The Golem Mage

Too Easy For Brandon

Félix wasted no time, as he began sprinting toward Brandon on the top platform, his focus was purely defensive, as his intent was on wearing Brandon down and forcing him off the stage in an embarrassing manner.

He was hell bent on exploiting Brandon’s disdain for him , as it was a big part of his plan.

[]

Félix thrust his hand forward, releasing a massive fireball aimed directly at Brandon, who stood unmoving in place.

“What is he doing? Move before that fireball hits you!” someone in the stands shouted in concern.

“Is he actually trying to take a fire-element attack head-on? That’s suicide, flame element attacks have high destructive power,” another concerned voice chimed in.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd, but Arthur only smiled faintly, confident the fireball was nothing Brandon couldn’t handle, he had seen his strength first-hand during Alec’s training and could tell that his colleague hadn’t frozen up from fright.

Just as the fireball was about to make contact, Brandon’s deep voice rang through the arena.

[]

Earthen energy swirled around Brandon’s outstretched left hand, condensing into a solid earth shield with faint golden edges.

BOOM!

The fireball slammed into the shield, erupting in a loud explosion, yet Brandon stood firm, not even flinching.

A slight smirk tugged at his lips, which just served to further irritate Félix.

“That’s impossible! How can you withstand my Fire Ball Burst so easily?” Félix demanded, disbelief etched across his face.

“Well, if you had actually put some power into it, maybe it could’ve pushed me back, but with your weak attempt? All it did was leave a scratch on my earth shield,” Brandon taunted mercilessly.

“Hmph… I knew something was off about their reaction speed,” Knight muttered, recalling how Brandon and Arthur had once caught him emerging from the shadows, quite easily back at Alec’s courtyard.

“What do you mean, Knight?” Agnes asked curiously.

I believe Arthur and Brandon have already advanced to the Mid Tier 1 realm after hiding away in seclusion with Alec, as for Alec…” Knight’s eyes narrowed.

“I have a feeling he might have even reached the High Tier 1 mage realm.”

“What?! That’s impossible!” Agnes snapped, unwilling to believe Alec could have surpassed her by such a margin.

“It’s only a prediction,” Knight replied calmly.

“But remember, Alec was the first among the younger generation to become a mage.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten,” Knight reminded her, offering proof to back his claims.

Agnes clenched her teeth, frustration gnawing at her at the thought that Alec could truly be a (High) Tier 1 mage.

She wasn’t ready to accept that the timid Alec, who let her take the lead and have her way all this while, might have still remained one step ahead of her in cultivation.

“Now, it’s my turn,” Brandon declared, finally taking the initiative.

[> Low Tier Spell – Stone Fists ]

“Take my punch and let’s see whose spell is stronger!” Violent declared, flames roaring around his body as he launched his attack. Brandon held his ground, tightened his stance, and delivered his own blow.

A sharp explosion echoed as their fists collided, shrouding the area in smoke, Violent Flame’s figure was flung out of the haze, however the fight was far from over.

Brandon burst from the smoke in hot pursuit, closing in on Violent, who was still airborne from the impact.

The crowd gasped in disbelief, at how interesting things were turning. Violent, whom many expected to dominate, had been overpowered in the very first exchange.

Slamming his flaming hands into the ground, Violent managed to halt his momentum, but his frustration was clear.

“f**k!” he cursed, realizing Brandon was already upon him, he refused to be knocked out before even fighting seriously.

In a flash, Violent threw a blazing punch, but Brandon caught his wrist, twisting it behind his back and forcing him to his knees with a small kick to the back of his knees.

With ruthless precision, Brandon drove a knee into Violent’s back, slamming him to the floor.

Before Violent could recover, jagged earth spears erupted from the ground, aimed at his neck, while Brandon shoved him closer to their tips.

“I… I… I surrender!” Violent stammered, terror flashing in his eyes.

He couldn’t comprehend how Brandon had defeated him so swiftly.

“Brandon wins,” announced the voice from the top platform, prompting Brandon to release Violent Flame.

Also the earth spears vanished back into the ground instantly, as if they had never existed.

The audience sat in stunned silence, unable to process what they had just witnessed, Violent’s swift defeat had caught everyone off guard.

“Is Violent Flame just too weak, or is Brandon simply too strong? I can’t wrap my head around how easily he was beaten,” someone in the crowd murmured.

“Shhh… it seems those Gordons Clan bastards are absurdly strong. Let’s just be thankful Alec is still asleep,” another whispered.

“Otherwise, we wouldn’t even have the courage to step onto the stage,” a member of the Lanzt family added quietly.

The others nodded, they had seen Alec’s overwhelming power before, and now Brandon radiated the same intimidating aura Alec had displayed during the battle at the south wall.

“Can you defeat him, brother?” Sheila Lanzt asked Bryan softly, her eyes locked on Brandon.

She had noticed how effortlessly Brandon had dispatched two opponents, without even drawing the sword still planted in the ground.

“No,” Bryan admitted with a touch of sadness, he felt even if he unleashed all his Mana into a disaster spell and luckily was able to defeat Brandon on some type of die together tactics, Arthur still stood in his way before he could even think of challenging Alec.

The thought of rivalling Alec was slipping further from his grasp

.

“How did Brandon become so powerful?” Sheila breathed, struggling to process the strength he had just displayed.