The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 526: Volume 12: Magic Flame Burning Fiercely, - 17: Competition

Chapter 526: Volume 12: Magic Flame Burning Fiercely, Chapter 17: Competition

"So according to what you’re saying, if a Mage also trained in martial arts, or a martial artist trained in magic, wouldn’t that make up for their weaknesses and take advantage of their strengths? Then why aren’t there any real powerhouses on the Continent who practice both?"

Bayezid couldn’t help but chime in. The inability to use magic had always been the greatest regret of Dwarf warriors. For a warrior, combat at a distance was undeniably putting oneself at the mercy of Mages. Only when the advantage of distance was eliminated could warriors truly unleash their power. However, this often came at a considerable cost, and some warriors might never bridge that gap.

At most, what Bayezid could do was buy one or two crude Magic Scrolls to aid in some auxiliary enhancements, but Magic Scrolls were incredibly expensive and often disappointing in performance. After being cheated a few times, Bayezid no longer dared to try easily. If Komer could offer a good solution to this difficult problem, it would be nothing less than a blessing for all warriors.

"Where in the world is there such a thing as a free lunch? People’s energy is limited, and the talents God gave to us vary greatly. To deeply study one area already requires superb innate talent. If you want to juggle two, you’ll end up neither here nor there, accomplishing nothing," Komer shook his head, dispelling the other’s wishful thinking.

"Of course, if you specialize in one field and then appropriately practice some simple skills from another, it can indeed have a great effect at certain times. But the best it can achieve is an auxiliary effect. If you truly think you’re a prodigy who can excel in both, the end result is either going mad from obsession and dying or becoming a jack of all trades and master of none."

This speech discouraged some of the simple-minded from their fanciful delusions, but it did not eliminate the doubts in Komer’s own heart. Was he an anomaly himself?

Practicing both the opposing Dark Magic and Light Magic to perfection and even attempting to convert Original Dark Magic Power into Light Mana for free conversion, wasn’t this also a fundamental violation of Heavenly principles, something unimaginable?

But such changes seemed to be occurring in himself, so how could this be explained?

Since the Magic Association had not anticipated such enthusiastic participation in this additional competition, they only prepared one competition stage for the competitors, which obviously made the competition even more fierce.

Because if a winner had not been decided within the given time, the referee appointed by the Magic Association would directly decide who won and who lost. Naturally, the referees from the Magic Association would be biased towards Magic Practitioners. Although this caused some dissatisfaction among Martial arts practitioners, as the event was organized by the Magic Association, not complying with their judgment would be equivalent to challenging the Magic Association itself, and no martial enthusiast dared to be so bold.

The competition became more intense and exciting towards the end. Many Magicians would use Magic Scrolls in a row as soon as they stepped on stage in order to gain enough defensive power, launching their Magic Attacks only after ensuring their own safety. In contrast, trained martial artists would almost always use their killing moves immediately, striving to defeat their opponents before the Mages’ magical defenses could peak.

As a result, it often happened that within less than ten minutes of stepping onto the stage, someone was carried off bloodied, or they were tortured by the continuous magical attacks to the point of losing human form, making the four referees sent by the Magic Association somewhat overwhelmed.

The increasingly powerful martial arts and magic meant that the referees had to switch from monitoring in turns to both acting at the same time and ultimately all four putting forth their efforts to maintain the rules, yet they still could not ensure a smooth enforcement. In the last ten battles, three resulted in the death of competitors.

Two Magicians were still killed by their opponents despite the full intervention of the Magic Association’s referees. In another battle, a Swordsman was burned alive by a Magician using the dual magical tools of Wood Magic and Fire Magic - the Fire Dragon Vine. Even though the four referees tried their best to save him, they could not rescue him from the powerful magical tool.

The Swordsman who had been dominating the entire competition stage with his formidable Sword Qi, making the Mage opponent roll and dodge in a sorry state, ultimately met his end when the heavily injured Mage activated the ultimate magical tool, the Fire Dragon Vine. The fiery rope that roared down from the skies caught the Swordsman, and the wild fire element almost immediately penetrated his body. Even though the four referees instantly used their magic to try to isolate the fire element, they still failed. Watching the Swordsman struggle to free himself on the stage and hearing his ear-piercing screams from within the fiery net, everybody including Komer’s group felt a chilling fear and lamented the cruelty of the competition.

Of course, the group that wasn’t utterly astounded did not include the trio; Mr. Rebry, Solonberg, and Hayreddin, who were all accustomed to the sight before them. As Magicians and a Dark Knight, Mr. Rebry and Solonberg had gone through too many life-and-death struggles. The struggle for life and death on the competition stage was merely more direct and exposed in its form. The manner of death may vary for them, but the outcome was the same, leaving little to be sentimental about.

Hayreddin, once a predator of the seas, had seen many things more brutal by scores and had experienced all too often the killing or being killed of dozens or even hundreds of men at a time. Such a spectacle was utterly dull to him. Moreover, he had little interest in Magic. In his view, although Magic was indeed useful in naval warfare, what truly determined the outcome of a war were the warships and soldiers. In a battle, if long-range strikes couldn’t annihilate the enemy, then the victory had to be decided by boarding battle, where Magic could only play a supportive role.

Yawning with utter boredom, Hayreddin looked at his companions, who were avidly enjoying the event, and he had no choice but to bear with it and keep watching along with them. However, when the two Magicians began to fiercely wield their Magic in battle, for him, who was ignorant of Magic, it became even more exasperating.

"Mr. Rebry," Hayreddin yawned again, unable to help himself, smacked his lips, and asked, "Do you think employing Magic attacks like this has any substantial significance in naval warfare?"

"Hayreddin, Magic attacks are effective in any environment," Mr. Rebry responded. "The key issue is how you use them. Of course, it’s a mistake to try use to earth-based Magic at sea since there are no Earth Elements, and you naturally can’t launch earth-based Magic. However, Water Magic and Fire Magic can sometimes play a decisive role in naval battles, especially at medium range. But considering the cost of a Magician, it seems no fleet has yet been able to afford one to stay with them long-term, unless there’s a specific operation designed with that in mind."

Mr. Rebry had nothing to say to this fellow, whose mind was full of how to command a fleet to sail the seven seas. Magic naturally is a subordinate force in naval battles. Long-range warfare relies on advanced weapons and skilled soldiers, while close combat boils down to the daring and bravery of the sailors. While Magic can’t determine the outcome of a naval battle, that doesn’t mean Magicians are useless. If a fleet could be equipped with enough Magicians who joined forces to launch attacks, it would still be enough to inflict substantial or even fatal damage on the opponent.

"That’s also true," Hayreddin nodded, "With the money it would take to hire Magicians, it might be more practical to spend it on weaponry. But, if a fleet had ten or so sailors with the same level of skill as those warriors and swordsmen we just saw on the competition stage, it would play a decisive role in the boarding battles of a naval war."

Soloberg, who was not much for conversation, actually quite admired Hayreddin’s rough character. Upon hearing Hayreddin say this, he calmly interjected, "Hayreddin, it’s not a difficult thing. The warriors on the stage just now were strong, but warriors of their level can be recruited on the Continent. If a fleet is strong enough, it can be armed just as you said. Although it’s true that these warriors might not perform on the sea quite as well as they do on land."

"Alas, when will the Lord give me the opportunity to command a fleet?" Hayreddin looked regretfully into the distance. The far-off East was where the sea lay, his true stage. On this land, everything was merely a process to him.

"Heh, Hayreddin, you will have your chance," Mr. Rebry hinted with meaning. "The Lord you serve has the entirety of the Continent in his sights. Following him, your day will come sooner than you would roaming aimlessly in the Mediterranean. The time for your opportunity will be much shorter."

"Mr. Rebry, please forgive my presumption, but it seems you and Mr. Soloberg are not subordinates of the Lord. Why, then, did you accompany the Lord here?"

This question had puzzled Hayreddin for a long time. Despite his ignorance of Magic, his experienced eyes could discern differences in people.

Mr. Rebry clearly possessed the strength of a powerful Magician, evident from his unimpressed demeanor while watching the Magicians’ remarkable performance on the stage. The power harbored by Mr. Solonberg was even more terrifying. The sense of killing emanating from the Knight Spear hidden beneath his cloak convinced Hayreddin that the spear had been stained with the souls of many wronged.

He did not believe that these two men would accept recruitment like ordinary people, and the relationship between them and the Lord he served was unclear. Hayreddin had always tried to understand, but could never find a satisfactory answer.

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