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Chapter 12: Damon’s Defeat Contract

[Sword of Damocles]

The sword hovered like a razor-sharp blade high in the sky, its immense size rivaling that of more than half the dueling arena platform, and its tip pointed straight at Damon.

Under Rein’s control, the Sword of Damocles gradually shrank and drifted lazily toward Rein.

Rein cupped his right hand and lifted the Sword of Damocles into his grasp.

The mages in the stands were so stunned that they couldn’t speak, their mouths agape in shock.

The Sword of Damocles was a Rank 1 Ultimate Solo Spell.

According to Mage Tower records, it was the most powerful magic available at Rank 1, capable of grievously wounding any Rank 2 mage.

However, its drawback was that it consumed an enormous amount of mana to use.

Typically, a Rank 1 mage had to expend all their mana and life force just to form the magic circle and cast it.

Hence it was called a solo spell.

The mages gazed at the glowing sword in Rein’s hand in astonishment.

Could a Rank 1 junior mage really achieve this?

He even manipulated the Sword of Damocles to shrink its size, which only further increased its power.

Fude stared at the sword in Rein’s hand, his eyes wide with astonishment as he wondered if this was really his son.

Brent clenched his fists at the side, and the moment that glowing sword appeared, he knew Damon had lost.

The floating sword in Rein’s hand was not even half the size of Damon’s blade.

Yet the power contained within it made Damon feel as if he were facing a ferocious beast.

Channeling the Sword of Damocles drained so much energy that Rein’s face had turned somewhat pale.

Though he had barely managed to cast the solo spell by relying on the Abyssal Origin’s exceptionally high mana regeneration speed.

It still exacted a tremendous toll on Rein himself, not only depleting his mana but also straining his mental fortitude.

Even the faint, dark-golden glow enveloping Rein flickered and weakened slightly.

“Damon, it’s over.”

Rein leveled the sword at Damon, and the Sword of Damocles floated lazily toward him.

Watching the Sword of Damocles flying toward him, Damon froze as if he had been singled out by a primeval beast, unable to move his body.

It was his body’s natural instinct.

He shouted in his mind, struggling to compel his body to move.

“Damon, move! You’re the pride of the Mick family! Move for your family, for Sophia!”

Suddenly Damon moved, unleashing his full-strength strike on the incoming Sword of Damocles.

[Blood-Red Sunset]

In the next moment, the Sword of Damocles collided with Damon’s Blood-Red Longsword.

Within moments, Damon’s longsword had been melted away by the Sword of Damocles, which then turned to point straight at him.

Just as it was about to strike Damon, his jade amulet shattered, teleporting him out of the dueling arena.

The Sword of Damocles then slammed violently into the ground of the dueling arena.

“Boom!”

In an instant, the explosive light was as dazzling as the sun, and half of the dueling arena was shattered by the sword’s force, forming a deep crater.

The shield barrier of the dueling arena trembled slightly under the impact.

Keep in mind that this was a barrier capable of withstanding a Rank 4 assault.

As the Sword of Damocles dissipated and Damon exited the arena, the crowd stared at the massive crater it had created.

Suddenly, the silent dueling arena erupted with shouts.

“Rein!”

“Rein!”

“Rein!”

With the battle over, Rein descended from the sky like a different person.

Gone was his composure and calm; he joined the audience’s cheers in wild celebration.

“Woohoo~ Louder!”

The dignitaries in the stands watched Rein’s complete lack of noble decorum and could only shake their heads helplessly.

Rein was still the same Rein.

Only from today on, no one would ever call him a waste again.

Sophia watched the showboating Rein with a complex expression before slowly leaving the dueling arena, feeling threatened by Rein’s meteoric rise despite being the Empire’s prodigy.

She didn’t even feel confident about being able to wield the Sword of Damocles herself in the end.

She needed to begin training immediately.

Damon, who had been teleported out, sat in the lounge with a look of utter dejection, squatting on the ground with despair in his eyes.

“Damon, what’s wrong? Are you cowering after just one defeat?”

Damon looked up at the newcomer, who was his father, Brent.

“Father, my family prepared so much for me, but I still lost. I… I’m a waste.”

Tears welled in Damon’s resolute eyes.

Brent crouched down and patted Damon on the shoulder.

“Damon, who hasn’t failed? Even I, your father, failed countless times when I was young. Failure isn’t frightening; what’s frightening is being afraid to fail.”

“We all underestimated Rein. He hid his abilities too well.”

“It was wrong to misjudge Rein’s strength, and that was my fault as well.”

“So, my son Damon, don’t be discouraged. This failure doesn’t mean you’ll fail next time. Learn from this, and next time make Rein take a hard fall.”

Listening to his father’s words of encouragement, Damon immediately gathered his courage, wiped away his tears, and said resolutely to Brent.

“Yes, Father. I will not let you down.”

Damon stood up and slowly walked back into the dueling arena.

He looked at the exultant Rein and slowly approached him.

“Rein, I lost. According to the dueling rules, you have the right to demand that I do one thing that does not harm our family or the Empire’s interests. Speak your wish.”

“No matter how you humiliate me, I will accept it.”

Rein paused his celebration and looked at Damon’s determined gaze.

Immediately, the crowd in the dueling arena also quieted down.

Of course, they all wanted to see what Rein would demand of Damon.

Rein didn’t actually hate Damon, and Damon’s taunts were merely the hotheadedness of youth.

After all, any teenager would be enraged to see their goddess being wooed by a scoundrel.

At least Rein would.

However, a wrong deserved punishment, and suddenly Rein’s mischievous streak flared up, his mind brimming with devious ideas.

Rein walked over to Damon and whispered in his ear.

“Damon, I won’t insult you, but I will punish you for mocking and insulting me.”

“Within two days, I want you to steal the underwear Sophia is wearing today, and then for a month, report the color of her underwear to me every day.”

Upon hearing this, Damon’s body stiffened as he took two steps back and stared at Rein with eyes wider than when he was dueling.

What did he just hear?

Steal… the goddess Sophia’s under… underwear?

He fixed his gaze on Rein, and seeing Rein’s viciously gleeful grin, he felt as though he had perceived the devil’s own smile.

Damon swallowed hard, convincing himself as he spoke to Rein.

“Re… Rein, what did you just say… did you make a mistake?”

Rein smiled maliciously and said, “You didn’t mishear, it’s exactly that. Damon, are you sure you want me to repeat it here for everyone to hear?”

“Once ‘that person’ finds out, completing this task will become a hellish ordeal.”

“No… please don’t.”

Damon hurriedly waved his hand.

“Hahaha.”

Ignoring Damon, Rein laughed heartily as he strode toward Emily and Cecily in the stands.

He wrapped his arms around the two of them and left the dueling arena amid the crowd’s admiring gazes.

Damon returned to his father’s side with a vacant stare.

Brent watched Damon return from the dueling arena in a daze and offered comfort.

“Damon, lift your head. It’s just a bit of humiliation… who hasn’t been humiliated?”

Damon looked at his father, wanting to say something, but couldn’t get the words out.

Brent looked at him with some puzzlement.

“What’s wrong, Damon? Why are you still hiding something from me?”

Damon glanced around to ensure they were alone, then summoned the courage to tell his father about Rein’s request.

“Father, Rein… he wants me to steal… steal Sophia’s underwear that she’s wearing today, and then tell him the color of her underwear every day for a month.”

The more Damon spoke, the redder his face became, until he looked almost roasted.

Brent listened with a face of utter disbelief.

There was no insult, no verbal abuse; he was simply asked to steal a piece of underwear?

He looked at Damon again and felt helpless inwardly; it would have been different if it were one of his other children, since they weren’t fond of Sophia anyway.

But to Damon, Sophia was sacred and inviolable.

In his quest to marry Sophia, Damon didn’t even allow a personal maid to serve him, fearing that Sophia’s knowledge of any close servant would mar her perception of him.

Sigh, Rein was forcing Damon to choose between the God of War and the goddess.

“All right, Damon, the family will handle this matter for you, so you don’t need to worry.”

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