Chapter Twenty-Nine: This Is a True Master

Praise be to the Goddess of Life! This damned spider silk is far too sturdy! From the waist down, Chu Tian was completely wrapped, and from a distance, he resembled a giant silkworm cocoon with only his head and hands protruding.

Fortunately, his hands could still move! In a moment of peril, Chu Tian struggled, swinging Dracula’s Wrath toward the web binding his body. Instantly, pure magical flames scorched the silk with crackling pops, yet regrettably, they were unable to burn through the dense threads!

“Dracula’s Wrath only has sixth-level flames! Bandis is a seventh-tier magical beast! Seventh-tier!” Seeing Chu Tian’s actions, Damar shouted anxiously from afar, “Quick, use an attack spell of at least the seventh level!”

Just as Damar said, Dracula’s Wrath, having not absorbed life essence for many years, no longer possessed its former awe-inspiring power. Now, its flames equated only to a sixth-level spell, but Bandis’s webbing was a seventh-tier physical attack. To pit the sixth against the seventh tier? Only the Goddess of Life could safeguard Chu Tian now!

Yet, after the initial panic, Chu Tian regained his composure. While still probing the strength of the silk with Dracula’s Wrath, he sighed inwardly: I really need to lure a few high-level magical beasts!

“Praise be to the Goddess of Life! The sacred rules of the duel must not be broken!” Ignoring Damar’s advice, Chu Tian shouted. Though he didn’t know attack magic, Young Master Chu would always find a grand excuse for himself! After all, he still possessed a ninth-level protection scroll; a seventh-tier magical beast couldn’t possibly claim his life!

His excuse had the intended effect. Though Damar’s suggestion was dismissed, watching Chu Tian struggle in danger, Damar clenched his fists in excitement and muttered, “This is a true warrior…” The surrounding crowd roared with thunderous cheers, shouting, “Warrior! Warrior!...”

From childhood, the common folk of the Caesar Empire were instilled with the virtue that heroes fear nothing. For Chu Tian to so calmly maintain the rules of the duel at the very edge of life and death instantly won Marquis Vladino the respect of the audience!

“Bandis! Kill him!” Fallen to the ground, Anderson was infuriated by the crowd’s cheers. Forcing himself to resist the effects of negative magic, he commanded his magical pet!

“Withdraw your command!” Upon hearing Anderson, Damar rushed to shout, “The rules of the duel forbid killing your opponent! Have you no knightly honor?”

Damar’s words came a moment too late. Upon hearing her master’s order, Bandis’s alluring face grew cold. She opened her mouth and spat out several thick, silver threads.

Stronger by far than the first, the webs instantly cocooned Chu Tian completely! Along with Dracula’s Wrath, Chu Tian was now thoroughly sealed within a prison of spider silk. The sudden suffocation made him dizzy, and as his thoughts raced, he was struck by a terrifying realization—he couldn’t move at all!

This time, true panic gripped Chu Tian. At this rate, he might truly die at Bandis’s hands! With that thought, he hastily summoned the spatial ring attuned to his spirit—preparing to unleash the ninth-level magic protection scroll!

But just as he was about to retrieve the scroll, the situation changed.

At last, Damar could restrain himself no longer. Anderson’s attempt to kill his opponent had violated the rules of the duel—a grave insult to Damar as referee! All the more since the endangered Marquis Vladino was soon to be his creditor!

“Hmph! Since you’ve broken the rules first, you can’t blame me for intervening!” As he spoke, Damar’s expression grew stern, his white hair streaming, and his red-and-black mage robes billowed as if caught in an unseen wind. With a brief chant, a crystal-clear red staff appeared in the archmage’s hand. He swung it at Bandis with force, uttering three words in a deep voice: “Meteor Shower!”

At that moment, a dark red cloud materialized in the sky above as Damar swung his staff. Before anyone could react, countless meteors, blazing with dazzling fire, rained down upon the arena!

The meteor shower initially seemed chaotic as it poured from the red cloud, but by the time it reached Bandis, the meteors—each originally the size of a football—had compressed to the size of eggs, forming a slender spear of flame that pierced her mercilessly!

A shrill, piercing screech escaped Bandis as the flaming spear struck. Not only did the fire burn through the webbing binding Chu Tian, but Bandis herself was scorched, her skin split open, and several patches of black burns marred her once-beautiful face!

This chain of actions displayed the archmage’s power without doubt. The most basic eighth-tier spell, Meteor Shower, was compressed a hundredfold in Damar’s hands, its might multiplied to such an extent that Bandis, a seventh-tier magical beast, was utterly defenseless!

“Honored Archmage, I was merely following my master’s command!” Bandis suddenly spoke in a gentle voice. Opening her mouth, she drew back the webbing that had encased Chu Tian, swallowing it entirely. “Now I renounce my master’s order. Will you spare me?”

“According to the rules of the duel, your fate lies with Marquis Vladino,” Damar replied coldly, his billowing robes and white hair settling naturally. Amid the crowd’s adoring cheers, the archmage turned to Chu Tian. “The rest is up to you.”

Hearing Bandis speak, Chu Tian, newly escaped from death, was stunned for a moment before quickly understanding—seventh-tier magical beasts could indeed speak. Glancing enviously at the awe-inspiring Damar, Chu Tian clicked his tongue in admiration. Where was the simple, honest mage minister now?

“Praise be to the Goddess of Life! Since you were merely obeying orders, I won’t hold you accountable,” Chu Tian waved his hand, and Bandis, battered and wounded, crawled back into the black hole from whence she came.

A cruel smile played on Chu Tian’s lips as he turned to Damar. “Now then, Anderson is at my disposal, isn’t he?” Receiving an affirmative reply, Chu Tian narrowed his eyes, a wicked grin spreading as he strode slowly toward Anderson.

Never before had Damar seen Chu Tian take on such an aspect. A chill ran down his spine as he watched; he silently vowed never to cross Marquis Vladino—who, after all, was also notoriously known as the Butcher of the Veterinary Department!

“How could this happen?” Bandis departed, but Anderson was left stupefied. Seeing Chu Tian dragging Dracula’s Wrath toward him, Anderson cried out in desperation, “No… don’t kill me! My father is the Right Chancellor!”

“Rest assured, I won’t kill you.” Though his tone was calm, Chu Tian was now ablaze with fury. No one had ever brought him so close to death; in the face of mortal danger, the butcher within him was fully awakened. “However, I’ll just leave a little mark on you.”

Although Chu Tian wore a gentle smile, Anderson was certain those “marks” would be anything but “little.”

Anderson didn’t believe it, and neither did Chu Tian. Lifting Dracula’s Wrath with a soft motion, Chu Tian slowly pressed the blade toward Anderson.

“Stop!” came an urgent cry, as a rainbow-hued sword light slashed toward Chu Tian…