Capítulo 83: Chapter 83:

Just as Orf was overwhelmed by shock, the Skeleton Emperor's massive sword came crashing down.

Some of the spectators instinctively closed their eyes, unable to bear the sight of the tragedy they believed was about to unfold.

However, to their surprise, the gruesome scene of blood and gore they had imagined never appeared.

A slender, pale hand—marked with intricate silver patterns—suddenly extended and, without any grand display, effortlessly stopped the giant sword in its tracks.

Boom!

The moment they collided, a terrifying shockwave erupted, sweeping through the hall. Centered around Luca, the ground caved in, sending shattered rocks flying in all directions. Cracks spider-webbed across the stone floor, groaning under the immense pressure.

As the dust settled, a silver-white figure emerged.

Luca's expression was cold and indifferent, his long robe billowing. Silver runes crisscrossed his body, his hand glowing with a pearly white light. With what seemed like a casual, weightless gesture, he had completely stopped the massive bronze sword, which was taller than a person. No matter how much force the Skeleton Emperor exerted, it couldn't budge an inch!

"How is this possible?!" Countless people leaped to their feet, eyes wide in disbelief.

"His physical strength alone is blocking an attack from a Lord-level monster?!"

"Impossible! I must be sleep-deprived… Yes, that must be it!"

"Hahaha, who would've thought our Southwind City would give rise to such a peerless genius!"

"Genius? This is crossing two entire major realms! This isn't a genius—he's a monster prodigy!"

...

The entire stadium erupted into chaos!

A Silver-grade combatant physically clashing against a Platinum-grade Lord-level monster—he had spanned two entire major grades!

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed it for a second!

"He actually withstood an attack from a Platinum-grade monster… Is this kid even human?!" Fred's eyes widened as he sucked in a breath of cold air.

In just one day, Luca had completely redefined Fred's concept of what it meant to be a genius, again and again.

Kruse burst into hearty laughter, "With talent like his, he could easily stand among the top prodigies of Dawn City! Our academy really struck gold with this one!"

Melissa hesitated for a moment before saying, "The problem is, he's here to apply for a teaching position… Even if he passes the trial, he won't be one of our academy's students."

Hearing this, Kruse's smile froze on his face.

He suddenly remembered—Luca had never intended to be a student at their academy in the first place.

No matter how extraordinary he was, he wouldn't be representing their school.

Realizing this, Kruse felt as if he had just lost a fortune. He glanced over at Orf and couldn't help but plead, "Principal, shouldn't you try convincing Luca again? With his talent, making him a mere instructor would be such a waste!"

But Orf had no time for Kruse's concerns right now.

His gaze was fixed on the image of Luca, whose entire body was covered in shimmering silver patterns. His heart churned like a stormy sea, and his eyes were filled with utter astonishment.

"It really is a Superclass magic rune!" Orf marveled inwardly.

He was more than familiar with the aura and fluctuations of Superclass magic runes—there was no way he could be mistaken!

The silvery white magic runes on Luca's body had to be a Superclass magic rune, and an exceptionally unique one at that. Otherwise, even with a Superclass rune, it would be impossible for him to boost his strength to such an extent in an instant.

"Today's youth…" Orf's gaze turned complex, filled with deep emotions. Even though his expectations for Luca had already been sky-high, he hadn't imagined that this young man, at merely the Silver grade, would have mastered a Superclass magic rune!

One must know that this was a realm countless Demonic Rune Mages could never hope to reach in their entire lifetimes!

And how old was Luca? Eighteen? Nineteen?

Thinking of the accomplishments Luca might achieve in the future, Orf couldn't help but feel his own age catching up to him.

He had some guesses about the origin of this magic rune as well.

After all, he knew almost everything that had happened in Riverfall City. If his guess was right, the magic rune on Luca's body was likely drawn using the transcendent materials left behind by the King-level monster's mirrored image.

The only thing that puzzled Orf was—who had inscribed this rune for Luca?

Could it be that there was a hidden Superclass practitioner in a small place like Emerald State whom he was unaware of?

As for the possibility that Luca had personally refined and inscribed the rune himself, that thought merely flashed through Orf's mind before he dismissed it.

If a Demonic Rune Mage has enough talent and resources, possessing magic runes far exceeding those of their peers isn't unheard of.

Orf even knew of some prodigies from powerful factions who, despite not being Demonic Rune Mages, were born with several Superclass temporary runes inscribed on their bodies by powerful practitioners to enhance their talents and strength.

These temporary runes were known as "Companion Runes" and could sometimes remain with them for a lifetime.

As for the notion of a low-level Demonic Rune Mage inscribing a Superclass magic rune… that was pure nonsense. In the tens of thousands of years of Eternal Continent's history, such a thing had never happened. So, Orf was more inclined to believe that Luca had simply stumbled upon some incredible opportunity.

Unfortunately, this wasn't something he could easily inquire about. After all, everyone has their own secrets.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the audience seating—

Fratis gazed at the figure within the Trial Tower, her beautiful eyes filled with astonishment.

"Is that… Luca?" She had just received word and rushed over, only to witness this awe-inspiring scene.

As a princess, Fratis had been surrounded by countless influential figures and brilliant prodigies since childhood.

But at this moment, she suddenly felt that compared to the young man before her, all those people were like fireflies in the presence of the bright moon—utterly incomparable. This was what true, unparalleled talent looked like. This was what it meant to be a true prodigy of the ages!

Gazing at the figure within the Trial Tower, standing there like a deity descended upon the mortal world, Fratis pressed a hand to her chest, her eyes shimmering, feeling as if her heartbeat had slowed half a beat. Sёarch* The nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Mother… I think I'm in love…

Luca's display of strength left not only the spectators outside in shock.

Inside the Trial Tower, the Skeleton Emperor was having an existential crisis.

It couldn't comprehend why the weakling of a boy in front of it had, in the blink of an eye, transformed into someone entirely different—an aura of overwhelming power radiated from him, a power that made even its very soul tremble.

At this moment, the Skeleton Emperor's only thought was to flee. Gripping the bronze greatsword with both hands, the ghostly flames in its eyes flickered wildly. The sheer force it exerted caused its entire bony frame to creak and groan with piercing, grating sounds.

What astonished the Skeleton Emperor, however, was that no matter how much strength it used, it couldn't move the greatsword an inch. It was as if an iron vise had clamped down on the blade, making it utterly immovable, completely stuck in place!

"Scared now, you bastard?" Luca chuckled softly, but his eyes flashed with a cold light.

A layer of frost began to spread from Luca's hand, quickly covering the bronze greatsword and spreading toward the Skeleton Emperor.

Sensing the imminent danger, the Skeleton Emperor felt an intense foreboding. Seeing the frost creeping closer and closer, it had no choice but to abandon the greatsword, turning into a wisp of black smoke and retreating rapidly.

But there was no way Luca would let it escape so easily.

"Finish it," he said calmly, his voice soft but brimming with murderous intent.

The moment Luca's words fell, a blinding flash of icy light appeared behind the Skeleton Emperor.

-7514!

A glaring damage number floated up, and frost instantly covered half of its skeletal frame.

"When did this happen?!" The Skeleton Emperor's body froze in shock, its hollow gaze turning backward in disbelief. Only then did it notice—somehow, behind it stood another figure that looked exactly like Luca.

The same long, silver-white hair, the same cold, indifferent expression—without a hint of emotion. The only difference was that instead of a silver spear, this figure wielded a blue ice sword.

Ice Mirror Clone!

Before the Skeleton Emperor could react, the Ice Mirror Clone twisted its wrist, and the blue sword turned into a blur, striking down like a torrential storm upon its bony form.

-6664! -6817! -7136! ...

The whirling sword formed a blue tempest, completely enveloping the Skeleton Emperor.

A series of damage numbers rose from its head, and in the blink of an eye, its entire body was riddled with gashes!

The black mist surrounding the Skeleton Emperor churned violently as its health dropped at an alarming rate.

Even more devastating, each of the clone's attacks carried a freezing effect, making its movements sluggish and its attempts to counterattack or escape exceedingly difficult.

Seeing that if this continued, it would be frozen and controlled to death by Luca.

The Skeleton Emperor let out a piercing roar toward the sky.

Boom!!

A cloud of death energy erupted from its body, and the powerful shockwave sent Luca's clone flying backward.

Gaining a brief moment of respite, the Skeleton Emperor took a deep breath, thinking of a way to escape.

But just then, a calm voice that filled it with dread suddenly echoed through the hall.

"It's over," Luca stated calmly.

The Skeleton Emperor jerked its head around, only to see Luca—who hadn't moved until now—slowly lift his hand.

In an instant, a terrifying surge of ice elemental energy gathered in the sky.

A colossal ice magic formation, spanning several hundred meters, materialized above the entire palace in the blink of an eye!

The temperature throughout the entire cemetery plummeted sharply, and snowflakes began to drift down from the darkened sky.

"How… how is this possible…" The Skeleton Emperor looked up at the magic formation in the sky, its eyes filled with terror and disbelief!

Before it could finish its sentence, Luca lightly pointed his Mithril Mage Spear at it.

The magic formation above the palace flared with a brilliant ice-blue light, and a thunderous dragon's roar echoed from the formation!

"Roar!!!"

In the Skeleton Emperor's horrified gaze, a massive, fearsome white ice dragon—resembling a giant serpent—suddenly burst forth from the formation!

The monstrous creature, stretching over a hundred meters long, descended upon it like a crashing comet!

Boom!!!

The deafening explosion reverberated throughout the entire cemetery, and an unbelievably powerful frost storm swept through the entire 20th-floor secret realm, with the black palace at its center!

The dark clouds in the sky were blown apart by the raging storm. Snowflakes fluttered down as the extreme cold enveloped everything, and the palace was rapidly covered in layers of ice and snow, spreading visibly fast across the entire cemetery.

When the devastating frost storm finally dissipated, the entire cemetery had transformed into a world of ice and snow!

High-level Ice Mage Skill: Winter Frost Dragon!

With that one strike, the entire Trial Tower trembled!

Frost began spreading rapidly from the 20th floor as its epicenter, enveloping the Trial Tower in layers of ice.

In just a few breaths' time, under the stunned gazes of everyone watching, the entire Trial Tower was completely encased in ice!