Chapter 8 The Opening Battle

The road leading to the arena was always dark, giving the impression of a journey straight into the depths of hell.

Leif, who had been cheerful just a moment ago, huddled closer to Lancaster.

"Tch, a kid's still a kid!" Cain mocked mercilessly.

Lancaster glared at him, "Where were you when you were 160 years old?"

With a flick of his finger, a fireball ignited, illuminating the path ahead.

"Leif, isn't it beautiful?"

Watching the warm, glowing fireball in Lancaster's hand, Leif nodded.

"Don't be scared, think of it as just a little trip! I'll show you lots of fun things soon^^."

"Mm, as long as I'm with big brother, I won't be afraid."

Sacre's face darkened, "Oh~~ My Queen, your charm knows no bounds, whether they're eight thousand or eighty years old, none can escape your allure!"

"Hmph, mind your own business." Lancaster's fireball morphed into various animals, amusing Leif so much that he completely forgot his fear, his eyes fixed on the display.

"Is this really going to be a harem? Oh~~ My Queen!"

Cain, however, was warily watching Lancaster's hand. While conjuring a fireball wasn't difficult for them, maintaining it and constantly changing its shape required a level of precision beyond their reach.

Normally, knights could also practice magic, but due to innate talent, training methods, and time constraints, a knight achieving the level of a Debel-tier mage was already astonishing.

But this person, ha, he's probably beyond even the upper ranks of Ailta.

Looks like it's time to reassess the strength of this seemingly fragile young master.

Manning, observing Cain's shifting expressions, patted him on the shoulder, "Don't be too surprised, there's plenty more to come!"

Cain spread a lazy smile, "I'm really, really looking forward to it."

Looks like he had indeed entered a remarkable place. What he had originally thought to be a boring mission was turning out to be unexpectedly entertaining. The god Fahl really did favor him.

Note: Fahl, in contrast to Tahl, is the god of life and is revered as the supreme deity of the Sertu continent.

Even the longest roads come to an end, let alone a mere few hundred meters of passage.

A large door appeared before them.

"Hmph, is it a test of strength?" This seemed to be the first obstacle—if they couldn't open this door, they wouldn't even make it into the arena. It would be more than just a matter of embarrassment.

"I'm not doing something that stupid." Cain crossed his arms and stood to the side.

Manning moved to the other side, "Doing something like that is utterly undignified."

Sacre looked at Lancaster, waiting for his orders.

"Big brother, can I do it?" Leif raised his small face, looking up at Lancaster expectantly.

"Hey, kid, are you sure? Don't come crying back if you can't push it open—no one's going to pity you!" Cain's attitude toward Leif was always cold and sarcastic.

But this time, Leif didn't argue with him. "Big brother, let me try!"

Lancaster patted his head, "Do it beautifully!"

"Mm."

A small, tender hand rested on the door, and Leif took a step forward. The door opened halfway outward.

"Big brother, come on! I've already opened the door!"

"Aren't you coming?" Lancaster teased, seeing the slightly startled expressions on the three behind him.

"With this kind of strength, he's no mere Alkaid knight," Manning muttered to himself.

"It's just natural brute force, what's so surprising?" Cain followed them in.

Sacre had already rushed to Lancaster's side, "Oh~~ My Queen, how can you abandon your most loyal servant? Fickle love is not good, you know."

Fortunately, Lancaster's fireball continued to light their way, sparing them from being blinded by the harsh lights ahead.

"Dear audience, let's look forward to a spectacular show to kick off this year's Knight Festival!"

Thunderous applause followed.

"Looks like we missed the opening speech!" Lancaster sighed in relief.

"Yeah, yeah, not having to listen to those old men prattle on is such a blessing!" Manning agreed, clearly having been tortured by it before.

Someone approached them and whispered a few words into Sacre's ear, leaving with a look of disbelief.

Seeing Sacre's gleeful, weasel-like grin, Lancaster had a bad feeling.

"What did you say to him?"

Before Sacre could answer, the truth was revealed.

"Now, let's welcome the Queen's Team and the Five Elements Team to the stage!"

"Sacre, you…"

"I was going to add your name too, Little Lan, but he refused, saying it would make the name too long!"

Manning and the others secretly thanked Fahl—they were still under his protection, after all.

Lancaster, fuming, let out a bitter laugh. The ground suddenly cracked open beneath them, then immediately closed.

"Huh? Weren't there five of them just now? How did it become four?"

"I thought there were five too… maybe we were seeing things!"

"Oh~~ My Queen, you can't be so heartless as to deprive me of the chance to serve you! Let me out, let me out!"

The four continued onward, completely unbothered by the loud wails echoing across the arena.

Five figures approached from the opposite side, some of them looking quite strange—or rather, they weren't even human.

The Knight Festival didn't restrict participants by race, so orcs, werewolves, sandmen, and other races were free to form teams and compete.

Compared to humans, these races had physical advantages in strength, durability, and other areas.

Thus, in the last tournament, five of the eight finalists had been from these non-human races.

"I thought we'd face real opponents, but it's just five little kids!" The leading orc, dressed in red, taunted.

"Yo, there's even a brat who hasn't shed his baby fur! Hey, kid, how old are you? Go home and suckle from your mother instead of playing here!"

"Hey, blondie, shouldn't you be in a brothel as the top performer? Why are you here? Brothers, we should feel sorry for them, shouldn't we?"

A chorus of vulgar laughter erupted.

"This is the level of the Knight Festival's top eight?" Lancaster's expression had turned icy cold.

"It's not," Cain, who was usually never serious, said with a solemn face. "Last year, many high-level knights didn't participate.

And unlike other kingdoms' martial competitions, the free city's Knight Festival only cares about the result—winning by any means necessary.

So, many of their opponents dropped out before the match due to unknown reasons, and they even know a bit of magic themselves."

"So this is what they call 'When the cat's away, the monkeys play,' huh?" Sacre's voice, icy as ever, came from behind.

"If you're a monkey, you should know your place, shouldn't you?" Manning's black hair began to sway without wind.

Leif, though also angry, looked at the others' reactions and realized the other team should probably start praying to Fahl for mercy.

"So, little boys over there, are you scared yet? Come over, kneel down and apologize, and maybe we'll let you off today!" the orc laughed maniacally.

The referee, sensing the tension, looked like he wanted to bolt, but he still had things to announce. "You can choose to fight in either a free-for-all or one-on-one duels."

"No need for that nonsense. You can all come at me together. I'll crush you one by one," the werewolf bragged.

The referee looked at Lancaster's team, "Since they want to die, that can be arranged."

The referee raised his hand, "This match will be a free-for-all! Begin!"

"Still not begging for mercy?" the orc bellowed. "You can't even touch a hair on our heads. Brothers, let's show them what's up!"

The five of them began glowing in various colors, the light expanding and connecting, forming a multicolored barrier.

"This is our Five Elements Aura Shield, each element supporting the others. It's impenetrable by swords, arrows, or magic. Scared yet, little ones? Too bad it's too late now!"

The five hulking figures advanced toward Lancaster's team.

Many in the audience couldn't bear to watch and shut their eyes.

"Flame Dragon Spear!" The first to strike was, surprisingly, Leif. Grasping a silver spear, he thrust it forward, sending a dragon roaring toward the five enemies.

Sacre smirked slightly, his thoughts aligning with his movements. Black flames burst forth.

In this world, there was nothing that could resist dragonfire.

The orcs and their clothes were all burnt to a crisp, leaving even their hair, including that in... certain areas, completely scorched.

"Huh? How did this happen?" "Aaahhhh…" The agonized screams rang out.

"Don't worry, it's not over yet!" Cain's black silhouette flickered, and he

once-arrogant men had been reduced to ashes, leaving not even a trace behind.

Lancaster wordlessly raised his hand.

"Brilliant!" "Amazing!" "So satisfying!" After a long silence, the arena erupted into thunderous applause.

"Oh~~~ As expected of my Queen, so extravagantly magnificent!" Sacre's eyes began to sparkle with little hearts.