Arlo slowly raised his wand and pointed it at Zane. For some reason, Zane simply stood there motionless, even as Arlo prepared an attack right in front of him.
The silence between them felt unnatural, stretching thin like a wire about to snap. A flicker of frustration crossed Arlo's face as veins started to pop on his forehead.
Of course, he didn't want to end the match just yet—he wanted to toy with Zane a little longer. Letting things end too quickly would rob him of the thrill he'd been waiting for all week.
So, he cast a simple spell. Moments later, the ground beneath him trembled and cracked, shattering into small chunks of debris, each piece roughly the size of his hand. The loud crack echoed across the dueling arena, drawing the attention of even the laziest spectators in the stands.
Then, with a swift motion of his wand, he launched them at Zane.
The rocks tore through the air with a whistling sound, closing the gap in seconds. As they flew toward him, Zane moved sideways, trying to dodge each one. He moved awkwardly, like an amateur who didn't know how to fight. His footwork was uneven, his stance sloppy.
"Why is he dodging like that?"
"The real question is, why in the hell is he even dodging?"
"I knew it—they only let him pass the trial because he's the Patriarch and the Matriarch's son!"
"What a shame… I guess he really lives up to his name."
The voices of the crowd grew louder. Some sounded disappointed, others mockingly amused. But, as always, Zane's expression remained stoic. Too stoic even, as if he wasn't human. There was no spark of fear, no anger—just that blank, unreadable face.
Eris and Lyra both looked confused by his strange behavior. They had seen Zane fight before—he might not have been the strongest, but he wasn't this passive. But Eris had already started to piece things together, her gaze narrowing.
"Could it be…?"
The other Seven Pillars were also disappointed, though they refrained from voicing it out loud. No one wanted to risk angering their leader, after all. Their silence was heavy, a quiet judgment that hung in the air.
Zane barely managed to dodge the incoming debris. But in the end, he stayed standing.
Arlo began to take notice of the strangeness in Zane's behavior. This wasn't like him at all.
Countless thoughts raced through Arlo's mind. Was Zane so afraid he couldn't speak or express what he was feeling?
Arlo paused, locking eyes with Zane. There was no point in continuing this fight anymore.
He couldn't enjoy the fight if he couldn't see his opponent suffer, and feel tormented. It wasn't just victory Arlo was after—it was dominance, the feeling of breaking someone down completely.
And so, he decided to end it.
"Come to think of it… I have a new spell I haven't tried in battle yet," Arlo said, a wide grin forming on his face.
"Don't worry, Zane. You won't die. I'll hold back as much as I can."
The grin faded, replaced by a serious expression. He stood still and closed his eyes, focusing intently. The very air around him grew heavier, denser. Suddenly, the ground around him began to tremble, more violently this time.
Despite being given time to react, Zane still didn't move. It was as if he was inviting Arlo to strike him down. The audience wasn't even surprised anymore. After all, what could they expect from someone called The Weakest Thaleward?
Still, no one had expected Zane to be this pathetic. Too pathetic, even. Some spectators were ready to leave, but curiosity kept them rooted in place. The ending was obvious—but the world had a way of surprising people.
The ground near Arlo started to heat up like a volcano ready to erupt. More cracks formed, the temperature rose, and flames flickered from beneath.
The shattered rocks began crawling up Arlo's leg, forming what looked like armor. Then his arms, then his chest—until his entire body was encased. Underneath the rocky exterior, flames pulsed and burned, giving him the appearance of a monster risen from a furnace.
Arlo now resembled a being made of magma. Of course, it wasn't actual magma. Arlo didn't possess a Magma affinity. Instead, he had cleverly fused Fire and Earth affinities, combining them in a way few could.
The audience was shocked—and amazed. What Arlo had just cast was a transformation spell.
"N-no way…"
"A transformation spell?!"
Gasps spread through the arena.
Transformation spells weren't something just anyone could learn. In fact, there were no basic versions of the transformation spell. Every transformation spell was a high-tier spell—or even higher, requiring deep magical understanding and exceptional mana control.
Arlo stood still for a moment, then raised his hand—now encased in jagged rock. His fingers had turned into sharp, pointed blades.
"I'm not done yet," he said, before adding,
"Don't be amazed just yet."
He let out another sigh. Suddenly, a semi-transparent barrier began to wrap around his body. The barrier expanded and coated the rocky armor that now covered him from head to toe. The colors shimmered faintly—blue with streaks of crimson, flickering like fire trapped in glass.
Arlo was now fully encased in a Thaleward's barrier and his own custom transformation spell.
It wasn't a visually pleasing look—but strength didn't lie in appearance.
The once-amazed crowd was now bewildered. Even the Seven Pillars couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"Is that…? Is that… Varion?"
The audience fell silent.
Varion was a Thaleward spell—a highly advanced magic only accessible to those who had completed an S-ranked task. You could either volunteer for such a task or be assigned to one. It was a transformation-type of spell, but more than that—it was a versatile, adaptive barrier that matched the user's affinity and capabilities.
The Magic Formula that will be received, served only as a foundation. The user had to build the transformation's design, abilities, and magical capabilities themselves—making it extremely personal and uniquely compatible.
But Arlo had never completed an S-ranked task. In fact, the only Thalewards who had were the Seven Pillars.
The Pillars exchanged confused glances. One of them spoke.
"Could it be…? A replica?"
Another responded,
"It seems so."
"Amazing… it might not look overwhelming, but I bet it's reliable. No wonder he managed to beat a B-ranked Potentialist."
"I'm honestly impressed. Makes me wonder why he's even in Ironveil. What do you think, Eris?"
Eris remained silent, sweat trailing down her forehead. She had assumed Zane was planning something—but now, things were spiraling.
She sighed, then stood up.
"I'm going to stop the match."
The other Pillars' eyes widened.
"What?!"
"Wait, Eris. Let's see how this plays out for now. I'm sure Arlo won't do anything too dangerous."
Eris glanced at the blue-haired boy wearing glasses beside her. She then sighed, and said:
"Well, I guess I'll let this drag on for a bit," she said, then added:
"But if it gets any more dangerous than this, I'm jumping down there."