Chapter 696.1: Chad's Duel ( Part 1 )

In the meantime, while everyone was observing Chad's appearance, Vale couldn't help but look at Maya's reaction.

As expected, although she had hidden it well with her veil, he could still notice a change in her expression. She was certainly shocked by Chad's sudden appearance.

Nonetheless, because she was on a mission and, for some reason, she was hiding her identity, she didn't break her character and acted as if she didn't recognize Chad.

After a few moments, Vale introduced Chad.

"This is Chad, my friend and a disciple of a True Dragon. He is also a part of the Merchant Organization..." Vale said as he looked at Lady Eve of the Scarlet Serpent Brotherhood.

He implied that Lady Eve would have to meet Chad later to discuss the details of their cooperation for the acquisition of Utara's Serpent Herb.

Lady Eve gently nodded at this as she understood his gesture.

"He will be the one who will fight the representatives of the Combat Arts Faction and the Knights Faction. I don't think I have to explain that he's a great fighter. Although he's young, you shouldn't underestimate him. I don't want him to win because of your carelessness. He is eager to test his skills against the two of you, Sir Geoffrey and Sir Roland..." Vale said.

Vale even called the two as 'Sirs', which made them appreciate the Immortal.

'He's so young... Just how many years did he train to even attempt to duel against those two veterans? Isn't he overestimating his friend?' Ceres thought as she realized that even if Chad was a Dragon Disciple, he was still too young. He couldn't help but look at the Immortal a few more times.

Even Maya was a bit confused since she knew that it hadn't been that long for Chad to obtain such a huge advancement in terms of skills.

'A Dragon Disciple, huh... I guess it's the Dragon who destroyed the Royal Castle's barrier.' Sir Geoffrey mused. The others also had the same thoughts. After all, they could easily believe that the Immortal could summon a Dragon and force it to teach a human Arcanist.

'I guess this young man is a good warm-up fight before the Immortal. Not bad...' Sir Roland thought as his Magic Zone could tell that Chad's Aura didn't give him a sense of danger.

Of course, some of them also wondered how he became a friend of an Immortal and a disciple of a True Dragon.

After all, this kind of opportunity would be something anyone would want to have!

Nonetheless, aside from Miya, none of them knew who Chad was. This was their first time hearing about a Dragon Disciple.

After Chad stood in front, Vale declared.

"I changed my mind... To make the duels more interesting and exciting, I propose some wagers. The winner of each duel will get something from the loser, something that is valuable and useful to them. It doesn't matter if it won't be useful to the winner... Even if it's something that is related to their factions and their specialties, that would be fine. Do you agree to these wagers?"

Chad nodded slightly at this since he had plenty of Magic Artifacts after staying here in the castle for a long time. He didn't mind losing even three of five of them in this duel.

Of course, Sir Geoffrey and Sir Roland nodded and agreed to the wagers. They were aiming for a duel with the Immortal, so they should be confident facing a young warrior.

Furthermore, they were also curious about what Chad could offer them.

"We agree to the wagers, Sir Immortal." The two of them said.

"Very well. Then we have a deal. Let the duels begin. Sir Geoffrey, you will fight Chad first. Sir Roland, you will fight Chad next. The duels will be fair and honorable. The duels will end when one of the fighters admits defeat or is unable to continue. The duels will be watched by everyone in the room and it will be held outside the castle, in an open field."

With that said, Vale gestured for them to follow him.

He then led the way, followed by Chad, Sir Geoffrey, Sir Roland, and the others.

They left the reception hall and headed outside the castle.

Once again, the visitors didn't see any guards patrolling the area.

Soon, they reached an open field, where the duels would take place. Vale said, "It's here..."

Chad, Sir Geoffrey, and Sir Roland prepared themselves for the duels.

They took out their weapons and checked their equipment. Vale even gave them some time to warm up their bodies and focus their minds.

After a while, they looked at each other and nodded.

They were all ready.

The first duel began.

Chad and Sir Geoffrey faced each other and saluted.

Vale himself would be the referee of this battle to ensure the fairness of the duel.

"You may begin!"

As soon as the signal came, they then charged at each other and clashed.

Chad wielded a gauntlet, a metal glove that covered his right hand and arm. It had several runes engraved on it, which allowed him to channel his magic and enhance his physical abilities.

It also had a newly added double dragon-shaped emblem on the back of his hand, which represented his connection to a True Dragon or even two!

Whooom~

Chad's Dragon Aura suddenly spread throughout the field. It was a manifestation of his will and power, which took the form of a fiery dragon that surrounded him.

It wasn't some sort of technique but a natural phenomenon that could appear whenever he used his Aura.

Sir Geoffrey, on the other hand, uses a sword.

It was a long and sharp blade that he wielded with skill and grace. It had a cross-shaped guard and a leather-wrapped hilt... It wasn't as fancy as what the Magic Knights use, but it seemed comfortable in his hands.

'Let's see how my Aura fares against a Dragon Disciple's Aura...' Sir Geoffrey smiled as he realized that Chad had hidden his aura so well.

As an Aura Master, he certainly didn't want to lose in terms of an Aura Battle!

Sir Geoffrey's Aura manifested, which took the form of a golden shield that protected him!