Return of the Legendary Runesmith - Chapter 432

Chapter 432: Chapter 431- You did well
Elana hoped to finish the trial relying solely on her physical strength, without leaning on her armaments.

But her Professor had other plans—a challenge that could not be overcome by muscle alone.

Holding back was no longer an option. Any hesitation would mean failure, and the thought of disappointing her Professor stung sharper than any blow.

He hadn’t chosen a spell to test her. Instead, a golem of considerable magical power now faced her. Its presence alone made it clear: the Professor wanted her to use her armaments that’s why he brought forth this challenge.

That realization steeled her resolve. She would not falter.

“Holy smokes! That much mana from a single person?!”

“I can feel my hands shaking… Goddamn!”

“She is literally freezing the very air.”

The floor beneath them had turned to ice, a testament to the chaotic release of energy. But this was still accidental magic, a byproduct of raw emotion—not anything suspicious.

Adrian remained unflinching, observing his favorite student rise to her feet.

A burn mark marred her cheek, blood trailing from her nose. One could only imagine the force required to hurl her through the air like a meteor, yet she stood upright. Unshaken and determined. Ready to face the golem again.

Her eyes met the construct’s, unyielding. Every muscle coiled, every sense alert. She didn’t need to move first; the golem would feel her resolve before she even struck. The arena seemed to shrink around her, the chill in the air biting at those watching—but for Elana, it was fuel, not a hindrance.

With a slow exhale, she adjusted her stance, energy radiating just enough to show that she was no longer holding anything back. The trial had escalated beyond physicality. Every strike, every maneuver would demand everything she had—and she was ready.

With a burst of fog, Elana lunged straight at the golem.

The six-foot construct reacted immediately, palms slamming together as a flaming sphere shot toward her.

Elana’s eyes tightened. The runes etched along her batons lit up, threads of pale blue dancing across the metal. She struck both weapons forward, unleashing a concentrated wave of frost.

**HISSSSS**

Ice collided with flame.

One vanished.

Cold lingered.

She didn’t pause. Her breath rolled out in a pale mist as she summoned an elevated ice field beneath her feet, using it as a ramp. She sprinted up its rising curve and launched herself into the air.

Below, the golem raised both arms, orange energy gathering rapidly. But Elana was already moving. While airborne, she thrust her batons forward—

and the ice platform she’d created suddenly extended, sharpening into a spear-like formation that shot downward and pierced into the golem’s torso.

The construct staggered, its attack broken before it could ignite.

“Woah!”

“Such precise control over her sorcery…”

“Incredible… absolutely incredible.”

Whispers spread across the platform as students and teachers alike watched the display—controlled and dynamic. The kind of finesse expected from seasoned sorcerers, not someone still in training.

Elana landed lightly behind the golem, boots sliding across the thin frost coating the floor. She straightened, pivoted, and faced the construct again—her expression calm and body tense to end this battle.

Elana sprinted forward again, her footing sure even as the frost thickened beneath her. She spun her batons, locking them back into the leather straps on her hips, and drew her fist back—aiming to punch straight through the golem’s torso.

But just as she closed in, the construct’s upper body twisted unnaturally.

A harsh crack split the ice platform beneath her.

Then—an orange glow flared open in the golem’s chest.

She was way too close and too fast to evade. The results were expected,

**BOOOOOOM**

The explosion swallowed her, a violent blast of flame slamming into her body and flinging her backward like a ragdoll. She rocketed across the arena, hurtling straight toward Adrian.

If she crossed the boundary line, the trial would end—and she would fail.

A collective gasp rippled through the spectators.

Then—

**SHRRRIIING**

A massive ice wall erupted before Adrian, thick as stone and tall enough to shield him completely.

Elana crashed into it an instant later.

**CRAAACK**

The wall shattered under the force of her impact, fragments exploding outward, but its brief existence had slowed her enough. She slid to a stop just shy of the line.

Adrian narrowed his eyes. His voice reached her alone, sharp and urgent.

“Armaments.”

Still wincing from the hit, Elana understood immediately. She pulled her batons free once more, fingers tightening around the handles.

She had erected that wall independently, purely on instinct and that was nothing she was supposed to do.

Runes wouldn’t have activated that fast.

The audience fell into a heavy silence. No one whispered or commented, utter silence engulfed the whole hall.

Seconds ago, they had been certain Elana was finished. The blast had seared through her enhanced uniform, leaving her stomach and part of her shoulder exposed, skin reddened from the heat. By all logic, she should have crashed out of bounds.

And yet… she hadn’t.

She had forced an ice wall into existence at the exact spot she needed, at the exact moment she needed it.

Naturally, from their eyes it appeared she used the runes to bring such a miracle to reality but that wasn’t the truth.

People stared at her as if she had just rewritten the definition of control.

Elana realized the longer she stood still, the more they would obsess over that wall. And soon, those appreciating eyes might change to suspicious ones.

So she pushed herself upright, eyes narrowing at the golem.

If she didn’t want the wall to define this moment… she needed to give them something bigger.

Elana exhaled once—slow, steady—and the temperature around her plummeted.

This time, she didn’t hold anything back.

The runes carved into her batons ignited one after another, each symbol flaring with sharp blue light.

CHIK—CHIK—CHIK—CHIK

Dozens of runes activated in a cascading chain, forming intricate patterns around her arms, her wrists, her shoulders. The air warped with the sudden spike in mana, a thin white mist spiraling upward as frost crawled across the floor in branching veins.

A pressure spread through the arena—heavy, unyielding.

Every spectator felt it settle on their lungs.

The golem responded instantly, orange energy flooding its limbs as it braced itself. Its chest split open again, but this time the glow was blinding, as if it intended to unload every thread of power it possessed.

A whirring hum filled the air.

VWOOOOOM—

The golem unleashed a torrent of flame, a beam so bright and hot the very tiles beneath it cracked. The heat blew back the front row of spectators, forcing some to raise their arms in instinct.

But Elana was already moving.

She slammed both batons together.

KRRRRR-SHHHH

An enormous amount of runes expanded through the arena, reaching the edges as they glowed brightly. Spires of ice shot upward in a wide formation, twisting together like spears forged from winter itself.

Above her, another circle flared into existence, rotating slowly—

a crown of frost.

“Cryo Construct: Leviathan’s Maw.”

Her voice cut through the roar.

The spell detonated.

A colossal surge of ice burst from the arena floor, forming the jagged silhouette of a monstrous, serpentine jaw. Shards of frozen air spiraled around it, swirling like a storm given form. For a moment, it wasn’t magic that filled the arena—it was winter itself.

The golem’s flame met the Leviathan head-on.

BOOOOOM

Heat collided with the charging frost.

And was swallowed whole.

The icy construct surged forward, devouring the beam, piercing straight through the golem’s attack as if it were nothing but warm air. The flames sputtered, dimmed, then vanished completely.

Gasps erupted across the arena.

The Leviathan’s Maw crashed into the golem—

SHATTER—!

Its chest burst apart, icy tendrils ripping through its core. The construct’s limbs froze solid in an instant before the entire body collapsed into powdered ice.

Silence.

And then, a round of applause erupted from everywhere.

Every single student, even some teachers were clapping for the one girl who has surpassed her own limits and has shown skills that exceeded her age.

Even Ariana, in the monitoring room, couldn’t help but think that if Elana were to become a Warden, she would reach the list of top ten within a few years.

Just like Annabelle, Elana was also a young talent who was destined to achieve great things as she moves forward.

A gem born one in a hundred years and someone who would surely leave a great impact on the world.

While being surrounded by applause, Elana breathed heavily, standing in the middle of the frosty arena.

Just then, a warm coat draped over her shoulder and a familiar voice echoed in her ears, “You did well. I am proud of you, Elana.”

All those applause on one side and this single line…this single compliment…

The frost melted and a warm smile elevated the corner of her lips.

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. Please drop a comment if you have been enjoying the story so far.