At this moment, the atmosphere in the courtyard was as silent as ice, as if all the chaotic noise had been frozen in the air.
At first, Viktor's appearance undeniably brought a bit of reassurance to the people present.
But when that illusory screen appeared before everyone's eyes, the calm in the courtyard instantly turned into chaos.
Especially the kingdom's nobles present. They were flustered, their eyes reddened.
Over the past few days, these noble lords had almost all been trying to curry favor with Viktor, hoping to build a connection with him.
Even though Viktor never gave them any opportunity, they still kept trying.
But in the end, they never expected it.
Viktor actually had a grudge against the kingdom.
Then what the hell was the point of building connections.
Which brain-dead noble was it that insisted on sending a kingdom soldier to infiltrate Viktor's home?
'Fine, infiltrate if you must, but he even got caught!?'
The nobles present were almost all dumbfounded. Even August was stunned, unable to say a single word.
Even though the elite soldiers present were all holding anti-magic stones, Viktor's calamity-level magic still left the nobles deeply shaken.
Why did so many people not dare to provoke Viktor?
Clearly, Viktor was only a fourth-tier mage. Logically speaking, if a group of fourth-tier warriors attacked together, they should definitely be able to take him down.
But no one dared to gamble.
Because the problem was that Viktor's strength didn't match his rank at all.
What kind of mage could use magic as terrifying as Viktor's?
A normal powerful fourth-tier spell was enough to completely destroy everything within its range.
But Viktor was different.
Viktor could blow up an entire city.
Although the last war spell didn't completely destroy the royal capital, that didn't mean he didn't have the ability.
After all, he had once wiped out a mountain range that spanned the border of two nations.
No one wanted to provoke Viktor, even if they really could defeat him.
Because as long as the chance of Viktory wasn't one hundred percent, Viktor would definitely unleash that kind of terrifying destructive magic.
And that kind of large-scale explosive magic was something no country could withstand.
So even though August had already prepared everything, even placing anti-magic stones all around...
When Viktor presented that image in front of him, he still felt fear.
Just as those noble lords had thought.
Now, Viktor and the kingdom were enemies.
And if there was enmity, then there would be revenge.
Viktor's magic was already absurd to begin with. If he could ignore anti-magic stones, it wouldn't even be that strange.
August's expression turned serious. He swallowed, then nervously spoke to Viktor, "Councilor Viktor, there must be some misunderstanding between us."
"I have never sent anyone to assassinate your family."
Hearing August's explanation, all the nobles present fell silent.
Even if he said that, everyone knew the truth.
Since Viktor had brought this matter out into the open, whether it was true or not, the Cant Kingdom had to bear it.
Because no matter what, the Empire really had captured a kingdom soldier.
What? Ask Viktor to provide proof that his family was targeted?
What proof was needed? This was obviously just a reason.
A reason that forced August to admit it.
The noble lords understood this, so they chose silence, not saying a word.
August's actions had already lost the trust of all the noble lords present. No one was willing to support him anymore.
On the contrary, they were more eager to see August fail.
With Viktor here, maybe they could even survive.
August understood this as well.
Facing Viktor, who showed no reaction, he also realized...
The other party wouldn't let this go so easily.
"Sir Viktor, since this matter involves our Cant Kingdom, I am willing to compensate you.", He spoke word by word, his gaze fixed on Viktor.
However, Viktor clearly wasn't interested.
Listening to August's apology, his expression remained cold, "Compensate?"
"But I don't need any compensation."
At that moment, August fell silent.
He looked at Viktor, and after a long pause, finally forced out a sentence.
"Mr. Viktor, do you intend to stop me?"
Viktor didn't answer. Instead, he responded with action.
Magic power slowly surged around his body. Behind him, in midair, a magic formation gradually took shape.
Magic flowed through pale patterns, intertwining and crossing in the air.
Complex and obscure runes slowly appeared along the edges of the hexagram formation.
Seeing this scene, all the nobles' eyes lit up.
They cried out in surprise, their eyes filled with excited anticipation.
Even Aurelian widened her eyes in shock.
"Teacher… even under the influence of anti-magic stones, you can still cast spells?"
August's breathing faltered slightly. Feeling that powerful surge of magic, he seemed to recall the war spell Viktor had used at the auction.
His body trembled slightly, and a trace of fear appeared on his face.
Could it be that Viktor really could ignore anti-magic stones and use magic!?
Suddenly, the formation behind Viktor stalled.
The pale patterns stopped intertwining.
As if the magic had been cut off, it gradually ceased flowing.
The white magic formation flickered, dimming bit by bit.
In the eyes of the nobles, as the formation faded, it felt as if their hopes sank along with it.
In the end, Viktor still failed to cast the spell.
Seeing the formation disappear, even August relaxed.
A pleased expression gradually returned to his face.
"As expected, even Councilor Viktor is affected by anti-magic stones."
Then his gaze returned to Viktor.
"Councilor, you can't stop me anymore."
August expected to see at least a hint of panic on Viktor's face.
But…
He saw nothing.
Viktor's expression remained calm.
So calm that it felt excessive.
As if he had already anticipated everything, he glanced coldly at August and said indifferently, "Popping champagne at halftime isn't a good habit."
Then, in front of everyone, Viktor suddenly raised one hand.
In front of his palm, a spatial rift rapidly tore open.
Viktor reached into the rift and pulled out a pitch-black staff with a golden bird head.
This action left countless nobles confused.
Including August.
What exactly was going on?
If Viktor couldn't use magic, then where did this staff come from?
August grew serious again. He had to consider whether Viktor had been deceiving him all along.
In the next second, Viktor gave him his answer.
Viktor raised one hand and firmly gripped the pitch-black staff.
Instantly, a golden light with a dense aura burst out from the bird head and flowed straight down along the staff.
The truth of great prosperity... [Great Prosperity]
A heavy, overwhelming aura surged along the staff, coiling around Viktor's arm and expanding.
It completely enveloped his entire body in golden light.
BOOM!
In the next moment, the golden aura fused into Viktor's body.
Beneath his flesh and skin, streaks of golden ripples slowly flowed.
Magic coursed through his blood vessels, sinking deep into his heart.
With every bit of power that entered Viktor's body, the surrounding air pressure grew heavier.
Once the aura fully entered his body, his heart seemed to turn into a furious beast, letting out deep, muffled roars.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The vast courtyard fell utterly silent, with only the heavy heartbeat pounding against everyone's eardrums.
'This… what kind of power was this?'
No one present could understand.
At this moment, Viktor lowered his head and looked at his own attributes.
[MP: 0]
[STR (Strength): 4600]
Great Prosperity had already converted all his stored mana into strength.
So, he raised the staff, lifting his arm.
The staff swept past his shoulder, the golden bird head even brushing against the edge of his coat.
In an instant, the muscles in Viktor's arm bulged, carrying terrifying force.
Not far in front of him, August also sensed an intense danger.
But he no longer had time to dodge.
In the next moment, Viktor forcefully swung the black staff forward.
The golden bird head tore through the air, its sharp whoosh striking everyone's ears, the violent force exploding through space again and again.
In August's eyes, the rapidly moving staff appeared as nothing more than a blurred streak of golden light.
He couldn't see it clearly. He couldn't even react.
Even the soldiers beside him had no time to step forward and protect him. They could only watch as the golden afterimage swept past August and slammed heavily into his head.
Bang!
August's entire body turned into a streak of blood-red meteor, flying out along with the staff and crashing violently into the massive pillar behind him.
Dust rose, colliding with the bursting air, and the ground was torn open into a deep trench.
The massive mansion, like a castle, caved in at one section, fragments of stone collapsing down.
August was pinned to the wall, barely alive, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
A deep crater had been blasted into the wall behind him. Cracks spread across the giant pillar, and the entire mansion began to shake violently.
All the nobles took in this scene, frozen in place, too shocked to say a single word.
"Originally, I didn't want to use this."
Viktor twisted his neck and rolled his wrist.
Clear cracking sounds of bones echoed one after another.
"But now it seems…"
"Maybe you prefer a good old fistfight?"
[🎉 Shoutout to Kyle and Walter for joining p@treon. It motivates me to keep bringing you better stories. Thank you very much.🤗]