Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 1529: Section 1530 The Deceiver Chapter 1529: Section 1530 The Deceiver What else is there to say? Truly befitting of someone from the Extinguished Torch Academy; the performance is already ample even without a single word spoken.

Also, why does his flamboyant gesture not feel greasy at all? Is it really that good looks grant forgiveness for everything?

The only hope for the men present is for the door that Dominico is leaning on to vanish swiftly; otherwise, who knows how long heʼll keep up this forced act.

Perhaps their wishes were heard by the Official; finally, under Dominicoʼs continuous seductive glances, the door began to show signs of disappearance.

Dominico naturally straightened his body, stretching lazily in an exceedingly elegant manner, a move meant to avoid a tumble upon the doorʼs vanishing.

Following that, he took two steps forward, deeply inhaled the scent of the rose in hand once more, and then flicked his wrist powerfully.

His emerald hair fluttered in the air, while the phantom petals scattered all around.

The exquisite red rose that he held between his fingers transformed instantly into a slender rapier. The hilt of the rapier bore the carving of a rose and was ornamented with a pigeon-bloodred gemstone, making it look both elegant and noble.

Dominico brandished the rapier, tracing beautiful patterns in the air; these patterns glowed with a red hue. When he sheathed the blade and touched it to his chest in a salute, the traces left by the sword erupted instantly, forming a three-dimensional rose pattern!

Screams of madness erupted from the audience, while female fans clutched their chests, looking as if they were about to faint.

As the rose pattern before their eyes dissipated, Dominico pointed to his lips and blew a wet, smacking kiss into the crowd.

The commotion in the audience aside, the mellifluous voice of the narrator spoke, “It appears the Spring Waltz contestant holds a deep affection for his fans. To be able to perform this perfect act solo on the Boundless Battle Arena is indeed praiseworthy.”

Many dismissed the narratorʼs words without a second thought, failing to contemplate their meaning. Even if they tried, there would be few who understood, as there werenʼt many among the audience who had experience on the Boundless Battle Arena, hence few grasped the undertones. But there was definitely one person who understood the narratorʼs implication – the opponent of Dominico, The Deceiver.

At that moment, on the Boundless Battle Arena, after Dominico blew his kiss, a voice containing a chill, hard texture, reached his ears.

“Other than me, there is no one else here. So, is this performance solely for my entertainment? A celebration of my impending victory?”

Dominico looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a figure shrouded in black mist appearing in front of him. His face wasnʼt clear, only the shape of a ghastly pale Joker mask vaguely visible through the black mist.

This person was the other contestant of the match: The Deceiver.

The words The Deceiver said from his perspective were not wrong.

Because in the Boundless Battle Arena, the audience could see the contestants under the dome, but the contestants on the field could only see their own opponent and had no sight of the audience outside the arena.

For them, there was only each other, and they were unaffected by the audience.

Thus, in The Deceiverʼs eyes, there were no viewers for Dominicoʼs flamboyant performance.

Dominico clutched his chest and with a dramatic, operatic tone, said, “Oh, you foolish Joker, donʼt you know that maintaining oneʼs poise at all times is the self-discipline of an actor. Besides, just because you canʼt see the outside, doesnʼt mean the people out there canʼt see us within the arena.”

“Oh, now I understand, youʼre jealous. Hidden behind the dark mire, a Joker who has never felt the fervor of the fans outside, naturally envies my sweet female followers who are crazy for merely my presence.”

The Deceiver was aware that the outside could see inside the arena, but even so, couldnʼt Dominico feel embarrassed performing such a solo act without the audienceʼs cheering?

The Deceiver remained silent, but it seemed Dominico understood the implication, replying with an elegant smile:

“Furthermore, I must correct your choice of words. I am not performing; I am presenting to my million female fans my heartfelt tribute.”

The Deceiver: ???

How many fans? A million? Do you have a fan called ʼMillionʼ?

The Deceiverʼs inner monologue was filled with the desire to ridicule, but considering that Dominico belonged to the Witcher Organization, the Extinguished Torch Academy, he ultimately restrained the impulse. After all, if someone from the Extinguished Torch Academy didnʼt play up the drama, they would not do their organization justice.

While The Deceiver was in a complex mood, the giant light screen floating above the Velvet Thistle Plains flashed again, revealing a row of text.

“Contestant: The Deceiver.”

Upon seeing these words, The Deceiver slowly emerged from the black mist, revealing his imposing stature that in no way was inferior to that of the illustrious Dominico.

He was draped in a vivid red cloak with slightly tattered edges, and beneath the cloak, glimpses of a black Wizard Robe could be seen.

He had short black hair, and his face was hidden behind a Joker mask. The maskʼs pale base was marked by red diamonds around the eyes, with traces of tears at the corners, and the lips were an exaggerated, bloody crimson; it looked eerie and terrifying.

After his official entrance, The Deceiver simply stood there quietly without any movement, forming a stark contrast to the flamboyant Dominico.

At that moment, the narratorʼs voice reached both inside and outside the arena: “The Deceiverʼs identity is shrouded in mystery; his age and real name unknown. What we do know is his origin–he comes from the renowned Barbarian Cave. Yes, just like the newly-appointed member of the Research and Development Institute, he is also a member of the Barbarian Cave!”

“However, can The Deceiver continue to shine like his predecessor and craft miracles on the Boundless Battle Arena? Letʼs wait and see!”

The Deceiver too heard the narrator, remaining motionless, but when the “newly-appointed member of the Research and Development Institute” was mentioned, the hand hidden beneath his cloak trembled slightly.

The cheers from the audience temporarily ceased as the narrator continued, “Now, we will give the contestants some time for their final preparations. Up next, let us introduce the judges for this match, starting with the permanent judges!”

“First up, a name that should be familiar to everyone!”

As the narratorʼs voice fell, thirteen chairs suddenly levitated outside the dome. The chairs were dispersed, forming a ring around the dome.

Suddenly, a faint shadow flickered, and a figure materialized out of thin air in the first of the thirteen chairs. The initially blurred silhouette gradually became clear, eventually revealing its true form: a middle-aged woman wearing glasses and clad in a black, tight-fitting uniform.

Narrator: “Yes indeed, she is one of the people in charge of the Infinite Battle Tower! Melisa!”

Melisa gently touched her glasses with her finger, a subtle gesture that, when combined with her austere appearance, carried a certain provocative charm, eliciting cheers from the audience.

Meanwhile, Angel, waiting in the judgesʼ chamber to enter, pinched his nose bridge as he looked out at the overwhelming tumult outside.

He couldnʼt help but feel a certain sense of shame about this kind of entrance.

Next to him, the Water Pattern Witch Farina was quietly explaining issues regarding the matchʼs judges: “There are nine permanent judges for this match, and the remaining four are special invitees…”

The so-called nine permanent judges doesnʼt mean there are only nine, but rather, the Star Tournament actually has nearly a hundred judges in total. However, the bulk of them are Apprentices, and only these nine Official Wizards are appearing for this match.

Generally, these nine Official Wizards would only appear together in the preliminary and the final matches. At other times, they are separate, each watching over potential seedsʼ battles, while the ordinary matches are left to Apprentices to judge.

The special invitees follow a similar pattern, with all four special invitees guaranteed to appear for both the preliminaries and the finals, choosing other matches at their discretion.

Speaking of the four special invitees, Angelʼs gaze involuntarily shifted to one side.

Apart from Farina, the special invitees surprisingly were not from the Sky Mechanical City. One was from the Crown Star Church, one of the eighteen Observers, known as the “Guardian of the Dead Sea” Hydra.

Hydraʼs appearance was not human-like, as he was covered in dark green scales. He had three heads, but as of yet, Angel had not seen any of Hydraʼs heads with open eyes.

As for another special invitee, he seemed to be a very gentle young man.

“My name is Kemonai, from Nights Edge. The special invitee from Nights Edge was originally my Mentor, but as he is currently preoccupied with the location selection for the Wizardʼs Tower, he sent me as his replacement.” This was how Kemonai had introduced himself to Angel.

Kemonaiʼs Mentor was none other than the Dusknightsʼ Bladeʼs leader, “Eternal Night” Grishus, reputed to be an indecisive man. Due to the turmoil in the Eternal Night Country, it seemed that Nights Edge had withdrawn from there, now rebuilding in a new location.

Angel didnʼt have much of an impression of Kemonai, but as far as he could tell, Kemonai seemed to be a rather friendly Official Wizard.

However, every time Angel saw Kemonai, he felt a strange sensation.

It wasnʼt anything against Kemonai personally–it was purely because of… The Deceiver.