They were tucked away between the treelines, a whole forest away from one another. With many trees, vines, roots, and a veil of mist blocking most of their view. Searching for each other in this condition would be an absolute mess, especially when there was barely any sunlight.
Ashrosaliera saw a stream running down where she was standing, so she chose to relocate, remembering how Luciana was told to be a great [Water] user, and having access to a natural water source would allow him to use it to his advantage with some spells like [Water Control] that required external sources which Ash vaguely remembered learning about.
"Well, you'll regret choosing the jungle, vampire!"
Ash rolled up her blazer sleeves and stretched out her arms.
"Fire Magic: Flame Pillar!"
A giant flaming beam shot up from the ground, piercing through the trees and leaves. Despite being only an F-Rank spell, it evaporated the moisture in the leaves and ignited the dry branches on fire. The mist hissed as flames licked through it, turning white into a deep, smoky red.
It was a simple, contained fire hazard at first. Then, through the trees and branches, grass and dirt, it kept spreading, lighting up the path so the eye could see. Precisely what Ashrosaliera wanted.
"Wind Magic: Storm."
A soft voice echoed through the jungle, and the next thing Ashrosaliera noticed was that a giant windstorm came flying towards her. It blew her back with its immense strength. Her entire view was covered with the foggy white mist. When Luciana pushed the air towards Ash, she lowered her head and covered her eyes.
'This must be… At least an advanced-level spell! But what rank is it? I can't imagine it being lower than D-Rank with this range and coverage!'
Ash looked behind and saw a tree trunk in the way, so she lifted herself off the ground, allowing the wind to take her. She flew backwards a few paces before grabbing onto the tree trunk. Ash's lower half dragged behind while she held on for dear life.
With one hand hanging her body weight, she covered her brows with the other to get a good look in front while avoiding specks of dust and debris in her eyes.
"He… He's spreading the fire?!"
The windstorm fueled the flames, Ashrosaliera witnessed as the wildfire of the jungle ignited into a giant ball of flame, enough to engulf a small village.
"Fire Magic: Fire Flight."
Using the quick burst of speed, Ash drove her body against the drag of the storm and hid behind a giant tree that hadn't caught on fire yet.
Ashrosaliera took a breather, thinking of a way to approach Luciana. As a [Water] and [Wind] user, she'd assumed he was a more ranged mage of sorts, and he was trying to create some distance by pushing the wind away towards Ash's direction.
"Tch… Coward!" Ashrosaliera yelled, "Are you too scared to face a first-year?!"
But Ash was wrong, oh was she so, so, SO wrong.
"Me?" Luciana's voice could be heard.
Ash looked up and froze.
Luciana stood balanced atop the very tree she'd hidden behind… watching her. Ash was horrified, confused, yet excited to face a menacing and unpredictable opponent.
The wind blew his skirt upright, and Ash saw a pair of dolphin shorts underneath… Thank god it wasn't anything unholy, considering his dressing preference.
"Fire Magic: Blazing Blade!" Ashrosaliera immediately cast in quick succession, "Fire Magic: Fire Flight."
She flew towards Luciana and struck her sword, causing him to step back and fall off the tree.
"Wind Magic: Levitation," Luciana whispered.
Ashrosaliera followed right after and saw Luciana floating in the air, looking up at her while she stood on the tree, taunting Ash as he casually rose to her eye level, the wind still blowing strong yet indifferent. At the same time, Ash struggled to control her [Fire Flight].
"You're going to lose!" Ash immediately dove in and slashed at Luciana mid-air with her [Blazing Blade] repeatedly.
"What made you think that?" Luciana smiled, floating with [Levitation] and easily dodging her knife strikes with both hands behind his back.
"Because you're maintaining two advanced-level [Sustain Spell] at once! The one that's causing this storm and the one that's keeping you flying! Your mana must be dry by now!" Ash explained, trying to read his dodging pattern and make more unpredictable attacks.
"Ah, you are smart. I noticed you're using [Blazing Blade], which seems like a sustain spell but is an instant spell. So you must have lots of mana left, right?" Luciana chuckled. He was now using one hand to parry her strikes by pushing her wrist and hand away.
Ashrosaliera smirked for an answer.
"Fire Magic: Flame Pillar."
A flame pillar, the size of an entire tree, shot up from the ground behind Luciana, cutting off his escape.
"Too easy!" Ashrosaliera exclaimed, swinging her knife in a wide arc from left to right, making sure he couldn't possibly dodge anywhere.
She actually did it this time. Ash landed a hit on someone, and she heard the sound of her knife bursting against the flesh of a person.
Ash witnessed with her own eyes when Luciana took that straight to his chest and continued digging for a better cut. A [Blazing Blade] had the same property as a lethal slicing and cutting weapon, just less sharp and more focused on delivering elemental damage.
A hole was cut through the blazer and shirt of Luciana's, leaving his pale ribs exposed, and blood started flowing out.
"W-What the… You didn't block that?" Ash muttered in confusion, looking at his flesh-cut wound, wondering if she would accidentally kill him, "Are you even alive?!"
"Why should I?" Luciana said in an even, chilling, relaxed tone.
Ashrosaliera looked at his blood red eyes, then back down at the cut in horror, realizing his wound had already closed up and blood had stopped flowing.
'Vampires… I remember now, they have enhanced regeneration! I have to dig deeper!' Ashrosaliera thought.
Ash swung her blade again without letting Luciana get a chance to counterattack.
"Wind Magic: Air Shot"
"GYA!"
Luciana cast a simple spell, aiming at Ash's wrist, which stopped her momentum, and she shriked in pain.
Ash deactivated her [Blazing Blade], reactivating it on her left hand this time, and swung it straight at Luciana's neck.
Neck hit connect, the fire pierced straight onto the vampire man's neck, and Ash continued driving her knife in until it was halfway into his body.
"Recover from this, you crossdresser!" Ash exclaimed with a smile.
But then, she realized that the man didn't flinch, Luciana didn't make a sound, he wasn't bothered, as if everything she did, even stabbing him in the throat, meant literal nothing except for his blood to flow.
"W- Why are you not responding? You're losing a lot of blood!" Ash exclaimed in horror.
He placed his hand on Ashrosaliera's wrist where she held the blade, and he grabbed it so tightly she couldn't move.
This was the power of the strongest mage in the second year.
"Ashrosaliera Säpphroaleryst, I am disappointed," Luciana said, his eyes relaxed as ever, and his soft voice echoed, like whisperings from the sky. "You're the most moronic mage I've ever seen."
The immense wind had stopped blowing when he deactivated [Storm], but it didn't mean Ash was safe.
"Wind Magic," Luciana chanted, aiming his hands at the burning forest, "Whirlwind."