They don't want me to try anymore.

"If this strike lands, the battle will most likely be decided!"

Linda looked up at the gleaming blade that was getting closer and closer.

Am I... going to lose?

Dulles's daughter lost to a country bumpkin Connaught?

No... Absolutely not!

She gritted her teeth and took out a blood diamond necklace from her bosom—a gift from her mother for her eighteenth birthday, a treasure from the imperial family, said to contain a blood diamond from the heart tubercle of a fire elemental lord.

She ripped it off!

The ejected diamond liquefied out of thin air, condensing into a blazing fireball. Though small, it exuded a terrifying pressure and crashed into Richard's magical sword blade!

In the blink of an eye, the magic from both sides collided, creating a violent explosion in the arena.

Linda's desperate attack did not completely stop the sword of divine retribution, but it did move the point of explosion further away from her.

The powerful shockwave spread out, making the hair of the students in the surrounding stands stand up!

A few seconds later, the dust settled on the ground.

Richard and Linda both collapsed to the ground, their skin burning and their lungs aching; they were practically bleeding.

Amidst the scattered flames, Linda struggled to her feet, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

I can still move, but that's about it...

Is this the final result?

draw……

This is outrageous and humiliating!

If only I had noticed his little tricks sooner...

"Linda Dulles!"

what!

How can it be?

How is he still able to stand up?

Is this guy invincible?!

With a roar, Richard, to Linda's disbelief, raised a two-handed greatsword and charged out of the fire beside him!

It turns out that he had just taken out 2 of his previously idle attribute points and added them to his constitution and magic power, thus regaining his mobility and also summoning a weapon.

At this moment, bathed in flames, he charged forward with his sword, making Linda feel as if she were a guard of Idaril seven hundred years ago, watching the ancestor of the Dulles family, the first Grand Duke of Firehorse, break through the burning city gate!

"You, don't come here!"

A look of terror finally appeared on her face. She stumbled backward on the ground, kicking her legs as she raised her right hand.

Although her armor had been reduced to rags, she still wore a bright green ring on the index finger of her right hand; it was the last magical item she possessed.

The ring fired a beam of disintegration magic, which Richard dodged by swaying his body, but his greatsword was knocked away, spinning in mid-air, and even half of the blade shattered in mid-air.

Just as Linda breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the broken sword and was about to take the opportunity to create distance again...

Richard burst out laughing.

"You're only struggling with your equipment? Your awareness is completely lacking!"

The man swiftly grabbed the remaining third of the blade with his other hand, ignoring the sharp metal cutting through flesh. He braced his fingers against the edge of the blade, pressed his palm against the spine, and with a sudden burst of strength, swung the greatsword, now only the latter half remaining, backwards!

Amidst the whistling wind, the counterweight ball at the hilt of the sword, like a giant's hammer, shattered Linda's remaining self-adaptive shield with a clang and slammed heavily into her face!

When metal collides with flesh, there can only be one outcome!

After the muffled thud...

Linda's jaw was shattered, she coughed up blood, and was sent flying!

In that brief second, countless images flashed through her mind, finally settling on Richard's laughing face amidst the flames, his bare teeth, his eyes reflecting the red light...

I...I still lost...

Why can't I defeat him?

Is this guy a demon? He must be a demon!

How could I possibly defeat such a demon...?

Nightmarish thoughts raged in her mind until they condensed into an unprecedented, deep-seated fear that shattered some precious pillar within her.

She vaguely felt that her pants were a little damp...

Overwhelmed by fear, she could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.

On the field, only Richard remained standing.

Everyone in the stands held their breath, as if they had forgotten how to breathe.

Tick, tick.

A few seconds later, drops of blood from Richard's palm fell into the flowing fire at his feet, making a sizzling sound, and the faint aroma of meat wafted from his back.

"Ha, that's it?"

After saying this, his last bit of strength was exhausted, and finally, with a smile on his face, he collapsed backward...

then……

He collapsed amidst a pool of warm, fragrant, and soft flesh.

The last thing I saw was a blinding white, indescribable sight...

"……headmaster?"

"Played well."

Hela looked at the handsome boy in her arms and smiled, saying, "You can rest assured now."

After Richard closed his eyes, she surveyed the entire room and announced loudly:

"The winner is Richard Targaryen!"

The magical sound waves spread out, suppressing all the flames and smoke in the arena, and Linda's final disheveled appearance was exposed to everyone's view.

Everyone was stunned for a few seconds.

The silence was broken by cheers from Tom Zoe and others.

Immediately afterwards...

It was a sound like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing!

"The Connaughts actually won... How is that possible..."

"No, it shouldn't be like this..."

"Defeating a Silver-ranked opponent with Bronze-ranked equipment... Someone actually managed to do that..."

"Waaaaah, my gold coins!"

"That's amazing, Richard!"

"Well done, Richard! Hooray!"

"A miracle, this is a miracle!"

Although most Imperials still favored Linda, quite a few were indeed captivated by Richard's previous performance and by this absolutely brilliant battle—that's the charm of a miracle!

They joined Tom and the others, cheering loudly for Richard!

This moment belongs to the man who created a miracle!

Well, although he himself fainted and couldn't hear...

Off the field, Hela saw that Tom and the girls seemed impatient to care about Richard's injuries, so she reached out to signal them to be patient and then cast a healing spell on Richard.

The latter's breathing immediately calmed down.

"In a way, you're a really lucky man~"

She then summoned the teachers who had been waiting, restored order to the scene, took the injured away for treatment, and announced the end of the duel.

Behind the stands, Albert stroked his chin, lost in thought for a long time.

"Such talent has emerged from the tiny island of Connaught... This is noteworthy."

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Ripples of Cause and Effect

Albert muttered to himself, "Whether it's talent or tactics, he's in the top tier. Even among the young talents of the Empire, only a handful can compare to him."

"Such a person happens to come from Connaught. If he harbors hatred towards the Empire... he is indeed worth paying attention to."

Suddenly, a charming female voice interrupted: "Little Albert, although I can't control what happens outside, I'll get angry if any outsiders try to lay a hand on my lovely student~"

Telepathic communication?

Hearing the words in his mind, Albert glanced at the principal who was smiling at him with narrowed eyes in the center of the field, and shrugged.