Bella watched in horror as Zander stabbed it onto the ground.

She recognized it the moment the man had taken it out. There was no mistaking it as it was one of the Amberhand family’s most precious artifacts from the forgotten past. It may look like a mundane fire torch, but looks could be deceiving for ancient artifacts.

The Endless Torch glowed bright and its stored mana spread out in a blink of an eye. An almost unperceivable dome covered the area while runes appeared at its extremity.

She had no idea how the disgusting man had gotten his hand on it, but this would be good for Adrin. Not good at all. The idea of rushing in came a few seconds too late as the rune called upon the unmistakable [White Flame].

Why did she hesitate? She didn’t know. Bella bit into her thumbnail as she now could only watch whatever was going to happen.

No help was coming to him unless the [Void] princess somehow showed up. The girl seemed to fancy the young man during their short meeting, but no news whatsoever came from the palace ever since the ruined dinner.

Bella rather not involve them but nothing would be able to cross the encirclement other than the unique bloodline, not even the thickest metal armor in the world. The legendary [White Flame] would surge and anything that tried to get past would turn into fine glowing dust. Not even a corpse would remain.

Zander had finally done it.

He had crossed the line.

The man had lashed out at whoever he could when the news of Ana in bed with the [Lightbringer] had reached his ears. The spoiled brat was probably seething with jealousy as he had made a huge fuss for a few days. Not even his favorite maidservant was able to calm the man down.

Adrin wasn’t told about this but the family had to hide Lily away for her safety. They had foreseen the reaction before they even made such a decision. Everyone already knew that Zander was unable to be reasoned with and the baby would be on top of the list of his targets.

Gods forbid what the man would do if he had somehow got his foul hands on the poor pregnant girl. The man even had an odd assumption that he had a huge influence on the family, but she thought that was the extent of it. She had underestimated the issue.

[Green Flame] burst out of her fist as she clenched them.

Ironically, she now had truly failed as his Spellmaster. Disciples were known to inspire their Spellmaster but Adrin was an exception among the few.

Gods above, she should have turned the hideous man into ashes when he had tried to touch her inappropriately. She had used such excuses plenty of times before, but now, Adrin had to face the consequences of her failure.

Removing the despicable young man forcefully was the last thing anyone in the family would ever do. It couldn’t be helped because the Consort came from an allied family who had the [Lightning] bloodline. One of the most treasured bloodlines in the Kingdom. The walls would have fallen a long time ago without the militant family guarding them.

The five heavily armored guards hesitated to their credit but personal guards like them were mostly [Oath-bound]. As she had expected, their hesitation lasted only for a moment before they began to march toward and surrounded the [Lightbringer].

“Dorn your best armor [Metal] mage, as this evening will be your last,” warned the leader of the guard as he pulled out the huge bone-blade from his [Inventory].

Light and almost as tough as metal, this was the only weapon that could go against a [Metal] mage, other than the Elves’s ironwood. After what happened after the last alliance with the malleable race, no half-witted Elves would ever sell or exchange that material to men ever again.

Bella heard a chuckle from Adrin, “why thanks, but must you and your men obey the weasel? Should you run for his medical attention instead?”

Metal clicked on metal as Adrin deployed his improved [Living Armor] fully. She had seen this much bulkier version, and the grayish armor was more utilitarian than the previous breathtaking silver scales. It looked like a whole other armor.

The change was not only in appearance. She knew Adrin had done something but she wasn’t sure what or even had seen him testing this version of [Living Armor].

“We are oath-bound,” said the leader as if he was spitting bile out of his mouth. “Sadly, the young master will die because of his own foolish decisions.”

It was clear that the men had no love for the Lord Consort and now they had ‘no choice’ but to let him die because of his command. Adrin needed to hold on until the other young master breathed his last and the order would forfeit on itself.

“I see,” Adrin replied. Regret was in his voice. “But does the order become invalid after he dies?”

Bella wasn’t surprised that the young man had figured it out as much.

“Sadly, no, young master,” said the leader, and a sigh escaped from inside his helmet. “We’ll have to fight until our bones break and our body can no longer move. Release!”

The metal armor pieces began to fall off the tall man until only what looked like beast bone armor remained. The discarded metal armor then disappeared into their [Inventory].

Needless to say, the men had come well-prepared.

The other four other oath-bound guards did the same emergency armor release. Their life was at greater risk in the lighter armor, but it was already proven that there was no way they would stand a chance in the thicker metal armor.

There was a reason why [Metal] mage was feared and a threat to warriors and mages alike.

Their preparedness, however, sent cold shivers down her spine.

This was no more than an assassination attempt in broad daylight.

No wonder Zander had that smirk on his face right before the man passed out. His death wouldn’t change anything and he was gambling on it.

Just like the crazy man had done in his life. Insanity, this was, and nothing else.

Adrin was surprised for a while before he sighed, “I was afraid of that.”

“The church will have our heads for this, but I’ll make your death swift, [Lightbringer],” promised the man with the bone blade with a row of huge sharp teeths as its edge.

“I’m sorry, but can’t promise the same,” Adrin replied as he took a relaxed stance.

His face looked grim.

Ana came running with the Elders in tow as the fight was about to begin. Curses leaked out of their mouths as they noticed the menacing white blurs. No Elder could contend with the [White Flame], not after Ana’s birth mother took the knowledge with her into the grave.

But no one would get their hands on the family artifact without help from-

Bones clanged with metal as Adrin desperately defended himself. His bracers had blocked two simultaneous attacks from opposite directions and deflected them off their course.

He rolled backward just in time before the big-toothed blade could do more than make a visible scratch.

Blood drained from Bella’s face. It was a very close call.

Any other [Mage] would have been sawed in half from such a quick attack.

The guard captain’s eyes shot wide open as everyone else.

Adrin’s movement was surprisingly nimble as if he wasn’t in lumbering metal armor.

The [Living Armor] had aided his movements but never this fast.

There was a reason why mages didn’t usually fight in thick metal armor as every extra weight pressing down would tire and slow them significantly. Anyone who hadn't tried to move around with a few kilos of metal tied onto them wouldn't realize how terrible it would be.

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Time is the ultimate limited resource anyone could have. A [Mage] could spend their time bulking up to handle heavy armor, but every hour spent training the body was a time not spent studying or practicing spells.

Of course, the heavy armor could be enchanted to weigh almost nothing but that was already an enchantment wasted on it. Not every [Mage] could afford such things, and anyone who could afford it, they would rather enchant their lightweight robes to be as resilient.

Adrin’s [Living Armor] was unlike anything anyone had ever seen. There was no enchantment or spell activated, but it seemed like the armor had no weight and invisible forces were boosting his movement.

Bella had no idea how he was able to keep up with the guard’s inhuman speed but she was relieved. She was glad that all his Martial Arts training had its use after all. The young man used to waste precious hours in those Martial forms rather than be in her arms.

“Why isn’t he using [Shell] or any spell at all!?” An Elder complained.

“He must have exhausted his mana in the duel,” Bella gritted her teeth. “Is this part of Zander’s plan all along?”

“Depleting each other’s mana in a mere duel? That’s ridiculous! No one is that insane!” Refuted another Elder.

“No sane mage will get himself addicted to the Mana Fruit,” replied Ana, stating the fact.

The Elders were staring at the fact but still trying to deny it. There were no signs of mana at all swirling around Adrin, even talentless mages could sense that.

“But-”

A loud clang interrupted the batter.

Adrin's arms crossed each other as he flew a few steps away. The heavily armored [Lightbringer] landed on his back hard, but in one swift move, the armored man rolled on the ground and got back onto his feet, crouching on one knee.

No, that was not a movement of someone in heavy metal armor.

The young man’s movement was flawless as if he didn’t have any armor on. There was no clink and clank of thick metal armor at all.

“What the hell is that?” the [Lightbringer] complained.

“A mage killing [Spellswords] [Skill],” the captain replied. “We all have them to varying degrees of perfection.”

“Heh, good to know,” Adrin had a genuine smile as he got up onto his feet and dusted off his armor. He spat a clump of blood out on the ground and rolled his shoulders.

The guard captain had a mixed look on his face but refrained from saying anything else.

Bella could understand why as Adrin’s reply was surprising. She wondered if almost losing his life had entertained Adrin or if he was simply bluffing.

One of the guards, however, might have taken it as an insult.

“Die!” The man roared as he charged toward the [Lightbringer] and used the same [Skill] [Swiftblade]. The infamous mage’s killer [Skill].

The [Spellsword] body blurred at a certain range and the blade disappeared.

A few cries echoed as the watching maidservants pulled their eyes away.

Bella would have regretted it if she had done the same.

The ground exploded under him as Adrin was launched like a spear shot from a powerful ballista. In a blink of an eye, his armored shoulder smashed into the man’s chest in mid-swing.

“Idiot!” yelled one of the guards as the guard’s limp body shot toward the boundary.

The body slammed on the invisible border and fell onto the ground in a flat wet slap. There was no way the man was getting up from that.

“Ah shit,” Adrin cursed for the first time she had ever heard in a long time. “fifty-percent then, probably lower?” he mumbled something odd under his breath.

Bella didn’t know what he meant but she couldn’t believe her eyes as she had seen such a scene before. The poor guardsman had flown off as he had just been slapped away by a two-headed giant.

‘Does this mean the [Living Armor] gives him the strength of a giant?’ Bella gasped at the thought. ‘But that’s impossible.’

“Don’t get cocky, otherworlder,” spat the other guard as the men took their stance. “Take us seriously or you’ll regret it.”

“You are right,” Adrin replied to the guard’s surprise. “I’ll have to cut this short,” he said as his eyes roamed around for the first time since the fight.

“Hmmph!” The guardsman snorted and looked at his fellow guards. Two of them nodded in agreement after exchanging knowing looks.

“No, don’t we still have time-”

“We can do it without you, Max,” another guard said to their guard leader before the three stepped forward.

“If we fail, then at least, you’ll learn something,” said the last.

The three men surrounded Adrin in a wide range.

Bella's heart ached as she knew what the [Spellswords] were planning to do.

Ana’s fists clenched white as the girl focussed on the fight. Bella wanted to tell the girl to believe in the young man but even she wasn’t sure herself.

History had spoken for itself. Not many full-fledged [Mage] could survive the [Chained Skill] from three well-trained [Spellswords].

Even the Archmages would make sure they were nowhere in range for any kind of combined attacks. Avoidance was the best deterrent.

But Adrin didn’t know that. He could die in ignorance.

She should have warned him about this.

Bella almost closed her eyes as the men kicked the ground. She knew what would happen even if her eyes were closed.

These guards were trained to time the [Skills] perfectly. The three [Spellswords] would take turns to slash the blade at him six consecutive times, each a fraction of a second after another.

There was no way a mage could react-

Two of the men’s feet kicked the air and fell to their backs. They were stopped before they could even get in range for the [Skill] to activate.

The last attacking guardsman slid on his feet to a stop. His hands were gripping tight onto his long blade while his eyes looked at his friends in confusion.

They struggled and rolled on the ground as if they were each fighting an invisible enemy. Their bone blades had been flung away and forgotten.

It didn’t make any sense as she couldn’t detect any kind of spells being cast. No [Illusion] or anything as nasty. Adrin had even refused to learn such spells.

The [Spellswords] were specially trained to detect and deal with any incoming spells. They were both a true bane and a gift to the mages.

“What in the nine hells, are those gauntlets choking them?” one of the Elders noticed before anyone else.

Only then did Bella notice that Adrin had both his unarmored hands directed toward the attackers in a choking gesture. A thin line of silver coils extended from the elbow to the tip of his fingers shined in a dim glow.

He had shot off and was controlling the gauntlets from afar? It was an ingenious idea but how it was even possible was everyone’s guess.

He probably could have broken the necks in a twist, but he let the men struggle for a few long seconds before their bodies went limp. The [Lightbringer] gestured his fingers and the gauntlets flew back and reattached themselves with an audible clank.

The silence was all she could hear from the crowd.

Adrin opened his metal palms and faced them toward the remaining two. It was his turn to take the initiative before his enemy could recover and came out with a plan.

The guardsmen readied their swords just as the gauntlets again blasted toward them. This time, Bella noticed a series of powerful arches crawling on his arms.

‘Did he use [Lightning] to shoot them, how is that even possible?’ Bella wondered.

The guard’s leader swatted the gauntlet away with a loud clang.

It was so powerful, that the collision sent the man dragging on the ground a few steps back. It wasn’t surprising when the man was breathing hard even when he already knew it was coming his way.

The other guard, however, wasn’t as skilled.

The man flew back with blood spraying from his mouth. He couldn’t even move a limb after rolling on the ground a few times, his chest armor broken to pieces.

“Holy hell, you blocked that?” Adrin said as the gauntlets returned and clanked at their place once again.

The guard captain took the compliment with a grim smile on his face.

Adrin was far beyond what they had probably assumed to be. The man knew he was done for, but maybe he realized that the risk of dying was better than facing the wrath of the Church.

The [Lightbringer] had it all under control, and Bella had just realized that. The smile he had was not a bluff after all. He had enjoyed the challenge.

There was no doubt anymore that the [Living Armor] granted the [Lightbringer] the strength of a giant and the swiftness of a sabertooth. Even the Elders were baffled when she checked on them from the corner of her eyes.

In all her travels and research, Bella had never heard anything like it. Not even the Elves' ironwood [Living Armor] could do anything close to this.

If this wasn’t a legend in the making, then she didn't know what it was. The armor’s monstrous capability was unbelievable, but surely, Adrin had many other surprises under his metal sleeves.

She wasn’t sure it was possible, but she knew no one in the Kingdom could stop an army in such armor. Now she understood why Adrin would rather work in secret.

Bella wasn’t surprised when the guardsmen leader, bound to his oath, charged forward with his sword held high and a serene smile on his face. It was the smile of a man who accepted his demise as it was the best outcome he could’ve hoped for.

His overwhelming defeat meant his name wouldn’t be marred with the dishonor of breaking the oath, and his whole family would be spared from the aftermath. He still won even if he could lose his life in the process.

Adrin had changed his tactic. [Lightning] arched as the fists blasted out at almost the same moment, but this time, one of the gauntlets caught and clamped its metal fingers around the bone blade.

A loud crack echoed in the air.

The crowd gasped when it crushed the bone weapon like a twig in its metal grip.

No measure of human strength could have broken a magically reinforced bone weapon. It was a weapon designed to match up with its metal counterpart after all.

The other metal fist broke the man’s leg with a wet crack at almost the same time. The leg bent in the wrong way as the guard captain’s face hit the ground.

His victory was secured, but the [Lightbringer] wasn’t smiling.

Adrin turned and wobbled away. He was at the very end of his limit, but even then, the well-trained, deadly merged-class guardians couldn’t even lift a finger toward him.

One could only imagine him fighting at his best. This scuttle showed how high anyone needed to climb just to be at the [Lightbringer]’s level.

The young man cursed under his breath when he had to stop when he got close enough to the barrier. He had just noticed the shimmering wall for the first time. It showed that running away was never even in his mind all this time.

Adrin turned towards the person who caused all of this mess.

“Don’t kill him, please!” begged the maid who came with Zander.

Adrin shook his head and scoffed at the pledge.

Bella was relieved when he looked at the maid like she was a piece of garbage.

The gauntlet flew towards the vile person and gripped onto the enchanted torch instead of the other young master's neck. The piece of armor flew back on his command.

The Elders could only watch in horror as the artifact was crushed and crumpled similarly in Adrin’s hand. The [White Flame] dome disappeared as the ancient spell runes failed as the torch turned into a crumpled metal ball.

The metal ball was tossed off before walking away. No one Elder could say a word. The priceless artifact should have never ended up in the other man’s hands in the first place.

He could have easily killed the man who had threatened his life, but the young man she knew hated to deal with the annoying consequences. It was the same way he detested dealing with the scheming Elders.

If this was a test then the family had miserably failed.

‘Served them right,’ mused Bella as she rushed towards her victorious lover.

The young man had made her fall in love with him all over again. At the very least, this fight should push him up a level. Maybe he would be ready to take a second [Class].

Would he be a [Pyromancer] like her? Bella couldn't wait.