The Martial Magic Tournament (3)

Inside the Lord's Box in the noble district.

"Carl, what's going on with that Magic Apprentice?"

When Derrick heard Donald's name, he immediately realized Donald was the commoner who had been kidnapped along with Lucia. But only a handful of people knew about that, and Carl certainly wasn't one of them. In fact, Carl didn't even know that Lucia was a princess, so Derrick was puzzled as to why his son was deliberately targeting this Magic Apprentice.

"Father, this kid ruined your plan for me to get close to Lucia." Carl said resentfully. In truth, he had never had a chance with Lucia, but whether he was talking to his father or thinking to himself, he needed a scapegoat.

"You mean Lucia has feelings for this boy?" Derrick's eyes flickered. He seemed to have spotted an opportunity.

"It's possible."

At that, Derrick went over to his father, Marquis of Eli, the Lord, and leaned down to whisper a few words. The older man nodded discreetly.

"Since both sides agree, let them duel." Marquis of Eli's aged voice echoed throughout the arena.

"Let them duel! Let them duel!" The shouts immediately rang out across the arena. For the tens of thousands of spectators present, having a duel between a Magic Apprentice and a Squire in the middle of the tournament was an opportunity they couldn't have asked for more.

With the Lord's permission and the spectators' support, the referee in the arena naturally had no reason to stop Donald and Aldrich from dueling.

"...A fair duel. Life and death are up to fate!" After briefly explaining the rules, he announced the start of the duel.

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

In his duel with Richard, Aldrich had concealed his strength the whole time, hoping to land a lethal blow when his opponent least expected it. Only now, as he burst forward at full speed, was his true strength on display. Like Roger, he was at the peak of the Squire level, nearly as strong as a Formal Knight.

Unlike Roger, Aldrich came from a minor noble family and had always kept a low profile. Even at the Knight Academy, few knew his true strength. Now that he was giving it his all, everyone from both the Knight Academy and the Magic Academy felt the outcome of the duel was already decided.

A Magic Apprentice was already more likely to lose than win against a Squire, let alone a newly promoted Low-level Magic Apprentice facing a peak Squire.

Watching his opponent charge at full speed, Donald wasn't surprised. He didn't even feel nervous. He was only angry—so angry that an inexplicable rage nearly made him roar.

Two Wind Blades, much larger than those in the previous duel, spun toward Aldrich.

Clang! Clang! Two deep dents appeared in Aldrich's armor, and his charge slowed abruptly.

This time, before the ordinary spectators could even react, loud gasps rose from the two academies' stands.

"Just how many elements are in that Wind Blade?!"

"How can a Wind Blade that size have so much power?!"

Then, just as in Donald's first duel, more than twenty Wind Blades shot out. This time, however, they were considerably larger than before, but fewer in number and no longer as tightly packed. They clearly came one after another. Evidently, casting Sixfold Wind Blade didn't come as naturally to Donald as Triple Wind Blade.

The Wind Blades were simply too fast. Seeing that he couldn't dodge them, Aldrich planted his feet and lowered his head to endure the barrage. After a chaotic series of metallic clangs, he slowly raised his head, his eyes full of mockery. "You're out of Divine Element, aren't you? Regret dueling me? Don't worry. I'll make sure you die quickly."

His armor was dented and mangled, but the body it protected was completely unharmed.

At that moment, the two were still more than ten meters apart.

Donald continued to stare at Aldrich. He had exhausted his Wind Element, yet hadn't hurt his opponent at all. He'd expected as much, but he was still disappointed.

In the VIP seats, Adarua had already carried Richard away. Kelly was shocked by the strength Donald had displayed, but at the same time, she was anxious about the duel's progress. The gnome sisters beside her kept trying to comfort her.

"It's fine, it's fine. The Demon King Donald hasn't even started showing off yet."

"That's right, that's right. Don't worry. That nasty guy's about to die horribly."

Their reassurances did little to help. Kelly was so nervous that her whole body was trembling.

In the Magic Academy stands, Dean Devis had already stood up. "I think the duel should end here. The Magic Academy concedes this match."

The referee in the arena was taken aback. Clearly, he hadn't expected Dean Devis to say that at such a moment.

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

At that, Aldrich's expression grew even more mocking. He didn't mind at all about killing an opponent who didn't know his place.

This commoner was obviously an ignorant fool. The lowest of the low, he'd actually picked a fight with a powerful noble like Carl. Aldrich, who had grown up in a fallen noble family, had long since seen the power of the wealthy and influential. He was willing to do anything to change his family's fate. Killing a Magic Apprentice was nothing.

The instant Donald finished speaking, Aldrich accelerated toward him. This time, he was even faster.

Led by Dean Devis, the Magic Academy professors had already entered the arena. Seeing this, the Knight Academy instructors across from them also came forward.

At this point, the duel was on the verge of turning into an open confrontation between the two academies. The air grew tense.

Only Wesley remained composed, arms folded. He alone knew that Donald still had plenty of tricks up his sleeve. He hadn't used his strongest Fire and Water Magic yet.

Sure enough, the situation in the arena changed again.

Donald thrust both hands forward, and dozens of Stone Spikes shot out alongside Flying Leaves.

"Stone Spike Spell... Flying Leaf Spell... He's a Triple-element Magic Apprentice!" The Magic Academy stands were the first to react.

This wave of attacks stopped Aldrich in his tracks once more.

Like Wind Blades, Flying Leaves relied on speed, and their cutting attacks could only inflict superficial wounds if they weren't powerful enough.

Earth Element Stone Spike Spell was just the opposite. It wasn't fast, but even if it couldn't pierce armor, the force of its blunt impact could still batter the body and bones beneath.

So after taking this wave of Flying Leaves and Stone Spikes head-on, Aldrich was no longer as relaxed as before. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. He'd clearly been hurt.

"Ptuh!" Aldrich spat out a mouthful of blood. His expression turned from mocking to vicious, and he accelerated again. This time, he was much slower, but his steps remained steady.

The two were now only ten meters apart. Aldrich held his sword in his right hand, trailing it behind him, ready to strike Donald a fatal blow at any moment.

The dozen or so Magic Academy professors had all gathered around the dueling area. Magic Elements began to stir around Dean Devis, who was clearly ready to interrupt the duel at any moment. The Knight Academy instructors opposite them made no attempt to hide their hostility; several of them were already surrounded by the glow of Battle Qi.

Just then, Donald moved again. He didn't cast another spell. Instead, he charged toward Aldrich.

Everyone stood up, eyes wide, watching this unbelievable scene.

Even Wesley had no idea what Donald was trying to do. When Wesley had charged at Carl during their duel, it had been to make his Wind Blades more accurate. But Donald charging at a Squire like this was practically suicide.

When a Mage faced a Knight, distance was the key to victory. It was an eternal truth. No Mage would ever charge at a Knight. The same went for a Magic Apprentice facing a Squire.

But right before their eyes, in an arena where tens of thousands were watching, a Low-level Magic Apprentice was charging recklessly at a peak Squire.

The audience hadn't even finished processing the shock of his Triple-element Magic before his reckless move left them stunned all over again.

His clothes fluttered in the wind, dust rose beneath his feet, and the boy drew closer and closer to his opponent.

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

Wrapped in a layer of tightly woven vines, Donald kept running forward.

Aldrich's first sword strike slashed into the Vine Armor, leaving a streak of blood along Donald's ribs. Though injured, Donald showed no sign of pain. Instead, the corner of his mouth curled into a rare, cold smile. Seeing the smile on the boy's face, Aldrich suddenly felt an inexplicable twinge of fear.

Before Aldrich could swing a second time, Donald had reached out and grabbed him in a desperate embrace. The two grappled with each other and fell to the ground.

With Donald, covered in vines, clinging tightly to him as they rolled across the ground, Aldrich had no room to swing his sword. All he could do was slam its hilt into his opponent's back.

After taking several brutal blows, blood ran from the corner of Donald's mouth too.

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

But just as the spectators thought the winner had been decided, Donald's hands reached for two holes in Aldrich's armor.

Boom! Boom! After two muffled blasts, Aldrich let out a bloodcurdling scream.

No one knew what had happened. The Magic Academy professors could only sense the fluctuations of Water and Fire Magic coming from Aldrich.

Of course, no one knew what had happened. Donald had stumbled upon this dangerous Water-and-Fire Magic nested model by accident while experimenting with Twelve-Element Magic.

When he saw the holes in Aldrich's armor, Donald had thought of this failed spell. The tiny ice beads it produced exploded violently as soon as they left his hand, making them extremely dangerous to the caster as well.

If Donald hadn't endured Adarua's brutal training, he might not have been able to construct and cast the spell so quickly while his opponent was pounding him.

But neither the danger nor the difficulty had stopped Donald. As he'd charged toward his opponent, only one thought had filled his mind: Kill him!

The enormous arena fell silent. The crowd still hadn't recovered from the shock.

In that silence, in front of tens of thousands of people, Donald covered Aldrich's still-twitching mouth with one hand and forced an Exploding Ice Bead deep into it. Another muffled blast followed. Aldrich's head burst apart, spraying flesh and teeth across Donald's face. He didn't even blink.

Now the audience finally understood why Donald had charged at Aldrich. He hadn't been trying to win at all. He'd been trying to kill his opponent!

"How ruthless." Looking at Donald's right hand, already slick with blood and gore, Dean Devis spoke softly, but didn't turn to leave. His task now was to stop the Knight Academy instructors from retaliating.

"Yes!" Wesley punched the air from the stands. He'd never imagined that his friend could be so terrifyingly ruthless.

"He's really a Demon King!" Ailimanda stared wide-eyed.

"That's so scary!" Ailimiya gaped.

"Interesting..." Carl hadn't expected the little game he'd arranged to take such an unexpected turn. But he wasn't disappointed. In his eyes, the outcome had already been decided, so a few twists along the way only made things more interesting.