Bang!

    As the two sets of blazing suns collided in mid-air, Valyr watched in shock as his understanding of his opponent was rewritten at that very instant.

    For a brief moment, his mind could not comprehend how his opponent was able to unleash the magic he''d been using for the past few rounds. After all, it was a spell he created through [Arcane Codex].

    Though, it did not take long for an answer to appear as the thought came to mind, with Valyr feeling as if that answer was the only logical solution to his current situation.

    Shifting his gaze away from the explosion above them, the young man''s expression turned solemn as he decided to deactivate [Partial Sky].

    Whoosh!

    Then, after taking in a deep breath to regain composure, Valyr looked at his opponent before asking, "Duplication magic?"

    At those words, it was his opponent''s turn to be caught off guard. "...You know about duplication magic?"

    "I mean... isn''t that what you just showed me?" replied the young man as he slightly shrugged his shoulders. "It''s either you have the same class as me, or you used duplication magic to copy my magic just now."

    "And considering the effort I put into getting my current class... I''m pretty confident it''s the latter."

    "...Now you''re just giving me more of a reason to have you accompany me back to the Tower of the Sages," said the man in response, looking at Valyr as the flames of battle inside him were fully ignited.

    In response to his opponent''s change in demeanor, Valyr got into a battle stance, casting a couple of spells ahead of time in the off chance his opponent made a move.

    At the same time, he briefly thought back to what he knew about duplication magic, as well as the mages that specialized in said magic.

    From what he could remember, duplication magic wasn''t really considered a popular field of magic far before Greater Beyond was released to the public. After all, the strength and efficacy of the magic was reliant on the strength of the original spell itself.

    Not only that, but the cost needed to duplicate and cast said magic was at least three to five times the amount of mana one would consume if one were to learn the spell and improve it to the same level from scratch.

    Nevertheless, there were still people who felt that duplication magic was a viable path on the road to the pinnacle.

    And unsurprisingly some had succeeded in doing so.

    Because of the path these mages have trailblazed for other to trek, mages who specialized in duplication magic eventually became known by people as duplication mages, giving a mage a different path to attain the pinnacle of power.

    ''If red mages are considered the jack of all trades and masters of all in the magic world, then duplication mages are considered the chameleons,'' thought Valyr to himself, firing a few mana bolts to test out his opponent''s limits.

    In response, his opponent fired out a few mana bolts of his own, nullifying all of the young man''s attacks as he gave the latter a slightly bitter smile.

    "Is there really a need to be this wary?" the man asked him. "Since you know about duplication magic, then you also know that I can only copy any magic you send out, right?"

    At those words, Valyr remained silent, continuing to fire a few more spells here and there to see the extent of what his opponent could copy.

    Although the man''s words did sum up the main limitation duplication mages had when it came to their magic, it wasn''t as if there weren''t any other methods that would allow them to circumvent that problem.

    Whether it was tomes, parchments, spell books, or special skills, it was possible for duplication mages to store spells they''ve copied from other people then use it in the future.

    Whoosh!

    Activating the strongest technique available to him through [Arcane Authority], Valyr flared his aura in its entirety as a nigh-imperceptible domain surrounded both him and his opponent.

    Feeling that there was something off with the domain the moment it enveloped him, the man decided to be a bit more vigilant, keeping an eye on every move Valyr made with a calm expression.

    "...[Orb of Apyrhan]."

    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

    Replicating what he did back in the third round, the young man showed no hesitation in casting the spell five times in a row as he sent all of them towards his opponent.

    "...Hmm." Though he was quite surprised that Valyr actually had the ability to cast the spell more than three times in a row, Neil found no issue with it as he hastily duplicated all of it to nullify the attack.

    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

    Of course, the young man had already expected that to happen, which was why he focused his attention more on his second wave of attacks, sending a barrage of various spells in the hopes his opponent would be overwhelmed.

    Fortunately, with his spell cooldown greatly lowered thanks to the effects of [First Sky], the number of attacks he sent towards Neil was finally enough to hinder the person, forcing the man to place more of his attention towards nullifying the attacks that might target him.

    Seeing that his idea was finally bearing fruit, the young man decided to put the final nail in the coffin as he cast the spell that replaced the movement spell he made through [Arcane Codex].

    "To the almighty Arcane, hear my plea."

    "Imbue me with the strength necessary to smite my foe."

    "Grant me the energy that transcends realms."

    "As your emissary, allow me a glimpse at the pinnacle."

    "...[Noctilucent Metanoia]."

    Whoosh!

    Extending one of his hands outward, a massive beam of black and white light soon appeared out of Valyr''s palm, its might heading directly straight for his opponent.

    "[Cards of the Joker: All Faces]!" Getting the feeling that his usual duplication magic wouldn''t work on the magic the young man cast just now, Neil decided to show one of his cards as well, casting the strongest duplication magic he had in his arsenal.

    Swoosh!

    Seeing as the black and white beam Valyr conjured began to manifest out of his hand, the man was immediately convinced that victory was finally in his grasp.

    Yet, just as he had pointed his hand back towards the beam the young man fired at him, Valyr softly uttered a couple of words that immediately turned the tables to his favor.

    "With the authority of the Arcane vested in me..."

    "Disperse."