Chapter 316: Praise The Sun! [Part 1] The sound of the gong echoed across the Colosseum, its deep metallic ring swallowed by the roar of the crowd. Prince Garen immediately drew his gleaming longsword, its golden runes blazing to life. The sunlight above seemed to bend toward him, empowering his presence as though the heavens themselves favored his blade. His aura exploded outward in a dazzling brilliance, pressing down on the arena like a crushing tide. "Radiance... Descend!" Garen’s voice boomed, and a halo of light formed behind him, casting his figure like a war god in mortal flesh. The students gasped in awe, some shielding their eyes. ’He’s going all out from the start,’ Alex thought as he, too, summoned his weapon and shield. The moment his right hand held Sacrament, Alex’s senses became sharper than ever. Svalinn, who looked like an unassuming, round, black shield, firmly latched onto the young man’s left arm. Chuck, as well as the members of Endless Horizon, noticed that Alex was wielding a weapon they hadn’t seen before. Renard narrowed his eyes, as if understanding that the Warhammer in his rival’s hand wasn’t an ordinary weapon. While striking on his own right, compared to Prince Garen’s imposing figure, Alex looked very plain. Those not in the know would think he was the Challenger in today’s battle. Prince Kaelen looked at his sister, Lapiz, who was observing the battle with a solemn look on her face. "Who do you think will win this fight, sister?" Prince Kaelen asked. Lapiz frowned before giving her answer. "I don’t know. But since Alex is the president of our club, I want him to win." "I see." Prince Kaelen narrowed his eyes and shifted his attention back to the two combatants in the arena. Deep inside, he also wanted to show his sisters how strong he had become and make them proud of him. Caelum and the Elves, who had lost to Alex in the Battle Choir, knew that they were no match against him in a singing battle. However, duels were different. Even now, Caelum believed that Alex was not a match against him if they were to fight in the arena. This thought prompted him to guide Prince Garen into initiating a duel against Alex, citing it as the defense of the prince’s honor. ’Show me, Alex Stratos,’ Caelum thought. ’Show me how strong you really are!’ His gaze locked on the silver-haired young man, who was about to fight an opponent a rank higher than him. Prince Garen took a step forward, and the ground under his feet exploded, launching the prince toward Alex like a blazing sword in flight. "Sword Stream!" Alex didn’t back down from the Prince’s charge. In fact, he placed his shield in front of him and also took a step forward in order to meet him up close. "Shield Charge!" Alex charged with his shield raised in front of him. While he knew that Prince Garen was stronger due to the difference in stats, he also had several trump cards in his sleeve, which he was itching to use in today’s duel. The first clash between the two young men was akin to a thunderclap. A loud booming sound erupted as Alex’s shield met Prince Garen’s sword. The raging flames were blocked completely by the shield, which was very resistant to the flames of the sun. This unexpected outcome made Prince Garen’s expression serious. His attack should’ve blown Alex away the moment their two attacks collided with each other. There was one more person just as surprised as Prince Garen—the student council president of Frieden Academy, Theo Ashborne. Theo was a Solar Knight just like his brother, which made him one of the top three strongest students among the Third Years. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺 The one who held the top spot was none other than Aeris, who was Lapiz’s and Prince Kaelen’s older sister. Theo understood the level of destruction Sword Stream boasted. After all, this was the trademark skill of the Solar Knights. It allowed them to close the distance with their enemies and break their defenses, as well as buy them a chance to unleash another powerful strike. But the shield, Svalinn, held the Sword Stream at bay. In fact, Alex could vaguely feel that after his shield was exposed to Sun Magic, it suddenly felt more alive, as if feeling competitive. ’That’s right,’ Alex smiled faintly as he firmly planted his feet on the ground to deliver his next move. ’You are the Shield that guards the world from the sun. You will not falter from this pitiful imitation!’ The black shield hummed as if reacting to Alex’s thoughts. Runic patterns appeared on its surface, changing the plain shield into a majestic one that seemed to have awakened its fighting spirit! "Impossible..." Garen muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing. "My sword should have cleaved through any mundane defense!" Alex’s lips curled into a smirk. "Then it’s a good thing this isn’t a mundane shield." Putting strength into his arm and feet, Alex lunged forward. "Shield Bash!" Alex swatted the sword aside, and the flames that covered it dispersed completely as if it were all a lie. This left Prince Garen wide open, allowing Alex to land the first blow in today’s duel. Holding the Warhammer in his hand, Alex swung it with a determined glint on his face. "Hammer for all Seasons, First Form..." Alex growled as he spun his body to add momentum to his strike, moving in accordance with the technique he had used in the Trial of the Heracle Mountain. "Bone Breaker!" A loud banging sound erupted in the surroundings as Alex’s warhammer smashed against Prince Garen’s chest, sending the latter flying several meters away from where he stood. Renard narrowed his eyes. Of all his peers, only Alex was worthy to be called his rival, and this show of strength cemented that. Celestria, the Radiant Lily of the Solara Academy, couldn’t help but gasp after seeing Alex’s explosive display of power. Her cousin, Prince Garen, had outstanding talent—the number of First Years in the academy who could fight him in close combat could be counted by the fingers. In fact, she even felt sorry for Alex at first, believing no one in Frieden Academy was her cousin’s match. She only went to the Colosseum to heal Alex after the battle, ensuring there would be no grudges between him and the students of Solara Academy. But the outcome before her eyes made her uncontrollably feel that she had truly underestimated the Blackmail King of the Academy. To her impression, while the young man was proficient in a battle of words... the same couldn’t be said for that of swords and shields. Lavinia and Latifa happily hugged each other as they cheered for Alex landing the first blow. However, after realizing what they had done, the two became embarrassed and hurriedly stopped hugging each other. Both their faces were beet-red from failing to hold back their enthusiasm after seeing Alex’s amazing performance. The cheering of Alex’s supporters was drowned out a moment later by the sound of steel scraping against stone. Prince Garen pushed himself back to his feet, the dent on his chestplate glowing faintly with molten cracks, as if his armor itself rejected the damage. His breathing was heavier, but his golden eyes burned brighter than ever. "... Impressive," Garen admitted, his voice carrying through the Colosseum. "You managed to draw first blood. But don’t think for a second that this battle will end with that single strike." His longsword blazed with even greater intensity, the runes along the blade expanding into radiant patterns that spread up his arm like molten veins. The halo behind him flared, transforming into the image of a Phoenix wreathed in fire. A screech reverberated across the Colosseum, announcing its arrival as if promising that nothing would be the same from this point onward. Alex calmly gazed at his opponent, his blue eyes glowing faintly as the power of the Verdant Throne slowly reinforced his stamina regeneration and health regeneration, as well as boosted his physical defenses. At that exact moment, he heard a notification sound inside his head, and a blue window screen appeared in front of him. ——— < Hidden Quest Unlocked! > Mission Name: Blaze of Glory! Objective: Defeat Prince Garen. Rewards: 1,000 Arcana Points, 2 Level Ups! ——— Sacrament and Svalinn both hummed at the same time as if to remind Alex that he should not lower his guard, for his opponent would now cease holding back. "Don’t worry," Alex muttered, assuring his partners that he had no intention of underestimating his opponent. A few magical shields suddenly appeared and spun around Alex like satellites, waiting for him to issue a command. The second clash between the two young men was about to commence, and with it, everyone held their breath as they waited for the two combatants to clash for a second time.