The Golem Mage

Brandon vs Bree

"Who’s next?"

Brandon demanded, his gaze sweeping over the mages of other clans.

However, those who had scolded him earlier couldn’t meet his eyes anymore, hoping desperately that he would turn his attention elsewhere to spare them further embarrassment.

The fierce aura emanating from Brandon was so intimidating that any thoughts of challenging him vanished from their minds.

It was clear to everyone that Brandon had demonstrated a level of strength on par with the leaders of the younger generation,

A fact that irked the crowd; after all, Brandon wasn’t even considered the top fighter in Gordon’s family.

Despite the knowledge that Alec was the true leader of the younger generation, Agnes, who occupied the leader’s seat, didn’t shake them.

They believed it was simply a tactic deployed by Alec to deceive his enemies into facing off against his generals, thus exposing their skills while keeping his abilities concealed.

They only knew he possessed a formidable golem he promised not to use in the banquet challenges to make things fair.

Most people held the mistaken belief that Alec was weaker without his Golems, assuming that Because most Golem path mages seem to lack close, solid combat skills.

Few had heard tales of Alec’s prowess with a spear, so they had been challenging him.

They believed that if anyone could defeat him, that person would surely gain fame.

So, they clung to their biased beliefs, asserting that Alec lacked close combat skills and had only risen to fame due to his talent in Golem making.

However, a select few in the Lanzt family knew the truth – Alec was the undisputed powerhouse among the Gordon's Younger Generations.

They had witnessed his fights and tried to spread awareness of his power, but their warnings needed to be taken more seriously.

"I asked, who’s next?"

Brandon repeated, his arms crossed as he leaned on his massive great sword, still planted firmly in the ground.

The sight reminded everyone that no one could force him to draw his sword.

Suddenly, they remembered when he had casually informed Felix that he wasn’t worthy of his sword.

Back then, they had dismissed it as mere bluffing, confident that he would pay the price for underestimating someone from the Fridall Clan.

However, Brandon had provided them with a newfound understanding of the disparity between mid-tier mages.

The mages from various families and clans now looked at their leaders with a newfound perspective, realizing that only a leader with access to top-tier resources could stand a chance against Brandon.

Yet, despite this realization, none of the leaders were willing to be the sacrificial lamb to test Brandon’s power.

Their eyes shifted towards the Younger generation leader of the Fridall Clan, as they were the only ones who had repeatedly suffered defeat at Brandon’s hands.

"Well, I suppose it’s my turn; there’s no point in further delay, especially since members of my family have already been soundly beaten. All I can do now is try to salvage some dignity,"

Bree Fridall stated, rising from his seat and moving towards the stage with deliberate slowness, adding an air of mystery to his movements.

As he stepped onto the stage, Bree shed his family robe, revealing a well-toned physique. Brandon couldn’t help but ask, "Are you a Battle Path mage?"

"No!" Bree announced confidently. "I am not just a Battle path mage, but also a Magic path mage."

"Whoa, that’s quite impressive," Brandon responded, unfazed and showing no signs of fear.

However, the expressions on the faces of many in the crowd began to change.

"You don’t seem surprised. Are you not afraid of my talents? From what I can tell, you’re a pure battle mage,"

Bree inquired, puzzled by Brandon's calm demeanor.

"Oh, you might be in for a surprise then," Brandon said, a mischievous smile on his lips.

He was genuinely enjoying himself for the first time since fighting with Alec against the zombie horde.

He craved a strong opponent and had one standing before him.

"Start," the voice from the top platform commanded once more.

Bree extended his hand towards his waist, summoning forth a long, weathered-looking staff from the belt he wore, which was also space equipment.

Someone from the crowd exclaimed,

"A Tier 1 magic staff!"

Even Brandon's expression grew severe upon laying eyes on Bree's staff.

It was a treasure for magic path mages, offering an increased mana pool and aiding mana recovery.

Upon looking at Bree, Brandon noticed numerous dazzling accessories adorning him.

However, he quickly realized that they were all disguised magic items, each providing a different effect, such as enhanced mana recovery, increased magic damage, or boosted mana capacity.

"Well, it seems wealth runs in your veins, too," Brandon remarked as he retrieved his long sword from the ground.

"Enough talk. Let’s get on with it," Bree declared, growing weary of the ceaseless conversation.

[]

Bree forcefully slammed his staff on the floor, summoning five fireballs that hovered in the air around him.

The flames grew more extensive, surpassing the small, violent ones that Felix Fridall had proudly displayed.

With great speed, the fireballs flew towards Brandon.

Reacting swiftly, Brandon swung his sword five times, unleashing waves of brownish earth slashes that collided head-on with the incoming fireballs, causing them to explode mid-air.

"Whoa, that was impressive! How did you manipulate your earth element like that?" Bree asked, curiosity shining in his eyes.

Brandon remained silent, refusing to reveal any secret techniques he had developed through Alec’s unconventional ideas.

"I may have crossed a line there. No matter. Let’s focus on the fight," Bree said, attempting to engage Brandon in conversation as they sneakily cast a spell and sent another fireball flying toward Brandon.

Undeterred, Brandon slashed backward, effortlessly deflecting the sneak attack.

The flames sent towards him dispersed when his earth-infused s***h collided with them.

"This is growing tiresome. Use your full strength if you want any chance of surpassing me," Brandon taunted.

"If you insist," Bree responded, finally unleashing a Tier 1 spell he had been saving due to its high mana consumption.

But since Brandon had made it clear that he wouldn’t be easily defeated, he was left without any options but to go all out.

[]

Bree cast his spell, summoning a flame snake that rose from the ground to a height equal to that of a human.

With each slam of his staff, he continued to conjure flame elements in the air, solidifying and reinforcing the serpent's body.

Usually, the fire element doesn't possess the natural ability to shape and craft objects like earth, hence Bree's meticulous manipulation.

Brandon patiently waited for him to finish, not eager to end the fight prematurely.

The Flaming Snake spell was finally complete, giving the impression of a live wild beast as it bared its fangs at Brandon.

"Attack!" Bree commanded, and the fire snake leaped and shrieked, making its way towards Brandon.

"Humph, petty tricks," Brandon scoffed as he drove his shining, earth-infused sword back into the ground.

[]

A sharp, long spear emerged from the ground and flew into the air before striking the flaming snake and stopping it.

However, the snake swung its tail and slammed into the spear, shattering it instantly.

"You won't get rid of my flaming snake that easily," Bree retorted.

"Oh, I wasn't planning on doing that."

[]

Countless earth spears erupted from the ground and flew into the air before coming down to pierce the flaming snake from all sides, forming a deadly formation.

The last spear impaled itself in the snake's head, killing it and causing the fire elements stored within to explode.

Bree and Brandon had to step back as the explosion rattled the surroundings.

The look on Bree’s face turned grim, realizing that he had shown too much and couldn’t even begin to gauge Brandon's true strength, let alone defeat him.

"Who would have thought you also follow the path of two mages? You truly are a wolf in sheep's clothing," Bree said, and even the audience agreed.

Nobody had expected Brandon to be so dominant, as he hadn't even been among the names to watch out for on the clan spy information.

When they left their clan, they saw Brandon as another follower of Alec.

But now, their jaws hung open in surprise at Brandon's extraordinary performance.

Bree returned his staff to his belt storage device and drew a sword and a small, round shield.

"If I can't defeat you with magic, then I’ll just have to beat you until you fold," Bree declared.

"Oh, bring it on," Brandon's laughter echoed eerily.

He had been itching for a proper opponent for so long.

All his practice had been done with Alec's golems and spars with Arthur, and he had never experienced the satisfaction of defeating a truly formidable opponent, as the golems mostly beat him, and he and Arthur mostly fought to a draw.

But now he had the opportunity to unleash all his pent-up energy, and he intended to relish every moment as he retrieved his sword from the ground.

"Show me what you’ve got," Brandon called out, beckoning Bree to come at him with a confident smirk on his face.

His hands were open wide, ready to take on whatever challenge Bree would bring.