Vay, who had lost his way, stumbled and wandered to the edge of the arena.
Although there were still more than ten meters from the edge, it was already very close to the outside void.
The Wizard’s eyes brightened; in previous duels between two Official Wizards, the final victory was achieved by forcing the opponent out of the arena. Now, he seemed to be able to try this method too?
The Wizard was tempted, but his rationality told him to wait a bit longer. As long as he waited until Vay’s potion was fully consumed, he would definitely win.
But is it really possible to wait until the opponent’s potion is completely consumed? Will there be unexpected events during the consumption process?
After all, the opponent is a descendant of the Noah Clan. His potions and Magic Rune Scrolls must be substantial; maybe he could really experiment with a method to overcome the fungal barrier?
At this moment, it was as if there were two different voices in Wizard’s mind, one named "Cautious Approach," the other named "Take a Risk." They had contrasting thought orientations and value orientations, advocating for themselves through constant arguments.
Cautious Approach adheres to the dogma of self, with ’absolute rationality’ as the core, using tight calculations and chess moves as arguments, explaining its viewpoint.
Take a Risk is of the newborn radical ideology, under the name of ’follow your heart,’ interpreting its views through stories of decisiveness and chaos.
For now, neither could convince the other.
However, in this state where neither could convince the other, "Cautious Approach" actually held the advantage, because if it couldn’t convince the opponent, then do nothing, which fits the concept of being cautious.
If there are no unexpected events, the Wizard’s inclination likely will not change.
But unexpected events often occur at the time when you think they won’t.
Vay, regardless of whether it was due to sheer bad luck or something else, began to walk straight towards the edge of the arena.
Earlier, he was only walking within a range of ten meters from the edge, now he was heading directly towards the void.
The Wizard’s heart skipped a beat, and the idea of pushing him forward rose again.
However, the value concept of "Cautious Approach" remained the Wizard’s fundamental dogma; he believed that being cautious could save his life, so even though the devil’s temptation was already whispering around his ears, he still restrained his impulse.
The Wizard kept on repeating to himself: the opponent has a scheme, deliberately luring him over, must not be fooled.
Yet after chanting this, the Wizard unconsciously questioned: the fact that the opponent lost direction is undeniable. Because Vay entering the mist was part of the Wizard’s setup. Subsequently, causing him to lose direction, naturally expanding the fungal barrier range through the mother attracting the child trait was also within the Wizard’s calculations.
Therefore, he should not be acting now.
Thus, his movement towards the edge might not be a trap?
Maybe he should give it a try?
At this, the Wizard’s heart started to itch, but his extensive experience clearing Magic Monsters in underground aqueducts made him more restrained than apprentices of the same rank. This habit of endurance was deeply ingrained in his bones. Before completely eliminating doubts, he chose to be cautious.
Until Vay seemed to realize he was walking towards the edge and began to retreat, the Wizard finally couldn’t hold back.
Vay didn’t continue forward but chose to retreat, indicating his previous action was indeed due to losing direction, not intentionally walking to the edge as a lure.
Having established this fact, combined with Vay’s endless potion consumption that made the Wizard’s heart churn with jealousy, the Wizard finally decided to act.
However, even though he decided to act, the Wizard didn’t choose to rush forward immediately.
He wanted to conduct one last test.
He summoned a shadow based on his true form, slowly rising from the ground’s shadow. Then, this shadow silently walked towards the direction where Vay was located.
It walked until it was about fifty meters away from Vay before stopping.
Vay didn’t notice the pair of eyes staring at him in the mist; he continued to retreat, avoiding stepping out of the arena.
As he retreated, Vay’s expression was still cast fiercely towards the direction of the edge. Though he remained silent, the Wizard could infer his emotions from the direction Vay was looking.
Probably feeling scared, while cursing the dome produced by that black-robed referee.
It’s understandable, without this dome, Vay could judge his distance from the edge by the howls of the Magic Monsters in the void.
Now, unable to hear outside sounds and stuck in the mist, he nearly lost his footing, falling out of bounds.
Observing Vay’s fiercely expressed face and cautious examination of the surroundings, the Wizard’s doubts were completely erased.
He created a shadow resembling his form to check if Vay had any schemes. But even at a distance of fifty meters, the other party hadn’t discovered the shadow, indicating his perception was still suppressed by the fungal barrier.
And fifty meters was an optimal distance for the Wizard. His attack strength wouldn’t diminish within fifty meters, so if the shadow wasn’t detected, he himself probably wouldn’t be either.
After multiple tests, the Wizard finally felt assured.
His body gradually emerged from the shadow, soon standing firmly within the mist.
He watched Vay stagger in the distance, oblivious to the impending danger, gently removed his mask, revealing the corners of his lips slightly curled up.
"It’s over." Silent declaration, expressing Wizard’s immense confidence.
Yet, it was at this moment the plot twist unfolded.
From afar, Vay suddenly staggered, falling to the ground. Meanwhile, a massive Earth Spike rose from several meters behind the Wizard, piercing through the Wizard’s body with lightning speed.
The Wizard didn’t even react before the Earth Spike lifted him into the air.
His current body was his True Body. Blood and flesh were instantly punctured, resembling a torn doll pinned on the sharp spike.
From the distance, Vay stood up, turned to look at the Wizard.
"Yes, it’s over."
...
The entire battle process was very inexplicable; even Angel, after reviewing the stored scenes, couldn’t discern when Vay deceived the Wizard.