The Head Judge was obsessed. With the power to summon the Beast Tree and command it at his will, he was convinced he'd ascend to the next level of wizardry. This belief consumed him so completely that even when the lead examiner shot him a calming look, he didn't heed it. Instead, he leaped from his seat, not caring for his image as a Supreme Magician.
"Since you all agreed to join the Avalon Society, you're bound by its laws," the judge bellowed, now on the stage, facing down Cate. "I demand you hand over the spell this instant!"
Standing next to Cate was Mary, with a Mage Born positioned so anyone could tell he was ready to fight to the death if necessary.
Cate was up against a Supreme Magician, a wizard with centuries of power and experience. The man was not to be underestimated, yet Cate remained calm. If this had been the real Catherine Staranse, she would have long since wet her pants and fallen to her knees under the judge's overwhelming aura.
When he unleashed the full force of his magical aura, a few participants fell to their knees. The rest were paralyzed, unable to breathe or think, standing like fools. This included the Mage Born and Mary. Even some of the other judges were taken aback by this raw display of power and resolve. The lead examiner, a powerful being in her own right, saw no way to stop the maddened judge. To hinder his path to greater power was tantamount to killing him, and she was unwilling to risk his wrath over a single spell. If he wanted it, he could have it.
At this moment, Cate simply raised her head. It was a simple action, yet everyone was stunned. Most were too suppressed to make a sound, but if they could, the hall would have been filled with gasps of shock. For Cate to be able to lift even a single finger in such a situation showed that her understanding of magic was on par with, if not equal to, a Supreme Magician's.
From her previous displays of power, everyone had pegged her as a Master Magician. The ranks of magical understanding were Novice, Apprentice, Master, Supreme, Legendary, Mythical, and Divine. Most participants were Apprentices, with the elite among them being Masters. These ranks denoted comprehension, not an increase in magical power, which remained constant throughout a magician's life. While there were rare ways to increase one's power, few knew of them. Even as Medusa, before she was beheaded, Cate had sought these methods but failed.
When applying to the Avalon Society, Cate had claimed to be a Master Mage, and her performance had confirmed it. But now, she was showing a level of comprehension close to that of the Supreme Magicians;the judge's own realm. When he saw that she was unaffected by his magical pressure, a thought, so ridiculous it was squashed like a bug, crossed his mind. He pushed through the creeping fear and stepped closer to her.
"Are you challenging your better?" the judge snarled.
"If you had asked nicely, we would have considered giving you the spell," Cate replied calmly.
The judge seethed with rage, unable to hold back any longer. He raised his left hand, and a silver ring on his middle finger glowed with a heavenly brilliance. This was his totem. Wizards, one of the largest groups among magicians, had the ability to imbue objects with magic, turning them into these totems to strike down their enemies. These totems made wizards incredibly effective in direct combat because they didn't have to waste time on chants or potions. A single powerful spell could be pre-imbued into the totem, allowing its power to be unleashed instantly. While wizards had their weaknesses, they were overall among the most powerful magicians.
Cate had only a second to make her decision.
"Ex chao nascitur gladius, cor vero eius vita. Omnis ab homine venit, at essentia eius mater terra."
These words flashed through Cate's mind, moving faster than thought. Before the powerful blood-red light released by the judge's totem could reach her, countless swords materialized out of nowhere and clashed with the light. To the judge's horror, his spell was no match for these swords; it was instantly dispersed. As he stood in shock, he felt something growing in his heart.
He didn't get the chance to repent. Seven swords erupted from his chest, ripping his heart to pieces. They were covered in blood, but it did nothing to dull their sharpness. The judge looked at Cate, his eyes filled with regret and despair. He had pursued the spell to gain more magical understanding, to break through to become a Legendary Magician and add centuries to his life. This was his hope, his desire. He had worked and toiled for years only to be killed by a Master Magician. The shame of his life. As he collapsed, he thought of how he would be used as a warning to other magicians not to underestimate those beneath them.
This would be his legacy. No one would care about his other achievements. His name would be forever tarnished, while the woman before him would be glorified. She had used him as a stepping stone.
The judge fell with a sickening thud, a sound that made the hearts of all who watched twitch with fear and, for some, sheer terror. A Supreme Magician had just been killed.
Things had began out slowly but then quickly escalated into death .No one could believe it .As most people were stunned by the judge's horrible death ,the Mage Born was looking at Cate as though she was some kind of inhuman thing.Even though the supernatural were not strictly human ,they could still be considered a kind of human .Right now ,the Mage Born began believing that Cate was entirely inhuman.This was because he had noticed that the spell she had just used was the one he had created just a day before .Cate had greatly improved on the spell over a single night and turned it i to something that had the power to kill a Supreme Wizard .