like a bolt of lightning, hovering over the tower top as it ruthlessly cast a bright effulgence.
In that very instant, Silvus lunged ahead, his wand tracing an arc through the air. "Wind Spikes!" he cried out, evoking several pointed wind stakes that materialized around the bird, subsequently hurtling toward it.
The barbed projectiles sped swiftly, yet not quite swiftly enough. Yang soared upwards and executed a graceful mid-air backflip, deftly evading the assault. The wind-borne spikes converged mid-flight, colliding with each other and vanishing into nothingness.
Using a sizeable chunk of black stone debris as a platform, Silvus leaped onto it. This makeshift platform began ascending toward the airborne bird. Around 15 meters away from the bird, Silvus' expression remained untensed as Yang's beak opened wide.
A colossal orb of luminous energy materialized within its gaping maw, propelling forth abruptly in Silvus's direction.
"Wind Ricochet!"
His voice rang out, accompanied by a swift flourish of his wand. A circular shield of wind manifested before him, intercepting the mana-charged sphere's trajectory. The collision generated a spectacular burst of energy that sent the orb careening skyward once more.
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Chapter 172 Temporary Alliance; The Battle Begins
"Speak of the devil..."
Rylan barely managed to say, his eyes wanting to close.
Without hesitation, Lyrian snatched the mana elixirs from Alten's hand, a grin on his face. He looked at the elixirs as if they were golden beetles, "Perfect..."
He looked over to Rylan, tossing him two out of the bunch, before chugging down the rest. The mana elixirs were bright blue and almost even shiny. They didn't taste like anything, but their effects were instant.
The moment the elixir traveled down Lyrian's throat and into his belly, it quickly traveled through his meridians, empowering his body, and also pouring into his core.
It wasn't an incredible amount of mana, as they were only weak elixirs, but for now, it was better than nothing, especially since Lyrian wanted as much mana as possible for Yang.
"Did you defeat Spade?" n0velusb.C0m
Leon randomly asked as Lyrian swiped the leftover elixir off his lip.
"Kind of... but not really. He was hiding his true power. At this current state, I would probably have to go all out to beat him, and even then I'm curious whether I could."
Lyrian's tone sounded serious as he spoke. Leon was silent on hearing this.
'I was thinking I would fight him if Lyrian hadn't finished him off... but it's probably best to leave that to him.' Leon paused, looking at Lyrian, 'If he can barely beat him at full power, I doubt I would be able to. I don't know how... but Lyrian's gotten so much stronger in the span of these 30 days. His cultivation may have gone up from absorbing the golden liquid of the Earth Guardian, but more than that, his demeanor, ability, and battle presence have all evolved to far greater levels. Standing next to him, even when simply talking about battle, feels like I'm standing next to a seasoned soldier.'
"Hey... let's not waste any more time. Who knows how long it will be until this exam ends. If we don't make it back to the center by midnight, we will automatically fail."
Leon shouted out as he began walking towards the mango, where Yang was perched atop.
'It's like he's a newborn... learning extremely quickly and effortlessly. What kind of life did he lead to have such an ability...'
The more he thought about him, the more Leon became intrigued.
Rylan found that he could at least walk after a couple of mana potions. He got up, catching the gun cube tossed to him by Alten, as the four all began walking toward the large mango.
At that moment, the final Magma Dweller was slain by Glis, who had already returned to her team. Lyrian scanned the tower top, noticing barely any figures left...
There was him and the other three next to him. Following them was Spade, the only one left of his crew. Next was Jackson, and one more of the White Knights. After that was Silvus' group, with himself, Glis, and Cedric left over.
That was it...
Out of everyone that Lyrian had encountered during the entire exam, these were the only ones who had a chance of passing? It seemed insane.
He then remembered that there still were kids back at the center domes who refused to leave for the golden-tiered core, liking their safety in passing. Still, all in all, Lyrian imagined that not even 30 kids would pass the exam in total.
It was insane to fathom that since the exam started off with over 800. As he looked at Silvus' group discussing something, he caught Cedric glancing over at him for a split second, before suddenly lowering his gaze, seemingly filled with shame?
Was it a shame? Guilt? Sorrow? It was odd. Lyrian couldn't tell, but it confused him slightly, enough to make him raise an eyebrow.
'Now that I think about it... he was making that same expression back then after I got Yin's core.'
Lyrian thought to himself, the two pieces of information not making much sense in his mind. Not wanting to dwindle on confusing stuff any longer, he shrugged this off and refocused his mind on Yang.
It hadn't finished eating it, in fact, it wasn't even close. However, Lyrian and the others weren't simply going to wait for it to enjoy its meal either.
"We will all try to betray each other soon!"
Lyrian suddenly yelled out, as the leftover examinees turned their attention towards him. Even Yang lifted its head up from the mango for a split second, noticing the loud human.
"However! Working together to beat this beast, for now, is the best, and only option we have!"
As he said this, the remaining kids began to make their way over to where he was. Before long, they all faced Yang with determined expressions on their faces.
"Yes... We must work together for now."
Silvus said calmly, stepping up ahead of Lyrian before continuing with his cool demeanor.
"Glis, I want you to--"
But then, that coolness ended quickly as he was abruptly interrupted.
"Humph! Don't order me around! I'm only on your team because it's better for me than being alone. You aren't my leader, you are just a pawn!"
Glis activated her ice skates, her hands chilled with a layer of ice/
Silvus clenched his jaw, clearly pissed off.
'Stupid bitch...'
He thought to himself, trying to keep his calm demeanor.
"Cedric!"
He yelled, getting a haste response.
"Y-Yes! Prince..."
Cedric replied as Lyrian raised another eyebrow due to the boy, looking back at him in confusion.
'Huh? Is that Cedric or Cirdec!? Why does he sound like that? The Cedric I know would never be so cowardly and take this type of ordering tone, not even from Silvus himself.'
He thought to himself, bewildered, as he saw a nervous-looking red-haired kid who waited for Silvus to speak.
"Gah... nothing. Just don't get eliminated before... You know what, never mind!"
Silvus suddenly got frustrated.
"Let's just kill this thing!"
He shouted, taking out his wand. Glis quickly skated forward, jumping into the air as she launched herself at the mango.
"Take this! Ice Stampede!"
Glis' body flipped in the air several times, as her ice-coated leg finally descended onto the unassuming bird. The attack was fierce and quick, nearly landing just before Yang abruptly rose and flapped its wings, sending a powerful gust of wind that propelled Glis backward.
*KAAW*
It screeched, lunging into the air before soaring high up into the sky in mere seconds.
"What the!? Is it trying to escape!?"
Jackson's teammate, one of the other White Knights, exclaimed in surprise as he saw the bird begin to blind into the bright sky above them. For a worrying moment, there was a moment of silence, where the bright bird turned into nothing but a spec of light.
But then... that spec of light suddenly began to expand at extreme speeds, and it remained a body of light, not feathers.
"It's nose-diving towards the ground at full speed! It wants to destroy the tower top!"
Alten yelled, noticing the body of light coming down.
Everyone quickly dashed to the pillars once again, holding onto them as tightly as possible. They had dealt with powerful forces before in the blizzard storm, so at the very least, they knew that the pillars were there to help him.
As if it was a meteor, the bird crashed into the tower top with incredible force.
The impact was cataclysmic. The tower shuddered under the tremendous force as the bird of light collided with the pinnacle of the tower... before breaking through the thick surface of black stone and flying further inside of the tower.
The collision sent shockwaves rippling outward, the ground itself shaking beneath the examinees' feet. Dust and debris were kicked up into the air, obscuring their vision and adding to the chaos that had become a constant presence on the battlefield.
The pillars, designed to withstand such powerful forces, groaned and creaked as they absorbed the impact. The examinees clung to them with white-knuckled grips, their muscles straining against the sheer force that threatened to tear them away. The wind howled, and the very air seemed to vibrate with the intensity of the collision.
Slowly, as the dust began to settle, they caught glimpses of the aftermath. The tower top had suffered significant damage from the impact, and its structure was visibly compromised. The ground around it was cracked and churned, a testament to the sheer magnitude of the crash.
"Is everyone alright?" Alten called out, his voice carrying a note of concern as he surveyed the scene.
One by one, those on his team confirmed their safety. They had faced countless challenges since the start of the exam, and this encounter was no different.
Glis, her eyes narrowed, scanned the large hole left by Yang in the middle of the floor. The bird of light had disappeared into the aftermath of its own collision, leaving a sense of uncertainty in its wake.
Suddenly, it emerged from within the tower, like a bolt of lightning, hovering over the tower top as it ruthlessly cast a bright effulgence.
In that very instant, Silvus lunged ahead, his wand tracing an arc through the air. "Wind Spikes!" he cried out, evoking several pointed wind stakes that materialized around the bird, subsequently hurtling toward it.
The barbed projectiles sped swiftly, yet not quite swiftly enough. Yang soared upwards and executed a graceful mid-air backflip, deftly evading the assault. The wind-borne spikes converged mid-flight, colliding with each other and vanishing into nothingness.
Using a sizeable chunk of black stone debris as a platform, Silvus leaped onto it. This makeshift platform began ascending toward the airborne bird. Around 15 meters away from the bird, Silvus' expression remained untensed as Yang's beak opened wide.
A colossal orb of luminous energy materialized within its gaping maw, propelling forth abruptly in Silvus's direction.
"Wind Ricochet!"
His voice rang out, accompanied by a swift flourish of his wand. A circular shield of wind manifested before him, intercepting the mana-charged sphere's trajectory. The collision generated a spectacular burst of energy that sent the orb careening skyward once more.
Chapter 172 Temporary Alliance; The Battle Begins "Speak of the devil..." Rylan barely managed to say, his eyes wanting to close. Without hesitation, Lyrian snatched the mana elixirs from Alten's hand, a grin on his face. He looked at the elixirs as if they were golden beetles, "Perfect..." He looked over to Rylan, tossing him two out of the bunch, before chugging down the rest. The mana elixirs were bright blue and almost even shiny. They didn't taste like anything, but their effects were instant. The moment the elixir traveled down Lyrian's throat and into his belly, it quickly traveled through his meridians, empowering his body, and also pouring into his core. It wasn't an incredible amount of mana, as they were only weak elixirs, but for now, it was better than nothing, especially since Lyrian wanted as much mana as possible for Yang. "Did you defeat Spade?" n0velusb.C0mLeon randomly asked as Lyrian swiped the leftover elixir off his lip. "Kind of... but not really. He was hiding his true power. At this current state, I would probably have to go all out to beat him, and even then I'm curious whether I could." Lyrian's tone sounded serious as he spoke. Leon was silent on hearing this. 'I was thinking I would fight him if Lyrian hadn't finished him off... but it's probably best to leave that to him.' Leon paused, looking at Lyrian, 'If he can barely beat him at full power, I doubt I would be able to. I don't know how... but Lyrian's gotten so much stronger in the span of these 30 days. His cultivation may have gone up from absorbing the golden liquid of the Earth Guardian, but more than that, his demeanor, ability, and battle presence have all evolved to far greater levels. Standing next to him, even when simply talking about battle, feels like I'm standing next to a seasoned soldier.' "Hey... let's not waste any more time. Who knows how long it will be until this exam ends. If we don't make it back to the center by midnight, we will automatically fail." Leon shouted out as he began walking towards the mango, where Yang was perched atop. 'It's like he's a newborn... learning extremely quickly and effortlessly. What kind of life did he lead to have such an ability...' The more he thought about him, the more Leon became intrigued. Rylan found that he could at least walk after a couple of mana potions. He got up, catching the gun cube tossed to him by Alten, as the four all began walking toward the large mango. At that moment, the final Magma Dweller was slain by Glis, who had already returned to her team. Lyrian scanned the tower top, noticing barely any figures left... There was him and the other three next to him. Following them was Spade, the only one left of his crew. Next was Jackson, and one more of the White Knights. After that was Silvus' group, with himself, Glis, and Cedric left over. That was it... Out of everyone that Lyrian had encountered during the entire exam, these were the only ones who had a chance of passing? It seemed insane. He then remembered that there still were kids back at the center domes who refused to leave for the golden-tiered core, liking their safety in passing. Still, all in all, Lyrian imagined that not even 30 kids would pass the exam in total. It was insane to fathom that since the exam started off with over 800. As he looked at Silvus' group discussing something, he caught Cedric glancing over at him for a split second, before suddenly lowering his gaze, seemingly filled with shame? Was it a shame? Guilt? Sorrow? It was odd. Lyrian couldn't tell, but it confused him slightly, enough to make him raise an eyebrow. 'Now that I think about it... he was making that same expression back then after I got Yin's core.' Lyrian thought to himself, the two pieces of information not making much sense in his mind. Not wanting to dwindle on confusing stuff any longer, he shrugged this off and refocused his mind on Yang. It hadn't finished eating it, in fact, it wasn't even close. However, Lyrian and the others weren't simply going to wait for it to enjoy its meal either. "We will all try to betray each other soon!" Lyrian suddenly yelled out, as the leftover examinees turned their attention towards him. Even Yang lifted its head up from the mango for a split second, noticing the loud human. "However! Working together to beat this beast, for now, is the best, and only option we have!" As he said this, the remaining kids began to make their way over to where he was. Before long, they all faced Yang with determined expressions on their faces. "Yes... We must work together for now." Silvus said calmly, stepping up ahead of Lyrian before continuing with his cool demeanor. "Glis, I want you to--" But then, that coolness ended quickly as he was abruptly interrupted. "Humph! Don't order me around! I'm only on your team because it's better for me than being alone. You aren't my leader, you are just a pawn!" Glis activated her ice skates, her hands chilled with a layer of ice/ Silvus clenched his jaw, clearly pissed off. 'Stupid bitch...' He thought to himself, trying to keep his calm demeanor. "Cedric!" He yelled, getting a haste response. "Y-Yes! Prince..." Cedric replied as Lyrian raised another eyebrow due to the boy, looking back at him in confusion. 'Huh? Is that Cedric or Cirdec!? Why does he sound like that? The Cedric I know would never be so cowardly and take this type of ordering tone, not even from Silvus himself.' He thought to himself, bewildered, as he saw a nervous-looking red-haired kid who waited for Silvus to speak. "Gah... nothing. Just don't get eliminated before... You know what, never mind!" Silvus suddenly got frustrated. "Let's just kill this thing!" He shouted, taking out his wand. Glis quickly skated forward, jumping into the air as she launched herself at the mango. "Take this! Ice Stampede!" Glis' body flipped in the air several times, as her ice-coated leg finally descended onto the unassuming bird. The attack was fierce and quick, nearly landing just before Yang abruptly rose and flapped its wings, sending a powerful gust of wind that propelled Glis backward. *KAAW* It screeched, lunging into the air before soaring high up into the sky in mere seconds. "What the!? Is it trying to escape!?" Jackson's teammate, one of the other White Knights, exclaimed in surprise as he saw the bird begin to blind into the bright sky above them. For a worrying moment, there was a moment of silence, where the bright bird turned into nothing but a spec of light. But then... that spec of light suddenly began to expand at extreme speeds, and it remained a body of light, not feathers. "It's nose-diving towards the ground at full speed! It wants to destroy the tower top!" Alten yelled, noticing the body of light coming down. Everyone quickly dashed to the pillars once again, holding onto them as tightly as possible. They had dealt with powerful forces before in the blizzard storm, so at the very least, they knew that the pillars were there to help him. As if it was a meteor, the bird crashed into the tower top with incredible force. The impact was cataclysmic. The tower shuddered under the tremendous force as the bird of light collided with the pinnacle of the tower... before breaking through the thick surface of black stone and flying further inside of the tower. The collision sent shockwaves rippling outward, the ground itself shaking beneath the examinees' feet. Dust and debris were kicked up into the air, obscuring their vision and adding to the chaos that had become a constant presence on the battlefield. The pillars, designed to withstand such powerful forces, groaned and creaked as they absorbed the impact. The examinees clung to them with white-knuckled grips, their muscles straining against the sheer force that threatened to tear them away. The wind howled, and the very air seemed to vibrate with the intensity of the collision. Slowly, as the dust began to settle, they caught glimpses of the aftermath. The tower top had suffered significant damage from the impact, and its structure was visibly compromised. The ground around it was cracked and churned, a testament to the sheer magnitude of the crash. "Is everyone alright?" Alten called out, his voice carrying a note of concern as he surveyed the scene. One by one, those on his team confirmed their safety. They had faced countless challenges since the start of the exam, and this encounter was no different. Glis, her eyes narrowed, scanned the large hole left by Yang in the middle of the floor. The bird of light had disappeared into the aftermath of its own collision, leaving a sense of uncertainty in its wake. Suddenly, it emerged from within the tower, like a bolt of lightning, hovering over the tower top as it ruthlessly cast a bright effulgence. In that very instant, Silvus lunged ahead, his wand tracing an arc through the air. "Wind Spikes!" he cried out, evoking several pointed wind stakes that materialized around the bird, subsequently hurtling toward it. The barbed projectiles sped swiftly, yet not quite swiftly enough. Yang soared upwards and executed a graceful mid-air backflip, deftly evading the assault. The wind-borne spikes converged mid-flight, colliding with each other and vanishing into nothingness. Using a sizeable chunk of black stone debris as a platform, Silvus leaped onto it. This makeshift platform began ascending toward the airborne bird. Around 15 meters away from the bird, Silvus' expression remained untensed as Yang's beak opened wide. A colossal orb of luminous energy materialized within its gaping maw, propelling forth abruptly in Silvus's direction. "Wind Ricochet!" His voice rang out, accompanied by a swift flourish of his wand. A circular shield of wind manifested before him, intercepting the mana-charged sphere's trajectory. The collision generated a spectacular burst of energy that sent the orb careening skyward once more.
