Wally stood in the middle of the training ground at the heart of the academy. It was a circular arena depressed into the ground. Seats for viewing were placed around it, while stairs to descend into the arena were placed exactly opposite one another.
Lucius walked down the steps, having donned his standard-issue armor, though he chose to leave off the mask, cloak, and hood. Wally wore his typical robes, as he did while being a professor. His bald head glistened in the sun, and his mouth was turned into a massive grin.
"Ah, doesn't this bring back memories, Lucius? The days of me beating your rotten head to a pulp because you could not seem to grasp my lessons." Wally taunted. "Though it seems you were able to learn something from someone. Was I not a good enough teacher for you?"
Lucius grinned. "Not at all, Wally. I just found that the best teacher was experience."
Hundreds of students and several members of the staff had gathered in the viewing area. Rena was also present. She knew how this was going to end, yet she still showed up to support Lucius.
"I promise I will love you even with a few missing limbs!" She shouted from above.
Lucius shook his head and got into a ready position. He had recovered his mana by this point and would be able to go all out without concern. However, he would not be able to drop his Overcharge ability, even if he wanted to. There was also the slight issue that neither of them wanted to kill each other, so his deadlier abilities were out of the question...
"Don't worry about me, Lucius. Show me everything you have...um, except for the one that shattered the barrier... let's avoid that one."
He nodded in agreement and watched as a white-haired maid walked down the steps. She moved to a small rectangular stage on one side of the arena where the referee was to stand. After she got into position, she quickly turned and threw a dagger into the stone between Lucius and Wally.
The speed at which she threw the weapon surprised Lucius, as he had not expected such skill from a maid. He quickly noted that the girl was not to be underestimated in the future.
"Alright, Lucius. When Miss Natali's dagger vanishes from between us, the battle will start. To give you a handicap, I won't use my channeling." Wally instructed.
"Urgh!" Lucius expended a massive amount of mana and began to drag his sword along the ground. He ran a circle around Wally. With every clang of his weapon striking the stone surface, Lucius sent out a Thunderclap aimed directly at the old man.
Bits of Magma flew everywhere and collided with the barrier around the arena, keeping the audience and referee safe from any blowoff from combat. As Lucius had feared, the massive waves of force blew away the field between him and the old man, but it only took care of the surface. The magma was too deep for him to truly blow it away, which meant he was forced to fight at range.
The old man had him right where he wanted him. There was still one option, though it would be difficult. He also couldn't use it voicelessly yet...
Lucius gritted his teeth and decided to go ahead and use it. Through his Channeling, he pushed his Forsaken Arts and Thunder Magic into a spell he had not used yet in battle. Lucius raised his weapon into the sky and shouted, "[Tempestas: Roaring Thunder]!"
The sky darkened, and the bright sun suddenly vanished under gray storm clouds. A bolt of lightning surged down from the sky, connecting with his blade.
Lucius's weapon began to glow blue, then flashed to red, then back again. Meanwhile, Wally waved his hand and sent dozens more Magma Tendrils at him. Thankfully, they were scattered apart from the waves of mana pouring off of him.
Lucius lowered his weapon, aimed it at his master, and released the spell. Right in front of his weapon, a head of a dragon made purely of lightning with glowing red eyes and red streaks down its neck formed. The dragon roared in anger, vibrating the ground, and flew into Wally. It forced aside dozens and dozens more Magma Tendrils without effort, making Wally smile.
"Good show, but... "[Tempestas: Thunderclap]," Wally said with a huge smile at the same time as clapping his hands together.
A glowing dragon made of red and blue lightning suddenly met a wall of force and was forced back. It was able to resist the pressure of the man's spell for a second but then was scattered into nothing. Lucius felt as the spell collided with his body and threw him into the wall, making him nearly pass out.
There were a few uncomfortable cracking sounds, but he was unsure if it was the stone or his bones. Natali raised her hand in the air and voicelessly pointed at the old man, indicating his win. Rena ran down into the arena and hurriedly cast several healing spells. For a moment, he felt as though someone was glaring at him, but the pain was affecting his ability to think.
"Good job, boy. You got very strong, but you have a while to go yet!" Wally said with a grin.
Lucius gave him a smile. For once, defeat wasn't so bad... but to think... he didn't even use channeling. "I'm going to beat that man silly one day." He laughed.