Several colorless spheres of mana flickered into existence around him—unstable, faintly trembling, yet tightly controlled. They hovered just long enough to be seen.
Then they shot forward.
Lily didn't hesitate.
She had already seen this before. Blocking was inefficient. Dodging would only delay the inevitable.
So she chose the only option that actually worked.
A burst of wind exploded beneath her feet, launching her upward.
The instant she left the ground, the spheres detonated.
A chain of explosions ripped through the area below, kicking up dirt, stone fragments, and a thick cloud of dust. The air shook with the force of it, the shockwaves rising—but Lily was already above their reach.
She stabilized herself midair, a steady current of wind keeping her afloat.
Below, Kane stood within the fading cloud of dust.
And he was smiling.
Lily frowned.
Why is he smiling?
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she scanned her surroundings.
No distortions in the air.
No mana fluctuations aside from the residue of the explosions.
Nothing hidden above.
She glanced downward again.
Dust still covered the ground, swirling and obscuring everything beneath.
There's nothing there…
Then why—
Lily clicked her tongue.
Whatever it was, she wouldn't give him time to use it.
"Spike Rain."
The air above her shimmered.
Thin, jagged stone spikes began to form—one after another, dozens of them, each sharpened to a deadly point. Unlike crude projectiles, these were condensed, dense, and heavy. They weren't just meant to hit.
They were meant to pierce.
Lily raised her staff.
Her mana thinned as she maintained both the spell and her flight, but she didn't hesitate.
She swung downward.
"Fall."
The spikes dropped.
Not randomly—but guided. Controlled.
They angled toward Kane's position with precision.
Below, Kane didn't move.
Not even slightly.
Lily's grip tightened.
Why isn't he dodging?
A flicker of unease crept into her chest.
He wasn't even preparing a counterspell.
He was just… standing there.
Is he… frozen?
The thought hit harder than expected.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Wait—what if he actually gets hurt?
Her spell wasn't weak.
From that height, with that density—
That could seriously injure him.
"What am I supposed to tell Olivia if I—"
Lily snapped her staff upward, trying to redirect the falling spikes.
"Turn—!"
But it was too late.
The first spike struck.
Clink.
Lily froze.
The sound wasn't right.
It wasn't the sound of impact into flesh—or even into solid ground.
It was… lighter.
Sharper.
Like something glancing off.
The second spike hit.
Clink.
Then the third.
Clink. Clink. Clink.
One after another, every single spike deflected away.
Not shattered.
Not stopped.
Deflected.
They slid off an unseen surface, losing their momentum before crashing harmlessly into the ground around him.
Lily's mind stalled.
That's impossible.
There was no visible barrier.
No mana signature thick enough to suggest a defensive wall.
And even if there was—
At that speed and weight, they should have pierced through anything he could put up.
Her thoughts spiraled—
—and that moment of hesitation cost her.
Kane raised his wand.
"Mana Drain."
A faint vortex formed, subtle but precise.
Lily felt it instantly.
Her mana was being pulled.
Not violently—but steadily. Relentlessly.
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't matter. She had enough reserves to outlast something like this.
But right now—
She was maintaining flight.
She had just cast a large-scale offensive spell.
Her reserves were already strained.
That steady pull—
—became overwhelming.
The wind beneath her feet faltered.
Her body dipped.
"Wait—"
The current collapsed.
Lily dropped.
Air rushed past her ears as panic spiked.
"Ah—!"
She flailed instinctively, trying to gather mana—anything to stabilize herself—but her core felt empty.
Below, Kane's expression changed instantly.
"Oh—!"
He broke into a run, positioning himself beneath her.
He stretched out his arms.
I can catch her—
He adjusted his footing—
Closer—just a little—
But he misjudged.
Lily fell past him.
Time seemed to compress into a single second.
At the last possible moment, Lily forced out what little mana she had recovered.
A weak gust of wind slowed her fall—
just enough.
She hit the ground beside him with a rough, awkward landing instead of a full crash.
Silence settled.
Kane slowly lowered his arms.
"…I had that."
Lily stayed crouched for a moment, catching her breath.
Then she stood, brushing dirt off her clothes, her expression tight.
Kane cleared his throat, trying to regain composure. He pointed his wand at her.
"I win."
Lily opened her mouth—
then stopped.
Her pride flared—but so did something else.
Curiosity.
"…Fine," she said after a pause. "If you tell me what you used to block my spikes, I'll count this as your win."
Kane didn't even pretend to think.
"Deal."
A grin spread across his face.
"What should I wish for, huh, Lily? Got any suggestions?"
Lily stared at him flatly.
"Explain."
Kane chuckled.
"I used a barrier."
"…No," Lily said immediately. "You didn't."
Kane blinked.
"I did."
"No normal barrier could stop that," she shot back. "Not at that height, not with that force."
"Well," Kane said lightly, "good thing it wasn't normal."
Lily crossed her arms.
"…Go on."
"I used neutral magic."
"That still doesn't explain it," she replied instantly. "Neutral magic strengthens structure, sure—but not to that extent."
Kane clicked his tongue twice.
"No, no. That's where you're wrong." He tapped his wand against his shoulder. "You're thinking like most people do."
Lily narrowed her eyes.
"Meaning?"
"You're thinking defense is about resisting force."
He tilted his head slightly, his grin widening.
"But it doesn't have to be."
Lily stilled.
"…What did you do?"
Kane's smile sharpened.
"I changed the shape."
"…Shape?"
"A pyramid."
Lily blinked.
For a moment, nothing clicked.
Then—
She pictured it.
A barrier, not flat—but angled.
Each surface sloping outward.
Her spikes falling straight down—
striking the surface—
and sliding off instead of penetrating.
Not stopped.
Redirected.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…You didn't block them."
Kane shrugged.
"Didn't need to."
Lily clenched her fist.
Tch…
It was simple.
Too simple.
And that made it worse.
"I lost," she muttered under her breath.
Beside her, Kane kept his expression calm—but internally, his thoughts were racing.
That worked…
But barely.
He exhaled slowly.
From observing Lily before, he had already noticed a pattern.
Against stronger opponents, she became sharp—calculating, adaptive, precise.
But against opponents she didn't consider a threat—
She relaxed.
Relied on overwhelming output.
Focused on winning quickly instead of efficiently.
That was the gap.
And today, he built everything around it.
Start with mana bombs.
Something familiar.
Something she already knew how to deal with.
She wouldn't block.
Wouldn't dodge.
She would go up.
Exactly as expected.
Once she was airborne, the rest fell into place.
Force her to maintain flight.
Encourage large-scale spells.
Let her drain herself.
Then finish it with Mana Drain.
Clean. Efficient.
Controlled.
At least…
That was the plan.
Kane glanced briefly at the ground where she had fallen.
I didn't expect her reserves to be that low…
And—
I definitely didn't expect her to just drop like that.
He rubbed the back of his neck slightly.
"…You almost crushed me, you know."
Lily shot him a look.
"You were smiling."
"…That doesn't mean I wanted to die."
"…You didn't even move."
"I trusted my spell."
Lily clicked her tongue again.
"…Annoying."
Kane smirked.
"You're just mad you lost."
"I'm mad I lost to something stupid."
"Hey," Kane said, raising a finger, "it's not stupid if it works."
Lily paused.
Then exhaled.
"…Next time, I'm breaking it."
Kane's grin widened.
"I'm counting on it."
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
But the tension didn't disappear.
It shifted.
Not hostility—
—but something closer to rivalry.
And neither of them intended to lose next time.