A Mage?

At first, everyone was confused by what was going on.

Why is a duel starting with only one supervisor?

Wasn't this guy a Mage just a bit over a month ago? Why is he fighting an Elite?

But as the duel progressed, everyone forgot about these insignificant things.

It all seemed irrelevant.

The battle was epic!

The area around the Barrier was so silent that you could hear even a pin drop!

The duel had been going for about 7 minutes so far, but the number of attacks unleashed and the intensity of the battle made it seem like hours.

One guy lost his arm and the other cut off his own foot!

It was a spectacle!

Halsten and his Faction couldn't believe their eyes, they were among the few who witnessed the duel from the beginning.

None of them expected Leus to fight this well, it was such a shock that some of them began to think that Leus might actually be an Elite Mage in disguise.

How can a Mage use so many elements?

How can a Mage stand against an Elite for so long?!

How can a Mage injure an Elite this badly?

It was crazy!

Perhaps he's actually an Elite?

Sadly, all good things must come to an end.

Those with keen eyes noticed that Leus had lost hope.

No one could blame him, he probably consumed an amount of Mana equaling that of 5 Elite Mages in just the last three minutes.

From where they were standing, they could see Leus looking at the referee and shouting something.

For some strange reason, the voice magnifiers weren't working today, but it didn't really make any difference to them.

Everyone knew what Leus wanted to say.

'He must be conceding'

That is what was on everyone's mind.

However, the referee didn't announce the end of the duel.

That confused everyone

Maybe Leus didn't concede?

But if he didn't concede then what was he saying to the referee just now?

No, actually, that didn't matter right now.

If Leus didn't concede then what the hell is he thinking?

Did he really have more Mana?

Did he have a secret plan?

Or maybe he's just an idiot who doesn't know when to walk away?

Maybe he's one of those lunatics who don't give up unless they're an inch away from death?

No one was really sure of anything anymore ...

By now, the number of people surrounding the Barrier has increased, so they began discussing among themselves.

One guy pointed at the knight and said

"The knight has regenerated his foot!"

Quickly, a reply came from the side

"Yeah, if Leus doesn't concede now then he's only hurting himself"

"I don't know man ... look at the knight, half his body is in shambles"

An Elite Mage spoke with disdain

"But you know how far knights can endure, as long as it's working then he won't stop, they're like undead!"

Another Elite Mage said with a sigh

"To be honest, Leus has already lost, he should concede, pride will lead him to nowhere"

One of the young Mages said

"Maybe it's an Inferno thing"

"Don't say such things otherwise the High-Born Faction will take it personally"

Everyone laughed

A bit away from the enjoying group, Halsten and his faction were in a world of their own.

Halsten was still unable to process everything that was happening, and he was unsure of what he should do right now.

'From the way Leus fights ... doesn't that make him as strong as me?'

'Heck, he could be stronger!'

'Is he really a Mage?'

'But if he isn't a Mage, then why is he not using his Skill?'

'Maybe he wants to hide it?'

'But is hiding his Skill worth losing the Duel? He seemed adamant about winning?'

' ... I really am clueless'

Kasimir was standing beside him and re-considering many things

'At first, I thought Leus was an equal'

'He clearly isn't'

'Doing business with him will be difficult ...'

'If I'm doing business with an opponent that can crush me anytime, that's not really a healthy relationship, is it?'

'I need to change my plans'

'Perhaps ...'

A smirk appeared on his face

'Oh well, let's just remain on his good side.'

'For now, let's see how things go'

Hudson was looking at the battle with astonishment

'This ... this is insane'

'I never stood a chance against him'

'If he wanted, he could've obliterated me from the first second'

'How scary'

Rory, Rad, and Azul were just speechless, they weren't thinking about anything either because their minds were just blank.

Only Azul was silently praying for Leus to not get hurt.

One of the Elite Mages suddenly said

"Oh boy, that's going to hurt"

That stopped everyone from thinking and brought them back to the battle.

The knight took an (Inside left) stance, his right leg pointing forward at Leus and his left leg pointing to the side.

Then he pulled the hilt of the sword further behind his exposed hip bone and aimed the sword exactly at Leus' stomach.

'It has to look like an unfortunate accident'

it'd have been much more effective if he could aim at Leus' chest or head and instantly kill him.

'But if I do that, I'll die as well'

It is prohibited to directly attack the heart and the brain area.

So, the plan was simple

'Give him a fatal wound and leave the rest on the referee'

And the knight was about to do his part.

He was about to dash forward with his burning sword in front of him.

But before he could, Leus looked at him and shouted.

"I concede!"

The knight's expression didn't change.

'Nothing personal mate'

'But you will die'

Boom

He activated the Abstract of ignition and dashed forward.

In less than 2 seconds, he was already right in front of Leus.

The knight didn't hesitate and pushed his sword forward.

CLANK

Leus tried to block the attack with his sword, but he only had one arm and was lacking mana.

He didn't have the force, position, or the strength to block the attack.

PIERCE

Like a hot knife through butter, the burning sword penetrated Leus' stomach and came out of his back.

With ease, the sword tore through his skin, flesh, organs, and bones.

Not only did it gash him, but It also incinerated his inside, wreaking havoc through Leus' body.

Silence

Utter silence

The knight pulled his sword out of Leus' body.

Leus fell to his knees, then fell on the floor.

His body was spasming in a pool of his own blood.

A second after Leus fell, the knight dropped his sword and lay down on the floor.

He also lacked mana and was heavily injured.

His job was done, now it was all up to the Light Mage.

'I'll find a chance to leave in the chaos that'll ensue after he dies.'

Three seconds after Leus fell, his Abstract of Concealment was automatically deactivated, revealing his real aura to everyone.

"He ... he is just a Mage!"

"Impossible! How come?"

Halsten activated the Abstract of Solidfying and knocked on the Barrier with all of his strength, creating a very loud banging sound.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING! HE'S DYING"

The Light Mage quickly ran to Leus' body and flipped it, he began healing him, or so it seemed.