Martial Magic Tournament (3)

Inside the Lord's Box in the noble district.

"Carl, what's the deal with that magic apprentice?"

When Derrick heard Donald's name, he already knew he was the commoner who had been kidnapped alongside Lucia, but only a very few people knew about that—Carl was certainly not among them. In fact, Carl didn't even know Lucia was a princess, so Derrick was puzzled why his son would deliberately target this magic apprentice.

"Father, that brat ruined your plan for me to get close to Lucia," Carl said bitterly. In truth, he had never had a chance with Lucia, but whether to his father or in his own subconscious, he needed a scapegoat.

"You mean Lucia has feelings for this kid?" Derrick's eyes flickered, as if he saw an opportunity.

"It's possible."

Hearing this, Derrick walked over to his father, Marquis of Eli, the city lord, and whispered a few words. The latter nodded subtly.

"Since both sides agree, then a duel it is." Marquis of Eli's aged voice echoed through the entire venue.

"Duel, duel..." Shouts immediately rang out across the arena. For the tens of thousands of spectators, having a duel between a magic apprentice and a squire inserted into the event was a welcome spectacle.

With the city lord's approval and the crowd's response, the referee naturally stopped blocking Donald and Aldrich's duel request.

"...A fair duel, no holds barred, life or death!" After briefly stating the rules, he declared the duel began.

The moment the referee's voice fell, Aldrich charged at Donald at full speed.

During his match with Richard, Aldrich had been holding back to land a final, unexpected killing blow. Now, the momentum he unleashed in his full sprint revealed that, like Roger, he was at the peak of a squire, close to the level of a formal knight.

Unlike Roger, Aldrich, from a minor noble family, had always kept a low profile. Even in the Knight Academy, few knew his true strength. Now, as he exploded with full force, both the Knight Academy and the Magic Academy felt the duel's outcome was already sealed.

A magic apprentice against a squire was already an uphill battle, let alone a newly promoted low-level apprentice against a peak squire.

Watching his opponent charge at full speed, Donald felt no surprise, not even nervousness. He only felt anger—a nameless rage that nearly made him roar.

Wind blades, two far larger than those in his previous match, spun toward Aldrich.

Clang, clang. Two deep dents appeared on Aldrich's armor, and his sprint slowed abruptly.

This time, before the ordinary spectators could react, loud gasps erupted from both academies.

"How many elements is that wind blade?!"

"How can a blade that size have such power?!"

Then, just like in Donald's first match, over twenty wind blades flew out. The difference was that these blades were much larger than before, though fewer in number and less dense, clearly staggered in sequence. It was obvious that Donald couldn't wield the Sixfold Wind Blade as effortlessly as the Triple Wind Blade.

The wind blades were too fast. Seeing no way to dodge, Aldrich braced himself, lowered his head, and took the hits. After a clatter of metallic impacts, he slowly raised his head, a mocking glint in his eyes. "Divine Element's drained, huh? Regretting this duel? Don't worry, I'll make sure you die quickly."

His armor was battered and deformed, but the body beneath it was completely unharmed.

Now, only a dozen meters separated them.

Donald stared hard at Aldrich. Draining his Wind Element had failed to inflict any real damage. Though he had expected this, it still disappointed him.

In the VIP seats, Adarua had already left with Richard. Kelly was both shocked by Donald's displayed strength and anxious about the duel's progress. The gnome sisters beside her kept comforting her.

"It's okay, it's okay. Big Devil King Donald hasn't even started showing off yet."

"Right, right. Don't worry. That bad guy's about to die horribly."

But their reassurances had little effect; Kelly was trembling with tension.

On the Magic Academy's viewing stand, Dean Devis had risen. "I think this duel should end here. The Magic Academy concedes this match."

The referee hesitated, clearly not expecting Dean Devis to say that at this moment.

Donald didn't even turn his head. He said coldly, "I can still fight."

Aldrich's mocking smile deepened. He had no qualms about killing an overconfident opponent.

This commoner was clearly a reckless fool—the lowest of the low, yet he had provoked a powerful noble like Carl. Growing up in a declining noble family, Aldrich had long witnessed the might of the powerful. To change his family's fate, he would give anything. Killing a magic apprentice was nothing.

The moment Donald finished speaking, Aldrich accelerated toward him again, this time even faster.

Under Dean Devis's lead, the Magic Academy professors had already stepped onto the field. The Knight Academy instructors, seeing this, also moved forward.

At this point, the duel was nearly escalating into an open confrontation between the two academies, tension thick in the air.

Only Wesley stood with arms crossed, calm and composed. He alone knew Donald still had many tricks up his sleeve—his best fire and water magic hadn't even been used yet.

Sure enough, the situation on the field shifted again.

Donald thrust both palms forward. Dozens of stone spikes shot out, accompanied by flying leaves.

"Stone Spike Spell... Flying Leaf Spell... He's a triple-element magic apprentice!" The Magic Academy's stands reacted first.

This wave of attacks pinned Aldrich in place again.

Flying leaves, like wind blades, relied on speed and cutting power. If the force wasn't enough, they only caused superficial wounds.

Earth magic's Stone Spike Spell was the opposite—slow, but even if it couldn't pierce armor, the blunt force could still affect bones and muscles.

So, after taking this barrage of flying leaves and stone spikes, Aldrich was no longer as relaxed. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth; he was clearly injured.

"Pah!" Aldrich spat out a mouthful of blood. His expression shifted from mockery to viciousness. He accelerated again, slower now but still steady on his feet.

Only ten meters separated them. Aldrich's right hand, holding his sword, trailed behind him, ready to deliver a fatal blow.

Over a dozen Magic Academy professors had gathered at the edge of the field. Magic elements began to stir around Dean Devis, clearly ready to interrupt the duel at any moment. The Knight Academy instructors were equally unyielding; several already had Battle Qi glowing on their bodies.

Just then, Donald made his move. He didn't cast another spell. Instead, he charged straight at Aldrich.

Everyone stood up, eyes wide, staring at the unbelievable scene before them.

Even Wesley had no idea what Donald was trying to do. During the duel with Carl, Wesley had charged at Carl to make the Wind Blade strike more accurately, but now, Donald charging at a Squire like this was nothing short of suicide.

A Mage against a Knight—distance is the deciding factor in victory or defeat. This was an eternal truth; at no time would a Mage ever charge at a Knight. The same held true for a Magic Apprentice against a Squire.

Yet right before their eyes, on this dueling ground witnessed by tens of thousands, a low-rank Magic Apprentice was recklessly charging at a peak-rank Squire.

Before people could even digest the shock of his three-element magic, they were stunned dumb by his insane actions.

His robes fluttered in the wind, dust kicked up beneath his feet, and the youth drew closer and closer to his opponent.

Just as the two were about to collide, Donald suddenly withdrew his hands and cast a basic defensive spell on himself: Vine Armor.

Wrapped in a layer of fine vine armor, Donald kept running forward.

Aldrich's first sword strike slashed against the Vine Armor, leaving a bloody gash on Donald's ribs. Wounded, Donald showed no trace of pain on his face; instead, the corners of his mouth curled into a rare, cold smile. Seeing the cold smile on the youth's face, Aldrich suddenly felt an inexplicable flicker of fear.

Before Aldrich could swing a second time, Donald reached out and grabbed him in a death grip. The two tumbled to the ground, locked together.

Held tight by Donald, who was covered in Vine Armor, and rolling on the ground, Aldrich had no room to swing his sword. He could only smash the hilt viciously against his opponent's back.

Taking several blunt blows, blood began to trickle from Donald's mouth.

Everyone knew this duel was about to end. Even protected by Vine Armor, that Magic Apprentice couldn't hold out much longer. With the two locked together, the professors and instructors on both sides couldn't separate them even if they wanted to.

But just as the audience thought the outcome was decided, Donald's hands reached for two gaps in Aldrich's armor.

Two muffled booms rang out, followed by Aldrich's agonized screams.

No one knew what had happened. Even the Magic Academy professors only sensed fluctuations of Water and Fire Magic on Aldrich's body.

Of course, no one knew what had happened, because this was a dangerous nested model of Water and Fire Magic that Donald had stumbled upon while experimenting with Twelve-Element Magic.

When he saw the holes blasted in Aldrich's armor, Donald had thought of this failed spell. The tiny ice beads it produced would violently explode the moment they left his hand, extremely dangerous even to the caster himself.

If he hadn't endured Adarua's brutal training, Donald might not have been able to construct and cast the spell so quickly while being viciously beaten.

But danger and difficulty didn't stop Donald. As he charged at his opponent, only one thought filled his mind: Kill him!

The vast arena fell silent, the crowd still reeling from the shock.

In that silence, before tens of thousands of people, Donald reached out and covered Aldrich's still-gasping mouth, shoved an Exploding Ice Bead deep into it, and another muffled boom followed. Aldrich's head burst open, splattering flesh and shattered teeth across Donald's face, but he didn't even blink.

Now, people finally understood why Donald had charged at Aldrich. He hadn't been trying to win—he had been trying to kill his opponent.

"Truly ruthless." Watching Donald's already bloody and mangled right hand, Dean Devis said softly, but didn't turn to leave. His task now was to guard against any retaliatory moves from the Knight Academy instructors on the opposite side.

"Hell yeah!" On the viewing stand, Wesley punched the air fiercely. He had never imagined his friend could be so crazed when pushed to the edge.

"He really is a big Devil King!" Ailimanda's eyes went wide.

"So scary!" Ailimiya's mouth hung open.

"Interesting..." Carl hadn't expected the little game he'd orchestrated to develop such an unexpected plot twist. But he wasn't disappointed; in his view, since the outcome was already set, a more winding path only made it more entertaining.