"Who do you think will win?" a noble asked, his voice full of excitement.
"I'm not sure. Still, this duel will be fascinating… A duel between the prince of the Hayden Kingdom and the first son of the Jenkins Clan."
"You're right. I feel the same… This duel will really open our bumpkins' eyes."
However, Hector didn't think so. He knew clearly how powerful Prince Hayden was. After all, he was one of the future villains—one who stood by Luna's side. He was meant to be Luna's right hand.
Everyone called him by a flashy name: the Knight of Heaven.
He possessed a special blessing from heaven, one that granted him holy power. The more his believe in justice, the more holy power he received.
As for Alger, his big brother… well, Hector didn't have much to say. Alger was just a typical, ordinary villain, just like him.
"Who knows." Hector shrugged.
The referee shouted,
"Start!"
Soon, the clash began.
The clang of metal rang out across the arena. Everyone widened their eyes at the sight of the geniuses' power.
Their slashes were sharp and precise, proof that their skills had been trained carefully since childhood.
They danced together like masterful ballet dancers, showing off every technique they knew.
Then, with a fierce impact, both of them were pushed far apart.
"You're strong. As expected, the first son of a great clan is different." Ralph said.
Alger smiled.
"You too, Prince."
Ralph just smirked when he heard that.
"Hope you're holding back, because in the next clash, I won't restrain myself anymore."
"After all, I'm a Knight of Heaven—one who protects justice."
Ralph's body suddenly shifted, making everyone frown in confusion. The mana around him changed completely, turning into a golden, metallic glow.
With lightning-fast movements, Ralph lunged at Alger, swinging a flurry of slashes. He pushed his attacks to a higher intensity, leaving Alger with no time to breathe.
It was as if Ralph had received some kind of special buff out of nowhere, his strength rising explosively.
A one-side duel.
With a disappointed sigh, Ralph delivered a simple kick to Alger's chest, sending him flying out of the arena and knocking him unconscious.
"What a disappointment!"
…
"No way! The prince is too strong!"
"Exactly. The first son of the great clan didn't even have a chance to fight back."
…
"Maybe the son of a great clan isn't as strong as I expected."
"Perhaps their current generation is getting weaker."
Ralph curled his lips slightly as he listened to the crowd's chatter. It seemed their plan had worked, at least to some extent.
Ruining the reputation of the Jenkins Clan.
Ralph cleared his throat and spoke, his voice filled with politeness and apparent respect toward the members of the Jenkins Clan.
"I was just lucky. If Young Lord Alger had stayed more alert, the duel would've been far more exciting. I consider him an equal opponent."
The noble clicked his tongue.
"Prince has such good traits."
"Right, he is a good man."
…
"Congratulations, Duke Waldo. You have an excellent grandson," a nearby noble said in a polite tone.
Waldo simply smiled, quietly rubbing his goatee in happiness. At the same time, he glanced at the head of the clan with a smug look.
"I wonder why he's still keeping that indifferent face after witnessing such humiliation?"
…
"Perhaps he still has hope for his other son." He smiled and shook his head.
Beside Waldo, Luna showed no happiness at all after her brother's victory, instead keeping a resentful gaze on Hector, who was picking his nose in complete indifference.
Noticing his granddaughter's reaction, Waldo gently rubbed her head in comfort.
"Don't worry. That useless trash will receive the consequences he deserves."
***
"Start!"
Ralph clicked his tongue, looking at Bell, who was shivering.
He sighed in disappointment.
"Don't worry. You only have four mana cores, so I'll use the power of four mana cores too. Fair enough?"
Hearing that, Bell slowly stopped shivering. It seemed he might have a chance to win if Ralph limited himself to the same number of mana cores.
Without hesitation, he lunged at Ralph with incredible speed… but then he staggered and collapsed.
"TOO WEAK!" Ralph chuckled as he stood beside Bell.
"What the hell?" a noble shouted in shock.
"I didn't even see his movement."
"How could he move like that?" another noble asked in confusion.
Nearby, Waldo cleared his throat and explained.
"My grandson only made a simple move, but it was extremely fast… However, the main point is that young Lord Bell lost his caution."
"A fighter who loses his caution is the same as showing his weakness."
"Ah, I see."
Countless praises were thrown at Ralph. Meanwhile, most members of the Jenkin Clan lowered their heads in embarrassment and humiliation.
"Well, this is bad. My clan's reputation will take a hit after this," Hector clicked his tongue, looking at the gloomy atmosphere hanging over his clan members.
"It's my turn." He shrugged and stepped onto the arena.
However, his opponent this time was just a young knight from the royal family, not a prince anymore.
He frowned deeply, and an elder of his clan spoke up.
"Prince Ralph, can you explain this? What do you mean by letting a mere knight fight the son of a great clan?"
Ralph spoke with a polite voice.
"I mean no disrespect to the great clan, but I've just fought two sons of your clan. They were quite strong, so I need a short break to recover my full strength. Meanwhile, I'll leave one of my knights for him to warm up."
"Of course, my knight could never stand against a son of a great clan."
The elder's face twitched after hearing that. He understood Ralph's true intention, but there was nothing he could do.
"Damn it… our reputation will be ruined. Why did the head clan accept a request from damned royalties?"
Suddenly, Hector spoke up.
"Your suggestion is good, Prince. He's enough for me to warm up."
Everyone was stunned. They weren't sure if there was something wrong with their ears.
Ralph nodded and said,
"Thank you for your understanding. When I recover, I'll fight you."
However, he then quietly spoke to his knight.
"Humiliate him in front of everyone here… don't let him surrender."
A/N: I hope you enjoy this novel. Support by adding to your library and giving a power stone or two. Thank you