章 21: Chapter 20 — The Tournament: Final Stage
I sighed as I watched Feirit's lightning-fast defeat and followed Arthur with my eyes as he left the stage. He had a brief break before his next battle against Darius in the semifinals. I still had about half an hour before my match against Theodore Maxwell, a mage whose gravity magic already earned my respect and concern. I wondered if I could break through his attacks after my Beast Will assimilation. My body was comparable in strength to that of a dark-yellow stage mage.
Descending to the preparation zone, I was about to head to the arena when I bumped into Arthur. He tilted his head slightly, studying me. It seemed like I wouldn't get another chance to talk to him.
"Hi! My name is Lucius Triscan," I said, trying to appear as friendly as possible and extended my hand. "I watched your match. You're really strong."
"Arthur Leywin," he replied, shaking my hand. "You're not bad yourself. Your sword fighting style is quite interesting."
"Ha-ha, thanks," I smiled, pleasantly surprised by the compliment from a former king. "I hope we meet in the finals."
He only nodded and turned to leave. As he walked away, I noticed the feather wrapped around his forearm, which made me smile. Everything was going as planned.
"Fight me with everything you've got, beast tamer," I called out. Arthur abruptly turned, eyes wide, but I was already walking away before he could respond.
I felt his gaze on my back but didn't turn around. I wanted to establish a connection with him, but it had to be intriguing enough to spark his interest. The tournament sounds—the roaring crowd and loud announcements—seemed distant. I took a deep breath and felt my internal energy gradually spreading through my body.
Finally, my match was announced. I stepped onto the arena, feeling a mix of excitement and anticipation. Theodore was already there, his eyes locked onto me. When our gazes met, he snorted, cracking his knuckles.
"Kid, you'd better surrender now," he sneered, clearly not eager to fight. "I don't feel like beating up children."
"Then go easy on me, musclehead," I retorted with a smirk.
"Fine, I see words are wasted on you," he clicked his tongue, getting into a fighting stance. "You leave me no choice, kid."
"Begin!" Cynthia Goodsky's voice rang out, and the battle began.
Before anything happened, I plunged my sword into the ground, visibly surprising my opponent.
"What are you doing?" he asked, baffled, raising an eyebrow.
"It's only fair if we fight on equal terms," I said nonchalantly, leaning on my sword, now stuck in the ground.
Theodore's face tensed, veins pulsing on his temples from irritation. He glared at me with barely concealed anger.
"Brat, you're too full of yourself. I really did plan to go easy on you," he muttered, reddening with fury, and charged at me like an enraged bull.
I reinforced my body with mana and started circling the arena, maintaining distance. Theodore's gravity magic couldn't be underestimated—it had both offensive and defensive applications.
Stomping my foot on the ground, I launched shards of earth at him, shooting stones from various distances to gauge the range of his gravity control. Theodore, puzzled by my actions, continued his attacks, growing more annoyed at my evasive tactics and the constant barrage of stones.
"Do you think I'll let you keep running around?" he growled, and all the shards I threw began hovering in the air.
For a moment, Theodore reduced the gravity around him, drastically increasing his speed as he dashed toward me. I suppressed a smile and enacted my plan. Manipulating the mana within me, I leaped back and fired a concentrated mana bullet the size of a tennis ball.
The mana bullet wasn't as powerful as the mana bomb I had used on Virion, but it boasted greater speed and less recoil. Compressing mana was something I'd learned from Claire, but unlike her technique with a fixed attack range, I could freely control the bullet's trajectory mid-flight.
Theodore easily deflected it using the reduced-gravity field around him. But as the bullet was sliced apart, a brief, blinding flash erupted, and I lunged forward at the moment his vision was blocked.
Using a technique I developed myself—Flickering Step—I directed mana to my legs and generated a visible burst beneath my feet, propelling me forward like a turbo engine. Over the past three years, I had tried to replicate Arthur's Burst Step, but lacking his anatomical knowledge, I created a beta version. While less refined, it was also less damaging to the body, allowing me to use Flickering Step multiple times without severe harm to my legs.
Theodore froze in shock as I appeared beside him in mere moments and struck his side.
"Fall!" he growled in pain, abruptly altering gravity to pin me down. The intense force knocked the air out of me, and I struggled to stay upright.
With a triumphant smirk, Theodore stepped forward, ready for a finishing blow. But at that moment, I smiled and conjured another incomplete mana bullet.
"Nice try," I smirked, and the half-compressed bullet, fired at point-blank range, exploded beneath him, sending him flying through the air. "Looks like I've won."
Exhaling, I felt the slight depletion in my core.
Unfortunately, I had now revealed all my techniques to the spectators. Both the Mana Bullet and Flickering Step had their strengths and weaknesses. Currently, their range was limited by my core's stage. As my magical core advanced, I knew I could extend their reach. But for now, they were effective only at close range.
Moreover, their usage was restricted. The mana bomb could be used only once before drastically reducing my combat capabilities, while I could fire about four mana bullets if I conserved energy. As for Flickering Step, I could use it only three times before the strain began affecting my lower body, making further use dangerous.
I was aware of my vulnerabilities. Theodore lay on the ground, panting and struggling to get up, but I knew he was out of strength. He attempted to rise but moved sluggishly and unsteadily.
This was my chance.
"Not bad…" he rasped, rising to one knee and trying to stabilize himself. His face contorted in pain, but he refused to give up. Gravity began to fluctuate around him again, weaker this time but still noticeable.
I didn't wait for his next attack. With each step, my legs grew heavier from the residual gravitational pull, but I pushed forward. Using Flickering Step once more, I left only blurred traces behind me.
Theodore couldn't react in time. I appeared directly in front of him and, concentrating mana in my fist, struck his chest. The blow wasn't lethal but powerful enough to sap his remaining strength. Theodore collapsed to the ground, unable to resist any longer. The judge immediately raised his hand, declaring me the winner.
The crowd roared in approval, but amidst the noise, I heard only my own breathing. Slowly, I stepped away from my defeated opponent, realizing this fight had taken far more out of me than I anticipated. Theodore was stronger than Claire—I knew that.
As Theodore stood, healed by the medics, I watched the referee lift my hand and glanced at Theodore, who could barely face the audience. Bowing his head, he burned with shame, unable to meet their gaze.
Descending from the arena, I felt the tension gradually leave my body. Every cell ached with exhaustion, but it was a satisfying sensation. My thoughts swirled around the upcoming battle against Arthur Leywin. I had no doubt he would defeat Darius. He stood out among all the other participants.
Finding a secluded spot in the preparation zone, I sat down and closed my eyes. I needed to focus and replenish my mana before the next fight. Within, I felt the small reservoirs of magical energy slowly refilling through mana rotation. I knew I couldn't rely entirely on my techniques, as they could become liabilities against Arthur.
Flickering Step and the Mana Bullet wouldn't fail me, but their usage limits meant I had to plan each move carefully. Opponents like Arthur had likely studied my weaknesses after the previous fights, learning my style. I needed something more to surprise him.
"You did well," a voice broke through my thoughts. I opened my eyes to see Claire leaning against the wall, watching me with a slight smile.
"I didn't know you had such techniques hidden up your sleeve. You're quite the trickster," she chuckled.
"Thanks," I replied, leaning back and wiping the sweat from my face.
"While you were sitting here, the next fight already ended," she said, gazing at the ceiling. "Guess who won?"
"Arthur Leywin?" I asked calmly, though there was a note of interest in my tone.
She nodded, and I felt a twinge of excitement—not fear, but the thrill of testing my strength against someone so familiar.
"Good luck, Lucius," Claire said, waving as she walked away. Her words made me smile. Wasn't she supposed to support her teammates, not me? Then again, maybe she treated everyone the same...
I stood up, feeling a surge of confidence.
"Thanks, Claire. I hope I can show him everything I've got," I said, stretching and preparing for the final battle.
The arena roared once more, announcing the next fight. The spectators could not hide their excitement, as the final promised to be a true spectacle. Two young geniuses, born only once every five hundred years. An elven child, akin to eleven years old, or a small human child, whose power was wildly disproportionate to his stature. Who would emerge victorious? This question plagued everyone in the stands, even Cynthia Goodsky herself.
Arthur was already standing on the arena floor, his eyes focused on me, and I knew this fight would test us both.
"The final round. The battle for first place! Lucius Triskan versus Arthur Leywin!" Cynthia Goodsky announced, raising her hands to calm the crowd. The spectators fell silent in anticipation as I took my first step onto the arena floor.
Now, more than ever, I needed to summon everything I had learned. This was a fight where there was no room for mistakes, and I had no intention of losing.
P.s: If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 26+ at patreon.com/c/Lucius01
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