"Are those Spells the result of Spell Fusion?" Vale asked, his curiosity piqued, while Maya's eyes widened in realization.

Anderson smiled at their reaction. "Indeed. What you faced today was not just a powerful Dark Spell. It was the outcome of Spell Fusion."

Vale and Maya exchanged glances, their curiosity growing. They knew that Spell Fusion was a technique that could only be learned in their 8th to 10th year.

"Could you tell us more about this Spell Fusion, seniors?" Vale inquired, confident that their seniors were considering educating them about this Spell Technique, given that they had already witnessed its power.

"Of course, but let's not discuss it here." Cassie replied.

Their seniors invited them to leave the Arena, and they headed to the cafeteria to have a more detailed discussion about what Thelma had done to them.

Once their meals arrived, Anderson began explaining the true nature of Thelma's spells.

"The first Spell she used, Terror Grasp, was a fusion of Spectral Hands and Fear Stream. And then she followed it up with the fusion of Darkness Coil and Blind Apparition, which created the Dark Illusion that trapped Maya in that nightmare..."

"Incredible... Is the fusion permanent, senior? Does it mean we can no longer use Spectral Hands or Fear Stream once we've fused them for the Terror Grasp?" Vale asked, his curiosity getting the better of him as he hadn't come across any detailed reviews of Spell Fusion.

"Unfortunately, no... Once you've fused spells together, you can no longer use the individual spells. Understanding the fusion process will shed light on why." Cassie answered.

"That's correct... Two spell models are combined to create a new and modified spell model, rendering the old ones unusable." Thelma added.

Anderson emphasized the immense significance of Spell Fusion, highlighting its potential to amplify their abilities and stressing the importance of mastering this technique. While they might not be able to utilize Spell Fusion in the upcoming competition, they needed to be cautious, as Elemental Arts Academy introduced this concept much earlier to its students.

As Vale and Maya learned about the early introduction of Spell Fusion in the 8th year for Elementalists, they couldn't help but feel a sense of unfairness. They questioned why they had to wait for four more years to learn this technique in the Academy.

"Isn't that unfair to us? Why are the Elementalists allowed to start fusing their spells earlier?" Maya voiced her dismay, her disappointment was evident.

Vale shared the same sentiment, feeling the weight of the long wait ahead before he could learn Spell Fusion.

It was eight long years! It was quite a lengthy period!

Anderson responded, wearing a helpless smile on his face. "Haa~ We share your thoughts, Maya... However, our Spell Fusion is different from the other Arcane Paths. It is far more dangerous and puts a greater strain on our bodies. You've already experienced the peril of Darkness Possession. The other Paths don't have to go through that. Just from that aspect, you can see that our Path is distinctive."

Cassie chimed in, trying to lift their spirits. "Well... Don't be too disheartened. Our Dark Spell Fusion is undoubtedly much stronger than the other paths. By the time you graduate, you'll be able to learn how to fuse three Dark Spells, while the other Arcane Paths would already be content with fusing two Spells." Her words carried a sense of pride in being a Dark Arcanist.

Vale and Maya finally accepted this as they continued to ask questions.

"So it was like that May I know some other combinations of Spells? I currently have Dusk Imprisonment, Ghost Hand, Corrupted Chains, Spectral Hands, and Moonlight Curse." Vale asked in excitement as he was hoping that his current Spell would have decent combinations for a fusion later on. If not, he would have to consider which Spell he should record first.

However, as he thought that his seniors would enthusiastically give advice about which Spell he should fuse someday, they all looked at him as if he was a monster.

"Vale, you have recorded the Shadow Gate, Darkness Manipulation, Light Absorption, and one more movement spell. That was already a total of nine Dark Spells! Are you sure that it's fine?" Maya suddenly asked, leaving Vale speechless. She was worried that Vale would not have enough Spell Lights for the Shadow Soldier and the other two Branch-Exclusive Spells.

Indeed, Vale had forgotten about that. He even felt smart excluding the Spells from the Malefic Branch.

He then immediately thought of a reply.

"Ahem I was just lucky since I had more Spell Lights than the others. I'm sure Seniors had already seen others with more Spell Lights than me."

Anderson and the other two immediately gathered their thoughts as they nodded to Vale.

"You're right I remember that Lesley had 10 Spell Lights when she was only in her 7th year. However, you're still amazing, Vale."

"Incredible If you actually learned the Dark Mist Spell, you can fuse it with Ghost Hands and create an Ethereal Darkness Prison. Mhm Let me think for a moment." Cassie muttered as she tried recalling the Spell Fusions in their lessons.

"Well, you'll know it soon, Vale. Don't worry. Almost all of our Spell can be fused with another Spell. That's another reason it's only being taught in our 8th year." Thelma added.

"Wait! I remember now. Dusk Imprisonment and Ghost Hands work as well. They can be fused to create a Dusk Grasp Spell. You also mentioned that you have Moonlight Curse and Spectral Hands There's a great fusion for that Spell, and it was being used by Rank 75, who had beaten Anderson twice. It's called Lunar Touch It's quite a terrifying Curse Spell." Cassie immediately added.

Thelma's eyes lit up after hearing this.

"Ahh! That was right. It's Anderson's mistake to fuse a difficult Dark Spell together, so he's having a hard time advancing his Rank. He had become weak against Curse Spells. Remember, Vale and Maya, if you want to advance your Rankings someday, you need a stronger curse than your opponent or a better anti-curse spell."