How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game Chapter 742: A friendly match 2

Over at the academy’s grand colosseum, two students stood facing each other, their mana clashing long before either of them made a move.

They were complete opposites.

A golden, radiant heat poured from Rose, spreading like a miniature sun had descended onto the arena.

The ground around her shimmered under the pressure, the air itself bending as if it couldn’t withstand the intensity. It wasn’t just heat—it felt alive, like it wanted to burn everything down to nothing.

And then there was Snow.

A quiet, ever-present frost wrapped around her, pale and endless. It didn’t just freeze the ground—it felt like it was freezing everything.

Even the flow of mana in the air slowed, stiffened, and then stopped entirely near her.

The space around Snow warped slightly, covered in an ethereal white haze that felt untouchable, unreachable... absolute.

"I knew something was off the moment you came back with Riley..."

Rose’s voice cut through the tension as she looked down.

She hovered high above the arena, wand in hand, a blazing golden sun burning behind her like a crown.

The light from her spell pushed back against Snow’s frost, forcing space for her presence. The creeping ice slowed, melting at the edges under the overwhelming radiance.

But even so—

Rose knew it wasn’t enough.

"I believe I already gave you an explanation last time, so this shouldn’t be surprising."

"I didn’t believe it back then."

Rose’s gaze sharpened.

She studied Snow carefully.

There was something wrong.

Snow wasn’t holding her wand—the same one Riley had given her. Instead, she stood there with nothing but a slight movement of her fingers, shaping spells as if tools were unnecessary.

To others, it might’ve looked like arrogance. Maybe even disrespect.

But Rose understood the truth.

Snow didn’t need it anymore.

Her control had gone far beyond what a magic tool could handle. Every movement, every shift in her mana was precise, effortless. The frost wasn’t just a spell anymore—it was an extension of her will.

Something closer to an authority.

Something that didn’t feel human.

The kind of power that shouldn’t exist in the hands of a student... or even a mage.

A power that felt like it belonged to something far higher.

And that realization alone made Rose tighten her grip on her wand.

Because for the first time—

She wasn’t sure she could win.

’I’ve tried using celestial magic in secret... but I can’t even lock coordinates around her. The moment my mana gets close, it freezes... and just disappears...’

Rose kept her expression steady, but her mind was moving fast.

Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t even be a difficult fight.

She was an archmage—far beyond the level of any student in the academy. A high-ranking mage capable of using Celestial Magic, something that didn’t just manipulate elements but interfered with space, time, even providence itself.

Against most opponents, that alone was overwhelming.

But here—

None of it seemed to matter.

Snow’s presence alone denied it.

’My spells are limited to high-ranking ones now...’

Rose narrowed her eyes slightly, golden light flickering around her.

Thanks to certain prohibitions they were asked beforehand to limit the use of high ranking spells as well.

’...but that doesn’t mean I’m out of options.’

If anything, the fight was going better than she initially expected.

Yes, Snow’s newfound ability—no, that authority—was a problem. A massive one. It shut down anything that required precise control over space, making her strongest techniques nearly useless.

But Rose wasn’t inexperienced.

She knew how to deal with abilities like this.

Even if she hated the idea.

Because right now—

She was the one being pushed back.

The battlefield looked even, a stalemate to anyone watching. Light and frost clashing endlessly in a dazzling display.

But Rose could feel it.

The pressure.

Snow only needed one clean hit.

One mistake... and it would be over.

’Thankfully... she isn’t fully committing to high-level offensive spells...’

Rose’s gaze sharpened as another wave of frost rolled outward, clashing against her light.

’Is she holding back because we’re in public...?’

A brief pause.

’...I guess that goes both ways.’

Meanwhile—

Snow watched her quietly from below.

A soft breath left her lips, barely visible in the cold air surrounding her.

From the outside, she looked calm. Untouched. In control.

But the truth was different.

She couldn’t keep up with Rose.

Not completely.

The speed of those light-based spells... the constant barrage, the way they came from every angle without warning—it was overwhelming.

And mixed within them, subtle shifts of celestial magic that warped space just enough to throw her off.

Every second demanded focus.

Every moment required precision.

The only reason she was still standing—

Was because of her authority.

Because without it...

She would’ve already lost.

So instead, Snow stayed on the defensive.

Snow had thought she’d finally closed the gap between them.

With this new authority, with this absolute control over frost... she believed she could at least stand on equal ground with Rose.

But now—

It was clear that wasn’t entirely true.

’If I use it recklessly... I might cause more trouble than necessary...’

Her gaze lowered slightly as the frost around her pulsed, then calmed.

She wasn’t here to win.

Not really.

This fight was never about victory—it was about testing herself. Seeing how far she could go, how much she had changed... and whether that change was enough to stand beside people like Rose.

And she had her answer.

’...Should I just lose?’

The thought came quietly.

Not out of fear—but acceptance.

"Hey, Snow..."

Rose’s voice cut through her thoughts.

Snow looked up again.

There was something different now.

"It seems we’re both holding back," Rose said, her tone calmer than before—but sharper. "So... I’m going all out."

A brief pause.

"Don’t hold back either, okay?"

"Huh—?"

SNAP!

The sound echoed—

And the world changed.

It wasn’t gradual.

It wasn’t something you could follow with your eyes.

It just—

Shifted.

[Ultimate Class – Celestial Spell]

[Imperium Spatialis Totalis]

The arena... no—

The entire colosseum warped.

Space folded in on itself, reality bending as if it had been overwritten. The ground beneath Snow’s feet disappeared, replaced by an entirely different landscape in an instant.

Endless skies stretched above.

Fragments of land floated in the air, drifting like broken pieces of a world that no longer followed any rules.

"What...?"

Snow’s eyes widened slightly.

Even the crowd—

They weren’t gone.

They had been moved.

Far above, countless golden domes hovered in the sky, each one containing spectators safely within, suspended like distant stars watching from above.

Everything had been relocated.

Contained.

Controlled.

This wasn’t just a change of terrain.

It was a complete rewrite of the battlefield.

A separate space.

A world created solely for this fight.

And at its center—

Rose stood, floating calmly, golden light radiating from her like the core of a new sun.

"This is a spell I created myself," Rose said, her voice steady, almost casual despite what she had just done. "It reshapes the terrain... the battlefield... even the rules within it."

She lifted her wand slightly, the golden light around her growing denser, heavier.

"A space where my authority takes priority."

Her eyes met Snow’s.

"A place where the only real limit... is my imagination."

A small pause.

"...You can think of it as a temporary subspace."

There was a faint hint of something else in her tone.

"I got the idea after being dragged around by Alice’s cat last time."

Despite everything, she let out a quiet breath, almost like she found that memory ridiculous even now.

Then—

Her expression sharpened.

The air shifted.

Rose raised her wand and pointed it directly at Snow.

This time—

She didn’t hold anything back.

Her mana surged out freely, no longer restrained, no longer measured. It flooded the entire space, pressing down like a second sky.

Then she slowly raised her wand upward.

Toward the heavens she created.

"I won’t hold back this time, Snow."

Her voice echoed across the broken sky.

"So go ahead..."

A faint smile touched her lips.

"Try and freeze this too."

"Let’s see the limits of that power of yours."

The sky answered.

Dark clouds gathered instantly, swallowing the light above. Golden lightning tore through them, crackling violently as if the space itself was struggling to contain what was about to descend.

[Ultimate Rank – Destruction Spell]

[Armageddon]

Fire ignited across the heavens.

Not small flames—

But something vast.

Something overwhelming.

A blinding light spread across the sky as if a second sun had been born, only to fall.

Snow’s eyes widened.

A massive meteor—no, something closer to a falling world—broke through the clouds. Its size dwarfed everything, easily comparable to a large island as it descended with unstoppable force.

The air screamed.

The space trembled.

Even within the protective golden domes far above, the crowd fell into chaos.

Panic spread instantly.

"What kind of spell is that—?!"

"Is this even allowed?!"

"Are we safe here?!"

"Y-You’re crazy!"

Snow’s voice cut through it all as she stared up at the incoming destruction.

Rose didn’t deny it.

She didn’t argue.

She just smiled.