"Corrosive Ripples!"
A ring of green ripples immediately appeared in front of Lombarton, oscillating outward continuously as if trying to push Weilin back.
But Weilin's expression didn't change. A multitude of phantom vertical eyes suddenly extended from the blade of his sword.
"Enhanced Armor Sword!"
The long sword trailing phantom vertical eyes carved arcs of flame through the air, evaporating all the green ripples. Carrying overwhelming force, it struck Lombarton squarely in the chest.
Blood spilled from the corner of Lombarton's mouth as a long gash opened across his chest. He was sent flying backward from midair, carving a long trail across the ground on impact.
Boom! Mounds of earth piled up behind him like small hills, finally absorbing Lombarton's momentum and bringing him to a stop.
"You've lost!" Weilin quietly landed in front of Lombarton, his expression complicated, without a trace of triumph.
"I've lost!" Lombarton's face had turned an ashen gray.
"Cough, cough..." He suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. "Wei... Brother Weilin, there's something I need to tell you — about my sister!"
"What is it?" The familiar form of address softened Weilin's heart. And his sister — she had been his first love, after all.
Weilin involuntarily lowered himself closer.
"My sister, she... she..." Lombarton's voice grew quieter and quieter, drawing Weilin in even closer.
"She wants you dead!"
The moment he saw the opportunity, a dark grin flashed across Lombarton's face, and another crystal shot from his hand like lightning.
"Not good!"
Weilin's eyes went wide as he flew backward, the Enhanced Armor continuously firing off defensive layers.
But it was already too late. A bolt of gray lightning exploded against Weilin's chest, shattering a milky-white protective talisman.
Boom! A pillar of light enveloped Weilin, and he vanished from the secret realm in an instant.
Whoosh!
Weilin's figure reappeared on the arena floor, his face still holding a trace of shock and, more so, heartache as he stared at the scorched patch on his chest in silence.
"Haha! The method may not have been the most honorable, but a win is a win!"
The Western Region wizard who had bet against Leilin immediately burst into delighted laughter.
"That's right — you won!" Wizards weren't knights. There was no need to uphold so-called chivalric spirit. Use everything at your disposal to achieve victory. Lombarton's methods may have been excessive, but the championship was indisputable. Leilin naturally acknowledged that.
More importantly, there had been no actual stakes or wagers, so conceding didn't matter.
Seeing Leilin's attitude, the wizard actually felt somewhat embarrassed.
"Truthfully, the wizard you were backing is quite strong. Not only did he reach the peak of the first rank, he also inherited the path of the ancient Enhanced Warriors. If I'm not mistaken, that piece of Enhanced Armor on him is at least a relic from a second-rank ancient Enhanced Warrior... Truly comparing them, he still edges out Gel by a small margin..."
"Mm." Leilin nodded, though he wasn't entirely convinced in his heart.
While Weilin was indeed powerful, Lombarton was no pushover. As the other half of the same fate as Weilin — two sides of the same coin — the most terrifying of his Dark Elf meditation methods and secret techniques had yet to be unleashed.
He had naturally held back out of consideration for the wizards present, just as Weilin still had his trump card with the Crypt Ice Spider Emperor. If these two truly fought without any restraint, the outcome would be roughly fifty-fifty.
"The champion has been decided — he is Green-Robe Gel from the Western Region! Let's hear it for him!"
At that moment, inside the secret realm, Lombarton had recovered briefly and then risen again to eliminate the last few remaining wizards, securing sole dominion over the secret realm.
The announcer declared it to thunderous cheers.
"Gel! Gel! Gel!"
The wizards in attendance erupted in applause, welcoming Lombarton as he was teleported in.
"What do we do? Should we expose his identity publicly?" Eilin secretly transmitted to Lombarton.
"No! We can't! He just threatened me — if we do that, he'll immediately activate his plot and cause massive casualties among the wizards here. Until we've figured out his arrangements, we'd better not do anything!"
Weilin hesitated, looking thoroughly indecisive.
No matter how they communicated in secret, the tournament proceeded along its course.
"Now, let's invite our champion and the other wizards who placed within the top thirty to the stage, where our nine Supreme Judges will present the awards..."
With the announcer's voice and the roar of the crowd, a grand platform adorned with gold and silver, gleaming with dazzling light of every color, slowly rose from the center of the arena.
Aside from Weilin, Lombarton, and the handful of other wizards harboring ulterior motives, all the wizards who had earned enough points in the secret realm to qualify for the top thirty ascended the platform with excited expressions.
For them, this was the shortcut to fame — a glorious road to success.
"Come on, we still have to hand out the awards. What a hassle — wouldn't it be easier to just send them down?" The second-rank Western Region wizard grumbled to Leilin.