Chapter 535: The Grand First-Year Combat Festival: New Interest IV

A few of Willow’s fans among the crowd gasped in fear when they saw what had happened to their Flower of Britannia, also their Lady of Derlis.

The area where Willow had been standing was already hidden beneath smoke and flames.

The first explosion had been large enough to shake the nearby section of the platform, but the number of daggers and cards that had fallen into the same spot had caused the explosions to overlap with one another.

Then another burst of force erupted from within the first.

BOOM!

A larger explosion swallowed the area.

Flames rolled across the platform while smoke rose high enough to obscure Willow completely.

"Lady Willow Derlis!"

"Lady Derlis!"

Several of her supporters stood from their seats while the others already on the feet all shouted in panic.

Some covered their mouths.

Others stared at the Holographic Screens, hoping the slowed display would show them what had happened.

But Ezra didn’t wait to see whether Willow had been knocked down or injured.

His plain black eyes remained fixed on the smoky area for only a brief moment before his attention shifted to the next part of his plan.

Cognis spread out from his body.

The force moved toward his Space Bag.

Black steel bars flew out first.

Then came a small number of Orichalcum bars he still had remaining.

After them came a large number of Umbrium bars and, finally, a high number of Limestone pieces.

The Gun Alchemy materials emerged one after another and gathered above Ezra’s head.

They didn’t fall.

Alchemy Levitation kept each piece suspended in the air, with the different materials slowly shifting into position above him.

The black steel bars reflected the light from the surrounding Arena.

The Orichalcum pieces gave off a faint metallic shine, while the Umbrium and Limestone remained mixed among them.

Ezra didn’t look at any of the materials.

His plain black eyes stayed on the smoke.

He was waiting.

Not for Willow to reveal herself.

For the right moment to begin his own Alchemy.

Clap!

His hands came together.

Cognis flowed from his Stars and moved through his veins.

It passed through his upper arms, traveled down his forearms, entered his hands, and finally emerged from his palms.

Alchemy Symbols appeared between his hands.

One after another, they connected.

The formation expanded.

The Gun Alchemy Circle began to take shape.

Whoosh!!!

A powerful gust of wind suddenly swept across the platform.

The smoke and flames covering Willow’s position were blown away.

The remaining flames were pushed aside, revealing the figure standing behind them.

Willow was still standing.

Her hands were now against the platform while her walking stick stood still beside her.

Her crimson eyes remained focused.

The explosion hadn’t taken her out of the fight.

She had finally ignited her Mass Alchemy.

The large Blood Alchemy Circle beneath her expanded across the platform.

Its crimson light spread over the damaged ground, covering cracks and broken sections with an eerie red glow.

Pop!

Pop!

Pop!

Pop!

Pop!

Pop!

The blood bags floating around Willow began bursting one after another.

Crimson Cognis moved through them in the form of lightning, striking each bag and forcing it open.

Then hundreds of blood bags burst in rapid succession.

The blood poured out.

It didn’t simply fall onto the platform.

The liquid was controlled by Willow’s Cognis, flowing downward like a massive wave of water rushing toward the ground.

The crimson liquid twisted as it descended, then rushed into the enormous Blood Alchemy Circle that had completely formed across the platform.

More blood entered.

More followed.

The entire Circle became brighter.

Almost the whole platform began glowing crimson beneath the immense amount of Blood Alchemy being gathered.

Yet despite the enormous amount of blood, the only thing the spectators could clearly see was the crimson light covering the stage.

Patrick West suddenly stood from his commentator’s seat.

His eyes were fixed on Ezra’s side of the platform.

"Finally, my people of Britannia!!"

His voice echoed through the Arena.

"He’s finally using it..."

Patrick paused.

His eyes widened as he looked at the white glowing light now surrounding Ezra’s Alchemy Circle.

"He’s finally using Mass Alchemy!!"

The announcement immediately caused the Arena to explode with excitement.

Ezra was finally using Mass Alchemy.

The Young Alchemist who had gone through so many fights without revealing this ability was finally showing it.

"Let’s go!!!!"

"He finally pulls out the big move!!!"

"Come on, Ezra Ashenlocke, you can do it!!"

"Lady Willow Derlis!!! Use your Mass Alchemy to overpower him!!"

The spectators’ sections around the Arena echoed with cheers.

Fans of Ezra shouted from one side.

Willow’s supporters answered from the other.

The excitement wasn’t limited to the people inside the Arena either.

The live chat on Skynet was moving so quickly that the comments were almost impossible to read individually.

Messages filled the display with cheers, predictions, and excitement.

One of the biggest reasons for the reaction was simple.

Ezra was amongst the Young Alchemists who hadn’t yet used Mass Alchemy during the Combat Festival.

Vera Ashenlocke hadn’t used it.

Diane Bergwyn was also amongst those who hadn’t used it.

Maxwell also hadn’t revealed his own level of power.

And that was the same for Ezra Ashenlocke, he had continued fighting without revealing his Mass Alchemy.

Now, after reaching this point in the Festival, he was finally showing it.

There were also Alchemists such as Lyra Ashburn and Priscilla Ashenlocke who hadn’t used Mass Alchemy yet, but it was because their current Alchemist ranks didn’t allow them to properly perform it.

That made Ezra’s reveal even more interesting to the spectators.

Back on the fighting platform...

Ezra’s Gun Alchemy Circle finally completed its formation.

He immediately slammed both hands onto the ground.

The moment his palms touched the platform, the Gun Alchemy Circle expanded.

It spread outward in the same way Willow’s Blood Alchemy Circle had.

The two enormous Alchemy Circles crossed over each other slightly, with their edges occupying much of the same space.

The materials hovering above Ezra began moving.

Black steel bars dropped first.

The Orichalcum bars followed.

Umbrium bars and small shards of Limestones came after them.

All of the Gun Alchemy materials descended into the large Circle.

The moment each piece touched the Alchemy Circle, it began to melt.

The different materials didn’t simply disappear.

They moved together in separate portions.

The melted materials gathered.

They compressed.

Then the compressed mass began taking shape.

Ezra remained focused on the process.

His Gun Alchemy was already moving through its creation phase.

At almost the same time, Willow’s Mass Alchemy was finally completed.

One hundred and ninety deep-crimson droplets of blood slowly rose from the enormous Blood Alchemy Circle.

They ascended until they reached approximately chest level with Willow.

Her crimson eyes glowed brighter.

The change in her presence was immediate.

Something about her body became different.

The blood inside her veins began pumping faster.

She hadn’t merely performed Mass Alchemy.

Willow had also ignited one of the support features of Blood Alchemy.

Blood Adrenaline.

The veins across her body bulged slightly as her blood circulation increased.

For a moment, the veins were clearly visible beneath her skin.

Then they faded again.

The ground beneath her boots cracked.

The pressure came from the flow of Cognis and blood moving through her body, and the platform struggled to withstand the force she was now putting into it.

The one hundred and ninety droplets remained suspended around her.

Then Ezra’s creation emerged.

One hundred and eighty-eight M38 SDMRs rose from the large Gun Alchemy Circle.

Every rifle carried a Leupold TS-30A2 Mark 4 MR/T scope.

An additional attachment had also been fitted around the muzzle of each rifle.

The rifles hovered in the air under the influence of Alchemy Levitation.

One after another, their muzzles turned.

All of them pointed toward Willow.

For a brief moment, the two Young Alchemists stood surrounded by their respective creations.

Willow placed her right hand on her walking stick that stood still beside her, now holding it.

Ezra stood behind his formation of M38 SDMRs.

Neither moved immediately.

Then Willow slowly stretched out her left hand.

Her right hand remained resting on the head of her walking stick.

The one hundred and ninety deep-crimson droplets began to move.

They stretched outward.

The droplets became thin lines.

Then thinner.

They continued weaving together until they formed a huge network of crimson threads.

The threads were so thin that they resembled spider webs.

But their structure was far stronger.

The weaving continued.

The crimson webs spread across the platform, cutting through the space around Willow and extending toward Ezra.

The stone beneath them began to split.

Shhk!

Shhk!

Shhk!

Shhk!

The crimson threads sliced through the platform in clean lines as they advanced.

Small pieces of stone separated from the ground before falling away.

The webs continued expanding.

Ezra’s view of Willow became partially blocked by the growing crimson network.

He could still see her through the spaces between the threads, but the number of webs continued increasing.

Shhk!

Another crimson thread cut through the platform.

Ezra immediately moved his right hand forward.

The M38 SDMRs responded.

Almost all of the rifles fired at once.

Thup!

Thup!

Thup!

Thup!

Thup!

Thup!

Thup!

Thup!

Thup!

Thup!

Thup!

Thup!

Thup!

Thup!

A full barrage of gunshots erupted across the platform.

The sound was completely different from Ezra firing a single firearm.

Hundreds of rounds didn’t leave the rifles at once, but the combined firing of the M38 SDMRs created a continuous firing sound that spread through the Arena, almost lighter than how a usual Gun would sound.

The bullets rushed toward the advancing crimson webs.

Shhk!

Shhk!

Shhk!

Shhk!

Shhk!

The bullets struck the webs.

Some were sliced apart immediately.

Others managed to pierce through the first layer.

A few pushed through a second.

Then a third.

The crimson threads vibrated from every impact.

The bullets continued forward.

But there were simply too many layers.

One bullet passed through the third layer before being cut apart by the fourth.

Another reached the fourth before the web sliced it into two pieces.

Metal fragments fell toward the platform.

Clink!

Clink!

Clink!

Two halves of a bullet struck the ground.

Another bullet was cut apart in the air.

Then another.

The barrage continued.

But the crimson webs kept cutting through the bullets.

Ezra’s eyes remained focused.

He watched the interaction between his firearms and Willow’s Blood Alchemy.

The bullets were powerful.

The M38 SDMRs were firing with enough force to pierce through several layers of the crimson web.

But the number of layers continued increasing.

The webs weren’t simply one large wall.

They were made of countless thin threads layered over one another.

The more the bullets pierced through them, the more their edges were exposed to the next layers.

Eventually, the crimson threads won.

The bullets were sliced apart.

Ezra immediately jumped backward.

His boots left the ground as he took a large step away from the advancing web.

The crimson network stretched forward another short distance.

Then it stopped.

The extension finally reached its limit.

The web couldn’t grow any farther.

Ezra landed with both feet against the platform.

The rifles remained hovering around him.

The damaged ground beneath his boots was covered with pieces of stone, bullet fragments, and the thin remains of the crimson threads that had reached their maximum range.

For a brief moment, nothing happened.

Then the crimson webs began moving again.

They separated.

The massive network suddenly formed two different paths.

Some of the crimson webs wrapped around one another, gathering into thicker sections.

Others shifted aside.

The space between them slowly opened.

Ezra’s plain black eyes remained fixed on Willow.

Through the opening in the crimson web, he could see her clearly.

Willow’s crimson eyes were glowing calmly.

Her walking stick was held slightly higher than before.

She stood in the middle of her Blood Alchemy, surrounded by one hundred and ninety crimson droplets that had become a web capable of cutting through bullets.

Neither fighter looked frightened.

Neither looked away.

The cheers of the spectators continued around them, but the two of them remained focused only on each other.

Ezra’s M38 SDMRs hovered around him.

Willow’s crimson webs stretched across the platform between them.

The next exchange had already begun to take shape.