The image of the trembling rabbit avoiding defeat by a hair’s breadth he had built in everyone’s mind suddenly shattered with his words as a suffocating pressure crashed on everyone.
The non-mages legs chattered in terror as they finally understood that Alice’s crazy allegation had been true since the first day. Adam never tried and just played them like fools with his exaggerated acting.
Loud gulps echoed, and icy sweat dripped from the ones who had insulted him earlier as the sound of rushing wind rocked the place.
On the platform, Bernard stopped his incantation and watched with constricted pupils as a literal storm brewed between Adam’s palms. The rumble of lightning registered next as bright purple flashes blinded everyone.
But the most appalling thing that sent a shiver down even Alice’s spine was his swiftness.
Without a single word and in less than a second, Adam had ordered mana to reshape itself, sothing even she, an adept, couldn’t do!
She trembled next, rembering his mocking words on the first day and understanding... understanding that Mathias didn’t save Adam from a good trashing by holding her. Instead, he had saved her from a horrible public humiliation or even death.
anwhile, Adam’s enchanted beast core roared in his puppet as the storm extended to cover the stage in a do of whistling wind spinning fast enough to reduce rocks and tal to shreds.
In its ceiling, purple lightning arcs danced and rged with terrifying crackling.
Upon seeing the spectacle, the arcanists rose from their seats in horror as the image of the sky guardian’s overwhelming figure superimposed with Adam’s.
Everything happened almost simultaneously, leaving them no ti to react, much less to think before the first bolt shattered the stadium’s stunned silence.
BOOM
The arena’s sturdy slabs exploded in a rain of charred fragnts, colliding with the tetanised Bernard.
However, would Adam waste ti now that he could finally end this farce?
"Give up, kid. The next one won’t hit the ground."
His voice, as cold as an icy tundra, reverberated in everyone’s ears. Yet, no one knew how to react besides Shepard, Orion, and Marina.
"Hahaha! Look at their faces! They finally realise they’ve been betting on a tournant with a clear and single victor since the beginning!"
"What do you an, old fox? That brat never incanted a single spell from the first day I t him. It was clear he would win two years ago!"
Instead of angering the other arcanists, their mockery deepened their shock because if Shepard didn’t lie, Adam was a monster they had to keep on a leash or eliminate. After all, even they couldn’t use spells without wording them first!
Unlike them, Leon’s gray eyes sparkled with hints of verdant green for a different reason.
The arcanists never interested him much despite their ranks. But an apprentice who could use Vivan’s spells?
"He’s worth recruiting as a royal mage. But I’ll ask my councillors’ opinions before offering him anything."
With this thought in mind, he left the room and acted on his idea as Alice finally recovered on the stage.
Without wasting a second, she roared a weak ice spell and hurled it at Bernard.
The impact threw the dazed boy off his feet, sending him flying for a few ters before he dropped outside the stage.
Mathias moved next, blurring in everyone’s widened eyes as he caught Bernard before he collided with the ground.
anwhile, Alice yelled through the storm’s noise, causing his smirk to enlarge.
"Adam wins!"
"See? I even accounted for the ti my adversary would take to give up and for the referee’s announcent when I said I could win in five seconds."
With a snap of his finger, he dismissed his spell. Standing proudly in the arena’s center, he outstretched his palms towards Alice.
Still shaken but noticing the delighted spark lightening his eyes, she believed he wanted to make peace or maybe recognise her sharp eyes. Therefore, she extended hers in return.
However, he frowned at her bizarre reaction and jerked her hand away.
"The heck are you shaking my hand for? Give my reward!"
"..."
As her face reddened in anger and her fingers inched to her wand, Mathias rushed to him and seized his arm to complete the ceremony.
However, his pupils constricted, and his veins protruded under his plate armor as he felt that Adam weighed more than a mountain.
With a cough to hide his embarrassnt, he whispered into his ears.
"We’ll invite you to the royal palace and hand you your reward tomorrow. Can you raise your arm, please? I want to end the tournant on an epic note."
"Why do I have to wait? I wasted enough ti with this farce."
Despite his harsh words, he raised his hand.
Delighted by the unexpected compliance, Mathias’ voice thundered.
"Adam showed unmatched mastery and is hereby crowned champion! I’m sure his future achievents will shake the world, and his na will resound on every continent! Finally, I’d like to thank you for your presence. Jadevale will always welco you with open arms."
’I only used two elents. You’ve seen nothing yet.’
He grinned, wondering how shocked they would have been if he had used them all as the crowd recovered and chanted his na.
After enjoying being acclaid by thousands of people for a few minutes, he noticed Mathias’ gesture to accompany him out.
Intrigued and his question still unanswered, he followed the knight through the corridor before the latter spoke.
"The skeleton is special. Our king found it during his younger days in a ruin and struggled to bring it back."
Mathias shook his head, correcting his statent.
"Struggled is an understatent. Each bone wafts an ominous energy able to turn people crazy. I don’t know if it’s one of the creature’s inherent abilities or a curse, but no one wants to touch it, much less transport it."
His brows twitched, and his eyes rolled at the terrible revelation.
"That’s the reward you planned for those teenagers? Did you want to kill the champion, or are you plain stupid?"
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