Chapter 671: Chapter 418 Overwhelming_2
At this moment, Nois and the three Great Councilmen seated at the very front of the audience suddenly looked up at the sky.
"Nois, I hope you don’t mind that I brought Ryden over to take a look," someone said.
A wizard in a white robe descended with a slender young wizard by his side.
"The ceremony to bestow the new Council Member’s badge is something that every Council Member is qualified to attend; there’s no question of minding, Titus," Nois said with a smile.
Titus walked over to Nois with the youth by his side, completely ignoring the Council Members seated behind him in the audience stand as if he hadn’t seen them.
However, even so, many of the Council Members in the audience stand took the initiative to come over and greet him.
Clearly, Titus was also a Great Councilman with considerable authority and high status.
"Titus is the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Merredith City, and the young Ryden by his side is the renowned genius from the Nois Family, as well as an ordinary member of the Supreme Council. He is now twenty-one years old and has already become a Third Rank Advanced Wizard," Nois whispered to Colin while Titus was occupied with greeting the other Council Members.
Twenty-one years old... and already a Third Rank Advanced Wizard?
Colin was slightly startled and couldn’t help but take a few more glances at Ryden.
He once again realized that the level he was now at was worlds apart from his past, where geniuses like Ryden might have only been heard of in rumors but now stood before him.
Noticing Colin’s gaze, Ryden also looked over, his thin face bearing a stern expression, but there was a hint of indefinable curiosity in his eyes.
He too was very curious about this mixed-blood wizard who, despite his origins, could become a Supreme Council Member with the strength of a Second Rank Advanced.
If that had not been the case, he would not have followed Titus here.
By this time, Titus had finished dealing with the greeting Council Members and, looking at Colin and then at Carl in the distance, walked to Nois’s side with great interest and said:
"I brought Ryden back from the front lines to rest in Merredith City and heard about the new Council Member’s badge ceremony, so I hurried over. I thought we wouldn’t make it, but... this ceremony seems to be more interesting than I had imagined."
"Just a minor hiccup," Nois said with a light smile.
Titus neither agreed nor disagreed, instead turning his head to look at Colin and asked with some surprise, "Wasn’t it said that you were only Second Rank Advanced? How come you’re already Third Rank now?"
Hearing this, Ryden also gave Colin a few more glances.
"I advanced just yesterday," Colin replied evenly.
"I see, so at the time of the Supreme Council Members’ review, you indeed were still just Second Rank Advanced, right?"
"Yes."
"Ah, I arrived too late then," Titus suddenly sighed and then asked, "Will you tell me what contributions you made that allowed the Supreme Council Members to make an exception for a Second Rank Wizard to become a Council Member?"
Colin was slightly taken aback, and Nois took over the conversation:
"It’s a long story. Colin is the Heroic Wizard who pierced through the Elf conspiracy years ago..."
"So that’s how it is."
After a moment, Titus nodded, his face showing a certain admiring surprise.
"What a fortunate young fellow. I’m looking forward to your duel later," Titus said to Colin, smiling, then led Ryden towards the audience stand.
From beginning to end, the slender young genius wizard did not utter a single word.
...
"Councilman Nois, the field is ready," said a wizard who flew over after five more minutes, having prepared the field, and respectfully informed him.
"Is it ready?" Nois looked at Colin.
"Hmm," Colin nodded.
"Then let’s begin."
Nois flew into midair, hovering in front of the Dueling Platform, and calmly announced,
"The duel will start shortly, please have both Council Members step onto the Dueling Platform."
The Council Members in the audience sat up straight and looked over.
Colin exhaled a breath of turbid air and stepped onto the elevated platform.
As he crossed the last step, his vision suddenly blurred, and the next moment, the scenery around him shifted from the Duel Field to a gray and hazy space.
Colin was not surprised; he gazed across the span of the space at Carl at the other end.
The Dueling Platform was not a mere high stand; it was a small Subspace, reinforced by the Supreme Council Members with firm prohibitions, and attacks of Fourth Rank and below couldn’t shake it in the slightest.
Moreover, there were various powerful and practical prohibitions in place, ranging from the live broadcast of the scenes within the subspace to the audience seats, to measures ensuring the safety of both duelists’ lives—all were prepared.
This was also the reason why those organization Wizards had taken such a long time to inspect and set up the Dueling Platform.
"Are the two of you ready?"
Nois’s voice came from the outside world.
Colin and Carl both nodded in unison.
"Very well, after I count down from three, the duel will officially begin."
"Three."
Carl focused intently on Colin, his mind still entangled with the sequence of attacks he would execute.
’First, I’ll bolster myself with Defensive Witchcraft, then Binding Magic, followed by Attack Witchcraft to probe Colin’s strength?
No, no, that’s too slow, it wouldn’t have an overwhelming effect... After casting the Defensive Witchcraft, I should directly unleash my strongest attack. He’s just Advanced to Third Rank, and the Defensive Witchcraft he masters is only Second Rank; even if he succeeds in casting, at best it would barely reach the level of a Third Rank beginner, unable to withstand my attack.’
’In that case, should I forgo Defensive Witchcraft and directly unleash my strongest attack?’
"Two."
His thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind, but Carl eventually abandoned such a notion.
Defensive Witchcraft was still necessary, after all, Colin was now a Third Rank Wizard; it would be terrible to be capsized in a gutter unexpectedly.
Nois’s voice, calm, announced the final number:
"One!"
Whoosh!
As planned, Carl was the first to reinforce himself with Defensive Witchcraft.
A semi-transparent white crystal rapidly spread from his chest to his limbs and body, looking as if it was about to form a solid defense armor.
"What?!" Carl’s eyes widened in shock.
Boom!
Boundless, white-hot flames sprouted from the murky subspace ground, as if thorny, blazing white flames suddenly erupted from the desolate land!
Just from the appearance, it was obvious that this was no simple Witchcraft!
In front of him, Colin had forsaken bolstering himself with Defensive Witchcraft first and instead transformed into a fiery silhouette at the very first moment, bringing with him countless fiery thorns, sweeping towards Carl like a tidal wave!
Boom!
Colin raised his right arm, with endless flames enveloping him, obscuring the view. The Council Members watching from outside couldn’t see his preparation to swing a punch; they could only see a conical sea of raging fire slamming into Carl!
’Thank goodness I didn’t overestimate myself and added Defensive Witchcraft first!’
The rolling flames also obscured Carl’s vision; his expression was serious as he prepared to face the onslaught of flames, even specifically reinforcing himself with Defensive Witchcraft to enhance his resistance to fire in the nick of time!
’Skilled in Flame Witchcraft, huh... After resolving this wave of offense, I’ll retaliate with Annihilation Fog.’
Bang!
"How is this possible?!"
The next second, Carl’s face revealed a horrified expression; he suddenly felt an intense pain in his chest, followed by the shattering of his semi-transparent Crystal Armor like glass. A strange force pierced through all his defenses and surged towards his chest like tumultuous waves, making him feel like a precarious boat in a storm, seemingly about to be destroyed in the next moment.
Fortunately, this force ultimately weakened considerably after breaking the Crystal Armor.
Boom!
But before Carl could feel relieved, another wave-like strange force attacked once again!
In such short time, there was no chance to recast Defensive Witchcraft!
His face turned ashen!
The next second, under the effect of the prohibitions, Carl was teleported out of the Duel Field.
The boundless flames gradually dissipated, with Colin standing calmly in the same spot.
No one knew what changes he had undergone when he Advanced to Third Rank.
The power of a Knight and a Wizard combined was far from being as simple as one plus one.
Even when he was at Second Rank Advanced, he was able to fight against Xize, a Third Rank, using the combined force of Witchcraft and Knight Power.
Now having just entered Third Rank, his strongest attack, forged from the combination of Knight Power and Witchcraft, had undergone a qualitative change and could easily break through a Third Rank Intermediate Defensive Witchcraft! It left Carl with no chance to resist, completely caught off guard!