Chapter 199: Greater!

Phillips didn’t sit still. He kept watching and quickly moved to interrupt Duke Arselin. There wasn’t a trace of fear on his face. No matter what, the Duke was at the end stage of the lower domain. He was only at the Journeyman rank—Phillips was far stronger and could easily handle him.

This was the only thing he could do for Leon. Once the match ended, Phillips knew he wouldn’t be allowed to witness the scene. The rules bound him. Before, he had never thought much about them, but now, they felt unbearably heavy.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

Duke Arselin’s sword slashed directly at Phillips, heavy water energy humming sharply around the blade.

The pressure in the arena thickened, like humidity before a storm, coiling around his skin.

He had no weapon.

Yet, with only his empty hands—which held nothing, but somehow seemed to grasp something unseen—he met the incoming sword. It stopped midway with a loud hum, vibrating violently on impact.

A jolt ran up his arm, numbing his fingertips with a cold, pulsing chill. The ground beneath his feet shifted ever so slightly from the raw force.

The Duke exerted more strength, but nothing happened.

In the end, his hand was flung back by an invisible force he couldn’t comprehend.

"Stop right there. Leave this arena at once. If not, I’ll be forced to act against you." Phillips’s commanding voice made the Duke freeze. In their last confrontation, he had realized the referee was beyond him.

His pride burned. Since the day he learned of the people from the middle domain, he had hated them to his very core—but he could do nothing.

Desperation seized him when he saw the monster boy from earlier. Leon’s hand hovered above his son’s broken body, and mana vibrated wildly in the air.

The mana in the air snapped and sparked, stinging the skin like dry static.

Just one move...

He just had to kill that boy from behind. Then everything would be over. He’d deal with the consequences later.

The Duke summoned everything he had in his arsenal to strengthen himself and leapt toward Leon, his sword glowing blue with a fully formed Aura.

Phillips’s expression darkened the moment he saw the sword. He wasn’t going to go easy anymore.

The air trembled around him. His Grandmaster-ranked mana body enhancement activated at full force.

The ground vibrated underfoot, threatening to buckle.

Boom!

Cracks formed like cobwebs across the reinforced black tiles as his figure blurred. In the next instant, he stood directly in front of Duke Arselin, small debris still flying in the air behind him.

Duke Arselin was shocked, but he didn’t stop. Without hesitation, he slashed down with full force.

The attack took the shape of a sharp, fast blade, almost a complete Level 1 water Aura.

Phillips sidestepped the strike and drove his fist straight into the Duke’s gut, sound energy vibrating violently around his knuckles.

Bam!!

The punch landed with a solid impact, sending Duke Arselin staggering five steps back, clutching his stomach in pain.

His eyes glowed with dangerous intensity.

I’ll kill this bastard one day! He dared to strike a noble!

He regretted giving his son the ring meant for protection. In this moment, it could’ve been a game-changer.

NOOOO! M-My s-son!

His eyes darted to his child. He forgot the referee he was just about to kill. His trembling gaze remained fixed on the sight before him.

What he saw made his eyes widen in disbelief.

Standing in front of him was the same young man who seemed like a devil before...

But now, everything felt confusing to him...

What is happening?

He wasn’t the only one shocked.

Loriel, the Saintess of Life, visibly shaken, rose from her seat. Her eyes locked onto the man she had, moments ago, condemned as cruel.

The light energy he commanded...

Her entire body trembled.

There was no doubt. It was life energy—a power belonging only to those with a direct connection to their god.

Every thought she had of him being violent and cruel evaporated, as if those feelings had never existed.

Now, in her mind, the man who had begged for mercy, who had tried to surrender—he was not the one in the wrong.

Because...

It wasn’t just any life energy.

The sensation that overtook her very being made her realize his connection to the divine was greater than hers—even as the Saintess of Life.

Her vision blurred briefly—not from tears, but from the sheer force of reverence overwhelming her senses.

She couldn’t believe it...

Yet the truth stood right in front of her.

Aurelia looked at Loriel. She could understand being surprised at seeing someone wield three affinities at once—two of which were space and life—but even she had overlooked the massacre for now, distracted by the monster they had uncovered.

A wide smile crept onto her face.

Still, the way Loriel was reacting felt exaggerated. She’d known the girl since she was little—this wasn’t normal for her, not even in absurd situations.

Loriel’s shaking eyes, her trembling body, as she stood up—it was unnatural.

"Loriel, what happened? Why are you acting this way? Your whole body is shaking. What’s going on?" Aurelia asked, genuinely concerned.

Loriel didn’t even hear her senior. Her eyes were locked onto the purest form of life energy she had ever seen.

"Ouch!"

A sharp burn seared her hand. She turned, glaring at her senior, annoyed as always. She had told her many times—she hated pain.

Aurelia repeated herself, ignoring the glare from little Loriel.

The light burn healed itself through her life energy. Even while her mind reeled in shock, she continued to glance at the impossible scene in the arena.

She finally spoke to her senior, knowing silence wouldn’t help.

Her emerald eyes locked onto Leon, her breath uneven, her voice trembling.

"I can’t believe it, Senior," she whispered.

She took a deep breath. She didn’t know how to explain what she had just witnessed.

Before she could continue, Aurelia spoke, her voice soothing yet carrying a hidden edge of danger.

"I know you’re surprised, but calm down. I thought something happened to you."

Loriel knew her senior hadn’t felt it—but she had. She took another breath and said,

"That’s not it!"

"Then what is it?" Aurelia asked, holding her breath. No matter how naive the young Saintess could seem at times, Aurelia had always seen her in a good light. There had to be something more to this reaction.

Her curiosity grew.

Loriel’s voice was quiet, but the belief in her eyes was unshakable—bordering on fanaticism.

"Can’t you feel this greatness...!"

"What greatness?" Aurelia asked. The look in Loriel’s eyes made her pause. She had seen this before. This was no prank.

She swore she heard no sound around her—only the deafening quiet of something holy taking form.

"A connection greater than mine to the God of Life—in front of the very so-called Saintess of Life."

Loriel had forgotten everything—even the respectful manner she usually kept with Aurelia. Her trembling eyes and mind were entirely focused on the greatest thing she had ever seen.

The truth hit Aurelia just as hard.

She, too, turned toward the sight with intensity, her focus drawn to the bright green energy.

T-This!!!