Regardless of what Leylin was thinking at the moment, the finals had finally arrived. Confused, Leylin stepped onto the playing field.
His opponent was Saremvir, a student of Senither, the leading Chief Magister of the Magisters organization. He stood across the field with his exquisitely crafted arcane construct.
The Magisters' ingenuity shone brightly. Compared to Leylin, Saremvir's aura shone even brighter.
However, no matter how powerful the opponent's arcane construct, Leylin's notes described it as merely a bulked up version of Tyr'ganal's arcane construct.
The finals finally began, and Leylin escorted Frank to the playing field. The runes on the magic circle illuminated, the arcane barrier rose, and the battle began.
It was the final match, and Leylin was determined to unleash Frank's full power. The arcane constructs made contact, and the immediate attack was enough for Leylin to see the clues.
As expected, the "Leylin" core arcane array appeared within Saremvir's arcane construct. Such speed and reflexes are unmatched by ordinary arcane constructs.
Did Dar'Khan give Saremvir the 'Leylin' array? Leylin recalled his brief exchange with Tyr'ganal that night, and suddenly a realization dawned on him. Dar'Khan was trying to kill two birds with one stone, embarrassing both the Magisters and Grand Magister Belo'vir.
If Saremvir won the competition, his arcane construct would be chosen by the Arcane Construct Association. Once chosen, the Magisters would be required to provide all information regarding arcane constructs to the Sunstrider Court and the Silvermoon Council, including the production of external materials, the drawing of the arcane core array, and the inscription of magical runes.
The Magisters couldn't possibly produce a new arcane core array; the theory and technology lay solely in the hands of Leylin and Grand Magister Belo'vir.
"You're playing with fire, Saremvir." Leylin warned the opposing mage. Cold and indifferent, Leylin's aura changed, and even the surrounding magical energy reacted to Leylin's changes.
Saremvir looked at Leylin with a fiery gaze, then smiled, "You don't need to remind me; I will definitely win in the end."
"This guy's a fool!" Leylin thought to himself.
At this point, Leylin finally relaxed. At least he knew the whole story. Now it was time for Frank to unleash his full potential, ready to smash the opposing arcane construct.
Previously, Frank had been suppressed by Saremvir's arcane construct. But now, things were different. Leylin wanted Frank to unleash his ultimate weapon.
"Frank, activate arcane shield!" Leylin shouted.
Frank, pent-up energy, finally received the order. His eyes flashed rapidly, and Frank was now incredibly excited.
The arcane energy within his body swirled at a rapid pace. Soon, through the simulation of the universal magic circle, a pale purple shield emerged around Frank's body.
Encircled by a violet glow, a dense array of satellite shields could be vaguely seen surrounding Frank.
"Destroy it, Frank!" Leylin continued his command.
After dodging several attacks from Saremvir's arcane construct, Frank leaped back to create distance. Following the Creator's command, a narrow streak of flames appeared from Frank's hands.
The entire audience was captivated by Leylin and Frank. After so long watching arcane constructs batter and harm each other, the elves finally got to see an arcane construct cast a spell.
Magister Senethir, in the VIP seats, had been extremely nervous and finally breathed a sigh of relief. He no longer had to worry about the trouble his student was causing him.
"Grand Magister Belo'vir, thank you." Magister Senethir said politely.
"To be honest, Frank is a product that my students and I developed together. I think it's my student who should be thanked. As for me, we've been friends for so many years, and it's a bit strange for you to say that," Belo'vir said calmly.
Senethir shook his head and said, "After all these years, I still can't match you. In both magic and character."
"We all serve the kingdom, so there's no need to compete."
"You're right." Senethir turned his gaze to Leylin, the outstanding young human mage. He sighed, then calmed down and continued, "When that day finally comes, Belo'vir, I will do my duty."
The tide of the arena had turned. Confidently, Leylin mobilized Frank to corner Saremvir's arcane construct, leaving it defenseless. The match was now a foregone conclusion.
"Frank, destroy its arcane core array. Leave none alive!" To avoid causing trouble for his mentor, destroying the previously stolen 'Leylin' core arrays was the best option.
Frank, like a lion, instantly tackled Saremvir's construct to the ground. Following the creator's command, the opposing arcane construct's internal magical structures were destroyed leaving nothing behind.
Saremvir looked lost, as if someone else had deceived him.
Leylin scanned the arena and saw that Dar'Khan was still there. However, his expression was now devoid of relaxation. He frowned, staring intently at Leylin.
Reluctantly, Leylin had triumphed. Dar'Khan, unable to accept the triumph's glory, stormed out in anger.
During the post-match ceremony, Leylin approached Saremvir and said, "Things aren't as bad as you think it is. You're still a skilled magister."
Pulling Saremvir up from his seat, he continued, "Not many people knew about this. It's not too late to apologize to your mentor."
Saremvir, frustrated, lowered his head in shame. After a moment's silence, he finally summoned the courage to say, "Thank you for your generosity and forgiveness. You are truly a true champion."
Champion? Leylin didn't care about the title; he cared about the prize money and the High Elf's Golden Staff.
The audience's cheers didn't stir Leylin's emotions. Following the convention's rules, he waited until the awards ceremony.
The Chief Magister Senethir was dressed in formal attire. He slowly walked up to Leylin and handed the golden staff and the magic package containing gold coins to Leylin.
"You performed very well, worthy of being the student of the Great Magister Belo'vir. If you have the chance in the future, you can come to visit the Magisters. You are always welcome there." Senethir said kindly.
After receiving the prize, Leylin smiled and said, "Of course."
When Leylin walked towards the podium, more than a dozen beautiful female elves ran to Leylin with flowers in their hands. They were all very beautiful and sunny.
"Your name is Leylin, right? This is the first time I have seen such a cool magister like you." An elf girl said admiringly to Leylin.
"Can you sign an autograph for us?"
"If possible, can we be friends?"
"Of course not!" Vereesa ran out from somewhere, took Leylin's hand and left the field.
The domineering ranger took away the winner, leaving only those beautiful girls in a mess in the field.