The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 719: Volume Twenty-One: The Dark Road, - Five: Tremor

Chapter 719: Volume Twenty-One: The Dark Road, Chapter Five: Tremor

No one expected the Gladiator Competition, amid its tumultuous uproar, to enter the finals without a single Spartan competitor. Two disciples of Aristotle, Saint of Martial Arts, one was disqualified, and the other voluntarily withdrew—the reasons for withdrawal were ominous, yet rumors had already spread wildly throughout Athens City. Although Prince Slupig defeated the competitor from Piraeus, he himself was critically injured by the last-ditch counterattack from his opponent. This version of events was closest to reality and also the most believable. Nevertheless, the Spartans were still disheartened by their loss of the chance to compete in the finals.

Another Spartan competitor was unsurprisingly defeated by an Iberian. The finals, therefore, took place prematurely between a competitor from Piraeus and an Iberian. The odd performance of the Spartans led many nations to suspect that Sparta had some ulterior motive for acting this way. Only the Spartans themselves knew the bitter truth—that they would never sacrifice the supreme honor of their origin in Olympia for any scheme.

The impact of the Gladiator Competition on the Kingdom of Sparta was unprecedented. It was one thing for Kaiserlon and his opponent to be disqualified for rule violations, but for Prince Slupig to be forced to bow out was altogether different. Outsiders might not understand the details, but it was clear that there must have been an irresistible reason for such a decision.

The Spartan king, Cyrus, stormed through the palace like a raging lion, unable to tolerate what had happened. It was a brazen challenge to Sparta’s ongoing effort to become the preeminent power in the Southern Mediterranean, and yet he could not think of a proper way to respond.

Prince Slupig’s face was somewhat pale. The Diamond Arrow that had wounded him had been removed, but the effects of the arrow were far from resolved. The intense paralytic and mental magic powers made him realize that the Piraeus people had deliberately targeted him, obviously anticipating a battle with him. Victory always favors the prepared, and in this case, he had been too complacent and arrogant.

The anesthetic on the Diamond Arrow had been identified as originating from a special herb in the Northern Greenland Forest that could render a person completely limp and powerless. Although not very potent—it only caused a normal person to feel weak and listless—the herb was deadly for a competitor about to enter the Battlefield. The herb had almost been purged by the stimulation of Slupig’s Fighting Qi, but the roots persisted. Even more alarming for Slupig was that the herb seemed to have a special connection with the mental magic attached to the arrow. Unless the drug was completely removed, the power of the mental magic would persist in his body, releasing at intervals and leaving him in a constant state of semi-consciousness.

Distraught over how to cope with this bizarre sensation, Prince Slupig had magicians called by his father for consultation, but they professed their helplessness. Psychic Magic was one of the most mysterious and obscure types of magic. Even in the magic-rich North, there were very few magicians who practiced this art. The few magicians invited by his father were either practitioners of Dark Lineage or Elemental Magic, and they knew very little about Psychic Magic, let alone this peculiar mixture of magic with an herb.

Seeing his father both furious and worried did not concern Slupig as much. The magicians had informed him that, regardless of the spell, all magic had a duration limit, from a few minutes to a few hours, and at most only a few days. Generally, it would not last more than a week. This meant that the opponent deliberately intended to sabotage his participation in the next race, which they certainly managed to do.

"Father, don’t worry too much. I can feel that, although the opponent’s mental magic is stubborn, it’s not very powerful. It’s just that I won’t have the opportunity to serve our kingdom in the coming days. It seems like the people of Piraeus are determined to win this time; we have underestimated their resolve and courage," Prince Slupig tried to regulate his emotions. "It’s just a pity that my master is traveling abroad and cannot be reached. Otherwise, this minor issue would be nothing but a trivial matter for him."

"They are all useless! Coming here with their noses in the air, yet they can’t even dispel the influence of a minor mental magic spell. What’s the point of these magicians? I had plans to form a Royal Court of Magicians with these people, hmph, but looking at what they’re capable of, my enthusiasm has waned."

Cyrus’s disdain was written all over his face. He had never been very interested in magicians, but as the barbarians in the North grew increasingly active, ramping up their attacks, he acknowledged that magic was a powerful weapon against them. Conversing with the special envoy from the Iberian Kingdom, Cyrus also learned of their intention to form a Royal Court Magicians to counter the ever-fierce barbarian onslaught, which stirred his own thoughts. Whatever Iberia had, the Kingdom of Sparta couldn’t lack. Sparta couldn’t fall behind anyone in these aspects. Little did he expect that just as he entertained such a thought, his beloved son would suffer an attack from psychic magic on a hidden weapon, leaving all the magicians he brought in at a loss. This made Cyrus both worried and fearful of magic.

"Father, you can’t blame them. Magic Heaven is profound and inscrutable, its types and origins even more varied and complex than the lineage of Martial Dao. It should be said that our Kingdom of Sparta has somewhat neglected understanding this area. From what I understand, psychic magic is an extremely rare and obscure branch. Even in regions where magic flourishes in the North, few people practice this high-risk type of magic. It’s just unexpected that the Piraeus people would have access to a weapon imbued with such magic," Slupig commented objectively.

"It is said that the Piraeus people have gained the endorsement and support of those Dark Devotees. They probably exchanged official recognition of the dark faith for the full support of those dark forces," Cyrus’s mood gradually calmed down. His son’s firm tone eased his mind and his thoughts cleared. As long as his son was not seriously harmed, everything else was negotiable. As for the dent in Spartan reputation, they could think of ways to remedy that in the future.

"The establishment of the Royal Court Magicians has become an urgent matter. The Iberians must have realised the potency of magic power to show such interest. I believe that this Gladiator Competition has actually broken some of the previous taboos, which will likely lead to some changes. Kaiserlon also employed the Undead magic that he had sealed in the Soul Refining Sword. Although he forcibly unsealed it with his Martial Power, the Soul Refining Sword is essentially a Divine Artifact, meaning he technically broke the rules by using magic. Both of their fights involved magic power, and the extraordinary force displayed shocked all the representatives of various countries and city-states present. I think many will consider recruiting magicians to compensate for their inadequacy in martial power after returning home. The Trojans and Carthaginians might be even more eager, and this presents a huge challenge for us. Dark faith is quite prevalent within the Kingdom of Sparta as well, but we don’t know much about it. They seem very conservative and unwilling to deal with the kingdom’s government, mostly preaching among the common folk. Perhaps we can try to contact them through some channels to see if we can gain their support."

Although the formidable power exhibited by Vladimir Koff fell short when compared to Slupig, it made Slupig aware of the looming crisis. The man who tied against Kaiserlon, although somewhat opportunistic, seemed to be on par with the one who had fought against Slupig. It was shocking that the Piraeus could present three such high-level contestants for the Olympia Championship all at once.

Moreover, what worried Slupig the most was that these individuals not only possessed commendable martial arts skills but also had some proficiency in magic. This suggested that these guys might have been knights originally. It was crucial to clarify on what terms the Piraeus had gained the support of these dark forces. If the situation with the Piraeus was slightly better, as it was a maritime city-state nation with little conflict of interest with the Kingdom of Sparta, it would be much worse if countries like the Iberian Kingdom or Trojans and Carthaginians also received support from the dark forces.

"Hmm, it seems we need to find a way to get ahead of the Trojans and the Carthaginians. If the Piraeus people can do it, we can certainly give it a try. The Dark Lineage is very popular among the middle and lower class people in our south, but it has not won the support of the scholars and nobles. I believe they must have expectations in this regard as well," Cyrus said, his expression revealing a mix of coldness and hesitation before turning resolute. "Of course, if they are ungrateful, we can use the Church of Light in their stronghold to help us. However, this could bring negative repercussions, so we must arrange everything properly before acting cautiously."

"Father, you are right. If we openly support the Church of Light, it would cause some turmoil in the kingdom. We must be prudent, or it would be counterproductive," Slupig clearly considered this point as well. "Also, I want to change my original mind. It seems the Piraeus contestants are highly skilled in magic, and there’s no need for Helena to challenge that Piraeus racer anymore. We have already lost in the Gladiator Competition, and even if we win in horse racing, it won’t recover much honor. Furthermore, failure would be fatal to the kingdom’s prestige. I think it’s better to maintain this sense of mystery, allowing our Spartains to continue having a sense of superiority in this event."

(To be continued. For the rest of the story, please visit WWW.CMFU.COM. More Chapters are available, support the author, support Authorized Reading!)