Ashes of a Fallen Legacy-Chapter 58: Let’s Have a Duel [1]

As Vale pushed through the thick leaves blocking their way, they were greeted by an ethereal scenery—almost man-made because of how neatly the place looked.

The grass was soft and clean, almost like it had been mowed by someone. The area was perfectly shaped, resembling a circular formation.

There was a lake, too, at the edge of the circular spot in the forest.

"What the hell, Zane! This isn't just something you find by luck!"

Zane looked toward Vale with a smile, then said:

"Well, I guess I must be really lucky then."

"You definitely are!"

Excited, Vale immediately ran off to explore the ethereal part of the forest. From the large boulder resting beside the lake to the lake itself, he examined everything.

Zane was reminded of the first time he came here. He had the exact same reaction as Vale—he couldn't believe how beautiful and unreal the place looked.

Soon after, Zane approached Vale and said:

"Anyway, Vale. Let's go train already, or are you just going to waste your time roaming around?"

Vale turned his head and stared at Zane, then said:

"Chill out, man. I was just checking out some stuff."

He paused, then added:

"Anyway, let's go! I've never been so motivated to train before."

Zane paused for a moment before saying something. Then he said:

"So, you know... I was thinking. Since I have a duel tomorrow, how about we go at it first? Right after your training, of course."

"Huh?"

Vale stared at Zane blankly for a while, then smiled and said:

"Oh, that's right. You have a duel. Man, why do you keep putting yourself in this situation?"

Zane's expression turned somber.

"What do you mean? It's fate that keeps putting me in this damn situation. I'm simply flowing in the river of fate."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say..."

Zane smiled, then said:

"Then, I'll take that as a yes!"

Zane and Vale then proceeded with their training, just doing what they usually did—starting with whatever they were comfortable with.

As for Zane, he preferred to start by working out, moving from practicing swordsmanship to practicing magic.

There's more to learn from magic than just learning a new spell, after all. Sometimes, casting a spell can be a hassle, which can slow down the process.

That's why Zane often practiced casting spells repeatedly, just to increase his casting speed.

Vale, meanwhile, started off with mana training, then moved on to physical training.

Soon after, they finally finished with their daily training—and it was time for their duel to begin.

Zane stood in an unusual stance, as if preparing to be hit by something. Meanwhile, Vale stood not far away across from him.

Vale held his wand in his right hand, preparing to cast a spell.

Then—

- Bang!

Zane moved sideways after Vale cast a spell that shot straight at him, fast as the eye could see.

But with Zane's swordsmanship training, his agility had gotten better—enough to dodge something as fast as a light attack.

"Whoa! You dodged that!"

Before Zane could even cast a spell, Vale launched another one—something even more vicious.

"Then can you dodge this?"

Seeing Vale was about to spam attacks, Zane immediately performed a barrier spell.

Zane raised his wand, and suddenly, a semi-transparent barrier in the shape of a diamond formed in front of him, blocking the rapid light attacks headed his way.

"You really aren't holding back, are you?"

He said, then added:

"Then I guess I'll do everything I can to win."

Zane knew Vale's weaknesses well.

Vale was the type of mage who spammed attack spells while hiding behind someone or something that could protect him. But right now, Vale had no one shielding him, which left him exposed.

The Taren Clan focused more on attack spells, but that didn't mean they were completely defenseless. They might not be that durable, but they were agile, which made up for their lack of defense.

But Vale... he was only a D-class student. And D-class students weren't in D-class for no reason.

Zane remained in defense mode, blocking all of Vale's attacks. Vale was bound to get tired soon, which would give Zane enough time to cast a spell.

Since the barrier spell he was using absorbed the power of the attacks it blocked, the next spell Zane was going to cast would be a bit dangerous—especially for someone like Vale.

Well, as long as the ethereal lake is with us, I'm sure things will be fine.

Soon after, Vale finally stopped attacking. As soon as Zane noticed the disappearance of Vale's spells, he immediately dropped the barrier and cast his next spell.

Lightning started appearing at the bottom of his feet, then climbed upward to his head, until it reached his hand—like a snake trying to strangle him.

Soon, his hand started to glow with a lightning ball, and he prepared to fire it. However, for some reason... Vale was smiling?

'What the...?'

Suddenly, before Zane could fire his Lightning Rope, Vale raised both hands. An orb of light appeared—and exploded so fast that Zane had no time to react.

Zane released his Lightning Rope spell, but he couldn't control it. The explosion from the orb had flashed in his eyes, leaving him blinded. It hurt like hell, too.

As soon as he released the Lightning Rope, he immediately dropped to his knees, covering his eyes.

However, that didn't last long. He tried to endure the pain and scanned his surroundings, looking for a familiar presence.

'Shit, behind me!'

Zane's eyes widened as he sensed Vale's presence behind him.

It seemed that Vale hadn't been idle while Zane was working so hard to grow stronger.

But Zane's training had also borne fruit.

Zane immediately turned around. He could see that Vale wasn't too close yet, but his hand—held in a knife-like position—was reaching for his neck.

However, before Vale's hand could get close enough, Zane's hand suddenly rose up, pointing at Vale. A lightning-shaped sword formed from it, reaching close enough to Vale's neck to make him freeze.

But Vale's hand was already close enough to Zane's neck as well.

Both of them froze at the same time.

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