Published at 5th of December 2025 11:08 pm

Chapter 249

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Although the starting sign was heard, neither of the two contestants moved immediately.

When Lukas raised the royal wand and assumed the flag-bearer's stance, the French guys from the lower level were heard whispering and laughing.

[Whoa. The eagle on the tip of the wand is a Hohenzollern eagle.]

[Yes... New Humans and Old Humans, you are now witnessing the greatest irony of our time.]

[The Hohenzollerns have really lost their minds. Appointing a Pleroma....]

They were trying to speak softly, but due to the tension, my senses were heightened and I could hear them better than usual.

The sound of people's whistling grated on my nerves. The applause and laughter-filled cheers that had grown louder as soon as Lukas appeared did not subside. Even though they knew Lukas had done nothing wrong, they perceived him as a Pleroma purely for entertainment purposes.

I could even feel a subtle arrogance and anticipation in the slimy laughter and whistling of these 150,000 people. If even the slightest flaw were to be seen in that Pleromathe key point being his lack of aggressionthey would be ready to trample on his honor and pride. They would believe it to be a form of justice. If I were to describe their psychology articulately, it was so crude and ridiculous that they themselves probably didn't know how they were feeling. But the person standing in the arena must have been feeling the unreasonable malice pouring down on him with his whole body.

"Who's the opponent?"

At Elias's question, Yulia pointed to the giant screen on one side of the stadium.

An introduction to Lukas and the French player was displayed. Elias frowned as he read the text.

'Runner-up in the university division of the Academy Puissance...? University?'

Not just a runner-up in some ordinary school, but the runner-up in the university division of the academy directly chosen by the French imperial family. He had competed in so many eventsmostly athletic competitions, not magic duelsthat the list of his awards was endless.

Just because he was older didn't necessarily mean he was better, but the symbolism was a problem. I couldn't understand why they thought of pitting a university student, and a runner-up at that, against a high school student. In the end, people were now assuming that Lukas would lose. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so relaxed right now.

'Even so, they could have at least matched the ages of the participating mages.'

The empire must have had to put Lukas in this position. Throwing a person famous for negative reasons into a colosseum is bound to make things more interesting.

Then they could have had him face that high schooler, Gramont or whatever his name was, from France.

But why didn't they?

'...They don't care whether Lukas wins or loses. Right....'

The government must not be paying any attention to the tournament, busy as they are trying to find a solution to the terror. That's why this lineup came out.

They just needed to grab their attention. Lukas was standing here for that purpose.

Elias clicked his tongue, thinking he wanted to slap the mouths of the people whistling and shouting from the upper and lower floors.

The impression didn't last long. The opponent player, who came out a little later than Lukas, assumed the flag-bearer's stance. And he strongly expressed his will not to give an inch.

Bang!

At the sudden attack, Lukas swiftly thrust his wand. It was a nimble movement, fast but with a sense of ease in terms of power.

A faint reddish barrier formed at the tip of his wand. He held the wand lightly with the fingers of his right hand and, with his other hand open, supported the tip of the wand, gradually pulling the barrier towards his chest. His thin hair seemed to sway backward from the impact of the opponent's attack.

Lukas smiled and tilted his head slightly. And, in a single motion, he moved his left foot, which had been back, two steps forward and thrust the pulled wand forward.

Booooom!!

Lukas's barrier repelled the opponent's attack that was rushing towards him and pushed it back towards the opponent mage. At the same time, Lukas's eyebrows went up. His eyes were not on the opponent, but on the floor. It was not a reaction he should have shown even if he had blocked the attack properly.

[Oh!]

[What?!]

People shouted almost simultaneously.

They had no choice. Green magic, the same color as the opponent's eyes, seeped into the stadium floor like blood vessels and spread rapidly. To be precise, towards where Lukas was standing. It felt like a horizontal lightning strike.

That French player might not have come to the Pentalon as an athlete, but he had a considerable record of winning in track and field before. The reason for that was revealed here. The magic management between his body and the ground was as natural as breathing.

Lukas dodged the dozens of magic tendrils coming at him along the floor, jumping and rolling on the ground. The player's magic pursued him fiercely. At the same time, magic sparked like electricity above the floor.

'At least he can't seem to cast a wide-area spell.'

He could have cast a spell on the entire stage floor, but he wasn't, and was instead chasing the path Lukas was running on. Either his magic power wasn't as great as Lukas's, or he wasn't used to wide-area casting, or he thought a concentrated attack was better against Lukas....

[He's just running around like crazy.]

[He can't fly, can he.]

[For now, running away is the answer, I guess.]

[Go, France!]

For the first time, I agreed with the French guys on the lower floor. Except for the last part.

Lukas was really just dodging like crazy. He stepped on places where the magic wasn't reaching with his hands and feet, landed in another clean spot, and then moved to another place again.

[But why is he so good at dodging? Like a rat....]

[I don't know. Go, our country!]

[Attack so he can't run away! Quickly!]

The French people shouted at the top of their lungs.

Seeing them shout without a care, Elias finally realized that he was near the French spectator seats.

As Lukas was not caught quickly, the tension in this area began to rise. They were clearly nervous that their player might be pushed back. At least in some German sections, cheers were heard for their own countryman, regardless of whether he was a Pleroma or not.

'Come to think of it, Leo made this possible....'

If there was one unfortunate thing for that French player, it was, first, that Lukas was already a master at dodging vines.

I had never seen Lukas's movements properly, but from the perspective of knowing in which direction and how I myself had developed to avoid Leo's attacks, it was obvious in what aspects Lukas, who had been training with Leo all this time, would have developed.

Anyway, Leo always caught his target, no matter what he did....

Second, unlike vines that could spread out in all directions, the player's attack was only on a flat surface.

In other words....

Lukas, who had been placing his hands on the floor, stepped on the air. A red barrier immediaely formed under his feet. He took a running start and, after creating and stepping on a few more barriers, rushed at the player. The barriers he stepped on shattered and scattered in the air.

[That's...?!]

[What, why is he flying?!]

'You think he's flying?'

But it was so fast that it could be mistaken for flying, and Elias himself couldn't believe what he was seeing and laughed. Leo had changed a person who couldn't do anything just half a year ago this much.

"...!"

The player's eyes widened. Lukas aimed his wand at the player and spread a barrier. And, literally flying, he crashed down on him.

An explosion and a flash of light occurred simultaneously. The player's green magic, reflected by Lukas's barrier, engulfed the player, a scream was heard, and then....

Bang!

Lukas, who had knocked the player to the floor and was holding his neck, let out a light breath.

"Aaaargh! Gack...!"

No matter how much the player struggled, Lukas's attack remained the same. Green magic sparked wildly from the player's hand that was holding Lukas's wrist. The microphones they were wearing picked up the sound with cruel clarity. It sounded like something was burning to death next to them, and the faces of the audience contorted. At the same time, as one side gained the upper hand, cheers were heard. From the French seats, it was mostly screams of frustration.

[Waaaaaah!]

[Aaargh!]

[Get out!]

[Ah, get up and attack!]

But Lukas just looked down at him without batting an eye. The pink magic swirling in his hand tightened around the player's neck. Lumps of magic filming the player and Lukas flew around from all sides. The cheers of the crowd grew louder.

"10."

Good.

The countdown of an unknown referee was heard through the broadcast.

If he didn't get up in 10 seconds, the victory would be Lukas's.

Elias glanced at the screen to see if the book code had appeared and swallowed hard.

"9!"

"8!"

"7!"

The audience began to chant along with the referee's countdown.

The French player's neck and face turned red as if they would burst. Cheers and groans that deafened the ears came from the surrounding seats.

Then, a loud voice, squeezing out all his strength, erupted.

[...Your God has commanded your strength! O God, make firm what you have done for us!]

Booooom!

At the sudden burst of light, the people in the audience seats narrowed their eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the player had gotten up, panting, and was in a defensive stance. At the same time, Lukas, who had been in the middle of this huge stage, had retreated to the edge of this huge stage, his arms crossed in front of him.

He must have thought that if he took the opponent's desperate attack head-on, he himself would be finished. Since that would actually be the case, it was a good choice. He glanced down at the stage, which was deeper than a person's height, and then looked forward again.

Once he was able to use magic with his whole body again, the opponent regained his momentum as if nothing had happened. He was not affiliated with that imperial family for nothing. Magic power flowed out from his body. He stomped his foot and shouted like thunder, like someone who uses magic with their voice.

[O my God, make them like a rolling tumbleweed, like chaff that the wind blows away!]

Wham

A sound like cloth being blocked by air was heard, and then green magic, like undergrowth, appeared in a long line above and below the air at the height of the third floor of the building Elias was in. The magic appeared in various places in the stadium. It wasn't something the player had shot into the sky or let out, but it had literally 'appeared' suddenly.

[Wow.]

[Huh....]

Gasps of admiration came from the people. Elias himself would have been impressed if he wasn't an enemy. To be able to naturally mix magic into the air at this height and give it form at the right time, his skill was amazing.

As the player chanted a spell and stomped his foot, his magic appeared in the air on the opposite side of the stage.

[Like fire that burns the forest, and like the flame that sets the mountains on fire, so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm!]

[Waaaaaah!]

[Go!]

Cheers and applause were heard from all over. It must be because most of the people sitting here are from the Christian cultural sphere.

Why would that be? As I felt at first, this was complete hostility. For these 150,000 spectators, the 'them' in the spell the player chanted, 'pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm,' referred to Lukas, and beyond him, Pleroma.

Lukas raised an eyebrow at those words and smiled. He wasn't even flustered anymore.

Now, the magic that the player had densely packed from bottom to top began to rush at Lukas all at once.

The wand in Lukas's fingers transformed into a staff and lengthened. The unlucky black eagle-headed wand stands out. It felt strange to see Lukas holding a Hohenzollern wand.

Lukas took a deep breath and slowly opened his mouth.

[Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.]

Lukas looked up at the green magic crashing down on him and, with both hands, swung the staff diagonally and slammed it down.

Thud Boooooom....

[He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.]

Elias narrowed his eyes. The moment the air trembled like ripples on the surface of the water, his ears went deaf. It felt like his hearing had stopped for a moment, and he couldn't hear anything. The green magic crashing down on Lukas shimmered and stopped in its place. Then, it scattered into pieces.

The opponent was not flustered even though all the magic he was controlling had disappeared. He immediately thrust his wand and shouted.

[O LORD! Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name!]

Crack Bang! Boom!

Crunch

As if a crack had formed in the stage floor, magic erupted from within the floor as before. No matter how I looked at it, that guy had an excellent ability to melt magic between materials and give his opponent no opening.

'Come to think of it, 'them' again?'

Give it a rest. It seemed he was intentionally choosing attack formulas with 'them' in the spell. In any case, the audience was overwhelmed by the spectacular light and the scale of the magic they had never seen before and were just enjoying themselves, whatever it was. They all couldn't help but look like idiots.

The player's magic, which cut through the ground and air as sharply as a blade, chased Lukas wherever he ran and smoothly slipped past any counterattack he launched. It seemed that five or six magic formulas were superimposed, and to operate this level of magic formulas, one's strength must be extraordinary.

"Amazing."

Yulia muttered next to him.

Heike's eyes were shining as if she didn't want to miss a single moment of the match, and she was diligently following their movements. Ulrike was muttering cures and kept rubbing her hands together, probably because she wanted Lukas to win.

Elias followed his actions and fixed his gaze on the French player. His solemn face appeared on the screen that was showing a close-up of his face. Lukas simply swung his wand to blow away the attacks coming at him, wiped his sweat, and continued to run. The player, who had his wand fixed on Lukas, suddenly raised his wand to the sky.

[Let them be ashamed and terrified forever; let them be put to shame and perish, that they may know that you, whose name is the LORD, you alone are the Most High over all the earth!]

"How long...."

Lukas must have known he was being dissed. He muttered so and tilted his head, smiling.

And, he stopped in his place and whipped around. The magic chasing Lukas had become stronger with the previous spell, and a surprised voice was heard from the audience.

[Gasp...!]

Booooom!!

Lukas's staff slammed into the stadium floor. The player's magic that was rushing at him was swallowed up by the red magic. The crackling sound of electricity filled the stadium noisily. Lukas put magic into his staff and said in a low voice.

[You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers eye. How can you say to your brother, Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?]

"This is...."

Elias and Yulia's eyes met.

This was not a magic spell used in a duel. As expected, a playful light soon appeared on Lukas's face.

"Hahahaha!"

Elias understood the meaning and burst out laughing, throwing his head back.

It was nothing special. Lukas had just blocked with sheer force without any special formula and dissed the opponent player.

Yulia, who was standing next to him, also seemed to be holding back a slight smile.

In the meantime, the sound of the two of them's attacks continued to be heard.

[Wow... their magic power is no joke.]

The voices of the audience gradually subsided. It was understandable. They were now curious about the outcome of this match.

The result was even more confusing because Lukas, who had seemed to be losing at first, had briefly gained the upper hand.

[For many days we did not see sun or stars, and the storm continued raging. Finally, all hope of our being saved was gone!]

As the player's spell began again, this time Lukas didn't wait any longer and shook his head, opening his mouth.

[Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. The LORD of hosts will punish them with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a devouring fire....]

The sound from the audience grew for a moment at Lukas's spell. They seemed to have realized that Lukas was dissing them, and there was a slightly surprised laughter mixed in.

Elias's eyes widened for a different reason now.

'He cast two spells in a row, for one thing....'

[...!]

[This is...!]

The people sitting in the surrounding seats raised their heads with wide eyes and held their breath.

The magic lamp light, which had been white until now, had now turned red, and although the front could be distinguished, the air was red.

It felt like being in a sea of fire. If the end of the world had to come in this era, it would be realized in this way.

[What is this!]

[Did the player do it?!]

"."

It was Lukas's magic. This place had turned red with his magic. I already knew that Lukas's magic power was no joke. But this was clearly far beyond imagination.

[The multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her stronghold, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision!]

Boom Boooom!!

"...!"

In the air that had turned red in an instant, a fire erupted on the stage. Long gasps of surprise were heard from all over the seats. The problem was what came next.

[What?!]

[Wait, what happened?!]

"."

The huge flames that had filled the stage floor instantly swallowed up the player, who had a bewildered look on his face. With a cracking sound, the player disappeared.

No, to be precise, the player was trapped in the fire. His clothes could be seen faintly through the red magic. Lukas aimed his staff at the spot where the opponent should have been.

At the same time, with a tearing sound, the player's magic in the air was cleanly cleared.

"."

Yulia wiped the corner of her mouth with her hand and looked at Lukas. The corners of her mouth were slightly raised.

When all the red magic in the air had subsided, Lukas headed for the huge flames he had created. An unusual sound of something exploding came from within the fire, as if the player was still struggling to get up.

"10."

The referee's countdown began again.

Lukas knelt down in front of the fire. The flames that had been soaring upwards now enveloped and crushed the player's body. Now the player's figure was clearly visible to the audience.

"9."

"Aaaaaaaaaargh!"

[But to you who are listening I say.]

Lukas said, pressing his forehead gently with one hand.

"8."

"Let go!"

[Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you....]

"5."

Lukas raised his head and looked around the audience once.

"4."

He smiled and brought two fingers to his lips.

"3."

Then, as the ancient priests had done, he lightly touched the player's forehead with his fingers.

[Pray for those who mistreat you.]

"...!"

Lukas gave an unreadable smile and, with a snap of his fingers, released all the magic that had bound the player. Elias let out a hollow laugh at that action.

'...Luka's personality is coming out....'

The player, his eyes bloodshot, tried to stand up abruptly.

But it was already too late.

Elias's lips moved slightly.

'1.'

Beeeeep

An ear-splitting alarm spread throughout the stadium.

[The match is over.]

[The finalist is Lukas Askanian of the German Empire.]

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