Above the mage!

Chapter 608 Melee Mage
"A challenge?!" Before Colonel Cole could even react, Ella had already exclaimed softly.

Her smile froze, her pale golden eyes widened, and she looked at Gao De with disbelief.

Although Gao De didn't know why Ella was reacting so strongly, he nodded again to confirm:
"Yes, I came to Etherland County this time to challenge the Etherland Magic Hall, but I didn't expect to encounter Pale Bloom, so I joined the cleanup mission first."

Ella looked at Gao De and couldn't help but say, "You're really bold. If I had known you were here to challenge us, I probably wouldn't have..."

"I'm afraid you'll still let me join the mission at the beginning."

Gao De interrupted her with a smile, "After all, the Pale Water Bloom was in a critical crisis at the time. Having one more mage meant having one more source of strength, didn't it?"

Colonel Cole couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

Despite the stark contrast between his roles as a "hero" and a "challenger" of Gaode Maps, he showed no negative emotions; in fact, he felt a stronger sense of appreciation.

“You’re right. In the face of crisis, identity is not important. What matters is being able to step forward. That’s what a military strategist should be like.”

"But you really gave us a big 'surprise,' this is the first time I've ever encountered something like this."

"You seem to be only a second-circle mage?" Colonel Cole paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and asked calmly.

"Yes." There was nothing to hide, Gao De readily admitted.

"A second-ring mage, trying to take down our Etherland Magic Hall won't be easy," Colonel Cole drawled, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“I’ll give it a try. I’m quite confident in myself,” Gao De replied.

"It's good that young people have confidence," Colonel Cole chuckled, turning to Ella beside him with a hint of teasing. "Warrant Lieutenant Ella, what do you think? Will this hero take the insignia of our Etherland Academy?"

“The badges of the Etherland Academy aren’t so easy to get,” Ella replied calmly.

“Haha, I think so too. After all, Mage Ella’s magical combat skills are renowned among us Lightforged.” Colonel Cole nodded in agreement.

Having said that, Gao De finally understood why Ella had reacted so strongly earlier.

"Are you the guardian mage?" he asked, looking at Ella.

Ella nodded calmly: "I'll be waiting for you at the Etherland Academy."

After this "non-confrontational" conversation, Ella turned and left decisively.

Before they knew that Gaode was there to challenge them, they might have still hoped to build a relationship with Gaode.

But once you know Gaode's true purpose, that completely disappears.

Colonel Cole watched Ella's retreating figure and smiled at God, "Don't mind her. Ella is the only guardian mage in our third level of the Magic Hall. She takes this matter extremely seriously. She's not targeting you; she's just being responsible to the Magic Hall."

Gao De shook his head. "I know."

"Then I won't bother you any longer." Colonel Cole waved his hand and turned to leave with his staff.

Gao De jumped off the carriage and gazed at the Etherland Art Museum not far away.

The Etherland Magic Academy differs greatly from the Soren Magic Academy. It is not located at the foot of a mountain, nor in the city, but is situated directly on the shallow sea east of Dawn City.

The entire museum is supported by dozens of deep-sea iron pillars with a diameter of over ten feet, firmly rooted in the seabed rock strata.

From a distance, it looks like a palace floating on the sea.

The main body of the museum is constructed with highly translucent glass, and the exterior walls have a faint blue-purple halo that blends with the color of the sea.

Whenever sunlight shines down, the sea glass refracts thousands of colorful rays.

He walked over, just as he had in Solonshire, and was stopped by the guard mage at the gate.

"This art gallery will be closed to the public this year."

"I'm here to challenge them," Gao De said knowingly.

"Challenge them?" The guarding mage was taken aback for a moment, but after realizing what he meant, his first reaction was to ask again, "Excuse me, are you a high-ranking mage?"

Gao De was slightly surprised, but still nodded.

"It's you! Warrant Officer Ella instructed us that if you come, we will take you into the hall immediately," the guard mage said respectfully.

Guided by the guardian monk, Gao De was able to enter the hall.

The exterior of the Etherland Gallery is irregular and varied, with several curved corridors extending from its edges.

The guardian mage led Gao De through one of the corridors.

Upon entering the museum, a long underwater tunnel comes into view.

The passageway is flanked by transparent glass walls, allowing a clear view of schools of fish swimming and swaying corals. Occasionally, a few gentle sea creatures glide past the walls, making it feel like walking through an underwater world.

At the end of the passage lies the challenge arena, the heart of the Etherland Arena:
The shallow waters of Liuguang arena for a legal battle.

This is a giant circular platform, 200 meters in diameter, built directly on the sea.

And it is also open-air, with no restrictions on the space above, adopting a semi-open design that allows sunlight to shine in fully while allowing the sea breeze to circulate freely.

What's special is that, in addition to the traditional land area, part of the Liuguang Shoal Fadou Field also belongs to the sea.

There are no guardrails along the edge of the platform, and below is the shallow sea, which is tens of meters deep.

The seabed is covered with fine white quartz sand, and the clear seawater allows you to see the occasional fluorescent snails and schools of luminous fish flashing beneath the sand.

The moment the guardian mage appeared in Gaode, he sent someone to inform Ella.

Therefore, when Gaode arrived at the Flowing Light Shoal Fighting Arena, he found Ella standing in the center of the arena.

Her figure was accentuated by her Lightforged uniform, and her pale gold eyes were calm and undisturbed, clearly indicating that she had been waiting for a long time.

In addition, there were many other people standing around the fighting arena, who should all be other guardian mages of the Etheran Magic Hall.

“Master Gaode, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.” Ella said to Gaode, her voice calm and without any ripples, making it impossible to discern any emotion in her heart.

Gao De scratched his head and looked at her with some surprise: "Aren't you the guardian mage of the third level?"

"Although you are only a second-ring mage, I witnessed your performance in the Pale Water Bloom quest and know that the first two levels will not stop you, so there is no need to waste time and do something unnecessary."

She raised her hand, her fingertips gleaming with a faint holy light: "Defeat me, and the badge is yours."

As Ella finished speaking, the mages guarding the arena outside immediately began to discuss among themselves.

"I didn't expect that Warrant Officer Ella would actually go straight to the final round with him!"

A young Lightforged mage lowered his voice, his tone full of curiosity, "The guardian mages of the first two rounds have already arrived, but Warrant Officer Ella said there's no need to compete, just skip it. Isn't that some kind of special treatment?"

A monk beside him, who knew the reason, tapped him on the shoulder. "Because this virtuous monk, during the Pale Water Flower crisis, single-handedly sealed the thousand-year-old Cold Fragrance. How could such a person be stumped by the first two magic battles?"

"I see."

Gao De narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this.

He is not afraid of French fighting, but he would be happy to accept having two fewer fights.

"Then let's go." A hint of interest flashed in Gao De's eyes.

The guard standing nearby stepped forward and loudly read out the rules of the Fighting Tournament, which were exactly the same as those of the Soren Gym. Then, he took out a guard badge identical to those of the Soren Gym and pinned it on God.

With everything ready, Gaode didn't delay any longer. The Boeing that had already possessed him flew into the stadium with the wind.

The moment he stepped into the arena, a semi-transparent pale golden light curtain rose up, like a huge bowl-shaped barrier, defining the area for the magical duel between the two.

Ella started without hesitation or any probing.

The moment Gaode entered, she loosely clenched her right hand.

Holy light energy instantly converged, and the dazzling golden light, like molten gold, extended and took shape in her palm, and a 1.5-meter-long [Radiant Flame Longsword] suddenly appeared.

The sword was burning with pure holy flames, without a trace of smoke or dust, only a warm yet sharp light.

Fine, shimmering patterns of light danced along the edge of the blade, as if capable of cleaving the air.

At the same time, she raised her left hand again, and the pale golden energy transformed into a semi-transparent shield. Intricate prayer runes appeared on the surface of the shield, which was the light-based defensive spell [Devotion Shield].

Having done all this, Ella moved with the agility of a cheetah, a faint holy light emanating from her feet, and her figure instantly accelerated, rapidly pressing towards God.

Her steps were steady and swift, a pious shield firmly protecting her vitals, and her flaming longsword pointed diagonally at the ground, ready to launch an attack at any moment. She was like a mobile fortress, exuding an imposing aura.

In ordinary mage duels, the main strategy is to wear down opponents from a distance and maintain social distance.

A mage like Ella, who actively closes the distance and focuses on melee combat, is truly rare.

It is evident that Gaode stood frozen in place upon witnessing this scene, his expression unusually strange.

The other magicians from the surrounding halls, witnessing this scene, immediately began to murmur excitedly:
"Holy crap! Warrant Officer Ella charged straight in? Is she planning a quick victory?!"

"What's wrong with this Venerable Master Gaode? He's standing still, could he have been scared out of his wits?"

"It shouldn't be that bad. Although Warrant Officer Ella's close-combat style is uncommon, she is still someone who has made great contributions. She shouldn't have such poor mental fortitude, right?"

"Moreover, he should also know that light elemental magic is inherently at a disadvantage in direct combat."

"Among us Lightforged, the military mages who practice light-attribute cultivation methods are mostly like Warrant Officer Ella, relying on holy light weapons for melee combat; that's one of our characteristics."

"He came to the academy to challenge them, surely he knows the melee characteristics of Lightforged?"

"Maybe they're brewing up a big move?" someone speculated, but their tone was full of uncertainty.

"."

People in the audience were talking about it.

On the field, Gao De appeared to be standing there with a strange expression, but his thoughts were completely different from those of the people off the field.

Instead of panic, his eyes blazed with intense excitement, as if he were ecstatic at the sight of a prey!

A melee mage, who wields a sword.

What do you mean by coincidence?
Faced with the approaching Ella, God did not choose to kite her or use ranged spells to block her; instead, he neither dodged nor evaded.

There was a sharp gleam in his eyes.

The next moment, Gao De swung his right hand diagonally downwards, and a chilling aura instantly gushed out from his palm.

The white icy mist spread out like a tide, quickly condensing into shape in his hand.

A crystal longsword, its blade translucent and crystalline, suddenly appeared. Its body gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light, and its surface was covered with fine ice crystals, emanating a chilling aura.

It was the second-circle spell [Frost Sword] that he used to replace [North Wind].

But that's not enough.

Gao De's magical power circulated rapidly, like a rushing river, flowing through his entire body along the extensive main magical energy channels.

He seized the opportunity when Ella was close to him to quickly stack various buffs on himself.

This is another advantage brought about by information asymmetry.

Ella was unaware that God was also skilled in melee combat, and instead regarded him as a traditional ranged ice mage. Therefore, she sacrificed several spell rounds just to close the distance.

This may seem like a disadvantage, but as long as you can survive these few spell rounds and enter your melee range, you can basically dominate the fight from then on.

At this point, what ranged mages usually need to do is to keep their distance while continuously casting spells to prevent melee mages from getting close, or defeat them before they can close the gap.

However, Gaode Maps offers both local and long-distance access.

Therefore, by taking advantage of this misperception, he was able to obtain several spell buffs for free.

The first halo rose from beneath his feet, and energy fluctuations spread like ripples, instantly activating the [Power of the Bull].

Gao De felt a surge of power welling up in his arms, his muscles bulged slightly, and his hand holding the sword became even more steady.

Melee attack and damage bonuses are now in place.

Immediately afterwards, a layer of dark gray light enveloped the Frost Sword, and [Heavy Blade+] was activated.

The momentum and density of the sword instantly increased, and the damage level of the originally medium-sized ice sword jumped directly to the level of a greatsword.

The additional momentum guidance effect allows each swing to better lock onto the target, ignoring some dodging actions.

Almost simultaneously, pale blue energy enveloped his entire body like flowing water, and the [Armor of Aegasis] took shape.

A silvery-white halo followed, enveloping the entire body, and [Cat's Elegance] took effect.

Gao De felt his body instantly become lighter and more agile, and his coordination improved significantly.

Finally, a deep green halo covered his body, and fine wood grain appeared on his skin, like tough tree bark. [Tree Skin Technique] was complete.

In just a few breaths, five different colored halos enveloped Gao De one after another, and five buff spells were cast on him in succession.

If Gaode Maps had a status bar at this moment, it would probably be like some side-scrolling 2D action games from my previous life, with a row full of buff statuses.

As Ella flew over, she witnessed five or six ripples of magic energy emanating from God's body, and she felt that things were going very badly.

She never imagined that Gao De, who possessed such exquisite control over magical power, would be just like her, skilled in "close combat".

This misjudgment cost her several spell rounds.

But there's no turning back once the arrow is released, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue with the original tactics, charging forward once more.

Despite being at a significant disadvantage from the start, Ella remained confident.

Firstly, she knew that Gaode was only a second-level mage, which was her greatest source of confidence.

Secondly, she is very confident in her skills.

hum!
The lightsaber and the ice sword clashed for the first time, colliding violently.

Instead of the clanging of metal colliding, there is a deep hum of energy colliding.

The flames and ice clashed violently, forming a ring of energy ripples that spread outwards, causing the robes of the two to flutter wildly.

(End of this chapter)