Blade of Ruin- Aspiration to the Heavens: Becoming the Supreme Mage Vol 3

Episode 19: Defense and Healing

*Lei*

Nyima pulled me over, snapping me out of my previous thoughts.

"Where do you think we should start?" she asked.

I rubbed my chin and glanced at my still pouting cousin.

"Probably defensive spells. Healing spells can come later," I responded.

"And status inflicting spells?" Nyima asked as she raised an eyebrow at me.

"I'm not sure if he's ready to learn those yet. Plus, this is a fight against kids."

"Kids can sometimes be more dangerous than adults," Iah said as he made his way over to us. "That said, I do agree with your starting points."

Nyima narrowed her eyes. "Should you be helping us? Raul will be going up against your cousin after all."

He shrugged. "Well, there's nothing on the line for me. Plus, I have confidence in his skills. If anything, I want to give my cousin a fight that would push him to grow." He glanced at me for a second. "One does need a good rival to bounce off of."

I grinned.

Nyima smirked. "You have a point there. Both of you and Adela have helped push me toward bettering myself." She turned toward Raul and started to make her way back over to him.

"So, she sees us as rivals," Iah said, snickering.

I laughed as I swung my arms behind my head. "Seems like it. But, I also see all of you as rivals. A year ago, I hoped to meet people like you in the exam in Mahpiya."

"Well, I'm glad that you found us compelling enough as rivals," he said before high-fiving me. "Maybe, we can have our rematch after the kids have theirs."

I felt like jumping up and down. This gave me a chance to measure how much I'd grown over these past few months! Ayawamat didn't want to give me a rematch either, nor did Adela. Even rank battles were canceled for the rest of the year once we returned as several students started to get severely injured, fighting a strange masked figure who would appear in the middle of the night. Too bad I never had a chance to run into said person; I would've loved to have tested their strength...

As for Nyima, I didn't even bother asking as she most likely would've rejected my proposal before I could even finish saying it.

"Lei!" Nyima yelled.

I spun around. "Coming!" I yelled, rushing over to her and my cousin.

Iah snickered as he returned to his spot.

"You're always daydreaming," Nyima said as she exhaled.

My face reddened. "Sorry."

"Are you tired? If so, then you should go take a dip in the hot springs and get to bed. I can continue the training by myself."

"No, I still got energy to spare!" I said, jumping up and down repeatedly.

She grumbled. "Alright, I believe you, now stop jumping like a bunny."

"Don't you like bunnies?" Raul asked.

Ny's face reddened. "I do, but that's not the point! Anyway, let's start, or else we'll be here all night."

Raul smiled. "Yippee!"

"Watch me closely. I'm going to teach you a water-based barrier spell."

My cousin gasped. "Water? But my opponent is a water mage too."

Nyima laughed. "Sometimes, to defeat an opponent, one must use their own power against them. This barrier can absorb water spells into it. Of course, you'll need to make sure to balance the incoming water to prevent the sphere from losing its balance."