Published at 9th of March 2026 7:06 am

Chapter 1568 Adam's Conviction

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Adam dropped to the ground, motionless.

Valerian's eyes widened in shock. "Brother!"

Out of everyone present, he was the only one who had placed faith in Adam. His brother had knowingly challenged a stronger opponent to a duel, so Valerian naturally believed that he had an ace up his sleeve.

But not even a fraction of a second had passed, and Adam had already been defeated.

Endi silently shook his head.

A flicker of disappointment flashed in his topaz eyes. He had heard Adam speak with such conviction before the duel, yet the youth couldn't even last a second. He waited for a few seconds, then raised his hand to declare Zagho the victor, but suddenly...

"Ugh." Adam's body twitched.

Endi's vertical pupils constricted.

Zagho was surprised to see Adam slowly push himself upright.

Although his punch did not carry a great deal of power, it was still enough to incapacitate a human at the Mana Core Rank. It was more than enough.

Adam vomited a mouthful of saliva and blood as he rose to his feet. He clutched his stomach and gazed at the stunned Zagho with a ridiculous grin.

"That... hurt."

With that, the raven-haired youth quickly retreated a few steps and took a combat stance.

Zagho, still in a daze, couldn't help but turn to Endi, who still had his hand frozen midair.

Endi deeply looked at Adam as he slowly lowered his hand. Then, he turned to Zagho and nodded. "Continue."

Zagho turned his attention back to the duel. But suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

Adam was already upon him, his right fist driving toward Zagho's face. The dragon tilted his head slightly, and the punch missed by inches. The raven-haired youth did not stop. He twisted his body and brought his left elbow upward in a sharp strike aimed at Zagho's jaw.

Bam!

Zagho blocked the elbow strike with ease. The collision sent a ripple through the air. Although he was slightly surprised by the human's strength, he didn't hesitate. He countered immediately.

His leg swept low and transitioned into a powerful side kick.

At the last possible moment, Adam raised his free hand to guard. Yet, the impact sent him flying backward nonetheless.

With a thunderous crash that echoed in the hall, Adam slammed into the wall. Cracks spread across the stone as he slid down and collapsed to the ground once more.

He... blocked it? Zagho couldn't help but frown.

With a solemn look on his face, he strode forward to end the match.

Meanwhile, Endi, after observing the brief exchange, turned to Valerian and asked, "Your Highness, is he a Magus or a Paladin?"

"Both!" Valerian said, his gaze glued to Adam, who was slowly getting back up to

his feet.

"You can do it, Brother! You can do it!" he screamed.

Both? Endi frowned.

No wonder his body is so sturdy. But even then... it shouldn't be that resilient. How strange...

Zagho arrived before Adam and spoke with a complicated look on his face, "Yield."

Adam raised his trembling hand, seemingly in a show of surrender. But then, he balled it into a fist and drove it at the dragon's groin. "Like hell I will-" Before he could even finish his words, Zagho ruthlessly kicked him in the face.

Adam crashed into the wall again, nearly punching a hole through it. His nose shattered from the dragon's strike, and blood poured down his face. He slid down the cracked stone and hit the floor, having lost consciousness...

Once again.

Zagho turned to Endi and spoke with a light frown, "My Lord, please end the match."

"No, you can't!" Valerian hissed. "You have to give him time!"

Endi glanced at Adam, who sat motionlessly with his back against the wall. He chose to wait for a few seconds. Then, he would declare Zagho the winner. Just as the ten-second mark was up and Endi was about to conclude the duel, a sharp crack echoed through the hall.

Zagho's eyes narrowed, and he turned back toward Adam.

The raven-haired youth had just forcefully adjusted his nose back in alignment. "Gahh! It hurts!"

He turned to the dragon standing before him and burst into laughter. "Can you... can you not go for the face!"

Veins throbbed at the side of Zagho's forehead. The way Adam laughed at him clearly suggested that he didn't take him seriously.

With a burst of speed, he drove his foot straight into Adam's face once again, smashing his skull through the wall.

"You think this is amusing?" Zagho grabbed Adam by the hair and lifted him to eye level. "Do you know how many years I've spent in isolation searching for a

trace of His Highness?"

He drew his hand back, clenching it into a fist.

Then he drove it forward, delivering five blows in rapid succession to Adam's stomach. Each strike landed solidly, fracturing the youth's ribs and dealing

deep internal injuries.

When he was done, Zagho tossed the unconscious body toward the center of

the hall.

Adam lay on his side, blood pooling beneath him. His eyes were open, but the light within them had dulled.

"Brother!!" Valerian creid, leaping from Endi's shoulder.

Before he could reach Adam, Endi caught him gently but firmly, holding him

back.

"Let me go!" Valerian hissed, struggling against his grip. "I said, let me go!!"

"Your Highness, this is a formal duel. Endi shook his head and calmly said. "You

must not interfere."

"But-" Valerian tried to protest.

However, Endi respectfully interrupted him. "The duel was invoked by him. If he overestimated his own abilities, that is his responsibility. A formal duel cannot be halted unless one side claims victory, or the other concedes." Valerian's eyes reddened as he turned to Adam's limp body. "But... if this goes

on, he'll die!"

Zagho approached Adam, then stood beside his motionless body. A frown found its way to his face, and he couldn't help but wonder:

Did I overdo it?

His last few attacks contained a great deal of his strength. In fact, he had to

hold back so as to not tear through the human's torso.

One second passed.

Then another.

And another...

Zagho turned to Endi and nodded. He felt no pride whatsoever from attaining

victory over a weaker opponent. In fact, all he felt was frustration and shame.

The ten-second mark was finally about to be up.

Endi sighed and raised his hand to declare Zagho the winner, at last.

But then... he froze.

A ragged gasp broke the silence of the hall.

Dust stirred near Adam's face as clarity slowly returned to his dull, bloody eyes.

His body jerked as he struggled to breathe.

He opened and closed his mouth several times, fighting for air. Then he

suddenly coughed and spat a mouthful of blood.

Adam forced himself onto his knees, gasping for air. His body shook as he

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pushed himself upright, swaying the moment he stood.

He didn't remain standing for even a second before collapsing again.

But he got back up.

Again.

A strange feeling stirred within Zagho's heart as he watched Adam collapse to

the ground, then rise back to his feet, only to fall again.

He gritted his teeth. "Why?" he demanded. "Why go this far?"

Adam dragged himself forward and grabbed onto Zagho's leg, using it to pull

himself up to his knees.

He lifted his head slowly. Through swollen, blood-filled eyes, he looked up at

the dragon. His split lips slowly curled into a weak smile, and he whispered hoarsely:

"To never give up... that is my Way of Magic."

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