NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86: Fraud
Lucius didn't want to fight for Lily.
He wasn't even interested in it a bit neither was he remotely capable of such a thing...
The very idea of stepping down into an arena with countless people and trading blows for her honor was laughable.
He wasn't that kind of man, and Lily wasn't worth the effort.
What interested him was something else entirely — the protagonist.
Elliot.
He wanted to see how strong the guy truly was when pushed.
The main character always had some hidden card, some ridiculous ability that let him claw back victory from impossible odds. That was the power of plot armor!
Watching that unfold here, in front of a thousand nobles? That was worth his time.
The Gale heir… Hiruzen, apparently was nobody Lucius cared about. He didn't even know the guy's name until ten minutes ago.
But he had to respect the guts.
Facing a son of heaven was like charging a brick wall with your forehead — you weren't going to win, you were only going to make a spectacle of yourself.
It could end up cringe, or it could be beautiful and you'd be respected by the fandom, but most of the time you ended up a victim of fraudulent activities.
He poured himself a glass of red wine as Vanessa shifted beside him.
They had been given a private balcony by a council member that overlooked the wide dueling stage below which was coincidentally situated in the backyard of the whole place.
It was really cool honestly, as long as it wasn't him fighting.
"Why do you even want to watch this?" Vanessa asked, arms folded under her chest as she leaned on the railing.
Her crimson hair caught the lantern-light. "It's annoying, younglings fighting over a woman. Doesn't it feel shallow to you?"
Lucius shrugged lazily. "Lucky me, I don't have to fight for you."
He stretched, joints cracking, then tilted the bottle toward her cup. "Come on, have a drink. It's not every day you get a break from your stuffy office."
She raised her cup without argument. "Hmph. Fair."
…
Down on the field, Elliot inhaled sharply.
His first official fight since arriving in this world.
His suit coat flapped dramatically as he shrugged it off, the fabric catching in the wind and sailing down until it landed squarely on a nobleman's face.
He didn't even notice.
His entire focus tunneled on the man across from him.
Elliot bent his knees and spread his stance. The Runenforscher battle style wasn't about brute force.
His clan were alchemists first and foremost, but centuries of hunting ingredients in monster-infested ruins had refined them into pragmatic fighters.
His left arm angled slightly forward, elbow bent, palm open like a shield. His right hand hovered near his waist, ready to strike or to use a spell mid-fight.
This was an adaptive style built to block, counter, and punish.
'I promised Mother I wouldn't get into unnecessary fights,' Elliot thought grimly, flexing his fingers. But this was unavoidable.
He would endure it.
Opposite him, Hiruzen Gale planted one foot forward, knees bent low, arms spread wide like wings.
Wind stirred at his back, tugging his long coat dramatically.
He smirked, eyes gleaming with manic anticipation.
"Begin!" cried the butler, his voice cutting through the air.
Hiruzen blurred.
His body cut forward like a gust of compressed air. He spun, leg whipping around in a crescent arc.
The wind screamed as his shin cut through it.
Elliot's left arm shot up, forearm braced. Mana surged along the limb, forming a translucent guard that shimmered like glass.
The kick landed with a thunderclap, force rattling his bones, nearly tearing his shoulder from its socket.
He gritted his teeth, muscles screaming, but he held.
Hiruzen clicked his tongue and snapped his leg back, momentum scattering like wind unraveling.
Elliot seized the chance. He lunged, fist chambered tight, mana coursing into his knuckles until it burned white.
He drove it forward like a hammer.
But his world blinked.
One instant he was grounded, the next the ground was gone.
Wind.
That was all he could feel right now.
His cheek stung raw, an ugly bruise blooming where Hiruzen's strike had slipped past. He was already mid-air, tumbling.
'What the—?!'
He hadn't seen it.
A feint? No… it was just speed.
He had blacked out the moment of impact.
From above came laughter. "Heh! The sky is my domain!"
Hiruzen blurred again, this time downward, fist cocked. He met Elliot in the air, their bodies colliding mid-flight.
Elliot jerked his head aside at the last instant, the fist grazing his cheek. Blood spattered. A bead streaked across Hiruzen's knuckles.
The Gale heir's eyes lit up with savage joy.
"You're done." Elliot said with a smirk
Flames erupted.
Elliot's blood ignited, licking up Hiruzen's fist like a living brand. The Gale heir snarled in shock, yanking his hand back, but Elliot had no chance to gloat.
A knee rammed into his ribs, then a boot smashed into his jaw.
The world spun.
His body twisted through the air, whirling like a broken doll, pain screaming across his bones.
'What the fuck are these punches packing?!'
His vision swam. Hiruzen was already on him again, closing the gap like a hawk chasing prey.
"Too slow!" Hiruzen barked, the wind itself carrying his words.
Elliot drew a ragged breath.
No choice.
He pulled mana into his lungs, compressing it until the pressure ached. His ribs felt like they would burst. And then —
He exhaled.
The air left him not as breath but as force.
A shockwave rippled outward, slamming into Hiruzen point-blank. The Gale heir's eyes widened as he was driven down like a meteor.
His body struck the marble stage with bone-cracking force, the tiles splintering beneath him with a big pop.
Elliot dropped a second later, knees bending as he landed in the crater's shadow, he used a small amount of wind to lower the speed of his descent.
His chest heaved, blood dripping from his cheek, his ribs aflame with pain.
Around them, nobles roared. They were cheering for him.
But Lucius?
Lucius sipped his wine, unimpressed.
'Is this really the protagonist? Fucking Fraud.'