The Duel Ends

Jasper was somewhat out of control because he was angry about being hit.

If Fran displays a level of skill that completely overwhelms him, or if he makes a mistake midway and Fran seizes the opportunity, or if Fran, after a hard-fought battle, successfully defeats him.

He didn't have much to say, but after being easily eliminated from the duel by a single Greater Fireball in two consecutive rounds, he really couldn't hold back anymore.

Fran blinked as she looked at Jasper, who was panting heavily. Only after seeing the anger on his face did she feel a little calmer.

The experience was so memorable for Jasper, and it was also memorable for Fran.

In the first round, Jasper was caught off guard and was instantly defeated by her Greater Fireball.

But if the same thing happens in the second game, then there's a big problem.

Even in the second round, after learning the speed at which the lights would turn on, Fran adapted and didn't hesitate for a moment at the start, so she only took 1.1 seconds to cast the Greater Fireball.

Fran wondered if her spellcasting speed was so fast that her opponent couldn't react in time, which was why the game ended so easily.

She had planned to pause slightly during the subsequent spellcasting before unleashing the Greater Fireball.

However, upon seeing Jasper's angry expression, Fran realized that it seemed to be for some other reason, not because her casting speed was too fast.

The staff member outside took a relatively long time to come in this time. He looked blank and scanned the two of them with an incredulous gaze.

He didn't witness Jasper's brilliant duel. When he returned for the second time, just as he was about to get a drink of water, he found that the duel was over, leaving only a dark green membrane suddenly protruding from Jasper's body.

The sound of the staff entering startled Jasper, making him realize his lapse in composure. He then sincerely apologized:

"I'm sorry, I got a little emotional... Please forgive me."

Fran glanced at Jasper's now-stable body and replied:

"It's okay... Shall we continue?"

Jasper hesitated for a moment. In the past, he would have definitely asked for a break after two games.

Each match brings intense spell battles, which no mage could withstand.

However, he hasn't been able to cast a single spell successfully yet, and the Mental Power consumed by interrupting spells hasn't even reached one-fiftieth of his total Mental Power.

This amount of energy expenditure is more than enough to last through a short Magic Duel, or even to finish all the remaining rounds.

"Okay, continue."

Jasper gritted his teeth and gave his answer, this time with a serious look in his eyes as he looked at Fran.

The staff handed Jasper a new Shield Device, and after Jasper put it on and got ready, he left.

Fran looked relaxed, staring intently at the ceiling light, not paying attention to Jasper's actions.

Upon seeing Fran's actions, Jasper had an exaggerated thought flash through his mind.

She pretended to be relaxed, but she was actually very vigilant, because if she won just one more game, she could win the entire match 3-0.

Therefore, in this third game, she will choose to play it safe and honestly release her shield at the start, instead of directly using Greater Fireball to send him away like she did in the previous two games.

Therefore, he can steal a powerful boost at the start of the game.

Then, using the enhanced stance, they attacked Fran, who had only activated one shield, and won the game by virtue of their advantage.

But soon, he snapped out of his daze and realized a serious problem: what was he thinking?!

Fran dared to start the third round with Greater Fireball because Fran had already won the first two rounds. If she continued, she might be able to steal his move. Even if she didn't succeed, she wouldn't necessarily lose, as there were still the next two rounds to go.

But what about him? He had no room for error. If he were to be killed by a Greater Fireball again, he would probably never forget it for the rest of his life.

So Jasper took a deep breath, raised his sword slightly, and estimated the distance between him and Fran, as well as the conditions along the way.

The distance between him and Fran was about twenty meters. This distance was a bit far because there were too many potholes in the area. If he wanted to find a flat spot, he would have to look further away.

He subtly shuffled forward, moving his body slightly ahead, while Fran's attention remained focused on the central headlight.

Although he dared not strengthen himself any further, he had another way to deal with someone as experienced as Fran: he could simply close the distance and attack Fran in melee.

As a mage of the Sword Chant School, he can launch attacks quickly and directly at close range. At the same time, he can also activate the instant-cast spell [Instant Acceleration] on his finger, a spell specifically used for casting Spell Ring.

His speed will immediately rise to his maximum value after the spell is released, but that's all the spell's effect has, which is why it can only be cast through a ring.

The central headlights immediately switched on after Fran blinked, accompanied by that piercing sound.

Fran did not act immediately, because she realized that her spellcasting speed was too fast, a result of the combined effect of [Arcane Sensitivity] and her immense Mental Power.

So she decided to go slower, just a little faster than those Second Order Mage when casting spells, but not much faster.

Jasper was unaware of Fran's concerns; he only knew that when the white light came on, it was time for him to act.

In 0.1 seconds, Jasper stepped forward, the ring on his hand glowing silver, and his body seemed to be pushed forward by an unseen force.

His body moved with practiced ease, stepping out with his other foot and continuing to charge forward.

In 0.3 seconds, Jasper controlled the speed generated by his body and dashed towards Fran, who was just about to cast a spell, like an arrow released from a bow.

Fran noticed Jasper's speed, and the thought of canceling the Greater Fireball and using another spell flashed through her mind, but she quickly dismissed it.

In 0.5 seconds, she noticed Jasper's foot step into the Shallow Pit, and her body involuntarily slowed down. This slowed speed made it almost impossible for him to reach Fran before Fran could cast her spell.

And who says Jasper can only run towards him, while Fran is not allowed to back away on her own?

One second later, Jasper crossed three Shallow Pit and traversed more than half of the bumpy journey of over ten meters. He also saw Fran channeling the spell in her hands.

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. In his view, if he had changed his spell beforehand and cast an apprentice-level spell, he could have stopped the man's steps, or at least prevented him from being taken away by a single sword strike.

At 1.5 seconds, Jasper was only a few body lengths away from Fran. He paused for a moment, moved his sword to the side, and prepared to swing it forward with his body.

At that moment, Fran pushed off with her front foot, sending dirt flying. The enormous recoil propelled her backward, but she hadn't stopped casting her spell.

One second and eight minutes after the start of the duel, Fran finished channeling her deliberately delayed Greater Fireball. At this moment, Jasper's slash was already launched, but he did not feel the obstruction of the dark green shield that he had expected.

He looked up and saw Fran flying in the air, several body lengths away from him, and moving away from him at an even faster speed.

An orange-red light had already appeared in Fran's hand, and before a faint wave of heat could even form, his heart sank to the bottom.

Two seconds later, the fireball exploded, ending the battle. The dark green shield unfolded again, and the longsword in his hand fell helplessly to the ground.

The staff arrived very quickly this time, because he also realized that each round of the Magic Duel seemed to have only taken a very short time.

He looked at Jasper and Fran with an extremely strange gaze. In any case, the fact that the battle ended so quickly was truly impressive to him.

Fran felt completely disoriented; it was far too easy for her. Although she had anticipated a crushing defeat, she hadn't expected it to end so quickly.

She looked at the staff member and asked:

"I won, didn't I?"

"Yes, you defeated your opponent 3-0, earning five points. This match will be settled in five minutes and added to your account."

When he said this, the staff member was stunned for a moment. This was the first time he had ever seen a best-of-five series where the settlement time was longer than the match time.

Although he had heard of several stomp matches before, they all took longer than the five minutes required for the final score.

But even the shortest match, excluding halftime, lasted about three and a half minutes.

Now, it has completely broken records, reaching a level that later generations can only look up to.

Including the time it took for the staff to hand Jasper the Shield Device, it only took two minutes and twenty-three seconds in total.

"I want to reschedule the Duel Arena for tomorrow afternoon, is that alright?"

"Okay, let's confirm in person, right?"

"Yes."

Fran didn't dawdle. After confirming the Duel Arena for tomorrow afternoon with the staff, she left without making any further moves.

"This player can leave now."

"Okay, I understand."

Jasper recovered slightly, but his mind was still replaying the crushing defeat he had just suffered.

"She casts spells too fast; no wonder she dared to start with Greater Fireball."

He gritted his teeth, somewhat regretting that he hadn't noticed Fran's unusual casting speed in the previous two matches.

If he had known this, he would never have rushed forward like that.

"Learn from this; the mage who dared to register before the Preliminaries ended also had her own trump card."

Next, Jasper walked to the front of the Duel Arena and made his demands.

"I wish to request a new Magic Duel." Jasper had not suffered any serious injuries in the previous duel, nor had he expended much Mental Power, nor had he used up a single spell scroll.

So he mustered his courage and directly requested the next duel.

"Sorry, you don't have enough humanoid contact-resistant Shield Device. Would you like to purchase more?"

"Shit," Jasper spat, remembering that he only had four shares, which was just enough to not meet the requirements.

"Schedule a show for me next week."