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The deafening cheers and applause filled the air, but Harry paid them no mind. Was he excited? Or was he in despair? At this moment, he found it difficult to tell.
Harry had longed for a worthy opponent, someone who could push him to his limits in battle. He had encountered many formidable foes before, but they were either fueled by potions or had some external aid. Without such advantages, he had stood no chance against them.
But that kind of victory never truly satisfied him. He wasn't a potion master, nor had he brewed those concoctions himself. He didn't subscribe to the idea that "potions are part of my strength." Others might think that way, but not Harry. Snape, perhaps, could say it with a clear conscience—but Harry couldn't.
He wanted to win honorably, to claim a victory through sheer strength alone. Yet, as he took in the scene before him, it felt as if that wish was being mercilessly crushed.
"It hasn't even started yet," Harry muttered, patting his face. "Who wins and who loses is still up in the air."
He ignored the judges' slow-motion commentary on the match. Instead, he silently walked to a corner of the resting area and used Transfiguration to conjure a heavy barbell—so heavy it cracked the wooden floor beneath it. Without a word, he began his warm-up.
Sweat dripped steadily, soaking his clothes. By the time the half-hour intermission was over, a pool of sweat had accumulated beneath him, reflecting his tall, muscular frame like a rippling mirror.
Riiip—
The soaked fabric tore apart as he ripped off his shirt. His sweat-drenched torso gleamed under the light, his blood-filled muscles slightly more swollen than before, accentuating the sharp contours of his body. With each powerful lift, his broad back seemed to come alive, as if a demonic artist were sketching an unspeakable masterpiece straight from the depths of hell.
With a final exhale, he let go of the barbell. The moment it hit the ground, it reverted to its original form. He grabbed a robe and casually draped it over himself. Then, lowering his gaze, he glanced at his ebony and ivory weapons before reaching into his black dragon-hide bag and pulling out a long sword that radiated an ominous glow.
The silver blade was intricately veined with crimson threads, resembling blood vessels wrapping around its entire length. The moment his fingers curled around the hilt, and he channeled his magic into it, wisps of scarlet mist seeped from the blade's surface, enveloping it in a ghostly red aura.
But that mist was no ordinary vapor.
Forged from the essence of a Demon Lord, the blade was imbued with extraordinary power upon being sharpened. Some weapons, like the ivory one, granted their wielders the ability to cast a single spell indefinitely or form a cycle of interconnected spells. Others, like the ebony one, allowed spells to pierce through defenses, striking directly at the core—one hit, one kill.
Of course, there were also weapons like this one, possessing entirely unique properties. Once the hilt was reinforced with the legendary Elder Wand, the sword's special effects became locked within the realm of beneficial enchantments. This wasn't mere luck—it was the privilege of those who had invested enough to be chosen.
Unlike the dazzling glow a lucky gambler might find on an enchanted wand, a true high-roller could amplify those effects through sheer force of will (and resources). What should have been a faint red glow now pulsed with a thick, ominous mist. If not for the rather tacky connotation, Harry would have named it The Crimson Tide—after all, it was the most fitting description.
"Where's your gun?"
As Harry stepped onto the stage, the referee glanced at the sword in his hand, puzzled.
"Swapping weapons in the finals? And for some flashy sword at that? This kid… is he out of his mind?"
The referee wasn't the only one curious—countless spectators were, too. When Harry unsheathed his blade in front of a legitimate swordsman from the Celestial Empire, he couldn't have looked more like a fool trying to show off.
"Are you curious too?"
Standing opposite his opponent, Harry locked eyes with Li Jiannan. In them, he caught a flicker of intrigue.
After all, this was the same man he had once offered bamboo shoots as an apology, the same one he had jokingly called "Catman." There was no way Harry would believe this guy was some cold, expressionless swordsman—he was more likely just socially awkward.
Li Jiannan nodded slightly and murmured, "It's a fine blade. Freshly sharpened, isn't it?"
"That's right," Harry replied. "Only did it last night, but I've already spent five minutes getting fully accustomed to it. Don't worry, I won't be careless. You're the most terrifying—"
He paused. Li Jiannan was five years younger than him, yet Harry was half a head taller. Technically, that made him a "peer."
"—same generation."
"Mm." Li Jiannan gave a slight nod, saying nothing more.
"Well then—please enlighten me!"
With a flick of his wrist, Harry tapped the blade, and it rang with a crisp, clear hum.
"Its name is 'Fire's Absolute Joy.'"
The referee, who had been listening to the conversation, pressed his lips together in a tight line. As a trained professional, he would not laugh.
"Oh? In that case…"
Li Jiannan reached for his sword case, pausing briefly before drawing out a short, finely crafted blue blade, barely longer than a foot.
"This one is 'Water's Utter Delight.'"
The referee clenched his fist and coughed, barely suppressing a choke. Professionalism. Professionalism.
"Ahem… Competitors, prepare yourselves."
The two saluted each other, then turned and walked to their starting positions.
In the fleeting silence before the signal, Harry's thoughts sharpened into perfect clarity. Only the rapid, drum-like pounding of his heart reminded him—he should be trembling with excitement!
BANG!
The starting gun fired!
In an instant, Harry's empty left hand struck his chest while his right hand jerked his sword upward.
A burst of iron-gray magic surged outward, engulfing him in mist. Hyper-Sensation Charm, Eagle Eye Charm—his enhanced senses kicked in at once. At the same moment, he detected a streak of light slicing through the fog, aiming straight for his neck!
Without hesitation, he turned—
CLANG!
A sharp metallic ring echoed as his crimson blade met the incoming strike.
Fire's Absolute Joy and Water's Utter Delight had just clashed for the first time.
For Li Jiannan, anyone who couldn't block his first strike wasn't worth his time.
And the unworthy—
Had no right to stand on this stage.
"mul-qua-lass"
Strength! Armor! Life!
The magic incantation of the Awakener surged within Harry the moment it was invoked, his boiling blood finding an outlet to release its torrent. His bones seemed to be reforged, and the vast, invigorating life force inside him erupted in full force. The overwhelming power surged upward, threatening to break free and burst out, but was confined within his tough skin, which was as durable as the outer hides of magical creatures or their scales.
It felt as if, at the moment of throwing a punch, even a giant would fall with a single blow. Harry nearly roared in excitement, but the sword rain above, flowing down like a waterfall, froze his boiling blood and cleared his mind.
The swords cascaded like a river of stars, the previously seen sword waterfall now crashing down!
But now, the target of the blade's tip was no longer the tree shadows struggling helplessly with their thousands of tendrils. Instead, it pointed toward a figure, its mouth twisted into a grotesque grin, exuding murderous intent.
The slaughterous killing intent, previously repressed, hidden, and contained, was now unleashed without reservation. The chilling atmosphere that permeated the air sent shivers down the spines of the audience seated hundreds of meters away, causing them to stiffen in terror.
There was no retreat behind him, and ahead lay a sword waterfall that could pierce through his body. The mad figure beneath the sword rain trampled the crimson carpet beneath his feet. The solid platform beneath him shattered into thousands of cracks, resembling an illusion. What the crowd saw in their vision was a figure charging headfirst into the torrent of swords.
"fus-ro-dah!" (Strength, Balance, Push)
The ancient incantation, which held the foundational truths of the world, caused the dense and orderly sword waterfall to lose its stability and balance. The tremendous force, released in an instant, altered the path of the swords!
With a forceful command, the glorious sword waterfall was torn open, creating a vacuum gap!
The long sword, wrapped in crimson mist, extended a blade made of iron-gray magic, a sharp edge almost ten feet long.
Li Jiannan felt a chill on his neck. Though the blade hadn't yet reached him, its cold, razor-sharp edge already seemed to pierce his skin from twenty meters away. The sword sheath floating behind him glimmered with a faint light. He raised his right hand and traced a cutting motion with his sword.
The sword waterfall, torn asunder, instantly reversed its flow. The grand "Heaven-Splitting Sword" hovered above, ready to fall.
The iron-gray blade came down, but before it could strike, it collided with the "Heaven-Splitting Sword"—the iron-gray magic blade shattered! The indestructible magic blade was forcefully broken for the first time in a direct clash!
Harry disappeared from his spot and reappeared at the far end of the arena in an instant.
'This shouldn't happen.' In Harry's shrinking pupils, disbelief flashed. The iron-gray magic sword was not entirely made of spells. Its core was his own manifested Awakener magic, and the sword formed the sharpest edge. The most remarkable feature was the ability to materialize his magic.
The sword, named "Fire's Great Joy," had a peculiar property—elemental transmutation. While most wizards would have found it useless, for Harry, it was a different matter. Had he had this sword when fighting Voldemort, he could have slain him without even using a single offensive spell, leaving him to become the true "Noseless Monster."
Materialized magic allowed the unseen magic to become a real entity. If it were a gun, pulling the trigger wouldn't release blanks, but real bullets—lethal and tangible!
While he was testing it, Harry hadn't encountered anything that couldn't be cleaved by his magic yet, but now…
'It shattered?'
"What kind of monster are you—"
Before he could voice his thoughts, the sword waterfall turned back toward him. But Harry was not concerned with that. What caught his attention was Li Jiannan, who slightly opened his mouth, uttering several unfamiliar syllables.
Harry swore he had never heard any of those syllables before, and he was sure they weren't from any language he knew.
Yet, despite the strangeness, he understood what they meant.
"Life, Search, Pursue."
The sword waterfall, which had been suspended in mid-air, seemed to come alive. The once lifeless flying swords were now imbued with a kind of 'life,' swimming through the air like joyful fish, their sharp edges locking onto Harry's body, hunting him relentlessly!
It was like throwing a skinned sheep into the Amazon River and watching the piranhas swarm and tear into their prey. These flying swords were moving in the same deadly fashion!
"strun-bah-qo" (Storm, Fury, Lightning)
This was the first magic incantation combination Harry had mastered. It was from the ruins that the Night Stags of the Forbidden Forest led him to. The iron-gray Awakener magic erupted with intense force, summoning a dark, thunderous storm cloud, the wind howling as it whipped the clouds around, and the lightning roared, crashing in deafening blasts!
The sword blades, now infused with the fury of nature, tore through the storm. A lightning bolt dozens of meters long scratched the magic barrier at the arena's edge. This barrier, built upon the immense structure of the Heavenly Palace, was invincible by ordinary means. Yet, under the supernatural fury of the enhanced storm, the previously invisible barrier trembled, creating a translucent, wavering outline!
"Boom!"
The thunderous crashes of lightning continued as the storm drained itself of energy. While Harry couldn't concentrate the lightning into a single point like Senior Seth, the spread-out thunderstorm still created a terrifying spectacle, far surpassing the might of the thunder columns!
Like piranhas rushing to devour their prey, the sword rain met the fury of the storm. Thousands of flying swords were struck down by the lightning, their path shredded by the electric whips, and the sky cleared, leaving nothing but open space ahead.
'Is it over?'
A thought flashed through Harry's mind.
But then he heard a voice.
"You've passed."
Li Jiannan raised his right hand, holding a long sword made of jade-like material, glowing faintly with gold. He didn't concern himself with the sword rain struck by the lightning but instead held the sword and casually swung it downward.
It was not made of jade.
It was western gold, a blend of white and gold.
Under the fury of the storm, the magical barrier only shimmered slightly as it touched the sword's light. A sharp point extended from the barrier, and the platinum light quickly descended. A thin line remained suspended in the air, as if the sky itself had been torn open.
The barrier immediately sealed, but beneath the crack, a scarlet glow appeared.
(End of Chapter)