Published at 20th of December 2025 8:43 am

Chapter 963: Lucas Vs Afolayan.

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Immediately after Afolayan finished speaking, Osei began to jog forward; at first his steps were slow and steady, but as his momentum rose with each footfall landed with a heavy thud.

The ground cracked beneath his strides even at a jog; in one fluid motion he reached behind his back and unhooked his dual battle-axes, named Daybreak and Duskflayer.

With both weapons out, his speed seems to have surged; as he closed in on the War God Mage Academy line, and what surprised them most was that the rest of Ashmaw Academy team were strolling behind him instead of running to match his pace.

“Let me—” Brandon started to unsheathe his saber, ready to intercept him; since the charging mage clearly had eyes on Alec, he felt it was another Gordons’ duty to stop him.

But as he drew, Pale laid a hand over his hilt, halting the motion.

“Nah, I’ll take this one,” Pale said, dashing to meet the juggernaut-sized Osei.

[> Mid-Tier Spell – Stonehide Reinforcement. <]

Osei cast his first spell; as his skin seemed to harden like a rhinox’s armor, but he wasn’t done. Pale, who was already sprinting to meet him mid way, conjured an ice spear and drove it forward, which made Osei smirked at his attempt.

[> Mid-Tier Spell – Iron Ram. <]

As they got closer, he lowered his stance; with his shoulder coated in metal energy as he charged.

Bang!

They collided, and in a split second Osei’s right arm snapped upward, launching Pale into the air; as the ice spear hadn’t even been able to scratch him.

Seeing Pale being flung like that made Brandon bristle; Pale twisted midair and began to descend, but Osei had already closed the distance on the team.

Like that the formation spread out to keep him from crashing through them, everyone but Lucas, who held his ground and reached behind him, unsheathing his greatsword.

The moment the blade cleared out from its sheath, the air around Lucas turned oppressive instantly; his QI was so wild it was visible not just on the weapon but across his whole body.

He had coated himself entirely in Qi.

“Come,” Lucas said, swinging horizontally with the two-handed weapon just his right hand as small sparks of lightning coursed along the iron blade, the momentum alone seemed to silence the space around the blade, but Osei didn’t back down.

He raised Daybreak high and brought it down to meet the greatsword’s path like he was cleaving a mountain.

Neither mage said much; they just swung at each other.

Bang!

They clashed, and—surprisingly Osei with his larger build was the one who was sent flying a few meters before he groaned and dug his feet into the ground to cushion the force behind the attack.

“Hmm!” Taye blurted, startled as Osei’s bulk skidded toward him, it was the first time he had seen anyone push Osei that far back, the only one who didn’t look surprised was Afolayan.

“If Alec says he’s not fighting, it’s in your best interest to leave him out of this,” Lucas said, rolling his right shoulder and massaging it with his right hand, almost like he was acknowledging that even while being on the winning end, he’d felt Osei’s strength in that clash.

“I don’t understand why each and every one of you is protecting him, is he some type of tactical mage? Is that why you’re so worried about him getting knocked out? I need to know why a cadre of strong warriors like your whole team is fighting like this and defending such a weakling,” Afolayan said, eyeing War God’s spread formation.

Because even while spread out like that, they’d still arranged themselves to block any path to their captain, and he couldn’t explain why Alec’s steady gaze irritated him so much, especially when Alec did nothing but sit and watch.

The chill attitude annoyed him to no end.

“You don’t have to understand why we do the things we do, all you need to know is: Alec is the captain—the general, in what war do soldiers let their general be attacked without staking their own lives first?” Lucas replied.

“Then die.” Afolayan said.

The elk mantle on Afolayan’s left shoulder flared, as pale-blue lightning coursed through his body, in the next heartbeat he was on Lucas, with his right hand lashing forward in a claw strike.

Midair, his fingers lengthened into claws, their edges glowing with heat.

Lucas was quick enough to bring his greatsword up, as the steel rang as he blocked the attack and skidded back a few steps.

Afolayan hadn’t clearly won that first exchange, yet there was no defeat in Lucas’s eyes, only excitement, that emotion pleased Afolayan greatly; as the opponent he’d chosen wasn’t weak prey.

“Come at me with everything you’ve got. Don’t hold back,” Lucas said.

The people in the stands murmured, surprised he’d say that after being driven back.

Afolayan, who now respected him more, only nodded.

“Good. You deserve my best. Don’t hold back either.”

“You won’t need to worry about that.” Lucas said as blue runes coursed beneath his skin, he then flicked his wrist; as the greatsword he was holding vanished into his space ring.

He then reached behind him for his second weapon.

Before the crowd’s eyes, a Tier-5 spirit equipment set flowed over him, Lucas gripped his glaive in his right hand and spread his stance, like a field general inviting the first move.

On the other side, the mantle that draped over Afolayan seemed to come alive, as runes were blooming across it.

In barely two seconds it surged up and engulfed him; a wash of flame rolled over him, and when he stepped through it, his academy uniform was gone, and he was now cladded in his spirit equipment set, a Tier-6 set.

A beast gauntlet sheathed his hands, and in his right hand he gripped a long spear, for many present, it was their first time seeing how the Southern spirit equipment was being summoned, and the display left them intrigued by what it could do.

The set looked forged from Ash-Lion and Lightning-Elk aspects, as runic sigils sketching their forms across his body. It was unlike any spirit armor they had seen before.

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