Manu soon saw an opening and launched his deadly one-hit attack, 'Dark Thrust.' He released a dark presence; His spear got covered in liquid, like black energy. He jumped into the air before moving toward Rishi and attacking his chest through the opening.
Rishi looked at him, and his lips curled up. His eyes shone golden; Different from what others thought, he used 'shadow steps' and sidestepped. A blur appeared in his original place; He used his left hand and caught the spear from its tip, surprising Manu. He then swung his spear and hit Manu in the chest, throwing him back.
The others looked at him; they focused on his hand, which was releasing a chill presence. It was covered in ice, which melted, and his real hand could be seen. There was a faint scratch on his hand that recovered in the next second. They couldn't believe what they had seen—how could someone catch such a powerful attack with his bare hands?
Rishi smiled as he looked at his hand. This was the body enhancement ability of the ice enhancement that he used; It could temperately cover a part of his body in a layer of ice. It increased strength and defense.
He was impressed by this skill; if he increased its level, he would be able to cover his whole body in a layer of ice. With the icy body and this ability, he will become an unstoppable force for a short time, and with his regeneration, he will be able to hold on his own even against multiple opponents.
Shadow Steps was the skill he created by reworking his Phantom Steps skill. This skill provided him with double speed. He could use his speed further the more shadow energy he used; the highest was 300% for now. He looked at Dilip and pointed his spear; he wanted to fight with Dilip with all his strength.
Dilip smiled and entered the fighting ring. He summoned his spear and hit the ground, creating a 'clang' sound.; He pointed his white spear and disappeared from his place. A figure appeared behind Rishi and thrust a spear at his head. Rishi felt a chill; his eyes shone in a golden glow as he used his 'Shadow Steps' technique in full power to block the attack with his black spear covered in ice.
A small explosion took place as the spear surrounded by a blue flame hit the spear covered in ice, and Rishi was pushed two steps back. He looked at the madness in Dilip's eyes and laughed before jumping at him and using 'Vertical Slash.' Dilip easily dodged it by taking a sidestep and deflecting his spear.
They both continued and exchanged multiple moves, creating multiple explosions. Dilips's attacks were filled with destruction, while his opponent's attacks contained a gust of ice. As the battle progressed, their attacks started becoming stronger. When Manu looked at the fight, he realized how much Rishab was holding back.
As Rishi started getting hit frequently, he decided to use his 'Frozen Armor' skill. A cold gust was released from his chest before a white-colored armor appeared on him, releasing a chilling presence. He also used body enhancement to cover his right hand in a layer of ice. He was feeling the impact of Dilip's attacks, which were starting to hurt his right hand.
Dilip looked at Rishi's armor and released an even stronger presence. A blue fire exploded in his spear before starting to become solid. The white tip of his spear became crystal blue. It increased the temperature around him.
Rishi looked at him, and a black flame appeared on his hand that concentrated on the tip of his spear, creating a liquefied dark flame. He swung his spear, and a blur appeared in his place; He moved like a blur and attacked Dilip. His opponent laughed and launched his own attack.
Their attacks came into contact with each other, and a giant explosion took place. Rishi was knocked back five steps. Cracks could be seen on his spear and armor; he wanted to continue, but the ceiling fell. Ajit looked at it and said, "Oh Shit." He didn't know how he would reply to the academy. Rishi and Dilip stopped fighting and looked in different directions as if this had nothing to do with them.
"Dev, I have something urgent; See you soon," said Rishi before disappearing from his place. Others tried to look for him, but it was as if he was never present. Even Dilip raised his brows this time; he was able to only sense a faint presence, which dissipated the next second. "Interesting," he said as a smile appeared on his face.
An unknown figure covered in a violet cloak appeared out of the shadow. The cloak disappeared, and what remained was a gray-haired boy entering a room. He changed his clothes and sat there, waiting for any customers.
...
Time passed, and it had already been a week. A gray-haired boy could be seen entering the Academy Library with a smile on his face; He looked to be in a good mood. He went straight to the Ice Element Weapon Technique Section and purchased the 50,000 CP skill 'Ice Nova Battle Art.'
He went straight to his apartment to practice this art; He started with the first technique. It took him only an hour to perform it. He created a sword and used it to slash at the object from five meters away; A gust of cold wind released from his sword and hit the object, slashing it into two before freezing both the remaining parts.
He nodded, satisfied with the effect of the skill, and started to learn other skills. He didn't face any problems learning the second technique either. "Is my Ice Element talent increased due to Icy Body Technique?" He was not sure, but this was good news for him.
He tried to learn the third technique, but no matter how much he tried, he was unable to do so. He then realized his mistake; This technique requires an ice environment to practice. He decided to learn it later and first master these two skills, so he entered the VR chamber and started to know them better by using them again and again.
'Tower of Trials' was the best place to get to know the technique better. He could only improve his technique mastery very little here, but he could get used to his skills very easily here; He could also check their limits and learn how to use them in different ways.
He remained in their training Zone for a long time before getting bored and leaving; Now he was thinking of going to an ice-cultivation area to master the third skill.