Owen paid no attention to Benedict and the others.
With a thought, he used mana to gather their staffs and weapons, drawing them to his side.
He was particularly pleased to retrieve a ring from Erik's pile of remains.
The ring, with its sapphire hue, was crystal clear and emitted a unique spatial ripple.
A storage ring!
This was a valuable item!
Owen was thrilled because, in any kingdom, a storage ring was worth a fortune, typically owned only by nobles who could afford to buy and wear them with enough gold coins.
Owen's mind power turned into a vortex, diving into the ring and dispersing Erik's remaining mental imprint, leaving his own mark.
The internal space of the storage ring was vast, like a square room filled with a variety of items, mostly piled with gold coins, numbering in the thousands.
"Not bad!"
Owen was very satisfied and began placing the staffs and weapons from the mages into the ring.
These were high-value weapons from gold-tier mages.
Combined with the gold coins in Erik's storage ring, Owen realized he had suddenly become wealthy, possessing a fortune most mages could never earn in a lifetime!
Additionally, having eliminated so many gold-tier mages, his experience bar had surged, bringing him just a step away from reaching gold-tier level 1!
...
Meanwhile, in the royal palace, under the arena set up for the competition, Alfonso, Saint Annie, Andre, Princess Marry, and the young geniuses from important families of the Azure Kingdom had all gathered.
They had been waiting for over an hour, yet Owen had not shown up, prompting quiet discussions.
"The Magic Competition has already officially started, and Owen still hasn't arrived. Is he planning to back out and not participate?"
"I think he's hiding to protect his reputation, unwilling to show up!"
"Let's forget about him. There's no need to wait for this coward any longer. He might never show up again."
Many geniuses whispered among themselves.
This time, Princess Marry's Magic Competition had piqued everyone's interest, especially in Owen, the top genius. Many had come with the intent to challenge him.
However, with the key figure missing, they couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
In the audience, the royal family, the Council of Elders, some nobles, and other important figures like Edward from Academy City were also discussing quietly with furrowed brows.
The focus of their discussion was mostly on Owen.
Given his current fame and achievements, other geniuses couldn't compare to him, and even some older figures paled in comparison.
"Princess, I think we should start now. We can't keep waiting for him," Alfonso said impatiently.
He knew that Owen's absence was likely due to Erik and his guard mages ambushing him. He didn't deny Owen's strength, but Erik and his guards were all gold-tier mages. Even a platinum-tier mage would have to take them seriously if they attacked together.
Owen not showing up could mean that he had been killed by Erik and the mages.
Even if he wasn't killed, he was probably seriously injured.
If Owen did show up, Alfonso planned to take advantage of his weakened state to eliminate him. He coveted the Order of Fire within Owen.
If he could feed it to his fire dragon soul, his own power would undergo an unprecedented transformation.
After Alfonso's forceful statement, other geniuses quickly agreed.
They were proud and confident in their own right.
While they acknowledged Owen's extraordinary abilities, they too were prodigies.
They couldn't wait indefinitely for Owen.
Seeing this, Princess Marry nodded and said, "This Magic Competition aims to foster exchange and learning. You may take the stage to challenge or defend against other geniuses' challenges..."
Princess Marry briefly explained the rules and then announced the start of the competition.
The Magic Competition officially began!
Two figures shot into the air.
Saint Annie stepped onto the stage, barefoot, as if walking on water, appearing as if she had shrunk the distance between her and the arena.
At the same time, Andre, with a hearty expression, charged onto the stage.
His burly figure, like a humanoid beast, caused the ground to tremble slightly when he landed.
"Since Annie is so eager, let me be the first to challenge! I've heard that the saint's white magic is somewhat different from the white magic of Moonspring Kingdom."
Andre clenched his fists, wrapped in bandages, like solid rocks, his fighting spirit intense.
As a genius from Sahano, who had trained in dark magic for years, he was eager to exchange blows with other prodigies.
For him, winning or losing was not important; participating was what mattered!
Seeing that it was Andre challenging her, a rare smile appeared on Annie's usually cold face. She made a gesture of invitation, saying, "Let's keep it friendly. Please, go ahead."
From what she knew, Sahano was a small country where church and state were unified, and its people enjoyed participating in events.
They were generally good-natured.
Andre was also known to be a good-natured person, so she intended to focus on a friendly exchange.
With Annie's polite invitation, Andre did not hold back.
He leaped into the air, his entire body seeming to be encased in a sturdy magical armor, making him a formidable force in both attack and defense.
Annie, with a calm expression, simply adopted defensive measures, silently neutralizing each of Andre's fierce attacks, displaying a subtle yet effective technique.
Even when Andre used his strongest techniques, he could not threaten Annie in the slightest. Only then did Annie strike, sending Andre off the stage.
As they clashed, the crowd's discussions grew louder.
"Annie's strength is unfathomable. She effortlessly deflected all of Andre's attacks, clearly not using her full power!"
"Yes, the first battle is already so interesting. I wonder who will come out on top in this Magic Competition."
"I think Alfonso has a good chance. He comes from Kyrik's Gowato Sanctuary, a place full of geniuses!"
Amid the crowd's discussions, Annie continued to battle various prodigies.
Although she won all her matches, the mana consumption was significant, forcing her to leave the stage to recover.
After Annie left, Alfonso rushed onto the stage. Instead of waiting for other prodigies to challenge him, he provocatively stared at the geniuses from Azure Kingdom.
"Azure Kingdom scum, dare to fight me?"
His words shocked and angered the Azure Kingdom prodigies. Azure Kingdom and Kyrik were far from friendly neighboring countries. On the contrary, numerous wars had broken out between the two.
Kyrik, with its spellbeasts and fierce, domineering nature, frequently harassed the border cities of Azure Kingdom.
Azure Kingdom, generally at a disadvantage and plagued by internal power struggles within its royal family, often chose to tolerate Kyrik's provocations, even resorting to paying reparations for peace.
This made the people of Azure Kingdom resentful of their royal family and harbor animosity towards the people of Kyrik.
Now, with Alfonso's arrogant taunts on their home turf, how could the Azure Kingdom prodigies tolerate it?
"Arthur of Azure Kingdom, here to challenge!"
A chubby young man, a silver-tier level 8, leaped onto the stage.
As the two stood on the stage, the audience buzzed with discussion.
"Alfonso may be a prodigy of Kyrik, but he is too arrogant, completely disregarding the Azure Kingdom's prodigies!"
"Though he is indeed arrogant, he has the right to be. A gold-tier level 7 at his age is rare, and his combat power is even more terrifying. It's rumored that he once fought a platinum-tier level 3 expert and emerged unscathed..."
"This time, it's Azure Kingdom's home turf, hosted by Princess Marry herself. If they can't suppress Alfonso, Azure Kingdom will lose a lot of face."
As the crowd watched in anticipation, Arthur roared and charged at Alfonso.
With his steps, the ground of the arena shook, transforming into sharp spikes that attacked Alfonso from all directions.
"Weak! Too weak!"
Locked onto by the spikes, Alfonso remained unmoved, standing proudly in place as he coldly mocked, "Are people like you considered prodigies? It seems Azure Kingdom is full of arrogant weaklings!"
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As Alfonso's arrogant taunts echoed, he threw a punch forward.
Instantly, a wave of heat surged, and red mana gathered on his arm, forming a human-sized fireball that rolled forward, crushing everything in its path!
The fireball's path left the arena scorched and blackened, with deep, charred marks.
The rising spikes disintegrated into dry dust upon contact with the fireball's intense heat, scattering helplessly to the ground.
Arthur's face changed slightly, not expecting Alfonso's sudden burst of power to be so terrifying.
He continued to channel mana, forming walls of earth in front of him.
But these walls were shattered instantly by the fireball, which then slammed into his chest!
Sizzle~
The sound of burning and sizzling filled the air as Arthur was blasted back, landing flat on his back on the ground below the arena.
Arthur's chest was burned to ashes, his skin covered in blisters that burst open, leaving gruesome burn scars.
Even the surface of his skin and flesh had been seared, causing excruciating pain that made his whole body convulse.
Despite falling unconscious from the pain, he still let out agonized groans.
This scene caused the spectators to wince in pain, their faces showing a hint of fear.
"Alfonso went too far! This was supposed to be an exchange, not a duel!"
"Yes, it was supposed to be friendly, but he still went all out!"
"Even if Arthur's injuries heal, he'll likely be left with deep psychological scars..."
Many mages were dissatisfied with Alfonso's behavior.
The geniuses from Azure Kingdom were especially furious, their anger blazing.
Immediately, another prodigy from Azure Kingdom rushed onto the stage to challenge Alfonso.
Alfonso accepted all challengers, maintaining his cold smile. He showed no mercy.
In just half an hour, several geniuses from Azure Kingdom were severely injured.
Alfonso grew more and more arrogant!
The elders from the Council of Elders watching from the sidelines looked grim, their faces as dark as coal.
Prince Austin, standing next to the elders, hesitated for a moment but finally stepped onto the stage under their urging gazes.
He was tall and handsome, with a refined elegance. His golden hair shimmered in the light, almost glowing.
"The prince is stepping in. It seems Azure Kingdom has had enough!"
"The prince is the first in line for the throne and personally trained by the elders. With him in action, let's see Alfonso's arrogance now! Does he really think Azure Kingdom has no one to stand up to him?"
"Go, Prince! Crush him!"
The prodigies of Azure Kingdom cheered enthusiastically. Amid the cheers, Prince Austin frowned slightly.
Although he was a gold-tier level 5 mage, similar in level to Alfonso, he had grown up under the protection of the Council of Elders and lacked much combat experience.
Alfonso's fierce aura and impressive battle record left him with no confidence.
Seeing the severely injured and wailing Azure Kingdom prodigies filled him with fear.
However, with the elders of the Council of Elders watching him, he had to pretend to be calm and said, "Alfonso, you're too much. Do you think having strength means you can do whatever you want?"
"Why can't I do whatever I want with strength? If you have the ability, defeat me or send troops to attack Kyrik!"
Alfonso laughed heartily, completely dismissing the prince.
From what he knew, Prince Austin's position as the first in line to the throne was due to his marriage to one of the top disciples of the Council of Elders.
It was a political arrangement to control the royal family. While this secured his position, it also made him a puppet.
Such a person could never be a true leader!
Being belittled by Alfonso, Austin frowned and then channeled his mana, creating dazzling petals that rained down on Alfonso like a storm.
Seeing the incoming magical petals, Alfonso sneered.
Although they appeared impressive, to his battle-hardened eyes, they were merely for show, lacking substance.
Instantly, crimson flames erupted around his body.
Like a fiery comet, he charged at Austin, evaporating the petals upon contact and dispersing them into vapor.
Seeing Alfonso charging, Austin's face showed a hint of panic.
He quickly retreated, casting elaborate water magic spells that transformed into various beasts, attacking Alfonso.
However, Austin's attacks were disorganized.
While they might be effective against lower-tier mages, they were of little consequence to Alfonso.
However, Alfonso's flame defense was extremely solid, rendering Austin's attacks merely a waste of mana.
Thus, a strange scene unfolded on the stage. Alfonso, like a moving flame, continuously pressed towards Austin.
Meanwhile, Austin used various magical skills to retreat and maintain distance from Alfonso, trying to defeat him with his relatively weak attacks.
The people of Azure Kingdom below the stage gradually had black lines forming on their faces.
What was the prince doing?
Why wouldn't he face Alfonso head-on?!
"I think the prince is trying to lull Alfonso into a false sense of security, waiting for the right moment to unleash a big move and defeat him!"
"I think so too. The prince is the empire's first in line to the throne. He must have a plan. Let's wait and see."
Many from Azure Kingdom took a deep breath and said this.
However, before they could finish their words, Alfonso caught up with the prince, his swift flames like meteors blocking the prince's escape route.
Seeing this, the prince panicked, quickly retreating and falling off the stage.
"You truly are a prodigy of the Gowato Sanctuary. Alfonso, isn't it? I've taken note of you. Your strength must be among the top in Kyrik."
"Today, I am outmatched. We will battle again in the future."
After falling off the stage, the prince heaved a sigh of relief, then cupped his hands towards Alfonso and hurried back to the audience.
Alfonso's sudden powerful move had made him sense a threat of death, and he was relieved to have retreated in time.
The many geniuses of Azure Kingdom were left slack-jawed.
Avoiding Alfonso's attacks all this time, and now, seeing that he couldn't dodge anymore, he just left the stage and surrendered?
And even praised Alfonso's strength?!
Even though some among them had long heard that the prince was spineless, they hadn't expected him to be so lacking in responsibility at a critical moment!
If he had given it his all, even if he failed, they would have considered him brave. But now, they couldn't accept what they saw!
The geniuses from other kingdoms watching this scene were equally speechless.
Perhaps Alfonso was right; from top to bottom, Azure Kingdom was full of cowards!
Princess Marry, watching this, clenched the hilt of her sword, her body trembling slightly.
She hadn't expected her elder brother, the first in line to the throne of Azure Kingdom, to be so disgraceful!
"It seems Alfonso is right; there's not a single brave person in Azure Kingdom? This empire should just dissolve!"
Alfonso spoke with increasing contempt, looking at the Azure Kingdom's geniuses as if they were mere pigs and dogs.
"Alfonso, don't be so arrogant! Fight me!"
Princess Marry, unable to bear it any longer, frowned deeply and rushed onto the stage, a resolute look on her face. She drew her sword and pointed it at Alfonso.
Though sparring wasn't a duel to the death, and she knew her strength wasn't a match for Alfonso's, she still charged onto the stage, determined to fight to the end.
Alfonso glanced up and down at Princess Marry and shook his head slightly.
With her level of strength, she was no match for him. Even if she fought with all her might, it wouldn't change the outcome.
Bang, bang!
After a few exchanges and a clash of mana, Princess Marry was overpowered and sent flying off the stage by one of Alfonso's powerful strikes.
She was in immense pain as she was thrown back, feeling herself land in a strong, masculine embrace.
Slowly looking up...
It was Owen!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
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