Above the mage!

Chapter 621 Obtaining Another Badge (Part 2)

Lorraine's judgment was accurate.

But it's not accurate enough.

Because he was unable to analyze what exactly the mental attack spell that Gaode had cast was.

Although both are mental attack spells, their underlying principles are vastly different.

Some incite the mind to create illusions, some tear apart mental barriers to cause excruciating pain, and some forcibly distort cognition to instill fear; the types of harm vary wildly.

The saying "you can only treat a disease if you treat the disease" is most apt when it comes to magical combat.

If Loran had known that what God was about to unleash was the [Mental Spike] that pierced the very essence of the soul and caused pure mental damage, he could have immediately cast [Protective Energy] and chosen mental damage protection without hesitation.

At that time, when the spike lands on his mental barrier, it will be like a mud ox sinking into the sea, not even causing a ripple, thus achieving perfect resistance.

But he didn't know.

The reason is simple: although Mind Spikes is not a rare spell, it is an Iceborn spell awakened by the High Druid through his bloodline. It is an ancient spell and does not belong to the category of regular spells.

Therefore, since Loran had no understanding of the [Mind Spikes], he naturally could not make the corresponding judgment.

Of course, this is not fatal.

There is never just one way to counter spells.

Even if the specific spell effects and damage types are unknown, there are still ways to counter them; at most, it just won't achieve the best cost-effectiveness that Loran is looking for.

The most common strategies for countering mental attack spells are improved saving throws, gaining resistance/immunity, spell counterspells/disarming, and defensive spell buffs.

Loran chose the first option, which had the highest priority and practicality.

Exemption reinforcement.

That is, to enhance one's mental strength.

To put it simply, it's about using brute force to overcome skill.

The stronger the mental barrier, the higher the success rate of exemption.

Moreover, he is a dignified third-ring mage, while Gao De is merely a second-ring mage.

Even if Gao De's combat methods are unpredictable and his talent is outstanding, in terms of "basic values," that is, mental strength, Loran should have an absolute innate advantage.

As he thought this, Loran began to swing his golden staff rapidly.

The golden crystal at the tip of the staff suddenly burst forth with a soft yet unmistakable holy light, and a warm magical power flowed from his fingertips throughout his body.

[Blessing Spell]!
Loran didn't spend time studying and mastering this spell, since it was somewhat useless in his spell system and rarely used.

However, he had the foresight to inscribe and store it in the spell sequence of the staff, just in case.

To be honest, it was the rules of the art museum that limited him.

Because when guarding the hall, mages are only allowed to bring one extraordinary magical weapon into the arena.

Without this restriction, his usual extraordinary equipment would be incredibly "luxurious," including perception amulets, protective rings, resistance cloaks, and so on.

These extraordinary equipment items can directly boost his "base stats".

With this equipment, he didn't need to cast any additional spells to enhance his abilities; he was confident that he could directly negate the mental attack spells of the High Priest.

The instant the holy light flowed, Gaode's [Spiritual Spike] had already arrived silently.

There were no earth-shattering phenomena, no ear-piercing sounds of air being torn apart.

That spiritual thorn, like the sharpest ice needle, ignored the physical barriers and pierced straight into the very essence of his soul.

A sharp, cold, tearing pain exploded in Loran's mind in an instant!

The feeling was as if someone had taken a red-hot awl and plunged it deep into the depths of his consciousness.

But just as the spike was about to tear through his mental barrier, a burst of brilliant holy light, generated by the [Blessing] spell, suddenly erupted from his soul.

The holy light was gentle yet extremely resilient, like a fine net that steadily caught the icy spiritual thorn.

The moment the holy light collided with the spikes, Loran felt a buzzing in his mind, and the intense pain was instantly suppressed by most of it.

That soul-tearing power was rapidly weakened layer by layer by the holy light, eventually turning into a negligible chill that dissipated into the depths of consciousness.

Exemption successful.

The slight panic that Loran had felt gradually disappeared.

In the process of responding to each move, he regained his rhythm and confidence.

Moreover, in his view, Gaode's three-pronged approach should be almost over.

After all, from the beginning until now, Gaode has used a wide variety of complex methods, which can even be described as comprehensive.

However, a young mage like Gaode will ultimately not have a very deep spell library.

This is a very reasonable judgment.

Loran swung his staff again, preparing to launch a swift counterattack.

But the next moment, he realized something was wrong.

The golden staff in his hand suddenly turned icy cold.

The chill didn't originate from the surface of his body, but rather from the metal interior of the staff, spreading wildly from his fingertips, along the veins in his arm, and throughout his entire body.

It's [Frozen Metal]!
Loran reacted instantly.

Yes, it's still [Frozen Metal], but this time, God's target is the golden staff in Loran's hand.

As the most mainstream, most widely used, and most developed magical weapon in the mage system, the staff is made from a variety of materials, including the bones of ley line creatures, magical plants, ores, and so on.

In this case, a staff made of metal is actually quite rare.

But without a doubt, Loran's staff is made of metal, making it the perfect target for [Frozen Metal].

The biting cold caused Loran's expression to change drastically.

The staff's unique warm texture disappeared, replaced by a bone-chilling cold.

Even more deadly, as the cold air spread, the metal-type magic power that was originally flowing smoothly in his body seemed to be frozen, and its flow rate suddenly slowed down by half.

Without time to think, Loran suddenly activated the magic power within her body and quickly cast a spell to deal with the situation.

"[Protective Energy: Cold]!"

With a deep shout, a pale blue light suddenly burst forth from his body, enveloping him and the staff in his hand.

The spell's effects took effect instantly, forming a dense energy net specifically designed to resist the erosion of cold-attribute magic.

Loran could clearly feel that the bone-chilling cold emanating from the staff was forcibly blocked the moment it touched the light barrier.

The icy chill that had crept up my veins suddenly stopped, the numbness in my fingers holding the staff was gone, and even my breathing became much easier.

He had just breathed a sigh of relief, and before he could even smile, his face darkened again.

wrong!

The chill hasn't completely dissipated!

Like a persistent ailment, the chilling cold that seeped into the metal texture of the staff and even spread along the magic conduction lines was not completely banished by [Protective Energy: Cold].

They clung to the inside of the staff's material like the most stubborn ice and snow.

Even with the barrier of the energy light curtain, a slight coolness can still be transmitted through the metal.

Even more bizarrely, this chill carried a peculiar stagnant force, making the flow of magic within the staff increasingly sluggish, enough to completely disrupt his originally smooth casting rhythm. "How is this possible?!" Loran's eyes were filled with disbelief.

As a third-ring mage, the effect of his [Protective Energy: Cold] spell is sufficient to resist the erosion of most ice spells.

Even the Ice Storm of the Third Ring can offset more than 70% of the cold.

But the icy chill before them seemed to ignore the magical protection, its stubbornness terrifying.

Little did Loran know that the Pure Ice Bloodline flowing through God's body made his ice spells far purer, more refined, and even more stubborn than those of ordinary mages.

This is what makes pure-blooded Iceborn so terrifying.

Loran was still trying to activate his magic to completely dispel the remaining chill in the staff, but God had already entered the next stage.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and a faint yellowish-brown halo appeared.

Geomagnetism.

This spell was not an offensive spell, but it was extremely targeted. It instantly wrapped around the golden staff in Loran's hand and then directly triggered the magnetic force of the earth's veins beneath the arena.

In an instant, Loran felt the staff in his hand suddenly sink.

At first, it was only a slight increase in weight, which he could barely manage to hold thanks to his mage physique.

But just half a second later, the weight began to increase dramatically, like a snowball rolling downhill.

The staff itself is made of a material with a density far exceeding that of ordinary metals. Now, with the enhancement of the geomagnetic spell, the weight of the staff instantly soared to several hundred kilograms.

Loran felt as if he were holding a heavy piece of meteorite iron, not a mage's weapon.

"Ugh!" Loran groaned, his arm tensing up suddenly, veins bulging.

He instinctively gripped the staff, trying to steady it, but the sudden, immense force was too astonishing; the pressure transmitted through his arm almost crushed his bones.

Adding to the stubborn chill of the [Frozen Metal], the staff was no longer a useful weapon for him, but a hot potato, a burden that hindered his heart.

Moreover, Loran could clearly sense that God's gaze was firmly fixed on him, and the next attack was still poised to be launched.

If I continue to be burdened by the staff, I might collapse in the next wave of attacks.

Damn!

A hint of resentment flashed in Loran's eyes, but he quickly gritted his teeth, turning his resentment into determination.

Immediately afterwards, he released his grip on the staff.

The moment it let go, the golden staff, weighing hundreds of kilograms, lost its support and slammed heavily onto the alloy plate with a loud "boom".

The violent impact caused the entire fighting arena to tremble slightly, and the floor was dented, causing the runes to dim slightly.

After the staff landed, it remained firmly attached to the ground due to the geomagnetic effect, as if it had taken root.

The moment Loran discarded the staff, he felt a lightness in his arm, and his tense muscles finally relaxed.

But every gain has its loss; without the staff, his strength will decrease significantly.

He didn't care about anything else. After discarding his staff, he didn't hesitate at all and quickly mobilized his mana. Pale golden magic power condensed in front of him, and the [Shield Spell] was formed.

Only after that did Loran have the mind to look up in Gaode's direction, his eyes filled with solemnity and vigilance.

But as soon as he looked up, he was stunned and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Gao De was rushing towards him, his dark gold alloy feet pounding loudly as he stomped on them, his figure as swift as an arrow released from a bow.

What alarmed Loran even more was that a crystal-clear frost longsword had somehow materialized in God's hand, radiating a chilling aura, with a ghostly blue light shimmering at the edge of the blade, as if it could freeze the air.

【Frost Sword】!
But this [Frost Sword] is completely different from what Loran knew.

The ordinary Frost Sword has a slightly ethereal blade and is fragile.

But the sword in Gao De's hand was as solid as a physical longsword, with fine ice patterns covering its blade and a faint chill emanating from it.

Considering the meaning behind the inability to dispel it earlier, Loran was now certain that God's ice spells all had unique characteristics.

"Not good!" Loran thought to himself, instinctively wanting to retreat and create distance.

The mage's strength lies in ranged spellcasting; melee combat has never been their domain.

However, the movement stun caused by the Frozen Metal had not completely subsided, and Gao De had even cast a spell on himself, making him incredibly fast.

Whoosh!
A piercing whistling sound rang out as Gao De's icy longsword, carrying a chilling aura, slashed down towards Loran's face.

The sword strike was fierce, the angle was extremely tricky, the speed was so fast that it almost left a afterimage, and it also carried an overwhelming force.

This was something Loran couldn't possibly dodge with his reflexes alone.

scoff!

At the critical moment, the [Shield Spell] in front of Loran came into play.

The icy longsword slammed into the pale gold shield, producing a piercing sound of tearing energy.

Two energies with completely different properties collided and tore violently on the surface of the shield, stirring up countless tiny energy spots that scattered like debris.

Loran could clearly feel that the magic on his shield had dimmed considerably under the impact of the ice sword.

Before Loran could think further, Gao De's offensive had already arrived like a relentless storm.

The essence of melee spells lies in maximizing the advantage of sustained suppression while losing the advantage of ranged attacks.

Ordinary ranged spells are often one-shot kills, dealing damage only once per cast.

However, melee spells can launch continuous attacks as long as the spell effect lasts, creating an all-encompassing suppression.

The icy longsword in Gao De's hand seemed to come alive, sometimes thrusting straight, sometimes slashing horizontally, sometimes chopping and parrying, the sword moves flowing continuously without the slightest gap.

Each sword strike carried a chilling aura and fierce power, relentlessly suppressing Loran and giving him no chance to breathe.

laugh!laugh!laugh!
The sounds of ice swords clashing against shields echoed repeatedly.

The pale gold shield flickered under Gaode's relentless onslaught, its light threatening to shatter at any moment.

Loran could only do his best to reinforce the shield with magic, while moving his feet with difficulty, trying to avoid God's sharp edge.

However, his speed was already slower than Gao De's, and he was further hampered by the coldness of Zhenbing's aura. Every time he dodged, he appeared extremely disheveled, and cold sweat involuntarily seeped from his forehead.

What made Loran most desperate was that, under such a relentless onslaught, he couldn't find any time to cast spells and retaliate.

A mage needs time to cast spells, but Gao De's sword moves were so seamless that each collision shook him to his core.

If you are distracted even slightly, the shield could shatter instantly.

He could only passively reinforce his shield, like a fish on a chopping board, at Gaode's mercy.

If only I had the staff in my hand. Loran subconsciously clenched his empty right hand, a strong sense of regret welling up inside him.

The spells inscribed in the staff can be cast instantly. In this situation, if the staff is still intact, a counterattack can be launched with just a thought, which might break the current predicament.

But just now, in order to escape the pressure of the [Geomagnetism] and [Frozen Metal], he had deliberately discarded his staff...

and many more? !
Loran was jolted awake, his pupils contracted sharply, and his mind reeled as if struck by lightning. He finally realized what had happened.

It turns out that everything was part of Gaode's plan!
From the very beginning, Gaode had no intention of engaging in a ranged magic duel with himself, who was skilled in defense.

Because under normal circumstances, it would be extremely difficult to break through his defenses.

Gao De's plan was to proceed step by step, first disabling his own staff, and then using his melee advantage to force himself into a desperate situation.

"What a deep scheme!" Loran's heart was filled with shock and disbelief, as well as deep apprehension.

(End of this chapter)