Gareth vs Theo

[Chapter 23 Comment]

[Xinhuan: Gareth is so predictable hehe.]

[Twin_dragon13773: I cannot wait for that fool to suffer the consequences of trying to take Sir Theo's position. >:)]

"What do you think you're doing, Teacher Gareth?" Theo glared at Gareth with a cold expression, maintaining control over his essence. "By the way, the match has been decided. Maya wins."

Gareth's body trembled as he turned around, pointing at the blades surrounding him. "I should be the one asking you. Are you trying to kill me?"

Theo shrugged, walking toward Gareth. Before saying anything else, he bent his knees and picked up the bead that had fallen from Gareth's pocket earlier. "I wonder what this is..."

Gareth gritted his teeth and hastily snatched the bead from Theo's hand, shouting in anger, "It's a healing pill! Couldn't you see that Avalon is heavily injured?"

"Of course, I could see that. But all of his wounds are superficial. His life isn't in danger," Theo replied calmly.

Gareth had no intention of confessing. He snarled, "I'm from the Knight Realm, just like him. How could I let someone from the same realm suffer like this?"

"Ah, I see. From your words, are you implying that you will only save people from your own realm and not others? Avalon's injury isn't much different from Jayden's, so I don't think it's fair to show favoritism. After all, we are here as teachers for all the students from all realms," Theo said, narrowing his eyes and speaking in a cold tone. "Is this your personal stance or the stance of the Knight Realm?"

Gareth wanted to strike Theo, but with each word, Theo further cornered him. So, Gareth changed his approach.

Instead of engaging with Theo, lines began to appear all around Gareth's body, greatly enhancing his strength. The sudden surge in power created a massive shockwave that shook the entire field and shattered Theo's blades.

"That's enough!" Gareth glared at Theo. "You are beneath me, and you have no right to interrogate me."

Theo smiled nonchalantly. Despite already winning the bet, he agreed, "Sure, we can settle this..."

Gareth clenched his fists, swearing to defeat Theo to the point of disfiguring his face for life.

However, Theo added a condition, "Of course, you should apologize to the students first. You keep demanding new conditions before fulfilling the previous agreement. How can I be sure you will keep your word this time?"

Thump!

Gareth's heart sank. There was no way he could fulfill that condition. In anger, he raised his hand, attempting to punch Theo from above.

Theo swiftly jumped back, evading the punch. But as expected from a formidable knight and marquis, Gareth's strike cracked the entire field.

Meanwhile, Theo landed gracefully on top of a rock, pointing at Avalon and Maya. "You two, leave the arena immediately and ask Serena for a recovery potion. Inform the rest to watch."

Avalon and Maya nodded with serious expressions. They wanted to stop Gareth, but Avalon knew there was little he could do, even though they hailed from the same realm. Gareth wouldn't listen to reason.

As Maya carried Avalon away, he shouted, "Marquis Gareth, your current actions do not reflect the behavior of a knight!"

"Shut up!" Gareth roared and advanced toward Theo, attempting to strike him.

Theo calmly waved his hands, and multiple light balls made of essence materialized around him. Suddenly, these light balls flew toward Gareth, heading straight for him. "This is self-defense."

Gareth, seeing the light balls, didn't pay much attention, considering Theo was merely an illusionist. However, he recalled the swords Theo had summoned earlier. Even though Theo focused on illusion, it seemed he had enough control over his essence to make his attacks real, not mere illusions.

Without hesitation, Gareth raised his left hand, conjuring a white shield out of thin air to block the attacks. The impact of the balls against the shield was powerful, forcing Gareth to hold it with both hands.

"What is this?" Gareth never expected the light balls to possess such strength. Upon realizing the threat, he activated his essence.

The lines on Gareth's body glowed brightly as they formed an armor that covered him entirely. In addition, his right hand wielded a new sword.

"Teacher, be careful. Gareth is a powerful knight with 63 lines. He may not be as strong as others in the kingdom, but he is far from weak!" Avalon warned, concern evident in his voice.

Theo waved his hand nonchalantly, as if dismissing Avalon's warning. However, Gareth's armored appearance did give him a knight-like aura, though his character and actions were far from knightly.

Theo clapped his hands together. Suddenly, two massive walls appeared beside Gareth and crashed down upon him.

Gareth swung his sword and easily cut through the walls, snarling, "Do you think I don't know this is an illusion? Illusionists like you are useless!"

"Is that so? How about this?" Theo pointed his finger at Gareth, and another, more concentrated light ball made of essence emerged. This ball seemed to possess more essence than the previous ones.

Gareth raised his shield to block it, but upon collision, the ball exploded.

Boom!

The explosion was powerful, causing the field to tremble even more. It became apparent that the fire created by Theo was real, not an illusion.

"This is..." Aurora gasped. "He can control the concentration of his essence so precisely?"

Aurora realized the significance of this control. If she applied it to her arrows, she could change their purpose based on her needs.

"To be an illusionist, you need to have knowledge of everything," Theo began teaching his students a lesson. He raised his hand and formed a sword made of essence.

Meanwhile, Gareth rushed forward, attempting to intercept Theo.

Theo showed no fear and stomped the ground before parrying Gareth's strike with his own blade.

Cling!

A clicking sound echoed through the field. To everyone's surprise, Theo managed to stop Gareth's strike completely.

Gareth widened his eyes in shock, realizing what had happened. "You used an extraordinary amount of essence to match my strength?"

Jayden gasped, realizing the implications. Depending on how he used his power, everything could change, including his strength. There was much to learn from that single clash.

Gareth couldn't allow this to continue. He continued swinging his blades, but each blow was effortlessly blocked by Theo's sword as if they were nothing.

Li Wei, Lancelot, and Avalon couldn't help but touch their own swords. They realized that while Theo's movements weren't flashy, they were incredibly refined. Theo could have been a swordmaster if he possessed a demon related to a sword instead of illusions.

"Still think I have no element?" Theo smirked, wrapping his blade with fire.

"Huh?" Gareth suddenly felt something change. The stone illusion had given off nothing, but this time, the fire released an intense heat, just like real flames. It seemed that Theo truly possessed this element.

Theo took advantage of Gareth's shock and spun his body, delivering a direct attack that struck Gareth's armor.

Although Gareth's armor was sturdy, the heat transferred through it, causing Gareth to feel as if his stomach was burning from the outside.

"Aaaahhhh!"

Gareth's screams startled all the students, and Serena and Haruka frowned.

"The fire is real, not an illusion."

"The heat must be transferring to his armor. How strong is that heat to achieve such an effect?"

Gareth, fueled by his determination and frustration, covered his sword with his essence. He swung it, sending a crescent-shaped sword strike flying towards Theo. "Take this!"

Theo remained composed and took a deep breath. With precision, he gently touched the sword strike with his own sword, using the essence from his blade to redirect and deflect it.

Luca and Lucas watched in awe, realizing that Theo was employing the same technique he had used to repel their elemental attacks, but on a higher level.

Theo raised his hand, commanding, "Fall!"

Gareth's eyes widened as he saw a massive fireball descending upon him. Desperately, he struck the fireball with his sword, attempting to repel it. "Haaa!"

However, the moment his sword made contact with the fireball, a clicking sound resonated as if he had hit something solid. In an instant, the fireball transformed into a gigantic boulder that crashed down on top of him.

Boom!

The impact and weight of the boulder crushed Gareth, pinning him to the ground. The force shattered the already damaged arena, leaving Gareth with no means of escape.

"Gah!" Gareth screamed in pain, feeling as though his ribs had been broken. However, he soon realized that the boulder was an illusion.

Without hesitation, he struck the illusory boulder again. This time, there was no resistance or clicking sound. It dissipated as if it were nothing more than air.

"Kh. Why?" Gareth managed to dispel the illusion, but the pain persisted. He truly believed his ribs had been broken from the attack.

Mia, grinning, explained to the other students, "This is one of my dad's illusions. It connects the mind and the body. If your mind believes you're injured, you might truly experience the effects in the real world."

Mia revealed that Gareth had genuinely believed in the illusion, resulting in him feeling the pain of his supposed broken ribs.

Gareth paid no attention to their comments and shock. He pushed forward, shouting, "Die!"

"What a dangerous word to say." Theo shook his head in disappointment. He snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, a loud honk resounded from the side. A truck drove toward Gareth as if intending to run him over.

"I advise against cutting that truck," Theo said with a smile.

"Useless!" Gareth roared, swinging his sword and slicing the truck in two. He disregarded whatever Theo had to say.

Unfortunately for him, the truck turned out to be a gasoline truck. As soon as it was cut, it ignited and created a massive explosion that engulfed the entire field, swallowing Gareth within its flames.

Theo, on the other hand, jumped back to avoid being consumed by the inferno. He even formed a shield with his essence to block the heat and fire, protecting himself and the students.

As expected of a formidable knight, Gareth was still alive. Half of his armor was destroyed, but he remained conscious, his gaze refusing to acknowledge defeat.

But then, Theo shocked everyone.

Theo disappeared as if he had been an illusion all along, leaving Gareth and the students bewildered.

"Huh?" Gareth and the students widened their eyes, searching for Theo and trying to make sense of what had just occurred.

It turned out that Theo had been sitting among them the entire time. He hadn't moved from his original spot.

What Gareth had fought earlier was nothing more than an illusion.

Theo sat comfortably, typing on his Lumina as if bored with the fight. When everyone's gaze fell upon him, he raised his head, wearing an innocent expression.

"Oh, are you done? The fight took so long, I got bored. Besides, for someone who looks down on illusionists, you couldn't even defeat an illusion of me," Theo remarked with a sigh of disappointment.