Cyan focused his lightning-element mana, channeling it outward to envelop the sword in his hand.
This was a technique that continuously burned mana, forming a pseudo-aura that, despite its artificial nature, remained highly effective.
Though it had many drawbacks, Cyan now radiated a presence no different from that of a true swordsman, leaving everyone around him in astonishment.
Without hesitation, Cyan charged straight toward Lucian at terrifying speed.
To the servants and ordinary onlookers, he looked no different from a bolt of lightning.
Lucian reacted just as quickly, slamming his fist down into the ground.
Cyan was momentarily surprised—Lucian was also a mage capable of silent casting.
The ground trembled as if struck by a shockwave, forcing Cyan to halt his advance and regain his balance.
-Thud… thud…
"Earth magic is really troublesome."
But Lucian gave him no time to think.
Seizing the advantage in distance, Lucian unleashed three consecutive mid-tier spells—stones shot toward Cyan at high speed.
-Whizz… Whizz… whizz
Cyan remained expressionless, swinging his blade in a wide horizontal arc that shattered all three attacks.
-Slash!!!
Lucian's face twisted in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"What… how is that even possible?"
Cyan surged forward again at incredible speed, closing the distance between them.
Lucian immediately cast another mid-tier spell, erecting a thick stone wall.
-Slash!!!
Cyan sliced through it effortlessly and continued his advance.
"He destroyed my spell that easily?"
"Even if it's just mid-tier, breaking it with a counter-element attack like that should be impossible."
Lucian cast another control-type spell—roots burst from the ground, binding Cyan's feet.
Cyan cut through them with ease, but was immediately caught by another restraint.
The ground beneath him softened into mud, trapping him in place, sinking him down and preventing escape.
At the same time, the roots coiled around his arms.
Lucian smirked, mocking him.
-Fuhaha, now what? What can a lightning bolt do when it's bound?
With a confident expression, Lucian launched three more attacks.
-Let's end this, weakling.
At that moment, countless thoughts ran through the minds of the spectators.
Most believed that Cyan, at the end of the day, was just a lazy boy—what he had done so far had already exceeded expectations.
A few who believed in his victory now felt disappointed, as Lucian seemed to have completely taken control of the battle.
The majority from both sides thought Cyan had been dragged into Lucian's pace, fighting purely on instinct without strategy.
Cyan had gained no advantage at all—defeat seemed inevitable.
And yet—
Cyan did something that left everyone utterly stunned.
At the exact moment the three attacks closed in, Cyan tilted his head from side to side, dodging each strike within a single instant.
The attacks slammed into the ground behind him, explosions erupting in succession.
-Boom!… Boom!!… boom!!!
Cyan let out a small chuckle.
-Are you even taking this seriously, Lucian?
Lucian was shaken once more, his expression now a mix of shock and anger at being mocked.
Before Lucian could react, Cyan cast a spell through the sole of his foot, triggering a powerful explosion.
-Boom!!
Using the blast, Cyan launched himself forward at high speed, delivering a mid-air kick infused with explosive magic straight at Lucian.
-Slap… boom!!!
Lucian barely managed to erect a wall of roots, but it couldn't fully block the attack.
The shockwave sent him flying backward, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris.
Cyan remained focused. Deep down, he knew this wouldn't end so easily.
As the dust settled, Lucian struggled to stand, his mind racing.
"Was this guy really sleeping for five years?"
"How can a lazy brat be this strong?"
"That fighting style… that reaction speed… and that terrifying speed and power—he's not inferior to me at all."
"Ha… maybe the Velton family deliberately spread those ridiculous rumors about him."
"But how could someone like me lose to a so-called useless failure?"
"No matter what… he won't withstand this attack."
At that moment, Cyan rushed toward him again at extreme speed, clearly intending to end the battle.
But suddenly—
A stone wall shot upward, slamming into Cyan's abdomen and launching him into the air.
-Thud…
Lucian circulated mana through both arms and slammed both fists into the ground.
The earth trembled violently as a massive tree erupted, covering part of the training ground.
At the same time, a gigantic meteor-like rock formed above Cyan, who was suspended midair.
-Behold the power of two Mage-tier spells, Cyan!!!!!
Gigantic roots surged upward from below while the massive meteor descended from above.
In less than a second—
A colossal bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, shattering the meteor just as it was about to collide with Cyan's sword.
-Krak!!!!
The lightning surged into Cyan's blade, which now radiated a dense, deep-blue electric aura that engulfed the entire training ground.
Cyan tilted his head back and flipped his body, narrowly evading the attack from below.
Gripping the empowered sword, he thrust forward into the massive roots.
With both hands, he carved a long arc through the air, cleaving the enormous tree in half.
-Slash!!!!!!!
The sight caused Lucian to collapse.
Not only had he exhausted nearly all his mana on those two high-tier spells—
For the first time in two years, Lucian had been defeated.
Losing to someone younger—and even disadvantaged by elemental affinity—dealt a devastating blow to him.
Cyan himself was nearly out of mana, barely able to stand.
Even though he had only used low-tier mana throughout the fight to enhance his speed and sword power, the continuous consumption had nearly drained him dry.
Konan watched with a look of astonishment.
"That sword-based fighting style… truly incredible."
"The initiative no mage usually possesses. Even though he struggled at first, everything Cyan has done shows far greater experience than that boy Lucian."
"I saw a glimpse of it half a year ago… but this is far beyond that."
Konan stood and raised his voice.
-The duel is over! The winner is Cyan Von Velton!
A storm of emotions swept across the training ground—most of all, shock and disbelief.
Somewhere in the crowd, a few servants, Sitri, and the three brothers—Lowbro, Midbro, and Highbro—felt a quiet sense of happiness, whether consciously or not.
As for Caius, countless emotions swirled within him—shock, anger, and doubt.
But one thing remained unchanged—
The hatred in his eyes, still fixed on Cyan.
Lucian knelt on the ground, his legs buried, his face filled with despair.
"I lost… despite the gap, I lost to someone who isn't even considered a genius…"
"That lazy bastard… he's definitely going to demand something outrageous involving my sister… damn it…"
Cyan slowly walked over to him, extending a hand with a faint smile.
-You fought well, Lucian.
Lucian froze for a moment, then slapped his hand away and forced himself up.
He looked at Cyan with clear resentment.
-Say it. What do you want?
-A mana recovery potion. At least Saint-tier. I don't want anything weaker.
"If I ask for King-tier, it might affect our relationship… but if I ask for high-tier, people might question why a Saint-tier mage would accept that. This should be reasonable."
Lucian was once again stunned.
"What kind of ridiculously simple request is that?"
-Are you serious? You can't take it back later!
-Why would I lie in an oath-bound duel?
Hearing that, Lucian grew even more surprised. He ordered his people to bring a mana potion.
However, since he only had two King-tier elixirs on him, he reluctantly handed one over.
-Here.
Cyan reached out, but Lucian held onto it for a moment before letting go.
He felt a tinge of regret—Elixirs were far rarer than standard Saint-tier potions.
"Haizzz… if only I had brought some Saint-tier ones…"
Cyan, on the other hand, was quite satisfied. It had been over half a year since he last saw one.
"I could've gotten one from Konan… but after what happened with Sitri, I'd rather not get too involved with him."
"If big brother is offering, then I won't refuse. Fuhahaha."
Feeling pleased, Cyan suddenly remembered something important.
"Right… after this, it's time I talk to Serafina."
At that moment, both Lucian and Cyan thought of Serafina.
But when they turned toward where she had been standing—
She was gone.
As if she had never been there at all.