Chapter 218
Like sweeping up fallen maple leaves, a scattering of red aura flitted through the sky.
Like a school of sardines swimming through the sea, or a galaxy spinning around a central axis.
From the weapon material of aura, one could even sense a vitality, and at its center stood the Golden Knight, Arterion.
The blade of his sword was covered in another layer of red aura.
A power capable of cutting through everything. That threatening aura surged forth to face Vargan.
—Tap. Tap.
Vargan smiled slyly.
His staff tapped against the arena floor as he prepared his spell, looking so relaxed that it seemed hard to believe he was about to face a fierce battle.
‘Yeah, I knew you’d smile like that.’
Arterion raised his sword.
He fixed his focus directly on his opponent and concentrated his mind.
Neither of them made a rash move.
To an outsider, it might look like, “What on earth are they doing?”
However, the two were fiercely competing at this very moment.
Waiting for an opening, gauging the right moment that would be even slightly advantageous to themselves.
Having reached a considerable level of strength, and with a good understanding of each other, neither was willing to make the first move carelessly.
—Sizzle.
…About three minutes passed.
The moment arrived when the mana output of Vargan, who had a clear view, changed ever so slightly.
Arterion charged forward like a beast.
In the blink of an eye.
No, for Vargan, it was at a time when the mana that would substitute for his sensory cells hadn’t fully returned yet.
Arterion stood right in front of him, swinging his sword as if about to sever his throat.
—Swish!
Vargan was cut down effortlessly.
His severed torso and legs still seemed unaware they had detached, merely a line of red marked in their place, appearing as if they were still connected.
—Vargan, I clearly told you.
Arterion’s voice rang out.
Clear, precise, his calm voice echoed.
It was a fleeting moment split into thousands, yet without a hint of distortion.
Without a single moment of carelessness.
—To give it your all from the start.
The young swordsman Arterion was not swayed by illusions like before.
Whish—!
Exhibiting moves impossible for an ordinary human body.
He twisted his body against the arena floor.
Swinging his sword towards the back.
The target of his blade was Vargan.
It was not the illusion he had just cut away, but his actual form.
“……What?”
As the crimson aura aimed for his neck, Vargan hastily pulled back.
Creating a shockwave of mana, he barely managed to create some distance.
While buying some time by continuously casting the curse magic he had prepared, he felt fresh, warm blood trickling down from the newly inflicted wound.
Vargan found it utterly ridiculous and said, “Ha… Prince, are you really planning to kill me?”
A faint scratch appeared on his neck.
Thanks to his astonishing reflexes, he dodged quickly; otherwise, his head would surely be rolling down there by now.
“All the curse magic cast upon me…” Ben Arterion glared at Vargan with his shimmering golden eyes.
“…It’s not like I can’t.”
“Showing intent to kill for a mere final exam… You must be out of your mind.”
Throughout this tournament, Vargan had suffered not even the slightest damage.
One could say that this was the moment when the record set for the final exam was about to be broken.
‘Arterion… does that mean cunning tactics like in the past won’t work anymore?’
The exalted prince had reached a realm where he could cut through magic with a red aura.
Truly, a power that could ‘slice through anything.’
He was no longer the Arterion lost in illusions.
Of course, the more precise and advanced the magic, the longer it would take to cut through, consuming more mental strength and stamina.
In any case, it was clear that the antics he used to pull on Alicia wouldn’t work anymore.
‘Besides… that’s annoying.’
The mana in the air obscuring Vargan’s vision.
That red maple leaf cutting through it.
‘It’s not merely decorative. It’s even removing the curse magic I set up.’
There was a reason for his frantic movements.
The near miss by Arterion’s sword just moments ago was because those erratic maple leaves disrupted the flow of mana that should have provided visibility.
What an irritating fellow…
—Vargan. I’ll say this one last time.
Arterion had no intention of continuing the conversation.
He concentrated the swirling maple leaves filling the arena into one spot, relaying his command repeatedly.
—Go all out.
Shwaaa—!
A red wave crashed down upon Vargan.
Thick crimson maple leaves obediently following only Arterion’s command.
Aura sparkling beautifully like shards of glass became cruel blades aimed at Vargan.
At the center of the storm stood Vargan.
Despite the terrifying scene of the ferocious maple leaves making it impossible to identify him, he forcefully erupted mana, temporarily dispersing the leaves.
What remained was not in uniform but rather Vargan in a black suit.
His attire, adorned with ornate designs, bore no wrinkles.
Thump—!
Vargan leaned on his staff.
Mana swelled around him, spreading outwards.
It wasn’t visible to the eye, but it surely existed; the ominous aura of mana.
Vargan wiped the smile from his lips and removed his eye patch.
Simultaneously, a haze swept over his sightless eyes.
Though there were no changes in his skin, Arterion knew well that this phenomenon was the touch of magic.
It seemed Vargan had finally decided to take the match seriously.
“If it is the prince’s will, I shall not decline.”
Spells for summoning erupted from all directions.
A geometric pattern centered around two circles created by a double fusion, with familiars appearing above two regular summoning circles.
The dark spirit Arcan, a fusion of the Duke’s water spirit Naias and Hawk, known for his keen eyesight.
The heavy-weight Taesan, fused with Elliot, who could split on a molecular level.
The transformable wolf familiar, mixed with the king’s eye that shares vision and sound.
The artificially created chimera Kry, containing a diverse mix of familiars.
The mana mass ghost Supplier shaped like Vargan.
Summoned above the arena, they split roles and gleamed with intent to kill without Vargan needing to give further commands.
Zuuuuu—.
As if that weren’t enough, Vargan conjured twelve corrupted magic orbs.
Vargan recalled the mana core.
Despite being limited to half his total mana and power after undergoing trials, he was able to perfectly command his powerful familiars and use his magic in the arena where the use of relics was forbidden.
—Thud!
Vargan struck the ground with his staff, signaling the start of the battle.
—Grrrraaaah!
Thud thud thud thud—!
The first to charge was Taesan, who was in an invisible state.
Not visible to the eye, he quickly reached Arterion with massive strides.
He powerfully swung both fists downward.
“……I see you, giant.”
Arterion, with his eyes closed, showed no fear even when faced with the massive weight about to crush him.
Instead, he raised his sword high, intensifying the glow of the red aura around him.
In response, Taesan’s fists, which were about to strike down on Arterion, split into two, and Taesan quickly divided his body down to a molecular size.
—Boom!
As Taesan burst apart, Arterion moved at high speed.
Naias, watching this unfold, saw her vision sharpen even more, and the spirit shouted first.
“Arcane! Behind—!”
“I know!”
Crack—!
Arcane swiftly spread her bony tail wide, blocking Arterion’s strike.
The overwhelming shock was fully transmitted. Arcane trembled and felt pain all over her body.
“Urgh…!”
Arcane gritted her teeth while enduring it.
Yet the incoming red aura continued to slice through her bones.
Realizing this wouldn’t work, she activated ‘Spatial Domination,’ filling the area with darkness.
The darkness was Arcane’s power. If she could manipulate it and compress it with powerful gravity…!
That thought crossed her mind, but almost immediately, the darkness was torn apart like a piece of paper.
Arterion’s red maple could even cut through the spirit’s power.
“No…!”
“Hey, you jerk! Don’t bully my junior!”
Just as Arterion’s sword was about to reach Arcane, Naias desperately intervened from behind.
She launched a fist packed with extreme magic, which she had intended to use against Erlich earlier.
Naias’s punch contained the powers of the duke-class spirit and the Judgment Weapon.
However.
“Is this speed even possible?!”
In an astonishing blink of an eye, she witnessed her full-powered punch easily dodged right before her very eyes.
Clearly, Arterion was swinging his sword at Arcane. How did he even notice?!
It was as if he had eyes in the back of his head, as he deftly redirected his sword, slicing off Naias’s tail and attempting a counterattack.
Boom—!
With the thunderous sound of an explosion, a shockwave erupted.
The impact of Naias’s fist colliding with Arterion shook the arena, and leaves of maple scattered to the far ends.
Both felt the backlash.
“….”
Arterion took a moment to catch his breath and quickly assessed the situation.
Even though his maple leaf had been pushed back, Arcane and Naias were both at risk of being flung away from the shock.
Vargan had about twenty steps left towards them.
‘No matter how many familiars I cut down, it’s useless. I have to take down the one in front of me….’
After calculating that, the Golden Knight stomped the ground again.
At that moment.
Grroooowl—.
Two wolf spirits tangled with his ankles, refusing to let go.
The wolves transformed into chains, halting Arterion’s movements.
Immediately, they created clones, multiplying their numbers, quickly surrounding him.
Arterion narrowed his eyes, looking at the mysterious familiar supplying mana to the wolves, who were working together.
Clearly tasked with supplying mana, but its form was invisible.
‘So, even unfamiliar familiars can be seen, huh? But… that doesn’t change anything.’
“Even so, nothing changes.”
Arterion is not one to lose momentum just because unexpected beings have appeared.
A pack of wolves rushes at him, gnawing relentlessly at various parts of his body.
As their teeth pierce his flesh, they become chains.
The chains are driven tightly into the ground, gradually binding his movements.
They’re so tight that pulling on his captured arm is excruciating.
Yet, there’s no time to gather and cut away the scattered autumn leaves.
“…I won’t use the autumn leaves.”
The form of the red aura that had stained the blade of Arterion changes.
Wavering and rising, it takes on a new shape. Adjusting its form at will is at the discretion of its master, Arterion.
—Squeak, squeak!
The red aura, now resembling a whip, moves freely.
It slices through the chains binding Arterion and massacres the charging wolflings.
Arterion shows no signs of stopping.
With a force that cracks the arena floor, he propels himself forward like a cannon.
He slashes the mysterious ghost in his path.
Then, as if waiting for this moment, twelve mana orbs fire beams at him.
Arterion holds his breath, pulling his entire body’s muscles and mana together.
He charges forward as swiftly as flames doused in oil.
“Seven… six…”
With each step and swing of his sword, the numbers of remaining steps and mana orbs dwindle.
The beams move at such speed that he suffers grazes along the way.
Even as the Flame of Corruption sends pain of decay into his skin, the Golden Knight does not falter.
“Three… two…”
He accurately slashes at the center of a mana orb, advancing with a fierce and fluid movement like the wind blowing across the field.
“…one.”
Finally, he comes face to face with Vargan.
Arterion tries to unleash a strike fueled by the momentum he’s built up to this point.
—You are quite hasty, Prince.
At the same time, Arterion sees it.
And hears it.
—There’s still one step left.
A smile graces Vargan’s lips.
A thirteenth mana orb, exuding intense energy that seems ready to explode.
And in Arterion’s head, echoes the laughter laced in Vargan’s voice.
—I forgot to mention that the number of usable mana orbs has increased recently.
The Flame of Corruption fires off with a volume that numbs his ears.
Vargan wanted to see Arterion’s surprised reaction.
Would he barely dodge the mana orb? Or would he attempt to land a strike at the cost of damage?
But contrary to Vargan’s expectations, the situation unfolds differently.
“…As expected.”
The red autumn leaves hidden within the Golden Knight’s embrace poke their heads out.
Arterion thought Vargan would have another hidden card up his sleeve.
His assumption was correct.
“I thought you would do something like that.”
The autumn leaves emerge to split the mana orb and self-destruct.
Now, nothing stands in Arterion’s way but Vargan.
There’s no reason for his sword to hesitate.
—You’ve become quite cunning, Prince.
Surprised by Vargan’s new combat style, Arterion sees the darkened hand blade invoking the magic of corruption in seconds, directly implanting a voice into Vargan’s mind.
Arterion responds with a subtle smile instead of words.
“That’s… more pleasant to hear than I expected.”
With a swing of his sword.
Vargan attempts a counterattack.
And then.
“Where do you think you’re going…!”
The familiars, regrouped, charge at Arterion from all sides.
The arena shakes violently without pause, welcoming an unprecedentedly grand final showdown.
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