The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1240 - 192 - Leon Vs. Veronica - Round 2 (1)
Leon’s POV
Round two was about to start, and the entire arena felt different.
The first round had already shaken the spectators to their core, but now? Now there was a kind of tension in the air that felt heavier and thicker than ever before. The cheers weren’t just loud now as they were sharp, eager, and almost desperate. People weren’t just watching anymore. They were waiting. Waiting to see if what they had just witnessed was real... or if it was about to get even crazier.
The fight we’d shown them earlier wasn’t something you simply forgot after going home and having dinner. No. It was the kind of fight that would be retold in taverns, exaggerated over drinks, argued about by scholars, and probably written into history books whether anyone liked it or not. The kind of battle that got names. Titles. Legends attached to it.
And I had no doubt—none at all—that it was going to be remembered that way.
The platform beneath our feet had already been repaired. You wouldn’t even think it had been reduced to debris not long ago. It was now a smooth stone and reinforced seams. Fresh mana lines glowing faintly beneath the surface. They even boosted the barrier around the arena. I could see the layers of energy woven thicker than before, shimmering faintly in the light.
Though honestly? I didn’t think that would matter.
The Guardian—the strongest barrier in the world—had nearly collapsed earlier just from the pressure inside. And that thing was supposed to be untouchable. If that almost gave in, then whatever upgrade they slapped on this one was probably just for show.
Still... I guess they had to try.
And the platform? Why fix it when it was most likely going to get blown apart again?
I didn’t really get the logic.
Either way, it wasn’t my problem.
Right now, Veronica stood across from me.
Her blade was in her hand, angled slightly downward, but ready. Her posture was steady. And calm. And controlled.
On the surface, she looked perfectly fine.
But I noticed the small things.
The way her fingers wrapped around the hilt wasn’t as firm as before. Not weak, but not the same. There was a slight stiffness there. A faint tremor that most people wouldn’t catch unless they were staring for the exact reason I was.
She wasn’t fully recovered.
She was hiding it well. I’d give her that.
We locked eyes.
There was no words. Just a quiet exchange.
There was no hatred there. No fear either. Just acknowledgment. Like two people who already knew the outcome didn’t matter as much as the clash itself.
Then the umpire raised his hand.
For a second, everything felt suspended.
And then—
His hand dropped.
Round two began.
The sound hit first.
Steel colliding with steel, sharper and louder than before. The impact sent a vibration through the platform that crawled up my legs. Sparks burst outward in short, violent flashes, scattering like dying stars.
We moved at the same time.
There wasn’t hesitation. There was no testing the waters this time. We were already past that.
Our blades met again, and the shockwave that followed rippled outward in a visible distortion, like heat bending air. The barrier flickered faintly as the force struck it.
The crowd roared.
Mana surged through my body, flowing into my arms, and then into my blade. I could feel it hum, like a live wire wrapped in steel. Each strike wasn’t just a swing. It was compressed force released in a split second.
Veronica matched it.
Her movements were sharp as well as efficient. Even injured, she wasn’t sloppy. If anything, she was more focused with her every step calculated and every pivot precise. Her footwork was clean. There was no wasted motion as well as no unnecessary flair.
We exchanged blows so quickly that even I stopped thinking about them individually. It became rhythm. Impact. Movement. Impact. Shift. Clash.
The platform cracked again.
Fragments of stone chipped off and scattered across the surface. Dust rose, caught in the violent currents of mana swirling around us.
And the pressure kept building.
I could feel it in the air. It wasn’t just thick. It was oppressive. Like trying to breathe underwater, except the water was made of raw energy.
Still, neither of us slowed down.
If anything, we pushed harder.
Another clash and it was louder this time. The barrier trembled visibly. Fine fractures spread across its surface like spiderwebs.
People in the stands gasped.
But we didn’t stop.
Because stopping meant losing momentum.
And neither of us was willing to give that up.
***
King of Bethlan’s POV
The second round had begun, and the arena was alive.
I could hear it in the way the crowd reacted with not just cheering, but shouting over one another, desperate to keep up with what they were seeing. Even the nobles who usually maintained their composure were leaning forward in their seats.
I rarely let myself feel excitement at events like this.
But this?
This was different.
That brat had already defeated the Vice Commander of the Magic Knights without using his full strength. That alone was absurd. Now he stood in the second round as if the first had merely been a warm-up.
Talent alone doesn’t create something like this.
And neither does raw gift.
If someone is only talented, they plateau. If they’re only gifted, they burn out or waste it. But this boy... he balanced both. It was visible in the smallest details with the timing of his strikes, the way he adjusted mid-motion, as well as the efficiency in his mana usage.
He wasn’t flailing power around.
He was controlling it.
The Vice Commander fought fiercely, but I could see the strain beginning to show. Her breathing wasn’t obvious, but it was there. A fraction heavier. A fraction delayed. Injuries from earlier hadn’t fully healed, no matter how well she masked it.
Still, she didn’t falter.
That alone was commendable.
I glanced to my side.
The Princess wore a warm smile, the kind that would seem innocent to anyone who didn’t know better.
Personally, I found it unfitting.
It wasn’t admiration on her face.
It was satisfaction.
The kind of expression someone wears when a plan is unfolding exactly as intended.
Beside her, the Queen looked stunned. Not weak. She was just genuinely overwhelmed by what she was witnessing. It was difficult to comprehend such a clash even for seasoned observers.
And then there was the Commander.
She smiled too.
But her eyes were sharp. Burning and furious beneath the surface.
I returned my attention to the arena.
The two combatants were moving so quickly that the average eye would see nothing but blurs and flashes. Their blades collided again and again, each strike detonating small explosions of compressed mana.
Shockwaves hammered the barrier repeatedly.
Cracks spread.
The barrier expanded, straining to contain the storm inside. The mana density within it was suffocating and even from where I sat, I could feel it pressing outward.
Ordinarily, no individual could release such an amount of mana in rapid succession without collapsing.
Yet both of them continued as if this was normal.
If I were in their position, I would already be on one knee, gasping for breath.
They, however, showed no such weakness.
The pressure intensified further.
And then—
The barrier shattered.
The sound was sharp and violent, like glass breaking across the entire sky.
For a split second, raw energy burst outward.
But before it could escape, another barrier formed instantly.
This one was different.
Golden and radiant.
Its surface didn’t flicker. It glowed steadily and powerfully. It wasn’t just reinforced. It was superior.
I leaned back slightly, a smirk tugging at my lips.
"You really are interesting, brat," I said, my voice calm but edged with amusement. "Now I understand why Nia chose you."
