Two days later...
Adrian had dedicated the past two days to refining his core in order to achieve a breakthrough. With only one day remaining, he was on the verge of reaching the coveted 4-star level.
It wouldn't have taken him this long if only he had to breakthrough like an ordinary knight who has a single mana core in their body. If he had a single mana core then he would have already reached 6-star by now.
But since he had mana hole in every joint in his body, he needed to absorb a substantial amount of mana when compared to an ordinary knight. Currently, he was expanding his mana core to reach it's maximum size.
"I am now at the last stage of breaking through. Now, I just need to compress the mana core to increase its density and reach the 4-star level," Adrian muttered as he continued the intricate process.
After a few minutes, he achieved the maximum size his 3-star mana core could reach. Now he only needed to compress it to the minimum size to make it more condensed.
He had repeated this process of expanding and compressing multiple times in these last days. Now only the last step remained before he could officially advance to the 4-star level.
"Now, let's begin the compression," Adrian grumbled, clenching his teeth in anticipation of the imminent pain.
Adrian sat upright, initiating the process of compressing his mana core. He would grumble lightly in intervals.
After two hours...
Adrian's face showed signs of strain, with tiny droplets of sweat and a reddened complexion. Minutes later, his expression relaxed, and the redness disappeared. He stood up with a satisfied look, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"I've successfully advanced to the 4-star level. Now all the preparations are done for tomorrow, all that's left is to spend some time with my Mom. She must be feeling lonely all this time without me" Adrian muttered with a smile as he has headed towards the new residence where his mother was.
The day passed quickly with his mother. In the morning, he left for the Count's residence.
"Sir Adrian, you're here! Let's get moving. The location for the duel has been decided in the middle of the war zone. Many influential people are going to be there to act as witnesses to the duel," the Count informed upon greeting Adrian with a cheerful tone.
The location for the duel was decided by the federation. The arrangements were all done, and only the two sides remained to enter.
At the location of the duel...
Many nobles and soldiers from both sides were waiting for the arrival of the parties involved. As they waited, the sound of a carriage approaching was heard.
"Who is it? Is it Count Nadino or Count Philip?" a soldier shouted, standing up to get a closer look.
"Look! It has the emblem of Count Philip. It must be him," another soldier yelled after the carriage came into sight.
"Whom will Count Philip choose for this duel?" one noble inquired of another seated beside him.
"It must be his captain. Who else could it be?" the noble replied, as though it were evident.
However, surprise flickered across the faces of the nobles when they witnessed Count Philip's warrior disembarking from the carriage alongside him.
This warrior possessed emerald green hair, neatly tied into a ponytail, complementing his handsome face and green eyes. He carried himself with an air of nonchalance, as if he were on vacation.
"Isn't that Velar Jon?" a soldier exclaimed.
"Yes, the one who currently holds the 49th position on the Ranker's list of the Vradel Kingdom," another soldier shouted.
"Didn't he just advance to 6-star status a month ago? Why is Count Philip sending him? Isn't it like using a sledgehammer to kill an ant?" a series of questions echoed.
"Count Nadino only has a 4-star captain under him, and even if the Count were to fight himself, he is bound to lose," one of the nobles present exclaimed.
"Now I understand why Count Philip proposed a duel to determine the outcome of the war. With Velar, he can effortlessly resolve this conflict without any harm befalling his soldiers," another noble added.
While everyone engaged in their murmurs, another carriage soon came into view.
"It's Count Nadino! I saw his emblem on the carriage!" a soldier announced.
"The outcome of the duel is already apparent. The Count will have to face Velar himself. He will surely lose unless he also has a 6-star as his representative," a noble muttered.
"I doubt he will be able to hire a 6-star to fight for him. No one would want to make the federation their enemy!" another noble replied.
Amidst the murmurs of the people present, a handsome boy with jet-black hair and deep, sea-like blue eyes exited the carriage with Count Nadino. All eyes were fixed on the carriage, awaiting the appearance of Count Nadino's chosen warrior.
However, when no one emerged from the carriage, it was assumed that the Count would fight himself.
The Count and the boy proceeded to their designated seats, awaiting the commencement of the duel.
"Hey Adrian, that green-haired guy over there is a 6-star. It seems he will be your opponent in this duel," Demios pointed out. "I thought Philip would send a 5-star, but isn't this too much?" Demios muttered.
"Yeah, it seems he is a cautious individual who doesn't want to leave any chance of winning. But I took this into consideration when I decided to advance," Adrian smiled.
"But couldn't you defeat him at 3-star, though it would be a bit of an hassle and you would've to struggle but it was possible. Then why did you advance like it wouldn't be possible to win if you didn't advance?" Demios questioned.
"Did you forget what my main goal is? it isn't winning, it is to not expose my power. If I fought with my full power then wouldn't I be presenting myself on a silver platter for everyone to see?" Adrian answered.
After all the nobles who were supposed to be present were there, the announcement for the duel to start was heard.
Adrian and Velar entered the ring. Upon witnessing Adrian's entrance, everyone present gasped.
"How can Count Nadino be so cruel as to send a child to his death like this?" a noble lady exclaimed, her disgust for Count Nadino evident on her face.
"Yes, the least he could do is demonstrate that he is serious about winning. I can't watch this," another noble muttered.
While everyone was busy expressing pity for the child, Demios was having the time of his life.
"Oh, Adrian! You pitiful child! ...pfft hahaha," Demios laughed, sarcasm evident in his voice. "See how everyone is giving you this look of sympathy. They don't even know that this is an easy match for you."
"Shut up; the match is about to start," Adrian murmured.
While Adrian was engaged with Demios, Velar's voice resonated in his ears. "Hey, kid! Just forfeit the match; I don't want to hurt you."
"What? Why should I forfeit? If you don't want to hurt me, just forfeit and leave the ring," Adrian retorted.
"Oh, so you don't want to receive my kindness? Alright then, I shall not show you any mercy in this match," Velar announced, moving to his position and drawing a long sword from the scabbard.
Adrian also assumed his fighting stance, tightening his grip on the sword he had received from Count Nadino for this fight.
A fireball was launched into the air, marking the start of the match.