Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

Chapter 682 151.4 - Let me see your strength

"Then a final fight?"

"Indeed. A final fight."

The arena felt like a furnace, the heat of Irina's flames mixing with the oppressive energy radiating from both combatants. Despite the exhaustion weighing heavily on them, the anticipation of one final clash rekindled their resolve.

Irina raised her arms, flames coiling tightly around her wrists, crackling with raw intensity. This fight had tested her in ways she hadn't expected. Astron's relentless speed and adaptability had forced her to push the boundaries of her control, her multitasking skills, and even her creativity.

"This isn't just about winning,' she thought, her eyes narrowing. 'It's about becoming better.'

Astron's stance shifted slightly, his sharp gaze locked on her movements. While his agility gave him an edge, he'd come to respect Irina's ability to adapt. Her quick thinking and sheer power had kept him on his toes, and every mistake he'd made had been met with punishing retaliation. Fighting her was an entirely different challenge from anything he'd faced before-a constant tug-of-war between precision and survival.

"Don't hold back," Irina said, her voice carrying over the heat between them. "If this is the last round, I don't want any excuses.""

Astron shook his head, his body lowering slightly as his aura sharpened. "I will not."

The air between them seemed to pause for a brief moment before they moved simultaneously.

Irina unleashed a wave of fire, her mana surging to its peak as she cast multiple spells at once. Flaming spears materialized in the air, shooting forward in rapid succession, while her flames twisted into a whip that lashed toward Astron with pinpoint accuracy.

But Irina had anticipated this. She split her focus, using her telekinesis to redirect the flaming spears mid-flight. They arced through the air, targeting Astron's blind spots. He reacted instantly, his instincts honed from the experience of fighting many stronger opponents. A burst of mana propelled him sideways, narrowly avoiding the first spear. Another grazed his shoulder, leaving a faint burn, but he didn't falter. His eyes flickered toward Irina, his determination unwavering.

'She's gotten faster,' he thought, a flicker of respect passing through his mind. 'But that just means I need to be sharper'

Astron changed his approach, feinting left before surging right. His sudden burst of

speed caught Irina off guard, and for a moment, he was within striking distance. His hand shot forward, aiming for her side, but her barrier shimmered to life, absorbing the blow and dispersing the impact.

Irina smirked, her flames roaring as she countered. Her whip lashed out, forcing Astron to retreat, while the redirected spears boxed him in. She could feel the strain of maintaining so many spells at once, but she refused to let it show.

Astron dropped low, his body twisting as he launched himself upward in a spiraling motion. The force of his movement created a small shockwave that disrupted her

whip, giving him just enough space to close in again.

This time, Irina didn't back down. She compressed the flames around her, creating a focused explosion that forced Astron to adjust mid-air. He landed with a roll, but she was already on him, her flames surging forward in a relentless assault.

The clash continued, both of them adapting and countering in real-time. For Irina, it was an opportunity to push her multitasking to its limits, balancing offense and defense with precise control. For Astron, it was a lesson in patience and timing, finding openings in her overwhelming power without getting caught in her traps. The minutes stretched on, each exchange leaving its mark on the arena and their bodies. Sweat dripped from their faces, mingling with the faint streaks of blood from their earlier wounds. Despite their exhaustion, neither showed any sign of giving up.

The intensity in the arena reached a fever pitch, the scorched air thick with mana and the heat of Irina's relentless flames. Both Astron and Irina were moving at the edge of their limits, each exchange pushing them closer to exhaustion. Yet, Irina's mind raced, weaving together a new strategy mid-fight.

She knew the risks of her most powerful spell-a devastating area attack capable of obliterating enemies like Astron in a single blow. But the memory of its destructive potential, from her duel against Seraphina, gave her pause. She'd nearly lost control then, and the thought of doing so now was unthinkable.

At that time, many instructors had all pushed their energy into the formations around the tournament arena. This time, her mother could possibly intervene, but there was no need to take such a risk.

Especially she wouldn't put Astron's life into such a danger.

And she was sure that, he was doing the same. Even though he was using nearly all of his power, she was %100 sure that Astron was not fighting to kill her.

That was why.....

'This isn't the time for brute force,' she thought, her eyes narrowing as Astron closed in once more. 'I need precision. Speed. And control'

With that resolve, Irina shifted her approach.

--Spellcasting Speed and Multitasking

Her flames surged outward, but instead of channeling her mana into a single massive spell, she cast multiple smaller ones in rapid succession.

School of Emberheart: Flickerburst Volley]

A flurry of fireballs materialized around her, each one a smaller, more concentrated burst of flame. They shot toward Astron in unpredictable arcs, forcing him to weave and dodge in a chaotic rhythm. At the same time, Irina kept her body enchanted with a layer of flame armor, reinforcing her defenses and enhancing her agility. Astron darted through the barrage, his movements fluid and calculated. His sharp gaze never left her, even as he twisted and turned to avoid the onslaught. Despite her rapid casting, he managed to close the gap again, his footwork precise as he prepared

to strike.

But Irina wasn't done.

--Multitasking with Telekinesis

As Astron moved, Irina's telekinesis flared to life. The fiery projectiles she'd cast didn't dissipate after missing their target. Instead, she redirected them mid-flight, bending their trajectories to target Astron's blind spots. Each adjustment was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it forced him to constantly shift his focus.

Astron's eyes narrowed as he realized her intent. He launched himself upward, using a burst of mana to propel himself above the redirected flames. But Irina had already anticipated the move.

She extended her hand, flames coiling into a focused whip that lashed upward to meet him mid-air. At the same time, her telekinesis compressed the space around the whip,

amplifying its speed and precision.

SWIRL!

Astron twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the strike. As he landed, his feet barely touched the ground before he surged forward again, his speed nearly overwhelming.

--Experimenting with Teleportation

Irina's mana pulsed as she tried something new-something she'd been testing throughout the fight. Her flames flickered around her feet, forming a circular sigil

beneath her.

[School of Irina: Ember StepJ

In an instant, her body flickered out of view, reappearing a short distance away just as

Astron's strike passed through where she'd been standing. The teleportation wasn't seamless-it required immense focus and drained her mana significantly-but it

worked. For a moment, she had the upper hand.

WARP!n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Astron's eyes twitched slightly at her sudden displacement, but he adjusted quickly, his body pivoting toward her new position. Irina used the brief open:

another volley of spells.

--Relentless Adaptation

SWOOSH!

to launch

Astron evaded the incoming attacks, his movements becoming sharper, more

deliberate. His figure blurred as he closed the distance again, his body low and his hand already poised to strike. Irina summoned another barrier to deflect his blow, but this time, Astron didn't follow through with a direct attack. Instead, he feinted, spinning low and aiming a sweeping kick at her legs.

Irina jumped, her flame-coated body propelling her higher than a normal leap would allow. She retaliated with a downward slash of her flame whip, forcing Astron to leap

to the side.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

As Astron leaped sideways to evade Irina's flaming whip, his body twisted mid-motion,

and his hand reached for the sleek black bow slung across his back. With a fluid motion, he nocked and loosed five mana-infused arrows in quick succession. Each arrow cut through the air with lethal precision, forcing Irina to react.

Her whip dissipated in a burst of flames as she refocused, her hands raising to conjure

a defensive spell. With a quick gesture, a barrier of flickering fire formed before her, intercepting the incoming arrows. Each impact sent sparks flying, the force of the collisions pushing her back slightly.

Astron landed gracefully, his bow lowering as he stabilized his stance, his sharp eyes watching her every move. But Irina was no longer content to stay on the defensive.

Her flames flared brighter as she shifted tactics, her body moving with renewed determination. "Enough of this," she muttered, igniting her hands in a surge of fiery mana. With a decisive motion, she clapped them together, and a massive wave of fire roared forward, rolling across the arena like a tidal wave of heat and light.

School of Irina: Inferno Breathj

The flames surged toward Astron, but Irina wasn't done. Her eyes gleamed with intent as she anticipated his response. 'You'll use that bracelet again, won't you?' she thought, already preparing her next move. With a quick motion, she conjured five fire

spears, hurling them directly into the path of her flames.

Her strategy was clear; use the overwhelming wave of fire to obscure his vision, hiding

the true threat of the spears behind it.

BOOM!

Astron's bracelet shimmered faintly as he raised his arm. A sudden shockwave erupted

17'དང་

outward, propelling the flames away from him in an explosive burst of energy. Just as

Irina expected.

SWIRL! SWIRL!

But as the flames cleared, his sharp eyes immediately caught the gleam of the

incoming spears. Despite their sudden appearance, he moved with precision, narrowly evading each one. His movements were almost instinctive as if he could see

through her ploy.

'How does he-?' Irina's thoughts were interrupted as Astron leaped into the air, twisting gracefully to avoid the final spear. She smirked faintly, already manipulating the trajectory of the spears with her telekinesis. They curved mid-flight, homing in on

him once more.

At the same time, she began casting another spell, her mana surging as a complex sigil formed beneath her feet.

But Astron wasn't idle. From mid-air, his hand moved swiftly, drawing four daggers

from his belt. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled them toward her in rapid succession,

each one imbued with a faint glimmer of mana.

SWOOSH!

The daggers flew toward her with incredible speed, forcing her to abandon her

casting. Irina growled under her breath, raising her hand to blast the projectiles away. The first three daggers were deflected in quick bursts of flame, each one detonating in a harmless flash of light as they collided with her magic.

But as she prepared to deal with the fourth, her eyes widened in realization.

The final "dagger" wasn't a dagger at all-it was a vial.

The glass container shimmered faintly as it arced toward her, its contents swirling

with a volatile mixture of mana. Irina's heart skipped a beat as the implications hit

her.

'A trap!'

It was a trap, and she had fallen for it right away.

She couldn't keep it at all.