Chapter 79: The Queen of Golden Creation

The Queen of Golden Creation

She’d watched as the boy had handed her daughter something. At first, she’d feared it was a half-hearted proposal of some kind. But then a new boy appeared, and Susanna seemed more affectionate with him. If this were a lovers’ quarrel, it was not the time for it. Her nephew sighed. “This is a farce, my queen. We should not have allowed this duel to go on. She’ll do nothing but embarrass us.” 

She held up a hand. “Susanna is smart. Whatever decision she makes, it will be for the good of her family.” She spoke confident though her heart was grim. She knew why Susanna had requested a meeting with her opponent. You did not reach the rank of Queen, and this age on top of it, without seeing the world for what it was. These would be her granddaughter’s final moments. Her chosen heir. She would not allow a man to speak ill of her. Especially not now. 

Her granddaughter ran onto the stage. The battle began, and her opponent attacked. And then, for the first time in decades, Titania V. Tower felt a genuine sense of shock as her granddaughter manifested a silver creation. 

Her nephew choked on his drink, splattering it over the row below them. “What the—” 

As one, the eyes of the Tower family turned to stare at the white-haired boy that had given her the ring. Most would have fled the arena in his situation, or at least had the common sense to look away.

 But no, he stared defiantly at them. He stared directly at her. Who did this boy think he was?

Sen

He hadn’t watched the opening of the fight. He was confident in his craftsmanship and that Susanna would be able to use the artifact. It turned out the Scholar Lord’s notes were quite effective when it came to replicating not only spells but weapons as well. He’d had to make some substitutions, and add in a great deal of his own resources and mana, but the result was definitely the kind of thing the Tower family was going to try to kill him for. 

[Are you sure that was wise?] Tutor asked for the two hundred and forty-fifth time. Sen had kept count.

Since when has that ever mattered when helping a friend? 

His eyes locked onto the Queen of Golden Creation. At Queen rank, she was at least level eight hundred. Her stats likely more than twice his own. There was a chance he’d just made his most powerful enemy thus far, but she was fond of Susanna, and if he’d given a cherished family member a second chance, perhaps this slight was one they could get over. It was a gamble he considered worth it. Even if the odds were worse, he’d have done it regardless. He hadn’t become the strongest mage in the world during his own time by backing down from fights. Satisfied that he’d made his position clear, he turned to watch the fight. He didn’t care if Susanna’s whole bloodline stared him down. He wasn’t going to miss her and Dasai try out their techniques against one another. 

[You know, the whole human flesh golem thing is going to be really gross.]

Sen shrugged. When he’d heard about Dasai’s recent developments, he’d only been half surprised. In truth, he’d wondered if something like this might happen when he gave Dasai the flesh elemental sphere. Most onlookers wouldn’t understand what Dasai was doing, but Sen had a better understanding than most. Admittedly, some of the audience might find this battle hard to watch, depending on how Dasai played it. He scanned him, searching for the source of the black diamond he’d attacked with. Sen vaguely sensed a magic artifact stored somewhere inside Dasai’s body. An artifact Dasai was manipulating freely. 

[I’m surprised he’s not invisible by now. Doesn’t he prefer sneaking around?] 

Sen smiled. “Sure. But this is a graduation duel. The whole point is to show off. If he spends the entire time running around imperceptible to the human eye, he won’t have any opportunities available to him after graduation.”

Of course, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t use that ability at all either. Sen had helped both of the combatants now. Dasai and his flesh elemental sphere, and Susanna’s silver artifact ring. But today, he needed Susanna to win. Otherwise, he was going to have a super-powerful family after him for no good reason. 

No pressure at all. Right Susanna? 

He grinned. 

Susanna

Dasai stared at her in shock for exactly two seconds. Then a wide smile crept across his face. “Good choice. Now we can fight for real, huh?” 

Susanna smiled. “We can. Good luck, Dasai.”

He nodded. “You too. This will be my first time really stretching my powers to the limit. Don’t hold back. I’m a big boy. I can handle—” A silver fist erupted from the ground and swatted him forward. He slammed toward her, a grin on his face the whole time. Susanna’s mouth parted. This maniac thought getting punched that hard was amusing? 

He tumbled forward and somehow landed on his feet. Dasai broke into a run right for her under borrowed momentum. He reached a hand back, having quickly closed the distance and went to strike. 

Under her guidance, two additional hands emerged from the ground on either side of him and swatted towards him. If he didn’t abandon his attack, he’d get chopped to pieces. 

Dasai didn’t flinch. He kept moving, and the hands cut cleanly through his body. 

His severed head flew into the air. His body cleaved in half at his torso. 

Susanna blinked, and the world slowed to a crawl. She’d just killed him. That wasn’t what she’d meant to do. She turned to look for the healer who was almost certainly on standby. Then her senses told her the fight wasn’t over.

Dasai’s lower half kept running toward her. His chest and arms flew through the air and caught his head, pulling it back onto his body. The momentum of the impact sent them flying forward, and the torso adjusted its speed so the upper body landed back atop it. Dasai smiled, and two steps later he was within striking distance. 

She was so shocked that she hardly reacted in time. A silver slab appeared between them, half-formed when his fist drove through it and sent her sliding backwards. A fist-sized dent in the silver creation. That was…that was more strength than she expected from Dasai. 

He didn’t pursue her. He stood there, his fist still in the motion of following through with his attack. Her eyebrows lifted when she realized he was holding the pose for dramatic effect. The crowd loved it. He straightened, and she noticed his entire form had changed. His posture was straighter, his tunic fuller. It was a massive transformation from the scrawny, quiet boy from the Academy Wars. Had he been hiding himself? Was this some kind of enhancement? His tunic was in pieces, and with a flick of his hand he grabbed it and tore it from his body. His chest was impressive, and he even had abs. A long, thick scar dragged its way diagonally across his body. She’d heard he’d been hurt during the assault on Harpis Castle. Was this part of that? 

Or had Dasai been replaced entirely? 

He looked up into the crowd. She followed his gaze, wondering who he was trying to spot. A small flame shot into the air from a brown hand. Alari stood there. Marin was next to her. Dasai grinned and turned back to face Susanna. He held his hand toward her again, and another wedge of black diamond poked from his flesh. 

Susanna prepared herself. Orbs of silver manifested between them and slowly took shape, forming soldiers with swords, bows, and lances. Dasai looked around for a brief moment, surprised by her living creations, and then shrugged. The diamond shot toward her. A soldier stepped in its path and caught it. The others charged him. 

Dasai’s hands were covered in black in an instant. The same material as the diamond projectiles he was shooting. Two blades swung at him; he caught each on a palm and pulled the knights off balance. Two punches left gaping holes in their torsos, and they collapsed. Another two swordsmen flanked him and brought their blades down. At the same time, a soldier with a lance attacked from the front. Dasai grabbed the lance and spun to intercept one of the swords. The other sword cut into his flesh. It cleaved deeply into his shoulder. He grimaced, dropping the lance. The archers fired. Several arrows bit into the flesh of his back. He looked like a training dummy during target practice. 

The crowd was a mix of screams. Some cheered on the heir to the Tower family; others booed Dasai’s poor show. He fell to his knees, and the soldiers took a step back. 

Then Dasai kicked a foot out from under him and rose into a spin. He knocked severed heads from atop each of the silver warriors, grabbed the lance from the ground and flung it towards the archers. The soldiers died. One of her three archers crumbled to dust as the lance pierced its heart. Dasai charged the other two. They loosed arrow after arrow, piercing his body. When he reached them, he grabbed the sides of their heads and slammed them into each other. The cuts on his body were already healing. The arrows still protruding from his flesh slowly turned black and entered his body. Susanna shook her head. 

Was he absorbing them? How was he healing through all this?

She was still trying to piece together what magic he was using when he appeared right in front of her. She hadn’t even noticed him, and then he was directly in front of her, in striking range. The next few moments were a one-sided barrage. Dasai moved as if he had pumped most of his stats into speed and strength. She didn’t have time to conjure anything more than simple slabs of silver. Each one destroyed as soon as it formed. As time went on, more and more of his strikes broke through. Her stomach. Her cheek. A kick to her leg. A kick to her side. Each one threatened to break her. Some things within did break. 

It was clear to her now how Dasai had forced his way through the ranks of Fire Kite so quickly. 

He was a monster. 

She took a punch to the face to give herself an opening. A lance of silver shot forward and impaled him through the core, forcing him away from her. She couldn’t feel the side of her face anymore, but she’d gotten him off her for a second. He got up, shook his head, and rose to his feet. He wasn’t an easy opponent at all. If anything, he was only getting stronger with each moment the fight continued. 

He took a deep breath, and Susanna realized he wasn’t completely inhuman. He was getting tired. Whatever was healing him and allowing him to fight so effectively must drain his stamina. The fact that he hadn’t immediately reengaged her confirmed that theory. He was trying to regain his breath. 

She needed to seize this opportunity. 

“Silver Creation Tower!” she shouted. All around the battlefield, dozens of giant silver hands formed. They climbed into the sky and formed quickly. It was a display of power worthy of her name. Dasai looked around, still panting for breath. He muttered a curse to himself.

Susanna looked up to her grandmother, who nodded her approval. She wanted Susanna to end the fight. Beside her, Aren, the same cousin who’d told her to kill herself if she wanted to protect the family name, grinned as if this was his victory. Weeks ago they’d been ready to abandon her. But now they looked on her with approval? 

The forest of hands melted out of existence. Her entire life she’d fought the way she’d been trained. She’d used a limitless power, the power of creation itself, in the same rigid ways her ancestors had for generations. Before she’d stepped into the arena, she’d described creation magic as being like water or wind. Yet, the people who monopolized it were the most rigid people imaginable. They didn’t reinvent it with each passing generation; they’d become steeped in tradition. They used giant fists to crush their enemies because it sent a message of strength. It was a symbol of their house. One of many, but a symbol regardless. 

Susanna had seen what that path had in store for her. Losing all value the moment she no longer had something to offer. She stared at Dasai. She would win this fight. But she’d do it her way. She looked down at the silver artifact ring in her hand. She thought of the spell she’d been practicing for weeks. Then, for the first time, she tried a technique that hadn’t been passed down by her family line.

Dasai was just as confused as the rest of the arena, but he saw an opening and took it. He ran toward her, barreling forward with all the strength and speed he could muster. 

It was almost enough. 

But Susanna had a quiet confidence she’d never felt in her entire life. It wasn’t the confidence that came with the backing of a noble, powerful family. It wasn’t the confidence of power so great that her success was guaranteed. It was the freeing feeling of trying something new, of listening to your heart, instead of your family. 

“Silver Creation-Water Wash!” A pool of silver water formed at her feet. 

Dasai was in striking distance now. He reared a fist back with enough force that Susanna knew allowing it to hit would end the fight in his favor.

It came flying toward her. 

The punch never had the chance to land. 

Silver water exploded from the ground in every direction. It unleashed a tidal wave of powerful, surging force that swept Dasai up within it. She caught sight of him here and there until he was swept completely under the wave. It smashed out of the arena, and silver water crashed all around them. Even the attendants were caught in the surge. 

Behind her, she sensed a barrier form. It was likely Sen and Girch. The water filled the entire arena and even rose within a few feet of the stadium seats above. Members of the audience had risen to their feet, worried the magic might spill over. But the barriers would hold. 

She allowed the water to flow forward for a few more moments before releasing it. The silver pool at her feet vanished, and the water all around slowly melted away, soaking into the ground. Puddles of silver littered the arena and the grass outside the stage. Dasai was plastered against a wall, gasping for air. He lowered his eyes and looked at Susanna. He feebly lifted a hand and gave her a thumbs-up.

The audience went wild. 

“And the winner of the final graduation duel of the day is Susanna Tower!”