Chapter 137: Defeating the Opponent

“Twenty-five alchemical circles drawn!” Layton swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly. This time, he had pushed himself to the limit, giving it his all, yet he had only managed to draw fifteen alchemical circles—still far behind Roland’s astonishing achievement.

He had never imagined that Roland could draw alchemical circles with both hands simultaneously, maintaining a speed and endurance beyond anything he had conceived possible, outpacing him by a full ten circles.

“Heh, the alchemists of the Dark Alliance are nothing special. Can anyone decent step forward to challenge me?” Roland’s voice, though soft, echoed like thunder in the silent arena, ringing in everyone’s ears.

A ripple of astonishment spread through the crowd.

The numerous mages and alchemists of the Light Alliance had been stifled by Layton’s earlier arrogance, feeling frustrated and suppressed. Yet now, witnessing Roland’s overwhelming victory with such an exaggerated margin, and seeing him taunt the opponent in kind, they could hardly contain their exhilaration. Many erupted into loud cheers, some even shouting alongside Roland.

“Come on! Can the Dark Alliance produce a decent alchemist to challenge him?”

“Weren’t you boasting about your speed just now? How did you only manage fifteen circles?”

“Dark Alliance, send out another one!”

“If you’re a man, step up and continue the contest!”

“Is that all the Dark Alliance’s alchemists can do? Ha!”

...

Amidst the deafening cheers, Layton’s face flushed deeply. Yet, looking at the twenty alchemical stone platforms glowing with circles on Roland’s side, compared to the mere five on his own, he felt a profound helplessness. Casting a complex glance at Roland once more, he said nothing, quietly returning to the group of Dark Alliance members.

“Gavin, I’m sorry. I’ve been utterly defeated,” Layton lowered his once-proud head. Not long ago, he had confidently promised these comrades that through this challenge, he would shame the Light Alliance’s main alchemists, casting a shadow over their spirits before tomorrow’s alchemy competition. But having just suffered such a crushing loss to Roland—and with Anthony, reputedly the Light Alliance’s top young potion alchemist, yet to make his move—he found it hard to lift his head.

Seeing him so dejected, Gavin patted his shoulder. “Brother Layton, don’t be so down. We set up this challenge precisely to probe the Light Alliance’s strength and to humiliate them a bit, impacting their performance in tomorrow’s alchemy competition. That goal has been fully achieved. At the very least, besides Anthony, we now know Roland is another formidable rival.”

Layton raised his head, nodding silently.

Gavin patted him again before saying, “Since Roland is so impressive, I’ll step up and challenge him myself.” With that, he strode toward Roland.

At that moment, Trish suddenly reached out to stop him. “Brother Gavin, there’s no need to trouble yourself. Taking on a mere Roland doesn’t require your personal involvement. I can handle this.”

“Oh?” Gavin’s brow furrowed in doubt. Although Trish was also an alchemist, his affinity was for water and fire—far from the ideal alchemical attributes—making his skills the weakest among them. Now, having volunteered to challenge Roland, Gavin questioned him, “Trish, Roland’s alchemy is exceptional. I’m afraid you’ll be no match...” Though he didn’t say it outright, the implication was clear.

Trish smiled faintly. “Brother Gavin, is alchemy the only way to deal with Roland? I have a plan. Tomorrow, I’ll make sure Roland can’t even participate in the alchemy competition.”

Gavin was momentarily stunned, then seemed to recall something, his expression turning worried. “Trish, if you plan to strike secretly to eliminate Roland, that probably won’t work. The Light Alliance has implemented extremely thorough security measures for the competition. You won’t get the chance.”

Trish shook his head, smiling. “Don’t worry, Brother Gavin. I won’t use such crude methods. Tomorrow, I will ensure Roland cannot attend the competition, and the Light Alliance won’t be able to say a word about it.”

Seeing Trish’s confidence, Gavin and the other alchemists exchanged glances and silently nodded. Gavin then smiled, “Alright, Trish, we’ll leave it to you tomorrow.”

Turning to Roland, Gavin nodded and called out loudly, “I didn’t expect the Light Alliance to have such a master alchemist. I respect that. But I must say, potion alchemy isn’t only about drawing circles. Roland, we’ll settle this tomorrow at the alchemy competition. Today, we won’t continue. Farewell!”

With that formal parting, Gavin led the Dark Alliance alchemists away through the dispersing crowd.

“Karlina, are you alright?” As Trish prepared to follow, he noticed Karlina hadn’t moved.

Her gaze was blank, fixed on Roland’s direction. Hearing Trish’s words, she snapped back to herself and hastily said, “Oh, nothing. Let’s go.” Her expression was somewhat uneasy as she took the lead.

Trish glanced at Roland, then at Karlina’s odd demeanor, shaking his head before following.

With the Dark Alliance alchemists slinking away, the onlookers burst into laughter, mocking them heartily.

Between the Light and Dark Alliances, a deep-seated enmity festered. The alchemy competition had been held countless times over the years, with most champions coming from the Aragon Empire. While the empire’s alchemists were undoubtedly strong, the bitter rivalry and sabotage between the two alliances had played a greater role.

Take this challenge, for example. Alchemists from the three great factions had gathered at Porter Academy, yet the Dark Alliance only chose to challenge the Light Alliance’s alchemists. The reason was obvious: it didn’t matter if the Aragon Empire’s alchemists won, as long as the Light Alliance didn’t.

Anthony’s eyes narrowed slightly as Roland’s image etched deeply into his mind. He murmured, “You are worthy to be my opponent.” With that, he turned and left the crowd.

Princess Nancy’s beautiful eyes lingered on Roland once more, a faint smile touching her lips. Then, with a graceful step, she followed Anthony away.