บท 41: Chapter41-Fire Dragon Core

"With Alfonso's current strength, he stands a strong chance of winning even against a true platinum-tier expert, and his methods are ruthless. If Owen accepts, the situation will be very dire for him!"

"But with Bada's death, Owen and the Azure Kingdom must give an explanation, or Kyrik will not let this go!"

"That's right, Owen isn't without a chance either. Although we don't know how he managed to kill Commander Bada, Bada was a gold-tier mage."

"..."

Various voices emerged from the crowd of onlookers.

The prodigies of the Azure Kingdom looked at Owen with hope.

They all wanted Owen to accept the challenge and bring glory to the Azure Kingdom.

After all, their kingdom had suffered a devastating defeat today, and only Owen might help them regain some dignity.

Otherwise, they would find it even harder to lift their heads in front of Kyrik in the future!

Princess Marry's beautiful eyes shone with complex emotions.

She hoped Owen would stand up at this moment and win glory for the Azure Kingdom.

But thinking about the brutality of a duel to the death, she was very worried for Owen.

She feared he might lose to Alfonso or encounter some unexpected mishap during the battle.

As Princess Marry's expression showed her inner conflict, Owen smiled faintly and stepped onto the platform.

"A duel to the death? Fine! It's time to settle the grudge between us!"

As Owen accepted the duel to the death, the crowd erupted in a clamor, their voices reaching the skies!

Owen's decisive acceptance of the duel made Alfonso frown slightly, wondering where Owen got his courage from.

But soon, he shook his head slightly.

No matter what methods or confidence Owen had, in front of him and his fire dragon soul, Owen would eventually be reduced to ashes!

The next moment, Alfonso roared, flames dancing all around him, as if he had transformed into pure, scorching fire, distorting the air on the platform. With a flicker, he was already in front of Owen.

Owen was now the last pillar of support for the Azure Kingdom.

Defeating him swiftly would be equivalent to crushing the backbone of all Azure Kingdom people.

So, Alfonso showed no mercy in his attack, abandoning his previous playful attitude toward the Azure Kingdom prodigies.

He intended to annihilate Owen with overwhelming force.

"Such a fast attack! Alfonso's killing intent towards Owen is too strong!"

"With such swift speed and his special dark magic, even a platinum-tier mage would find it difficult to dodge!"

As Alfonso directly attacked Owen, many low-level mages didn't even notice what had happened.

Only a few powerful mages, squinting their eyes and frowning, watched the platform with grave expressions.

From the moment Alfonso made his move, they keenly sensed that the atmosphere and combat level on the platform were far beyond the previous duels among the prodigies.

This was a true fight to the death!

Seeing Alfonso's fiery body already rushing toward him, Owen felt a wave of scorching heat hit him.

At this moment, the aura Alfonso exuded was even stronger than that of Tony, whom Owen had encountered before.

The terrifying heat wave, capable of incinerating everything, was almost unbearable for him.

"No wonder he dared to propose a duel to the death. His strength truly allows him to transcend tiers and kill platinum-tier mages," Owen murmured softly.

Flames began to rise around him, enveloping him, causing the mana within and around him to surge violently.

The Order of Fire had been activated!

As the flames appeared around Owen, the scorching sensation Alfonso brought him immediately disappeared, replaced by an inexplicable feeling of comfort.

Moreover, the flames surrounding Alfonso seemed to diminish significantly when Owen activated the Order of Fire, like a small flame compared to a great blaze!

Alfonso's face darkened, but then a greedy look appeared on his face, and the lines under his skin started to emerge.

His muscles began to bulge, filled with explosive power, causing his entire body to swell noticeably!

"Dark magic! Crimson Flame Body!"

Alfonso roared, and his muscles began to writhe rhythmically.

From his feet, the terrifying power was transmitted layer by layer, converging into his fists.

At the same time, the surrounding mana recklessly gathered into his body.

His fists began to flow with boiling magma, continually compressed by his energy, reaching a terrifying level, distorting the air and leaving traces in the void!

"The explosive power of dark magic is truly terrifying! Is this Alfonso's true strength?"

"Alfonso has delved into both dark and white magic. Although Owen possesses the Order of Fire, he probably hasn't mastered it for long. With just this, he can't be a match for Alfonso. His aura has increased at least twofold!"

Many mages looked at Alfonso in horror, feeling that at this moment, he was like a walking volcano.

Even from a distance, they were drenched in sweat, experiencing the illusion of being evaporated.

Facing Alfonso's sudden explosive punch, the flames on Owen's body began to condense in front of him, and he also threw a punch.

Bang!

At the moment of contact, both of their bodies trembled.

Owen felt an overwhelming force sweeping in, as if it was going to twist and crush his arm.

The flames on his fist also began to extinguish and disperse.

Clearly, Alfonso's dark magic body technique had forcibly elevated his strength to a much higher level, temporarily putting Owen at a disadvantage.

However, Owen also had a dark magic body technique, and it was even stronger!

In an instant, black light, as indestructible as iron, surfaced on Owen's body, dyeing his skin and flesh black, making his body look like a steel sculpture!

With the activation of Obsidify, Owen's previously trembling arm steadied, and his strength surged again, countering Alfonso's arm with a torrential burst of energy.

For a moment, the entire dueling platform seemed to be torn into two parts under the collision of these two terrifying forces.

Thick cracks spread out continuously from the center where they stood.

A few seconds later.

Owen stood as immovable as a mountain, but the platform beneath his feet had deeply caved in. Opposite him, Alfonso had been forced to retreat several steps.

With each step back, the flames on Alfonso's body dimmed slightly, and his aura weakened.

"What kind of technique is this?!"

Barely managing to steady himself, Alfonso looked at Owen in disbelief, feeling the soreness and numbness in his arm.

He had already gone all out, even activating the powerful dark magic body technique, Crimson Flame Body, which initially suppressed Owen.

But Owen had activated his own body technique, ultimately suppressing Alfonso instead!

The many prodigy mages watching were also stunned, looking at the retreating Alfonso.

"Isn't Owen a white magic user? When did he learn dark mage techniques, and he's very proficient at it too!"

"This time, Owen just caught Alfonso off guard. With Alfonso's methods, Owen will likely fall into a worse position as the fight continues."

Although Owen had gained the upper hand, many mages still favored Alfonso.

After all, Alfonso came from a noble background and had received the best training since childhood.

It wouldn't be so simple for Owen to surpass him.

"Mr. Owen, you must win!"

"Alfonso isn't so great after all. Mr. Owen, teach him a lesson!"

However, the prodigies and mages from the Azure Kingdom were all on Owen's side.

Alfonso had been too arrogant before, and now that Owen was helping them regain their dignity, their opinion of him began to change.

"Obsidify, the technique Owen is using, should be the long-lost powerful body technique. How did he acquire it? This technique is extremely difficult to master, and he seems to be more than just a beginner..."

As the representative of Academy City, Edward pushed his monocle up his nose, his eyes widening in surprise.

He had previously thought he had a thorough understanding of Owen, but it hadn't been long before Owen showed a new technique!

Moreover, Edward had a strong intuition that Owen probably had some other powerful techniques that he hadn't yet revealed.

Now, fighting against a formidable opponent like Alfonso, Owen might have to use all the techniques he had kept hidden until now.