79 The Duel

Just as the two men were feeling complicated, another two figures appeared at the end of the street.

It was also a pair of an old and a young. But compared to the previous pair, the old looked full of confidence while the young was helplessly shaking his head, sighing. Gerian's presence always seemed to carry a sense of humor. The fellow shouted at Old Merlin from a distance before he entered the square, "Good morning, Matthew. You were too scared to sleep last night, weren't you? Look at your dark circles…"

"…" Half of the forces' leaders on the stand fainted on the spot. Could this old fellow be more arrogant, more unmannered?

"Gerian, you're like a fly." Old Merlin's face was livid. He shot a cold glare at Gerian and walked straight up to the temporary grandstand.

"Matthew, don't be in a hurry to walk away. Can't we have a little more talk?" Gerian refused to give up. He promptly followed Old Merlin onto the stand and plopped into the seat that was prepared for him. He even winked discreetly at Castellan Isaac, who was sitting in the middle, beckoning him to make way so that he could get closer to Old Merlin.

Lin Li stood in the middle of Daylight Square, shaking his head resignedly as he watched Gerian's overstaffed figure from the back…

"Now that both of them have arrived, let me, the overseer, say two words." Isaac ignored Gerian's harassment and rose from the marble seat, his voice booming over the square. "A month ago, the Merlin Family and the Guild of Magic had agreed on this duel. I, Isaac, am honored to be its overseer. I will do everything in my power to maintain the fairness of this duel!

"Now, allow me to introduce both sides of the duel. They are Felic of the Jarrosus Guild of Magic and Cromwell of the Merlin Family."

Isaac's voice had just dropped when there was a burst of applause from the stand. This was dedicated to Cromwell and Lin Li. In this chaotic city of Jarrosus, people only respected the strong and courageous. Whatever his status, the duelist who dared to walk in to Daylight Square was entitled to all the applause.

Isaac took his seat amidst all the applause, but his face was full of worries. After this duel, Jarrosus City would no longer have peace…

Old Merlin stood up with a weary look. His voice sounded hoarse, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "I only want to say, whoever humiliates the Merlin Family will have to pay the price."

In the condemnation of Old Merlin's double-edged remark, Gerian naturally rose to his feet. The smile on his chubby face was still there, but his voice spread like muffled thunder under the effect of magic. "F*ck the Merlin Family, so what if I humiliate you?"

"…"

The Daylight Square suddenly quieted down; there was a startled expression on everyone's faces. No one knew what exactly had happened, and they merely stared blankly at the two Archmages…

Old Merlin's face was livid and his eyes were fixed on Gerian as if they were about to burst into flames. Had it not been for Castellan Isaac sitting in the middle, holding the two men down, perhaps there would have been another battle between Jarrosus' most powerful mages on the stands before the duel below started.

"Forget it, I shall not teach you a lesson for the time being. I'll settle it with you after the duel ends." Gerian, who was just chewing out Old Merlin earlier on, swore in a fit as if he was the victim now. Only with Isaac's persuasion did he sit indignantly in his place.

There was a lot of drama on the stands, but Lin Li's attention had been on Cromwell.

Cromwell, on the other side, seemed to be very different from the past. Surrounding him was a powerful aura, something Cromwell had never had before; the magical wave emanating from him was even more powerful than Lin Li's own.

The Merlin Family is indeed impressive…

Feeling the surprise from Lin Li, a cruel smirk appeared on Cromwell's confident face. He had been waiting so many days for the moment when he would step onto the Daylight Square. He relished the surprise in Lin Li's eyes, and hoped that the mage who had humiliated him would show the expression of despair and fear in the face of absolute power in the ensuing duel…

The humiliation caused by the Waterfall Strike in the Emerald Tower had always been deeply engraved in Cromwell's heart. He could still remember how Lin Li had looked at him with condescending disdain, not regarding himself as a level opponent at all. The Waterfall Strike had knocked him out of the Emerald Tower, which seemed to him like throwing out a bag of garbage.

"Long time no see, Mage Felic." Cromwell greeted him in exactly the same way as when Lin Li was leaning over him on the steps of the Emerald Tower. Cromwell's heart was full of anticipation when he said that sentence. He anticipated seeing the expression of fear on his opponent's face, like how he did when he was lying on the steps.

"Long time no see, Mage Cromwell." Unfortunately, Lin Li disappointed him. The surprise in his eyes was only fleeting, and it was followed by a smile that Cromwell abhorred. This polite yet condescending smile instantly reminded him of his humiliation.

"I hope you can still smile later…" A faint gleam of malice was revealed in Cromwell's narrowed eyes.

"Same to you."

Just as the two were head to head with each other, Castellan Isaac rose from his seat once again.

"As the overseer, I declare that the duel begins now!"

As soon as Isaac's voice fell, Lin Li sensed a violent wave of magic. Then, he saw Cromwell lift his staff, and a ball of fire with a flaming tail in tow was roaring towards him…

"Damn!" Lin Li propped up his Elemental Shield while secretly regretting sneaking an attack on him with the Waterfall Strike. Not only did it trigger the battle between Jarrosus's most powerful mages, he even taught such a guy like Cromwell to be smart—he even knew how to play a preemptive strike now…