MTLNOVEL CHAPTER 236 - Difficulty Increased 2.
The Colosseum remained deathly silent for a moment, the sheer presence of the wyvern suffocating the air.
Everyone heard Alex's words between the growls of the wyvern.
The beast's molten eyes flickering with predatory hunger, however, reminded them of who Alex's opponent was.
The beast raised massive wings, their edges crackling with residual golden energy from the seal that had bound it for so long.
Then, the chaos resumed.
"What the hell is Alex supposed to do against that?!"
"It's a dragonic species! That's not something a student can fight!"
"Varacius is insane! Did he seriously think he could control that thing?"
The panic rippled through the audience, as they felt second-handed nervousness.
But not everyone shared the same sentiments. Among the crowd were the powerful figures who remained composed.
Professors and seasoned warriors narrowed their eyes, their sharp gazes locked onto the arena, observing the unfolding battle with keen interest.
They could tell how powerful the wyvern was. It was at a midpoint in the star connection realm—definitely not something a student can hope to defeat.
'What will you do now?' They all wondered.
From their perspective, it seemed like the only thing Alex could do was surrender and withdraw from the competition.
As for his words earlier...
'Kids these days need to know that pretending would bring doom.' This was what many thought.
To them, it looked like Alex was pretending.
This loss would teach him some humility—was what the senior teachers thought.
Alex, however, moved.
[So, how much are you going to reveal?] Sophie, knowing what Alex was planning, asked, making Alex hum thoughtfully.
'I wonder.'
Alex was sure that some people in the VIP rooms would think that this would be an easy fight for Alex since the Drakathor family could subdue dragonic species to a certain extent with their bloodline, but Alex wasn't going to use that.
Because if he did, then people would keep underestimating him—something he didn't want.
In order to push his plans for Keryu forward, Alex needed to show the world how strong he was.
With a deep breath, his entire form flickered.
The air around him wavered as his body became engulfed in a deep purple glow.
His blue eyes, now the only discernible feature in his form, burned like twin stars within the astral energy surrounding him.
The wyvern in front of him was young, but there was a legend about it being descended from some great dragon, and that was why it was trapped here.
The wyvern he was facing was experienced and intelligent.
What people were curious and surprised about, however, was Alex's form, as it was too flashy.
"What is that?! Is that his true form?!"
"No... It's something else! His entire presence changed!"
"I did hear that Alex had some secret he never used. Is this it?"
Varacius, who had been grinning moments ago, felt the shift in power firsthand. His fingers twitched as an involuntary shiver ran down his spine. "Tch... what the hell are you?" He muttered under his breath.
His resolve to finish Alex here became firmer as he waited for his opportunity.
A monster like Alex would bring doom to his enemy, and since they were already enemies, there was no need for Varacius to let such a person live.
Alex, on the other hand, rolled his shoulders, flexing his fingers.
The feeling of his Eternal Devourer Physique surging through his veins was intoxicating no matter how many times he felt it.
His body felt weightless, his mana infinitely more refined.
He could feel everything—every movement, every shift in the air, every twitch of the wyvern's muscles. His mind was sharp and instincts heightened beyond their normal limits.
Looking at the wyvern, he contemplated.
'Would this be enough?' He wondered, only to hear Sophie's voice, filled with defeat.
[Alex...] She sighed as she knew that Alex's memory lapse was acting up again, so she added, [Everyone knows about your gravity magic. Why are you not using it?]
'Ah!' Alex struck his fist on his palm, his expression filled with realization.
Without delay, he used weightlessness on himself, feeling his body lighter before he turned toward the wyvern and grinned. "How much gravity can you endure?"
As he asked the question, he waved his palm, and the moment he did...
BOOM!!
The gravity in the surroundings increased by folds, causing the wyvern, which was standing proudly, to get smashed into the ground, taken by surprise.
"GRAAA!!"
It roared as it realized what had happened, but it wasn't the only one feeling the gravitational pressure...
"Huek! Kuek!" Varacius, a star formation realm expert, couldn't even move as he found his body pressed on the ground, his bones cracking and breaths stuck.
'W-What the hell?!' He couldn't understand how this was happening. 'Was that guy always this strong?'
No one else was looking at him, though. The moment he had summoned the wyvern, he had turned into a side character.
It was then, however, that Alex moved, deciding to attack the wyvern before it could recover.
A sharp crack rang through the air as Alex vanished from sight.
Boom!
His speed was so fast that he broke the sound barrier.
The wyvern barely had time to react before a glowing blade slashed across its scales.
"GOUHHHH!!" Though thick and sturdy, the beast screeched in pain as deep gashes formed along its massive shoulder.
"He moved... that fast?!"
"Did you see that?! I couldn't even follow it!"
"The wyvern is actually bleeding!"
The professors in the crowd, however, were the most affected.
Most of them had thought that Alex would give up, but far from what they expected, Alex seemed to be able to overwhelm the wyvern.
One of them, a master swordsman, gripped his chair tightly. "No... he's not just moving fast," he murmured. "That swordplay... it's almost like the blade itself knows exactly where to strike."
"Rising Star Sword Art..." Another professor whispered, his voice filled with disbelief. "I heard that's the name of his sword art."
Yes, Alex was using his sword since it was the best skill he could use when fighting against predictable beasts most of the time.
The wyvern, however, was enraged.
"ROAR!!!" With a furious roar, it pushed its body away from the ground, its wounds healing rapidly.
It was still affected by the gravity, but it could move.
Its massive tail swung toward Alex, splitting the air with sheer force. But Alex didn't move conventionally. Instead of dodging backward or to the side, his body shimmered like a mirage as he twisted through the air, phasing momentarily before landing another strike on the wyvern's exposed underbelly.
BOOM!
A massive fireball erupted from his hand mid-motion, slamming directly into the wyvern's chest.
But that wasn't all, as the fireball was followed by thunderbolts and water cannons, their effect elevated when used together.
The explosion sent shockwaves rippling through the arena, forcing many spectators to shield their eyes.
Alex kept skipping through the battlefield, avoiding the beast's attack and sending more and more attacks at it while also slashing the beast's body.
But as the fight went on, the spectators grew incredulous.
"How is he using so much mana?! Shouldn't he be running out?!"
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"Fireball... lightning... water cannon... he just keeps switching between elements like it's nothing!"
"He had four elemental affinities from the start?!"
People were now realizing that Alex was far stronger than he let on. Just from this battle alone, they concluded that Alex had four (Gravity, Fire, Water, and Thunder) elemental affinities—something rarer than rare.
Alex, however, didn't stop.
With another flick of his wrist, a thunderbolt shot through the air, crackling with lethal energy. It struck the wyvern's wing, forcing the beast to stagger.
Before it could recover, a smaller fireball zipped forward, slamming into its injured side.
It kept healing itself, but it was still getting tired.
Varacius, who had been watching from a distance, gritted his teeth. "Impossible... He should be slowing down by now as well!"
Yes. That was what everyone was thinking.
Alex should be burning out as well, so why did he show no signs of slowing down?
How could they have known that Alex's physique had provided him with infinite mana? They could never think of that since it wasn't logically possible.
Back in the battle, Alex's astral form pulsed with more energy, his attacks relentless.
A massive water cannon burst forth from his palm, colliding with the wyvern's head, stunning it just long enough for him to close the distance once more.
His blade, Verathian, shimmered as it followed the perfect path dictated by his Rising Star Sword Art.
Each movement was precise, devastating, and merciless.
The wyvern, once an unstoppable force, was now visibly struggling to keep up.
The professors in the crowd were speechless. One of them finally exhaled, muttering, "This... this isn't a normal student."
"He's fighting like a seasoned warrior. His mana control is absurd. His physique—his very existence is beyond logic."
Back in the arena, the wyvern let out another furious roar. Its golden eyes flared as it prepared to unleash something devastating.
But Alex wasn't going to let it happen.
He tightened his grip on Verathian, his astral energy flaring even brighter. His voice was calm yet filled with absolute confidence.
"This fight is over."
With those words, he launched forward; his next attack aimed to finish it once and for all.
...Or so he thought.
He seemed to have forgotten that his opponent was a descendant of a true dragon.