Chapter 467: The Grand First-Year Combat Festival: Same Path, Same Rank, Different Strengths

My family, the Laverdale’s, has served the Ashenlocke family for the past hundred years, carrying a long history with them and even having an Alchemist General among our ancestors, a powerful Flora Alchemist who once stood at the highest level of our Path.

But why is it that we aren’t recognized throughout Britannia as the best family in the Flora Path?

I had asked myself this question from the moment my mother first showed me our family’s forestry grounds.

Why were we behind the rest if we had so much history and so many achievements?

Was it because we had joined the Ashenlocke family?

I mean, even the Ashenlocke’s are presently going through a crisis of their own.

But that wasn’t the answer.

We had gained most of our historical achievements while being aligned with the Ashenlocke’s, so that couldn’t be the reason our family had fallen behind.

So, why?

But honestly...

I already knew the reason after watching my family members up close.

Compared to the other families that followed Paths related to plants, we Laverdale’s have lost the drive to improve our current knowledge of Flora Alchemy.

We have stopped trying to push the Path forward.

It is even the same for many of the other families that called themselves Alchemists of Flora, Wood, and the other plant-related philosophy Paths.

Those oldies are only satisfied with what has already been discovered in the paths.

They inherited the knowledge of their ancestors, used the same techniques, created the same medicines, and passed the same teachings to the next generation.

But there is one family that stands above all of us.

The family that, even though we Laverdale’s are aligned with a Duke family, we still have to go through that House whenever we want to sell new medications or introduce a new medical tool.

Whenever something new is created, we have to present it to them, with members of their family acting as supervisors.

All because they are the family aligned with the Royal Family.

Distasteful.

We are both Count Houses, yet they are miles ahead of us in power, influence, and authority.

I didn’t want to keep living my life as a Flora Alchemist knowing that I couldn’t become the best.

I didn’t want to inherit my family while still knowing that I would have to bow my head to another family that isn’t even a Duke House.

Page’s hands tightened as she glared at Phiora, who stood opposite her on the fighting platform.

The distance between the two girls wasn’t large, but neither of them moved forward yet.

The morning sunlight fell across the Arena, illuminating the repaired platform beneath their feet. The damaged surface from the previous battle had already been restored, leaving only a few faint marks that reminded everyone how violent the earlier fight had been.

"THREE!"

The crowd began the countdown.

Page’s eyes didn’t leave Phiora.

I’m going to show the whole Britannia why the Laverdale’s should be on top by beating one of House Casper’s geniuses.

Page shifted her body into her fighting stance.

Her knees bent slightly, one foot moving behind the other while one hand remained close to her Space Bag.

She knew that Phiora wouldn’t give her an easy fight.

House Casper had a reputation in the Flora Path for a reason.

"TWO!"

The crowd shouted excitedly.

Phiora tilted her head as she looked at Page.

"Some would think I offended you or someone you loved with that look on your face, Page Laverdale."

She said it with a simple smile.

Her tone was calm, almost as if they were having an ordinary conversation rather than preparing to fight in front of the entire Royal Academy.

"You better keep quiet. We are in a match, not a talk fest."

Page replied coldly.

"Hahaha."

Phiora laughed lightly.

She covered her mouth with one hand, maintaining the elegant manner expected from a young lady of a Count House.

"ONE!"

The crowd shouted the final countdown, and the number echoed through the entire Arena.

"I see."

Phiora looked at Page calmly.

"Then I guess we don’t have anything to say to each other."

She calmly took her fighting stance.

Her feet settled firmly against the platform, and her hand moved closer to her Space Bag.

The more Page looked at Phiora’s calm expression, the more annoyed she became.

Tsk.

This bitch is underestimating me.

Page thought to herself as she tightened her fist harder.

"BEGIN!!"

The crowd’s voice echoed loudly as the match officially commenced.

Immediately, the two girls reached into their Space Bags.

Their hands disappeared inside the small storage spaces as they searched for the materials they needed.

But Page didn’t wait.

She dashed forward while her hand was still inside her Space Bag.

Her shoes struck the platform in quick succession as she lowered her body and accelerated toward Phiora.

Within seconds, Page was already in front of Phiora.

"Hehe."

Phiora jumped slightly backward.

Her movement was smooth, and at the same time, her hand came out of her Space Bag.

She threw several seeds into the air.

The small seeds scattered above the platform before beginning to fall around her.

"I already guessed that all you Ashenlocke’s are good when it comes to physical battles."

She said calmly.

Phiora tilted her head slightly to the left.

A dagger flew past her face.

She leaned just enough for the weapon to pass by.

The dagger missed her head by a small distance and cut a few strands of her hair before flying behind her.

"Tsk."

Page clicked her tongue.

Her first attack had failed.

The seeds needed for her Flora Alchemy were already in front of her, just like Phiora’s.

She had only thrown the dagger to disrupt Phiora before she could properly prepare her materials.

But the plan hadn’t worked.

Page’s eyes narrowed.

Phiora had already understood what she was trying to do.

CLAP!

The two girls brought their hands together at almost the same time.

Their palms met their respective Alchemy preparations as Cognis began flowing through their bodies.

"Let’s see who is faster at Alchemy Ignition, Genius of Casper!!!"

Page shouted, as Cognis rushed through her veins and gathered inside her palms.

Across from her, Phiora was doing the same.

The Flora Alchemy circle of both girls began to form.

The Alchemy Symbols on the Alchemy Circled glowed brightly as the area around the two Alchemists slowly became filled with green light.

The crowd’s excitement rose as the two girls completed forming their Alchemy Circle at almost the same time.

Both girls slammed their hands against the ground.

Their Flora Alchemy Circles ignited.

The influence of their Alchemy immediately spread through the platform.

The seeds buried themselves into the ground.

The earth trembled.

Then the plants began to grow.

Roots pushed through the cracks in the platform as green stems rapidly rose into the air.

Black Rose vines erupted around Page, twisting around her body and spreading across the ground.

At the same time, thick trunks and tangled branches of Hawthorn grew around Phiora, forming a natural barrier between the two girls.

Page immediately pressed more Cognis into her Alchemy Circle.

The Black Rose vines responded.

Their thorns suddenly shot forward.

Several sharp thorns raced toward Phiora from different directions, moving around the Hawthorn barrier in an attempt to find an opening.

But Phiora’s defensive wall remained firm.

The thick Hawthorn branches crossed over each other, creating a dense barrier that blocked every incoming thorn.

The thorns struck the branches with several sharp impacts before falling away.

"Creating a Black Rose flower is a wrong pick against my Hawthorn, Page Laverdale."

Phiora said with a pleased smile.

Page’s expression darkened.

She immediately jumped backward as Phiora moved one hand toward her.

The Hawthorn behind Phiora reacted.

The massive thorns growing from the enhanced plant suddenly shot forward.

Boom!

A thorn struck the ground where Page had been standing.

Boom!

Another one tore through the platform.

Boom!

A third thorn smashed down from the side.

Page continued moving.

She twisted her body around the incoming attacks, ducking beneath one thorn before stepping sideways to avoid another.

The attacks were fast enough that she couldn’t stay in one place for even a moment.

At the same time, her hand dug into her Space Bag.

What will be your reply, Page?

Phiora watched her quietly.

Page continued moving fluidly, evading every attack while searching through her Space Bag.

She knew that simply defending herself wouldn’t be enough.

If she allowed Phiora to keep controlling the battlefield with the Hawthorn, she would eventually be cornered.

Page pulled out the materials she needed.

She threw out her Bunge Boa Vine roots.

The roots landed across different sections of the fighting platform.

Clap!

Page brought her hands together.

A massive thorn passed by her body, missing her by only a few inches.

She didn’t stop.

Cognis flowed out from her palms as another Alchemy Circle began to form.

Then...

She pushed her hand forward toward the Bunge Boa Vine roots that had fallen across the platform floor.

Phiora immediately noticed what Page was doing.

She stopped sending the massive Hawthorn thorns toward her.

Instead, she brought her hands together, igniting her own Flora Alchemy and slammed them against the large trunk of the Hawthorn, once the Alchemy Circle formed.

Her Alchemy Circle ignited immediately.

The Hawthorn responded.

Its branches suddenly grew longer.

They twisted outward and moved rapidly toward Page, sweeping across the battlefield like several thick limbs trying to crush her.

At that moment, the ground shook violently.

Numerous Bunge Boa Vines erupted from beneath the platform.

The thick vines tore through the surface as they grew upward, twisting around one another and rapidly spreading across the battlefield.

One of the vines wrapped around Page’s body and lifted her into the air.

The flexible branches of the Hawthorn slammed against the ground beneath her.

BOOM!

The impact shook the platform.

Page remained suspended above the ground.

She didn’t panic.

Instead, she pushed her hand forward.

The other Bunge Boa Vines reacted to her command.

They twisted together.

One after another, the vines wrapped around each other until they formed a massive structure resembling a giant arm.

The vine carrying Page remained separate, holding her safely above the ground while the others gathered beneath her command.

Page’s eyes focused on the Hawthorn wall protecting Phiora.

Her fingers tightened.

"AHHHH!"

She shouted as she moved her hand, punching the air.

The gathered Bunge Boa Vines suddenly launched forward.

The mass of vines compressed together into a huge fist.

It slammed directly into the Hawthorn that shielded Phiora.

BOOOOOOM!

The impact shook the entire fighting platform.

The Hawthorn branches bent backward from the force while several leaves and broken pieces of wood scattered through the air.

Phiora’s expression changed slightly.

The massive vine fist continued pressing against her defensive wall, forcing the Hawthorn branches to grind against one another as they struggled to absorb the impact.

The crowd went wild from the few exchanges that had occurred within only a few seconds.

The speed of the battle had been too much for many spectators to follow.

But thanks to the Holographic Screens immediately showing the slowed and zoomed-in replay of the fight so that the crowd could clearly see what had happened.

The replay showed Page rushing forward while reaching into her Space Bag, Phiora avoiding the dagger by turning her head, and both girls activating their Flora Alchemy at nearly the same time.

Then the footage slowed even further as the Black Rose and Hawthorn first appeared.

The audience could now clearly see the movements of the thorns, Page’s evasive steps, and the moment she released the Bunge Boa Vine roots across the battlefield.

The final exchange was shown from another angle.

Page hanging above the platform.

The Hawthorn branches sweeping toward her.

The Bunge Boa Vines erupting from beneath the ground.

And finally, the enormous vine fist crashing into Phiora’s defensive wall.

For a brief moment, the Arena became filled with cheers.

Two Flora Alchemists.

The same Path.

The same rank.

But completely different styles.

And neither Page nor Phiora looked ready to back down.