Elandra didn't wait for his reply as she blasted off the ground, reappearing in front of him in an instant.
She was definitely fast, but she was also predictable.
Raelis turned his head slightly, dodging her strike as he threw a heat barrier-infused punch at her abdomen, making her stagger backward.
Despite his solid attack, she brushed it off and dashed at him again and again, trying to land a hit.
But the more she pressed, the more he adjusted to her fighting pattern.
Raelis effectively dodged and countered each of her attacks until finally, her Flame Body technique came partially undone, revealing her face.
She spat out a mouthful of blood and shot him a glare.
"What are you doing?" Elandra asked. "Did you swallow a miracle pill or something? No way you got this strong on your own."
He shrugged, letting her play into her delusions. "If that helps you sleep at night."
I can only imagine how strong she'd be if she learned to control that temper... Raelis thought with a sigh and entered a combat stance.
He silently kicked off the ground, his movement a blur as he arrived before her.
His daggers neared her face, but just as they were about to connect, her body ignited in flames.
She activated the Flame Body technique again, only this time, it was different.
Instead of orange, her body now burned with blue flames.
It was much hotter than the regular flame, and it was known for burning even magic itself.
Even then, it was still considered a basic flame.
I wish I could use the full extent of my flame against her, but if I do, then she's going to be killed in an instant, Raelis thought, stepping back.
Yet before he could even complete the step, Elandra arrived, her fist already extended straight for his chest.
It was too late to dodge, and definitely too late to redirect the attack, so he brought his daggers forward and blocked.
Yet the strike was even more powerful than he imagined, as his newly bought daggers shattered instantly.
Her fist brushed past his abdomen as he finally made some distance between them.
A trickle of blood ran down his mouth.
He suffered some internal injuries, but nothing too serious.
"Pfft..." Elandra chuckled. "That's what you get for using cheap materials. But it's time I finished with you."
The moment she uttered those words, she raised her arms as a giant ball of blue flame appeared above her.
Raelis's brows furrowed as he held onto what was left of his daggers tightly.
He focused his mana and created a fireball that was a fraction of her fireball's size.
In the next moment, the two launched the fireballs at each other.
—BOOOOOM
An explosion rang out as the golden-white flames mixed with the blue.
And in the end, neither of them came out on top, since the fireballs simply dissipated, leaving behind a scorched platform.
Elandra didn't wait to check out the view as she sprinted at him and jumped into the air, sending a fiery kick his way.
Raelis tried to step back and dodge, but Elandra performed a feint, then used his own momentum against him as she hurled a fireball toward him at point-blank range.
Now he definitely didn't have many ways to evade, except for a trick he had used in the past.
He extended his palm forward, catching the fireball and gripping it with all his strength.
It seemed much easier than last time, but the burns and the pain were definitely not pleasant.
But that moment of familiar surprise was enough for Raelis to use one of his many techniques.
He threw the remainder of his dagger at an angle, making sure it cast a tiny shadow.
At the same time, he entered that shadow, traveling as far away as he could before stepping out.
She swiftly followed up with a barrage of fists, and only now did he realize that she was definitely no pushover in close-quarters combat.
It also seemed like she had regained her composure after breaking his daggers, which meant she wasn't attacking like an idiot.
So, just as she said she wanted to end the fight, he was about to do the same.
Raelis pretended to be getting cornered, and when he neared the edge of the platform, he suddenly kicked off the ground, arriving behind her.
Elandra turned around, ready to attack him.
Yet he perfectly mimicked her movements as he stood only inches behind her.
She couldn't tell he was there, since he didn't make any sound, and obviously, his breaths were practically impossible to hear.
He essentially became her shadow for the moment, all the while casting several fireballs into the sky.
And when it was finally time to unleash them, he kicked her in the back, nearly making her topple over.
Yet as she turned around in anger, that was when all the fireballs he had summoned rained down on her.
She tried to block and resist, but even if his flame didn't deal that much damage, he had figured out his Primordial Flame had the inherent ability to zap the power of other flames.
Within moments, the Primordial Flame drained her technique. As she dodged the last fireballs, the Flame Body wore off, and she sent a hateful glare his way.
Injuries riddled her body, and from the way the mana was crackling around her, he could tell she had reached her limit.
Raelis slowly walked over to Elandra, stopping right in front of her.
"So how does it feel?" he asked. "Facing defeat, I mean. It must be a new experience for you."
She didn't stop glaring at him. "Defeat? Do you think it's over?"
Faint blue flames began enveloping her body, but just as quickly, they died down.
He felt pity, if anything. She was incredibly strong, and if she had not underestimated him at the start, then maybe the outcome would've been different.
Raelis raised his fist as he met her tired crimson eyes, then with a slight smile, he punched her straight in the forehead.
She tried to evade it, but mana exhaustion was no joke as her body was practically paralyzed.
The fist connected, sending her flying off the platform.
Elandra's body slowly faded into the fog, and the last thing he saw was her malice-filled glare.
Finally...
He had won.
While this was only the start of his revenge, taking the first step always felt nice.
Especially after defeating someone who had tormented him for so long.
She had ridiculed him, beat him, and now... she had lost while giving it her all.
He winced, grabbing his abdomen that swelled up a little.
Though... that hit she landed on me earlier is definitely starting to hurt...
Even so, Raelis heaved a satisfied, shaky breath as the familiar sensation of his guts turning inside out returned.
Soon, he found himself back on the giant platform with noticeably fewer people.
But once their gazes landed on him, they scanned the platform, eyes widening with each passing second.
—D-Did he just beat Elandra Varekan? How's that even possible!
—Hey now... don't jump to conclusions. I'm sure she was just teleported somewhere in the crowd... I'm sure she's going to come back... just wait.
—Heh, just face the facts. That kid over there beat the Crimson Hound of Varekan... I guess we have our next tests cut out for us.
Raelis ignored all the praise and comments of awe as he locked eyes with the headmaster.
It seemed like the headmaster also had an amused expression on his face, but even so, he took his eyes off Raelis as he cleared his throat and spoke.
"Out of 22,249, only 5,490 made it through the preliminary exam. Many thought it was a wise idea to break the rules, so nearly 100 were eliminated," Arius said in a serious tone. "Nonetheless, those of you who remain will move on to the next exam..."
A large smirk formed on the headmaster's face as he suddenly flicked his fingers, transporting all 5,490 of them to another area.
The moment Raelis opened his eyes, he found himself standing on the edge of a vast, yet surprisingly shallow lake.
As he glanced to the side, he saw a peculiar sight.
Far ahead, stone steps rose just above the shallow water, leading toward a glowing white tree at the very center of the lake.
He could sense something was off about those steps and the tree itself.
Soon, the headmaster explained.
"Welcome to your first real exam," Arius said with a dramatic wave of his hands. "This exam is simple. You approach the steps and walk on them toward the tree. The further you can walk, the better your final evaluation will be. Do note that you only need to take 25 steps toward the tree to pass this exam."
—Huh? Only? But... this exam wasn't here last year?
—They're probably changing their programs like always... Tsk... they have too much funding.
But unlike the others, Raelis remained quiet as he watched the headmaster descend with a smile.
"Now then..." Arius scanned through the candidates before pointing at a random person.
"Why don't you come up and show us how it's done?"