Neither Adrian nor Julian underestimated the other as each sensed the danger in their opponent.
So the moment Mrs Georgina's voice boomed, they both took action.
~WHOOSH~
Adrian shot forward immediately, his body shimmering with mana as the Phantom Flow Technique kicked in, his steps a blur of afterimages slicing through the 40-meter square.
Julian remained unfazed, raising a hand swiftly and calling in a chilling tone.
"Umbra vincula."
Dark tendrils erupted from the ground, writhing like vipers across Adrian's path.
They were slow, clumsy even and posed no real threat to Adrian, so he easily wove through them effortlessly, closing in on Julian like a storm.
The Mages' benches were a graveyard of hope, their faces pale as they watched Adrian's relentless advance.
'Another thrashing,' one thought, despair sinking in after Adrian's string of dominant wins.
But Julian stayed calm with his deadpan gaze, chanting again and again,
"Umbra vincula."
