Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe
Chapter 1020 - 1020: Fighting Intent

Michael Isaac's eyes narrowed as he saw Edward's lightning-coated fist enlarge in his vision.

Quickly weaving hand seals, he brought his hands together, resounding in a booming clap. The ground beneath him trembled, then surged upward, wrapping around him, encasing his body in an armor of solid rock.

Then, Michael crossed his arms and blocked the incoming attack.

Despite all his preparations, the magical armor shattered in an instant. Michael felt the bones in his arms creak, and suddenly he felt a coppery taste flooding his mouth.

Gritting his teeth, he endured. He endured, endured, and endured.

And in the end… rather than being flung like a ragdoll, he merely skidded back a few meters, feet scrapping against the ground.

Michael's vision was hazy. His breathing was ragged, and his muscles ached all over. Blood trickled down his mouth, falling to the ground.

He didn't know how long the match had lasted. It could have been a few minutes, or it could have been a few seconds. He did not know. To him, all that mattered was the opponent he was fighting…

Edward of Daybreak.

From the beginning, the blue-eyed youth had not even cast a single spell. He had only utilized mana combat techniques. Yet, Michael wasn't even able to land a single blow on him.

This was already the quarterfinals. Of the sixty-two Magi that had entered the Final Trial, only eight remained—including him and Edward.

Even though Micahel stood no chance against the greatest genius to ever come out of the Tower of Daybreak, he was the only one who had lasted this long against him in a duel.

And thus, he had quickly become the audience's favourite.

"Michael! Michael!"

"Michael! Michael!"

The crowd chanting his name echoed within his ears. His vision cleared as he stumbled on his feet. He raised his hands in a defensive stance and stared at Edward, who was slowly walking toward him.

Even if I go down… I'm not going down without a fight!

He thought to himself as a flame of glorious fighting intent raged inside his heart. And then, he heard the familiar voices coming from the bleachers nearby.

"Dad, you can do it! Don't give up!"

"You got this, Dad, you got this!!"

His eyes trembled as he turned to the source of those voices. There, in the stands, his two sons—Joseph and Zachary—were cheering for him with teary eyes and tightly clenched fists.

Michael was stunned for a moment before he flashed them an assuring smile. He gave them a thumbs up, then turned towards his opponent.

Now, I definitely can't go down without a fight! Not when my sons are watching!

The flame of fighting intent in his heart raged like wildfire, instantly coursing through every inch of his body, filling it with strength and bravery.

He took a step forward, weaving hand seals at a frightening speed. Another step forward, and the ground around him trembled, surged upward once again, and covered his towering body in a thick layer of armor.

And then… he dashed toward Edward in what felt like a final stand, ready to pour everything he had into the upcoming clash.

The blue-eyed youth returned the same sentiment. With a simple command, the mana surged around his body, coating every inch of it in blue lightning.

Then, he too bolted forward, ready to battle Michael head-on.

Michael roared to the skies, drawing his arm back for a vicious punch. Across from him, Edward remained calm and stoic, mirroring the motion with a calm intensity.

Then… their fists flew forward and collided.

A clash of thunder and earth echoed threw the arena. Every spectator present rose to their feet as they gazed at the glorious battle unfold.

Under Edward's brutal, lightning-infused punch, something extremely unexpected happened.

His fist crashed through the rocky armor, shattering it with ease, only to hit... nothing. It wasn't Michael at all. It was just an empty rock golem!

Before the crowd could process what had just happened, the ground behind Edward rippled like water… and Michael burst out of it, as if diving up through a lake.

In one smooth, vicious motion, he locked his arms around Edward's neck in a tight chokehold.

Edward's eyes widened. His air was instantly cut off.

There was no time to react. Michael swept his legs out from under him, slamming them both to the ground.

He gritted his teeth, his muscles straining as his grip around Edward's neck tightened.

The crowd exploded in cheers!

If Michael could finish this… it would be the biggest upset in the entire Grand Magus Tournament.

While the crowd madly cheered his name, Michael wrapped his legs around Edward's torso like a serpent coiling around its prey.

Moreover, he kept Edward's arms spread apart, locking them down to stop any chance of forming hand seals.

Then, gritting his teeth, Michael tightened his chokehold, pouring every last ounce of strength into his grip, aiming to knock Edward out cold.

Edward's face turned red as he struggled to breathe. He tried to get his hands free from under Michael's hold, but it was all futile. In a contest of pure strength, he was greatly outmatched by Michael, after all.

The entire arena was trembling from shock and excitement. Although most of them were mundane mortals, they all knew one thing…

To cast spells, a Magus needed both hands to form hand seals.

And now, with Edward's arms locked down and useless… what did that mean?

It meant he was helpless.

It meant he might lose!

Sensing victory just within his grasp, Michael screamed out loud, pouring every ounce of strength into defeating his talented opponent and emerging victorious.

But he had miscalculated. No, to be more precise, he had been unaware of one crucial fact.

Who was Edward?

…A child of Mana.

His blue eyes sparkled with intense lightning. And then, without warning, he wove two independent hand seals, each with a different hand.

Because of his innate mastery over mana control, he didn't need to bring his hands together. The effect was the same. Perhaps, even stronger.

Under the stunned gazes of everyone in the arena, the air shimmered. In the next instant, the entire battlefield was bathed in an incandescent blue light.

And then…

THUNDER!

When the lightning died down, everyone slowly opened their eyes, their vision slowly adjusting to the abrupt change.

What they witnessed caused their eyes to widen in astonishment.

And high above the arena, levitating silently in the sky, hidden from all senses, the masked Elder from the Inner Circle of the Cult of Bones watched everything unfold with narrowed eyes.

His gaze was locked onto Edward, and beneath his mask, he murmured, his tone laced with surprise:

"…Very interesting."