Shirou slowly rose to his feet, brushing dust off his arms, his eyes flicking between Amelia and his slightly bruised forearms. His thoughts buzzed in confusion.
I'm sure I covered my hands with enough mana. I even reinforced it more than usual… so how did her attack push me back like that? He clenched his fists. Does her innate ability make her stronger than normal?
Before he could think further, Amelia was already standing a few meters away, her arms crossed and a teasing smirk painted across her face.
"Ready for the next one?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Shirou took a cautious step back, still feeling the sting from the previous attack. "Hell no," he said firmly, narrowing his eyes. "And seriously… what even was that attack?"
"I could show you again," Amelia said sweetly, tilting her head.
Shirou immediately held up both hands. "I think I'll pass, thanks."
"But what about the 100 hits challenge you proposed earlier?" she shot back, pretending to be hurt.
"No idea what you're talking about," Shirou muttered, already regretting his earlier bravado.
At that moment, Elliot appeared beside them in a blur of speed, dust fluttering from his boots as he landed.
"What's going on here?" he asked, glancing between the two. "Did someone attack?"
"No, no," Amelia replied casually. "I was just showing Shirou my ability. He wanted to see it."
Elliot sighed and rubbed his forehead. "You two… unbelievable."
"What?" Amelia replied, feigning innocence. "It's important to know each other's abilities if we're going to fight together, right?"
"Well… you do have a point," Elliot admitted, folding his arms.
Amelia turned back to Shirou with a grin. "Ready to learn more?"
"You could just tell me what your ability is, you know," Shirou said dryly.
"And where's the fun in that?" she winked.
Before Shirou could reply, a massive wall of ice with sharp spikes erupted between them, glimmering under the fading sunlight. But just as quickly, Elliot waved his hand, and the ice melted into harmless steam, vanishing completely.
Shirou blinked. "So you're an ice elemental user?"
Elliot nodded. "That's right. I only use the Ice Element. I'm from the Frostwhisper Clan—our clan is known for its precise control over ice."
"That was impressive," Shirou admitted. "Now what about you, Amelia?"
Amelia smirked. "Nope. I'll show it."
Elliot opened his mouth to protest, but she quickly added, "Relax, I won't hit him this time. Just a demonstration."
She stepped back and raised her right hand, palm facing Shirou. He prepared himself, focusing his senses this time.
And then he felt it.
An invisible wave passed through him. It didn't hurt, but something strange happened. The mana he used to shield his body started to flicker, disorienting slightly as if something was unravelling it from the inside. A second later, it returned to normal.
Shirou's eyes widened. "You can distort mana?"
Amelia nodded. "Yes. It's more like breaking the link between mana particles."
"Breaking the link?"
"You see," she continued, walking back to him, "I'm from the Shattergale Clan. We're known for our use of sound-based abilities. I can create invisible, high-frequency sound waves that disrupt mana where they hit. When you use mana to create a shield or armour around your body, it forms by connecting the particles in a tight structure. My ability disrupts those connections for a short moment, leaving you vulnerable."
"If you had hit me with full power just now…" Shirou began.
"You wouldn't be standing," Amelia finished with a playful shrug. "That technique is called Hollow Pulse. It's one of the strongest techniques of my clan."
Elliot added, "But keep in mind, there's a cooldown. She needs at least four seconds before she can use it again. As her level increases, the cooldown reduces since she'll be able to control her mana more efficiently."
Amelia frowned and glared at Elliot. "Did you have to mention that part?"
"Just keeping things honest," he said with a grin.
Shirou was still processing the information. "Wait… if your attack can break mana like that, couldn't you hurt even Sage-level or Mythic-level warriors?"
Amelia smirked. "Of course I can."
But Elliot immediately shook his head. "No. The effect weakens depending on the target's strength. Against someone of the same level, the disruption might last one to two seconds. But if the target is a level or more above her, it might only affect them for half a second—if at all. High-level users have much greater control over their mana, and disrupting it becomes far harder."
He continued, "That said, it still gives her an edge against slightly stronger opponents. That's why she's considered a support-type in our team—"
"Supporter?" Amelia snapped. "I am not just a supporter!"
Shirou chuckled. "Wait, but what about ranged attacks? Wouldn't you be vulnerable to those?"
Amelia gave him a long look. "You really are an idiot sometimes."
"Hey—!"
"Let me explain," she said with a sigh. "Every ranged attack, even a basic one, is made of mana. I can cancel out any attack that's below my power level completely. If the attack is stronger than mine, I can still weaken it enough to survive. My father was an Ascendant-level warrior, and I've seen him nullify a massive firestorm with just one sound wave."
Shirou nodded slowly. "So… you basically cancel attacks by disrupting the mana inside them?"
"Exactly."
She walked up to him, placed a hand on his shoulder, and said with a straight face, "The world is a cruel place. Some of us are just born too talented. It's not your fault."
Shirou stared at her, speechless. "Really?"
She smiled. "Now, if it helps your wounded pride, feel free to show us what you can do. We won't judge."
Shirou sighed, then stepped back. "Fine. It's not much."
He raised his right hand and summoned a small fireball.
Amelia clapped sarcastically. "Oh, a fireball. That's cute."
Then crackling sparks of lightning danced across Shirou's left arm.
Her eyes widened. "Wait… you can use two elements?"
But before she could finish her thought, the earth to Shirou's left rumbled and lifted slightly as he raised his other hand.
"Th… three? You can use three elements?" Amelia said, staring at him like he'd grown two heads.
Elliot's eyes narrowed in amazement. "That's incredible. Are you from the Silvermoon Clan?"
"Nope," Shirou replied simply.
"That's even rarer," Elliot said. "It's almost unheard of for someone outside that clan to have multiple elemental affinities."
Shirou wasn't done.
He stepped forward, his body flickering for a brief moment—and then four more Shirous appeared beside him, identical and perfectly still. Amelia's jaw dropped.
"What… is that?" she whispered.
"It's my innate ability," Shirou said. "It's called Phantom Mirage. Each clone is made from real mana and can mimic basic movements for a short time. It's not perfect… but it's enough to confuse the enemy."
Then, with a gentle motion, the clones vanished, the energy dispersing into the air.
Amelia stood frozen, her mouth slightly open. She didn't even know how to respond.
Shirou walked up to her, placed a hand on her shoulder, and echoed her words with a grin. "The world is a cruel place. Some of us are just born too talented. It's not your fault."
Amelia could only blink in disbelief.