The Master-Servant Contract ensured Kael could end Scarlett's life with a mere gesture, his words carrying absolute authority. Though the vampire Countess seethed with silent curses, defiance was futile.
Kael knew of her hatred but cared little. So long as she obeyed, the contract's ruthless enforcement sufficed. To him, Scarlett was merely a tool to wield.
Under her reluctant guidance, Kael finally unlocked the Moonlight Twilight's functions. He now channeled its energy to restore Scarlett's strength while resealing her within the artifact – far simpler than dragging a living "human" around. Crucially, he'd learned to suppress its power-draining effects, channeling its energy to fuel her cultivation instead.
Dawn broke across the eastern horizon as Kael stowed the relic into his spatial ring, satisfaction curling his lips. Today's battle awaited.
"Cruy... wind-summoning mage." Anticipation flickered in Kael's eyes. The man had crushed last tournament's fifth-ranked Carlos, proving formidable. But it was his unique summoning magic that intrigued Kael most.
After hastily devouring a bread roll, Kael strode into Arena One.
As expected, the venue overflowed with spectators. Their duel had become the tournament's hottest topic: Kael, the dark horse who'd toppled Korgoth, versus Cruy, the underdog who'd shattered the "Dark Knight" Carlos. A clash of meteoric risers.
The spotlight duel.
Cheers erupted as Kael entered, his supporters' fervor rivaling – though not yet matching – the fanbases of titans like Ethan or Dylan.
Cruy already stood in a corner, meditating.
"Arena One's packed today! Even Ethan's here!" Vesper's announcement drew collective gasps as heads swiveled.
True enough – Ethan, Dylan, the Golden Lion, Amelia... every top contender had gathered. All eyes fixed on the impending storm.
"Ethan, who do you think will win this match?" A female commentator fluttered her lashes coquettishly, deploying her charms for an exclusive scoop.
"Hard to say. Both are formidable," Ethan replied with a casual shrug.
Undeterred, she pressed: "Rumor claims you and Kael have a promised duel. Is that true?"
The arena erupted in murmurs. Ethan and Kael? A fated clash?
Kael stiffened. During his victory over Jack, Ethan had indeed voiced interest in facing him at the tournament. Now that offhand remark had become a spectacle.
"Correct." Ethan locked eyes with Kael across the arena, his gaze blazing. The moment Kael had obliterated Jack with a single spell, Ethan had marked him. Now, as Kael's meteoric rise continued, that curiosity had crystallized into anticipation.
The commentator nearly squealed. "Ethan himself confirms their destined duel! Does this mean he's here for Kael? Regardless, today's battle just gained historic stakes!"
As Kael and Cruy stepped onto the platform, Cruy smirked. "Quite the fanclub you've got. Even Ethan's watching. Imagine the spotlight when I crush you." His eyes gleamed with ambition. Years of hiding his power would culminate here – defeating Kael meant seizing the tournament's narrative.
Kael merely shrugged. Empty boasts meant nothing; victory spoke for itself.
Vesper's voice boomed: "On one side, Kael – the anomaly with god-tier casting speed! On the other, Cruy – master of arcane summons! Who prevails? BEGIN!"
Ten thousand spectators held their breath.
"Meteor Shower!"
Kael moved first. His body blurred with Stellar Footwork, trails of starlight flickering under his boots as he closed the distance. The Holy Flame Scepter flared, its Grade Nine fire crystal channeling torrential mana. Paired with his silver-star incantation speed, the spell coalesced in seconds.
The sky fractured. Dozens of flaming orbs materialized, hurtling toward Cruy in a cataclysmic rain.
"So fast… that flame?!" Cruy's pulse spiked as Kael's onslaught pinned him mid-movement. His summoning magic demanded preparation time – a fatal flaw against such blistering casting speed. Worse, the fire's ferocity defied logic. Even at Level Six Advanced, Kael's mutated spells radiated lethal pressure. Cruy's strongest wind barriers might crumble instantly.
Sapphire flames roared toward him, death incarnate. Teeth gritted, Cruy hurled his contingency plan into motion.
A spell scroll unfurled.
"Wind Spirit Aegis!" The pre-inscribed fifth-tier defensive magic roared to life, encasing him in a swirling vortex. Not stopping there, Cruy chanted anew: "Guardian of the Zephyr!" Twin barriers layered before him – desperate, brilliant, and utterly unorthodox.
Kael's brow twitched. A scroll? Clever. The man had anticipated his speed disadvantage.
BOOM!
The arena shook as crystalline fire devoured Cruy's position. Meteor-like projectiles cratered the ground, shockwaves ripping through air now thick with acrid stench. Heat warped the reinforced stone; the arena itself seemed to groan under the inferno's wrath.
"Gods above!" Vesper's voice cracked. "Can Cruy survive that?!"
Contestants paled, mentally calculating their own odds against such devastation.
Yet when the flames subsided, a silhouette stood – battered but unbroken. Kael's lips curled in predatory delight.
Cruy staggered within his cracked dual barriers, robes singed but eyes blazing. The scroll's shield had shattered, but his own spell held – barely.
Not dead yet, Kael mused, exhilaration thrumming in his veins. Good. Let's see what else you've hidden.
"Not too weak after all. You're not entirely useless beyond summoning magic. But this makes things interesting." Kael, fully immersed, gripped his scepter as his icy gaze swept over Cruy.
Though unharmed by the frostflame, Cruy stood in a charred robe, his face smudged with soot and eyes blazing with fury. "Damn you. You've truly enraged me now, first-year genius freshman—Classmate Kael!" he spat through gritted teeth. His staff flared to life.
He was preparing summoning magic!
The crowd gasped, tension crackling through the arena. Though Kael currently held overwhelming advantage, everything could reverse if Cruy succeeded in conjuring a magic spirit—Dark Knight Carlos' defeat last time proved it.
"Kael! Cast Magic Silence or Mana Disruption now!" Finn shouted fervently, as if he himself were the one battling.
Cruy clearly anticipated such interference, darting backward to evade attacks while maintaining his incantation's cadence.
Yet Kael showed no intention of casting disruptive spells. Instead, he stood rooted, chanting his own spell—the syllables arcane and obscure, utterly unfamiliar even to seasoned observers...