Chapter 147: Megan's Cheating and Tina and Su Yu's Counterattack
In the duel arena, the battle had intensified, and Megan was gradually losing ground. Tina, wielding her pale golden lance with fierce determination, had cornered Megan, leaving her with little room to maneuver.
Megan, pressed against the edge of the arena, fought to hold her ground. Were it not for her honed combat experience, she might have already been defeated. However, she knew that losing was not an option. If she failed here, her family would face ruin, and Kimberly, the cold-eyed mastermind behind her, would surely unleash his wrath upon them. The thought made her shudder.
But Megan remembered the potion Kimberly had secretly given her before the duel: the Tier 6 [Eternal Rage] potion. This potion would double her strength in an instant, granting her the power to overwhelm Tina. The cost, however, was severe—her strength would plummet afterward, possibly to as low as Tier 3 or even Tier 2.
Reluctant at first, Megan now saw no other choice. Her gaze hardened with resolve.
"Ha!" Megan shouted, gripping her lance tightly as she unleashed her ultimate technique, [Angry Spear: Lightning Strike].
With arcs of lightning crackling around the tip of her spear, her attack surged in power, forcing Tina to retreat swiftly on her unicorn to avoid a direct clash.
Taking advantage of the moment, Megan quickly retrieved a small orange-yellow vial from her pouch and, without hesitation, drank the [Eternal Rage] potion.
Almost instantly, her body swelled, her skin flushed a grotesque red, and cracks marred her flesh. The potion's effects transformed her into a menacing figure, brimming with doubled strength.
"This is the Tier 6 [Eternal Rage] potion?!" Su Yu exclaimed from the highest viewing platform, recognizing the potion from his training during the Senior Scholar Assessment. It was unmistakably a potion of high-tier fury.
But there was a problem. Before the duel began, Tina and Megan had both signed an agreement stating that neither side could use any consumables except their standard equipment—a fair duel. Su Yu had been present when they both signed it.
He had initially insisted on the agreement to prevent Tina from using powerful items that might have unbalanced the fight and to stop the Windsor family from any underhanded tricks. Never did he expect Megan would break the rules herself.
In the arena, Tina protested furiously. "Referee! Megan cheated! According to our agreement, neither of us is allowed to use consumables. You were there when we signed it! I demand that Megan be disqualified!"
The referee, a middle-aged Tier 4 warrior, dismissed her protests with a grin. "Tina, Megan hasn't broken any rules. Continue the duel."
"What? She clearly used a potion!" Tina's face burned with anger.
The referee, however, remained unfazed. "Megan is a licensed pharmacist, and by duel regulations, potions made by a pharmacist themselves are considered part of their weaponry, not consumables. You can't expect a pharmacist to refrain from using their own creations, can you?"
"A pharmacist?" Tina's eyes narrowed with disbelief. The potency of this potion far exceeded anything she believed Megan could brew. It required the skills of a seasoned alchemist—a craft Megan was hardly capable of mastering at her age and experience.
The referee simply lied, "Yes, Megan brewed it herself."
"You—!" Tina began, but before she could argue further, Megan had already spurred her unicorn, charging with her newfound strength. Tina had no choice but to prepare her defenses instead of protesting further.
With a resounding crash, their lances met, sending shockwaves across the arena. This time, Tina was thrown back, her unicorn stumbling as Megan's strength overwhelmed her.
From the stands, a roar of approval echoed. Many spectators had bet on Megan, and seeing the tide of victory turn in her favor ignited their cheers.
Watching from the high stand, Su Yu was livid. The [Eternal Rage] potion was no ordinary concoction. To refine it, one needed the rank of a Senior Alchemist, a status only obtained by experienced, mature practitioners in the empire. Megan was far too young to have achieved such skill, and the referee's lie was glaringly obvious.
"I won't let the Windsor family get away with this blatant manipulation!" Su Yu thought furiously. Without hesitation, he braced himself against the railing, preparing to intervene.
"Boss! What are you doing?!" Weiner Heijin cried out in alarm, reaching out to stop him, but it was too late—Su Yu had already leaped from the platform.
"Is he… jumping to protest?" Weiner Heijin wondered, rushing to peer over the railing, only to find Su Yu was no longer visible.
Meanwhile, Tina found herself struggling. Megan's explosive power combined with her cunning combat experience left her at a severe disadvantage. If this continued, she would surely lose.
"No! I refuse to give up!" Tina clenched her jaw, summoning all her willpower.
"Heh, give it up, Tina! Admit defeat now, and I might let you off easy!" Megan taunted, her face flushed and cracked, a twisted smirk on her lips.
With all her might, Megan thrust her lance, blue energy sparking at its tip as she aimed for a decisive blow.
But Tina didn't meet the attack head-on. She dismounted her unicorn in a fluid motion, dodging Megan's strike just in time.
"Victory will be mine!" Tina's resolve only grew stronger as she remembered the blood essence she had collected from hunting wild beasts with Su Yu the previous day. Although she hadn't absorbed it then, she had kept it for emergencies.
In a swift motion, she tore open the vial and splashed the monster's blood across her arms. The golden aura surrounding her began to surge, drawing energy from the blood's essence. Her strength rose swiftly as her power harmonized with the monster's ferocity.
As Megan's lance streaked toward her, Tina swung her own weapon, blocking the attack effortlessly.
"Hey! That's cheating!" the referee shouted angrily, "Tina Garcia, using monster blood is a severe violation, and I'm disqualifying you—"
"You dare?!"
A thunderous voice boomed above the referee, stopping him mid-sentence.
In a flash, a figure leaped from the air—a first-tier mage clad in leather armor, landing forcefully in the center of the arena.
The duel had just taken a surprising turn.
(End of chapter)