Alex took out the specks with an evil smile on his face as he descended the steps leading to the stage.
The people whom he passed through forgot to breathe as Alex passed. As soon as the speck was removed, Alex's entire aura changed. The power that he had been holding back started to emanate out sending a chill down the spine of everyone.
Before he looked like a gentle scholar, a harmless herbivore but now he looked like a predator who was going to hunt and devour its prey.
The speck was an artifact that Athena got from the Kingdom of Rhine who offered it to her as a tribute for her immense help. Without Athena, the lands would have become barren and infertile, if she hadn't dealt with the aftermath.
She gifted him after casting some spells which stopped his killing intent from passing out and calmed his mind.
Even if he is angry and released his killing intent, it would be neutralised by the speck and it could also hide the wearer's rank.
"Hurt, take care of the coat?" Alex spoke and threw his coat to Hurt who caught it hurriedly.
Hurt wanted to protest that he was not his servant but he wasn't able to do so in front of so many people.
He knew that his dignity was going to be trampled by Alex if he stayed with him.
"Let's begin."
As Alex and Mark stood facing each other at the centre, Alex could feel hostility from him and before he could ask Mark, their images disappeared.
Alex now stood in front of vast plains where gentle winds brushed past him.
He turned around and found that Mark was nowhere in his sight.
"Ohh!" Alex murmured and his figure blurred.
BOOM!
A loud blast occurred at the place he stood and the ground was torn into halves by Mark's violent stab.
"Aren't you a wizard, how can you have such a fast reflex?"Mark asked with a baffled look.
To his curious question, he was answered with a blast of flames.
Heat exploded all around him and flames from Alex's hand spewed out in all directions like the breath of the dragon.
WHOOSH!
The entire place seemed to catch fire.
The place became hot enough to melt one skin, the moment the heat caught the enemy, it was going to be his graveyard.
Mark turned around and he was running at full speed while cutting through the barrage of flames and aimed at Alex's face while slicing his sword to spew wind blades at him.
Alex's eyes gleamed and a magic circle appeared under his feet with a gust of wind, Alex's image appeared at a distance.
The ground at that spot collapsed, catching Mark off guard and vines started to sprout out from the ground at an incredible speed becoming a tree trunk and grabbing Mark's body like a giant snake.
It was a threatening attack, and the vines started to coil onto his body tightly trying to break down his body.
Mark struggled fiercely and a bloody force erupted from his body.
His sword glowed as he enveloped it with an aura and cut down the tree trunks that attacked him.
Swish!Swish!Swish!
He sliced everything that coiled onto his body in an instant but at that moment, a powerful force struck his body and he was blown away.
Mark bounced off the ground, but he quickly turned his body to land on his feet and spat blood in his mouth.
[Wind Blade]
Swish!
Alex didn't miss the chance and sliced with his hand
The wind blew from the motion as he turned into a blade which attacked Mark.
Alex bombarded Mark with a wind blade one after another.
Mark took a defensive stance and started to swing his sword fiercely trying to parry and deflect the attacks.
The deflected wind blades crashed onto the ground forming cracks all around the place.
The ground near Mark was in mess and everything around him was tattered due to being clashing against the wind blades.
Mark while deflecting the wind blades, started to counterattack and slashed his sword fiercely.
A huge arc of blue light five metres in length shot towards Alex sweeping through everything.
Alex raised a barrier but the arc passed through it easily cutting into it and moving towards Alex.
Alex waved his hand, and a huge fireball appeared over his head which was compressed to blue flames.
Alex compressed it into the size of an egg and threw it towards the oncoming arc of the blade.
BOOM!
Both attacks collided and burst into explosions cancelling each other and spreading shockwaves.
"It's time to end this," Mark spoke with a smile and raised his right leg forward, he pulled the sword back taking his stance.
Alex's eyes narrowed a bit and he prepared to meet the attack head-on.
Alex's mana started to swirl around and strong wind emerged from him which took the shape of a tornado. Soon it caught fire and turned into a flame-spewing tornado.
Mark swung his sword and his body moved like a flash of lightning leaving behind after images as he drew his sword towards Alex.
The tornado along with everything in a straight line was cut along with the ground.
Alex's body was struck with an invisible force and he was split into two pieces, his body shot back as a cannon and Mark appeared behind him with a large grin.
But his smile soon disappeared as he saw the two split halves of Alex start to disappear and a perfectly intact Alex appeared with a single cut on his clothes at the front but there was not a single scratch on his body.
"That was a good move. It was enough to end the lives of 70 per cent of mages if they couldn't react on time."
"Hmm! Mark, tell me did you challenge me because of your curiosity or it was under someone's order."
"Your techniques, your set of skills and swordsmanship seemed to be honed to take on mages especially."
"It is marvellous indeed, "Alex spoke with an understanding look.
Mark started to sweat profusely as a bad premonition welled up in his heart.
"Challenging me first would draw greater curiosity and attention so you went for Hurt first in the name of mage and then me."
"Hmm! Let me guess...you are First Prince Sean man, aren't you?"
Mark's body hardened seeing Alex smile and his back was drenched in sweat seeing Alex's intuition.
"Ohh! So, I was right." Alex spoke and swayed his hand. In truth, this was just a guess.
He could know Mark's intention from his hostile and resolute gaze but he didn't know who was behind it so he started from the top but coincidentally, he hit a jack spot.
A piece of rock rose from the ground that took the shape of a sword and then it was covered with a layer of ice on the tip followed by a layer of light making it as sharp as a razor.
And as soon as Alex gripped the handle, an intense aura erupted from Alex.
The aura was so intense that it distorted the entire place which shook the ground.
"I had enough warm-up, it's time to engage for real and yeah as a magical swordsman, not a mage."
