Chapter 40
last update2025-02-27 07:04:54

The forest fell silent. Miko and Aria faced each

Miko's calm was absolute. Where others might have tensed, might have prepared for an immediate magical assault, he stood with an almost meditative stillness that defied everything Aria understood about magical combat.

Her ice magic crackled around her, intricate crystal patterns forming and dissolving with each subtle movement of her fingers.

The crowd watching through magical projections leaned forward. Competitors in other segments of the arena paused, their own challenges momentarily forgotten. Coaches exchanged rapid whispers. Magical analysts worked their interfaces with furious intensity.

Miko's response was a controlled calm. "Circle rankings are just the beginning of understanding."

Aria's frustration erupted like a breaking glacier. "Just the beginning?" Her ice magic intensified, the temperature around them plummeting so rapidly that holographic trees began to frost over, their digital edges becoming brittle and sharp. "I'm
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