Alluria’s Adventurer Guild was a massive building. As the second most important location for the organization, it handled the largest number of adventurers and served as the diplomatic hub for the entire group.
Their true seat of power was within the Tower of Ambition in the far northeast, but despite the immense power the Guildmaster General was said to wield, he didn’t involve himself in Cyril’s affairs, leaving that role to his vice, who ruled Alluria’s branch.
As was fitting for the one faction seen as truly neutral, it was also the only place in Alluria outside of the various embassies where the wards permitted violence.
Massive embalmed monsters lined the path through the Guild to the dueling pit, where adventurers of all levels could face each other to practice new skills or just for fun.
Of course, due to its unique role as both a faction embassy and a public institution, it also acted as the preferred place for people to resolve their differences.
And like any skilled adventurer, they capitalized on the violence, selling tickets to the various fields and even offering refreshments if the duel was exciting enough.
Considering how tense Alluria had been since the attack, almost no one of importance dared to stir the waters by challenging someone from a different faction. As a result, the first interesting duel in a while drew much more attention than it normally would.
Fortunately for Orion and Ophelia, they were with an A-rank team, which allowed them to access the VIP lounge where all four fields could be seen clearly, all without having to pay exorbitant fees or waiting in long lines.
Looking down into the field, Orion could see that Jonatan, the young mage, was beginning to reconsider everything as the reality of it sank in.
If it had been just a matter of teenage pride, only a few people would have cared to watch, and the whole thing would have been forgotten within a couple of days.
If he had won, he might have even avoided punishment! Yet, the whole situation had spiraled out of control due to the general tension, meaning not only could he not escape it now without damaging his faction’s reputation, but also, he would have to face much greater consequences if he lost.
And Orion was pretty sure he was going to lose. Levels and ranks weren’t everything, as he’d personally seen when he fought back against the assault on the diligence and managed to seriously injure a mercenary who was far superior to him, but they still mattered.
And the sheer confidence Erethemor is showing makes me think he’s very used to fighting. It might be a bluff, but considering that he’s an extra ranker, I doubt it.
“This might be less interesting than you hoped for,” he muttered, earning a surprised look from Ophelia.
“Why? Do you think the dragonkin has no chance? I know the Collegium is considered the most powerful faction, but that doesn’t mean every student of theirs is better than everyone else’s.”
Orion snorted, shaking his head, and Seothyn answered for him. “He means that the little mage will lose, not the other way around.” Then, before she could do more than start in surprise, he added, “The dragonkin is definitely stronger, but I think you’ll both be surprised.”
Feeling his curiosity rise despite himself, Orion settled more comfortably into his chair. If Seothyn were an ordinary adventurer, Orion wouldn’t give his words much importance, but the elf had shown he could mess with his outward rank appearance, which meant he knew something about the System’s inner workings. He couldn’t dismiss his expertise.
“This will be a duel between Jonatan Blissey of the Arcane Collegium and Erethemor Und’erter of the Dragonspire Dominion!” The referee, a guild employee dressed in elegant robes with the golden scale of his faction on his chest, announced, his voice easily reaching everyone in the arena.
“As agreed by both participants, the duel will end with either submission, knockout, or forfeit. Gentlebeings, take your positions!”
A tense atmosphere settled. Orion could see many adventurers looking on with interest, but also a few mages who had slipped in at the last moment, looking worried, and a few horned beings he was pretty sure were more dragonkin, who appeared torn between amusement and annoyance.
Was it not a trap from the very beginning, then? Mmmh, I wonder if Erethemor simply saw an opportunity and seized it.
Soon enough, both duelists were ready, and the Guild employee called for the start. “Begin!”
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Fire. So much fire.
What must have been the equivalent of one hundred pounds of TNT was released in a single instant, engulfing the entire ring in dark flames that burned with an acrid hue, as if seeking any form of life to obliterate.
The spell had been created so quickly that Orion almost missed it, but it turned out not to be very complicated. It was a variation of the Fire mana he could summon that he hadn’t known about, but once he figured that out, deciphering the rest of the spellform wasn’t that difficult.
That awareness also told him that if Jonatan had been hit directly, he was probably a goner. The human body, especially one not enhanced by Body attribute points, simply couldn’t withstand that much heat, let alone flames that burned like napalm, seemingly sticking to every surface.
I have developed multiple instances of Light mana over the years, but this is the first time I have seen someone else use a similar approach for a different element. I guess he’s not an extra ranker for anything.
Some adventurers were groaning, likely thinking the fun was already over, but Orion noticed that most of the observers with a modicum of power of their own didn’t seem to have reacted, which told him it wasn’t over yet.
That was quickly confirmed as correct when movement became visible within the flames, and soon, a figure appeared with only the hem of his robes burned, waving a wand in an intricate pattern.
“[Maximize Output] [Shorten Chant] [Thunderbolt]”
Searing light exploded, annihilating the lingering flames and piercing through Erethemor, causing him to crash into the opposite wall.
Orion's eyes widened as [Verification Principle] revealed the truth of what had just been cast.
He’d known meta magic existed. It had been the subject of one of the Sanctum’s earliest lessons. But it soon fell out of favor as a quirky practice—something that only those unsure of their own casting or aiming for a very specific effect would use.
That, it seemed, was a huge understatement because Orion had just seen someone thirty levels below his opponent, and a full rank at that, cast magic that was easily comparable to Erethemor’s.
Thunderbolt can't be higher than tier one, but that output... It was a tier two spell, but it was cast instantly.
The dark flames finished dispersing, revealing the staggering form of the dragonkin, who had a large burn mark on his chest despite the scales that protected him there.
Likely, he’d only survived the hit because of them. There had been no time to defend.
“You pathetic excuse for a mage, to think you would have to resort to little tricks like that to cast a mere tier two spell,” Erethemor growled, his voice echoing strangely. The air shimmered around him as the temperature rose, and his eyes burned with a baleful crimson, yet Jonatan didn’t seem very scared or interested in returning the banter, as he waved his wand again.
“[Maximize Magic] [Maximize Area] [Frozen Glade of the Ice King]”
Steam hissed angrily all across the arena as ice replaced the scorched ground, quickly expanding upon contact with the superheated air.
But this time, Erethemor wasn’t about to be caught off guard, so he swung a clawed hand forward, causing three arches of dark fire to erupt, immediately stopping the spread of the ice before it could reach him.
Jonatan panted, clearly struggling to maintain control over his spells, but he was not out of the fight yet. He flicked his wand with a smirk, causing ice shards to break off the growing crystals and launch themselves at Erethemor.
“[Penetrate] [Ice Shard]”
Where there had once been simple chunks of ice, now entire javelins grew, spinning with enough force that Orion was pretty sure they would have pierced through a wall with ease.
Erethemor roared in anger at that, finally verbalizing his casting. “[Dragon’s Breath]”
A wave of flames that looked more like the sustained fire of a heavy-duty machine gun than anything else swept across the battlefield, destroying the ice shards and moving forward, aiming to erase Jonatan from the world.
Once again, the young mage proved to be the more resourceful of the two, as he thrust his wand forward with a shout, “[Maximize Magic] [Cloak of the Dragonslayer].”
And so, the method he had used to survive the initial attack was revealed. The dark flames washed over him, seemingly unable to take hold.
Yet Orion could see beneath the surface, and he knew that the magic that Erethemor had unleashed was more insidious than it first appeared.
[Dragon Breath] didn’t just burn fuel but also mana, and the longer Jonatan was forced to keep his shield up, the more he would exhaust himself, as the cost of what should have been a simple tier one spell ballooned into a tier two, without the benefits.
Eventually, Erethemor relented. Not because he was too tired to keep up his attack, but because his opponent was clearly running out of steam.
“If their mana manipulation and Attunement had been the same, Jonatan would have won,” Orion murmured. He’d vastly underestimated a true mage’s abilities, and he would need to rethink his own approach, especially considering how effective metamagic seemed to be.
I have enough samples to recreate at least one of those spells. And once I do, I’ll be able to add it as a modular suite to the CC. That will give my battle magic a whole new depth.
“If,” Seothyn replied with a bitter smile. “Unfortunately, the world is not a fair place. He will lose now and will have to face the consequences of that.”
Orion initially thought he was referring to the political bickering that was sure to come, but his eyes told him a different story. Erethemor was walking forward with a dark look in his eyes, even as Jonatan staggered back, clearly too tired to keep fighting.
He opened his mouth, probably to surrender, but a whip of wind lashed out, cutting off his words before he could speak.
Orion looked in surprise at the referee and saw that the man was sweating, yet he was clearly unwilling to interfere until the very last moment.
Oh damn. This might turn ugly.
Not everyone seemed to share his opinion, as several adventurers cheered when they saw Erethemor’s hand ignite with hungry flames, clearly indicating that the dragonkin had decided to mark his opponent for daring to fight him.
Just as Erethemor kicked Jonatan down, pressing a foot on his chest and preparing to burn his face with his fiery hand, a thunderous clap echoed, and magic ceased to be.
It wasn’t just Erethemor’s spell that was extinguished. The arena’s spells faded, and even enchanted objects powered down, seemingly unable to connect to the Mana Field. Orion found himself unable to activate his glasses, and even when he tapped his inner pocket, which contained the CC, he couldn’t seem to get more than a brief spark of consciousness before it was snuffed out.
“I think that’s enough,” an aged voice rumbled, and suddenly, an old man with a long white beard and deep blue robes appeared in the arena, causing Erethemor to stumble back, looking angry but too intimidated to act recklessly.
“Who do you think you are, to interrupt a duel before it could be called?!” He roared, and Orion had to rethink his previous thoughts. He might actually be that stupid.
“You have won this fight, child, but don't make the mistake of thinking you will come out of this alive if you take even a single step forward,” replied the man who was clearly an Archmage.
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