Overpowered Archmage Doesn’t Hide His Talent

Chapter 233: When We Were More Desperate

“Oh!”

“As expected, Trixie is different.”

The representatives of the Magic Department didn’t hold back their admiration as they watched Trixie unleash her blue flames.

Up until now, most of the matches had been dominated by the knights, with the Magic Department barely managing to hold their ground. But this time was different.

Trixie had firmly taken control of the arena, and the knight on the other side was entirely focused on defending against her attacks.

“Even the knight was a figure of fear….”

“…Indeed, he was.”

The spectators were also murmuring among themselves. The perception of the Magic Department had soared to the sky in just two days.

What’s more, they weren’t resorting to any underhanded methods to secure their victory. Trixie was overwhelming her opponent purely with her own flames.

Clang─!

Amazingly, this was the sound of a sword clashing against flames. The girl had imbued her flames with a ‘hardness’ stronger than steel.

“Becky.”

Louis suddenly called Becky.

“How does it compare to the hardness of your ice?”

“To be honest, it looks tougher…. But more than that, is it really possible to imbue elements with such hardness?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

Flan interjected in a nonchalant voice.

“It’s a narrow-minded thought to believe you can’t bestow properties like hardness. You can break free from such limitations anytime.”

“Why haven’t I been able to do it yet?”

“Trixie just worked harder.”

“…No. I worked hard too.”

Becky protested earnestly. She really had done her best.

Flan continued in his indifferent tone.

“You also need to think of ice not as ice while handling it. You shouldn’t belong to anything to mimic everything.”

“Oh….”

Becky nodded around that time. Despite his detached demeanor, she sensed Flan’s intent to teach her.

“If I were you, I’d try to make the ice flow, like water. It wouldn’t flow completely, but since it’s not entirely water, it would have immense value.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

After replying, Becky was startled.

“Wait a minute, then what Trixie is handling right now…. Strictly speaking, it’s not even flames?”

“You can’t call it flames.”

“Wow….”

Becky looked at Trixie on the arena with her mouth agape.

Trixie, who once prided herself on mastering only flames, was now starting to understand other attributes to create even stronger flames.

When a human magician specializes in one attribute, their body also adapts to it. How much effort had Trixie put in to change her constitution?

‘Amazing.’

All Becky could feel was admiration.

Had Trixie’s efforts or talent been mediocre, she would have ended up with a body incapable of using either flames or other attributes.

But to avoid such a situation, Trixie had endlessly honed herself. Literally, endlessly.

Flan quietly nodded.

“Trixie always had determination.”

Achieving success without even knowing what it is, is strange.

Accomplishing something without knowing what the goal is, is strange.

So, Trixie had it.

She had a future clearly drawn in her mind and a goal she was determined to achieve. She even had the confidence that she wouldn’t fail.

Feeling such emotions vaguely, Becky felt her shoulders tremble slightly. Even though they were the same age, Trixie felt different to her.

It was inevitable for Becky to feel complicated emotions as Trixie’s level seemed so far beyond her reach, but she still couldn’t take her eyes off Trixie.

…She wanted to watch closely so she could follow.

◈

Creak─!

Watching the blade’s teeth break due to the flames, complex emotions flashed across the face of the escort knight.

He didn’t even feel resentment.

Because something he couldn’t fully understand was happening right before his eyes, he was only trying to understand it with his confused mind.

“….”

He couldn’t speak.

Human instincts are incredibly cold, delivering information faster than expected.

Yes, before the escort knight could calmly think about anything, his instincts sounded the alarm. They told him that the blue-haired girl he was facing was extremely strong.

“Don’t dodge.”

Trixie’s words fell heavily like a weight.

Her straight gaze seemed to pierce through the escort knight’s body. The tip of his sword trembled more and more, still unable to grasp the situation, while Trixie’s blue flames grew quieter, like a calm lake.

Trixie’s words echoed back in his mind.

─This won’t take long.

He had thought it was just bravado, but it was increasingly being proven that Trixie’s words were not mere bluff. The escort knight felt indignant about that.

“Who said I would dodge!”

He had never underestimated Trixie from the beginning. He didn’t look down on magicians, but he was quite surprised by her skills, which exceeded his expectations.

“…I’ll go all out too.”

As the escort knight spat out his words, Trixie quietly nodded. There was no need for further conversation between them.

‘I’ve won.’

And as soon as she saw the escort knight gritting his teeth, Trixie was convinced of her victory.

The escort knight didn’t seem careless, but conversely, he desperately believed that he could win by concentrating on Trixie.

If he wouldn’t bend, he had to be broken.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Blue pillars of fire began to erupt everywhere, shaking the entire ground. The escort knight’s eyes widened.

At this moment, Trixie once again exceeded expectations.

“Ugh…!”

The escort knight advanced step by step, dodging or cutting through the pillars. As his well-trained swordsmanship continued, the steel-like pillars of fire were cut down one by one.

However.

Bang─!

Now, flame arrows started raining down from the sky.

Trixie’s expression, visible between the flames, was calm, as if she would not even allow the escort knight to approach.

“…!”

Realizing her intent, the escort knight gritted his teeth even harder. To be born a knight and not even get close to a magician before being defeated—there could be no greater humiliation.

‘Mana is a finite force anyway.’

Swish─!

The escort knight increased his attacks one after another. With this level of output, it wouldn’t take long for her mana to run out.

The moment she exhausts all her mana, it would be over.

Swish! Swish! Swish….

How many minutes had passed like that?

After swinging his sword repeatedly until his body was drenched in sweat, bewilderment slowly began to spread across the escort knight’s face.

‘Just how much longer…?’

Fwoosh!

“Argh!”

At that moment of doubt, one of his feet got caught in the flames. The shock felt like dipping his foot into a furnace, striking the escort knight’s brain.

“This is impossible….”

A ‘powerful output’ itself might not be surprising upon closer inspection. Everyone has a trump card.

However.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

There seemed to be no end to Trixie’s flames. They poured down on the escort knight like an endless waterfall, creating an illusion of infinity.

‘This isn’t working.’

The moment the escort knight thought that.

Boom!

He couldn’t avoid the explosion from beneath his feet. His ankle wasn’t fully healed.

“Ugh!”

He ended up rolling on the ground several times in a disgraceful manner. Only after stabbing his sword into the ground did he manage to stop.

“Ugh…”

Now, one of his legs couldn’t exert any strength at all. There was no feeling in it. Trixie’s flames were that powerful.

“How on earth….”

“It’s a simple story.”

Trixie spoke emotionlessly as she looked down at him.

“We were just more desperate than you.”

“….”

The escort knight looked up at Trixie, unable to say anything.

It wasn’t because of his disadvantageous situation, nor was it because he feared Trixie’s flames. It was purely because of the desire he saw in her eyes.

Something shining more transparently than any jewel in the world. Such a thing was contained in the girl’s eyes.

He couldn’t help but accept it.

“…I see.”

The next moment, the knight’s vision was filled entirely with blue.

It was the moment when the outcome became unmistakably clear.