"Mentor Lucian…" Carrie clenched her hands so tightly that her nails were digging into her palms.
"He's here for me anyway," Lucian reassured her with a gentle smile, then turned to face Apollo, flashing him a taunting grin.
In truth, Lucian had been a bit concerned that Apollo would back out at the last moment.
Apollo's expression was cold and unreadable. If he got the chance, he fully intended to unleash his most prized weapon to end Lucian's life.
Ignoring Apollo's gaze, Lucian turned his attention to his system panel. Three upgrade options appeared beside Torchfire: Increase Attack Power, Reduce Mental Energy Consumption, and Extend Casting Range.
Lucian glanced briefly at Apollo and chose the Increase Attack Power option without hesitation.
Boom—
A flood of knowledge surged into Lucian's mind, momentarily making him sway on his feet.
"Mentor!" Carrie gasped, while Apollo's eyes glinted with satisfaction.
To him, Lucian's reaction was a clear sign that his injuries hadn't fully healed and were simply being suppressed. Apollo wondered if Lucian's earlier bravado had merely been an attempt to trick him into retreating, to make him surrender his valuable relic.
The possibility made Apollo scoff internally, though he felt a pang of relief—he had almost fallen for Lucian's act.
…
News of the impending duel between Lucian and Apollo spread quickly. Numerous second-level apprentices, and even several third-level apprentices, were drawn to the fight.
After all, one of the duelists was the academy's infamous "injured," someone many had been eyeing hungrily. The only reason no one had made a move so far was the fine balance between greed and caution.
This duel presented a chance to observe Lucian's true strength. If he showed any signs of weakness, even surrendering to save his life wouldn't protect him from the pack of ravenous wolves waiting to tear him apart.
Similarly, if Apollo were severely injured during the fight, he could well become the next "injured" preyed upon by his fellow apprentices.
The duel was scheduled for the morning.
As sunlight poured over Greybone Academy, its usual gloomy atmosphere lifted slightly, bringing an unexpected warmth to its grounds.
Lucian's demeanour was strikingly calm, as though he were preparing for a routine lesson rather than a fight to the death.
Carrie sat beside him, restless and uneasy. She wanted desperately to help but knew there was nothing she could do.
"All right, it's time for me to go up." Lucian gently squeezed Carrie's hand.
Carrie looked up, trying to mask her anxiety so as not to distract her mentor before the fight.
"Keep an eye on this," Lucian said with a smile, ruffling her hair. "The Scorching Fire spell model—your version still has a lot of room for improvement!"
Carrie blinked in surprise, and by the time she realized what he meant, Lucian had already left the small resting room. She quickly followed him out, belatedly keeping her gaze fixed on his back.
Outside the duel arena, a crowd of apprentices had gathered, their eyes fixed on the two combatants. Many onlookers wore expressions of barely concealed anticipation.
Among them was Yellen, cloaked and hooded, standing beside his similarly disguised friend, Norian. Yellen craned his neck, his pale face displaying a touch of twisted excitement.
"Die! Die!" he muttered to himself. Besides Apollo, there was likely no one in the crowd who wanted Lucian dead more than Yellen. He longed to see Lucian's skull split open by Apollo's enchanted spear.
"Mentor Lucian…" Across the way, Carrie's eyes were filled with hope.
She desperately wanted her mentor to survive, to live on and reshape the wizarding world as he dreamed.
"You brought this on yourself." Apollo's eyes gleamed with frenzy. During an expedition, he had discovered a peculiar broken spear, though he knew it was part of a much longer weapon. Despite being incomplete, the weapon possessed immense power.
However, every use inflicted irreparable damage on the relic, so Apollo only used it as a last resort. Today, however, he had resolved to wield it and finish Lucian once and for all.
Lucian observed Apollo coolly, ignoring his taunts. He had already formulated a plan, one that would leave a lasting impression on the others watching.
The two of them stood twenty-five meters apart, a safe enough distance to give them time to react to any initial attacks. But for Lucian, this range felt almost too close.
"Begin!" shouted the referee, a third-level apprentice from the academy's patrol team.
Lucian's right hand drifted to a pendant at his waist, a simple enchanted charm crafted from bat pituitary glands. At his touch, it emitted a faint, ultrasonic hum, imperceptible to the human ear.
Across the field, Apollo hefted his broken spear, ready to hurl it. Even the preliminary build-up of energy activated the intricate runes on the weapon, causing lightning to arc around its tip.
Energy gathered at the spear's point, exuding a deadly aura that could kill a third-level apprentice in an instant. Apollo knew that if the spear were whole, it might even pose a threat to formal wizards.
"Die!" Apollo growled, bloodlust flickering in his eyes.
But just as he prepared to throw the spear, he felt an intense surge of heat enveloping him. Within seconds, he was engulfed in an unusual blue-purple flame, turning him into a living torch.
"Ahhh!" Apollo screamed as he burned. The moment he was set ablaze, a one-time protective artifact activated, shielding his body in a desperate attempt to stave off the flames. But the strange fire persisted, its scorching heat permeating even through the shield.
Apollo was baffled. How had Lucian attacked him so quickly? Why hadn't his enchanted cloak provided any protection?
What kind of spell was this?!
Realizing he was at death's door, Apollo turned toward the referee, hoping to plead for mercy. But his protective shield was already failing under the relentless blaze.
Pop! In less than two seconds, the mental energy supporting his shield shattered, leaving Apollo defenceless. The blue-purple flames consumed him, and he staggered forward, taking a few last, feeble steps.
In a final, agonized moment, he crumpled to the ground, unable to withstand the flames any longer.
Lucian watched Apollo's slow demise with a cold expression. Though a flicker of doubt crossed his mind as Apollo's eyes silently pleaded, he quickly steeled himself.
Survival of the fittest.
This is the law of wizards.
If he had been the weaker one today, would Apollo have spared him?
Taking a steady breath, Lucian continued to watch as Apollo's body shrivelled and blackened, smoke curling into the air.