Convenient Magic - 56
Then he suddenly turned toward Bell, looking irritated.
"And you! You could've stopped that mage from incanting his magic!"
Bell simply smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
Juro stared at him, clearly annoyed.
Then he sighed.
"...Haa."
A smile returned to his face as he turned back toward the woman.
"Got quiet now, huh?"
…
The woman held her stomach, still feeling the lingering pain from Juro's heavy blow. She looked back at him, her expression now far more serious, though there was a hint of anxiety behind it.
She couldn't believe that what he had said was actually true.
If their mage hadn't healed her in time, Juro really could have knocked her out with that single punch.
Her fists clenched.
Then, with anger building inside her, she charged toward Juro again and unleashed a consecutive barrage of punches.
But this time, Juro didn't bother redirecting them.
He simply received each punch with his palms.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Even with the brass knuckles covering her fists, and despite the force behind every strike, Juro showed no reaction at all. He continued blocking her attacks with nothing but the palms of his hands.
The woman became increasingly irritated.
She was beginning to understand.
He had been playing with her since the beginning.
With growing frustration, she suddenly threw a powerful kick toward his side.
Juro casually caught her leg with one hand.
At the same time, he covered his mouth with his other hand and yawned.
"You done yet?" Juro exclaimed as he looked down at her with a casual expression.
There wasn't even a single drop of sweat on his face.
He released her leg and stepped back.
"You must have, like, a final move, right? Go on, I'll wait. At least before you get defeated, get defeated while trying your best, alright?"
A bright, cocky grin appeared on his face.
That grin only made her even more annoyed.
She stepped back and glanced toward the mage behind her. The woman gave him a small nod, silently signaling something.
Then she raised her hands.
"Ich Starke! Ich Schnell!"
Magic flowed through her body once again, boosting her strength and speed.
But she wasn't finished.
She began pouring mana into her brass knuckles, reinforcing them even further.
The mage behind her then raised his hand.
"Vayu Sahayata!"
Wind magic surrounded her body.
It was a support magic that gave its target additional assistance from the wind. Whether she was running or attacking, her movements would become more agile and quicker than usual.
The woman felt the boosts flowing through her body.
Then she looked directly at Juro.
Without wasting another second, she launched herself toward him.
This time, she immediately raised her leg and swung it toward him.
The kick was powerful.
And fast.
Even Juro was slightly surprised.
But not fast enough.
He casually dodged the kick.
The woman immediately continued her assault, launching one attack after another without stopping. Punches, kicks, and strikes came at Juro from different angles, her enhanced body moving faster than before.
But Juro was quick on his feet as well.
He dodged every single attack.
And he barely moved away from them.
The gaps between his dodges were small, sometimes only a few inches away from the attacks connecting. A punch would pass beside his face as he tilted his head, while a kick narrowly missed his body as he shifted his stance.
Yet none of them landed.
Not a single one.
Juro calculated every one of her attacks without fail.
The woman was still desperately trying to land even a single hit on him, but no matter how she attacked, Juro always managed to dodge at the exact moment her attack was about to connect.
The mage noticed that their leader was in trouble.
His eyes then turned toward Bell, who had been standing nearby and simply watching the fight.
The mage raised his hand.
"Tengwan Buhuo!"
Suddenly, long vines began sprouting from the ground beneath Bell's feet. They quickly wrapped around his legs and body, restraining his arms and preventing him from moving.
"Stay there, kid. Can't have you helping out your team," the mage exclaimed.
Without waiting for a response, he immediately sprinted toward where the woman and Juro were fighting.
Bell didn't react.
In fact, he had known the mage was going to capture him, but he hadn't bothered to move or dodge the magic.
"He's definitely an Adept, but he's still sloppy. With the experience he's gained, he should know better than to underestimate kids... Although I'm not one... but still."
Bell glanced down at the vines wrapped around him.
"And he didn't even use anything to cover my mouth. I could easily incant magic to break free..."
But then, Bell became curious.
Instead of immediately using magic, he decided to try breaking free through pure physical strength first. Without using mana or mana manipulation magic, he squirmed around for a moment before bracing himself.
Then he forcefully expanded his arms, attempting to tear the vines apart.
Nothing happened.
Just as he expected.
His body was still physically lacking.
"Dang... Well, I guess I can train this body more often when I get the chance to..."
Bell sighed to himself before quietly whispering an incantation.
"Teng Jie."
Magic flowed toward the vines.
Almost immediately, they began slowly unwrapping from his body before dispersing into nothing.
Bell casually brushed off his pants and shirt.
"Mmm. Magic sure is convenient when you have the exact magic incantation to counter another magic."
He then turned his attention back toward the fight and continued watching.
Meanwhile, the mage had finally gotten close enough.
He raised both of his hands toward Juro.
"Pyrini sfaíra!"
A powerful ball of fire burst from his hands and shot straight toward Juro.
"Leader! Dodge!"
The woman immediately turned and moved to the side.
The fireball came rushing toward Juro's face.
Yet his expression remained as relaxed as ever.
Then suddenly—
"Megen."
A blue barrier appeared directly in front of Juro's face.
BOOM!
The fireball slammed into the barrier and was completely blocked.
"What?!" the mage exclaimed in confusion.
He quickly turned his head and saw Bell standing nearby with one hand raised.
Bell noticed him looking.
"Oh, hey," he said with a smile. "That lady over there told me that it's their fight, so we shouldn't interrupt."
The mage's expression darkened with irritation.
"You'll regret getting yourself involved, kid."
He immediately raised his hand toward Bell and incanted the same magic he had used earlier. A blast of fire shot from his palm.
Bell casually raised his own hand.
"Jala Prahara."
A powerful ball of water burst from his palm and shot toward the incoming fireball.
The two collided.
FSSSHHHH!
Steam spread between them.
The mage became even more irritated.
"Baram Hweorichigi!"
Wind suddenly began swirling in front of him. It spun faster and faster until a medium-sized tornado formed and charged straight toward Bell.
The spell was powerful, but it came at a cost. The mage could already feel his mana dropping considerably. He still had some left, but if he continued casting powerful offensive magic, he would eventually run out.
Bell watched the tornado approach.
He was slightly impressed by its size.
Yet his composure remained unchanged.
"Baram Hweorichigi."
The mage's eyes widened.
Another tornado appeared in front of Bell and rushed directly toward him.
The two tornadoes collided.
The winds crashed against each other, struggling for a moment before gradually weakening as the spinning air began to slow down.
But Bell didn't give the mage time to recover.
"Pyrini sfaíra."
A fireball shot toward the mage.
Immediately afterward, Bell cast another magic.
"Jala Prahara."
Then another.
"Jala Prahara."
And another.
"Jala Prahara."
Three powerful water balls burst forward behind the fireball.
At the same time, Bell poured mana into his legs and sprinted toward the mage.
The mage saw the fireball.
But he didn't see the three spells following behind it.
"Megen!"
A blue barrier appeared in front of him just as the fireball crashed into it.
The mage prepared to disperse the barrier, but then he saw the three incoming water balls.
He kept the barrier active.
BOOM! SPLASH!
The three water balls slammed into the barrier, causing a massive splash that completely blocked his vision.
The mage quickly dispersed the barrier.
And the moment he did—
A fist was already flying toward his face.
"W-What?! Meg—"
Bell's fist struck him straight in the face.
The mage stumbled back several steps, but Bell didn't stop.
He quickly swept the mage's legs out from under him.
The mage lost his balance and fell.
But before his body could even hit the ground, Bell's right arm was already moving.
His fist tightened.
And then—
THUD!
The mage's stomach landed directly onto Bell's fist.
His body jerked from the impact as he became dazed.
But he was still conscious.
Now lying on the ground, he held his stomach in pain.
Bell raised his hand toward the mage's head.
"Jala Prahara."
One.
"Jala Prahara."
Two.
"Jala Prahara."
Three.
"Jala Prahara."
Four.
"Jala Prahara."
Five.
At such a short distance, the force of the water balls was heavy and powerful. The repeated impacts made the mage struggle to breathe before his consciousness finally faded.
"Well, that takes care of it," Bell thought to himself.
He turned around and continued watching Juro's fight.
Meanwhile, the woman was still desperately trying to attack Juro.
She hadn't even noticed that one of her teammates was already down.
Then, just as her enhancement magic wore off, her attacks suddenly became significantly weaker and slower.
Juro remained the same, a casual expression still resting on his face.
But then their eyes met.
Juro suddenly stepped forward.
He got close.
Very close.
Until his face was near her ear.
"Goodnight," Juro whispered.
Then his fist came up toward her stomach.
THUD!
Her vision immediately blurred.
The strength left her body, and she fainted.
"See? I knew I could knock her down with one hit. That mage just interrupted it," Juro exclaimed as he walked toward Bell.
"Yeah, yeah. Excuses," Bell casually replied.
"(ꐦ¬`‸´¬) Haha..."
Juro then looked at Bell.
"Anyways, where'd you learn that water ball magic from?"
"Oh, I just found it somewhere in a book in Noria and Brea's room."
Juro scratched his chin.
"I see. I'm impressed you were able to copy that tornado magic earlier."
Bell simply shrugged.
"Well, yeah. I heard him incant it with how loud he was saying the magic, and also..."
He casually looked at Juro.
"I'm just that much of a prodigy."
Juro's eye twitched.
"(ꐦ¬`‸´¬) Haha..."
But then his expression softened into a smile.
"Both of you are."