Chapter 44
The stadium fell silent, every eye fixed on the arena as people tried to grasp what had just happened.
The famous stone golem Mors lay knocked out in a bloodied pit, while the winner stood calm, waiting for the announcement. He was unnervingly composed — not even his heartbeat seemed to quicken.
A voice echoed, ending the anticipation.
"THE VICTORY GOES TO RILEY KERMA!"
The crowd could not believe the result.
"That was one heck of a flashy start," Jessa exclaimed.
Laughter rippled through the audience.
Jessa gestured to the staff. "Can someone clean up the rubble in the stadium, please?"
Medical and cleaning crews rushed onto the field.
Meanwhile, Riley sat back on the throne beside Lugh.
"That was amazing, brother!" Sreya cried, excitement lighting her face.
"Yeah. That was awesome, Riley. Quite flashy," Lisa said, smiling cryptically.
Simon froze. (What the heck? How am I supposed to compare to that!? My nerves are haywire. Gotta go to the restroom...) He stood up.
"Going somewhere?" Riley asked.
Simon paused, then answered with forced seriousness, "There's some business I need to tend to. Don't worry — I'll be back."
"Are you sure?" Lugh asked suspiciously.
(What? Are you trying to kill me...!)
"Witnessing round one. I'm sure the opponent is not worth the concern," Simon said, keeping an unshaken calm. (Gotta go pee. Gotta go.)
Merlin seemed silent but not afraid; rather, there was a glint of excitement in her eyes.
Riley noticed the change in the group's mood and frowned. (Not long ago they were tense and nervous, but there's no sign of that now.) Something clicked in his mind. (Flashy start! It increased our team's morale, easing our nervous tension. On the other hand, it lowered theirs.)
A sharp voice announced the start of round two. "PARTICIPANTS… STEP UP TO THE ARENA."
Merlin stood slowly.
"Good luck, Merlin," Lisa called.
"Be careful and stay sharp-witted. Her strength is your weakness," Sreya advised.
"Don't die," Lugh said bluntly.
Lisa, Sreya, and Riley went quiet and watched Lugh.
"What!" Lugh demanded when they kept staring.
"Staaaaaare," Riley teased.
Merlin sighed and advanced to the ground.
She stopped and glared at her opponent: a merfolk who smiled with confident ease.
"The match shall now BEGIN!"
Barriers rose around the arena.
Immediately after the match began, Catla vanished with blinding speed.
"WHAT IS CATLA DOING? SHE'S PUTTING HER MANA AFFINITIES TO USE — LIGHTNING MAGIC TO MOVE AT UNFATHOMABLE SPEED!" Jessa announced, describing the match.
Catla moved so fast she became a blur, circling the arena to confuse Merlin.
"What's going on?" Riley asked.
"She's not only immune to Merlin's magic, but she seems aware of her physical moves — her giant water fist and ATGEIRR," Lisa said.
"No way..." Sreya whispered.
"You're fussing over nothing," Lugh said, calm as ever.
"How am I supposed to be calm? This is a deathground!" Riley protested.
The girls exchanged concerned looks.
Lugh sighed. "Open your eyes and gaze upon the vast ocean in front of you."
The others activated their mana-sensory eyes and were left dumbfounded by what they saw.
The massive arena had filled to the brim with water-like mana, contained only by the barrier.
"What's that?" Sreya asked.
Lisa and Riley were speechless.
"The barrier hasn't vanished since the start of round two — it becomes invisible until the point of contact. Why?" Lugh asked.
They listened in awe.
"It's because the barrier is acting like a glass cage containing Merlin's water-like mana," Lugh answered.
"But how? Her mana didn't used to behave like water itself," Lisa said.
"It's flowing like water. A whirlpool has formed inside the barrier," Riley added.
"Your mana didn't always behave like dark, foggy clouds, Lisa," Lugh observed.
Lisa's features shifted as realization dawned on her.
"What does that mean?" Sreya asked.
"My mana started behaving like darkness after I discovered my Source Element," Lisa said.
"That's insane!" Riley exclaimed.
"Source Element... you mean she—" Sreya began, but Merlin remained steadfast in her place.
The field was overtaken by afterimages of Catla. Dusty smoke rose to knee height as her feet ground against the stone-concrete floor.
(Merlin hasn't moved an inch since I started. I was successful in confusing her.) Catla moved behind Merlin and rushed her with her blade at full speed.
Merlin spoke a few small words, each carrying the weight of the ocean.
"Source Magic: IcyGlecia."
A massive array of mana erupted.
Jessa stared in disbelief; the crowd gasped at the sight. Riley and the others watched in awe. Lugh smirked, while the heroes' party felt a mix of fear and astonishment.
"Have my vision gone bad?" Jessa asked as she wiped her glasses. "No! The entire arena, including the multi-layered barrier, has frozen solid!"
The arena floor froze as if a −20° glacier had swept across it. The barrier solidified into an icy shell shaped like an egg, half of it cradled in ice.
The barrier was made of mana, but even it wasn't immune to IcyGlecia. The frozen barrier was translucent.
Jessa peered through the shriveled ice. "Guys! We have our winner."
Inside the barrier, Merlin stood in the same spot. Behind her, Catla was trapped in an ice statue, a victim of frostbite. Her blade stopped just short of her neck, held fast by the ice.
"Winner: Merlin!"
The audience erupted in cheers.
The heroes' party felt both furious and terrified. The rankers were stunned.
[MERLIN, YOU ROCK!]
[SHE IS SMOKIN']
"Our Merlin is a rockstar without singing," Sreya said, chuckling.
"MARRY ME, MERLIN!" a voice shouted from the stands.
The mood shifted. Lugh broke into a cold sweat.
"Lugh!" Riley called his name, making him jump before replying.
"Yes?" Lugh answered.
"Make sure to restrain my left hand; it's closest to my blade." Riley's soft smile curved into something sharp. There was no trace of the gentle Riley Kerma.
While the rankers were in a dreadful uproar, something else was happening in the VIP seating.
"How does it feel to see your sister-in-law in action?" Aria asked.
The Headmaster, who sat beside her, and the Pope, seated next to Kiero, turned to them instantly.
"It's certainly reassuring. I bet Teres will be ecstatic," Lucious replied.
"Sir Lucious, if Merlin is your sister-in-law, then that would mean..." Kiero said, suspicion in his voice.
"Yes, that's right. She is Merlin Schneider, second daughter of the King of Silla," Lucious confirmed.
The Headmaster went pale. (My one student is the son of Vaedros Redhart, and the other is a princess...)
The Pope's expression grew serious, as if weighing thoughts.
Lucious closed his eyes briefly. (She was supposedly dead after she went missing on the way to the sanctuary. He knew what he was sending his daughter into... He opened his eyes and looked at Merlin with warm concern. Poor thing — she must have learned her father's antiques the hard way...)
Lucious was not the only one muttering to himself in the VIP section.
A man's smile curved upward and his brows arched downward. (If she is the daughter of King Silla, then I can buy her from him. )
His thin pupils slid toward where Aria sat.
(I tried so hard to break her and make her a slave serving me, even putting her in charge of the men her age to weaken her resolve. Her genius was a plus.)
His curved smile was replaced by teeth grinding together. But she didn't budge. The most handsome and attractive man — the hero — proposed, and she didn't flinch even a little.
The Pope's eyes returned to Merlin. He murmured, almost to himself, "You'll do just fine, Merlin Schneider."