CHAPTER 41

GLORY WARS SENIOR LEAGUE FINALS

Amidst the announcement in the broadcast, Hans asked Hera, “Zephyr said you even sent someone to scout the last year’s Wildcard. Devildom school still won this year; there must be some other noteworthy schools too.”

“Yeah, there are, but Devildom school is inside the Grand Barrier; Sunstone’s influence on mana sensitivity is no joke.” Pausing, she asked “Don’t you feel more powerful here?”

“Yes.” Hans had realised this far sooner when his control became superior to what he was used to. “What about the advanced league? I didn’t hear who won first place.” Hans switched the topic.

“Mage Tower secured first,” Hera replied, “and we were the runner-up—”

“Kansas’s pants must be on fire.” Hans chuckled wickedly.

“It has to be.” Hera agreed. “Even in the senior league, the first place either goes to us or Devildom—”

“It will be Concordia. Delimira won’t lose.” Hans said confidently, as his eyes lit up. Hera caught on, “You like that girl, don’t you?”

“Have you lost your mind, ma’am?”

“I’m sure I'm the sane one here, kiddo. I can tell by the way you speak about her.”

“That’s a scary idea on its own. I just believe in her skills.” Hans spoke confidently but Hera wouldn’t let it slide, so he changed the subject again. “About Zephyr, is he as genuine as he seems—”

“Weren’t you quite friendly with him last month—”

“Friendly?” Hans laughed, “I’m not that trusting; I don’t easily trust people—”

“Then what about me?” Hera asked, startling him.

Her face was a picture of fear and uncertainty about not gaining his trust. “You are on probation period, ma’am.” Hans slowly raised the juice glass and drank it calmly.

“Haa… so when will you make me permanent, son?” Hera asked, almost pouting.

“We’ll see. But, about Zephyr—”

“Well, he has no reason to be your enemy. Your goals don’t conflict, and you might even share the same enemy at times. Plus, considering how ‘CLOSE’ you are to Delimira Winters, I don’t see any enmity between you. After all, Zephyr’s guardian was Aredhel until he reached adulthood.”

“So, he was Ms Aredhel’s special project—”

“Not a project.” Hera shook her head, “she devoted herself to raising him.”

“Maybe she wouldn’t be so distant to Deli if she’d spent half the time with her.” Hans thought sarcastically while Hera continued, “you know Aredhel is a clairvoyant, right? She identified children with potential and nurtured them into power. Zephyr is one of her finest.”

“I can guess why.” Hans added.

“Revenge is a powerful motivator, kiddo.” Hera said sipping her drink, pointing, “She’s patient too. The ones who caused her husband’s death, the ones who could have stopped it, and the man who forced him into it. Do you think she’d just let them off? Nothing is more dangerous than a woman out for blood.”

“Hans couldn’t shake off Hera’s words; it seemed Delimira only knew part of the truth, blaming an ancient for their tragedy. “So, there were more people involved, and Professor Aredhel was gearing up, not sitting idle.” He was a bit puzzled, “It’s been quite a while. Isn’t she ready yet?”

“There’s someone she’s waiting for,” Hera replied cryptically.

“That Theodred?” Hans guessed, and this time, he hit the mark.

“How do you know that name?” Hera sounded a bit surprised.

“It’s not exactly a secret,” Hans shrugged. He had heard whispers about Theodred from Chris, a demigod among the elves who seemed to have a connection with Delimira. Aredhel’s search for him was like an obsession well known to upper echelons.

“You’re right. Theodred should’ve been well-known if he existed. A man with the light element in an elven lineage is unheard of. If he’s real, he should’ve made himself known to the world,” Hera remarked.

“Is he that powerful?” Hans asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Are you scared?” Hera teased him.

“Nah, just excited,” Hans replied, feeling a rush of anticipation. It felt like fate was pushing them towards a clash. “But won’t you try to stop her? You mentioned those with the power to prevent her tragedy, likely the Clandor royal family.”

Hera let out a forced chuckle. “He was an outsider, not an elf, and she was a high elf noble. This was a tragedy waiting to happen. She has a score to settle, and I already left for similar reasons. So I won’t intervene in her quest for vengeance. The poor woman has suffered enough.”

“You are really a weird person, ma’am.” Hans smiled at the absurdity, right or wrong, he would have supported his family in any turmoil.

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“Then won’t you fulfil this weird person’s wish? I’d be a really good mother to you.” Her tone didn’t carry any mischief, it was all serious and sincere, unlike the other times.

Hans was tempted to say yes. But as he pondered, he realised that a relationship like this could become nothing but a hindrance. Though he had spent only three months with Hera, he had come to understand her well. She had a kind heart, spoke her mind, and didn't have a mind capable of scheming. Yet, for some reason, Hans felt that agreeing to her request could lead to trouble down the line.

Not hearing his reply, she genuinely became sad. “Don’t worry, kiddo. It’s not like I can force you into this. I’ll sincerely win you over.”

“That’s what’s troubling me, ma’am, because there are quite the advantages of associating with you, but my mind can’t think of any when you are this nice. Now I understand why no one made a fuss about me coming here. They knew your character well.”

He shifted his focus to the broadcast as the final of the Senior League was about to begin. Delimira, the third-circle mage of Concordia, was facing off against Ezekiel from Devildom. Reading the names on the screen, Hans’s expression shifted too. “So he uses a spear, that’s… unique, I suppose.”

“He’s quite skilled with it too… they all are,” Hera remarked.

“He’s nothing but a sick man,” Hans said with contempt.

“Wow,” Hera teased, “Are you jealous, kiddo?”

“You’re not reading the room, ma’am. That pervert has a thing for me.”

“I know our Hans is cute, but that bastard dared—”

“Calm down,” Hans gestured, thinking, “Since when did I become ‘our Hans.’” He shook off those words and added, “I already sent him to the infirmary last year, so I didn’t get to see him fight. Deli will obviously beat him up.”

However, he was in for a surprise. From the start, Ezekiel dominated the fight, pushing Delimira into a defensive stance. As the match progressed, Hans grew increasingly agitated. “What is she doing? She should be attacking, not just defending!”

But his words couldn’t reach Delimira, who was feeling the full force of Ezekiel's aggression that the spectators weren’t aware of. “Take out your rapier. I want to see the sword mage,” Ezekiel taunted, prompting Hans to urge, “Yeah, take it out, Winters, and shove it down that bastard's throat.”

However, Delimira stood her ground, refusing to yield. “I’ll fight as a mage. I didn’t learn this for you,” she declared, showcasing her impressive mana pool by enlarging the defending water barrier. This move gave her some much-needed breathing space against Ezekiel's relentless attacks.

But Ezekiel was undeterred. “Do you think defeating me is that easy?” He channeled his aura into his spear, stepping forward while bending back, readying for a devastating strike. He aimed his spear at Delimira’s AquaBarrier.

“Skill: TrueStrike,” he called out, unleashing the full force of his grade 51 aura as he lunged towards her like a drill. His attack pierced through the barrier, shattering the water and creating soft showers.

“GurgesDomitor”

“GurgesDomitor”

Both Hans and Delimira exclaimed almost simultaneously. The water from the shattered AquaBarrier quickly formed a massive vortex, sweeping Ezekiel away and sending him on a dizzying trip through the rotating waters.

Hans felt Hera’s piercing gaze, so he turned and sensing her unspoken thoughts, he quickly explained, “She did that to me during our first sparring match. Don’t read too much into it—”

“I didn’t say anything, kiddo,” Hera defended, barely concealing her amusement.

While they were squabbling, Delimira was silently preparing another spell, one that Hans had never witnessed before. When she called out its name, it caught his attention, causing him to pause his conversation with Hera and focus on her.

"WindFlower."

Her hand pointed towards the sky, and the visible strands of pale green wind gathered in Delimira’s palm, fusing into an eye of a tornado that began to draw everything towards it. Ezekiel, sensing the danger, covered himself with aura and anchored himself by stabbing his spear into the ground.

After a moment of suction,Delimira’s hand glowed with three concentric circles of pale green light. A lotus flower made of pale green mana floated above her palm. “Take this,” she said, moving her hand from above to below, aiming at Ezekiel.

The lotus shot forward with incredible speed, rotating like a tornado's mouth, poised to consume anything in its path. However, unlike a suction force, Windflower was designed to shred. Ezekiel quickly realised this.

Before the lotus could reach him, Ezekiel countered with his own powerful attack.

Skill: Vortex Whirl

Spinning his spear in an anti-circular motion against the oncoming Windflower, Ezekiel created a swirling vortex of dark mana.

The two attacks collided, and now it was all about which one lasted longer. But Delimira had her hands free, unlike Ezekiel, and her incredible sense of her own mana pool told her she could try a few more spells before she ran out of steam.

With both hands raised forward, Delimira summoned two different magics—an arrangement of three red concentric circles on her left and brown circles on her right.

“She can merge the two different mana! Your taste is quite refined, kiddo.” Hera remarked, but Hans was too engrossed to engage in banter. This was a prime example of how a mage from the elemental-mana family could wield spells from the advanced-mana family.

“She's attempting a magma spell,” He mumbled.

“No, look beneath her feet,” Hera pointed out, revealing a circle of pale green mana.

“She's trying to combine three elements... not just two. The third is supporting her,” he explained.

“Shh—focus on this,” Hera urged, directing Hans's attention back to the broadcast screen. The battle had mesmerised not only them but every member of the audience, from recruits to commanders, all watching with bated breath.

“Ha!” Delimira exclaimed as she merged her hands, deepening the red circles to a crimson hue. A wry smile and sweat-drenched locks hinted at her exhaustion but she succeeded and called out.

MeteorFall

A massive boulder engulfed in flames, with magma dripping down, appeared a distance away from her. The molten magma scorched the ground as it fell. This spell wasn’t to be taken lightly—it was the result of merging two three-circle spells, equivalent to at least a five-circle level magic.

Meanwhile, her WindFlower’s rampage hadn’t subsided completely yet, and she launched the meteor with the help of the wind tunnel her previous spell had created. Every move of hers was calculated. However, the trajectory of the meteor changed in mid-air, suddenly deviating from the straight path to circling behind Ezekiel, appearing to take him down for good.

“Just get down already,” she shouted, her breaths heavy.

"Wow!" Even Hera couldn't help but praise her. The limit for a talented mage was boundless, but conjuring a higher-level spell forcefully and still standing afterward showcased Delimira's exceptional skill.

Ezekiel found himself in a predicament—he could only focus on defending against one attack. Trying to counter both spells simultaneously would inevitably lead to getting hit by both. Caught in this dilemma, the MeteorFall spell finally struck him.

"Boom!" The entire Sunfall Arena trembled from the impact, and the spectators anxiously waited for the inevitable outcome.

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