Chapter 190: Royal Palace

Chapter 190: Royal Palace

Mana surge suddenly doubled and the ground started to shake as if an earthquake was underway.

Pieces of stone and rock rose from the ground and cracked apart into fist-sized chunks. A hurricane of stone was formed on the arena, and the howling of wind gave it an ever more menacing feeling.

"I surrender!" Tabbris suddenly shouted from the inside of the storm.

"What? I can't hear you!" Gerald shouted back, increasing his assault. Cracks and explosions of stone, as they hit the armor, produced an even greater rumbling sound.

"I give up! I surrender! Please, I'm sorry! You win!" Tabbris shouted at the top of his lungs. Sand and dust already entered the gaps in his armor and tiny cuts appeared on his skin. Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only

Gerald controlled the storm for a few more seconds before releasing his control. The rocks fell from the sky and the sand and dust covered the place. The arena was ruined and it looked like the aftermath of a heavy bombardment.

"Thank youfor going easy on me...and my sister," Tabbris said with difficulty after catching his breath. He was completely exhausted and dirty. He looked nothing like the charming young man he was before.

"You are welcome," Gerald answered calmly and offered him a hand. "You did well."

Tabbris Northendark took his hand and pulled himself up, "Thanks."

Woooooooooo!

The crowd went wild! They have never before seen a display like that before, it was ruthless and beautiful at the same time!

"Such a beautiful displa-"

"Kh-hm!" A man suddenly loudly cleared his throat, attracting the attention of everyone. It was the Guildmaster of Auralba.

"What the fuck do you punks think you are doing?! Why does this place look like a tornado just went through?! Who's responsible for this?!"

Gerald scratched his cheek and smiled wryly, "I might have gone a bit too far, hehe"

"I'll take care of it," Tabbris said and went to the Guildmaster.

He apologized profusely and explained the entire situation.

"A duel?! You turned the entire place to rubble for a duel?!" the man exploded.

Arthur rolled his eyes and sarcastically commented, "What, you can even fly now? Heh..."

Gerald jolted for an instant, realizing he spoke too much. Luckily Arthur didn't take his words seriously, and the girls didn't react since they already knew.

He decided it was best to ignore the remark and then spoke, "There are many things I could have done I could drown him for example. Although he can control water, if I interfered with his magic, he couldn't do a thing. Then there is the option of simply piling a bunch of stones on top of him and trap him inside. I do know he is capable of manipulating Earth though, so"

As Gerald went over all the options he had, his friends felt their breathing become increasingly difficult, including Arthur. They already thought his actions were too reckless, but now they realized he truly chose one of the less crazy options.

'Oh god! Please don't do anything crazy when we meet the King! Gods, please, protect my sanity, I beg of you' Arthur prayed silently in his heart.

"How did you manage to stay rational? I thought you went mad after he mentioned your...hand," Elly asked. She couldn't quite believe he came up with so many options on the spot in the middle of the fight.

"Oh, I don't actually care about my hand," Gerald answered calmly.

"What?!"

He elaborated, "I have come to terms with my loss long ago, and it doesn't bother me at all if people talk about it. I just needed an excuse to act crazy, that's all."

"Pfft!" Sera suddenly burst out laughing, "Haha, that totally sounds like something you would do!"

"Eh," Gerald scratched his head and smiled, "Honestly, this Tabbris seems like a good guy, just his sister is a little annoying. Besides, it's not like we have some irreconcilable conflict, and most people deserve a second chance."

"Let's just hope this is the end of it. We should hurry to meet the King now, we are almost there," Arthur said as they closed in on the royal estate.

The palace was on top of a hill, overlooking the entire city. It was surrounded by high walls and a spiked bronze fence, with a guard tower every one hundred meters or so.

From far away it looked more of a military fortress than a palace, but that was only on the outside.

Once they crossed the front gates, the lavish and beautiful garden opened up in their sight. Beautiful flowers and elegant trees decorated the place, with trimmed hedges and tall stone statues of animals and people, giving the place a grand feeling.

A water fountain sparkled in the sunlight on each side of the main stone-paved road.

"Woah! I thought our mansion was grand, but this" Xilia gasped. The palace was made of pristine white marble, with tall stone pillars and statues enriching its appearance.

Flags with the royal coat of arms flapped in the wind majestically and guards stood straight, guarding the premises.

"Of course, the royal family is the riches after all! They are the ones with the highest power in the Kingdom, so it's only right for them to have the most extravagant place."