They don't want me to try anymore.

However, just as the final chapter was about to begin...

In the painting, a red dragon, half its head peeking out, sniffed the air, and with a very human-like smirk,...

They crawled back inside.

This caused William, who was about to put his hands on his hips and introduce his summoned creature, to cough up a mouthful of blood.

what happened?

Where's my dragon?

Why won't you come out?

I've given the offerings and magic power according to the rules, so you should come out and help me catch up with that black dragon ahead!

At that moment, a voice transmission resounded in his mind; it was a reply from the red dragon:

"Your spell just now had two syllables pronounced incorrectly, and besides, the competition isn't really a life-or-death battle, so I can refuse..."

Is your pronunciation not authentic?

But you understood it, didn't you?

Is this a reason to refuse a summons? What's the difference between this and being fired for stepping in with your left foot first?!

William was stunned.

The audience outside was also stunned.

Everyone knows that summoning a dragon has a chance of failure, but no one expected that the dignified Commander William would fail at such a crucial moment!

And at this moment, Richard...

Le.jpg

Having established a clear speed advantage, and seeing that William had just expended a lot of magic power without gaining anything, he even slowed down and launched several counterattacks!

Finally, an hour was up.

William, who once proudly dominated the entire scene and was considered second only to Luvia among his contemporaries, is now speechless after being blown away by the rabbit's "gas canister".

Richard, who was only at the Silver rank and was generally considered a filler player, stepped up to the dragon's head, pulled out the Ghostly Needle, and raised it high to the sky.

"The outcome is decided, I am the champion!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the scroll shattered, and the last two contestants reappeared in the center of the arena.

It was already late at night when the fireworks, which had been prepared in advance, were set off, their vibrant colors reflecting on the faces of all the spectators.

However, at this moment, most of the audience was still in a state of shock, silence, and whispering.

This reversal of the result was too unexpected, and it also went too far against previous impressions.

The championship of the Empire's greatest gathering of geniuses, the annual Resurrection Festival, was snatched away by an outsider.

Such a result is extremely rare, given that the Easter competition has been held for hundreds of years!

Although Catherine was the official captain of Richard's team, everyone knew who ultimately turned the tide of the battle...

The eerie atmosphere lasted for a few seconds, until on the high platform, the crowned figure raised a wine glass and slowly spoke in an aged but undeniably authoritative voice:

"Congratulations, young man, what a wonderful match..."

Then, fireworks, a band, and various dazzling magical effects once again obscured the night sky.

Led by those who had bet on Catherine's team, and by Zoe Katyusha and other members of St. Goethe's family and friends, the cheers finally grew from small to large, forming a towering wave.

"Champion! Champion!"

Richard chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Thankfully, I almost thought it was going to be an awkward silence.

Looking around at the 100,000 excited faces and hearing the deafening noise, he thought to himself: This is the treatment a champion should receive!

On such a grand occasion, even his young body couldn't help but get excited.

A month's hard work paid off!

call……

After calming himself down for a while, he looked around and saw that the other contestants had already been carried off the field, leaving only William coughing...

Oh, it seems he spat out half a caterpillar.

Perhaps it accidentally got mixed into the elementalized body when it was teleported out?

It's a bit harsh, but I can't help it...

puff!

Upon hearing the laughter, William looked up, his facial muscles twitching slightly as he struggled to regain his aloof demeanor... but his elegance was certainly gone, given the half-eaten worm on the ground!

"Mr. Richard, as His Majesty said, it was a very exciting battle..."

So the one who broke the silence just now was Norton I?

Also, when you speak, it always sounds like you're gritting your teeth...

“I admit I’m a little angry and I’m really not convinced… but you won, and facts speak louder than words.”

Seemingly sensing the meaning in Richard's eyes, William confessed directly, but then he changed the subject: "But in the long run, your defeat is inevitable."

"Connaught's fate will not change. You can struggle all you want. We will definitely face each other again in the future."

As he spoke, some pastors and medical staff rushed over and took William away.

Richard's lips curled slightly, ignoring the last word, "curse."

The fate of Connaught is not determined by you, but by the efforts of us Connaught people!

Right, system?

cough cough...

Richard was also taken away from the arena.

Next, there will be a closing ceremony in the arena, including a fireworks display, dance performances, and speeches by close advisors, but none of that will concern him.

He was taken to a high-end medical room, where professionals examined him thoroughly several times. After confirming that he had only suffered minor injuries and was exhausted, he was sent to a nearby upscale hotel where the inner walls of the palace could be faintly seen.

Richard sat on the edge of the soft, large bed, looking at the steaks and desserts brought by the servants, and joked, "Is this some kind of extra perk for the contestants?"

I tried it... well, the steak wasn't as good as the one from Saint Gode, and the dessert wasn't as soft as the one from Katyusha.

However, it's enough to replenish what you need after a long day.

After Richard finished eating, he lay down on the mattress and, with the day's hard work and the joy of victory, drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, he had just finished washing up when he heard a knock at the door. When he opened it, he saw Catherine, Sophia, and Anton.

It seems the security measures for the scroll were effective; everyone is safe, which is wonderful…

Sophie Adam chuckled first, "Yo, good morning, great hero~"

"Don't say that," Richard quickly declined. "It was just luck. Without your help, how could I have made it to the end?"

Catherine shook her head: "Excessive modesty is pointless...and Richard, I am truly grateful to you, you...to me, are a hero."

The haughty young lady spoke with exceptional sincerity.

Judging from her eyes, she has learned a lot from this competition...

Anton, standing nearby, nodded repeatedly: "Me too! Mr. Richard, you've avenged me!"

"It's all what I should do."

Having said that, Richard couldn't refuse any longer and could only scratch his head and chuckle sheepishly.

After chatting for a while, Richard learned that three people had died and nine were seriously injured in the competition and had not yet recovered. William's teammate Aaron was one of them. It seemed that Richard's Ghostly Strike had aggravated the injuries from the puppet's self-destruction, causing problems with his lungs.

This is truly heartbreaking... Hahahaha!

As they were talking, a commotion arose at the bottom of the stairs.

Catherine interrupted everyone, saying, "It's almost time, Richard, you should go change into something more appropriate."

"what?"

“We are going to see His Majesty,” the young lady said. “After each Easter competition, His Majesty hosts a banquet to entertain the top-ranked contestants. And don’t forget, as the champion team, we can also make a wish to His Majesty in person.”

Of course I won't forget that.

But speaking of wishes...

Richard glanced at Anton with a hint of sympathy. The chubby boy from Guamara understood what was going on, clenched his fist, and finally smiled:

"I'm fine, sir. I've figured it out. Using the grand competition to get the treasure back to my hometown is actually pointless..."

"Oh?"

"The key is to make Guamara strong. Compared to the gold artifacts of the past, the strength of our compatriots is more important now. Otherwise, even if we get them back, we won't be able to protect them and will only lose them again. So I plan to go back and open a school..."

Richard raised an eyebrow and thought: That's true.

But the two things are not actually contradictory...

As the chubby boy spoke, his smile began to falter, and he suddenly pointed into the distance and shouted: