Legacy of the Dark Sage

The building on the training ground had two halls. On the left side, there were small to medium-sized training rooms while the right side had a huge arena.

In the arena, there was a VIP area where the council members usually watched when the Security Team held competitive matches at the beginning of the year to select the members of the Elite Team.

Malek led Haylee and the others into this room.

The room was located in an elevated section of the arena. The wall facing the arena was made of glass panels. Currently, though, it was covered by a white thick curtain.

At the center of the room was a two-meter long ceramic table surrounded by floating seat cushions.

"I've seen the layout of the Tower of Conclave from past records of the Royal Army's inspections, I must say, I was surprised to hear that you have an arena built here," Haylee said as she looked around the room.

"The arena is being used by our Security Team," Malek explained.

Haylee nodded and sat on a floating seat cushion, positioned in the middle and said, "I read the members of the Security Unit's Elite Team change every year because you choose the members based on the result of these competitive matches."

"That is right," Malek confirmed with a short nod.

Rhys and Vera followed Haylee at the floating cushions, but neither of them sat. They remained standing on each side a few feet behind her.

"What else do you use the arena for? As far as I remember, all joint activities performed by the Conclave with the Royal Army are done out in the field," Haylee asked while looking at the wall facing the arena. Although there was a long curtain covering it, her appearance made it look as if she could see beyond.

Instead of answering at once, Malek, standing close to the wall, waved his hand. The curtains parted at the middle and drew to the sides, revealing the glass panels.

"It is sometimes being used by members of the Conclave constituents that are currently in the tower," he replied.

As soon as the curtains were drawn, Haylee, Rhys and Vera's eyes instantly moved and looked out the glass panel.

What greeted them was a spacious room with a round black platform at the center. A few meters from the platform were five layers of bleaches which were currently occupied by several people wearing a variety of armors intently watching two people in the arena.

In the arena, they saw a huge man wearing a black uniform which Haylee and the rest recognized as the Blacksmith Order's uniform, raising his arms and summoned a seven-meter light-brown magic array that hovered above the man opposite him.

Rhys and Vera immediately recognized the huge man.

"That's President Sigma of the Blacksmith Order," Rhys murmured.

Vera's eyes narrowed as she recalled what Head Master had said before they entered the training grounds.

'Then this means the man before him is...' She thought as her gaze shifted to the man opposite Sigma.

In front of President Sigma was a young man, wearing a similar black uniform. He had auburn hair and looked a little pitiful as he knelt on one knee. From the young man's tattered clothes it was easy to guess that he had been subjected to a barrage of attacks for hours.

As soon as the light-brown magic array completed its rotation above the young man, a massive pressure weigh down on him that he almost doubled over.

However, he was able to endure and even managed to rouse his own light-yellow magic array which circled around him. Right after the light-yellow magic array circled the young man, as if his strength had been boosted, he lifted his head and looked at Sigma before charging.

The young man lifted his right hand and a long wooden staff appeared. Several light-yellow magic arrays appeared at the tip of the staff as the young man closed in on Sigma.

Sigma did not budge from his position. He simply crossed his arms across his chest as a new light-brown magic array formed in front of him.

Grayish magic energy began to converge at the center of the magic array and soon formed into a huge unibit.

Upon seeing the unibit, the young man instantly stopped.

When the young man stopped, Sigma, who appeared to have no intention of moving suddenly disappeared.

Of course, he did not really disappear. Because of how fast he lunged forward, he looked as if he disappeared from his location.

As Sigma lunged toward the young man, the light-brown magic array with the unibit did the same. The unibit grew larger and the young man seemed to have said something which made Sigma laugh before he pulled back his right arm and punched out.

His fist hit the end of the unibit and it shot at an alarming speed toward the young man.

The young man waved his staff and several materials appeared before him. The several light-yellow magic arrays that appeared on the staff converged at one end as the young man pointed at the materials. In an instant, the materials exploded into pieces. Then the young man moved his staff, and when he did, the pieces of materials followed along.

As the young man moved the staff, a series of runes appeared in the space before him.

"This—!" Rhys and Vera was flabbergasted.

Vera was also a mage that was well-versed in array formations. She instantly recognized that what the young man was doing was an unpremeditated array creation!

Even Haylee, who had fallen silent as soon as the curtain inside the VIP area parted, suddenly had her blue sapphire eyes flickered while she stared at the young man below.

As a Crown Princess, she was taught a lot of things. She was also well-versed in Array theory. Her practical experience in Array creation was too few but she at least knew how hard it was to create an Array from scratch. Not to mention during battle.

Back in the arena, as soon as the young man began writing an Array formation in thin air, the crowd on the bleachers burst out in excitement.

But even so, the unibit closed in on the young man. When it was only five meters away, the young man had finally finished the Array formation.

Several layers of semi-transparent barriers appeared and surrounded the young man seconds before the unibit arrived.

The unibit collided with the first layer of barrier, forming a shockwave that rang out in the whole arena.

Sigma raised his right hand toward the unibit and a light-brown magic array formed on its rear. Crackling sounds were heard as the magic array stirred the unibit's rotation. In just a few seconds, the unibit rotated at a breakneck speed that instantly pierced through not one but three layers of the barrier protecting the young man.

"Such a powerful piercing capability," Rhys murmured while he looked at Sigma's unibit. It was his first time seeing the Blacksmith Order's President in action.

As someone who would take part in the inspection in the coming days, Rhys had read through all the information the army had about the Conclave. He was aware of the innate magic and abilities of each of its council members. However, he had to admit that he found President Sigma's earth magic mediocre, and the only worth taking note of was how he could augment the earth magic's property into his body.

At least, that was Rhys's initial thoughts. Now that he had seen how Sigma's unibit could pierce through layers of magic barriers, he admitted underestimated Sigma too much.

"This match is over."

Even before Rhys could finish his words, more layers of the barriers protecting the young man had shattered.

Vera also nodded.

No matter how fast the young man could create Array formation, the piercing ability of Sigma's attack was too powerful.

Just as the two were thinking this, a smile tugged at the corner of Haylee's lips.

Without looking at Malek, she said, "Head Master Malek, what terms will the Conclave agree on for the Royal Family to take him?"

'Take him?'

Both Rhys and Vera wondered as they looked at Haylee.

Before any of them could really react to her words, a massive explosion rang out that also shook the glass panels in the VIP area.

Rhys and Vera were shocked and turned their attention back to the arena.

"What just happened?"

"T-That explosion, is it due to President Sigma's attack?"

Rhys and Vera exclaimed at the same time.

Unfortunately, because the arena was now covered in a cloud of smoke, they could not determine what exactly had happened.

Haylee giggled. She then looked at Malek, who had yet to answer her previous question.

"Well, Head Master Malek? What terms?" She repeated.

Malek looked at Haylee, his expression was unreadable.

"Apologies, your Highness. President Sigma is part of the Conclave High Council. No matter what kind of terms you propose we will not agree."

Even before Malek could finish what he was saying, Haylee had started to laugh softly.

"You misunderstand, Head Master Malek," she said as she looked back out the arena. "I was not talking about him."

By this time, the cloud of smoke had dissipated a little and silhouettes could be seen at the center of the black platform.

Haylee lifted her delicate-looking hands as she pointed at one of the silhouettes.

"I was talking about him."

As if a gust of wind swept over the arena, the cloud of smoke was instantly shoved toward the edges of the platform.

Rhys and Vera frowned slightly as they realized that the Crown Princess, was actually pointing at the young man.

"You want to take, Disciple Tyr, your Highness?" Vera could not help but ask aloud.