NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: It's Actually a Standoff (2)
"BAL-TA-ZAR! BAL-TA-ZAR!! BAL-TA-ZAR!!!"
As Underling Number Two, started walking menacingly into his position, inside the makeshift arena created by the crowd near them, where he then started striking his signature pose to lift up the audience mood and to make an impression.
The crowd instantly went silent...
They were not impressed, they looked at Underling Number Two with absolute disgust and disdain, they were about to die from second-hand embarrassment for this child, they've just pretended that they were not cringing from the inside out.
In the end, they've all retained their stoic expressions as to not sink further down the rabbit hole that this kid dug for himself, but that reaction only proved to make the moment more embarrassing for everyone.
Anyhow, it's a good thing that the adult who acted as a referee was quick witted and broke the awkward silence by just starting the round-
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
However, in spite of what just happened, as soon as the round started, everyone's expectation towards Underling Number Two was still high, all of them anticipated on what he will do now that their opponent knows their strategy-
What kind of tricks will he show this time around? Will he be able to match his twin brother's performance? and most importantly of all, will he be able to redeem himself from what he just did earlier Those were the thoughts that ran rampant on everyone's mind.
"GO!!!"
"Fire Ball! Fire Ball-Fire Blast!!" Underling Number Two's opponent chanted-
Yet, despite his opponent's quick reaction, it was not even a question of whether he or his opponent will be the first to be able to land a successful magic spell, because even though his opponent's long ranged attacks connected really well as it had the intention of anticipating his next moves, he dodged everything fluidly, It didn't even matter how precise his opponent is, as compared to fighting with Philip, this was nothing but child's play.
Then after closing the gap, as Underling Number Two was about to sucker punch the guy-
"N-Nani?!" As his opponent said his final words in shock before pathetically losing, because his opponent took pride in his precision and was a hundred percent sure that his attacks wouldn't miss even if the wicks of flame covered his vision-
"Pow!"
...
After Underling Number Two's first round was over and he was declared the victor, he then acted just like every childish sibling did and of course without hesitation continued on, as to not get outdone by his inferior twin brother in front of the eyes of many-
"2!"
"1!"
"GO!!!"
Underling Number Two's next round wasn't even a question, he only used his stamina in the first round, so in the second round he let loose and used his magical element earth.
"Lightning Spark! Lightning Spark! Lightning Spark!!" As Underling Number Two's second opponent instantly chanted, doing the same strategy as his first opponent of throwing easy to cast first tier spells as much as possible.
But of course, the second opponent that he faced was not a fool who would just repeat the same strategy aimlessly until it somehow works, what his second opponent was doing by copying the strategy of his first opponent wasn't without purpose, because as it turns out his opponent this time around awakened the strongest attacking element, lightning, it is an element made purely for offense evidenced by the fact that it is much faster and lot more devastating if it lands compared to the fire spell earlier, even though they are of the same tier. Furthermore, it can only be used a little bit for defense later on when one advances its mastery towards it or swaps the way they gather mana.
However, even with that information in mind, Underling Number Two's element is mostly much more suitable for defense, so if there would be any element that is a better match up than his opponent's lightning element, it would be his element, earth.
Now to resume the battle-
Tiny bolts of lightning appeared and instantly flashed into Underling Number Two's three different vital points, it was faster and much more lethal than any of the other attacking elements that have been mentioned, still, the attack wasn't with the intention to kill or to permanently damage Underling Number two, because it is an unwritten rule that needn't be said since this duel is just a friendly match.
"Earth Wall X2!! " Underling Number Two chanted, as a doubled layer brown wall appeared in front of him.
Crackle! Crackle!! Crackle!
The collision between the two spells, created a loud thundering sound that left everyone in awe, not just by how strong the spell Underling Number Two's opponent casted, but also by how his spell Earth Wall was able to block it.
Pang! Pang! Pang!
The lightning spell then left dark spots on the wall as it then immediately collapsed.
Crash! Crash!!
In that blink opportune moment, both fighters were left open to any attacks, thus the fight could go in either direction-
Promptly, both casted their spells-
"Lightning Strike! Lightning Strike!!"
"Earth Wall!"
"Earth Mud!"
However, it seemed that none of the two was willing to budge, so the fight then went into a battle of attrition-
"Earth Wall! Earth Wall!"
"Lightning Strike! Lighting Strike!"
"Earth Wall...
The battle was close, they've both seemed to have run out of mana, as the round was coming to an end, but when it comes to determination, Underling Number Two was definitely not lacking, couple that with the fact that he had recovered some of his stamina during this battle.
Still, both panted, but one side was breathing harder than the other-
Huff! Huff! Huff!
Huff! Huff!
"Lightning strike!"
"Earth Wall!"
"Light-" As his second opponent passed out in exhaustion before he could even fully cast his lightning spell.
But there was silence, and then...
"WOOOOAH!!!" "NICE FIGHT!!!!!"
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"
Everyone was cheering for the two fighters, both did their best, it was a well fought battle were either side could've won.
However, in the end the must still be a victor, and it was Underling Number Two, hence securing his second victory...
All of them was now hyped up, maybe their shouting was a little bit much since there wasn't a lot at stake, but this is what happens when such an event rarely ever happens in a remote village.
"And now for the question, that everyone has been wondering and anticipating for-Will you continue on to the next round?" The announcer asked.
In which Underling Number Two briefly answered with, "Yes."
The crowd smiled at his response; it seemed like they've somewhat changed their opinion of him, they've gained a newfound respect for the kid.
...
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
"GO!!!"
During this round, Underling Number Two was exhausted both in mana and stamina, so, everyone was already expecting him to lose, and that the best that he could do was just to tire out his enemy, thus leading them to the conclusion that the strategy of Philip's team this round was just to tire out their opponent this round so that the next representative that they would send out wouldn't have much trouble fighting, thereby giving them an edge.
Was what just they all thought on what Underling Number Two was actually planning on doing and why he continued on to the next round, after all by observing his past actions, it was the most easy and reasonable conclusion to come up with-
"Wind Slash! Wind Slash!" As the third opponent finished chanting, a gust of wind then appeared that started forming like blades and then pushed forward as it sliced through the falling leaves on its way to Underling Number Two.
However, Underling Number Two's plot armor kicked in and was lucky enough to face the worst member of the other faction as of yet, his aim was the worst, so it didn't even require much for him to dodge the magic spell of his third opponent.
"Earth Pillar Take this!" As Underling Number Two pulled the last ounce of his mana and casted a slightly thinner but longer version of earth wall, which due to its instability fell right on top of his opponent-
Crash!
And at that moment, Underling Number Two won, and the only words that could describe what the crowd was thinking "What a Hero!"
This was the main difference between Underling Number Two and his twin brother, because even though their talents and looks were marginally close to each other, if you would compare them, he was definitely better than him in both spirit and in will, that's why he is "The Underling Number Two"
Nonetheless, he still forfeited his right to fight in the next round to maintain the heroic impression that he left, because that was what he cared about the most, showing off.
"Do you wish to continue on to the next round?"
"No."
***
Finally, it was time for Underling Number One to come out, the trio's leader or their vice leader right now, at least.
The crowd was still filled with excitement from the last round, so the fighters needed not to disappoint them.
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
...