Chapter 317: Praise The Sun! [Part 2] "I’ve heard rumors about you, Alex Stratos," Prince Garen said as he took a fighting stance, his sword once again blazing with the flames of the sun. "You fought against the Demon Worshipers and saved Vaan. For that, I am grateful. "A knight saving a princess from danger is a tale as old as time. I’m sure Vaan feels nothing but gratitude and adoration for you, normal for anyone who had been saved. "But I will not allow you to take advantage of her feelings of gratitude to make her indebted to you for life! You even made her promise that if you win this battle, you will do the deed with her! How can you be so shameless?!" Alex blinked once then twice before opening his mouth to refute the Prince’s words. But after thinking about it, he didn’t bother. No amount of explanation would save him. Vaan had already said that she—errr, he would agree to do the "deed" with Alex if he won in order to rile everyone and cause mischief. In the end, Alex decided he would not play the victim—though he was one. No. He decided to play the villain instead! "You’re right," Alex replied with a smile. "If I win this duel, Vaan will belong to me, both in heart and body. I cannot wait to have my way with her... slap her bum repeatedly, and make her cry out in pain as she gave me an apology." Yes. Alex wanted to spank Vaan so badly for causing that misunderstanding, tricking everyone into believing that he wished for the heir of the Damne Viscounty to surrender her heart and body to him. "You bastard!" Prince Garen roared in anger. "I will not allow you to desecrate my Goddess!" "Your Goddess huh?" Alex sneered. ’Bro, you have no idea—you and Vaan have a lot in common.’ Obviously, he had no plans to expose the beautiful young man’s secret. That said, he found it more convenient to just keep up the Villain act and make everyone fear him. He was already the Singing King and the Blackmail King of the academy. Having one more title wouldn’t make a difference! "I’m going to say this now, Vaan is mine," Alex said, looking all smug. "She has surrendered her future, her destiny, and her life to me! If you wish to stop that go ahead! But do you have the strength to do so?" Alex wasn’t lying. Vaan had made a pledge to the world, and the world had acknowledged his sincerity. For better or for worse, Vaan Damne was now a Knight who had sworn fealty to his lord, and Alex had to uphold his honor as his first Knight! "Damn you!" Prince Garen shouted as he swung his sword, and the Phoenix that had materialized behind him flew toward Alex with a deafening screech. "Phoenix’s Desceeeeeeent!" Alex didn’t back down and gazed at the Phoenix flying toward him as if it was just an ordinary bird that was covered in flames. But before he could even do anything, Svalinn flew out of Alex’s grasp and slapped the head of the Phoenix silly. It was sent flying to the other side of the Arena, slamming at the barrier the Headmaster had erected when the battle started. "Impossible!" Theo, watching from the VIP Seats of the student council, stood up from his seat. "That was Phoenix Descent! A special attack that only the Solar Knights can unleash, and a casual toss of a shield slapped it away?!" Alex blinked at this sudden turn of events. He glanced at Svalinn who had once again returned to his arm. For some reason, he could sense that the shield seemed very satisfied about slapping the Phoenix away, as if it was venting some of its frustrations from an incident that happened hundreds of years ago. The young man understood that whatever happened was not of his doing, but since he was playing the Villain, he decided to raise his chin in arrogance and mock the Prince of Solara in front of everyone. "Is that all?" Alex asked in arrogance. "Are you sure it’s called Phoenix’s Descent, not Chicken’s Descent? All I did was toss my shield, and your Phoenix got cooked." Celestria gripped her staff tightly, disbelieving what she had seen just now. She could also use Phoenix Descent since the bloodline of the Royal Family flowed in her veins. It was something she prided herself on and one of her Trump Cards. The sight of it being casually deflected by an ordinary skill made her doubt her eyes and senses. An attack that could have instantly killed a Rank 4 Field Boss was treated like a measly Fire Bullet! "Good!" Prince Garen held his sword with both hands. "That was just a warm-up." The sword in the Prince’s hands doubled in size, making it deadlier in the spectator’s eyes. He was inwardly shocked about one of his strongest attacks failing to leave even a scratch on his opponent’s face. But as a Prince of the Solara Kingdom, he must keep his composure at all times. The students of Solara all rose and started cheering for their Prince, who was their idol. They could afford to lose to the students of Frieden Academy, but their Prince alone could not! He was their face! He was their symbol! He was their idol! All of them wanted to be like him, so they didn’t want him to lose to Alex in front of so many people. Caelum, Serenya, and the Elves all had solemn expressions on their faces. Even they couldn’t possibly shrug off the Phoenix’s Descent so casually like Alex had done. "It seems that we still underestimated him," Serenya said in a volume that only Caelum could hear. "Yes," Caelum nodded. "Not only is he a calamity class singer, but he is also a capable warrior. Such a combination is simply frightening." [E/N: If you stuff him in a high-end battlefield, as long as he’s singing while fighting, no one can defeat him.] Prince Garen’s aura intensified as he raised his sword skyward. The golden runes etched upon its blade pulsed with a furious rhythm, each beat in sync with the pounding of his heart. The Colosseum itself seemed to tremble as waves of heat rolled outward from him, the very air rippling under the might of the Solara Prince’s fury. "I will not forgive your arrogance, Alex Stratos!" Garen roared, his voice shaking the air. "I will strike you down here and now!" The crowd roared in answer, a tidal wave of voices that shook the arena. Alex, however, merely lifted Sacrament onto his shoulder and rested Svalinn lazily against his arm. His smirk never faltered, silver hair fluttering in the heat waves like a flag of defiance. "Strike me down?" Alex tilted his head as if amused. "Please, Garen, I’ve heard better threats from the Aunties in the cafeteria when I asked for a second serving." "I’ll end you!" Garen shot up toward the sky. He raised his sword up high. It then freed itself from the Prince’s hand, turning into a giant fireball akin to a miniature sun. The fireball rose higher, its size simultaneously expanding until it was half the size of the entire arena! "Garen stop it!" Theo shouted. "Are you mad?!" Celestria’s face also lost all of its colors, understanding that her cousin was about to unleash the last resort of the royalties, the strongest attack passed down to the descendants of the Solara Royal Family. "Headmaster, should we stop them?" asked one of the Professors seated beside Professor Rowan. "Don’t worry, I already casted a special magic that will instantly teleport anyone out of the arena if they were in any danger of dying," Professor Rowan stated. "Let’s see this battle to the end, shall we?" The Headmaster glanced at Alex, who had a faint smile on his face, before shifting his gaze to the Prince of Solara, who was channeling all of his magic power in the ultimate attack he meant to end this duel. As the blazing sun above the sky reached its limit, Prince Garen spread his arms wide, as if welcoming the arrival of a God from the heavens. "Praise the Sun!" The giant fireball, now the size of the entire arena, descended from the sky, giving Alex no place to run nor hide. The arena turned white-hot, the ground sizzled, and the barrier walls groaned as cracks spread across their shimmering surface. Students shielded their eyes, some even turning away, unable to watch what looked like the birth of an apocalypse.