Chapter 131

First, if they could just put out this urgent fire, they could use the power he’d built up in the Law Kingdom to somehow sweep this whole thing under the rug.

“I am Miek. I challenge you to a duel! I will cut off your head and make you pay for daring to insult me.”

“Wait!! No, please!”

Princess Olivia gasped, trying to stop him.

She was confused—was what this Ma-in said really true? But she had to stop the duel from happening.

The reason was simple.

Miek was a knight representing the Law Kingdom.

No matter how promising Christian was as a rising star in the Dark Maga, they were on completely different levels.

Christian would die.

“Please don’t stop me. That Ma-in has slandered me. He’s stained my honor with terrible lies. Even the Dark Maga won’t say a word if I kill him.”

Miek said grimly.

If Miek was truly innocent and this was all slander, then even Olivia couldn’t stop the duel.

In fact, as Miek spoke so confidently, some began to think the same.

“Yeah, no matter how petty Sir Miek is, he wouldn’t do something that awful.”

“It’s definitely that Ma-in’s scheme.”

“Typical treachery.”

Olivia clenched her fists tightly.

“I can’t just stand by and let Christian die!”

An inexplicable anxiety gripped her.

She couldn’t tell if it was because that Ma-in might be the only one who could reveal the truth about her brother, or if it was something else entirely—but she had no time to analyze it.

Her mouth went dry.

“Christian will probably try to avoid a duel he can’t win, so I have to protect him somehow and get this duel called off…”

But then.

Christian surprised everyone with his reaction.

“So you want to settle this with a fight?”

With a swift step, he jumped up onto the round table in the center of the hall.

By the way, this meeting room was called the “Round Table Hall.”

True to its name, a large round table sat in the middle—big enough for a proper duel.

“Stop barking and come up here.”

Miek climbed onto the table with a stiff, grim expression.

Seeing the two of them like that, Olivia’s vision darkened.

Before she knew it, the duel was set.

“No! Wait!”

At that moment, Christian’s eyes met hers.

Steady and unwavering, his gaze was calm and resolute.

Strangely, Olivia somehow understood what Christian’s eyes were saying.

“Don’t worry.”

She had no idea why she felt this way toward someone she’d only just met, especially a Ma-in, but it was as if they had shared a silent understanding over a long time.

Her pounding heart finally settled.

She realized she’d been too anxious and resolved to stay calm.

“…Stay calm. If anything happens to Christian, I can intervene with my own power. If I use my strength, I can prevent the worst.”

Meanwhile, Miek growled coldly atop the round table.

“You filthy Ma-in. How dare you slander me like this? I’ll cut off your head, salt it, and send it to the Dark Maga.”

Christian smirked.

“You sure talk a lot. Are all the Union guys like this? Or are you just scared?”

“!!”

“By the way, a simple duel is boring. How about a wager? If you lose, you confess everything.”

Miek let out a bitter laugh.

“Fine. But you better keep your neck ready!”

Flash!

A brilliant light flared.

An Aura Blade.

It looked similar to the Black Steel weapon Christian had used against Eshed, but it was different—stronger, sturdier.

The true might of an Elder-class weapon.

‘His fundamentals are solid.’

Even from just his stance, Christian could tell Miek’s level.

Despite his rotten personality, Miek was a formidable fighter.

No wonder he was the Law Kingdom’s representative knight.

In fact, among those watching the duel in the hall, no one expected Miek to lose.

And everyone was rooting for Miek.

His guilt hadn’t been proven yet, and above all, Christian was a Ma-in.

Some even looked on with eager anticipation for Christian’s blood to be spilled.

A lonely duel with no allies.

‘Wait, there’s one ally.’

Olivia’s worried eyes were fixed on Christian.

Honestly, it was unexpected.

They had no special relationship.

‘…Maybe because he’s such a good kid, he even worries about me, a Ma-in?’

She shook her head.

‘Anyway, there’s no need to worry.’

Christian raised his sword.

‘I’m not someone to be underestimated.’

At that moment, Miek moved.

He stomped his foot, and the round table made of sturdy oak cracked under the pressure as he closed the distance in an instant.

His charging Aura Blade gained momentum.

Like an axe splitting a boulder, it was ferocious.

If Christian tried to block it clumsily, his sword would shatter.

He couldn’t dodge easily either—the round table was too small to move freely.

It was a tough situation, but Christian quickly found a way.

Flash!

A black blade bloomed from Christian’s sword.

‘How foolish.’

Miek sneered.

‘There’s no way a black blade can block an Aura Blade.’

This attack was fully accelerated, its power amplified.

The black blade should have shattered instantly…

“!!”

Miek’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The black blade didn’t break upon contact with the Aura Blade.

Instead, a strong recoil, like two auras clashing, surged back into Miek’s arm.

‘What? Is that not a black blade?’

Miek stared at Christian’s sword in disbelief.

It was definitely a black blade.

Yet it stood firm against the Aura Blade.

And then something even more shocking happened.

“How leisurely. Do you have the luxury to be distracted?”

“!!”

Christian’s sword touched Miek’s, then performed a strange maneuver.

It slid sideways and twisted, causing Miek to momentarily lose his balance.

‘A parry? What the—?’

Of course, Miek was a master swordsman.

He’d reached Elder class in his early thirties, a testament to his talent.

Yet, despite seeing it with his own eyes, he fell for Christian’s trick.

Christian’s sword struck the opening without hesitation.

Flash!

The blade grazed dangerously close to Miek’s eyes.

He barely dodged, but if he’d been a fraction slower, he would have lost his sight.

“Y-You’ll pay for this!!”

Miek roared in fury and launched a more furious assault.

Then.

A dark lightning crackled.

A destructive black magic.

Miek had strong anti-magic resistance, so he was usually immune to most spells.

But Christian’s black magic wasn’t aimed at Miek’s body.

It targeted Miek’s sword.

Crackle!

The sword trembled under the lightning, and Christian seized the moment.

Screech!

Blood splattered from Miek’s shoulder.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a fatal wound.

But it was a blow to his pride.

Then came a barrage of attacks.

Various black magics and strikes rained down.

Miek should have been stronger.

His Aura Blade’s might far outclassed Christian’s humble black blade.

Yet it was Miek who was cornered.

Those watching swallowed hard.

“This can’t be.”

“It’s like they’re toying with Sir Miek.”

“Is this really the power of the Dark Maga’s prince?”

Then, an unbelievable sight unfolded.

Boom!

Miek, pushed back badly, tumbled off the round table!

A humiliating spectacle.

“Sir Miek!”

“Are you alright?!”

Miek exploded in anger.

“Everyone shut up and get out of here!!”

“!!”

“That bastard… I’ll kill him.”

Miek’s bloodshot eyes glared fiercely as he climbed back onto the table.

Christian shrugged.

“Hmm. You okay? Your eyes are all watery. Want me to wait while you go cry? I can even lend you a handkerchief.”

“You bastard!!! Shut up!!!”

Cornered desperation.

Shattered pride.

Combined with Christian’s taunts, Miek completely lost his composure.

“I’ll kill you!! I’ll kill you!!”

Flash!!

Miek was engulfed in a blinding aura.

He was about to unleash his secret technique.

“No, no!”

Olivia’s face went pale.

There was no way Christian could withstand that technique.

Christian tried to respond, but he was a step too late.

Miek’s secret technique was the “Meteor Bullet” passed down from the Holy Empire’s sacred knights.

He reinforced his body with aura and charged like a meteor, crushing his opponent.

True to its name, it was a powerful technique with meteor-like speed and destructive force, making it nearly impossible to react to at close range.

Everyone expected Christian to meet a gruesome death.

But Christian smiled coldly.

‘I’m familiar with the Meteor Bullet. I’ve seen the Holy Empire knights fight more than once.’

He responded calmly.

‘Blocking head-on won’t work.’

The Meteor Bullet was like a charging bull.

No matter how strong Christian’s black blade was, he couldn’t withstand it physically.

‘If I pulled out Andril, I might block it head-on.’

But there was no need.

Christian simply reached forward with his hand.

To set the stage for toppling the charging bull—

Whoosh!

A thick wall of dark magic suddenly materialized, blocking Chris’s path.

Black Sword Transformation: Black Wall.

It was a solid barrier capable of withstanding most physical attacks, but against the meteor-like charge barreling straight ahead, it looked as fragile as a sheet of paper.

The spectators shook their heads.

“It’s over.”

“He was reckless without knowing his limits.”

Sure enough, the moment the meteor struck the black wall, it shattered into pieces instantly.

Chris’s body was now fully exposed.

Olivia’s face drained of color, pale as a corpse at the sight of the impending horror, while Miek, confident of victory, curled his lips into a cruel smile.

Then, something unexpected happened.

In the blink of an eye.

As the meteor’s charge faltered against the black wall’s resistance—

Chris seized that tiny opening.

Crack!

The floor beneath Miek’s feet—the round table—collapsed.

Normally, when using the meteor spell, the caster’s body hovers slightly above the ground, propelled by a powerful aura-driven leap.

But the moment the black wall broke, some of that momentum was lost, and as Miek tried to push forward for another leap, the floor beneath him gave way.

This was a precise magical maneuver, requiring exact timing to collapse the floor just as his foot touched it—but for Chris, it was a simple feat.

“Graaah!”

Off balance, Miek tumbled like a fallen bull, plunging beneath the round table.

The meteor spell completely shattered the floor, and Miek flailed helplessly amid the wreckage.

A pitiful sight.

“You idiot.”

Chris reached out his hand.

“Let’s finish this.”

Crackle.

Four small spheres of dark energy appeared, hovering in the air.

The orbs swarmed around Miek, encircling him from all sides.