Chapter 158: The Final Showdown
After getting ready, Arthur charged first towards Cain.
In response, Cain halted his energy build-up and launched a counter-offensive against Arthur.
“Ah——!”
To boost his momentum, he yelled loudly, making him look incredibly imposing.
Although Arthur didn’t shout like Cain, he exuded an equally powerful aura.
At this moment, the two were like beasts baring their fangs, emanating a fierce aggression, ready to feast on each other at any moment.
The spectators were captivated by their sprinting forms.
Even though many found it hard to see clearly, it was genuinely exhilarating!
As the two beasts ran swiftly, their eyes were fixed on one another, missing no single movement.
In this situation, neither could afford to play tricks.
The previous dozens of rounds had allowed them to understand each other’s strength quite clearly.
Any trickery would be spotted immediately, allowing the other to react promptly.
Thus, neither intended to employ any deceit.
This was a completely straightforward battle!
Finally, a sound of “ding” echoed.
Both fighters came to a halt, their weapons clashing mid-air.
Though Cain lacked the raw strength of Arthur, his speed was superior, and that kinetic energy gave him a boost.
This allowed him to match Arthur’s initial burst of power.
Despite both their bodies experiencing substantial impact, they stood their ground, maintaining their stance.
The first to falter would inevitably be the loser.
The audience in the stands held their breaths, wide-eyed, afraid to miss any thrilling moment.
Airael, watching the tense scene, couldn’t help but feel anxious for Arthur.
If Arthur lost, it would be a terrible outcome for him.
He wouldn’t just lose prestige, but a significant opportunity as well.
In this situation, Airael thought only of Arthur’s victory.
After all, they’d shared so much time together; there were feelings involved.
Not to mention, they had slept together and done what needed to be done.
In that moment of stalemate, both gritted their teeth, terrified of showing any sign of weakness.
Of course, their gazes remained locked onto one another.
They could see the unyielding spirit in each other’s eyes.
The contest continued, initially maintaining an excellent balance.
However, slowly, that balance began to tip.
First, Arthur pressed Cain back.
But then, Cain suddenly erupted, not only regaining the upper hand but even taking a slight advantage.
Yet, this advantage didn’t last long as Arthur swiftly seized it back.
The two looked like they were playing tug-of-war.
Of course, no one in the audience would dare compare this scene to a child’s game of tug-of-war.
This was a match fought on the backdrop of their reputations, with many stakes involved.
Those who placed bets were irrelevant; just the fact that the winner could potentially command an army was enough to make them envious.
But that was because Arthur and Cain had the skill to win.
If you wanted to lead an army, you must compete and defeat them.
Many young men wouldn’t have the courage for such a challenge, and those who did might not possess the strength.
As for the older folks, let’s just skip that.
Considering the large pretense of nurturing the youth, how could these old geezers shamelessly snatch opportunities from them?
Surely, no capable old timer would stoop that low.
“Lord Master Mage, who do you think will win?”
Philip asked Andrew, glancing at the two.
“I believe Axi has a greater chance of winning,” Andrew replied with a smile, not hiding his opinion.
“Oh! It seems you have quite a bit of faith in Axi.”
“Actually, it’s not that I have faith in Axi, but rather that he deserves my faith.”
“Indeed, he is quite capable. But I don’t think Cain is any slouch either.”
“However, he is still a notch below Axi. Just now, if Axi hadn’t deliberately held back and given him a wake-up call, he would likely have lost and spent some time wallowing in despair—wasting precious time.”
Philip nodded, “You make a good point. But let’s just wait for the final result.”
With that said, he refocused on the match.
His attention was entirely on Arthur and Cain.
Both were excellent young men.
Unfortunately, there could only be one champion.
It was now a matter of who had the upper hand.
Moreover, it’s important to remember that the nation’s resources are limited.
Even if they aim to nurture the youth, they couldn’t distribute all resources solely to them without considering others.
Most resources would still have to be allocated to “others.”
Recalling all this, Philip sighed inwardly.
Unless you take charge, you won’t understand the cost of living; now that he had become a national leader, he realized how difficult that position truly was.
With great power comes great responsibility, and that’s no joke.
Also, the higher you stand, the harder you fall.
Of course, it was impossible for him to simply relinquish his current position.
Although with more responsibilities came severe consequences, once someone tasted power, it was all too easy to become addicted.
Therefore, even though his authority as Chancellor was quite limited, it’s just a titular figure while everyone has their own agendas behind the scenes, that limited power was still incredibly alluring.
“Alright.”
Andrew didn’t say much more, nodding in agreement as he continued watching the match with Philip.
As time passed, it became apparent that Arthur was gradually gaining the advantage while Cain was struggling, finding it increasingly difficult to turn the tide.
At this rate, defeat was merely a matter of time.
Despite this, Arthur maintained a scrupulous attitude, not letting up, continuing to press down on Cain with full force.
Cain was fully aware of the difficulty.
He had truly reached his limit.
Despite losing to Arthur today, he didn’t feel too disheartened.
Thanks to Arthur, he had gained a considerable amount.
One could say he owed Arthur a great debt of gratitude.
