The Golem Mage

Chapter 1097: Origin Tournament Final 1.

The loud cheers of the crowd sent excitement surging through the arena as the first battle of the day—between the Northern Kingdom’s Bloodline Academy and the Southern Kingdom’s Ember Citadel was about to begin.

Though many hadn’t paid much attention to this matchup beforehand, as their focus had been fixed on the main event to come, the sight of both teams stepping forward, looking ready to tear each other apart was enough to ignite the crowd into a frenzy.

However, this “appetizer” before the main match didn’t last long at all, as it seems the Ember Citadel team was still carrying the aftermath injuries from their previous battle.

And since their injuries weren’t physical but mental, it required quite a while before such damage would recover on its own.

Unfortunately for them, the Southern Kingdom academies lacked proficiency in mental-type treatment, let alone access to mental pills to give to their students, if they had made finals it would have been another matter entirely as they wouldn’t mind breaking the banks to make sure the team is in good condition before battling at the finals but right now they just let them fight like that.

As a result, it became an easy victory for Bloodline Academy, who secured third place, instantly the northern stands erupted in celebration, and their cheers echoing across the arena.

They didn’t stop there, anyone nearby became a target for their banter, as even the more fanatical fans that supported the War God team joined in, after all, they were Northern citizens.

Against academies from other kingdoms, they stood united, proudly supporting their own, so long as the opponent wasn’t the War God Mage Academy.

_ _

After ten minutes, the battlefield had already been cleared and restored to pristine condition, as the crowd of mages waited with anticipation, all eyes fixed on the stage as they expected the judges to appear and introduce the mages that would be representing the last two academies.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long.

“Greetings, ladies and gentlemen, I want to use this opportunity to welcome you once more to the Royal Arena Battlefield,” the judge announced as he appeared, prompting a wave of cheers and applause from the crowd.

“I won’t waste any more of your time, let us proceed by calling forth the teams that will be participating in today’s final.”

“From the left side, we have the War God Mage Academy, led by their captain, Alec Gordons,” the judge began, but the moment he mentioned Alec’s name, he was forced to pause as a thunderous wave of cheers erupted from the northern stands.

The noise was so overwhelming, so completely unrestrained, that it took a while before the judge could restore order, and the cause of it all was Alec himself.

As he stepped forward, raising a hand with a calm smile on his face, the crowd gradually settled—not out of respect for the judge, but out of reverence for him.

This was something the other kingdoms had begun to notice. Alec Gordons, the one northern captain they knew the least about, was somehow the one with the largest fanbase among the northern supporters. It left many of them questioning what exactly his story was.

Yet, despite days of investigation, all they had uncovered was that he came from a mid-ranked clan and attended an academy that had lost the kingdom’s support; it wasn’t even counted among the Great Eight academies.

Which only made his display of strength and the overwhelming support behind him feel even more unusual. To many, Alec had begun to embody the image of a dark horse… even a rebel king.

“Following him is the vice-captain, Beatrice Marionette, Lucas Blade, Arthur Gordons, and Brandon Gordons.”

As the full lineup was announced, the crowd erupted once again in cheers. By now, the mages from other kingdoms had grown almost numb to a certain detail, that every War God Mage Academy lineup always seemed to include members of the Gordons Clan.

This time, however, being the finals, their focus shifted. Instead of reacting, they carefully observed, trying to gauge the strength of these chosen mages who had been deemed worthy to stand on this stage.

Meanwhile, the northern fans continued clapping and cheering as the War God team spread out across the field, with Alec standing at the center, casually waving back at them.

“Now, from the right side, representing the School of Silent Night, enter their captain, Ryunosuke Takeda.”

The moment the judge called out Takeda’s name, the mages from the Eastern Kingdom erupted into loud cheers, trying to match the energy that had followed Alec’s introduction, they pushed hard, their voices rising as Takeda finally stepped out of the tunnel.

The instant he appeared, Alec’s gaze locked onto him. In a single glance, he could tell, this was the Progenitor body, the primary controller of all the others.

While Alec observed him with quiet curiosity, Takeda returned the look with unrestrained disdain, he clearly looked down on Alec. Without sparing him another thought, Takeda shifted his gaze slightly—to the left, where Beatrice stood and a faint smile appeared on his face.

That smile twisted something deep within Alec, most of the crowd didn’t notice it, but Brandon and Arthur did, the moment they saw that expression, they knew things were about to turn ugly.

“Followed by the vice-captain, Shin Jae-Hyun, Kenta Mori, Sojin Kuro, and Akihiro Fang.”

As each name was called, they emerged from the tunnel one after another. No grand display. No acknowledgment of the crowd. Just silent, measured steps as they pulled up their half-face masks towards their face, concealing their expressions.

The presence of two unfamiliar faces in the team during the final battle added a new layer of tension, as it hinted that even Silent Night was beginning to take things seriously.

Up until now, aside from Shin, none had truly shown the ability to stand alongside Takeda’s level.

Interestingly, the mages from the other three kingdoms showed little enthusiasm about being against the War God Mage Academy, while they had previously rallied against the Northern Kingdom academies, this was the finals and now, they simply didn’t care who won.

Their only interest was in the outcome… and in ridiculing whoever lost.

With no academy from their kingdoms left in contention, they had become nothing more than spectators, waiting to see how everything would unfold.

“Now, the only rule for this battle format is quite simple, there are no rules, this is a team deathmatch to the end, the last team remaining wins, you are allowed to kill your opponents by whatever means necessary,” the judge announced.

For a brief moment, the entire crowd fell into stunned silence, confusion rippling through the arena.

“A dome will cover the battlefield after I leave, it has already been infused with the Creation Stone power which has been installed beneath the battle stage, allowing it to generate astral bodies in your place once it activates, so fight to the best of your abilities, you don’t need to hold back.” The judge continued.

With that clarification, the mood shifted instantly, as the crowd erupted into cheers, anticipation surging as they realized the kind of bloodbath the committee was about to unleash.

“Since everything has been said, there’s no need to delay any further, I hereby declare this match… begun.”

The moment the words left his lips, the judge vanished from the air where he had been floating.