123 Chapter 123: Trump Card (2/2)

It was the same end for everything else, whether it was concrete rubble, paintings, marble, or furniture.

At the back of it all, Franklin was barely standing upright. The agony was visible on his face, the attack draining his vitality. It was no wonder. An attack of this magnitude was sure to have a backlash on its user.

And even though he wasn't affected yet, it was only a matter of time before the tongues turn on him and devour their owner.

I had to prevent that from happening. Honestly, while I wasn't obligated to save his life, if the controller of this spell died, there wouldn't be anyone capable of controlling and stopping it. This was the sort of spell that would continue to rampage and grow even long after its caster was dead. At least, if I incapacitated Franklin at this early stage, I might still have a chance of halting the devastating spell in its tracks.

”This has gone too far,” I declared. ”Is victory really that important to you?”

”Shut up!” Franklin snapped, but his voice was strained. ”What could a commoner like you possibly know about victory and honor?”

”You shut up!” I retorted, losing my patience. ”Look around you and the effects of your fucking spell! Does this look like victory to you? Honor?! Have you ever considered what would happen if your spell goes out of control and attacks the spectators?”

”Lord Stuart and Sir Yuan Dao will step in to intervene before that happens,” Franklin replied confidently. ”And you're in no position to worry about others. You'll die before anyone else is affected.”

Sure enough, neither Stuart nor Yuan Dao Yue Guang was making any move. If the security chief, whose job was to protect Stuart, didn't think there was any danger, then there most likely wasn't. He probably had his own form of countermeasures against a spell of this magnitude, though I couldn't imagine what it was.

As for the rest…well, Franklin had a point. I would die before the spell reached the others. Glancing at Alicia and Adrian, I saw that they were near the exit. At least they would be able to quickly escape if the Royal Requiem grew out of control.

”Oh, thanks for the consideration.”

Glaring at Franklin, I forced myself to stay calm. The only option I had left was to defeat him before his ultimate technique went out of control. But using any of my Constellation magic, especially the long-ranged ones, would undoubtedly kill him.

Perhaps I should consider just killing him, after all, but I knew that wasn't practical. Murdering someone in front of so many eyewitnesses would ruin my future. I would rather spend my adult years exploring the world and participating in missions to exterminate monsters than serving a life sentence in prison for manslaughter. Sure, I could claim that it was self-defense, but with Franklin's background, his lawyers would surely accuse me of using excessive force and all that bullshit.

Looked like I really didn't have a choice.

Glancing around, I desperately searched for an alternative, but I couldn't see anything except for the flicking black tongues. The tongues were creeping toward me now, seeking me out as if I were some helpless prey to be devoured. Pretty soon, they would be able to engulf the whole room, including the boxes of spectators and Stuart himself, before eventually turning on their owner and consuming him. Again, Stuart and the spectators didn't look troubled, and the security chief was still on standby, so it appeared they thought they had everything under control.

Not that it was going to help me much.

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Just when I thought all hope was lost and I was resigning myself to killing Franklin after all, his family lawyers be damned, I spotted my cracked and ruined ornamental sword lying a few meters away from me. The one Stuart originally gave me at the start of my duel with Franklin.

A sudden idea flared in my head. If I could grab that sword, then there was this technique that I could try. I had just barely managed to learn it in the last couple of days before this engagement party, but I was confident that I would be able to pull it off.

”Green Dragon!”

While summoning my fourth Celestial Guardian, I dove toward the sword. Weaving in and out of the whipping black tongues, I carefully made my way toward the sword. Grasping the heavily decorated hilt, I snatched it up and turned to face Franklin.

”Green Dragon,” I repeated, and the chibi Celestial Guardian drifted over my shoulder with a nod. He transformed into a wisp of green mana and shrouded my blade as I raised it and prepared for my ultimate wood technique. ”Blossom, Hundred-Colored Flowers.”

The broken blade glowed green before exploding.

Dozens of vines burst from where the blade used to be, snaking around and shooting across gaps between the black tongues. Surrounding Franklin, they lashed put and curled around him, coiling and binding his entire body and all four of his limbs.

Shocked, Franklin tried to struggle out of their intense grip, but his attempts were all ultimately futile.

”What…” he gasped, perspiring profusely. ”…is this?”

”It's no use,” I replied turning away.

”Huh?” he desperately looked toward the direction I was facing, befuddled when he saw there was nothing there.

I jerked my head toward the vines. ”Look,” I told him.

What appeared to be thorns on the vines were beginning to grow, enlarging to a familiar bulbous shape.

”That's your mana in there,” I explained, averting my gaze in an attempt to annoy and frustrate him further. ”Those flowers bloom as they steal your mana. Any mana you use will go straight to them.”

The black tongues were fading away, being sucked and drawn into the blossoming flowers on my vines. Hundreds of different flowers, each and every one having a different color were beginning to open up and bloom, their soft petals tasting the delicious air. The space across the room was filled with so many vibrant colors, the huge variety of shades making the scene appear surreal.

Hence, its name Hundred-Colored.

”Do you get it?” I asked as I raised my head to finally meet Franklin's gaze, only to see his incredulous expression. The self-proclaimed noble still didn't believe what was happening to him. ”When those flowers bloom…it'll all be over for you, Shawn Franklin.”

”D…” Franklin spluttered as he continued to struggle with even more frustration and frenzy than before, but to no avail. ”DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!”

I could only turn away again as the myriad of so many different flowers on my vines, each sporting a different color, bloomed completely.