**Chapter 148: Attacking the Referee**
Su Yu was still in mid-air when a small fireball, the size of a walnut, condensed in his hand.
This was the first-order spell [Secondary Fireball], and he was about to unleash it.
He wasn't here to reason with the referee—debating with someone so blatantly biased was pointless. Instead, Su Yu opted for a direct lesson!
If the referee dared to shield Megan's cheating in front of everyone, he had to face the consequences!
"Tina, give me a blessing!" Su Yu called out to Tina from a distance.
"Alright!" Tina responded immediately, casting a pale golden aura over him.
**[Blessing of Tina Garcia]**: Your level is raised to match **[Tina Garcia]**'s for one hour.
Tina was currently at level 60. With her blessing, Su Yu's level temporarily surged to match hers.
Instantly, the energy within the fireball fluctuated wildly, its size expanding nearly a hundredfold until it became a blazing orb the size of a basketball!
After a brief charge, Su Yu hurled the fireball at the referee.
The referee hadn't expected Su Yu to target him and quickly summoned his aura to form a shield.
**Boom!**
The fireball struck the referee's shield with explosive force, shattering it instantly. The referee was sent flying, crashing several meters back.
"Ahh!" The referee hit the ground, seriously injured and engulfed in flames. He rolled on the ground in pain.
Healers from the event staff rushed over, casting long-distance healing spells to save him from being burned alive.
---
The arena fell silent as gasps echoed throughout the crowd; everyone was stunned by the unexpected turn of events!
What had just happened?
A young man had appeared out of nowhere, delivering a devastating fireball to the referee.
This was sheer audacity!
Such an act seemed unprecedented in the history of duels!
The crowd buzzed like a boiling pot, excitement spilling over.
"What the hell? Did he just attack the referee?!"
"He's done for!"
"I've watched duels for years, but I've never seen anything like this!"
Many players in the audience recognized that this was part of the main storyline, and some had even bought tickets specifically for this event.
Seeing Su Yu, or "Mr. Nemesis," they cheered:
"My god, it's Mr. Nemesis!"
"Mr. Nemesis! Did he just attack the referee?"
"Go, Mr. Nemesis! Let's join him and make a statement!"
Some players rose from their seats and dashed toward the arena.
Halfway there, however, a transparent shield blocked them from entering.
The organizers had set up this protective barrier to filter out bright light and noise for the audience's comfort—and also to prevent people from entering the duel arena and interfering.
Su Yu could bypass the shield because he was one of the sponsors. As a VIP, he had paid the organizers to keep the barrier open for him, ensuring his easy access to the duel arena. This arrangement allowed Su Yu to catch the referee off guard and land a critical blow.
---
The referee, now gravely injured, was promptly carried off by the healers.
Ignoring him, Su Yu addressed the entire audience:
"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Nemesis. I am one of the organizers of this duel. The referee just displayed blatant bias and covered up Megan's cheating. His judgments are now void! Does anyone have a problem with that?"
Su Yu's voice, amplified through magic, silenced the crowd.
Not a soul dared to object. The referee's bias had been painfully obvious to anyone paying attention, and no one wanted to defend him.
But from the VIP section, a woman's voice broke the silence: "I object! Who are you to attack the referee? Who's supposed to judge the outcome now?"
It was Kimberly, glaring at Su Yu with fury.
They had almost finalized the duel's result, only for Su Yu to disrupt everything at the last moment!
Not to mention, Su Yu was Tina's knight attendant. Tina had chosen a man as her knight—how shameless!
Just then, a cold female voice spoke softly in Kimberly's ear: "What exactly are you thinking?"
It was Legion Commander Gracie.
With her level of strength, Gracie could sense the emotions of those around her.
Her own knight attendant was male and her husband, so she found Kimberly's thoughts quite offensive.
---
Kimberly stiffened, unwilling to argue with her aunt. She dared not cross Gracie.
Gracie's gaze grew colder as she looked at her niece.
Then, raising her voice, she declared, "I'll be the referee for this duel!"
She hadn't intended to get involved, but since Su Yu had injured the referee, Gracie needed to intervene to keep order.
Hovering above the arena, Gracie addressed everyone:
"I am Gracie, Commander of the Unicorn Knights. I will judge this duel."
Her voice held an undeniable authority, causing the entire audience to fall silent, sensing her immense power.
After sweeping the crowd with her gaze, Gracie continued, "We can't definitively prove Megan's cheating until we hear the referee's testimony. However, Tina's use of monster blood, not a potion, is not considered cheating."
"I hereby declare that the duel will proceed until one side is victorious."
Gracie, fully aware of Megan's cheating, wasn't about to expose it publicly for the sake of her family and the Knights' reputation.
Noble cheating in duels was common; if Tina weren't unique, she would have let the referee's original judgment stand.
After all, her family's honor was her priority. Even if she had issues with her brother, she wouldn't allow him to lose five million psionic coins needlessly.
Turning to Su Yu, Gracie said, "As for you, Nemesis. The referee's judgment was biased, yes, but resorting to violence wasn't appropriate, right? Therefore, I'm fining you 5,000 psionic coins as compensation to the referee. Do you accept this punishment?"
"Fine, I accept," Su Yu sighed, rubbing his nose.
Since the Legion Commander had made her decision, there was little point in arguing further.
Five thousand psionic coins were nothing to him. Better to concede and let the matter rest, as long as Tina's victory remained unaffected.
With Gracie's verdict and Su Yu's acceptance, the audience sensed the conflict had resolved, and their attention returned to the duel.
---
The battle between Tina and Megan was now nearing its climax.
After absorbing the monster blood, Tina's strength surpassed Megan's, whose power had already begun to wane as her potion's effects wore off.
As time passed, Tina's advantage grew more pronounced.
Observing her weakening opponent, Tina stayed calm and maintained a steady approach.
Finally, her patience paid off. Spotting the perfect opening, she cried out, **"Blazing Pierce!"**
Her lance, radiating with golden energy, struck Megan's lance aside and struck her directly in the abdomen.
Megan was launched eight or nine meters away, landing apart from her unicorn.
With that, the duel reached its conclusion—Tina emerged victorious!
*End of Chapter*