"Alright, our two contestants are in place! Before this final match begins, let’s ask our two commentators what they have to say."
"Regarding that,"
Rad spoke solemnly,
"whoever wins the championship in the end, both contestants are winners. Because they, along with the other quarterfinalists, have already shown us something far more important than a title—something that matters much more to this city!"
"Well said! Even though we’ve reached the final match, we will never forget everything the quarterfinalists did for this city! Thank you, Rad. Now, Lore, what are your thoughts?"
The spotlight shifted to Lore.
But instead of sitting elegantly and sharing her views as usual, Lore suddenly burst to her feet, grabbed the magical megaphone in front of her, and pressed it tightly to her lips.
"Listen up——!!!"
Screech!
The deafening volume made many spectators cover their ears instinctively.
"Hulim! No matter what it takes, take down that scoundrel! Don’t let him win the championship no matter what!!!"
"W-What?!"
Host George was stunned on the spot.
The 100,000 spectators were also dumbfounded. Was this the same elegant, intelligent mage they knew?
"N-No! Cut her off immediately! Turn off her megaphone!"
"Wait! What are you doing?! I’m still commentating——"
Beep——!
"Cough... Ladies and gentlemen, my apologies for the broadcast error. The issue has now been resolved——"
Beep——!
"I’m the commentator! You can’t turn off my megaphone——"
Beep——!
"......"
George’s lips twitched wildly.
A black mark on his career!!!
"Don’t just turn it off! Take it away from her!"
Finally, the commentary booth fell silent.
Wiping cold sweat from his brow, George forced a stiff smile.
"Everyone, that was just a minor irrelevant incident—please don’t mind it!"
"......"
The audience remained silent.
What on earth was this? A stage play......
"Alright! Let’s ignore the unimportant details! Now, let’s move to the most exciting moment! I declare!"
"The Royal Martial Arts Festival Finals——"
"NOW BEGIN!!!"
Ding——!
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
The bell signaling the start of the match rang out across the entire arena.
Whoosh!
Luigi drew his longsword from its sheath.
Unlike all his previous battles, this time he entered full combat mode right from the start.
Unlike most of the spectators present, Luigi Sloan had long known that his opponent was far from as simple as she appeared!
"Oh? How rare! Contestant Luigi drew his sword immediately. Could it be that, like Contestant Violet, after revealing his true strength, he’s decided to stop hiding?"
"Huh?! Are you kidding? That idiot is probably scared because he knows he doesn’t stand a chance! Hahaha!"
"......Um, Miss Lore, could you return to your seat?"
"Of course not! They took my megaphone!"
"......"
"......"
The audience groaned silently in their hearts.
What’s wrong with this woman......
"Miss Hulim, here I come."
"Mm, let’s begin."
Both stood motionless in their spots, not moving an inch.
Seconds ticked by......
Many spectators grew confused.
"What’s going on? Why aren’t either of them moving?"
"Uh...... Didn’t the match start already?"
"Could they not have heard the bell?"
"Shut up, you idiots!"
A Rank B Powerhouse, growing annoyed at the murmurs around him, snapped.
"You fools don’t understand! Their battle——"
"started a long time ago!"
......
On the arena,
the two remained perfectly still, like statues.
Whoosh~!
At that moment, a light breeze suddenly swept across the arena, drifting gently between them.
Clang——!
Boom——!
Without any warning!
Both launched their attacks simultaneously!
Moreover, they unleashed extremely powerful strikes right off the bat, as if determined to take each other down in one hit!
The massive water blade aura that had defeated Violet in the previous match collided with a Giant Fire Spear far larger than before, triggering a violent explosion.
Yet neither combatant paid any attention to the outcome of the first strike—they immediately launched new attacks.
"Slash!!!"
Luigi struck three times in an instant, his speed too fast for the eye to follow.
Three even larger water blade auras, crisscrossing each other, hurtled straight toward Hulim.
"Go!"
Boom!
A massive, rapidly spinning spear materialized in front of Hulim.
It charged head-on toward the incoming water blade auras.
Boom——!
The three auras were shattered by the spinning spear, but the spear itself was greatly weakened. By the time it reached Luigi, he simply swung his sword casually, destroying it completely.
Whoosh!
In the next moment, Luigi’s figure vanished from sight.
Only afterimages remained in the air as he moved at extreme speed.
Boom!
Flames erupted beneath Hulim’s feet, lifting her straight into the sky.
Yet, to everyone’s surprise——
Whoosh!
High-speed water currents also erupted beneath Luigi’s feet, carrying him into the air as well.
The battlefield officially shifted to the sky......
"......"
The audience was completely stunned.
Not by the intensity of the battle—but by the strength both contestants displayed.
Luigi’s current power far exceeded what he had shown against Violet in the previous match!
But......
That wasn’t the point.
The real point was!
Hulim, who was supposed to be no match for him, not only didn’t lose like Violet—she went toe-to-toe with Luigi!
In fact——
She had even gained the upper hand just now......
"I see!"
Rad exclaimed in surprise,
"Now I understand why Contestant Hulim can use Silent Casting so proficiently!"
"Oh? Did you figure it out too, Rad? It just hit me as well!"
George, equally shocked, chimed in.
"As incredible as it sounds, our Contestant Hulim......"
"is also Rank B!"
George and Rad’s words struck the audience like a bolt of lightning.
A Rank B at twelve years old......?
This had to be a joke!!!
Meanwhile, the intense battle in the sky reached its climax.
Blue water blades and crimson fire spears filled the air, colliding constantly. The sky was filled with clouds created by the aftershocks of their attacks.
Amidst those artificially created clouds, the two figures chased each other at breakneck speed.
Both moved so fast that only occasional afterimages were visible—along with the sonic booms echoing through the air as they darted about......
"【??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????】"
"Explosive Flame Blast!"
Boom!
A fireball radiating terrifying heat appeared in the sky, hurtling rapidly toward Luigi.
Seeing this, Luigi immediately gathered his strength.
"【????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????】"
"Slash—Water Dragon Severing Strike!"
Crash!
Two massive, ultra-fast spinning water blade auras appeared in the sky, spinning toward the fireball.
The two collided head-on.
Boom——!!!
In an instant, a terrifying shockwave unleashed a massive storm, sweeping away all the clouds. Even the spectators in the stands felt their clothes flapping wildly in the gale.
Hum!
The tip of Hulim’s wand lit up again, glowing with brilliant white light.
"【????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????】"
"Anode Ray!"
A white beam of light appeared in the sky in an instant, striking Luigi at an unavoidable speed.
However, Luigi had sensed the mana fluctuation emanating from Hulim the moment it appeared.
"Slash... Torrential Burial Strike!"
