Keeping his distance, continuously weakening the enemy with spells, then finally delivering a fatal blow—this was a mage's most classic tactic, regardless of who his opponent was.
Magic was certainly powerful, but its strength did not come solely from raw power. Dragons, the Wild Gods, and many other creatures possessed innate strength far beyond a mage's limits, yet mages could still contend with these naturally powerful beings because of magic's complex versatility.
In other words, when facing truly powerful opponents, mages never relied on direct confrontation to win. More often, they would probe their opponent repeatedly, uncover his weaknesses, then search through the vast sea of spells for a combination capable of defeating him. They would weaken their enemy this way before ultimately claiming victory.
That was exactly what the Elven King was doing now.
The moment he realized how powerful his opponent was, he immediately cast aside his inner arrogance. Taking the stance of a weaker man, a challenger, he sought another way to defeat Arthas.
Old men always lived in their memories. For a moment, Anasterian recalled his younger self.
Back then, he had merely been a fledgling mage, without the bearing of the future Elven King. Even so, he had once shared the same experiences as countless ordinary mages, defeating enemies stronger than himself through wisdom rather than mere power.
It had been a long time since he had felt this way.
The memory vanished in a flash, and the Elven King began preparing a new spell. Although Anasterian excelled most in evocation fire magic, with several thousand years of life behind him and the accumulated knowledge of the elven royal family, no one knew what other profound magical secrets he had mastered. Now, he was preparing an illusion spell, intending to divide and defeat his enemies