Chapter 571: The Grand First-Year Combat Festival: The End of the Best Loser’s Match

As both massive Mass Alchemies clashed, an explosion didn’t occur immediately.

For a brief moment, the two enormous forces seemed to stop at the exact point where they met.

Then a ball of light began to form.

At first, it was small.

Golden light and scarlet light twisted around one another at the center of the collision, slowly blending together as the two Mass Alchemy attacks continued pressing against each other.

The light expanded.

It grew wider.

Then wider still.

The surrounding air began to tremble from the pressure.

The scarlet flames and Golden Flames were no longer easy to separate from one another. Their colors mixed together, creating a brilliant light that spread outward across the arena.

Then...

The light erupted.

Scarlet light mixed with Golden light and expanded through the whole arena, brightening the morning sky with a brilliance that almost made the natural sunlight disappear.

The spectators immediately reacted.

Many covered their eyes.

Some turned their heads away from the battlefield while others raised their arms in front of their faces.

Even through their closed eyelids, the light remained visible.

For some reason, it felt almost like looking directly at the sun.

The brightness was warm, yet the force behind it made the entire arena feel strangely still.

The people who had been screaming moments earlier became quieter as they tried to protect their eyes.

The Holographic Screens also became difficult to look at.

Their displays were almost completely swallowed by the brightness.

At the seating section of the High Powers of the Kingdom, the reaction was different.

The Head of the Nebula Royal Alchemist Branch remained seated.

She didn’t need to stand.

Instead, she raised her Cognis.

A ball of Cognis formed around the Queen, protecting her from the intense brightness without blocking her view.

The Queen remained seated.

She easily watched the light illuminating the whole arena.

Her eyes reflected the golden brilliance spreading before her.

A pleased smile slowly appeared on her face.

"The light that towers above darkness."

The Queen spoke softly.

Her voice carried warmth as she continued watching the enormous light.

"The source of warmness in the cold winter... a source of brilliance that reigns over the shadows."

Her smile became warmer.

"We had lost that source when you disappeared, Elder Andraver, but who knew you left a piece of hope for us."

She spread her hands slightly.

The light continued to shine across the arena.

"Ahh, Britannia has finally found it..."

Her eyes remained fixed on the battlefield.

"The Missing Pillar is back."

The Queen’s smile widened.

"Our New Sun Alchemist."

She continued spreading her hands as she enjoyed the view of the brilliant light that seemed to overshadow even the sunlight itself.

The battlefield remained hidden.

The light didn’t disappear.

Minutes passed.

Yet the brightness continued.

The spectators could do little except wait.

Some still kept their eyes covered.

Others lowered their hands slightly, trying to see through their fingers.

The Holographic Screens remained filled with light.

The arena itself seemed to have become a place of gold and scarlet.

Then more time passed.

The light slowly began to fade.

It didn’t vanish all at once.

Instead, its brightness weakened little by little.

The morning light began returning to the arena.

The colors of the sky became visible again.

The spectators who had covered their faces began lowering their hands.

Some blinked several times.

Others rubbed their eyes.

Even after the light had faded, their vision needed time to adjust.

Those who had already opened their eyes soon widened them.

A few gasped.

Then more followed.

The expression of shock spread through the crowd as everyone finally saw what had happened to the fight platform.

"Oh, my scholars."

One spectator placed a hand above his head.

His mouth remained slightly open as he stared at the battlefield.

He looked as if he had forgotten how to speak properly.

A deep hole now filled the entire fight area.

The flat surface of the platform and the other part of the fight area had been completely changed.

Instead of the broad, flat battlefield that had existed before, there was now a deep oval-shaped depression stretching across the entire area.

The surface inside the depression was strangely smooth.

The force of the two Mass Alchemies hadn’t simply destroyed the platform.

It had carved into it.

Large amounts of stone had disappeared beneath the clash.

The edges of the damaged area were uneven, while the deeper surface had been left smooth by the immense heat and power that had passed through it.

Hot air still filled the whole fight area.

It rose from the damaged ground in visible waves.

The remaining dust drifted slowly through the air.

Small pieces of broken stone rolled down the sides of the deep oval depression before finally stopping.

Maxwell stood on the damaged platform.

His arms were folded.

Part of his training clothes had been burned away.

Small cuts covered parts of his arms, and a few drops of blood slowly dripped from his side and cheek.

His body was still standing.

His golden eyes remained locked on the direction where Ravenor had been sent.

His breathing was heavier than before and his clothes moved slightly in the hot air.

A small amount of dust remained around his boots.

Maxwell kept watching.

Then...

"Cough! Cough!"

The sound came from outside the platform.

Ravenor coughed out blood.

The heat still flowed from his body, and his breathing was rougher than Maxwell’s.

He clicked his tongue.

"Tsk... this is déjà vu all over again."

Ravenor looked around at the place where he had landed.

He was sitting outside the platform with his legs folded on the ground.

The area around him had been scorched by the force of the explosion.

The heat still remained.

His clothes were also damaged.

His forearms were completely burned.

Parts of the skin across his body had also been burned by the explosion of the Sun Alchemy.

Ravenor lowered his eyes toward his arms.

For a moment, he simply stared at them.

Then he looked back toward Maxwell.

He remembered what had happened.

The massive Sun Lances had devoured his Massive Scarlet Flame Lance.

The golden attack had broken through his flames and continued forward.

Ravenor had immediately used his Cognis to reinforce his body before the remaining force sent him flying out from the platform.

Even with the reinforcement, the explosion had still injured him badly.

Ravenor slowly raised one hand.

Cognis began flowing through his body.

The Cognis spread from his arms toward the burned areas.

He began using his Cognis to heal his injuries.

The process was slow.

There were simply too many injuries to recover from at once.

His burns were worse than Maxwell’s.

Ravenor knew that.

His scarlet eyes remained on the Young Alchemist standing across the damaged battlefield.

"So, this is the power of the Sun."

His gaze sharpened.

"My flames couldn’t even stand against the flames of the sun..."

His fingers slowly curled.

"...as if it was just fuel to increase the power of his Golden Flames."

Ravenor’s expression became thoughtful.

There was no anger in his eyes.

Instead, there was something else.

Understanding.

He had lost.

That much was obvious.

But the defeat had shown him something about his own Alchemy Path.

"There is still so much I have to learn from this and my own Alchemy Path."

Ravenor continued healing himself.

His Cognis moved through the burned skin of his forearms.

"But I think I understand a bit now."

His scarlet eyes sharpened.

He looked toward Maxwell again.

Then another image entered his mind.

Vera.

"Vera and Maxwell."

His hand slowly tightened into a fist.

"The next time we fight, I will definitely come out on top."

He tightened his fist.

The pain in his burned hand didn’t make him release it.

He simply stared at the battlefield.

And immediately...

"WOOOOOOAHHHHHHHHH!!!"

The crowd went wild.

Loud cheers erupted throughout the arena.

The sudden sound filled the battlefield and pushed away the silence that had remained after the explosion.

Some spectators stood back up, while others waved their hands.

Many shouted the names of the fighters.

The Holographic Screens finally returned to normal, displaying Maxwell standing on the damaged platform and Ravenor sitting outside it.

"We have a WINNER!!!"

Patrick’s voice echoed loudly through the arena speakers.

The crowd responded with even louder cheers.

Patrick’s voice carried excitement as he continued.

"I don’t know what we just witnessed, but this Best Loser’s Match has really taken us by storm!"

The excitement in his voice was obvious.

"I’m sure everyone expected the Young Lord of Burnwick to win, but what the Hell was that firepower Mr. Maxwell showed us?"

Patrick turned slightly.

"Golden Flames! Is that something new to Flame Alchemists?!"

He looked toward Professor Kent.

Kent was leaning back in his seat with his hands behind his back.

A pleased smile appeared on his face.

The sight of Maxwell’s Golden Flames had brought back an old memory.

Kent remembered the first time he had seen the Sun brilliance of Andraver during a field mission in Frostmarch.

The region they were in had been buried beneath a thick blizzard.

The snow had been so heavy that the sun was hidden behind the storm.

Visibility had been poor.

The cold had covered the land and they were facing a powerful set of monsters.

Then Andraver had illuminated the whole area.

The brilliance had been so great that people from other parts of the Frostmarch had believed that the Sun itself had somehow fallen toward Britannia.

Kent remembered that sight.

And now he was looking at something similar again.

Not the same person.

Not the same level.

But the same Path.

The same brilliance.

Patrick leaned closer to the table microphone.

"Don’t you have anything to add, Professor Kent?"

His eyes sparkled with excitement as he continued looking at Kent.

Kent’s smile remained.

Then he answered simply.

"Just announce the winner so we can get a good rest."

Patrick narrowed his eyes at Kent.

For a moment, he looked as if he had expected something more.

But Kent had already finished speaking.

Patrick turned back toward the arena.

The spectators were still cheering.

The sound rolled through the seats in wave after wave.

Patrick lifted the table microphone closer to his mouth.

"Winner!!!"

The crowd became louder.

Patrick paused for a moment.

Then he shouted...

"Mr. Maxwell!!!"

The crowd responded immediately.

"Amazing!!!!"

"I couldn’t even see anything! This was just beyond words!"

"What the hell was that Alchemy Path?!"

"Mr. Maxwell had that amount of power?!"

"So, does that mean Lady Diane Bergwyn won by luck?"

"Wait, I know that power!!"

"No!! My Young Lord of Burnwick!"

"At least he did his best."

"Yeah, did you see the firepower of his Mass Alchemy?"

"Am I the only person who caught a glimpse of those Golden Flames devouring Sir Ravenor Burnwick’s Scarlet Flames?!"

"The Sun...!"

"The Sun?"

"You have to be kidding me."

More and more voices filled the whole arena.

A mixture of amazement, disbelief, confusion, excitement, and acknowledgement spread through the spectators.

Some were still trying to understand what they had witnessed.

Others were already discussing Maxwell’s Alchemy Path with the people beside them.

Some kept looking at the damaged platform as if the sight alone could help them understand what had happened.

The Medic staff finally walked into the arena.

They moved toward Ravenor, who was still sitting with his legs folded on the ground.

Ravenor remained calm.

Even after another loss, he was reflecting on what had happened.

The Medic staff approached him with a stretcher.

One of them lowered it beside him.

Ravenor looked at it.

Then he allowed the staff to assist him.

While they helped him onto the stretcher, Maxwell turned toward the cheering crowd.

He raised one hand and waved.

The crowd responded by shouting his name even louder.

"Mr. MAXWELL!"

"Mr. MAXWELL!"

"Mr. MAXWELL!"

Then Maxwell’s eyes moved toward Ravenor.

"Hey, Young Lord of Burnwick!"

His voice carried across the damaged platform.

Ravenor looked at him.

Maxwell smiled brightly.

"I’m sure you haven’t given up yet even after this loss. So, I’ll be open to another challenge any time."

Ravenor looked at him plainly.

He did not answer.

Instead, his eyes shifted toward one of the Medic staff holding the stretcher.

The Medic staff member looked at Ravenor.

Then nodded while smiling.

They began walking.

Ravenor was carried away from the arena.

Maxwell watched him leave.

He remained standing where he was until Ravenor disappeared through the entrance.

"He didn’t reply."

Maxwell looked toward the entrance where Ravenor had left.

His shoulders dropped slightly.

Then he sighed heavily.

For a moment, his expression became quieter.

"I have taken the first step toward proving myself, Master."

He thought to himself with a warm smile.

His eyes slowly lifted.

Then he looked toward the First-Year section.

The cheers from the crowd were still surrounding him, but Maxwell’s attention had already moved somewhere else.

"Now it’s time I take a further step in conquering this first year."

A smirk appeared on Maxwell’s face.

His golden eyes moved across the First-Year section.

They landed on Diane.

Diane had removed her eye cover slightly, she was staring back at Maxwell.

Maxwell held her gaze for a moment.

Then his eyes shifted.

They landed on Vera.

Vera still had her arms folded and her black shaded-on remained in place as she looked back at him.

Her expression gave Maxwell little to read.

Then his golden eyes moved again.

And finally...

They landed on Ezra.

Ezra looked back at him as plainly as ever.

His expression had barely changed.

But inside him, something was different.

There was a faint excitement building within him.

It was small and quiet.

Nothing like the excitement filling the arena.

But it was there.

The thought of going against a power like that was something Ezra couldn’t ignore.

He had just watched Maxwell unleash an Alchemy Path that had forced the entire arena to react.

He had seen the destruction left behind by the clash.

He had seen Ravenor’s Scarlet Flames devoured by Maxwell’s Golden Flames.

And now the next stage of the Combat Festival was getting closer.

Ezra’s eyes remained on Maxwell.

"The semi-finals will really be something."

He muttered to himself.

A faint trace of excitement escaped his voice.