293 The Grand Overture

Baiyi informed his students about his duel during lunch.

Immediately he finished speaking, forks and knives were placed down, and the students' gazes shifted from their plates to his face, with expressions of deep concern. Aya was so worried, she practically jumped up, held Baiyi's hand, and told him that he could ride her...

Not that kind of ride, though! She meant that she wanted Baiyi to be her dragon knight...

Not the sort of dragon knights from Quanzhen school, either!

Aya just meant to tell Baiyi that she wished to help any way she could in his upcoming battle.

Baiyi tapped on her hand and declined her offer before the two female Voidwalkers, who were known for their snorts, throw another tantrum. Although fighting this Holy-level Vice President, Grant, could be similar to fighting the final boss on the last level of a difficult game, Baiyi was not that desperate to ask for her help, yet. He was not going to get killed in that duel, and furthermore, the Voidwalkers had finally pieced together a strategy for the upcoming battle. 

"I need your help, Nota." Baiyi turned to look at the fairy.

Nota was nibbling at a piece of bread like an adorable critter, and when she heard her name being called, she looked up and gave Baiyi a quizzical look. "Mentor?"

Baiyi laid out the simplified version of his battle plan, highlighting her role in boosting the strength of his magical power. "Just take it as training for your aerial combat skills, okay?" Baiyi said, finishing his briefing.

Surprisingly, despite her usual meek and soft-spoken demeanor, Nota agreed to his proposal, without any hesitation. She did not even seem to consider the risks; she just nodded and said, "It will be my greatest honor to be able to help you, Mentor."

"You're not scared?" Baiyi asked in astounded curiosity. "It is a fight between two advanced-level fighters, you know. Even if it is just for show, the danger would still be real."

Nota nodded. "I have heard about your heroic deeds from Mia and others. I believe in you, and I also believe that you will do everything in your power to protect me from harm."

'What a sweet girl! She believes in me unconditionally,' Baiyi exclaimed internally. She may be a small girl but hidden within her is a big heart, which is full of compassion and courage. A girl like her deserves all the happiness in the world.

"Great. I would be giving you a private consultation before the duel," Baiyi said, nodding to show his appreciation of Nota's support.

"Thank you, Mentor!" The fairy returned the sentiment happily.

She knew that the stakes were high, and she also knew that this duel was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for her prove herself. She also figured that it was a rare chance for her to observe a great battle between two high-level sorcerers. This was a chance that other students were not offered. What did her life matter when compared to the value of such an opportunity?

"And you too, Mia." Baiyi turned to Little Mia. "You are also a key player in this duel. My strength depends on you."

"Mm!" The girl nodded her head hard — a response more determined than Nota's gentle nod. Frankly, Mia had long since begun to suspect that Baiyi's power was only limited because of her; she just did not know how, yet. Baiyi may not have told her the underlying detail of his power relationship with Mia, but she trusted him, believing that if she did as he said, everything would work out.

With that out of the way, the trio decided to make the waiting period, which was 3 days, a productive one. Baiyi had to free up some time in order to set up consultation period for Nota, conduct special training sessions for Mia, and prepare the necessary weapons, tools, and gears. Although gears would not tip the scales too much in a battle between elites, Baiyi still prepared them because he felt that everything that could aid him counted. Because the waiting period was so short, Baiyi was not able to obtain high-quality materials, so he had to make do with what he had on hand.

The students who were participating expressed their support by being remarkably docile and sensible, restraining themselves from causing trouble that may distract Baiyi. Instead, they channeled their energy into helping him in any way they could think of. Those who could not do much, such as Attie and the mischief-prone Mordred, would sometimes help Baiyi relax by carrying out their adorable shenanigans. Meanwhile, when Undine heard the news, she quickly founded a huge fan club for Baiyi to help raise his spirits.

With such a strong show of support for him, the Fifth Voidwalker's confidence swelled. Although Baiyi was not able to output enough power, did not have the necessary gear, and was probably barred from using Void Energy or even martial arts in the duel, he still believed in one thing...

"In the Void, failure is not an option! Watch out, Holy-level; I'm gonna break you!" Baiyi declared confidently in the Void when the D-day finally arrived.

After making the journey to the designated location, Baiyi was finally standing on a tall stone dais, approximately 33 feet tall, which was located on one of the Babel Tower's many floors.

Right in front of Baiyi was an area that had been completely cleared. The duel was to be held there. Behind Baiyi was a huge ring-shaped stadium, erupting with roars and cheers. The stadium was filled with a crowd whose members came from different tiers of the societal hierarchy. Seated amongst the audience were Baiyi's students; best friends; fan club members; sorcerers of advanced classes, who were all members of the Association; various organizations, including the Church, and nobles and merchants who could afford the extolling ticket and bets.

In the middle of the ring-shaped stadium was a gigantic silver screen that had been enchanted to display the battle, which a customized spectator spell would record. Hence, the audience would be able to watch the fight in even more vivid details, while those who could not attend the show would be able to watch the fight live from their location. The spell would broadcast the battle from all sides.

The Emperor, the Pope, the North, and South Dukes, and other officials had all set aside their tasks to focus on the once-in-a-lifetime performance, which was set to captivate many, even in the future.

To be fair, since this was supposed to be an exam mission, all the attention could be considered excessive. The attention garnered was through the roof. Baiyi, who faced the pressure of dueling a Holy-level fighter, would also have the real extent of his abilities.

In reality, Baiyi did not mind showing off only his magical abilities. In fact, he would love to have a larger audience watch him perform because he considered this duel the largest ad campaign he could do for his future academy. The best part of it was that Baiyi did not even have to spend any money; it was all funded by the Sorcerers Association. The Association had gotten the funds to stage the event from the revenue generated by the bets…

After Baiyi entered, the deuteragonist, Grant the Holy-level grand sorcerer, stepped onto his stone dais, amidst loud screams and cheers. Grant had made some changes to his usual appearance; he had donned a sorcerer's robe that looked fit for royalty. His face had been beautified by makeup, which made him look as young as a handsome twenty-years-old boy-next-door. With his unforgivingly breathtaking look, complemented with his gallant countenance, the female members of the audience were left screaming at the top of their lungs.

On the opposite sise was Baiyi, whose helm was partially covered by a plain yellow scarf. Not only did it make the soul armature look like an outlaw, but it could also have passed as the default appearance of mist video game mooks…

Emperor Walhart had his eyes on Baiyi for a while, then he started to wonder out loud, "Wasn't the Sanctus armor set elegant and commanding when I gifted it to him? How the hell did he turn it... into some farmer's garb?"

The two opponents were ready, and the bets were set. The duel was about to begin.

"Aha! I bid good day to you all, ladies and gentlemen! I'm very pleased to be hosting this heaven-gasping, earth-shattering, world-shocking, society-revamping, skills-showcasing Duel of Destiny! I am your humble host, hailing from the Arena of Blood and Glory, whose name you should not be bothered with! Let us begin by checking out our two contestants…" The announcer's voice rang from the middle of the stadium — a voice that Baiyi found familiar because it sounded like a talk show host's voice.

"On our left is Master Hope; he is, undeniably, the very same man often featured on the news lately! With the help of the Church's incessant publicity, I hear his name almost every single day! I'm sure everyone here already knows Master Hope's heroic deeds by heart. He is the man who had defeated the demon Thaas, Lord of the Abyss, and he is also the man who fought against nature herself to save the residents of Gouve! Is that's all there is to know about this enigmatic man? This is why today is special; we shall watch his real prowess with our own eyes today, and hopefully, all our questions regarding this mystery can be answered! Also, I would like to introduce you all to Master Hope's incredible students…"

As if on cue, the gigantic silver screen in the middle of the stadium showed where Little Mia and the rest were sitting. All the girls had made extra efforts to accentuate their best features; Little Mia's change was the most obvious. The girl was wearing an exceptionally elegant, black lean dress. As soon as Mia appeared on the large screen, the crowd gave her ovation even more generous than the one given to Baiyi when he was introduced.

Afterward, the screen quickly cut to Grant. This time, the host used even more sensational descriptions to introduce the VP, dumping titles and epithets in droves; such as, "the Greatest Holy-level ever", "Undefeatable by Anyone Below Holy-level", "The Ultimate Warrior Most Likely To Breakthrough Into Demigod-level In This Few Years", etc.

Grant was not embarrassed by the overly lavish praises. He lifted his head in a poised manner, taking in the crowd's cheers and praises.

After the introductions were done, one of the judges, who was standing at the edge of the field, asked both combatants if they were ready. Grant did not seem to worry about Baiyi's gears; he casually made a "please" gesture to Baiyi.

Baiyi was not as relaxed. He scanned every inch of Grant's body, then he whispered, "Ready?"

Seated in the audience, Little Mia quickly produced a makeshift magical apparatus, which Baiyi had constructed before the duel, from her storage pouch. It was a soccer ball-sized dodecahedron, which was made with hollowed out Octuplet twin crystals. Its surface was already coated with a bunch of illusionary spells in order to ward off any unneeded attention.

Mia scanned the interior of the apparatus with her psychic energy and concluded that it was in a stable condition. She brushed a part of her dress lightly, and the dress — which was actually the Owl in disguise — shuddered; that was an affirmative response.

Mia turned to the side and looked at Laeticia. The Village Girl flashed Mia a grin and grasped her hand.

"We're ready." Baiyi heard two voices answer him at the same time. One was Little Mia's, coming across through communication magic, while the other voice, strangely, came from inside his helmet. It was as if Baiyi was talking to himself.

The referee, who was standing close to Baiyi, seemed to have heard it as he turned to give Baiyi a puzzled look.

The Fifth Voidwalker only nodded at the referee, then he turned his attention back to Grant, who was standing atop another dais which was just opposite his. He made the same "please" gesture back at Grant.

The two sorcerers leaped into the air, soaring high into the stratosphere.

At the end of the overture was the beginning of the duelAlright, this one is a Chinese in-joke. In Jin Yong's wuxia novel, The Return of the Condor Heroes, one of the totes-beautiful-ladies was a powerful, mysterious, reserved yet hopelessly naive female martial artist named Xiaolongnu, whose name literally meant 'Little Dragon Maiden'. One of the unfortunate events in the story was the gullible girl being raped by a practitioner of the Quanzhen Taoist school. Hence, the joke term 'dragon rider' was borne!Hey, to be honest, I like dissonance. I like Baiyi's appearance. I like how awkwardly he sticks out.