Humanity's Hero Of Despair

The arena is filled with raw magic energy as I start floating slightly above the ground.

The last thirty magic knights take defensive stances as they raise their shields out of nervousness. They notice my multi-colored celestial aura becoming more intense. The sky darkens, and thunder rumbles as flashes of lightning streak through the air. I have one last great big spell in the tank. Like I said before, it's all or nothing.

"Eleventh affinity level magic, Celestial Knight!"

My black and silver wand transforms into a great elemental shield on my left arm. Fire and ice encase it to deflect any magic attacks. My Wand of Origin transforms into an elemental longsword made out of light and dark magic. Wind magic swirls around me like I am the eye of a hurricane, protecting me from any attacks.

I feel my mana depleting faster as I struggle to maintain this great spell.

Everybody in the stands is going wild as the Emperor stands up to watch in awe. I didn't even know I had power over the weather. The magic knights look worried as I lower myself back to the ground, my footsteps kicking up dust as I walk towards the magic knights encased in this celestial aura.

The magic knights eye each other as I can see them trying to form a plan.

"Charge!"

Well, looks like that didn't take long. The magic knights all attack me at once. The first magic knights to get close enough to me are swept to the side by my brutal wind magic. The knights who are able to resist the wind manage to get a few close sword swings on me as I block with my shield and counter them. My celestial sword is an arc of fear as it cuts shields in half and knocks back knights into the arena walls.

Nothing can break my celestial shield either.

I feel unstoppable.

"Sixth affinity magic, Air Trap!"

Several magic knights cast their spells at the same time around me. I brace myself as the combined spells force me into one place, causing me to be paralyzed temporarily. I feel powerless. A cold sensation runs down my spine as I manage to look over my shoulder to see a magic knight's sword coming down to slash me. By sheer luck, my celestial aura allows me enough time to break free from the wind trap spell.

SWING!

My celestial sword meets the magic knight's sword by surprise as I disarm him and then counter by slashing apart his shield. Then all it takes is a quick wind blast to send him flying into the wall. The remaining magic knights still try to overwhelm me. My exhaustion is starting to kick in as I have no mana-restoring potions left.

There are only about ten magic knights left now.

I launch myself at them, glowing even brighter than before as I pour all my mana into my sword. After flash stepping and slashing so many more times, I fall to the ground. The crowd is silent. Did I defeat everybody? That's the last thing I think of as darkness takes over my vision.

My head hurts like it has been run over by several carriages.

"Nico! Nico!"

A faint voice says to me as my eyes start to open slowly.

"Nico! Nico! Everybody, he's awake!"

I groan as my vision comes into focus.

Ivy is holding my hand next to me as I lay in bed. My friends all stand beside her. The Emperor is sitting down nearby on the couch with the Grand Duke, Captain Daelon, and Professor Aldric. Ivy throws her arms around me as I hug her back, wondering what's going on. The Emperor gets up from the couch.

"How long was I out for?"

I ask the Emperor as he approaches me.

"For a few hours. We were worried, but luckily, our mages who specialize in healing made sure you would be okay. Your life force was waning as you consumed too much mana, even with the mana potions. You almost gave your life for this duel. I could not be more sorry, Your Imperial Grace."

Imperial Grace?

"I see. Going through that again would not be something I enjoy. Confused. What do you mean by Imperial Grace?"

"As promised, you are made Duke of Lancaster under Grand Duke Lancaster. It is not just an honorary position anymore, as we have given you official citizenship as well, with King Grey's consent by letter. It is the least we could do for putting you in this much danger."

I shake my head slowly as I take in all the information.

Every time I wake up, it seems like something new and big happens. I have to manage multiple territories now? Well, I guess it does help with social status to create good influence in the world. However, it seems like way too much work to handle alone.

I grab the water on my nightstand and take a long sip before placing it back down. My legs feel weak as I slowly get out of bed with the help of Ivy. Professor Aldric walks over to me and examines me to make sure I am alright.

"After speaking with the mages of healing and my own research, you should be good to go in terms of moving around. However, do not use any tenth affinity level spells or higher for at least a week. Even if you have the Wand of Origin with you, you still need time to naturally regain your life force's mana"

He looks at me seriously.

"Perhaps you can use very advanced spells like that again soon, as long as you check in with me to make sure you are restoring at a good pace."

"Thank you, Professor. I will take it easy and make sure to check in with you before using any tenth affinity level spells or higher."

I say to him as he smiles and gives me a pat on the back.

Everybody walks out of my room, smiling, as the Emperor says one more thing to me before disappearing from my room.

"Get dressed. You have about an hour before you need to be in the Imperial Courtroom."

I nod to him as he disappears.

What now?