There are two ways to increase the effectiveness of Arts and Spells.

First is by improving the quantity of Mana that is being loaded into it. A way that most choose in order to create larger versions of their magic abilities.

Second is by improving the quality of the magical abilities. My own Blue Fire Bullet Spell is an example of that due to it being an upgraded version of the Fireball Spell. However, I couldn't use that right now because Jack wouldn't allow me to use a Spell in this situation.

Controlling Ether or concentrating Mana into a Spell takes a little bit of time. If I was to hesitate in blocking for even a moment, he'd smash my body with his wooden spear and send me flying out of the arena's boundaries.

There's only one way out of this, and that is to try to test that Secret Art I was thinking of. I hardly know if this will work but now it's all or nothing!!!

[Lightning Art- Cognitive Drive!]

I focused my Lightning Aura into my brain and nervous system before augmenting them using the enhancing quality of my mimicked element of Lightning. My iris dyed purple as the world around me slowed down.

It wasn't that I slowed down time, but instead it was that I used my Lightning Aura to strongly enhance my cognitive perception of the world around me through my brain functions and nerves.

I had no time to enjoy the feeling of seeing the world in this new light as I used it's effects to plan my next move cautiously. Having enhanced cognitive facilities didn't mean I could stop time so it was only natural I'd rush a little.

I manipulated the rest of my Lightning Aura to focus into my hand, causing my mind to race as a feeling of weakness overcame me. The technique I was using now could be considered a Spell that used my own Mana for activation.

Creating something out of nothing using Aura Manifestation used a lot of Mana. That kid called Jack was able to create Earth Armour due his high talent and Earth Affinity, but I couldn't.

However, I didn't feel it was a waste of energy because I could increase the firepower by altering the 'current' of even the smallest spark of lightning.

This was one of the greatest assets of the Cognitive Drive Secret Art!

It allowed me to complete Arts and Spells in an extremely short amount of time by allowing me to control Mana in the slowed down world through my enhanced, amethyst-coloured eyes.

Although the Lightning Spell I was completing was small compared to my thumb-size Fireball Spells, my mind used the extra cognitive ability it had to continuously increase my new Lightning Spell's overall power. The purple spark on my hand gradually changed size to become a blue bolt of natural Lightning covering my hand!

I then sent out a fist towards Jack's armour after charging my Lightning Spell enough in the near-stagnant world seen in my cognitive vision.

[Lightning Spell- Azure Impulse!]

My fist smashed into his Earth Armour and destroyed his strong magical defences with a singular, impactful explosion of natural lightning!

Jack's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw my fist had pierced his manifested Earth Aura armour. It was then his face twisted as he tried to retreat, but how could I just let him back away?

I changed my grip to point my my wooden sword towards the gap I created and stabbed into his Earthen Armour while putting away my knife. I didn't want speed and unpredictability right now but pure power, so it was only natural I held my sword with two hands instead swinging it with one.

[Spell Conjuring- Mountain Toppling!]

Without warning, Jack stabbed his spear into the ground and hurled up the floor underneath me by controlling Earth Ether. He probably knew he wouldn't be able to fix his armour in time so he created a distraction by throwing the floor I was standing on up into the air. I wasn't able to stop him from using this Spell since he was decisive enough to waste extra amounts of Mana to forcefully finish the Spell.

Since we both were unable to see each other's movements, I decided that I would retreat as well because charging forward without a plan was too reckless! The Lightning Aura around me fully shifted into an emerald Wind Aura as I completely gave up on using short bursts of power. The sword in my hand shone an emerald light as I used the Elemental Swordsmanship of Wind to focus Wind Ether into my sword.

[Wind Art- Weightless Breath!]

I jump off the big patch of earth that was thrown into the air and defended my body, blocking an Earth Lance that thrusted out of the patch of earth below me. This Earth Lance was so fast that even I wouldn't have normally been able to dodge it. However, I didn't panic as I calmly borrowed the lance's power to fly higher into the air above.

What a tricky guy! So this is what Magical combat feels like... it's so exhilarating, and makes my blood boil in excitement!

For some reason, I don't quite like this feeling...

[Wind Art- Air Walk!]

Instead of taking revenge for almost getting impaled, I use a basic technique that anyone who grasped Wind Aura could use and kept my body afloat in mid air. The green light radiating outside my body signified how I fully changed my Aura Clad to focus on speed. If he couldn't hit me with his attacks, then his power will be wasted!

It only took a moment for the tossed patch of earth to fall back to the ground, revealing the silhouette of Jack who was gasping for air. It seems the electrical charge I used to break his armour earlier but wasn't enough to stop him from trying to fight back.

From the looks of his Aura, it seems he consumed quite a bit of Mana to ward off my Lightning Spell after it hit his body. Though that doesn't matter to me anyway considering how I didn't expect him to go down after just one injury...!

While still in midair, I overlapped a ruby-like Fire Aura on top of my Wind Aura and started to prepare Blue Fire Bullet Spells. My body started to descend slowly from mid air like a feather as I used an incomplete Air Walk to slower my speed of descent.

It's not like I couldn't control Fire Ether considering how I'm a Universal Specialist but even someone with many affinities like myself needed to first change the Elemental Nature of my Aura before I could control Ether.

A bunch of small blue flames start to pile around me as I used my Fire Mana to create sparks. I followed up by adding Fire Ether turn those small sparks into concentrated blue flames.

My body gradually descended towards Jack, but I wasn't agitated. I calmly proceeded to create more fire bullets using diligently trained visualisations.

"It seems I underestimated you." Jack said ferociously as stared as me angrily.

Hah... As expected, he's still a a child isn't he? To think that it would only take one attack to effect his emotional stability. I don't really care how much of unfair advantage I have in mental fortitude considering how he'd been trying to anger me before the match...

"You may want to use a Spell to defend against this." I advised worriedly. It's not like I want to kill him using my unique Spell after all.

"Dream on!" He burned with fighting spirit. Oh? It looks like my words hurt his pride... He must have thought that I was advising him out of arrogance.

Instead of aiming for his body, I made sure that most of the fire bullets I prepared would hit the ground around him. Then I shot the flaming bullets at him as a barrage of magical attacks.

Although he probably didn't understand how strong these little bullets were, he still decided to counter with full force. The Earth Ether around him trembled as a pillar of earth moved him over the bullets trajectory before heading towards where I was falling.

A myriad of explosions resounded behind him, causing his face to pale in response. One could tell from that flabbergasted look of his that he didn't expect my Blue Fire Bullet Spell to pack such a punch. It seems he's now starting to adapt to my strange Spells now...

"Having fun?" I asked as I met his spear once again using Elemental Swordsmanship. He may have been able to cover his spear in Earth Aura but the intricacy of my fighting style made it so I could still push him back despite his talents.

[Secret Art- Muscle Enhancement!]

I fully shifted to Fire Aura to increase my strength by using my muscles as a medium. I then using my falling momentum to strike at his spear head-on. The Earth Aura on his spear trembled after my sword smashed it!

The impact nearly caused him to let go of his spear but he still stubbornly held on. The power of his Earth Aura intensified as it looked like he was going to use a Third Tier Combat Spell by condensing his Earth Aura.

[Earth Spell- Earth Gauntlet!]

Jack's opal Earth Aura became more corporeal as he got serious! He clenched his fist and punched out with all his strength, causing his Aura to copy the shape of his hand in order to follow his movements. My Fire Aura turned into Earth Aura as I defended myself by injecting my Aura into skin.

[Secret Art- Skin Reinforcement!]

[Secret Art- Weightless Breath!]

A powerful sound of impact resounded as the Aura fist hit my body, but I was merely pushed back by his attack due to defence being reinforced. Even though the attack didn't damage my skin, it still affected me internally with its pressure. This was definitely something I gotta work on...

I also layered on my Wind Aura onto my Earth Aura to complete Weightless Breath so I could borrow the force of the impact to retreat a few steps. My body weight lightened as I allowed myself to be pushed back.

As I planned what would be my next course of action, my body didn't stop I threw the wooden knife in my pocket and my sword in his direction in order to force him to defend. In that one moment when he switched to a more defensive stance, I leapt forward to decrease the distance between us and grabbed his spear before punching him.

My muscles were enhanced by my Fire Aura as I punched his chin. Then followed with a series of hand-to-hand combat moves at close range. He wasn't even able to react in time as I barraged him into submission with absolute dominance in close-range combat!

A kick to knee, a punch to the gut, a chop to the neck, an vicious elbow to the lungs... all these martial art moves interchanging to various parts of his body in succession through precision!

He grunted and used all his willpower to suddenly counter with his fist to attack my temple, but I grabbed his arm and gave him a good overarm throw onto the ground in response.

The last thing I did was subdue him by threateningly shining my Lightning Aura coated hand above his head so that he wouldn't continue to struggle...

Jack was a prideful and fearless individual even at such a young age, he didn't even wait for me speak as he grabbed leg and kicked my stomach!

I seemed to have only incensed him when I fought him hand-to-hand.

[Earth Spell- Double Gravity!]

Using the opportunity he created, the Earth Ether surrounding me vibrated as a suppressive force weighed down on my shoulders. I stopped using both my Secret Arts at that moment as I was fully focused on not letting Jack escape my grasp. I tackled him and borrowed the force of the increased gravity to hold him down.

[Lightning Spell- Electric Impact!]

A great amethyst light shone all over my body as used the last of my energy to turn my body into a stun gun. Jack was almost knocked unconscious by the strength of the electricity that pierced through the last of his Earth Aura. His legs wobbled as he even lost the strength retaliate any further...

"The duel has ended, the winner is Simon!" Mark exclaimed in excitement.

I moved away from Jack's beat up body and smiled, but something wasn't quite right as everyone else was silent, their mouths comically hanging open...

I looked around and saw that most the servants were still looking at me in disbelief and awe. The House Master solemnly stood up from his seat and looked at me with sharp-eyes.

"Follow me." Duke Swordwick ordered as he walked away with my parents in tow. It seems I really shouldn't have showed too many of my hidden cards...