"Kael, don't get too arrogant! Don't think that just because you defeated Einar, you're some kind of powerhouse on the continent. Don't overestimate yourself. So what if you beat Einar? I don't even consider it worth my attention!" The icy words—"You're not worthy"—that Kael had just uttered sent a tremor through the crown prince's heart, but he quickly sneered in response. He refused to believe Kael could truly be that strong.
As the eldest prince of the Maide Kingdom, he had lived a life of smooth sailing since birth, with few daring to defy him. Kael's words were nothing short of a blatant provocation.
As for Kael's strength—peak tenth rank? Ridiculous. The crown prince had been at the peak of tenth rank for years. No matter how talented this Kael was, he was just a young upstart. How strong could he possibly be?
With a cold snort, the crown prince shot upward, his figure soaring into the sky until he and Kael were suspended thousands of meters in the air. In his hand, he brandished a pale blue staff, its surface shimmering with a crystalline luster—clearly a high-grade artifact.
The crown prince raised his staff and declared, "Endless Storm!"
In an instant, the sky darkened as a violent tempest erupted, unleashing crushing pressure in its wake.
The crown prince did possess some skill—his strength was indeed formidable.
The raging storm formed a massive vortex, sucking in everything around it. Fortunately, the battle was taking place high above, or the consequences would have been catastrophic.
The storm's emergence even forced Kael to narrow his eyes slightly under its pressure.
"Thunder's Aegis!"
With a wave of his staff, Kael summoned a barrier of lightning before him. Thunder magic inherently surpassed ordinary elemental spells, granting Kael yet another advantage.
Boom!
The storm collided with Kael's barrier, only to be effortlessly deflected.
The crown prince's pupils contracted. So the rumors are true—the Lord of Laifei truly excels in thunder magic!
Though his smug expression faltered, the crown prince refused to back down. "I refuse to believe you can block everything I throw at you!"
As he spoke, his mana surged violently, his hair whipping upward as if electrified. A silver star divine rune ignited on his staff, and he sneered. "Annihilation Wind!"
As a peak tenth-rank mage who had fused with the wind element, this spell—Annihilation Wind—was the crown prince's ultimate technique, its power unmatched.
The crown prince was utterly confident in this spell. Countless wind blades surged forth as the magical storm in the void condensed into razor-sharp gusts, each one hurtling toward Kael. The gales left no opening, sweeping toward him with overwhelming force.
"Let's see how you block this!" A thrill of satisfaction rose in the crown prince's heart, as if he could already envision Kael crumbling under this strike.
Kael, however, merely smiled. Just as the Annihilation Wind was about to engulf him, a pair of azure wings suddenly burst from his back—the Wings of the Wind God. His speed skyrocketed tenfold, and with a flicker, all that remained in his original position was a faint afterimage before he vanished entirely.
In the blink of an eye, Kael had already circled behind the crown prince.
The crown prince's eyes bulged, a cold sweat breaking out across his back. "What?!"
Damn it! How does he have such terrifying speed?! And not just speed—this was mastery over the wind element itself! Could he have already comprehended the profundities of wind and begun fusing with it?!
The realization sent another chill down the crown prince's spine. If true, this was beyond alarming…
Though he, too, was a peak tenth-rank mage, he hadn't even glimpsed the threshold of a second elemental fusion. Who knew how long it would take to attain such enlightenment?
Kael stood calmly in the air behind him, his voice indifferent. "Is this all your strength amounts to?"
The crown prince's face flushed crimson with humiliation. "Kael! Don't think dodging two of my attacks makes you invincible! Hiding like a coward isn't skill!"
"Oh?" Kael's eyebrow arched. "I told you—you're not worthy to be my opponent." As he spoke, his hand lifted slightly, and a Crimson Moon Divine Rune flickered to life. Frostfire coalesced, igniting the sky with swirling clouds of flame.
"Starburn Heavenblaze!"
The crown prince's eyes nearly shot out of their sockets. Kael's spellcasting bore the Crimson Moon Divine Rune! The shock was staggering—this was the Crimson Moon Divine Rune, a power even most eleventh-rank experts failed to grasp!
Though terror gripped him, his reflexes didn't falter. He hastily chanted a defensive spell, but Kael's Crimson Moon Rune made Starburn Heavenblaze too fast—far too fast. In his panic, he could only muster a low-tier barrier!
BOOM!
The pillar of frostfire tore through his defenses like paper. Before the crown prince could evade, the icy flames blasted him backward, sending him hurtling through the air!
"Pfft—!" The crown prince spat out a mouthful of blood as his body plummeted from the sky. Fortunately, his mind remained clear enough to stabilize himself at the last moment—had he fallen from such a height, he would've been reduced to a bloody pulp.
The crowd watched the crown prince's disgraceful descent, and the truth became unmistakable.
"Did… the crown prince just lose?"
"So fast! How did Lord Kael defeat him in such a short time? Terrifying…"
"No wonder Lord Kael is called the foremost among the younger generation. To crush the crown prince so effortlessly—his strength is truly at the pinnacle of tenth-rank!"
As whispers spread, they noticed the crown prince's body trembling faintly. He coughed up another gout of blood, his face twisted with fury.
The black-robed elder paled and rushed forward to support him, only to be violently shoved away. "Scram!" The crown prince's eyes burned with venom as he snarled.
The elder immediately fell silent, not daring to utter another word.
Meanwhile, Kael descended gracefully from the sky.
Lone Wolf and Thunderclaw stood at his sides. Thunderclaw scratched his head with a guileless grin, giving a thumbs-up. "Boss, you're amazin'!" His admiration was genuine—simple-minded as he was, his words carried no pretense.
Lone Wolf's clenched fists slowly relaxed. Witnessing Kael's overwhelming victory soothed the resentment festering in his heart. When he turned to Kael, he found the latter already smiling at him, and the warmth of that gaze caught him off guard. Though vengeance still eluded him, Lone Wolf knew with absolute certainty: If I follow Kael, I will succeed.
And that day would not be far off.
Kael swept a cold glance over the crown prince. Killing him wasn't an option—after all, he was still a prince of the Maide Kingdom. Slaying him outright would pit Kael against the entire nation.
"May I leave now?" Of course, sparing the prince didn't mean Kael feared him. The crown prince had provoked this conflict and struck first. Kael felt not an ounce of trepidation.
His icy gaze made the prince flinch. The latter's face cycled between livid and ashen, but in the end, he stepped aside, allowing Kael to pass.
As Kael departed with Lone Wolf and Thunderclaw, the crown prince could only watch his retreating figure, fury simmering in his chest—yet utterly powerless to act. Kael's strength had shaken him to the core. Even within the Maide Kingdom, tenth-rank mages were rare, most being formidable figures like those of the Renault Family. To oppose Kael now… was near impossible.
"Lord Kael is truly formidable—to force the arrogant crown prince into submission!"
"Indeed. I've never seen His Highness like this, meekly yielding the path…"
The murmurs of the crowd reached the prince's ears. With a venomous snort, he flooded the air with mana, the pressure turning bystanders pale and unsteady on their feet.
His frigid eyes raked over them. "If any of you dare speak of today's events, don't blame this prince for what follows." Being one-shot by Kael was an unbearable humiliation. His glare was a silent threat: Spread this, and you'll pay.
The onlookers stammered obediently. With a final scoff, the crown prince stormed off, the black-robed elder trailing behind…
With the prince gone, Kael and his companions returned to Laifei City.
The Wind Spirit Crystal was now his. Preparations began in earnest—it was time to charge toward the eleventh rank!