In the Jores family backyard, countless people who had been craning their necks to watch the sky screen suddenly felt as though they had suffered some silent, invisible wound. Most of them had been waiting here since early morning, eager to witness with their own eyes the duel between the Omnimancer and the Prime Minister’s Magister. It was bound to be a spectacular battle, one worth waiting for with bated breath, one worth watching even on an empty stomach…
Yet now the two combatants were sitting beside the carcass of a rank-six Bone-Winged Beast, happily enjoying meat of absolutely exquisite quality, eating with obvious relish. This was simply unacceptable!
Rank-six magical beast meat! In an age when magical beasts were nearly extinct, rank-six beasts were exceedingly rare. Each one was treated as a guardian treasure by its family. Even the Emperor of the Empire, the high figures of the Church, and the grand personages of the Magic Guild could not casually eat such noble roasted meat.
“This duel is nothing but a farce!” someone in the crowd declared coldly. It was Fare, president of the Dragon Battle Magic Guild, who naturally had the right to be here. He spoke fiercely to those beside him. “It seems Miss Boslili has no intention whatsoever of actually fighting Mr Ye Chui!”
“I do not think that is the case,” replied Sheral, president of the Flower Village Magic Guild, shaking his head. “Miss Boslili is a noble Prime Minister’s Magister. When Ye Chui encountered an accident and was teleported elsewhere, reappearing before her must have cost him a great deal of magic power. She merely wishes to fight him fairly.”
As he spoke, Sheral cast a mocking glance at the Jores clan leader and added in a low voice, “To play petty tricks in a duel like this only makes Clan Leader Jores look more pathetic!”
Pathetic was an understatement. He was positively heartbroken…
Of the five rank-six magical beasts owned by the Jores family, the Water Serpent had already been killed by Ye Chui. Now another had been finished off by them, and they were openly savouring the delicious Bone-Winged Beast in front of everyone… The clan leader nearly collapsed. Several family retainers hurriedly brought a chair and placed it behind him.
Ye Chui did indeed need to restore his magic power. The beast swarms in the garden had been even more terrifying than he expected, which only strengthened his resolve to deal with this place once and for all. Recovering magic power was a slow process, but sleeping or consuming sufficient food could speed it up.
Boslili also stored her grimoire inside her body. Though she was a girl of lofty courtesy, even she could not resist the allure of magical beast meat.
Ye Chui took out fruit wine, snacks, bread, and various specialised barbecue tools from his storage space. All of it had been redeemed from the film and television works he had unlocked. The Speed Racer series contained many scenes of the Tang family gatherings with barbecues. Because these items were ordinary objects, they were extremely cheap. He also had all sorts of other essential household and travel items…
From these actions, one could clearly see Ye Chui’s tireless efforts to restore his magic power as quickly as possible!
More than an hour passed in this manner…
Because the duel had drawn so many spectators, the streets outside the Jores residence were packed with people waiting for news of the outcome. Ever since Ye Chui first appeared in the public eye, he had shocked the citizens of the Star Empire time and again. He was a legend slowly rising. People were fascinated by everything about him and looked forward to the next great sensation he would bring. They cared deeply about everything that happened to him.
Yet the information constantly emerging from inside the Jores residence left those waiting outside rather dissatisfied.
“Mr Ye Chui and Miss Boslili are currently eating the meat from the Bone-Winged Beast’s wings. I heard a grand scholar say that part has the most exquisite texture. Mr Ye Chui really knows how to enjoy things. He even brought out a sauce. According to Mr Green from the Whatever Goes Magic Guild, Ye Chui made it himself. It’s called barbecue sauce or something. The roasted wing meat dipped in it looks unbelievably delicious…”
“Just now Mr Ye Chui split open the beast’s chest and dug out a piece of gold-and-red meat. The grand scholar says it is called Golden Tenderloin, a supreme ingredient found only in avian magical beasts, and only high-rank flying beasts produce such a piece. Several hundred years ago an emperor traded an entire city for one portion. The chef who prepared it couldn’t resist stealing a bite, and when the emperor found out he had the chef’s whole family executed…”
“Oh dear, it seems Mr Ye Chui and Miss Boslili don’t like the taste of the Golden Tenderloin. After two bites they just threw it to some small wild animals nearby…”
“(The Jores) clan leader has just spat blood…”
“Mr Ye Chui and Miss Boslili seem to have eaten their fill. They’re now lying in deckchairs picking their teeth. Mr Ye Chui even used magic to play some soothing music…”
“The important personages waiting to watch their duel have started cursing…”
“The Whatever Goes Magic Guild came prepared. Their space magister has stored huge quantities of food, tables, chairs, benches, and so on. That bald magister called Green has started selling food. Some strange thing called hamburgers. Everyone waiting to watch is eagerly queuing eagerly. The Jores family protested because no one is buying their food…”
The pageboy responsible for passing messages had been bribed at great expense by some minor nobles outside, so he was extremely diligent, constantly running in and out of the residence, reporting every detail to the crowd. His eloquence was excellent too. His descriptions thoroughly whetted everyone’s appetite… and their anger.
Panting once more as he reached the gate, the pageboy wiped sweat from his face with his sleeve and announced to the crowd, who had also started cursing, “It’s starting! It’s finally starting… Mr Ye Chui and Miss Boslili have decided to begin the fight!”
…
Just as more and more people were growing impatient, complaining about Ye Chui and Boslili’s behaviour, some already unable to bear it and preparing to leave in anger, Ye Chui and Boslili on the sky screen finally appeared to have eaten their fill and rested sufficiently. They stood up from their chairs. Ye Chui summoned his grimoire. After checking the remaining magic power on it, he nodded in satisfaction. Ninety-five percent reserves. That was enough.
He stored away the tables, chairs, barbecue racks, condiments, and everything else he had brought out. Of course he did not forget the sound system. It was an audio set he had removed from a car bought in a shopping centre. A magical construct that could play many pieces of music from another world, though only simple melodies, not full BGM.
Everything packed away, he and Boslili stood picking their teeth, taking positions on opposite sides of the screen. Between them lay the half-eaten remains of the Bone-Winged Beast. In an instant, the atmosphere of an imminent player-kill showdown swept over everything.
The previously grumbling spectators instantly grew solemn. The strongest and most renowned of the Star Empire’s younger generation was about to face the young Prime Minister’s Magister in what was certain to be a magnificent duel!
…
“Boslili… I don’t care what you’re really trying to do, but right now you represent the Magic Guild. If you hold back against Ye Chui, I absolutely will not forgive you. I will report everything that has happened here to Father!” Krian stared at the sky screen with an indescribably sinister expression, thinking darkly to himself. Boslili clearly had deep ties to the Whatever Goes Magic Guild. Not only with that bald Green, she seemed to lack the proper hostility towards Ye Chui. But in this duel to the death, she must fight with everything she had!
Otherwise she would be insulting the honour of the Magic Guild!
The battle began. Very quickly, whether it was Krian, the Black Prime Minister, Prince Geller, Fare, Sheral, or anyone else, they all realised that the two really were fighting with full power. The atmosphere that had felt like a wilderness gourmet tour instantly turned into a scene of utmost ferocity. That ferocity instantly swept away all the earlier dissatisfaction and complaints.
The earlier scenes of Ye Chui and Boslili enjoying fine food had not, it seemed, been intended to provoke the crowd. Ye Chui had genuinely wanted to restore his magic power quickly so he could offer everyone a truly spectacular peak showdown!
…
“Omnimancer, in these three days I have comprehended even more spells. Today I shall let you taste the true might of a Prime Minister’s Magister. Super Ice Magic 【Catastrophe of the Frozen Meteorites】…”
Boslili’s voice rang out clearly. Her enormous grimoire hovered at her side. She raised both hands high. The originally clear sky suddenly darkened. Howling winds rose, frost swept across the world in an instant. Massive chunks of blue ice rapidly condensed in the air, turning into terrifying, gigantic boulders that crashed down towards Ye Chui.
It was like doomsday. Meteors bringing annihilation!
Boom! Boom!
Deafening explosions came from the screen. The sheer power shocked many watchers. Among the spectators were experts whose strength stood at the pinnacle of the Empire and even the continent. Sheral himself was half a step into the Saint Guide realm. They could unleash terrifying attacks, yet at this moment they were still stunned by the spell Boslili had released right from the start.
This was unmistakably an all-out killing strike with no holding back!
Yet…
“Oh no, you actually dodged it!” Boslili cried out.
The meteors fell with overwhelming might. Countless boulders had already buried Ye Chui’s figure, yet the attack had not touched him. In the instant before the meteors struck, he had used that strange, unfathomable spatial transfer magic to evade the terrifying onslaught. Some felt regret that Boslili’s mighty attack had missed. Many more were filled with admiration for Ye Chui’s spatial transfer magic.
At this moment Ye Chui had already appeared high in the sky. His iPad grimoire floated beside him. He raised both hands, condensing a strangely shaped magical missile. He shouted, “That really was a powerful attack. Now, Boslili, try my 【Explosion is Justice】…”
As he spoke, the missile plummeted from the heavens towards Boslili’s position. The sky screen was focused in mid-air. Many people looked up. In the lifelike projection, the missile seemed to be falling straight towards the crowd below. Those who had experienced Ye Chui’s terrifying explosive magic before, such as the Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, Prince Geller, and Krian, all grew tense and instinctively assumed defensive postures.
Then, BOOM! BOOM! Almost half the screen was swallowed by the explosion. Even the stone statue floating in the air seemed to tremble. The blinding flash forced many to squeeze their eyes shut.
Such an attack proved that Ye Chui truly possessed the power to challenge a Prime Minister’s Magister, and that he was now fighting with everything he had!
Yet Ye Chui’s regretful voice immediately followed: “Damn it, you dodged too!”
On the sky screen everything was in ruins. Dust and smoke billowed. The forest that had been filled with otherworldly charm was now nothing but charred stumps. Ye Chui and Boslili were no longer visible. They had moved outside the screen’s range, but their voices still carried clearly to everyone’s ears.
“That was a terrifying attack. Take my 【Ice Queen’s Blizzard】… Argh, you dodged again!” Accompanying Boslili’s voice came earth-shaking roars. Ice descended, freezing the world. The scorched earth on the screen quickly became covered in thick frost.
Ye Chui’s voice rang out right after: “Have you forgotten? I know that spell too. Take my 【Ice Queen’s Blizzard】… Damn, you dodged that one too!” The frost on the scorched ground grew even thicker.
“You’re using my own spell against me. How could it possibly affect me? Take my Super Ice Magic 【Ice Queen’s Breath】… Damn it, I missed!”
“Ice magic is nothing special. Taste the new magic I comprehended in these three days, 【One Hundred Gold Coins Golden Super Railgun】… Holy crap, I missed again!”
…
Ye Chui and Boslili could no longer be seen on the screen, but no one could deny that an utterly ferocious, no-holds-barred duel that would leave a deep mark in the history of the Kastor Continent was taking place. The mere collateral damage had left the portion of the garden visible on the screen in utter devastation. The spectators fell silent, breathing heavily with the tension and solemnity that only a clash of true experts could produce.
Yet…
The eyelids of the Jores clan leader, supported by his retainers, kept twitching uncontrollably. No one could deny that Ye Chui and Boslili were fighting with full power, yet… among all those who had dueled in the Beast Garden in the past, many had been stronger than them, but none had ever caused destruction on this scale. Powerful destructive spells were supposed to be used sparingly and aimed precisely at the opponent. Who would keep missing like this? No, they were doing it deliberately!
From the very beginning, Ye Chui and Boslili had never intended to actually duel each other. They intended to destroy the Beast Garden!
Many in the crowd had realised this, but what could they do? The fierce battle was genuinely happening. News of this duel would soon spread across the world through everyone’s mouths. People would only marvel at how intense it was. Even if the Beast Garden was destroyed, that would only serve as proof of the ferocity. Even if Krian and the Church later accused Boslili, she was still a Prime Minister’s Magister. By accepting the duel she had upheld the Magic Guild’s honour and demonstrated her anger towards Ye Chui to the world. With the battle so ferocious, who could blame her for anything?
In order to protect its own honour, the Magic Guild would probably embellish the duel afterwards, making it sound even more epic and sacred.
“You… you have gone too far…” The Jores clan leader seemed to age decades in an instant. Yet at this moment a vicious glint appeared in his turbid eyes. Trembling, he whispered, “You… will awaken the wrath of the Beast God!”
…
The Beast Garden was the Beast God.
The Beast God was an ancient magical turtle of immense size. The giant desert turtle in that secret realm world was one of its descendants. The entire Beast Garden actually existed upon the back of this magical turtle.
Magical beasts had nine ranks. A peak rank-nine beast could undergo “dragonification” to become a true dragon, an even stronger existence. However, after the fall of the ancient gods, dragons had vanished. The gods of the Church, those demons, seemed to have established certain rules and taboos that forbade the existence of dragons in this world, just as they forbade the existence of Sword Saints.
Thousands of years ago, the magical turtle, standing at the peak of rank nine, had attempted dragonification, only to suffer backlash from the rules and sustain grievous injuries. It had hidden itself in a separate dimension, becoming the Beast Garden, hoping the separate space would shield it from the rules and allow it to walk the path of dragonification once more.
Yet thousands of years had passed, and the wounds from the backlash had still not healed. It had remained weak all this time.
Yet even weakened, it was far more powerful than ordinary people could imagine.
It was the Beast God.
It stood at the pinnacle of power.
With the exception of a very few human experts, all others were mere ants in its eyes. It regarded them with calm contempt.
But now it was furious.
Suddenly, from the sky screen came an enraged roar filled with anger and a hint of sorrow.
“Have you two finished fighting or not!?”
You want a duel, fine, have your duel, but not a single spell has landed on your opponent. Every one has hit me instead. Did you really think this turtle’s shell feels nothing!?
At the same moment, in the sky of the Beast Garden world that had seemed identical to the outside sky, two points of red light suddenly appeared. The red lights began to burn brighter, like two crimson suns glaring down at the two hateful magisters below. Those crimson suns were the eyes of the magical turtle.
The world of the Beast Garden began to shake. The earth quaked, cracks spider-webbed across the ground. Countless magical beasts panicked and fled in all directions seeking shelter, but the tremors came from the world itself. The consciousness that ruled this world had grown enraged. It had opened eyes that had remained closed for thousands of years.
The wrath of the Beast God!
