"Corrosion Ripple!"
A ring of green ripples immediately materialized in front of Lombarton, oscillating and radiating outward as if trying to repel Weilin.
But Weilin's expression didn't change. From the blade of his sword, a multitude of vertical-eye phantoms suddenly extended.
"Bio-Armor Sword!"
The longsword trailing vertical-eye phantoms slashed out in arcs of fire, evaporating every trace of the green ripples. Carrying unstoppable force, it struck Lombarton squarely in the chest.
Blood trickled 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 into the ground upon impact.
Boom! Layers of earth piled up behind him like a small hill, finally canceling Lombarton's momentum and bringing him to a halt.
"You've lost!" Weilin descended quietly before Lombarton, his expression complex and devoid of any trace of victory's joy.
"I've lost!" Lombarton's face had turned ashen.
"Cough… cough…" He violently coughed up a mouthful of blood. "Wei… Brother Weilin, there's something I need to tell you. It's about my sister!"
"What is it?" Hearing Lombarton's familiar address softened Weilin's heart. And his sister—she had been his first love!
Weilin involuntarily lowered his body.
"My sister, she… she…" Lombarton's voice grew increasingly faint, drawing Weilin closer and closer.
"She wants you to die!"
Seeing how things had progressed, a sinister smile flickered across Lombarton's face. His hand shot out another crystal stone, blazing like lightning.
"No good!"
Weilin's eyes widened as he retreated rapidly, his Bio-Armor continuously deploying defensive barriers.
But it was too late. A bolt of gray lightning detonated against Weilin's chest, shattering a milky-white talisman.
Boom! A pillar of light enveloped Weilin, and he vanished from the secret realm in an instant.
Swoosh!
Weilin's figure reappeared on the arena floor, his face still carrying a hint of shock. More than that, sorrow filled his eyes as he stared silently at the charred patch on his chest.
"Haha! The methods may not have been the most honorable, but I'm still the winner!"
The Western Region wizard who had bet against Leilin immediately burst into triumphant laughter.
"That's right! You win!" Wizards weren't knights—they didn't need to adhere to any knightly code. Using everything at one's disposal to achieve victory was the way of wizardry. Lombarton's methods may have been excessive, but his championship was indisputable. Leilin naturally acknowledged that.
More importantly, there were no actual stakes or wagers involved. Conceding was no big deal.
Seeing this attitude, the wizard actually felt somewhat embarrassed.
"In truth, the wizard you backed is quite formidable. Not only has he reached the peak of the first level, but he's also inherited the path of the ancient Bio-Warriors. If I'm not mistaken, that Bio-Armor of his is at minimum a relic left behind by a second-level ancient Bio-Warrior… When it comes to a true comparison, he still edges out Ger…"
"Hmm!" Leilin nodded, though inwardly he didn't quite agree.
While Weilin was indeed powerful, Lombarton was no pushover either. As a child of fate who served as Weilin's dark mirror, his most terrifying
This was, of course, out of consideration for the wizards present. And Weilin still had the Cave Cold Spider Emperor as his hidden trump card. If these two truly fought without any restraints, the outcome would likely be a coin toss.
"The champion has been crowned! He is Ger, the Green-Robe from the Western Region! Let's hear it for him!"
At that moment, within the secret realm, Lombarton—who had taken a brief moment to recover—rose again and dispatched the remaining few wizards, claiming sole dominion over the realm.
And the emcee made the grand announcement.
"Ger!" "Ger!" "Ger!"
The assembled wizards erupted in cheers as Lombarton was teleported back.
"What do we do? Should we expose his identity in front of everyone?" Ailin secretly transmitted to Lombarton.
"No! We can't! He just threatened me—if we do that, he'll immediately trigger his scheme and cause massive casualties among the wizards here. Until we understand his arrangements, we absolutely shouldn't do anything!"
Weilin hesitated, looking thoroughly indecisive.
No matter what whispered conversations they had, the ceremony continued on its predetermined course.
"Now, let us invite our champion and the other wizards ranked within the top thirty to the stage, where our nine chief judges will present the awards…"
Following the emcee's announcement and the roar of the crowd, a grand platform adorned with gold and silver, blazing with dazzling lights of every color, slowly rose from the center of the arena.
Aside from Weilin and Lombarton and the handful of others harboring hidden agendas, all the wizards who had earned sufficient scores in the secret realm to rank in the top thirty ascended the platform with excited expressions.
For them, this was a shortcut to fame, a brilliant road to success.
"Come on, we still have to hand out the awards to them. What a hassle—can't they just distribute them directly?" The Western Region's second-level wizard grumbled to Leilin.
"This is an important step for inspiring itinerant wizards to strive upward and earn glory. It may be just a formality, but it has to be done!"
Leilin rose with a smile and joined the other second-level wizards on the golden honor platform.
"I, Viktorii, Second-Level
The second-level wizard standing at the very center made the declaration in a loud voice, placing a crown of gold and gemstones atop Lombarton's head.
"Ger!" "Ger!" "Ger!"
The wizards cheered, wave after wave of sound washing over the arena.
"In addition to the previous rewards, Ger, you also have the opportunity to officially join a school. What is your choice?"
Viktorii was quite impressed with this Ger, so his voice carried excitement and eagerness, along with a note of temptation.
"My choice, of course, is…"
Lombarton deliberately paused for a beat. "Of course, it's the Dark Elves! You fools!!!"
"What?" The assembled wizards' mouths hung half-open, certain they had misheard.
"This is bad—he deceived us!" On the other side, Weilin's expression changed rapidly. His armor reattached to his body as he surged forward, but it was already too late.
"Earth Membrane!"
A translucent, earth-yellow membrane materialized around Lombarton's body. Nine streaks of light shot from within, striking the nine second-level wizard judges on the platform who couldn't dodge in time.
Crack! Crack!
Deep blue ice immediately spread across their bodies, freezing all nine wizards into crystalline ice sculptures.
Within the ice, each second-level wizard's expression of shock, fury, or terror was preserved in lifelike detail.
This sudden turn of events stunned every wizard in the arena.
"Lombarton! What are you doing?! Release Lord Leilin immediately!"
Weilin suppressed the fury building inside him as he looked at Leilin, already frozen in ice. He had originally planned to remove his disguise here and give Lord Leilin a pleasant surprise!
And in the depths of his heart, Weilin regarded Leilin with the reverence of a student toward a teacher. Seeing what Lombarton had done, he was consumed with rage.
"Ger! What is the meaning of this?!" The emcee wizard on the platform darkened, a peak first-level energy wave erupting from his body.
Boom! Boom! Two wizardry attacks struck one of the ice sculptures, but had absolutely no effect—not leaving a single mark on the crystal-clear ice surface.
"It's useless. This is the essence that the Dark Elf Matriarchs spent a thousand years extracting from the Abyss of Cold deep underground. Even second-level wizards cannot break through it…"
Lombarton spoke slowly.
"As for Leilin? I've wanted to kill him for so long! And now, he's finally in my hands. Do you really think I'd let him go easily? Haha…"
At this moment, Lombarton finally cast off all his restraints and burst into wild laughter.
Boom! A flash of light swept past as Lombarton dispelled his Disguise Spell, reverting to his original appearance. At the same time, a powerful energy, like a raging ocean, gradually unsealed from his body.
"And this noisy crow—I've tolerated him for far too long!"
Lombarton flicked his hand. Pale silver spiritual power surged forth, and the emcee wizard opposite didn't even have time to react before his body exploded, reduced to a shower of flesh and blood.
"Spiritual Power Materialization! A second-level wizard!!!"
The wizards on the platform recoiled instantly, and one of the participating wizards shouted as he retreated: "He's Lombarton, leader of the Resistance! I've seen his image!!!"
"Now you realize? Too late! Act!!!!"
Lombarton's voice thundered across the arena.
Swish! Swish!! Swish! Swish!! Swish! Swish!!
One after another, dark figures materialized around the arena. Simultaneously, they unfurled the wizardry scrolls in their hands.
Rustle rustle! A vast black cloud instantly shrouded the area. From within the cloud, swarms of tiny spiders launched outward, spinning silk in every direction and enveloping the entire arena in moments.
From a distance, the arena appeared imprisoned within walls of white silk, resembling an enormous cocoon.
Weilin's expression darkened as his aura exploded outward, matching Lombarton's pressure: "So your target isn't just those nine judges—it's every wizard in this arena!"
Inwardly, he was stunned. This place held roughly ten to twenty percent of the Dark Polar Region's entire wizard population. If they all perished here, it would be a catastrophic blow to the entire region.
"Kill!" At that moment, the black-clad figures hidden within the crowd launched their assault, while more spiders poured from silk sacs to besiege the human wizards.
The enormous silk sacs seemed to transform into a magical array, continuously weakening the human wizards while empowering Lombarton's forces. In an instant, explosions and flashes of light filled the arena.
With the barrier in place, none of the human wizards could escape. Some even went berserk, their eyes turning red as they slaughtered every living thing around them, plunging everything into chaos.