Chapter 178

Philip was the first to step forward.

“Why did you come alone? I told you to attack together!”

“Shut up!! Someone like you? I can crush you all by myself!”

Philip pulled out a chilling artifact.

A staff etched with a sinister seal.

It was the cursed relic known as the Orb of Destruction.

‘A cursed artifact that amplifies the destructive power of dark magic. Perfectly compatible with a destruction mage’s black magic.’

Those who recognized the relic murmured among themselves.

A dark mage wielding a perfectly matched artifact could unleash unimaginable power.

And Philip was a genius.

There was no doubt he would draw out the artifact’s full potential.

“It’s too late for regrets. I will make you atone for the wrongs you’ve done to me through unbearable agony.”

Fwoooosh!!

The seal on the orb flared with a blood-red light.

Flames erupted.

It was the same advanced spell he’d used in yesterday’s duel.

But this time, it was different.

White flames burned fiercely—pure destruction incarnate.

The flames of annihilation.

The dark mages watching the duel widened their eyes in shock.

‘He evolved the five-star advanced spell, Flame of Ruin, into the six-star willpower spell, White Flame of Destruction, using the artifact’s power!’

Of course, it wasn’t a true six-star willpower spell.

He had forcibly enhanced the spell’s power, so it was unstable.

Still, its strength rivaled that of a genuine six-star willpower spell.

‘There’s no way to block those flames!’

‘Even if you dodge, it won’t miss its target.’

There was only one way to survive.

Admit defeat before being engulfed and beg for mercy.

But Christian’s reaction was unexpected.

He calmly raised his hand.

‘Is he really going to try blocking it with dark energy?’

‘Foolish.’

Everyone assumed Christian would use dark energy.

After all, as a member of the Matu family, masters of dark magic, his strongest power was dark energy.

But what Christian summoned wasn’t dark energy.

A long spear of water materialized before his hand.

Destructive black magic.

‘What?!’

‘He’s trying to use destructive black magic against a destruction mage?!’

And Christian’s spell was only a third-star destructive black magic.

It was like an amateur wielding a kitchen knife against a master’s willpower-level black magic.

“You call yourself a genius of destruction magic? Is this the best you’ve got?”

“!!”

Many people misunderstood.

The speed of achievement wasn’t the true measure of genius.

‘Granted, he’s only five-star at twenty years old, so his progress isn’t that fast.’

Christian had seen real geniuses in his past life.

Compared to those “true” geniuses, this guy was no contest.

“I’ll show you what a real genius looks like.”

Fwoosh!

Additional magic flared.

Lightning destructive magic.

Wind blade magic.

Finally, shadow magic merged with the water spear.

A quadruple-layered spell.

Only a knight like Christian could dismantle four different magical formulas and fuse them into one without conflict.

With a gesture, the spear shot forward.

Its target: the core of the white flame.

“What… Get lost!!”

With a roar, the white flame’s power intensified.

At that moment, the ice spear Christian launched performed an unbelievable feat.

Wooooooosh!!!

The wind infused with the spear instantly accelerated its speed.

In a flash, the spear pierced deep into the white flame.

It should have shattered instantly, but astonishingly, the spear held firm.

It was thanks to the shadow magic embedded in the spear.

‘Shadows ignore physical attacks.’

Magic is the manifestation of a formula.

Though the white flame looked like fire, it was actually the will of destruction shaped as flames.

If the formula perceives the ice as “shadow,” no destructive reaction occurs.

Christian’s lightning magic further confused the formula.

Lightning doesn’t burn.

The moment it touched the flames, sparks scattered, deepening the formula’s confusion.

‘If this were a true willpower spell, such evasion would be impossible.’

Philip’s spell was far from a perfected willpower spell.

He had only forced its destructive power higher with the artifact, leaving flaws.

‘If he’d used a proper advanced spell matching his skill, Christian wouldn’t have been able to break through so easily.’

The flaw was subtle, but for anyone else, penetrating it would be impossible.

For Christian, though, it was nothing.

The ice spear pierced the core of the white flame perfectly, and Philip’s willpower-level spell vanished in vain.

“W-What…?! This can’t be!!”

Philip’s face drained of color as he staggered backward.

“Impossible? If you don’t believe me, try again. I’m not done yet.”

Philip unleashed a barrage of destructive black magic.

All were willpower-level spells, their destructive power boosted by the artifact.

But it was useless.

Philip’s overwhelming destructive black magic was repeatedly nullified by Christian’s light black magic.

Everyone watched in disbelief.

It looked like a master of dark magic was toying with an amateur.

And with the opponent’s specialty—destructive black magic.

“Ugh!!”

Eventually, Philip coughed up blood and dropped to his knees from overexertion.

A voice rained down on him, cold and cutting.

“Genius isn’t about being a smart aleck like you. It’s about effortlessly surpassing limits.”

“!!”

“Like this.”

Flare!!!

Flames burst from Christian’s hand.

It was the advanced destructive black magic Philip had used—Flame of Ruin.

Christian had copied it after seeing it only a few times.

Of course, it wasn’t perfect.

Christian hadn’t yet reached the five-star mastery in destructive black magic.

He hadn’t grasped the true essence of destruction.

So he poured his own will into it and improved the spell.

But it was more than enough.

In fact, aside from the “true essence,” every other aspect was superior to Philip’s version.

Perfect, even.

“Ah…”

Despair clouded Philip’s eyes.

Only then did he realize Christian was a “real” genius beyond comparison.

Christian felt like an insurmountable wall.

Philip’s eyes went completely dark, and Christian shrugged.

“No need to finish this. Clean him up. And hey, don’t wet yourself.”

A deathly silence fell over the arena.

Philip’s power was by no means weak.

Yet he hadn’t just lost—he’d been utterly humiliated.

What was even more shocking was that Christian hadn’t even shown his true strength.

Again, the dark mages were from the Matu family.

Destructive black magic was just a side tool for them.

Yet Christian had toyed with the family’s genius using a skill that wasn’t even his specialty.

Christian turned to the stiff representatives of the Triangular Alliance.

“What are you waiting for? Not coming up? Scared?”

“!!”

“Here’s a tip: you’d better attack all at once. Though even then, you won’t be a match for me.”

Tension rippled through the hall.

For reference, the Western Mage Nations, home to the Triangular Alliance, fought more battles than the Sawaong Fortress.

That was because the Holy Empire, the most belligerent of the alliance, was right next door.

Not only that, but the Mirror Ice Palace, the Fanatic Cult, and the Round Table were all in the West.

The three families of the Triangular Alliance had close ties forged through endless battles against the Crusade Alliance’s enemies.

Their combined coordinated attacks were devastating.

“Don’t let your guard down.”

“Just like when we took down the Holy Empire’s Star Knight Commander.”

They had fought together many times.

Recently, they even captured the six-star Star Knight Commander of the Holy Empire.

Their combined assault was strong enough to challenge six-star master-class mages.

‘I was already looking for a chance to get revenge. Now they’re practically handing it to me. Perfect.’

The Crown Prince of the Beast Mage, who had suffered a terrible humiliation at Christian’s hands yesterday, ground his teeth.

“The vanguard is the Ghost, I—the Beast—will strike from the side. The Phantom will neutralize him.”

A simple but deadly coordinated attack.

The Ghost blocks the opponent.

The Beast strikes from the flank.

Meanwhile, the Phantom completely disables the target.

Simple, but with their families’ synergy, it was lethal.

“Let’s begin. Grrrr!!”

The Beast began to transform.

Fangs and claws lengthened.

His body was covered in fur, growing nearly one and a half times larger.

He revealed his true form—the Lycanthrope.

His body, honed to the extreme, showed he wasn’t a mere beast handler fighting from behind, but a Matu-style warrior fighting on the front lines.

That wasn’t all.

Flash!

The magic stones shattered, releasing the sealed beasts inside.

Four-level beasts—Saber Wolves.

True to the Matu style, they weren’t the highest tier beasts.

But the sinister magical aura around their eyes told a different story.

“Are these beasts enhanced by the Beast Mage’s secret techniques? They’re no ordinary four-level beasts!”

“There are so many of them!”

A full eight.

Even the heir of the Ghost Sword Clan didn’t stay silent.

“I’ve been wanting to cross blades with the Dark Clan at least once.”

A chilling scream pierced the air, accompanied by a swift kick.

It was a Ghost Sword.

A terrifying blade forged from the body of a captured allied knight.

The sorrow and hatred of the one who died in agony were etched into the sword, giving it an incredible sharpness.

But the fearsome reputation of the Ghost Sword Clan wasn’t just about the razor edge of their blades.

“It’s laughable that a mediocre clan like yours dares to call yourselves the Matu Clan, just like us.”

The Dark Clan was a family of demon swordsmen.

So, while the Black Magic Clan looked down on them in the realm of magic, the Matu specialist clans scorned them in swordsmanship.

And none were more disdainful than the Ghost Sword Clan.

To these sword ghosts who devoted everything to a single blade, the Dark Clan was nothing more than cowardly heretics.

Meanwhile, the princess of the Illusion Clan began drawing magical energy into her skeletal staff, preparing to cast her spell.

But Christian’s reaction was strange.

He just stood there, staring blankly at them.

“…What?”

“Unlike that pathetic fool from the Destruction Clan earlier, I can’t have you looking so unimpressive.”

Christian let out a yawn.

There was no hint of tension in his demeanor.

“Please, do your best. The more you struggle, the brighter I’ll shine.”