The Regressed Illegitimate Child is a Genius Dark Magician

Chapter 6

The noonday sunlight poured down onto the training ground. Dust swirled in the occasional breeze, but neither side exchanged any meaningful words.

On Arkin’s side, he was accompanied by several attendants and maids. His magic tutor, Jika, acted as the official witness. In contrast, Damian was represented only by Anna and Felix.

“As expected. He talks a big game, but he’s rotten to the core.”

Arkin looked up at the sky as he spoke. As he pointed out, Damian, the duelist himself, had yet to appear. The people from the secondary palace were absent because they were searching for Damian, who had disappeared since yesterday.

“There is still time before noon.”

Anna clenched the hem of her dress tightly as she spoke.

“You filthy wench. Running your mouth again without knowing your place.”

Arkin licked his upper lip. A chill ran down Anna’s spine at the sight, it was like facing a venomous snake.

“This was unnecessary from the start. All you had to do was come under me. I’ll educate you thoroughly, inside and out.”

The reason for this duel was Anna herself. If she had just controlled her emotions a little more back then, Damian wouldn’t have needed to step up like this. But she didn’t want to say words like “Cancel the duel” or “I’ll go to Arkin instead.” This was Damian’s decision. So she would trust and follow him. In the past two years, no, ever since he lost his last duel, Damian had changed.

He wouldn’t have challenged Arkin without a plan. He must have thought it through. Even his absence now must have a reason. So, no matter what it took, she had to buy time. Even if she had to bow her head, even if she had to lick someone’s boots, she was ready to endure any humiliation. That was the only way she could repay Damian, the son of her benefactor.

“Oh, at least you’re not a complete coward.”

As Arkin sneered and turned his head, they all saw Damian approaching from afar, walking leisurely. Anna and Felix’s faces lit up, only to stiffen again at his condition. His disheveled hair, his dry, haggard skin, and his noticeably thinner frame. His clothes bore visible stains of dried blood. He did not look fit for a proper duel.

“I’ll give you one last chance to serve your master. Come to me.”

Arkin made his final offer. But Anna only responded by shaking her head. She had seen Damian’s eyes. His body might be battered, but his jewel-like eyes still burned with vitality. That was not the look of a man who had given up or fallen into despair. It was the look of someone who had found his answer.

“This is your last chance to forfeit the duel.”

Jika, standing in the center of the training ground, scrutinized Damian. No matter how he looked at it, Damian was not in a proper state to fight. Even if Arkin showed some mercy, Damian could very well die. Deaths in duels were not uncommon, but avoiding them was preferable, especially when the duelists were members of the imperial family. The official witness was there not only to judge the outcome but also to prevent unnecessary deaths.

“Consider this advice from a teacher you once had.”

Jika was one of many instructors who had given up on Damian. He still remembered how they pretended to care for him in front of others while spewing insults behind his back.

“Let’s get this over with. I’m starving.”

At Damian’s words, a vein bulged on Arkin’s forehead. He must have thought it was a provocation, but in reality, Damian truly was starving. Since entering the abandoned tower, he had neither eaten nor drunk anything. And the trial of Molech had drained his strength even further.

“Hmph. Since this is not a duel to the death, I will activate the safety mechanism.”

Jika placed his hand on the statue in the center. As he channeled magic into it, light spread in two directions, enveloping both Damian and Arkin. It was a safeguard that would activate automatically if either participant’s life was in danger, bringing the duel to an end.

“Now, do both sides swear to honor the noble imperial law and stake their honor on this duel?”

“We swear.”

“Until one side surrenders or is rendered incapable of fighting, no one may intervene.”

Jika raised one arm into the air. Both Damian and Arkin steadied their breathing.

“In the name of His Majesty the Emperor, I declare this duel to commence!”

At Jika’s proclamation, Arkin immediately thrust his hand forward. Cold energy gathered through his magic, forming ice spears. A total of five. They shot toward Damian in a straight line. Arkin could have aimed for the vitals, but he deliberately chose not to. He wanted to prolong Damian’s suffering, to savor his screams. He wondered what taste that insolent maid’s tears would have as she watched. Surely, they would be sweet.

Swish—!

As the high-speed ice spears hurtled toward him, Damian extended his fingers forward.

‘Infernal Fire.’

The contract etched into his soul responded. The power of the Infernal King, Molech, manifested at Damian’s fingertips.

Snap.

With a flick of his fingers, a green fireball shot forward. A fire pit as large as a human head not only melted all the ice spears but also surged directly toward Arkin.

“You bastard!”

Naturally, he had thought the ice spears would shred Damian to pieces. However, as the unexpected outcome unfolded, his expression twisted in frustration.

“Could it be a unique color?”

Zika observed the green flames closely as he spoke. In some cases, a magician’s flames take on a distinct color, and he suspected that Damian’s hellfire was one such case. Humanity had long forgotten black magic. Even with it being displayed so openly before them, no one here associated it with black magic or demons.

“A unique color? Nonsense! It must be because he lacks proper foundation!”

Arkin muttered under his breath as he deployed a mana barrier. The green flames failed to penetrate Arkin’s barrier and instead exploded, sending out bursts of fire in all directions.

“Haha. Seems like you didn’t spend those two years just sniffing manure, huh?”

Arkin sneered as he refocused on his magic. This time, he spread both hands wide. Ten ice spears materialized and shot forward. Unlike before, they attacked from three different angles, pressing Damian from the left and right with three each, while four came at him from the front. He had to block all three directions at once. In response, Damian formed a massive whip of fire, his green flames rippling like waves as they shattered the ice spears.

“Cheap tricks!”

The assault did not end there. Damian continued swinging the fire whip, pressing Arkin further. Every time the flames struck the translucent barrier, Arkin’s body trembled slightly. What he had approached as a lighthearted duel was quickly turning into something else. Whether it was due to the psychological strain or the surrounding flames pressing in on him, sweat poured down the back of Arkin’s neck like rain.

“Since when did the young master….”

“Indeed, Anna.”

Though they had wished for his victory, neither of them had imagined that Damian would use magic to overpower Arkin. Over the past two years, he had trained under Derek to master physical combat. They had assumed he would rely on his strength and technique to face Arkin. Yet the weapon Damian had chosen was magic. Didn’t he seek out a new mentor? But if that were the case, there was no reason for him to keep it a secret. Has his improved physical condition somehow awakened his magical talent? It was not an easy question to answer.

However, one thing was clear, just looking at those green flames made their bodies tremble. They were beautiful, yet terrifying at the same time.

“To think this is possible….”

Zika, too, struggled to maintain his composure, having directly witnessed Damian’s capabilities before. While he lacked talent in aura manipulation, he had a minor aptitude for magic, though it was too meager to be considered true potential. It had even made him question whether Damian truly shared the royal bloodline at all. But the person standing before him now was completely different from the bastard child he once knew. Could such remarkable growth be possible in just a few short years? At least, Zika had never heard of such a case. Enlightenment could strike in a moment, but this was beyond excessive.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”

Of course, the most bewildered of all was Arkin, who was directly facing Damian. He had no time to analyze Damian’s magic. The mere fact that he was being overpowered was enough to leave him stunned and infuriated. If he remained passive, he would be swallowed by the flames. Taking the risk of weakening his barrier, Arkin cast a new spell.

“Arghhh!”

The fire whip breached the barrier and grazed his flesh. Though the burn was not severe, the searing pain was unbearable, forcing him to scream. Thankfully, he maintained enough focus to complete his next spell. Amidst the fiery storm, Arkin formed a massive ice cannonball. Its sheer mass allowed it to withstand the flames, cutting through the inferno as it hurtled toward Damian.

“This won’t do.”

Damian withdrew his hellfire whip and leaped to the side.

Boom!!!

The ice cannonball struck the arena floor, sending out a powerful shockwave. Damian attempted to summon his hellfire once more, but Arkin seized the opportunity, launching another ice cannonball.

“Should I try two fingers this time?”

If the firepower was insufficient, he simply needed to increase it. Flames ignited on Damian’s index and middle fingers. Searing pain surged through him, but his expression remained unchanged. He was already accustomed to the sensation of his entire body burning. This level of pain was nothing more than an itch. As he prepared a new fireball—

Fwoooosh!

The moment the fireball began to form, it detonated on the spot, sending flames flying in all directions. Fortunately, the arena’s protective mechanisms prevented the fire from spreading outside. If they hadn’t, the damage would have been catastrophic.

“Arghhh!”

Damian screamed as he was hurled backward by the explosion. He had been burned by his own magic. Arkin, who had been staring blankly, suddenly burst into laughter, throwing his head back in mockery.

“Hahaha! I knew it! You’ve learned magic your own body can’t even handle! I know exactly how this ends. Fools like you always end up dying to their own magic!”

Arkin’s ridicule barely reached Damian’s ears. Solving the problem at hand was far more important.

“The firepower… it’s too much.”

He had only increased the firepower by the equivalent of a single extra finger, yet it had become exponentially stronger. Even compared to the full power he had unleashed in his past life when contracting with dozens of Infernals, this was more powerful. As a result, he was unable to control it. That was why he had been consumed by his own flames.

The price of summoning hellfire was not just the pain of burning. Due to his failure, severe burns now covered various parts of his body. But before he could even assess his injuries, Arkin launched another ice cannonball. Though he dodged the direct hit, the projectile grazed his left arm. While there was not much bleeding, his arm lost all strength, it had fractured.

“Yes, yes. In the end, it’s just a cheap trick. A fool like you had no other choice but to rely on gimmicks to try and beat me.”

With just one finger’s worth of firepower, he could not melt Arkin’s ice cannonballs. But with two fingers, he lost control. For several seconds, he rapidly ran through solutions in his mind. Then, almost unconsciously, his hand brushed against his waist. And with that, Damian’s face lit up.

“Yes, this is the way.”

To break the ice cannonballs, all he needed was a slight boost in power. And that power did not necessarily have to come from black magic. Black magic could not solve everything nor did it need to. Didn’t he train for two years for a moment like this?

Srrng.

Damian drew Derek’s arming sword from his waist. Green flames flared back to life upon his fingers.

Fwoosh.

As if in response, hellfire engulfed Derek’s blade.