Chapter 113: The Duels I
Chapter 113: The Duels I
The day of the competition finally arrived.
Lian woke up before the sun had fully risen. For a few seconds, he sat on the bed and listened to the silence of the room.
But it was not real silence, even through the thick windows of the mansion, he could hear the noise outside of here
The sound of footsteps, the sound of people who had been preparing for the event since the early morning.
He stood up and pulled the curtains aside, and for a moment, even he paused.
The entire Vorhelm family territory had changed. The flags of many different families had been placed in different areas.
Groups of guards were patrolling, servants were constantly moving between the buildings.
"I doubt that woman will leave me alone so easily." Lian muttered to himself as he thought about what had happened last night.
At first, he thought that woman might not try to cause trouble or confront him in front of so many people, but he had been wrong. Celestia had tried to make him look small in front of everyone.
If he wanted to say what he really thought, then he would say that woman was worried, worried that the current balance would be broken because of him.
Even now, she was already fighting against the First Matriarch, the Patriarch’s first wife, and she was clearly losing that fight, something that could end with her downfall.
And now Lian, the boy who had suddenly received the Patriarch’s attention, had appeared. All of this was like a huge pressure on her, and that pressure made her try to isolate him last night by making him look small, so he would not become a threat.
But unfortunately, she failed badly, and that failure cost her a lot. But Lian doubted Celestia would give up that easily. Instead, she would definitely make a bigger move against him.
And that move would definitely happen today.
"So much trouble that I have to deal with." He laughed sarcastically.
"At least last night’s banquet wasn’t only a headache. I managed to make connections with many famous and powerful people, and it’s clear that the Pendragon family now has a good opinion of me." He did not have a bad opinion of the Pendragon family, and having a connection with them was definitely not a bad thing.
But in his eyes, none of those connections were as important as his own strength.
After putting on the Vorhelm family’s formal clothes, Lian left the mansion.
On the way, almost everyone he saw was moving in the same direction, toward the duel arena, the main center of the competition.
A few minutes later.
When he saw the arena from up close for the first time, even he could not stay calm.
The arena was enormous, much bigger than it had been until yesterday. Rows of seats surrounded the arena like huge rings.
Tens of thousands of people could easily sit there. In the northern section of the arena was the special area for the family elders.
It was a high platform with a full view of the entire arena. In the east was the area for the important families and the foreign guests. In the west sat the politicians, generals, and national figures.
And in the southern section were the young generation of the families and the participants.
Dozens of special guards were standing around the arena, not ordinary guards, but Awakened whose heavy presence could be felt even from far away.
After almost every seat was filled, one of the family elders appeared on the central platform.
He was an old man with white hair, but his voice was still powerful.
"Welcome to this year’s Vorhelm family competition." His voice echoed across the entire arena, then he announced the rules.
Rules that most people already knew part of, but not all of them.
"The young members of the Vorhelm family will have priority when choosing their opponents."
Whispers spread through the crowd. It seemed unfair, but after all, this was a competition hosted by them, and the reward was so great that nobody cared.
"They may choose anyone from the young generation attending this event, of course, only those who wish to participate in the competition."
"No one may refuse a match that has been assigned to them and ask to fight someone else. The opponent cannot be changed." Then he paused.
"Of course, they may refuse to accept the match, but in that case they will be considered defeated, and naturally, both their personal reputation and their family’s reputation will be damaged."
"As you all know, this is a friendly competition, a stage for the young generation to show their talent, and a chance to build their reputation."
Some people smiled, but almost everyone knew that this was only half of the truth. No one was going to reveal all of their strength in a competition like this.
And the only reason everyone was here was the Heavenly Treasury.
The first person to enter the arena was... Cassius Vorhelm, and the moment he entered, the entire arena became silent.
The eldest son, the person many believed would become the future heir of the family.
Tall, well dressed, calm, and carrying the confidence that could only be seen in people who had spent years preparing to rule.
Without wasting any time, he chose his opponent, a young man around twenty years old. Strangely, he did not choose a powerful opponent.
First his level was limited to 20, then the battle began.
And less than one minute later, it ended.
Cassius did not even need to become serious once. Three moves, three strikes, and a complete victory.
Cheers filled the arena.
But Lian only watched, analyzing, the movements, the speed, the mana control, the fighting style, he stored everything in his mind.
After that it was Isabella’s turn, then Evangelin, then Adrian, and Aron.
Each of them showed their strength. Isabella was precise and ruthless. Evangelin’s magic was fast and impossible to predict.
Adrian also showed skill far beyond his age. But what caught Lian’s attention was not the battles themselves, but the choices.
Almost every member of the family was choosing weaker opponents, and even stranger, some specific people were still untouched.
At first it looked like a coincidence, but as time passed, the pattern became clearer. They were removing the weaker participants.
They were organizing the battlefield, preparing the stage for something bigger, as if they wanted to make sure Lian would have no choice except to fight the strongest outsider.
Lian smiled calmly. So this was the plan they had prepared against him.
Several more battles took place, until finally a name was announced that caught everyone’s attention.
Lucas Vorhelm.
The arena suddenly became silent, and the next moment, a man entered the arena who looked more like a human monster than an ordinary Awakened.
Tall, broad shoulders, muscles that could be seen even under his clothes, there was no elegance in him.
Everything about him screamed: warrior.
After Diana, he was the newest genius of the Vorhelm family to become famous during the past two years, and he had a great future ahead of him.
A smile appeared on his face, a smile that looked nothing like a friendly one. Then he raised his head and looked toward the participants’ area.
His eyes passed over several people, over Lian, over Adrian, over the others, and finally stopped on a girl with silver eyes.
Seris Pendragon.
For one short moment... complete silence filled the arena. Then Lucas said in a loud voice,
"I’ve chosen my opponent."
Everyone was waiting, even the family elders were watching him.
Lucas raised his hand and pointed directly toward the Pendragon family’s area.
"Seris Pendragon."
For one second... nobody said anything. Then... the entire arena exploded.
Even some of the elders could not hide their reactions.
Lucas Vorhelm...
One of the strongest young members of the family... instead of choosing an easy opponent... had chosen one of the most famous geniuses of the country’s new generation.
And in the middle of all that noise... Lian only looked at Seris, the girl who was sitting several rows away, and for the first time since she had arrived here, a very faint smile could be seen on her lips.
It was as if she had been waiting for exactly this.
That she could finally fight!