The day of the duel had arrived.
The agreed Mills Arena was already packed to the brim, crowds surging everywhere, with the blue and white uniforms of Mills Academy standing out most prominently as they claimed the best spots for spectators.
Harsh chatter echoed throughout the crowd, sounding like a swarm of buzzing flies and mosquitoes.
“Heh, I heard a month ago that a Rose Knight wanted to challenge Lady Kaelan. I thought it was just a rumor back then, but I can’t believe it’s actually true.”
“That’s not the most important part. What’s really shocking is that she didn’t cancel the duel this entire month!”
“Exactly, exactly. Who knows where that penniless knight got her courage. She dares to challenge Lady Kaelan? Does she really think joining the Rose Knights makes her invincible?”
“Hey, I heard that knight is actually the daughter of Grand Magus Owen. She’s always had a grudge with Lady Kaelan since childhood, but she was born without any Magic Talent and has never been a match for Lady Kaelan.”
“No Magic Talent, huh? No wonder she can only be a penniless knight. She wasn’t Lady Kaelan’s match before, and now she wants to challenge her? She’s really overestimating herself.”
Among the crowd, Instructor Anderi stood listening to these remarks, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold, sinister smile.
He agreed with them completely.
Ever since he lost the bet, he’d been stripped of his qualification to instruct the Rose Knights, losing all face before his colleagues and students.
He’d been holding this humiliation inside ever since.
In his eyes, Aixi was a complete good-for-nothing.
A month of last-minute effort was nothing but a desperate struggle—he was eager to see what effect the Oracle Maiden’s hellish training could have in the face of absolute power!
On the other side, the Rose Knight Girls clustered around Aixi as they entered, their matching uniforms making them particularly eye-catching in the crowd.
“Aixi, these people are looking down on you so much. You’ve got to give them a good slap in the face out there!” Joina said indignantly, giving Aixi a hard pat on the shoulder.
“That’s right, that’s right! These guys act like knowing a bit of magic makes them special—just looking at them makes me angry!” The other girls quickly chimed in in support.
While they were cheering Aixi on, Leanna noticed Teresa sitting alone on a bench in the nearby rest area, quietly reading her Magic Theory, as if all the surrounding noise had nothing to do with her.
Clearing her throat, Leanna reminded her:
“Teresa, Aixi is about to take the stage. Aren’t you going to encourage her?”
“Encourage her? Aixi hasn’t needed my encouragement for a long time. What she needs to do is trust herself. As for me, I’ve fallen behind in Magic Theory.”
At that, Teresa sighed and muttered to herself,
“Saintess Isavel and Lady Selis haven’t been around these past days for who knows what reason. Now all my questions have piled up, and my mind is a mess.”
“The more of a mess you are, the more you should relax.”
Meilin smiled as she came over, snatching the notes from Teresa’s hands.
“Today is Aixi’s stage! As her special training partner, shouldn’t you watch her performance properly? You’ve contributed to this, you know!”
“All right, all right. I’ll relax for a day.”
Teresa gave a helpless smile and finally tore her attention away from her books.
Her gaze met Aixi’s as the latter was about to step onto the stage.
Without a word, the two merely nodded slightly, understanding each other without need for speech.
Dong, dong, dong—
The deep chimes of the bell resounded through the arena, announcing the arrival of the duel.
In an instant, every eye was fixed on the broad stage forged from sturdy magic stone.
Under countless gazes, Kaelan ascended the platform like a proud peacock, her movements graceful and poised.
She wore a splendid Mage Robe, embroidered with exquisite magical patterns, and adorned with Magical Insignia of various subtle hues at her waist, wrists, and neck.
The faint glow of magic shrouded her, giving her an air of noble elegance.
In contrast, Aixi’s entrance was unadorned and simple.
She still wore her neat Rose Knight Training uniform, and her only equipment was that enormous and intimidating Training Hammer.
If there was anything remarkable, it was the thin Magical Chain wrapped a few times around her wrists and ankles—looking like mere decorations, dull and inconspicuous in the sunlight.
Kaelan scrutinized Aixi from head to toe, her lips curling into an undisguised sneer:
“Just like before, I thought you’d run away at the last minute, Aixi.”
Aixi met her gaze calmly, her tone steady: “Run away? I’ve never done anything like that.”
“Oh, really?” Kaelan arched an eyebrow, raising her voice to ensure the crowd heard, “Then maybe, in my memory, your ending has always been worse than running away, hasn’t it?”
With that, she swept a contemptuous glance over the densely packed audience outside the stage.
“It’s not just the Mills Academy students—nobles from the entire Empire are here to witness this fight. If you don’t want to disgrace the Rose Knights too badly, you’d best surrender now.”
“After all, everyone knows that someone who can’t use magic could never be my opponent. And you’ve only trained for a month.”
At that, her eyes revealed a lofty pity.
“Aixi, this is my last mercy.”
Her words completely ignited the fire burning in Aixi’s eyes.
“Enough nonsense, Kaelan. This time, I won’t lose!”
“Insolent fool!”
Kaelan’s eyes instantly turned icy.
“If that’s how you want it, then let me tear the Rose Knights’ mask of hypocrisy apart, so the world can see that you so-called Rose Knights are nothing but a pack of worthless trash!”
As her words fell, she lifted her slender fingers, and her magic surged forth.
The very air responded—water elements gathered at incredible speed, forming a surging azure tide that rushed toward Aixi with unstoppable force!
This spell didn’t even qualify as apprentice magic. Kaelan conjured it with ease and elegance, the contempt in her manner more cutting than any insult.
To her, greeting Aixi with this basic trick was more than enough.
Yet countless battles had shown that underestimating your enemy always came at a price.
Faced with the roaring blue wave, Aixi didn’t retreat—instead, she advanced.
That massive Training Hammer was raised high over her head with unstoppable momentum, and, whistling through the air, she slammed it down onto the ground!
Boom—!
The entire arena shook violently.
The terrifying shockwave from the hammer’s strike shattered the tide in an instant and shot straight toward Kaelan, whose composed expression was wiped away by utter shock.
She tried to dodge, but it was already too late.
“Mana Protection!”
In a panic, she could only pour her mana out wildly, forming a translucent layer of Mana Armor before her.
In the next instant, the shockwave crashed fiercely into the Mana Armor.
Bang—!
The Mana Armor let out a pitiful wail, buckling under the impact and shattering at once.
Kaelan felt as if she’d been rammed head-on by a savage beast.
An irresistible force sent her flying like a severed kite, and she crashed heavily to the ground several meters away with a thud.
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