Shatter

Vol. 1: Chapter 36: Results of the Match

Zachariel pointed his polearm to Daniel's neck. His eyes had a small green shade but immediately went away.

`Damn it, I lost…`

"I surrender." Daniel lifelessly raised his arms.

"Halt! The winner of the match is Sentinel!"

A guard shouted out the results and the spectators were awed about Zachariel's performance.

"Kid, what a good performance! Here are your 20 silver coins. I'll also gift that polearm to you. It looks better on you than me anyway!" The middle-aged man laughed.

Zachariel was embarrassed. `Isn't this senior way too generous to me?`

"Senior, may I know your name? I want to return this favor to you if we ever meet again."

"Don't mind it, kid. Consider it an investment on my part. I'll go now, take care!" The middle-aged man waved his hands and went out of the arena with another person.

The rest of the spectators applauded Zachariel as well.

"Senior Daniel, are you okay?" He lent a hand to Daniel.

"Uh yeah. I just feel a little dizzy here. Damn, you didn't hold back earlier, did you?" Daniel was rather annoyed by the results of the match. `Am I the peak-platinum warrior here or you?`

Zachariel scratched his head. "Well, when we were fighting earlier, I couldn't control myself for some reason. I'm very sorry about that."

"Is that so? Anyway, you're pretty much a jack-of-all-trades, aren't you? Where'd you learn those skills anyway?"

"My family taught me some of it, while I learned the rest by myself." Zachariel made up a lie. `I couldn't tell him that all of it just flashed in my mind earlier, could I?`

Earlier in the match, Zachariel felt like somebody or something was controlling him. He couldn't understand where it came from but the green lines inside his mana nerves and other body parts must've been related to it.

`I'll check it out later.`

Zachariel was bombarded by praises and flattery as they went out of the arena. Zachariel felt confident for the first time.

`So this is actually how strong I am. Damn, how did I let Hal die when I'm this powerful? Something's wrong here. I need to recollect my memories as soon as possible.`

…

In the circular area.

"Egg-head," Cody called out to Edward.

"Jockey, go do your thing. I'll take charge here."

Cody nodded and immediately left the area.

"Senior Edward, where did senior Cody go?" Victoria wondered why Cody left the area.

"Oh, he had something important to do. He'll be back with us later. Anyway, did you learn something in the match? Do you have any questions?"

The Prospect candidates shook their heads. All they could think of was that Zachariel's performance was awe-inspiring.

Edward sighed at the sight of this. `Well, it's expected.`

"Jean, what's wrong?" Edward saw that Jean was still dazed.

"Ah, no. Nothing, senior Edward." Jean snapped out of it and shook his head.

He was using his 'Eye of Veracity' unto Zachariel earlier. He wanted to analyze Zachariel's insides but all he could see was just Zachariel's external body.

`Who is Zachariel Strom? How come he could block my eye from seeing the mana flow inside his body? This had never happened before.`

"Is that so?" Edward raised his eyebrows at him.

"Senior Edward, how come Zachariel could overpower a peak-platinum mage like that? I know that his talent is way better than Prince Kane, but isn't this a bit too ridiculous?" Helena asked Edward. The others had the same question as well.

"Ah, about that. First of all, Zachariel has the dark mana essence in his body. As most of you have already known, dark mana essence can basically absorb anything within their vicinity. It is the bane of all living beings in Pandragea."

"Senior Edward, since that is the case, can I be as strong as him if I also have dark mana essence in my body?" Victoria wanted to verify this hypothesis of hers.

"No, Victoria. I also have a dark mana essence in my body but I am not that confident that I could defeat a peak-platinum mage just like how Zachariel did." Helena answered her.

"Why, Helena? Does it have something to do with the difficulty of using dark mana essence?"

"You're right, Victoria. Dark mana essence has two main points that you should consider before you try to gather and use it for your mana cultivation." Edward interjected between the two.

"The first point with regards to dark mana essence is that one should be capable to withstand the absorbed mana essences and other types of energy, otherwise, it'll backfire at them and they'll suffer more damage than what they should've taken."

"Note that earlier, Zachariel would've wanted to use a dark shield projection to absorb his opponent's Rain of Fire spell. However, the fireballs that were conjured was something Zachariel couldn't withstand to absorb, thus evading it instead."

"Second, one must have extreme mana control if they want to use dark mana essence. The absorption property that it contains is a double-edged sword. Earlier, Zachariel layered his weapon and body with dark mana essence."

"There are two reasons behind this. First, it was to prevent any mishaps that would happen to his weapon and second, to cancel any lock-in spells that his opponent might put on him."

"If he didn't have an excellent control on his dark mana essence, his weapon and his body would've decayed. The dark mana essence is the most dangerous in Pandragea. Not many would want to gather and use it for their mana cultivation."

"Zachariel, however, have met both of these points, which contributed to his win."

The rest understood a part of it now.

"What about the other reasons, senior Edward?" Helena inquired more information from him.

"The second reason would be his knowledge with regards to spells, skills, and magic array formations. I don't know where Zachariel learned those unique spells and magic array formations, but that duplex array formation was certainly one of a kind, isn't it, Lina?"

"Ah, yes! Duplex array formations are harder to implement than just one array formation. You would have to make sure that when laying the duplex array formation, the two mana essences you're using to draw should not counter-interact with one another during the process, or else it will fail."

Lina's delicate and angelic voice was pleasantly received by everyone. Her voice made it easier for them to understand what she was trying to explain.

"A duplex array formation has two parts, the inner spell, and the outer spell. The outer spell would be the first one to set off, before being followed by the inner one."

"Zachariel combined the fire spell trap with a dark spell trap which is harder than usual because the dark mana essences in the dark spell trap would usually absorb the fire mana essences in the fire spell trap, rendering it useless."

"However, because of Zachariel's excellent mana control, none of that happened."

It wasn't a trouble for Lina to lay duplex array formations, but combining it with a dark spell trap would be difficult for her, especially if she had to do it as fast as Zachariel did.

"You must be wondering then about why did the dark mana essences inside the dark spell trap did not absorb the ice mana essence from the freeze spell casted by the opponent."

"That is because spell traps and most of its mana essences would lay dormant until activated. The remaining mana essence would look out for any signal of activation."

Lina took her time explaining. After all, the concept of magic array formations was a bit complex, especially for the freshmen.

`Can I even beat him now?` Sabrina was at a loss. `To think that I declared myself as his rival. Sabrina, what a fool you are!`

The rest were in awe again after hearing how difficult it was to lay duplex array formations. And to think that Zachariel did that while fighting against a very strong opponent.

Victoria felt happy inside. `Uh, why do I feel happiness deep in my heart?`

Amelia felt secure after hearing her senior's explanations. `Maybe he could really live up to that promise this time.` She wanted nothing else but for Zachariel to protect her, just like before.

Edward continued with his explanation after Lina was done with hers.

"The third reason would be Zachariel's strong physical body and how fast he moved. The polearm he carries is as heavy as a 10kg sack of rice. Moving around while carrying that weight without a good amount of physical strength would put a setback on one's movements and could even injure a person if not held properly."

"You saw that Zachariel moved without much discomfort and difficulty. If his opponent were to be hit with a single s***h or thrust with that polearm, they might've died there, literally."

"Furthermore, he enhanced his movements with wind walk and shadow steps, making him both fast and agile. You might've wondered that even though the sense of hearing was retained from Zachariel's opponent, he was still able to lay the duplex array formation trap without his opponent knowing?"

"That is contributed to the effects from the shadow steps skill. It would absorb any sound produced while stepping on any surface, and with the dark light spell that blinded his opponent, he was able to lay it without his enemy knowing."

Edward added a final touch with regards to the reasons why Zachariel overpowered Daniel in their match.

"Anyway, enough about those strong points. You also have to take into consideration how Zachariel interacted against his opponent and how his opponent interacted against him." Edward shifted the topic. Everybody listened well.

"When the match started, Zachariel immediately closed in against his mage opponent. This is the best course of action especially when you're a weapon or melee-based fighter and you're fighting against mages."

"However, in the latter part of the match, Zachariel no longer closed in against his opponent, but fought with his own version of long-range and trap attacks. Can somebody from the five of you tell me why?"

Helena raised her hand.

"Yes, Helena?"

"Senior Edward, is it because of the shockwave that the opponent mage kept on casting whenever Zachariel closes on him?"

"Correct. If this was a regular match between two peak-platinum fighters where one is a weapon master and the other is a mage, the mage would be able to escape his opponent every time they closed in and continue attacking their opponent at a safe distance."

"Although in this situation, Zachariel would be the last man standing when it comes to mana essence usage, the fight would take too long before it ends."

"That's why Zachariel chose to not pursue his opponent, and instead, attack them with the dark slashing waves to his advantage. After all, the mage cannot retaliate when the power of his magic spells is absorbed by the dark slashing waves."

"Moreover, Zachariel made use of his immense mana usage by blinding the opponent with the dark light spell and send out multiple dark slashing waves at the same time. With that many dark mana essences gathered from the intersecting multiple slashing waves, he was able to conjure the vortex spell which is a very strong spell against the mages and demon beasts alike. And the rest is already obvious."

Helena carefully thought out what senior Edward had said. `So he used multiple skills to conjure a more powerful spell instead of using additional mana essences. He caught his opponent by surprise because the opponent thought that Zachariel was just launching his attacks as usual.`

If she was in that position, she would've used the latter option, which would make it predictable for her opponent, giving them the chance to counter her move.

`I have to ask them if I could train with him so that I could enhance my battle experience and mana control when fighting against powerful enemies. Those Eldens are the only ones who have a chance to fight him on an even scale.`

"Senior, can I train with Zachariel later after I'm done with my match?"

"Of course, all of you can. He's the best sparring partner you could ask for right now. But if I guess correctly, he should be training out with his classmates from his class so you might have to wait for another time later."

Helena nodded at Edward's answer.

"All right, all of you, prepare for your upcoming match. You don't want to be on the losing side later, or else I'll have the twin maidens take care of you very well." Edward menacingly stared at the five Prospect candidates.

Lina and Luna emanated a bloodthirsty aura as they creepily laughed behind the Prospect candidates.

"Finally, Lina. We can have some fun." Luna brandished the chains in her hands.

"Yes, sister Luna." Lina was conjuring something on her small hands.

`Eek!`

The five Prospect candidates felt chills in their spines

…

On the other side of the public training area, Zachariel's classmates had also received a similar explanation about the match.

"Wow, I'm kind of excited about our training later!" Luiz pumped his fists.

"Oh, Iria, you've only arrived until now?" Luka noticed Iria on the back.

"Why, did I miss something?" Iria felt that something important must've happened when she observed their actions and expressions.

"Yeah, Zachariel just fought in the arena against a peak-platinum mage opponent. Guess who won?" Luiz intrigued Iria.

"The peak-platinum mage, right?" Iria couldn't imagine Zachariel defeating a strong opponent like that.

"Nope, you're wrong. Zachariel won against him!" Luiz felt excitement in his heart. `I guess geniuses also fail to guess sometimes!`

"Is that so? But Zachariel should've also been injured, right?"

"No, as far as we have observed, he didn't seem to have broken a sweat during that match." Luka gave his observations to Iria.

"That strong?"

"Yeah, that strong. The rest are really excited to have a spar with him later." Luka pointed at their classmate's expressions.

`So I really missed something important earlier.` Iria cursed herself for being a bit late. The match could've helped her in almost every possible way.

"Okay, I guess it's my loss then. Oh, who are these seniors?" She saw that they were accompanied by older people.

"Oh, they're mercenaries from the Lowthorn mercenary group. The leader is senior Hallvard, that middle-aged man at the center carrying a great axe. Zachariel's opponent is one of their members." Luka introduced them to Iria.

"Hello there, young girl." Hallvard waved his hand to Iria.

"Hello, nice to meet you, seniors." She bowed at them. Kaela and Ksenia followed suit.