"Phew, that makes twenty. I expected things to be simpler since I upgraded, but surprisingly they were still durable regardless." Jayden grinned as he looked back at the slowly dissipating corpse. The creature's chest had a clean hole in it where its heart once belonged, and the dark smoke around its body floated upward before fading into the pale morning sky.
"Necromancy huh. No wonder they did not fight normally. If it went unnoticed, I can understand why my clone was killed by them."
He sheathed Xelvicar with a soft click and released a long sigh.
"I still did not find the one that killed him though. What a shame."
The capital streets around him were eerily quiet, the usual noise of markets replaced with the faint rustle of cold wind brushing along stone walls. Jayden had been running through the city at hyper speed, a streak of lightning darting between abandoned alleys and rooftops as he destroyed every undead creature he encountered. The flame tracker pulsed with faint blue light each time it detected a nearby corpse, leading him deeper into hidden corners of the capital.
The undead had been tucked away in strange, random places. Some crouched behind water barrels. Others sat silently in dusty storage sheds. Most of them were still, unmoving, almost harmless at first glance. But the moment Jayden stepped within range, their mana cores flared and they lunged at him in wild, chaotic attacks.
He had destroyed twenty by piercing their cores, each one an orb of mana nestled where their hearts once beat when they were alive. Their bodies were slow and their movements predictable, nothing but half thinking husks that relied on brute force and basic melee strikes.
He could have created another clone to handle them all, but he chose not to. He wanted to test the depth of his improvement since emerging from the chamber of time. Besides, relying too much on clones felt like cheating and might make him lazy in the long run.
"Better head to the stadium. My match might start soon. It would be pretty dumb to get disqualified after everything."
Jayden teleported to the stadium entrance, reappearing in a flash of static. He was about to head to the mages section to meet his friends when the booming voice of the announcer echoed through the massive arena.
"It has been exactly five minutes. If Jayden Reginald does not show up in the next seconds, he will be disqualified and Levi Henso will be declared the winner by default."
"Ten," the speaker began, and the countdown rolled through the air like a clap of thunder.
"Nine."
Jayden smirked. "Thank you commentator, for giving me the perfect entrance opportunity."
The entire stadium fell into a suffocating silence. Tens of thousands of eyes watched anxiously. Some hoped desperately that Jayden would arrive. To them, he was the strongest mage in the competition, the pride of their side. If he was disqualified, the balance of the entire tournament would tilt toward the swordsmen.
Others prayed for his failure, terrified of the idea of him facing Kevin Dominic. They clenched their fists with every tick of the countdown.
"Four."
"Three."
"Stop the countdown. I am here now."
A thunderous voice cut across the arena. Intricate lines of light spread across the ring like a spell circle unfolding. After a burst of blinding brilliance, Jayden appeared in the center of the ring, standing with his arms outstretched in theatrical fashion.
"Just in time, with not a moment to spare, is… Jayden Reginald!" the speaker shouted into the amplifier.
For a full second, the stadium was completely silent. Then it erupted in cheers so loud that the ground vibrated beneath the feet of the spectators. The mages shouted in relief and victory, hugging each other and waving glowing banners.
"What a fool. My heart almost stopped," Nadia muttered with a shaky breath.
"The things this guy does... he shocks even me sometimes. I cannot wait to hear what excuse he plans to give for coming this late," Ren said. His hand rested on his chest as he recovered from the tension, knowing deep down that Jayden might be the only one capable of defeating Kevin.
"Your son really knows how to make a dramatic entrance," King Clenor chuckled.
"He does, does he not? He really does," Luke said, gritting through a forced smile as the vein on his forehead slowly faded.
"I am betting a hundred gold coins on my son." Luke raised a pouch of coins, shaking it with a sly grin.
The noble betmaster stared at him in disbelief.
"Ho ho ho. Even if he is your son, you are being ridiculous. Not even he is as special as you think. But who am I to complain? I am but a humble betmaster." The man smiled greedily, already imagining the gold he expected to win.
"That is a lot. Even if he is your son, are you not being too arrogant?" General Lance asked.
"Nope. I am simply watching my son fight and earning free money at the same time. That sounds wise to me."
The betmaster bowed and hurried off with the bag of gold.
"And truthfully, but not gloatingly, I doubt any competitor or any high grade mage and below can beat my son," Luke said proudly.
"That is straight up glazing, Luke," King Clenor laughed.
"Want to bet on it?" Luke raised another pouch.
"The pleasure is mine," Clenor answered.
After sealing their deal, Luke stepped forward and called out to Jayden.
Jayden turned toward his father. He mouthed something.
"He does not have a second seal on. That is not good... what am I saying, that is great."
"Do not worry kiddo. Let him have it. I support you!" Luke yelled with fatherly pride, before muttering more quietly, "Just do not go too far."
Their brief exchange sent the crowd into a frenzy again. Many mages rejoiced, excited to see the strongest swordsmen also rooting for them. Some swordsmen, however, felt insulted.
Once the clearing process finished, Jayden and Levi stepped onto the ring.
"For the mages," the announcer declared, "the son of the famous Luke Reginald, who uses sword and magic like two natural extensions of his body… Jayden Reginald!"
The ground trembled with the force of the cheers and magical sparks erupted from the stands as Jayden waved a thumbs up.
"And representing the Dubem clan, home to generations of warriors and sword fighters... Levi Henso!"
The swordsmen struck their blades together in a rhythmic, thunderous beat that rang through the stadium like war drums.
Levi approached. He was huge and muscular, towering over Jayden with thick shoulders and black armor fitted tightly to his body. Two long swords crossed behind his back, their handles extending past his shoulders. A faded scar ran across his shoulder, hinting at long years of training and battle.
He grinned widely, voice booming.
"You look weak. And you probably are. You should have stayed hidden and let me win."
Jayden stared at him, unimpressed.
"Are you actually sixteen?" Jayden asked, eyeing him from head to toe. Levi looked more like someone in his mid twenties.
"Yes I am. I am a true man. Unlike you, pretending to be strong with fancy visual skills. Be a good boy and forfeit, or else suffer my wrath." He pushed back his thick, bushy hair and flexed dramatically.
"Gross. That is probably the most cringe thing I have heard this week," Jayden thought. "Guess I will give him a good pounding."
Electric sparks crackled loudly around Jayden's clenched fist as the air thickened with tension.