Chapter 198: Crucible [I]

As night fell, time was near...

Tonight was the Crucible between Vivian Kingsley and Roselyn Kingsley.

This Crucible must determine the fate of the two royal members.

Many people in New Florence have heard of this duel, so many summoners and members of the Silver Order await the outcome.

Roselyn Kingsley is the Duchess of this city and an Ancient-grade summoner, and her challenger is Vivian, her own niece and stepdaughter.

Vivian is an Elder-grade summoner.

An Elder-grade summoner can defeat an Ancient-grade summoner, and an Elder-grade beast can kill an Ancient-grade beast.

So, this Crucible is more veritable than many have claimed it to be—because Roselyn’s social power has inflated her systemic power in their eyes.

Also... who wouldn’t side with the Duchess? If Roselyn dies, New Florence would lose an important person, but if Vivian dies, there would be insignificant consequences.

It is not accurate to call the Crucible just a duel because it is an old tradition of the Silver Order, created to end disputes between summoners when normal judgments cannot satisfy the summoners.

Now that the challenge has been accepted, neither party can withdraw without consequences.

Simultaneously, the elders must uphold every part of the Crucible so there would not be any undeserved victory.

The last Crucible took place many years ago when two powerful summoners quarreled over an issue that could not be resolved through negotiation.

The victor claimed the right to decide the matter, and order was maintained without intervention.

Now, after many years without such a contest, this tradition has been revived, and this time the confrontation is between an aunt and her niece!

Silver Order’s battlefield is known as the Grey Field.

The Grey field is a very big field with neatly trimmed lawns and no walls or obstacles, so that all kinds of beasts have enough space to unleash their full power.

Tonight, hot air balloons with lit candles float in the sky, their glow making the grass appear purple.

There is a small audience area far from the center, placed at a distance because the misfire of a Crucible can kill someone.

It has only a few seats, almost all of which are occupied by the elders of the Order and other powerful figures.

Unfortunately, Vivian must know that they were all on Roselyn’s side, and the only person she could rely on was Raven.

Raven, dressed in body-hug black, with her silver hair flowing freely and her blue eyes attentive but minding their business while she looks for a place to sit in that audience area.

Sitting next to Darcy Redwyn was Adrian.

Darcy may be considered too weak to spectate a Crucible, but Adrian permitted her to attend.

"Are you here to watch your sister die? Perhaps you should be preparing for her funeral," Adrian mocked as Raven walked around, searching for the best seat that keeps her away from him.

"Lady Raven. I’m sorry for tonight, but I wish your sister, Lady Vivian, good luck," Darcy said, taking Raven’s hand for but a moment.

Raven appreciated her care, saying, "Thank you, Darcy. Vivian needs every support she can get.

"And as for you, ’Brother.’ Instead of talking nonsense, worry about your own mother. When things don’t go as you wish, she might need your encouragement."

Adrian’s smile disappeared as Raven abandoned Darcy’s hand and sat down two seats away, gazing at the empty field where her sister would fight for freedom.

"Sister, you must win," Raven thought, gripping her clothes tightly.

Two minutes later, Vivian walked out to the battlefield, crossing its expanse to the center.

Raven and Adrian both watched her; Raven looked worried, hoping her sister would survive the night, while Adrian looked at her with a mocking gaze because he was here to see her fail and die.

When Vivian reached the center, even in her armor, she could feel the cold night wind, her breath condensing into mist on her face.

Her heart began to race, and she thought, "What am I doing here?"

She challenged her stepmother to a Crucible, accepted the conditions, and prepared for this moment, but now she stands on the battlefield, the reality of what she was doing began to overwhelm her.

Soon, Roselyn entered the battlefield, and Vivian’s doubts intensified because Vivian can feel her aunt’s aura without seeing her.

However, Vivian didn’t even want to look at Roselyn.

Currently, Vivian was staring at one spot.

Her body was petrified by this situation. Simultaneously, she was struggling to breathe.

Harder and harder. When did breathing become this difficult?

Until she suffocates in her own breath, Vivian had no choice but to gasp for air through her mouth!

Raven noticed something was wrong, so she jumped up and shouted, "Vivian! It’s time to fight!"

Vivian’s body trembled slightly, and when her sister’s voice reached her ears, she gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, and the blade of the sword glowed.

Raising the sword upright, the glow illuminated Vivian’s face as she was breathing better.

"It’s time to fight," she repeated, her eyes searching the battlefield for her aunt, who arrived a long time ago.

There is a woman standing in the mist.

She is six feet one inch tall, with long silver hair that drags on the ground, and someone can use it as a climbing rope.

Sometimes people say that the more beautiful a woman is, the more dangerous she is.

If Brienne Trump wasn’t a good enough example, Roselyn Kingsley is the best example!

After all, she was the most beautiful woman of her generation after the death of her twin sister, Penelope Kingsley.

The traditional weapon of the Kingsley family is a sword, so it’s not surprising that Roselyn is holding a sword, but that sword is truly extraordinary.

The half-liquid blade emits a glow like the Imperial River, and the hilt is curved like a tree’s branch, gripped tightly by her strong wrist.

Roselyn wasn’t wearing any armor, just a dress as usual, this time a midnight blue one with purple and black.

Vivian took a step back, but realized her aunt was pressuring her, so she stepped forward again, because after living with this woman for many years, you could say you would adapt to someone’s aura through repeated exposure.

Meanwhile, Raven realized she must have absorbed Vivian’s breathlessness, as she too was now struggling to breathe as she watched her twin sister take utopian steps under Roselyn’s pressure.

Seconds later, Roselyn formed a bubble around herself, why, because Vivian broke through the pressure!

Vivian summoned her wings.

Vivian summoned the Seraph Leaper!

"Peaches, Meteor Splash!"

BOOM!

Such an attack shows how important it is to watch from a distance!

A crater formed, and the ground trembled like an earthquake.

However, Roslyn still survived, bouncing back and frowning at Vivian’s rudeness.