Someone who could challenge the authority

The other dukes, standing a short distance away, exchanged uneasy glances. They could hardly believe what they had just witnessed.

The sheer destruction and magnitude of the attack Julian unleashed were far beyond anything they had expected to see from a veteran mage let alone from someone young like Julian.

Whispers rippled through them as their minds raced with questions.

"How can a mage so young wield such devastating power?" one duke muttered under his breath, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Another nodded, his face pale. "That level... it surpasses even the might of an Arch Mage. This... this is something else entirely."

Their expressions mirrored a growing sense of worry and awe. They had come to respect Julian's talents, but this was on a scale they had never anticipated.