Chapter 129: His Duel of Brothers

The Great Hall was full with spectators sitting on the stone bleachers while Elector Mordecai occupied the center of the front row with his four elite Inquisitors.

Father Marius, Brother Thomas and Sister Nefeli sat at the judges’ table near the edge of the combat circle.

A large communication crystal pulsed with blue light in the center of the table projecting the event to Exarch Caelum in the capital.

Raziel stood on the left side of the dirt arena and wrapped a cloth bandage around his right wrist.

Lucian stood on the right side spinning a practice dagger in each hand.

The referee stepped into the center of the ring and raised a white flag, looking at both novices to confirm if they were ready.

“Begin!”

Lucian attacked first.

He activated his Stealth Gift and dropped his mana signature to zero while ambient light bent around his form.

He dashed forward with the brutal Nyxian speed Paladin Odessa taught him, crossing the arena in two seconds and swinging his right dagger at Raziel’s neck.

Raziel did not step back.

He channeled standard blue mana to his index fingers and drew two identical Pulse seals in the empty air in front of his chest.

FWOOSH!

The double kinetic wave erupted outward and hit Lucian mid-stride.

Lucian twisted his body in the air to absorb the impact, landing on his feet and sliding backward across the dirt.

He lunged forward again without pausing to recover, changing his angle of attack to target Raziel’s blind spot on the left side.

Raziel anticipated the movement and dropped to one knee while dragging his glowing fingers across the dirt floor.

He drew a localized Anchor seal right where Lucian planned to step.

Lucian’s left boot hit the geometric circle and locked to the ground.

His upper body kept moving forward with the momentum and he lost his balance falling toward the dirt.

He planted his free hand on the ground and pushed himself back up breaking the magical hold with pure physical force.

He threw his left dagger at Raziel’s face.

Raziel tilted his head and the blunt practice blade grazed his cheek leaving a shallow cut.

He wiped the blood away with his thumb and stood up.

The crowd in the bleachers watched without making a sound.

They expected a quick one-sided execution to satisfy the Elector’s demands and witnessed a high-level tactical exhibition instead.

The fight was honest.

Neither of them held back.

They knew each other too well so Lucian knew Raziel relied on defensive geometry, attacking from vertical and lateral angles to prevent Raziel from completing his drawings.

Raziel knew Lucian utilized blind spots and speed, pre-casting environmental traps before Lucian even moved.

Lucian slashed his remaining dagger and cut the sleeve of Raziel’s tunic.

Raziel drew a Seal of Silence on the floor right beneath Lucian’s feet.

The magic muted the sound of Lucian’s footsteps and threw off his physical rhythm causing the noble to stumble on his next strike.

They separated and backed away to opposite sides of the arena.

Both of them breathed hard and sweat soaked their uniforms.

“You are holding back,” Lucian panted wiping dirt from his forehead.

“You too,” Raziel replied.

“Do we stop?”

Raziel channeled blue mana into both hands and raised three fingers on his right hand and two fingers on his left.

He drew three separate offensive runes in the empty air at the exact same time.

Zorya sat in the middle of the bleachers and her eyes widened in pure shock.

Drawing three simultaneous runes required master-level concentration.

“After you,” Raziel said.

Lucian vanished.

He dropped his stealth to absolute maximum capacity and erased his physical presence.

He reappeared right behind Raziel and pressed the blunt edge of his dagger against the back of Raziel’s neck.

Raziel did not turn around.

He channeled mana into his own back and activated a pre-drawn Pulse seal he inscribed on the inside of his tunic before the match started.

BOOM!

The kinetic force exploded from Raziel’s spine and hit Lucian point-blank in the chest.

Lucian flew backward through the air and landed on his feet near the edge of the circle.

He slid in the dirt and smiled.

“That is new,” Lucian said.

“I learned from someone who never gives up,” Raziel answered dropping his fighting stance to catch his breath.

The duel escalated.

Lucian dashed forward and slashed his dagger in a tight arc cutting Raziel’s left forearm.

Real blood soaked the gray fabric of the tunic.

Raziel ignored the pain and stepped inside Lucian’s guard drawing an Anchor seal onto Lucian’s knee.

Lucian fell hard and hit his head against the packed dirt.

Blood trickled from his nose.

He rolled away and kicked Raziel in the shin to break the distance.

They both bled. They both kept fighting.

Brother Thomas leaned forward in his chair at the judges’ table watching the technical precision of the match.

Sister Nefeli did not blink tracking every movement with her pale green eyes.

Father Marius gripped his cane and gritted his teeth.

Elector Mordecai frowned and leaned back in his seat.

The exhibition of skill defied his expectations and ruined his plan to humiliate one of them.

Raziel drew a massive containment seal in the air and pushed it toward Lucian.

Lucian dodged the magic and lunged forward to tackle Raziel to the ground.

They clashed in the center of the ring.

A sudden deep vibration shook the Great Hall.

RUMBLE!

The stone pillars supporting the vaulted ceiling hummed with a low resonant frequency.

The stained glass windows rattled in their lead frames.

The dust on the arena floor vibrated and floated into the air.

Raziel froze and stopped channeling his mana.

Lucian lowered his dagger and looked around the arena.

“What did you do?” Lucian whispered.

“Nothing,” Raziel answered looking down at the dirt.

The ground beneath their feet began to glow.

It did not glow with Raziel’s standard blue mana and it did not glow with his hidden gold and black Umbral energy.

The dirt pulsed with blinding silver light.

The ancient runes buried deep inside the foundation of St. Celeste reacted to the intense physical and magical clash happening above them.

The determination and sheer willpower of the two novices fighting for their survival awakened the dormant node beneath the arena.

The silver light burned through the packed dirt and formed a massive geometric symbol.

The rune covered the combat circle and illuminated the Great Hall.

Raziel recognized the syntax from his secret sessions in the East Basement.

He translated the ancient word as it burned into the ground.

WORTHY.

The crowd erupted into chaos.

The nobles shouted in shock and the priests stood up from their seats.

The instructors drew their weapons looking for a hidden enemy.

Elector Mordecai stood up from the front row. He pulled his detection artifact from his robes and aimed it at the glowing silver rune.

The artifact shattered into pieces in his hand.

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