The Legendary Mage (Alavin)

"Roald, what are you waiting for?" Felis asked, puzzled and anxious. They had to win a bout today, no matter the means.

"Alavin is not invincible, and he certainly can't challenge beyond his rank in the Advanced Mage tier," Admus also urged. If Roald didn't step into the fray, they would have to.

Roald's face was stern, and his presence commanding, but the golden sword at his back slowly became tranquil.

"Roald, you..." Felis and Admus sensed something amiss.

"This is not like when we were Novice Mages. We are Advanced Mages now. I am one stage above you, and it's not fitting for us to spar. Once you ascend to Stage II, I shall accept your challenge," Roald said calmly, voicing words he himself resented. He couldn't afford to lose! He had just advanced to Stage II, and his mastery was not yet stable.

The crowd erupted into murmurs. Was that a refusal?

Not only were the Protégés below the stage surprised, but the Elite Protégés also raised their eyebrows in unison.

Roald, with the strength of a Stage II Advanced Mage, refused Alavin's challenge. Was it really just a feeling of impropriety. Everyone had their own judgment.

The five Elders had already left. The moment Roald declared his refusal, they knew there was no need to stay. It was a tacit concession!

Thousands of Protégés looked at each other in dismay. Was this the Goldgrace Roald they knew?

"Roald, won't you reconsider?" Alavin's gaze was piercing as he continued to stare at Roald.

"When you reach Stage II, there will be a battle between us."

"I ask you again, will you fight or not?" Alavin's voice suddenly rose, resonating through the arena. His body was erupting with fierce lightning, bright and blinding, nearly enveloping him in a display of overwhelming might. His hands were clenched, and a black vortex howled as it spun. The Shadowbringer seemed almost uncontrollable.

At that moment, Alavin's will to fight was immense. His lightning and killing intent swept across the arena, subduing many.

Roald frowned deeply, showing a hint of hesitation.

Then Alavin suddenly dispersed the lightning and grasped his hands firmly, reining in the Shadowbringer. He strode away from the Arena. Was Roald far from what Alavin had expected, not worth the challenge anymore?

Roald almost shouted out, accepting the challenge, but in the end, he couldn't open his mouth.

The 5th Arena fell into an eerie silence. Was it over, just like that? After two days of tumult, was this how it was going to end?!

They had expected an outcome where Alavin was either soundly defeated or narrowly victorious. And now?

The challenge match initiated by Roald and the other four Golden Protégés had inadvertently made a hero of Alavin.

"I feel like the Golden Protégés have suddenly weakened."

"It's not that they've weakened. It's that Alavin's Shadowbringer is too terrifying."

"Without the Shadowbringer, Semar and the others could probably contend with Alavin."

"No wonder he swept through The Clash of Eight Orders, Alavin's Shadowbringer is indeed fearsome."

"I heard Alavin's Sword Skill is not bad. Too bad we didn't get a chance to see it."

Sparse discussions began among the crowd, but most were still in shock, struggling to accept what happened.

"Well, now Alavin has become the strongest of the new generation in Cobalt Strike," Nikulas muttered. Who in Cobalt Strike would dare challenge Alavin now? Weren't you all curious about how Alavin could replace Roald and enter the top five of the Eight Orders? This should be quite clear now.

But in Nikulas' judgment, Alavin shouldn't be strong to this extent, should he?

Myke whispered, "Between Alavin and Celesse, who is stronger?"

"Their relationship is special. There's no need to draw a clear line between who's stronger or weaker."

Roald, Admus, and Felis all stood in the arena in silence, their minds a whirl of complexity. "Have we suddenly weakened? Why don't we even have the courage to challenge Alavin?"

After Alavin left, the result of the bout spread quickly throughout Cobalt Strike.

Semar's crushing defeat, the silence of Admus and Felis, and Roald's refusal, had all shaken the entire Organization of Protégés, as well as the Elders everywhere. Although Roald's supporters strenuously argued that Roald simply did not want to bully Alavin with his rank, clear-sighted people could guess Roald's state of mind at the time; he couldn't afford to lose!

Just as Nikulas said, who would dare to be dissatisfied now? It was time for the Protégés of Cobalt Strike to start accepting reality, for Alavin had indeed grown stronger.