What truly decided a battle between mages?
Was it who possessed more mana, or who stood at a higher circle?
Who was the stronger mage—and who was the better one?
The answer was more complicated than most people liked to admit.
Having a higher mana heart didn't automatically mean one understood magic better.
Some mages spent their entire lives chasing power, while others devoted themselves to uncovering the truths behind spells, formulas, and the laws that governed the world itself.
Even the academy acknowledged this.
Magic was subjective.
Growth paths differed.
Talent manifested in strange ways.
But when it came to real combat—when spells were exchanged and lives were on the line—there was one rule that stood above the rest.
Casting speed.
The mage who could release their spell first usually won.
No matter how devastating or beautiful a spell was, if it couldn't be cast in time, it was meaningless.
A slow mage was a dead mage.
Simple as that.
