"Well, here we are."

Karl's voice quietly echoed as his eyes were fixed on the two individuals standing in the middle of the platform.

The air was tense, and he felt his throat grow dry.

Taking a small sip, he introduced the two sides.

"On the right, we have the favorite of this Summit and the young man who is regarded as the strongest genius amongst the four empires. He's a user with talent in the [Mind] category, in both [Telekenisis] and [Emotive] magic."

Karl's voice was the only thing that the listeners could hear as everyone watched the platform with their mouths closed, unable to utter a single word.

Tensions were high and the momentum between the two continued to rise.

Julien's body continued to 'pop' and squirm as the muscles in his body continuously changed. His changes were evident as his body unknowingly released a certain pressure on those watching.

It felt as though they were being pressed down by a large hand.

....It made it hard for them to think and follow.

Unaware of what was happening outside, a red orb appeared in Julien's mind, throbbing and shaking continuously like a beast that was ready to be let out of its cage.

'Pop'

As opposed to Julien, Caius appeared a lot more calm and serene.

His eyes were closed, and his body was at peace. His breathing was stable, and he acted as though he wasn't in the middle of an important competition.

A ripleless pond appeared in Caius's mind.

Within that pond, six figures stood. They were all Caius, wearing different expressions.

One was trembling, one was blushing, one was smiling, one was crying, one clenching his teeth, and the last one was looking up with wide eyes.

They were the complete forms of Caius's emotions.

Only through them would his Emotive Magic be released.

11 "I

The sharp contrast between the two sides made the audience hold their breath in anticipation as the referee showed up in the middle.

He looked at both sides, allowing each side to build their momentum.

At the same time, Karl continued with his commentary.

"On the other side, we have Julien. He's what we call a black horse. Originally, he was ranked within the top thirty in the power ranking, but after defeating Kaelion, things have shifted. Some claim that he's second to none behind Caius, while others still consider him to be the weakest."

The overall reaction of the world after Julien's victory was mixed.

Most understood that he was at least amongst the top four strongest people. It was just that they weren't sure about which rank he was in.

However, the hype behind Julien was high.

A lot of people were now placing him at the top of the contestants, only behind Caius.

"....This fight will allow us to see the true depths of his power. Especially his famous Emotive Magic."

Karl took another sip of his water.

His mouth grew strangely dry with every word he spoke.

Was it the nerves?

"Here's the kicker, however. Caius is also an extremely powerful Emotive Mage. There's a general consensus that he's the best Emotive Mage in his age group, but is that true? ...Or is Julien better than him?"

Karl turned his attention toward his partner, Johanna.

"What do you think?"

"....I'm not entirely sure."

Johanna answered truthfully.

"I haven't seen much of the two sides so my answer may not be entirely accurate. In fact, it may just be completely wrong."

"And...?"

Johanna pursed her lips, falling into a short silence before finally managing to find her words. "....If we're talking purely on the Emotive aspect, then I believe that Julien is superior to Caius."

"Oh?"

The words didn't exactly leave Karl stunned.

Following Julien's fight with Kaelion, Johanna had said something similar. Digging up a few of the recent fights, there had been a massive debate amongst the people as to who was the superior Emotive Mage.

For now, it was mainly split, but a lot of the people were leaning in on Julien's side.

"We haven't seen much of Caius's emotive magic since he doesn't use it often, mainly finishing his opponents quickly with his 'Telekinesis', however, looking at past records, I can more or less deduce a couple of things."

Johanna sorted out a few files in front of her.

She had done the research and thus had grounds for her words.

"Caius's control in his Emotive Magic far surpasses that of Julien, while Julien's overall

intensity is far superior to Caius's."

"....So this is going to be a fight of control versus overwhelming intensity?"

"It depends."

Johanna shifted her attention back toward the stage where the referee stood, his arm slowly

lifting under the eyes of everyone watching.

As the entire world grew quiet, her eyes squinted as she mumbled,

"....Caius's control will be the last thing Julien will have to think about during the match."

"As in?"

Johanna drew a deep breath.

"His 'Concept'."

She mumbled,

"...We still know nothing about it."

"Begin!"

The referee's hand came down, and the fight began.

".....!"

At that moment, each side came alive. Caius's eyes flared open, displaying his intense yellow pupils. Just as his hands began to move, Julien's pupils constricted as a green orb floated in his

mind, slowly reaching out for him.

He didn't reject it and reached out for it.

His calves tensed, and he tapped his foot against the ground.

There was no sound.

No fancy explosion or anything like that.

He was simply too fast for that.

The world around him slowed down. The world around him stretched as Caius appeared on

the opposite end, his hand slowly coming to a raise.

Julien ran forward.

His arms and body started to wiggle, and multiple projections of his hands and body appeared each one slightly out of sync, like a distorted reflection in a fractured mirror.

A sharp pain pierced through his mind as he sprinted forward, arriving just in front of Caius.

With a swift twist of his body, he aimed directly for Caius's exposed torso.

His mind raged.

A dark world appeared in his mind.

Within the world, a dark figure materialized. Cloaked in a black hood, it gripped a sharp

scythe, its blade gleaming sharply.

The figure slowly turned its head, revealing an empty skull where a face should be, with two

eerie purple flames flickering in its hollow eye sockets.

An embodiment of 'Fear' appeared in his mind.

Within that image, Julien poured all his experiences and power.

His plan was simple.

End the fight in an instant. Use the green orb, get near Caius, and touch him, pouring down all

his emotions and overwhelming him from the start.

If he couldn't defeat him in an instant, he would follow up with an attack shortly after.

The plan was solid and he enacted on it the moment the match started.

His hand drew close to Caius, coming closer and closer to his exposed torso. From the

peripheral of his vision, Julien could see the crowd staring in the spot where he used to be, unaware of the fact that he was now close to Caius.

He felt confident in his plan, and that confidence was further boosted when his hand began to

touch Caius.

'Got him...!'

Feeling the touch of Caius's torso, Julien began to transmit the emotions to him.

He was in the process of doing that when...

Woom!

His hand shot down, crashing against the ground rapidly.

Bang!

Julien felt a sharp pain as he began to lose his center of gravity. The world around him

returned to its usual speed, and when Julien looked up, all he saw was Caius's cold and

gleaming yellow eyes.

"Nice try."

He mumbled, flicking his hand up.

Swoosh!

Julien's hand followed the motion of Caius's hand, flicking up and exposing his abdomen.

"Kh....!"

Julien's expression changed, his left hand tensing and bulging as he gathered power. His momentum reached a terrifying level, but Caius remained unfazed. Slapping his left hand to the left side, Julien's hand similarly slapped to the left, leaving his chest completely exposed.

"........!"

Caius didn't waste the chance.

Right then, Caius stepped forward, pressing his hand right against Julien's exposed chest.

As he did, he softly mumbled,

"This is how you do it." Julien's mind blanked momentarily as his body began to tremble.

His face turned pale, and sweat poured down from the side of his face. Looking down, at

where Caius's face had once been, all he saw was a monster with thousands of eyes staring back at him.

It sent shivers down Julien's body as his lips trembled.

Bang!

"Ukh...!"

Julien felt his chest cave in shortly after as a powerful force blasted him back.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

With each step he took, the platform beneath him shattered, sending cracks spidering

outward. It took him several seconds to finally stabilize himself amidst the crumbling

platform.

"1

By the time he stabilized himself, his breath was heavy and his body felt weak.

"Ukh!"

His chest also hurt.

Raising his head, two eyes stared back at him.

Meeting his gaze was Caius who remained stuck in the same spot. He didn't follow up with his

attack.

Rather, he appeared to be waiting for something.

What exa-

"Uekh!"

Julien's throat constricted, and he gagged as blood spurted from his mouth, splattering onto

the floor and leaving a fresh, crimson stain.

The already silent Colosseum fell into an even greater silence.

All eyes were focused on Julien, and Julien only.

Everything had happened so fast that the audience had no time to process what had

happened.

It was only after the replays of the entire exchange had been shown that the audience finally

realized what had happened.

They stood in silence for a few more seconds before...

Boom-

They erupted.

"Wooo!"

"Caius!"

"Ahhhh...!"

As if a bomb had detonated, the entire Colosseum erupted in a massive roar, shattering the

silence that had once dominated the surroundings.

"Hooo."

Basking in the cheers, Julien let out a long breath, a cloud of turbid air escaping his lips.

As he raised his head to look at Caius, who tilted his head in a manner that seemed to say,

'What are you waiting for...?' Julien smirked.

Under the audience's eyes and cheers, he brought his hand forward and pressed his thumb and

middle finger together.

Caius looked at his motions in surprise, his eyes blinking slowly.

He appeared to want to stop him.

Caius's body tensed and he prepared to move his hand when he felt something by his right

side.

".....!"

That was when his expression changed. Hastily lowering his head, he turned to look at his

waist.

But it was too late.

Snap-

Julien's fingers snapped and Caius froze on the spot.

His sudden actions brought the audience's attention back to the platform.

"What's going on?"

"....Did he just snap his fingers?"

"Why would he...?"

Despite his best attempts at trying to seem calm, the power behind Julien's 'tag' was

overwhelming.

Caius felt as though he had been dragged into the deepest parts of the ocean, toward that dark

place where no life existed.

It sucked the very air out of his lungs, and as he stepped back once more, something rose from

deep within his chest.

Cracks appeared on his otherwise indifferent face.

Changes occurred.

More cracks appeared, slowly exposing his expression before...

"Uekh...!" Splash-

Blood spilled once more.

This time, from Caius who staggered back, his face slowly regaining some color.

Julien didn't follow up. Not because he didn't want to, but because he was similarly recovering from his injuries.

By then, the entire Colosseum was quiet.

None dared to utter a single word as the two sides stared at each other once more.

Gradually, Julien's lips pulled as he looked at Caius who was starting to recover. He was a little

disappointed it didn't finish him in an instant, but this was to be expected.

Still, seeing Caius's state, Julien's expression eased.

What you can do, I can do.

But better.

Bang!

His body blurred, and he shot in his direction.