Reincarnation Of A Swordsman: The Omni Mage

Her dark hair framed her pale face, and her eyes, almost black, stared back at him with a quiet intensity.

Kyle struggled to understand her look. Was she angry with him? Or was this just her normal?

\'She must still be disappointed over \'the death\' I caused... \' Kyle reasoned.

Ann said nothing, her expression unchanging as she slowly reached into the pouch strapped to her waist.

Kyle watched closely, knowing that alchemists fought differently. She would have prepared potions in advance, and each one would be carefully crafted to give her the upper hand.

Alchemists typically carried five potions into battle, each with a specific purpose—enhancing their physical abilities, boosting their magical output, or providing healing. Ann would be no different.

The announcer raised his hand.

"Let the match... begin!"

Without hesitation, Ann uncorked one of the small glass vials from her pouch and downed its contents in a single swift motion.

A faint dark aura immediately surrounded her body, and Kyle felt the shift in her mana. She was ready.

She wasted no time, raising her hand, a shadowy orb began to form above her palm.

Kyle narrowed his eyes, recognizing the dark energy swirling within it. This wasn\'t just any ordinary dark spell.

"Orb of Darkness." Ann said silently, her voice cutting through the air as the orb shot toward Kyle.

It moved fast, too fast for him to dodge outright, so he had no choice but to raise his defenses.

"Lightning Bolt!" Kyle countered, his own spell crackling to life. He launched a bolt of searing lightning directly at the incoming shadow orb.

The two spells collided mid-air, resulting in an explosion of dark energy and crackling light.

Kyle gritted his teeth as the force of the impact pushed him back slightly.

The residual darkness from Ann\'s spell swirled around him, clinging to his skin and making it harder to see.

The shadows crawled over his vision, distorting the arena around him.

He knew what the spell—Orb of Darkness, after all it wasn\'t the first time he had experienced it.

Spells like this proved why the Dark affinity was very rare to awaken.

It was a spell that clouded the senses, distorting sight and sound and making it difficult for the opponent to focus.

With her enchantments from the potion, the spell was stronger and seemed to be doing its job, he was practically struggling to see around him.

Kyle quickly activated his a spell, thanks to his arena experience, he knew how to handle the spell.

"Lightning Dash!"

In an instant, his body was engulfed in a burst of lightning, and he shot forward at blinding speed, cutting through the lingering darkness.

He reappeared behind Ann, hoping to catch her off-guard.

But she was ready.

Without turning, Ann muttered another spell, her voice low and chilling. "Shadow Grasp."

Dark tendrils erupted from the ground around her, lashing out toward Kyle with terrifying speed.

He barely had time to react, his body still humming with the aftereffects of Lightning Dash. He twisted in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the first wave of shadowy tendrils.

But one caught him by the ankle, yanking him downward with brutal force. He hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of him.

Ann turned slowly, her dark eyes gleaming with satisfaction. The tendril tightened around Kyle\'s leg, and he felt the cold grip of shadow magic seeping into his skin, draining his energy.

Kyle held his jaw tight. He could feel the shadows trying to sap his strength, but he wasn\'t done yet.

Channeling his mana, he summoned a surge of lightning, sending a jolt of energy down the length of his body and into the tendril.

The shadow burned away with a hiss, releasing its grip on him. Kyle rolled to his feet, breathing heavily but far from finished.

Ann\'s spells were tough, but he had faced worse.

"I\'m just getting started," he said, his voice low but filled with determination.

Ann\'s cold expression didn\'t falter. She reached into her pouch again, pulling out another vial.

This time, the potion glowed a deep crimson. She drank it swiftly, and Kyle could feel the power radiating from her.

Whatever it was, it had boosted her strength even more.

Kyle had to think quickly. Ann\'s dark magic was incredibly effective at keeping him on the defensive.

\'I\'ll have to attack harder!\'

As Ann prepared to launch another attack, Kyle activated a rune that boosted his speed.

His body pulsed with a new wave of energy, as he got ready to zip.

Ann launched her next spell, a wave of shadowy spikes erupting from the ground and hurtling toward him.

"Shadow Grasp." she called once again, her voice cutting through the air like ice.

Kyle reacted instantly and shot forward once again, zig-zagging through the tendrils that came out from the ground.

The air crackled with energy as he closed the distance between them.

Ann\'s eyes widened slightly, realizing too late that Kyle was already upon her.

"Lightning Bolt!"

Kyle unleashed the spell point-blank, sending a bolt of crackling energy directly into her chest.

Ann stumbled backward, her dark aura flickering, but she didn\'t go down.

She grit her teeth, her cold exterior finally breaking as she glared at him.

"I won\'t lose to you, Kyle!" she hissed, her voice filled with venom.

Kyle barely had time to react as Ann drank her final potion. This one glowed an eerie black, and the moment it touched her lips, her entire body seemed to darken.

The shadows around her thickened, and her mana spiked to a terrifying level.

She raised both hands, dark energy swirling violently around her.

"Dark Eclipse!"

The spell was unlike anything Kyle had seen before. A massive wave of shadow magic erupted from her body, spreading across the entire arena.

The darkness was suffocating, pressing down on Kyle from all sides. His vision blurred, his senses dulling as the shadows closed in.

But Kyle wasn\'t giving up. He activated some runes once again, these ones amplifying his magic.

He knew he had made the right choice bringing them with him. Lightning crackled around him, trying to overwhelm the darkness with its brightness.

He channeled a lot of mana into a final spell.

"Lightning Bolt!"

The bolt of lightning tore through the darkness, illuminating the arena as it struck Ann with incredible force.

The shadows around her shattered, and Ann let out a gasp, her body collapsing to the ground.

The potions had pushed her to her limits, but Kyle\'s relentless attacks had finally overwhelmed her.

Everywhere was silent as the magical barriers fell, signaling the end of the match.

Kyle stood there, breathing heavily and aching from exhaustion.

He looked down at Ann, who was still on the ground, her cold eyes glaring up at him. Despite her defeat, the fire of hatred still burned in her gaze.

Kyle offered her a hand, but Ann slapped it away, struggling to her feet on her own.

"I might be weak now... But not forever," she said as she turned and walked off the stage.

Kyle watched her go, feeling a little regret. Whatever bad blood that existed between them was far from being over.