<h4>Chapter 42: Looser shall win</h4>


    "Darn it!" Ray clenched his teeth, narrowly evading a flurry of iing attacks. He needed a moment to regain control of the battle.


    He mmed his palms against the ground, his mind racing. In the blink of an eye, a massive wall of earth, standing at an imposing four metres tall, surged up from the ground, forming a protective barrier.


    However, Freya, his formidable opponent, showed no signs of letting up. She deftly weaved between the earthen projectiles Ray had conjured earlier, her hands conjuring orbs of water that she flung towards him with deadly precision.


    Ray was exhrated by the ongoing battle; even the previous battle with Ben was not as fun as this one. He continued to dodge theing attack while blocking some with an earth wall spell.


    "Your battle skills are impressive, Ray, but skill alone won''t save you when you''re up against true magic," Freya taunted, her voice dripping with arrogance. She gestured gracefully, invoking a wind spell that enhanced her speed.


    With newfound swiftness, Freya leaped forward, soaring over the earthen wall Ray had created. In a seamless motion, she twisted her body in mid-air, aiming at Ray with an arrow-like posture.


    Ray struggled to keep up with Freya''s lightning-fast movements. Before he could react, Freya was already behind him, her hand forming a bow-shaped structure made of swirling wind.


    "O ethereal wind, lend me your strength. Prove the might of those who dare challenge your path," Freya chanted, her words resonating with power. In her grasp, a translucent green bow manifested.


    "Deity of water, flow eternally. Remove the obstacles in your course," she continued, drawing the string of her ethereal bow. A shimmering blue arrow,prised of highly concentrated water, began to take shape.


    "Didn''t I explicitly tell her not to use lethal spells?" Ben muttered under his breath, his frustration palpable. He was ready to intervene, but it was toote to interfere.


    "Combo Spell: Nature''s Judgement!" Freya''s voice echoed through the arena as she released the arrow. The arrow, coated with wind magic, elerated to an astonishing speed, racing towards Ray with deadly precision.


    Ray''s response was swift. "Advanced magic, Rock Armour!" he roared, his hands above his wrists transforming into obsidian-ck rock, enveloped in zing mes.


    With a scream of rage, he mustered all his strength and reached out to intercept the arrow. A massive explosion ensued as the two spells collided. A thick cloud of mist billowed into the air, driven away by a secondary explosion that cleared the battlefield.


    "Ray!" Ben cried, rushing towards the arena, but he was halted by Ray''s raised hand.


    "Don''t interfere, Ben. The battle is far from over," Ray dered as he lowered himself to the ground, catching his breath. A wide grin spread across his face, touching his ears.


    "This move proves you are worthy of guarding the gate, but I have a bad habit of teaching arrogant people their ce," Ray announced with a booming voice. His grin remained as he summoned a colossal amount of magic power and mmed his palms onto the ground.


    The impact seemed unremarkable at first, but then a strange vibration rippled through the arena. Freya instinctively stepped back, her eyes scanning the ground for any signs of danger.


    "What''s happening, system? Is this another fatal magic attack?" Ben asked anxiously, his gaze darting around the arena as he felt the unusual tremors.


    [ I have no specific exnation, Ben, except for the fact that Ray is using almost all of his magic to cast this spell]


    "Even in my previous battle with Ben, I kept this card up my sleeve," Ray said with a grin, beads of sweat forming on his face as he continued huffing. "Now then, get ready to witness my resonance skill."


    ?TERRAIN ENHANCEMENT: MAGMA BLAZE?


    "Even in my previous battle with Ben, I held this card close to my chest," Ray confided, beads of sweat forming on his brow. "Now, prepare to witness my resonance skill."


    "Terrain Enhancement: Magma ze," Ray incanted, his voice carrying the weight of his newfound power. Golden lines etched themselves into the arena, forming intricate patterns reminiscent of circuitry.


    Within seconds, small clusters of the earth began levitating about a metre above the ground. Freya, her confusion mounting, zigzagged gracefully to evade the floating structures while maintaining abat-ready stance.


    In the next few seconds, approximately twenty spherical masses of earth, each roughly the size of a football, were levitated in a strategic arrangement, evenly spaced two metres apart, effectively covering the entire arena.


    As Freya remained bewildered by this unforeseen development, Ray regained his footing and ignited his hands with mes again.


    "You think you know too much about magic while you are not even a frog in a well," Ray eximed before he ran towards Freya, aiming to hit a punch. On the other hand, Freya, who was still confused, tried to backflip and dodge the uing attack, but her movements were blocked by those spherical rocks.


    "You move quite fast, thanks to your wind magic. But wind magic can only propel you in straight lines. It''s ideal for speed, but your agility will be your downfall." With a calm tone, Ray exined while continuing to throw punches.


    "For someone as agile and flexible as Ben, this magic would be a waste of time, but for you, this trick is vital," Ray said, hitting Freya with two consistent fire punches, which were slowed by small water barriers.


    Freya bit her lips, even if the punches were slowed and fire ability was extinguished, the punches were still strong enough to make her bleed from her mouth.


    "So you wasted all this magic power to set up this trap?" Freya chuckled, holding her stomach as she stood up.


    Ray halted his assault, stepping back to give her space. He grinned as if relishing the challenge. "Oh, Freya, you have it all wrong. I haven''t even begun to showcase my magic."


    "Now, since you are so impatient, let me teach you the true meaning of true magic," he dered, his grin fading to a serious expression. As he chanted, "Terrain Activation," the intricate golden lines on the floating earth spheres glowed, and the orbs started heating up, gradually turning from brown to ck...