Too Easy For Brandon
1444 Words
Félix wasted no time sprinting towards Brandon, his opponent on the top platform.
He only bothered with defense, fully intent on bombarding Brandon once he could force him off the stage.
Exploiting Brandon's disdain for him was also part of his strategy.
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Félix extended his hand forward, unleashing a giant fireball aimed directly at Brandon, who stood unmoving in the same position.
"What is he doing? Move out before that fireball injures you!" someone exclaimed.
"Is he trying to take a fire element attack head-on? That's incredibly foolish since flame attacks have high attack power,"
Murmurs arose from the onlookers who couldn't resist voicing their thoughts.
Only Arthur smiled slightly, confident that the fireball would be no match for Brandon, having witnessed his power during Alec's training firsthand.
Just as it seemed like the fireball was about to hit its target, Brandon's deep voice echoed through the arena.
[]
Earth elements began rotating around Brandon's outstretched left hand, forming a condensed shield with a hint of gold at its edges.
"BOOM!"
A loud sound reverberated as the fireball collided with the earth shield, causing an explosion.
However, Brandon remained steadfast, not moving an inch.
A slight smirk crept onto his face, further irritating Félix.
"That's impossible! How can you withstand my Fire Ball Burst so effortlessly?" Félix asked, visibly astonished.
"Well, if you had put more commitment into your fireball, it might have had a chance to push me back, But your weak attempt only left a small scratch on my earth shield,"
Brandon taunted Félix, holding nothing back.
"Hmm, I suspected something was off with their Reaction speed," Knight murmured, shocked by Brandon's Reaction to the attack as he remembered the time; both he and Arthur had found him out as he was coming out of the shadows.
"What do you mean, Knight?"
Agnes inquired, curious about his observation.
"Arthur and Brandon have advanced to the (Mid) Tier 1 realm while hiding in seclusion for so long."
" But as for Alec, I believe he may have become a (High) Tier 1 mage," Knight stated, sharing his prediction with Agnes.
"What?! That's impossible!"
Agnes immediately refuted, unwilling to accept that Alec had surpassed her by such a significant margin.
"Well, it's just a prediction; remember how Alec was the first among the younger generation to become a mage."
" Don't tell me you've forgotten," Knight reminded her, offering evidence to support his claims.
Agnes clenched her teeth in frustration at the thought that Alec could be a (high) Tier 1 mage.
She wasn't prepared to admit that the timid Alec, who had let her take the lead, would always be one step ahead of her in cultivation.
"Now, it's my turn,"
Brandon declared, finally taking the initiative to attack.
[]
Brandon transformed his hands into sturdy stone gloves with small spikes protruding them.
He no longer wasted words and immediately charged towards Félix.
"So fast!" Félix exclaimed, only able to see a blur as Brandon closed in on him.
He was shocked because his powers should have been able to rival Brandon's, as they were both (Mid) Tier 1 mages.
However, he had severely underestimated his opponent.
When Brandon reached Félix, the latter crossed his hands in an 'X' shape, encasing them with small flames as a defense.
"Pity that won't help you now!"
Brandon shouted as he delivered a powerful punch to Félix's gut, causing him to be launched off the stage.
"Brandon wins,"
The voice from the top platform announced that Félix had landed outside the stage.
"He's so strong!" someone murmured in awe.
"Well, I guess he didn't become one of Alec's generals for nothing," another voice remarked.
"Imagine Félix, a (Mid) Tier 1 mage, being knocked out with just one punch; if we compete against him, aren't we just offering ourselves up as sacrifices?"
A concerned individual pondered.
The crowd resumed their murmurs, witnessing how effortlessly Brandon had knocked out one of the elites from the Fridall clan.
"I challenge you!"
Someone shouted from within the Fridall family, their anger evident.
"I accept!"
Brandon swiftly accepted the challenge without even bothering to turn and see who it was.
"Your arrogance will be your downfall,"
The challenger taunted, sparks of fire bursting from their hands without casting a spell.
Their control over fire was superior to Félix's.
"(Gasp) That's Félix's older brother, Violent Fridall, also known as 'Violent Flame' of the Fridall clan."
" He's second only to Bree Fridall. I think Brandon might be in trouble now,"
Agnes whispered to Knight, who could only shake his head at her apparent lack of support for Brandon.
Rather than cheering for Brandon, it was clear that Agnes didn't want him to win.
If he succeeded, it would lead to discussions within the Gordon Clan about how Brandon fearlessly faced challenges on behalf of the family,
while Agnes herself had chosen to evade them due to her inability to accept challenges from the families who opposed Alec.
"Let's watch and see; I have faith in him, though," Knight responded calmly.
"Brother, watch out! He's quite strong!" Félix warned his older brother, Violent.
"I know. Step back; Things are about to heat up around here now," Violent Flame replied, and Félix nodded before quickly stepping aside.
Violent Flame charged straight at Brandon, who still had the Stone Fist spell active.
[].
"Take my punch, and let's see whose spell is stronger!"
Violent Flame declared, as Flames burned fiercely around his body as he launched his attack, while Brandon stood his ground, maintaining his battle stance, and delivered his punch with the Stone Fist.
A small explosion resonated through the air as their fists collided, filling the area with smoke.
Violent Flame could be seen being flung out of the smoke, but the action wasn't over yet.
Within seconds, Brandon emerged from the smoke, chasing after Violent Flame, who was still mid-air from the impact.
The spectators were shocked, unable to believe that Violent, whom they had excited, had easily lost in a display of strength, especially in the first exchange.
Digging his flaming hands into the ground, Violent managed to halt his flying momentum, but his frustration was palpable.
"f**k!"
He cursed when he realized that Brandon had caught up to him the moment he stopped,
and he didn't want to be knocked out of the stage before even facing Brandon seriously.
Quicker than lightning, Violent punched Brandon, flames burning fiercely around his palm.
However, Brandon swiftly grabbed his hand and twisted it behind his back, forcing Violent Flame to his knees.
Brandon then delivered a powerful knee strike to Violent's back, knocking him down to the floor.
Before Violent Flame could react, multiple earth spears emerged from the ground, pointing threateningly at his neck, while Brandon pushed him forward a little further toward the earth spears.
"I... I... I surrender!"
Violent Flame stammered, fear and terror evident on his face.
He couldn't fathom how Brandon had defeated him so quickly and instantly.
"Brandon wins," echoed the voice from the top platform, and Brandon released Violent Flame.
The earth spears swiftly disappeared as if they had never been there in the first place.
The audience was too shocked to comment on anything.
Violent's quick defeat had taken them all by surprise.
"Is Violent Flame just too weak, or is Brandon simply too strong? I can't wrap my head around how easily Violent was beaten," someone in the crowd wondered aloud.
"Shhh... it seems those bastards from the Gordons Clan are ridiculously strong. Let's just be grateful that Alec is sleeping right now."
"Otherwise, we might not even have the courage to step onto the stage," a member of the Lanzt family whispered.
The rest of the family nodded, for they had witnessed Alec's formidable abilities before, and now, Brandon was giving off the same aura as Alec had during the battle at the south wall.
"Can you defeat him, brother?"
Sheila Lanzt asked Bryan silently, her eyes fixed on Brandon.
She had noticed how effortlessly Brandon had defeated two opponents, making people forget that he hadn't even drawn his sword from the ground.
"No!" Bryan replied sadly, for he knew that Arthur was still standing in his way even if he could draw out all his Mana for a disaster spell to defeat Brandon.
The idea of rivaling Alec was slowly fading from his mind.
"How did Brandon become so powerful?" Sheila gasped, taking in a deep breath as she tried to process the strength displayed by Brandon.
- Writer
