Report
The noon sunlight poured down upon the training grounds like a cascade of light.
Aside from the occasional gusts of wind stirring up dust, neither side exchanged any meaningful words.
On Arkin’s side, he was accompanied by several attendants and maids, with his magic teacher, Zika, volunteering to act as the official witness.
In contrast, Damian’s side was represented only by Anna and Felix.
“As expected. He talks big, but his core is rotten,” Arkin remarked, looking up at the sky. Just as he said, Damian, the challenger of this duel, had yet to make an appearance.
The palace staff were absent as well, still frantically searching for Damian, who had disappeared since last night.
“There’s still time before noon,” Anna said, clutching the hem of her dress tightly.
“You filthy worm. Still running your mouth without knowing your place,” Arkin sneered, licking his upper lip. The sight of it sent a shiver down her spine—it felt like she was facing a venomous serpent.
“There was no need for any of this to begin with. If only you had submitted to me from the start, everything would have been resolved. I’ll break you down completely and reshape you, both inside and out.”
The reason for this duel was Anna herself. If she had just suppressed her emotions a bit more back then, Damian wouldn’t have needed to get involved in this mess.
Yet, she had no intention of saying she would call off the duel or offer herself to Arkin instead.
Damian had made his decision, and she chose to trust him and follow his lead.
In the past two years, or rather, ever since his defeat in the previous duel, Damian had undeniably changed.
He wouldn’t issue a duel challenge on a whim. He must have a plan.
Anna believed there was a reason he hadn’t shown up yet.
Thus, she resolved to buy time, no matter the cost. Whether she had to bow her head or lick his boots, she was prepared to endure any humiliation.
This was the only way she could repay Damian, the son of her benefactor.
“Oh, so you’re not a complete coward after all,” Arkin smirked as he turned his head, noticing Damian in the distance, walking toward them.
Relief washed over Anna and Felix’s faces, but it was fleeting as they took in Damian’s condition.
His hair was disheveled, his skin rough, and he seemed thinner than before. Bloodstains were clearly visible on various parts of his clothing.
He looked far too worn out for a normal duel.
“This is your final chance to protect your master. Come under me,” Arkin made his last demand. But Anna responded with a shake of her head.
Because she had seen Damian’s eyes. His body might be battered, but the brilliance in his jewel-like eyes was still vivid.
It wasn’t the look of someone who had given up or despaired. It was the look of someone who had found a clear answer.
“This is your last chance to withdraw,” Zika announced from the center of the training grounds, giving Damian a once-over. No matter how he assessed it, Damian’s condition was far from normal.
Even if Arkin showed mercy, Damian’s life could be at serious risk.
While fatalities in duels weren’t uncommon, it was best to avoid such incidents, especially when the participants were members of the royal family.
The official witness was not only there to judge the outcome of the duel but also to prevent any unfortunate incidents.
“Consider this as advice from someone who was once your teacher.”
Zika was one of the many teachers who had abandoned Damian.
While he pretended to care for Damian in public, he still remembered the curses he had hurled at him behind closed doors.
“Just hurry up and start. I’m starving,” Damian muttered, causing a vein to bulge on Arkin’s forehead. He seemed to take it as a taunt, but in reality, Damian was genuinely hungry.
Ever since entering the abandoned tower, he hadn’t had a single drop of water, and his body was still exhausted from enduring Molek’s trial.
Zika cleared his throat. “Since this is not a duel to the death, I will activate the safety mechanism.”
He placed his hand on the statue in the center of the training grounds. As he channeled his magic, light spread in two streams, enveloping both Damian and Arkin.
This was a safety mechanism that would automatically activate in life-threatening situations, protecting the participants and ending the duel.
“Now then, do both sides swear to duel with honor, in accordance with the sacred Imperial Law?”
“We swear,” they both declared in unison.
“Once the duel begins, no one may interfere until one side concedes or becomes incapacitated.”
Zika raised one arm high, and both Damian and Arkin steadied their breaths.
“In the name of His Majesty, the Emperor, I declare this duel to begin!”
As Zika’s proclamation echoed, Arkin extended his hand forward.
With a surge of magic, icy mana coalesced, forming five sharp ice spears.
They rushed straight toward Damian in a line.
Although he could have aimed for a vital spot, Arkin deliberately chose not to. He wanted to savor the moment—he longed to hear Damian’s screams a bit longer.
What kind of tears would that insolent maid shed as she watched? No doubt, they’d taste delightfully sweet.
Swoosh—. The ice spears flew at high speed, and Damian pointed his finger forward.
‘Hellfire.’
A reaction came from the contract etched onto his soul. The power of Molek, King of Inferno, manifested at Damian’s fingertips.
Snap. As Damian flicked his finger, a green fireball shot forward.
The blazing orb, as large as a human head, not only melted all the ice spears but continued its charge straight toward Arkin.
“You little bastard!”
Arkin’s expression twisted. He had fully expected the ice spears to shred Damian to pieces, but the unexpected outcome left him visibly shaken.
“Could it be… a unique flame?”
Zika observed the green flames intently, muttering to himself.
There are instances where a mage’s flames take on a distinctive color, and he assumed Damian’s Hellfire was such a case.
Humanity had long since forgotten the existence of dark magic. Even when it was displayed so openly, no one here made the connection to demonic power or black magic.
“Unique flame? More like a bastard’s trick with no real foundation!” Arkin grumbled as he erected a mana barrier.
The green flames crashed against Arkin’s barrier, unable to penetrate it. Instead, they exploded, sending flames scattering in every direction.
“Haha. So you didn’t spend the last two years just sniffing horse dung, huh?”
Arkin smirked mockingly as he refocused on his magic. This time, he spread his hands wide. Ten ice spears materialized, doubling the previous number.
Unlike before, the spears now came at Damian from three different directions: three from the left, three from the right, and four directly from the front.
Damian had to block attacks from all three angles simultaneously.
In response, he conjured a massive whip of green flames. The fiery whip moved like a wave, smashing through the ice spears.
“Cheap tricks!” Arkin spat.
But the assault didn’t end there. Damian continued to swing the whip of flames, relentlessly pressuring Arkin.
Every time the flames slammed against Arkin’s translucent barrier, his body trembled with the impact.
He had entered this duel with a light heart. Yet now, whether due to psychological pressure or the oppressive heat of the flames, sweat was pouring down the back of Arkin’s neck like rain.
“Master Damian… since when did he…?” “Indeed, Miss Anna.”
Both of them had hoped for Damian’s victory, but neither had expected him to dominate Arkin using magic.
They had assumed Damian, after two years of training under Derek, would rely on physical strength and combat techniques to fight Arkin.
But the weapon Damian chose was magic.
Did he hire a separate teacher for this? But if that were the case, there would be no reason for Damian to keep it a secret.
Could his improved physical state have triggered a newfound talent for magic? It wasn’t a question with an easy answer.
Yet, just watching those green flames made his body tremble.
It was beautiful, and at the same time, terrifying.
‘Is this... even possible?’
Zika, too, couldn’t maintain his usual composure. He had once personally assessed Damian.
Unlike with Aura, Damian had shown a slight aptitude for magic, but it was hardly enough to be called a talent.
In fact, his abilities were so lacking that people often doubted whether he even possessed half the royal bloodline.
But the Damian standing before him now was completely different from the illegitimate child he once knew.
Was it possible for someone to show such remarkable growth in just a few years?
At least in Zika’s experience, there were no precedents for this.
While it’s true that enlightenment can come in a moment, this level of progress was excessive.
‘Damn it, damn it, damn it!’
The most confused of all was, of course, Arkin, who was directly facing Damian.
He didn’t have the luxury of analyzing Damian’s magic. Being pushed back like this was not only surprising but also infuriating.
If he remained passive, he would eventually be consumed by the flames. Weighing the risk of weakening his barrier, Arkin decided to cast a new spell.
“Gaaah!”
The flaming whip lashed past Arkin’s barrier, grazing his skin. Though the burn wasn’t severe, the excruciating pain made him scream.
The only relief was that he managed to keep his focus and cast the next spell.
Amidst the sea of flames, Arkin formed a massive ice projectile.
Thanks to its hefty mass, the ice projectile didn’t melt in the flames. Instead, it pierced through, flying straight toward Damian.
‘This won’t do.’
Damian retracted the Hellfire whip and dodged to the side.
Boom!!! The ice projectile struck the dueling grounds with a thunderous crash, sending shockwaves rippling out.
Damian attempted to summon Hellfire again, but Arkin seized the opportunity and launched another ice projectile.
‘Let’s try using two fingers this time.’
If the firepower was insufficient, increasing it would solve the problem. Hellfire ignited on both Damian’s index and middle fingers.
The burning pain surged through him, but Damian’s expression remained unchanged.
He was already accustomed to the sensation of burning pain all over his body. By now, this level of pain felt like nothing more than a mild irritation.
He began forming a new fireball.
Roar!!! But before the fireball could fully form, it exploded on the spot, sending flames scattering everywhere.
Fortunately, the safety mechanism activated, preventing the flames from spreading beyond the training grounds. Otherwise, the damage would have been catastrophic.
“Gaaah!”
The shockwave sent Damian flying, and he screamed in pain. He had burned himself with his own magic.
Arkin, who had been watching in disbelief, soon leaned back, bursting into mocking laughter as he looked at Damian.
“Hahaha! I knew it! You’ve learned magic far beyond what your body can handle! I’ve seen plenty like you—fools who end up killed by their own spells!”
Arkin’s taunts didn’t reach Damian’s ears. He had more urgent matters to deal with—solving the problem at hand came first.
‘The firepower… it’s too strong.’
He had only increased the power slightly by using two fingers, yet the output was far greater than anything he had produced before.
Even compared to the flames he wielded at full strength in his previous life, after making contracts with dozens of Infernal beings, this was far more powerful.
As a result, it was uncontrollable. Damian had ended up engulfed by his own Hellfire.
The price of using Hellfire wasn’t limited to the searing pain. The failed spell had left severe burns all over his body.
But before he could even assess his injuries, Arkin fired another ice projectile. Although Damian avoided a direct hit, his left arm was grazed by the massive ice shard.
The wound didn’t bleed much, but his arm had lost all strength—it was broken.
“Yes, yes. In the end, it’s nothing but cheap tricks. That’s all a dullard like you could come up with to try and beat me.”
With the power of just one finger, Damian couldn’t melt Arkin’s ice projectiles. But using the power of two fingers was beyond his control.
He quickly racked his brain for a solution. As he thought, his hand instinctively reached toward his waist.
A look of realization dawned on Damian’s face.
‘Yes, there’s a better way.’
To shatter the ice projectile, he needed just a bit more power than what he had now. And that extra power didn’t have to come from dark magic.
Dark magic couldn’t solve every problem, nor was there any need for it to.
Hadn’t he trained for this very moment for two years?
With a swift motion, Damian drew Derek’s arming sword from his waist.
The green flames reignited on his fingertips.
Whoosh. As if responding to him, the Hellfire coiled around Derek’s sword like a serpent.
