Void Evolution System

Since her techniques didn't have as much form as most people, Remelia was looked down upon for a very long time.

She could have just reached a point in power where her reputation would be undeniable. She eventually did do that. However, before she became widely regarded as a genius, she had to find a way to make people recognize her.

Remelia had two sides.

The first was the cold-blooded killer who used invisible heat to decimate the enemy.

The other was a lunatic. A killer who operated on insanity.

She delegated the first side to those who were weaker than her.

For those people, she didn't need to use extravagant techniques with wide-ranging implications. She could just use the invisible haze to slaughter them.

It was the same for when she needed stealth.

However, against opponents who could prolong a battle and find methods to defeat her, she acted in such a way that they couldn't do a single thing in response.

Valerie had just made her switch. Her expression remained equally indifferent, but Remelia's power changed entirely.

Her aura turned a bright orange-red color. The ambient heat that she emanated took color as well, becoming hotter and hotter.

WHOOOOSH!

The rot slammed into her and brushed past. She could feel the ashes of the tree bark sticking to her skin, corroding her flesh and blood.

VOOM!

Her skin glowed like metal as it became another layer of defense. Remelia's entire body was covered in veins of flame. Her skin was hot enough to melt anything that touched it, including ash and rot.

In normal cases, "rot" was able to connect to death and steal vitality from its targets.

The heat protected Remelia's vitality, giving her the chance to take hold of the battle's momentum.

BOOM!

She stepped into the ground and slammed forward.

She jumped into the air, leaping over Valerie's root and locking eyes with her.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Her hands shot out and moved through the air.

Flames covered the entire corridor, enveloping both her and Valerie.

VOOOOOOM!

Huge waves of fire burned through Valerie's defenses, forcing her to concentrate mana back into her body.

Remelia shot forward, swimming through the blaze like it was water and reaching Valerie in an instant.

She spun her body and kicked towards Valerie's head. Valerie raised her arm to block immediately, preventing it from making contact with her more vital parts.

BANG!

The impact rocked through her bones. Valerie gritted her teeth, glaring at the genius above her.

She put strength into her arm and pushed her away, taking a few steps back.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Valerie resummoned her root, this time splitting it into multiple smaller parts. The wooden vines whipped towards Remelia and forced her away.

Valerie looked at her arm, hissing slightly.

The burn was terrible. With just a few seconds of contact, her arm had been turned into a charred mess.

She put more mana into her arm to replenish her vitality.

The roots were burning as well. Remelia had been held back for a second or two, but that was all.

She would charge again at any second.

And more importantly…

'These flames have to go.'

They were inside of an inferno right now. Valerie's power was being suppressed to an extreme. She could hold her own, sure, but she couldn't win if the current circumstances were maintained.

Her eyes darted from side to side for but a second to assess her options.

By the time she was looking forward again, Remelia was already back.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Her lowkey fighting style was gone. She was attacking with fists and feet, but her every move emitted blazing flames that were superheated to an almost plasma-like state.

The burns not only limited what her wood could do, it forced her to focus on replenishing her own vitality so she didn't incinerate.

Remelia clearly had the advantage. She was barraging Valerie and leaving no space for the other girl to do anything.

Valerie was able to block and stay alive because of how she concentrated her mana, but returning fire was out of the question for now.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Left, right, and straight up the middle.

Valerie blocked them one by one while simultaneously healing herself.

The only things she could use were the vines and moss on the walls.

Still, it was something, so she was absolutely going to use it.

BOOM!

She blocked another strike and acted immediately.

She spread her fingers and exerted as much mana as she could in such a small amount of time, summoning everything that would respond to her call.

The vines hardened and gained some spirit. The moss seemed to gain sentience as it braved the flames to become Valerie's sword.

The air hissed as most of it was incinerated before it arrived, but the small pieces that made it were enough.

They turned into knives and pierced Remelia's arm before she could strike again.

Valerie's eyes widened as she strengthened her control, sharpening and condensing the moss and vines into blades that could penetrate Remelia's armor.

They succeeded in drawing blood.

They also gave Valerie a single second of respite as Remelia was distracted, allowing her to withdraw from the confrontation.

VOOOOOOOM!

She didn't waste time. The instant she got free, she moved to take control of the environment.

A forest within flames. To create one was easy, but to make it withstand the flames was a different story.

Valerie needed to channel everything she knew into it.

The potential for wood to create and control life, the realizations she had made during the battle thus far…

'I can do it.'

With her current mana level, it was absolutely possible. She was a 4th class, after all. She just didn't know exactly how to use her power the right way.

Valerie had been taught the Revell Clan's techniques since she was young. But, because of her nature, she had never been able to realize what they truly meant.

She never made the connections she needed to. In a certain sense, she'd ascended to 4th class through luck alone.

Alcharist partially blamed himself for being too indulgent and not trying harder to make her grow. That was why he let her go out into the world.

Only here would she be able to truly experience life and train to the best of herpotential.Only here would she learn that there was more to life than what she originally expected.

He was correct.

The instant Valerie found herself in a challenging situation, she blossomed and adapted.

A forest within the flames, a forest that could destroy them entirely…

She could create it as long as she tried.

Mana raged with such force that Remelia was pushed away. She tried to approach closer, but the sheer power kept her at bay.

The ground was once again covered in the color green.

However, this time, whenever the grass spread, the flames that once held their position were dispersed.

VOOOOOOOM!

Trees grew in an instant, and a massive ecosystem of plants and grasses spawned in the corridor, completely overrunning it.

Despite many battles taking place at the same time in the labyrinth, many peoplehadswitched their focus to Valerie and Remelia.

A corridor that was half forest and half inferno, a place where geniuses were using their true power to confront each other…

It was extremely riveting for the audience.

But, as the number of geniuses still participating got smaller, a new mechanic was added.

When they saw it, would they still want to continue their battle to the death?

Or perhaps…would they make an alliance against the other participants?

Whatever the case was, the audience was hooked. The announcer kept their blood boiling for every single second of the competition, and despite so many different events still raging on excitingly, the battle was arriving at its end.

The only question was…

Who would be the final winner?