Chapter 573: The Grand First-Year Combat Festival: Mysterious Alchemy Path II

"You should have agreed earlier."

Sasha said it with a playful, smug smile, her eyes narrowing slightly again as she looked at Cyrus.

The faint smile on her face made it obvious that she was satisfied with herself.

Cyrus, however, only narrowed his scarlet eyes on her.

Just wait, after this Combat Festival ends. I already got something interesting to use against you.

He thought to himself.

Despite that thought, his expression remained innocent, almost as if he hadn’t just stored away a piece of information that could be useful against Sasha later.

He still kept one hand near his cheek for a moment, trying to maintain the appearance of someone who had done nothing wrong.

Unfortunately for him, his little act didn’t last very long.

Willow, Selena, Diane, Vera, and Ezra all turned their attention toward him almost at the same time.

Their gazes came from different directions, yet they landed on Cyrus together.

For a brief moment, Cyrus felt as if he had somehow become the person standing on the Combat Festival platform instead of the Craft-based Royal Academy staff.

The arena around them still remained loud.

The spectators were still discussing the previous match, and the giant Holographic Screens were still displaying different moments from the battle.

Yet within their small group, Cyrus suddenly felt as though the noise had become much quieter.

He slowly dropped his hand from his cheek.

Only then did he notice the collection of different-colored eyes staring directly at him.

Willow’s serious gaze.

Selena’s lighter, curious expression.

Diane’s sleepy light-blue eyes.

Vera’s dull black eyes.

And Ezra’s usual calm stare.

Cyrus felt a faint nervousness begin to build inside him.

He shifted slightly in his seat before looking around at everyone.

"Huh? Why is everyone looking at me like that?"

He asked, looking at Willow first.

Then Sasha.

Then Diane.

Then Vera.

Then Selena.

And finally, Ezra.

Every single one of them was still looking at him.

Cyrus’s eyes moved between them as though he were searching for someone willing to rescue him from the situation.

Nobody did.

"You are our educator."

Vera replied flatly.

Her expression didn’t change much as she looked at Cyrus.

"Educate us well Instructor."

Sasha followed up with a slight bow.

The mischievous smile on her face became a little more obvious.

Cyrus moved slightly more, away from his seat’s backrest.

His shoulders tightened, and the embarrassment that had already begun to appear on his face became harder to hide.

The way the two girls were looking at him made him feel less like an educator and more like someone who had been dragged into a situation he had never agreed to.

"And why are you looking at me like that too?"

He sharply turned toward Ezra, his embarrassment becoming even more obvious.

Ezra hadn’t said anything.

He had simply been sitting there, listening and looking at him.

And that somehow made Cyrus even more uncomfortable.

"Didn’t Vera just say you also know about Maxwell’s Alchemy Path."

Cyrus pointed at Ezra accusingly.

His finger remained pointed for a moment before he lowered it slightly.

"But I’m even wondering how you found out."

His entire expression changed.

The embarrassment disappeared for a moment, replaced by a serious and thoughtful look.

Cyrus stared at Ezra as if he had suddenly remembered that there was another person sitting in the group who had somehow known about Maxwell’s Alchemy Path before the rest of them.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Then...

"So, join me in this educating thing."

His expression immediately returned to its embarrassed state.

Ezra stared at him without much reaction.

"Don’t pass your embarrassing feelings on me."

Ezra replied with a serious expression.

There was no change in his voice.

He simply looked at Cyrus as though Cyrus had attempted to hand him a problem that didn’t belong to him.

"I’m not the one who said they would talk."

He shrugged while calmly looking at Cyrus.

The gesture was small and almost dismissive.

Cyrus stared at him for a second.

Then his eyebrow twitched.

"Tsk."

He clicked his tongue while side-eyeing Ezra.

The sound was quiet, but it carried enough irritation to make his feelings clear.

"We are waiting."

Willow said calmly.

Her arms remained folded as she looked at Cyrus.

There was no impatience in her voice, but she clearly had no intention of letting him escape the conversation either.

Cyrus looked around again.

Nobody was moving.

Nobody was looking away.

Even Vera had remained completely still.

It seemed there was no way out anymore.

"Okay, okay... from what I know, Maxwell’s Alchemy Path is known as the Sun Alchemy Path, and his Master is not only the creator of the Alchemy Path, but he is also the only Alchemist to reach the Alchemist Sage rank."

Cyrus finally explained.

His tired tone made it sound as though he had already used up a good portion of his patience.

The information immediately changed the atmosphere around them.

The name of the Alchemy Path alone was enough to make the group pay closer attention.

Sun Alchemy.

Even after witnessing Maxwell’s Golden Flames firsthand, they still hadn’t understood what exactly they had seen.

They had watched the flames spread across the Combat Festival platform.

They had watched them consume Ravenor’s Scarlet Flames.

They had watched the Mass Alchemy clash shake the Force Field around the arena.

And now they finally had a name for that power.

Cyrus continued explaining everything he knew about Maxwell and his Master to the group.

He didn’t add anything beyond what he knew.

There were still many things about the mysterious Master that remained unknown to them, but what Cyrus had just revealed was already enough to make several expressions change.

"So, Ezra, is what he is saying true?"

Vera turned her gaze back toward Ezra.

The other girls did the same almost at the same time.

Ezra could feel several pairs of eyes settling on him now.

For a moment, he remained quiet.

"Wait, do you think I would lie to you?"

Cyrus frowned faintly.

His expression showed that he was not particularly pleased that his information had immediately been questioned.

"Having two people’s thoughts is important. Who knows what information you might have omitted?"

Willow replied in her usual serious tone.

She looked at Cyrus for a moment before turning her face back toward Ezra.

Her words were not meant as an insult.

She simply wanted another confirmation.

After everything that had happened during the Combat Festival, there was no reason for them to accept a single explanation without considering whether something had been left out.

Ezra’s eyes shifted toward Vera.

"His right."

He plainly replied.

His eyes narrowed slightly on Vera.

He clearly knew what Vera was trying to do.

She had deliberately turned the question toward him for some reason that only her knew why.

Ezra understood it immediately.

Still, he had no intention of playing along with whatever reaction she might have been expecting from him.

He simply gave the answer.

No dramatic pause.

No attempt to hide anything.

Just an answer.

"Too bad."

Vera said lightly.

A faint smile touched her face.

Selena looked at her with a confused expression, clearly wondering why Vera had responded like that.

Vera didn’t explain herself or what she was aiming for.

Her attention remained on Ezra for a moment longer before she turned her eyes back toward the others.

"So, that power was equivalent to the Sun."

Diane said thoughtfully.

She stared toward the Holographic Screens.

One of the screens was still showing a replay of Maxwell’s golden flames spreading across the Combat Festival platform.

The image made it easier to understand why everyone had been so shocked.

The golden light hadn’t looked like an ordinary Flame Alchemy attack.

It had spread with a force that had made the entire platform appear as though it were being swallowed by sunlight.

"And on top of that... he’s a Meister Alchemist."

Diane placed her right hand beneath her chin.

Her sleepy-looking eyes became more focused as she thought about what that meant.

"The time we came face to face with his Mass Alchemy during the Practical test, Vera."

She turned toward Vera.

"It felt like my Mass Frost Alchemy attack was melting from the hot air his Alchemy attack was producing, now I see why that happened."

Diane said in realization.

Her expression changed slightly as the memory came back to her.

At the time, she had known that Maxwell’s attack was powerful.

But knowing the reason behind what she had experienced made the situation clearer.

"Which means an Alchemist’s Alchemy ability could get nerfed when in the presence of his own Sun Alchemy."

Selena said in her light voice while looking at Diane.

She was beginning to understand the level of power Maxwell’s Sun Alchemy possessed.

Her fingers rested lightly against the edge of her seat as she considered it.

If the heat generated by Sun Alchemy could interfere with another Alchemist’s ability, then the problem wasn’t simply about destructive power.

It could directly affect how another Alchemist fought.

"How would you Gun Alchemists be able to fight against something like that?"

She asked, secretly glancing at Ezra with a worried expression.

Her gaze only remained on him for a short moment before returning to the conversation.

She didn’t want to watch Ezra face Maxwell and end up being dominated so badly that he would get injured heavily.

The thought alone made her expression slightly more serious.

"Just like how Lyra’s scythe absorbed the heat produced from the Sun Alchemy attack. Your guns might go through the same chemical reaction."

Willow said calmly.

She didn’t sound particularly worried.

Instead, she was looking at the situation from the perspective of Alchemy.

The scythe had already demonstrated that it could react with the heat produced by Sun Alchemy.

If a firearm or its ammunition came into contact with that same heat, then the result could potentially be similar.

"All of you people are thinking too much about this."

Vera replied calmly.

She looked at the others as though the problem they were discussing was much simpler than they were making it.

"Measure the highest temperature level the heat produced from his Alchemy Path, then add some heat resistance formulas into the Gun Alchemy Circle as well as material which can help with heat resistance, and with Alchemy levitation. Facing the Sun Alchemy should be manageable."

She explained her already thought-out solution casually, as if it were an easy solution in the first place.

Her explanation came naturally, with no hesitation.

Vera wasn’t merely throwing out an idea.

She had already begun thinking about the problem from the moment she had seen Maxwell’s flames.

The heat levels.

The reaction with other materials.

The possible effect on firearms.

The ability to maintain distance with Alchemy Levitation.

For a Gun Alchemist, those things could all be adjusted.

The answer wasn’t necessarily to overpower Maxwell’s flames.

It could also be to prepare against them.

"Saying it like it’s easy."

Willow replied, clearly not buying Vera’s solution.

Her crimson eyes remained serious as she spoke.

The fact that Vera had explained it so casually didn’t make the actual situation any easier.

Maxwell was still a Meister Alchemist.

And he had already shown enough destructive power to force everyone in the arena to reconsider how strong his Alchemy Path actually was.

Vera simply tilted her head slightly.

"Maybe not for other Gun Alchemists, but definitely not for me and my Inventor."

She said lightly.

A faint smile appeared on her face, while her eyes moved toward Ezra.

Ezra was already thinking about his own approach.

He hadn’t joined the conversation immediately because there was no more need to.

He was already processing everything they had learned.

The Sun Alchemy Path.

The heat it produced.

He imagined the way Diane had explained the interaction with her Mass Frost Alchemy.

The way it interacted with Lyra’s scythe, and Ravenor’s Flames.

The destructive force of Maxwell’s Mass Alchemy.

And the fact that Maxwell was a Meister Alchemist rank.

Facing the power of the Sun wasn’t going to be an easy task for him in the slightest.

The thought settled heavily in his mind.

He had already read the book about Andraver to know a bit about what the power of the Sun could do.

He had watched Maxwell fight Ravenor, observing everything Maxwell did.

He had also seen the Golden Flames overwhelm Scarlet Flames.

He had seen the final clash between the two Mass Alchemies.

Even though he hadn’t fought Maxwell personally, he had enough information to understand that simply relying on his usual firearms wouldn’t be enough.

And Maxwell wasn’t the only problem.

Diane was still there.

Ezra’s eyes shifted toward her for a moment.

He had to think about how he was going to handle Diane’s strength, which seemed to be the same natural gift as Gena’s.

But there seemed to be a big difference between the two, and he still did not completely understand what that difference was.

That alone was something he would have to account for.

And then there was Vera.

Ezra’s gaze moved toward her.

He also had to consider the so-called power to see the future that he had heard about from the analysis program after the Ninth Round.

He had his doubts about it being a natural ability to see the future.

The idea itself was difficult to accept without more evidence.

But he also knew the possibility of it being something she could use to plan out a possible future action was very possible.

Since he does use a method close to it himself.

There were moments during a fight when predicting an opponent’s actions was necessary.

Especially when facing an opponent who had certain habits.

A fighter could learn how another person moved.

They could notice the position of their feet before an attack.

The way their shoulders shifted.

The direction their eyes moved.

The timing between one attack and another.

With enough experience, those small signs could allow someone to predict what an opponent would do next.

That wasn’t truly seeing the future.

It was reading the present well enough to guess what would happen next.

But after watching the replays of Vera’s match against Ravenor, Ezra couldn’t simply assume that was all it was.

Something about it didn’t feel right.

He remembered the way Vera had moved.

The timing.

The positions.

The attacks she placed before firing them.

The moments when she executed all her attacks that seemed to corner Ravenor instantly.

Even with his own experience in predicting movements, Ezra couldn’t comfortably place everything he had seen into the same category.

Which meant Vera had something.

He didn’t know exactly what it was yet.

He also knew that Vera had sometimes spoke as if she could really see the future, but he assumed it as just a good prediction ability.

But now... he wasn’t going to ignore it as something simple.

Ezra’s fingers moved slightly against the armrest of his seat as his thoughts continued.

To him, facing any of the three remaining Young Alchemists meant he had to bring at least almost all of his hidden firearms into the fight.

That was the obvious answer.

More weapons meant more options.

Different weapons meant different ranges, firing patterns, ammunition, and methods of attack.

But he couldn’t truly make use of that option.

Because of the people who would immediately breathe down his neck once this was revealed.

The moment he exposed too much of his arsenal, the number of people interested in him would increase.

There were already enough eyes watching the Ashenlocke Gun Alchemy.

Revealing more than necessary during the Combat Festival would only make things worse for himself.

And even if he made use of them, the possibility of winning wasn’t something he could easily say was a fifty-fifty percent chance.

Ezra remained quiet.

His face didn’t reveal much.

Yet his thoughts continued moving.

The three remaining Young Alchemists were simply stronger than him.

That was the reality he had to work with.

He couldn’t change it by pretending otherwise.

He could only prepare.

The arena remained loud around them.

The crowd was still reacting to Maxwell’s victory, while the Craft-based staff continued repairing the Combat Festival platform.

The Holographic Screens displayed the aftermath again.

Golden light filled one screen.

Scarlet flames filled another.

Then the two images collided, creating another enormous burst of light.

The spectators continued talking among themselves, their voices overlapping across the arena.

Some were still trying to understand Sun Alchemy.

Others were discussing Maxwell’s strength.

And others had already begun thinking about the next matches.

Ezra looked toward the screens for another moment.

His expression remained plain.

But somewhere beneath that calm surface, the thought of the coming matches had already become much more serious.

He had three possible opponents.

Each one had shown something that could threaten him.

Maxwell possessed overwhelming Golden Flames.

Diane possessed an ability that could replicate the strengths of others.

And Vera...

Ezra’s eyes shifted toward her again.

There was still something about her ability that he didn’t understand.

He had already watched her fight Ravenor.

He had already studied the replay.

And yet the more he watched it, the less comfortable he became with simply calling it prediction.

The arena lights reflected faintly across the Holographic Screens.

For a moment, Ezra’s attention remained there.

Then...

At the same moment...

"My Britannians!!!"

Patrick West’s voice echoed loudly from the arena speaker sections.

The sudden announcement cut through the conversations spreading across the First-Year section.

Several heads turned toward the arena.

The atmosphere shifted almost immediately.

The Combat Festival was moving forward again.