1142 End of the road

The elf muttered something under his breath as his bracelet emitted a bright glow. A magic circle appeared around him, emanating intense energy. The wind spears Elira had sent collided with the magic circle, dissipating as if they had hit an unyielding wall.

What was that bracelet? Was her attack not strong enough? She knew that she had to act fast.

Elira immediately started directing more lightning bolts toward the elf. Combined with this she sent out wind slashes that were also imbued with electrical energy, aiming to break down the magic circle that had protected him. 

She poured her focus and remaining mana into these attacks, calculating each bolt and slash to be as efficient and effective as possible.

From the moment the fight started she went all out and attacked relentlessly without giving the opponent any chance to fight back. She just needed to push back a little more.

Elira used the active mana replenishing method that Liam had taught her. She quickly sucked in the surrounding mana, filling her reserves as best as possible while preparing to go all out in the next attack.

However, her opponent was also not a noob. He conjured an explosive fireball, sending it straight towards Elira.

Having expended a lot of her mana on the previous attacks, Elira knew dodging was her best option. She used a quick gust of wind to propel herself sideways, barely avoiding the fireball. 

But the elf was quick; another fireball was already on its way. One after the other the fireballs kept coming behind her, chasing her no matter where she went.

Elira's eyes widened. The elf was not weak at all. He had purposefully made her empty her mana so that she would be cornered.

The elf planned to use his superior combat experience to defeat her. However, he did not know that for the past few months, she had been constantly sparring with a demon!

Elira took out a sword from her personal inventory. Instead of her staff, she was now holding the sword.

With a swift movement, she channeled what remained of her mana into the sword, infusing it with wind and electricity. The blade shimmered, buzzing with elemental energy.

Just as another fireball approached, Elira swung her sword, releasing a wave of electrical wind energy that clashed with the fireball. There was an explosion of light and sound, and the fireball dissipated into a cloud of smoke and embers.

Seizing the momentary distraction, Elira lunged forward. Her sword danced in the air, leaving streaks of electrically charged wind in its wake. Her opponent tried to parry and overwhelm her, but it was no use.

No one expected the young elven girl to also be able to wield a sword this well. Now the match on the stage appeared to be at a standstill.

Just as everyone began speculating who would win and who had the upper hand, all of a sudden an earthen spike materialized on the ground, directly impaling the elf through a crack in his armor.

The crowd gasped, their eyes widening in disbelief. 

The elf looked down, his eyes locking onto the spike protruding through his armor. In shock and pain, he crumpled to his knees, clutching the earthen spike.

He looked up at Elira, unable to digest his defeat. Only now he understood. She was a tri-element user?! Not only was she able to use wind and lightning elements but she was also able to use the earth element.

How could someone so powerful suddenly appear in the recruitment matches? No wonder she was able to easily beat everyone in her path.

The elf did not plan on fighting to death. He instead raised his hand and readily gave up. He knew that he had been bested. In fact, it was clear to him who this tournament cycle's winner was going to be.

As Elira walked down the stage, the entire crowd burst into a loud applause. Tri-element mages were rare and most of them went on to become arch magus and grand magus.

This young girl in front of them was soon going to become a fearsome figure in their empire, perhaps becoming a cornerstone of the fighting force.

The crowd cheered and applauded her as they wailed inwardly at their misfortune. This time the rookie that no one expected was going to take the gold and all of them had bet on the wrong person and lost their tokens.

After Elira's match, the other matches started but everyone could clearly see the difference in talent. Soon, only five elves remained. One of the five announced that he was giving up as he had received serious internal injuries that couldn't be healed by simple healing potions.

Now, there were only four elves remaining. After a break, Elira was once again pitted against a strong opponent but she used her superior sword mastery to beat him.

The entire audience was shocked but Elira was indifferent. She knew that none of this was because of her. If any one of these elves had trained with her master, they too could have become as formidable as her.

Finally, the last match started.

A lean and tall elf walked over to stand in front of Elira. The entire crowd was chanting the young elven girl's name but she was standing firm without any arrogance. This was her opponent for the final match, and she wouldn't underestimate him.

Just like before, she charged forward with everything she had but all of a sudden, she halted in her tracks as she saw pitch-black tendrils appearing around her opponent.

A dark mage!

Her opponent was a dark mage!

Elira had watched the same elf fight in other matches but he had only used fire element up until now. She did not expect him to suddenly reveal his dark element affinity.

Without giving her a chance to prepare, the pitch-black tentacles shot forward.

Elira did not shy away. She clutched her sword tightly as she slashed at the tentacles with razor-sharp wind cuts. However, it was of no use.

Unexpectedly, the elf seemed to have an extremely high affinity for the dark element. The tentacles coming at her were endless. No matter how much she tried, she was simply unable to evade them.

"No. I cannot lose here." 

Elira struggled, even as the tentacles started restraining her movements, wrapping around her arms and legs. She felt her mana also slowly being drained, making her unable to cast any elemental magic.

Elira's mind raced as she viciously cut down the tentacles one after the other. She needed to find an opening. She had to. She had no other choice. She would rather die than disappoint that person.

However, only she was struggling. Everyone else could already see the ending of the fight. There was simply no way out for the superstar rookie. This was where her road ended.