Chapter 93: Chapter 92 - The Duel.

The next morning.

Galeon challenged Raven to a duel, as Ilzara had said.

He didn’t come to challenge him in person but sent a challenge letter. A line in that letter clearly said, ’If you were a proud Vaise, you wouldn’t run from a duel.’

It was clear that Galeon had added that statement to make it impossible for him to run away.

Soon, Raven’s response was presented.

The one to submit it was Ilzara, who wrote the letter in Raven’s stead, adding his condition.

’If I have to stake my family’s image on this duel, then you have to stake your Candidate Magic Tower Master’s position. Although the Tower Master position isn’t as high as my family’s image, I will accept the duel if you abide by this condition.’

The condition was written in a way that made it seem like a taunt and condescension.

It was as if a King was asking a peasant why he should listen to them.

This must have enraged Galeon and his supporters because the reply was instantaneous.

Gaelon had rushed to the lowest floor without waiting.

There, at the very center, stood the arena.

He had been sitting there since then, swearing only to come out of the arena once Raven apologized like a dog.

Raven, however, was in no rush.

He came to the arena after two hours.

Now, the arena, the massive open-air hall, carved from crimson stone and shimmering enchantments, housed thousands of mages, scholars, apprentices, and elders—all now gathered in tense anticipation.

Magic lights floated overhead, illuminating the arena floor in a soft red glow and casting long shadows over the runes etched into the battle stage.

There stood both of them.

Raven Von Vaise and Galeon Dervan.

The crowd buzzed.

Whispers traveled like wildfire—"That’s a Vaise, right?""But Galeon is no joke, either.""He’s brilliant. He’s going to outthink him."

Most of them were against Raven.

So, despite standing against a direct descendant of the mighty Vaise family, Galeon looked calm.

Confident.

Smiling even.

Clad in sleek red battle robes trimmed with silver arcane thread, he looked every bit the genius the Red Tower lauded him to be.

He was known not just for his six-circle mana but for his mastery over structured mana formations, his understanding of fire elements, and precise counters to even unpredictable spellcasters.

His reputation preceded him.

He had the backing of the Vice Tower Master—his own father.

He had the support of half the mage council.

And more importantly—he had the crowd.

After all, Raven’s statement in his challenge condition was, in a way, looking down on every mage of the Red Magic Tower.

Yes, he didn’t say anything wrong, as the magic tower was nowhere near the Vaise family in either power or image, but he didn’t need to say that to their faces.

On the other hand, despite hearing negative remarks from the crowd, Raven looked...

Sleepy.

Black shirt half-buttoned, sleeves rolled, his red eyes scanning the ancient runes on the floor like they were part of some grocery list, he looked entirely out of place.

His coat trailed lazily behind him, and he didn’t even have a staff. Just two hands in his pockets and a stare that made seasoned mages shift uncomfortably.

Yet something was unsettling about him.

His calm didn’t feel arrogant.

It felt... quiet. Too quiet.

Like the surface of deep water that could drown anyone at any moment.

...........................

In the VIP seats above the arena.

Jessy leaned forward, legs crossed and eyes trained on the platform. "Place your bets now, boys. Will it be a public execution or a public lesson?"

Rufus snorted. "Define lesson."

Jake didn’t respond, merely watched with a sharp gleam in his eyes.

Siris, who was curled up next to him with her pillow, sighed dreamily. "My husband looks so cool today..."

"Didn’t he say that you shouldn’t call him with that pronoun in the open?" Lia, sitting beside her, questioned, and Siris just shrugged.

"Who’s gonna tell him that I called him husband?" The cute killer tilted her head, one hand on her bone dagger strapped to her waist, and Lia, understanding the meaning behind it, gulped, quickly changing the topic.

She turned to the crowd of enthusiastic mages and muttered, "Almost all of them are rooting for Galeon..."

Other than a few girls, who fell for Raven’s looks, most people were against Raven.

"Of course they are," Jessy said. "The guy’s smart, politically connected, and has never lost a duel publicly. He’s everything they expect from a ’future tower master.’"

Lia nodded grimly. "Which makes this even more dangerous."

But one voice rose above them all—

"Nibbles, I’m telling you, I’m the secret weapon here!" Alex whispered intensely to the squirrel perched on the railing beside him. "I’ve been preparing for this my whole life. Maybe I’ll get kidnapped later. Maybe I unlock a hidden power in the chaos! Come on, blink if that’s true."

Nibbles didn’t blink.

No, it would be better to say that Scrumbles, who was disguised as Nibbles, didn’t blink.

He had decided that he wouldn’t speak today, making it impossible for Alex to believe that they could still talk.

He slowly turned away and stared at the arena like a wise squirrel ignoring an annoying side character.

...........................

At the Judges’ Box.

Tower Master Vernix, sitting there, calmly raised a hand to silence the crowd.

Beside him sat the Vice Tower Master—Galeon’s father—stone-faced and already smirking faintly.

And beside them, with a gaze that could slice mana in half, sat the oldest elder of the tower: Elder Mage Malderon, known for his strict adherence to order and tradition.

"The terms," the Tower Master began, "are as follows. A duel between Raven Vaise and Galeon Deran. No outside interference. Victory is to be determined by knockout, surrender, or magic incapacitation. No lethal force unless agreed upon."

The elder mage’s voice cracked like thunder.

"Furthermore," Malderon said, his tone severe, "at Raven Vaise’s suggestion, an additional clause has been added. Should Galeon Deran lose, he will forfeit his candidacy for Tower Master indefinitely."

A collective gasp echoed.

Galeon smiled wider.

He raised a hand, signaling he accepted the condition.

Looking at both participants nodding their heads, Vernix tapped a sphere before him, and the arena lit up as two massive barrier domes erupted to shield the spectators.

It was a mechanism that had always been there. Even if it was a mystery like the Magic Tower, people knew how to use it.

Now, with the barriers activated, one thing was clear: the duel was about to begin.

...........................

Back in the arena.

Galeon raised his staff with a spin—silver crimson, lined with glowing runes.

"I admire your boldness," he said. "But you’ll find intellect and legacy are not the same thing."

Raven looked up, the barest hint of amusement in his eyes.

"You’re right," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Intellect can’t save arrogance from karma."

"You talk big for someone without a staff."

"I don’t need one."

Galeon’s eyes narrowed. ’Arrogant fool.’

He decided to make this quick.

His mana flared, his staff brightening up before fire arrows, swords, spears, and many other elemental weapons started appearing behind him.

Gasps rang in the crowd once again, this time in wonder and awe.

He was showing his sixth-circle powers and control at their maximum output.

He wasn’t going easy on Raven despite his arrogance. He didn’t want to take chances.

He continued multicasting, feeling that Raven might attack at any moment, but seeing the guy standing still, Galeon frowned.

’What is he planning?’

He didn’t lower his guard.

Using more and more mana, he summoned around fifty weapons, and the air behind him filled with armaments.

To others, it might look like a fancy attack, but it was different for those who knew magic.

Casting ten spells and maintaining them was considered strenuous, but Galeon was controlling fifty of them.

"W-Why isn’t Raven moving???" Ilzara, standing beside Raven’s group, bit her nails, her heels tapping the ground in anxiousness.

Even Vernix had his eyes narrowed.

"...what is he planning?" The elder mage muttered, unable to understand why Raven would let his enemy take the upper hand, especially when he was two levels lower than Galeon.

This two-level difference was the main reason why no one thought that Raven could win.

Now, many were certain that Raven would lose in seconds, but Jessy, observing everything, smirked. "He’s gonna make it dramatic."

Jake and Rufus nodded while Siris and Lia stared.

Alex, still talking to Nibbles, completely missed it. "Do you think I should try the whole ’mysterious scarred past’ angle? Like, maybe I have a twin brother who’s evil—wait, don’t answer yet. Think about it first."

’Nibbles’, however, was focused on the fight, gripping Alex’s hair tightly.

Ilzara blinked at the group and their carefree attitude, not understanding where their confidence came from, but for some reason, their relaxed attitude was easing her nerves.

...........................

Back in the arena.

Galeon smirked, looking at Raven with condescension.

"Did your mother never teach you not to let your enemies make the first move?"

Raven paused, his gaze frozen.

For a second, he was wondering whether he should take that attack head-on or dodge it, but Galeon’s words struck him before the guy’s attack was even launched.

"Ah, shit..." Rufus, now standing in the VIP area, grabbed his head.

"Why did that guy have to mention his mother?" Jessy sighed.

Jake’s eyes sharpened while Alex, for the first time since the fight started, turned toward Geleon, his expression filled with anger.

Lia, Siris, and Ilzara, on the other hand, frowned in confusion.

"What’s going on?" Lia asked, unaware of Raven’s backstory.

The one to reply to her wasn’t Jessy, Alex, or Rufus, but Jake.

Gripping the handle of his sword, he spoke quietly.

"Raven doesn’t have a mother."

Those words rang in the girls’ heads like thunder, but before they could completely absorb those words, Galeon’s yell was heard.

"It doesn’t matter anymore!" He raised his hand, staring at Raven, who stood unnaturally still, and brought his hand down. "This is where the greatest genius of the Vaise family is brought down!"

Without a second’s delay, the weapons behind whooshed toward Raven like a fire rain.

Raven stood motionless, his eyes now cold, reflecting the variety of fiery weapons before—

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

The weapons crashed on his body.

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