Chapter 27: I Have Already Seen Through You

Night.

Garden Square, deserted by ten thousand people.

The center of the square was cleared into a circular clearing over 40 meters in diameter, and the sky was filled with dozens of high-level spells "Solar Sphere," lighting the entire square as bright as day.

On the two sides of the temporary duel arena, Luosen and Saras stood opposite each other, about twenty meters apart.

Sage Levin, Master Shahelamu, Master Schmidt, and Master Shadow Master Lysent temporarily formed a duel certification team.

Because Shahelamu was the most neutral and also the owner of the Blue Whale Mansion, he stood in the middle of the clearing and loudly read out the traditional rules of the sacred duel.

After finishing the somewhat lengthy rules, he looked separately at the two people at the edge of the arena.

"So, are both duelists ready?"

Luosen stood sword in hand: "I am ready to fight at any moment."

Saras squinted and smiled: "Baron, I won't kill you in the duel, because that would be far too cheap for you."

Master Shahelamu furrowed his brow and urged: "Mage Saras, are you ready? Give a clear answer!"

Saras toyed with the blood‑drinking staff in his hand, a leisurely expression on his face.

"Master, I am the deputy regiment commander of Aaron's Lion Night Guard's Sixth Regiment, a high-level 24‑star professional battle mage."

"My opponent is merely a freshly graduated low-level mage; do I really need to expend all my spirit to deal with him?"

Master Shahelamu could clearly feel Saras's gathering magical energy and knew he was far from as relaxed as he appeared.

His contemptuous demeanor was mostly to intimidate, though it might simply be to show off.

"In that case, I now declare: the duel begins!"

The moment the last word fell, Master Shahelamu retreated to the side of the arena with a divine‑step technique, and the two mages on the field acted almost simultaneously.

Saras's blood‑drinker staff abruptly pointed at Luosen, a bright lightning bolt as thick as an arm instantly ignited and struck Luosen's body.

High-level spell "Lightning Chain," released with crystal lattice assistance, nearly instantaneous.

Although mages generally master some near‑instant techniques, the crystal‑lattice casting speed of Aaron's battle mage is almost the fastest.

Because the energy‑storing crystal lattice forged by Aaron's artificer has not only high strength but also large spell‑energy capacity, extremely high maximum flow, and near‑perfect quality.

Thus, Saras's Lightning Chain felt cold and crisp, with no sluggishness at all.

All the Weilan mages present felt a sudden jolt, instinctively sweating for Luosen.

"Boom~~~"

A booming crack sounded; after the lightning struck Luosen's body, it pierced straight through, slammed into the ground, and erupted with a spray of scorching shards.

At the same moment, Luosen's body turned into a bubble and vanished, reappearing three meters to his right a heartbeat later.

It was the Edel Substitution Technique again.

Though a low-level spell, Luosen wielded it masterfully, producing astonishing results.

Saras was already prepared; he swept his left hand forward, the force‑field ring on his hand emitting a faint glow, instantly surrounding his body with an outward‑expanding high‑intensity force field.

It was the mid‑level spell "Resisting Force Field," offering excellent defense against physical attacks.

This move was to prevent Luosen from using the Flying Sword Technique to ambush.

At the same time, he multitasked.

The second high‑level crystal lattice on the blood‑drinker staff activated, a second bright lightning tore through the air like a swinging whip, lashing toward Luosen.

"Snap~~~"

The lightning again streaked across Luosen's body, striking the ground behind him.

No, it not only hit the ground but also struck Saras's own body.

"Rrrrip~~~"

A mournful tearing‑cloth sound.

Saras's blood‑red cloak was torn into fragments by the exploding lightning energy, revealing a matte‑black tight leather armor underneath.

The leather armor was sheathed in a crystal‑red light layer, which was the high‑level defensive spell "Agnatha Ruby Shield" commonly used by Aaron's nobility.

At this moment, a fine white electric net wrapped around the crystal‑red layer.

The two energies continuously clashed and collided; eventually the electric net vanished, leaving only a thin layer of the ruby shield.

Before anyone could grasp what was happening, the watching Levin shouted loudly: "Great spell! Great artifact!"

Shahelamu also sincerely praised: "What a fine Exchange Technique!"

In that instant, Luosen used two spells.

One was the Edel Substitution Technique.

The other was the Sage Exchange Technique.

The latter is a strange low‑level spell of the mysterious school.

The so‑called mysterious school refers to a category of bizarre spells whose principles are incomprehensible and exist only as practiced techniques.

For example, the Sage Exchange Technique; no one knows why it works, only that performing it briefly swaps certain attributes between oneself and the target, achieving a marvelous partial spell‑energy transfer.

Yet despite being low‑level, the casting difficulty is extremely high, and the timing is hard to seize.

Very few mages dare to use it in a life‑or‑death battle, but honestly, a mage who dares to employ it and succeeds is either a lunatic or a genius.

Now, Luosen not only used it but combined it with the equally high‑difficulty substitution technique, successfully breaking the lure‑hair defensive crystal lattice device Saras wore, greatly erasing the opponent's artifact advantage—a legendary maneuver in the history of spell versus spell.

Deprived of the induced defensive artifact's life barrier, Saras clearly sensed the breath of death.

Unwittingly, the mischievous smile on his face vanished.

Schmidt and Shadow Master Lysent, the two spell masters, also set aside their casual attitude and began watching the duel seriously.

Lady Agneth wore a surprised expression, never having expected the apprentice she usually dismissed to possess such astonishing casting ability.

Most of the Weilan spectators watching didn't know the spell details; they only knew the Weilan baron had the upper hand, so they shouted cheers one after another.

The cheers roared like a thunderous tsunami.

But Salas is no less worthy of being the Night Guard Deputy Regiment Commander, having undergone rigorous combat training.

Despite the minor setback in battle, he did not feel panicked; even the resistance field on his left hand remained active, leaving his opponent no opening.

Of course, he did not rush to attack to regain face; instead, he gripped his staff tightly, adopting a defensive posture against Luosen, took a deep breath, and gently smoothed the ripples in his heart.

Luosen also did not rush to attack.

He stood thirty meters away from Salas, slowly circling him, his stance like a tiger prowling around its prey.

"Mage Salas, your staff should have three high-grade crystal lattices. You've already used two, leaving only one."

"I advise you to use it quickly, otherwise when I strike back you won't have a chance to use it."

In just a few breaths, Salas had basically calmed his mind.

He gave a cold smile: "Your spellcasting skill is indeed formidable, I had indeed underestimated you, but from now on I will show you the insurmountable gap between high-level and low-level magic."

Before his words finished, Salas pointed the Blood-Drinker Staff in his hand sharply toward the sky.

Although the spell had not yet been released, a tremendous surge of magical power had already appeared.

Ordinary people couldn't feel it, but the mages immediately realized that Salas would, in the next instant, unleash an untargeted, area-of-effect high-level spell.

Being untargeted means it cannot be affected by the Sagarth Exchange Technique.

An area attack is also the best means to counter Edel's Substitution Technique.

With crystal lattice assistance enabling near-instant casting, it basically cannot be interrupted.

Thus, Salas relies on powerful magic and advanced magical equipment to overwhelm.

This move may be clumsy, but it is unbeatable.

Every mage present with even a bit of insight secretly sighed.

Luosen is ultimately just a low-level mage.

Selena also gripped tightly the Sleeping Beauty Staff.

She had already figured it out.

If Luosen loses, she will end his life to spare him torture, and then she will immediately kill herself to follow him.

But in the very next moment, Luosen pointed his sword-staff at Salas and unleashed the most common disruptive spell, Arcane Shock.

Arcane Shock is a low-level spell that almost every mage knows.

Used well, this spell can turn the tide of battle.

Used poorly, it amounts to little more than a pale purple sparkler. The problem is that Arcane Shock requires casting time; no matter how much one practices or what technique is used, even if one practices to near-instant, it still requires casting time.

This casting time is inevitably longer than that of crystal lattice-assisted casting.

Therefore, trying to interrupt crystal lattice-assisted casting with Arcane Shock is practically impossible.

Yet this so‑impossible thing actually happened!

After a single unremarkable Arcane Shock, the power gathered on the Blood‑Drinker Staff became utterly chaotic.

After lasting an instant, the spell energy completely lost control.

If it were ordinary casting, one could simply stop casting; but with crystal lattice casting, the energy is pre‑stored, and once it loses control, the uncontrolled energy erupts directly.

Salas was greatly startled and decisively threw away his staff.

The staff flew into mid‑air, and with a loud 'crack' it split into two pieces; the energy stored in the crystal lattices burst forth violently, forming a raging ball of lightning.

Had Salas not thrown it away quickly enough, that lightning would have ravaged him directly.

"Using Shock to strike, to interrupt my crystal lattice casting?"

Salas stared blankly at the staff fragments.

Crystal lattice casting takes less than 0.2 seconds, completed in a single thought—how could it possibly be interrupted on purpose? In fact, this is probably the first time since the advent of crystal lattice casting that someone has deliberately interrupted it.

This directly challenged Salas's arcane common sense.

All the mages present, including the Arcane Master, wore looks of shock, unable to fathom how Luosen managed it.

Luosen continued to circle Salas like a tiger, pacing slowly with a faint smile.

"Salas, I have seen through you; I have long anticipated your every move."

The mages suddenly understood, and at the same time thought this Baron was truly mad, daring to gamble his life like that.

Salas also regained his composure, gritting his teeth with a cold sneer.

"See through me? Anticipate the interruption? Preposterous!"

Even without the aid of his staff, he still possesses formidable combat ability.

Casting spells barehanded is a required course for every Aaron battle mage.

Salas pointed at Luosen and silently cast an Arcane Shock.

"Pop!"

Casting failed!

His silently cast Arcane Shock was actually interrupted by Luosen's even faster Arcane Shock.

The opponent not only surpasses him in spellcasting skill, but also clearly exceeds him in mental reaction speed.

This is overwhelming superiority of raw strength! Knowing where the gap lies, but forever unable to bridge it.

Salas's mind was shaken again: "Impossible, it must be a coincidence!"

"Ice Wind Technique—pop!"

"Wind Travel—pop!"

"Arcane Missile—pop!"

He tried three times in a row, and all three attempts were interrupted.

Each interruption made Salas feel as if he had been slapped, his cheeks burning hot.

"Glug~~"

Salas swallowed hard, the blood flames in his eyes flickering unsteadily, as if they might go out at any moment.

Panic surged up from the bottom of his heart, impossible to suppress.

"Could it be... that he's seen through me?"

"How could that be? I'm the top graduate of the Royal Military Academy!"

On the other side, Luosen continued to pace slowly, his expression as calm as at the start.

"I've interrupted your spellcasting five times; each interruption gives me up to half a second to counterattack."

As he spoke, he suddenly raised his hand and again interrupted Salas's furtive spellcasting, the motion as easy as drinking water.

"But I haven't chosen to counterattack, because I'm waiting for you to realize that you've actually already stood on the brink of hell."

"All I need to do is lift my foot and give your butt a light kick, and you'll fall into hell."

"Go die!"

Salas suddenly collapsed, hysterical roar, abandoning all defense, using both minds to cast two attack spells at once, hoping to trade lives with his opponent.

"We surrender!"

Suddenly, Master Schmidt's shout came from nearby.

Smack!

Luosen did not take the opportunity to claim Salas's life.

He again used an arcane shock strike to interrupt Salas's left-hand spellcasting, while using the Edler Substitution Technique to dodge another spell.

Thereafter he did not follow up with a finishing blow, but instead retreated slowly to the side of the Black-Iron Guard.

Master Shahelamu's magical phantom reappeared in the center of the dueling arena, announcing loudly.

"In this duel, Baron Luosen Sachsen of White Sturgeon Island claims final victory."

"No~~ I didn't lose~~ I didn't concede~~ I still want to keep fighting!"

Salas was on the verge of madness.

"Enough!"

Shadow Master Lysent flashed past with a divine stride, punched Salas unconscious, then hauled away this vice regiment commander whose will had collapsed.

Clearly a sure-win duel, yet he lost, and lost in such an unsightly manner.

All the Aaron Night Guard present had ashen faces, heads bowed, silent and speechless.

In contrast, the Weilan people were filled with roaring excitement, exhilarated to the extreme.

The Weilan nobles were more restrained, yet they held Luosen in high regard, feeling this young man was truly formidable.

The common folk had fewer thoughts, only feeling greatly uplifted, and they regarded the Baron of White Sturgeon Island as a hero to revere.

Amid the clamor, Master Schmidt wore a grim face, stepped forward two paces, bowed to Levin, and said in a solemn voice: "Sage, the baron has won; we will honor our agreement and abandon this vengeance operation."

These words were spoken plainly, but afterward he uttered two secret sentences in a Spiritual Whisper.

"But I hope you remember, tonight is not an end, but a beginning!"

"Aaron will remember this humiliation, and in the days to come, he will repay it tenfold to Weilan by various means!"

Faced with this threatening remark, Sage Levin burst out laughing.

He did not refute, but instead began to sing the "Song of the High Heavens."

"Arad said, 'The foreign tribes are many, while we are few and weak.'"

"Weilan said, 'For this land beneath our feet, I will take the lead in fighting.'"

"The gleaming orichalcum longsword will be stained with blood; any number of foreign tribes that come will meet their own doom!"

"Ah~ Saintess~~ Saintess, she is the beloved of Mother Nature, the supreme glory of the giant island!"

It is the "Song of Saintess Weilan," its lyrics and melody known to all, recounting the ancient epic of Saintess Weilan resisting foreign invaders and protecting the homeland.

At first, only Sage Levin sang; after a few lines, the Black-Iron Guard joined in, then the Weilan mages.

Finally, all the Weilan people present joined in singing.

Singing while following Sage Levin's steps, they gradually advanced toward the Aaron Night Guard.

At this moment, whether the lofty noble elite or the most ordinary dockworker, their souls merged with the song, gathering into an awe-inspiring, mighty spirit!

This momentum was like a collapsing mountain, like a crashing wave; with each step forward, the Aaron Night Guard's formation involuntarily retreated a step.

At this moment, even masters like Schmidt and Lysent could not help but feel their spirits tremble.

Finally, they could no longer endure.

"Retreat!"

Master Schmidt shouted, leading 300 Aaron Night Guard in a quick dash away from the garden square.

(End of Chapter)