Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 141: Real Magic

Chapter 141: Real Magic

The ice-cold dagger pierced through the air, causing a whip of frosty wind to trail after it before it finally landed on its shot. Under the brilliant sunlight, the natural weapon glittered like a stick of diamonds, sparkling with mesmerizing — and deadly — beauty.

Atticus hadn’t lied. He didn’t miss.

The shard of ice landed right onto Eugene’s body, each piece carefully avoiding fatal points like his neck or his heart, but they were enough to draw blood and for Eugene to stop short in shock.

"This ’meridian’ thing you were saying," Atticus said, standing and stretching to his full height, "I presume it’s something from Santok? The kingdoms in the east do seem to have unique methods to heal and incapacitate people. Thanks for reminding me to study them later."

He played with a stick of ice in his hands, tossing it up and down. Even under the heat of the sun, the ice did not melt, not even a drip. The casual smile that Atticus wore on his face caused a shiver to run down Eugene’s spine. Behind him, Daphne watched, captivated.

"You don’t have your crystals with you," Eugene stated. It was not a mere observation but a cold, hard fact. He was sure that he had seen Atticus — and all other contestants other than Daphne — surrender all of their stones.

"I don’t," Atticus confirmed. The remaining icicle in Atticus’s hand floated into the air, the sharp point aimed in the direction in which Eugene stood, ready to strike whenever commanded.

"But you created ice out of thin air," Eugene said, seemingly in wild disbelief at his own words. "That’s just not possible!"

Why wouldn’t he be? Atticus was implying that he was using magic without the need for a crystal― without a magical conduit! That was unheard of.

At the same time, Daphne’s jaw was equally slack. She stared wide-eyed at her husband and the innocent wintry weapon he had in his control.

For a moment, she wondered if he was able to make use of the aquamarines on her ring to conduct magic. After all, they stood just side by side; it should be close enough for that. She also vaguely remembered learning about how aquamarines could be used for both hydro and cryomancy.

However, when she looked down at the ring that sat on her finger, it looked plain as ever.

It was beautiful, of course, but at that moment, there was no glow or sparkle that could hint that it was currently being used to perform magic. It was just another beautiful accessory that was otherwise as normal as ever.

"That’s impossible..." Eugene muttered disbelievingly under his breath.

His pupils darted over to eye Daphne, looking down at the moonstone-aquamarine ring she had on. He, too, must’ve thought the same as her. Daphne held up her hand, just to give Eugene a closer look.

Eugene’s face blanched further white when he caught sight of the beautiful, mundane, aquamarine ring. Daphne knew, there and then, that he came to the same conclusion.

Whatever way Atticus was using to perform magic, it was not through her ring― nor any other crystal, for that matter. It was as though he was pulling magic from thin air!

"You seem to be mistaken about something, Attonson," Atticus said with a cold laugh. "I don’t have my ring with me. In fact, I have no other stone with me unless you count the useless rocks and pebbles on the ground that I picked up as weapons. Those don’t conduct magic, last I know. You’re welcome to try."

"Then how?" Eugene shook his head. Then, he raised his voice, the veins at his neck throbbing as they turned visibly more obvious, nearly popping out. "How?! How is this possible?"

"Only counterfeits would need a stone to help channel their magic," Atticus said with a haughty scoff. "Unfortunately for you, the rumors are true."

Eugene’s gaze turned dark. "What rumors?" he asked.

Atticus smirked cockily in response. "I am not just good at magic. I am the best there is when it comes to anything related to magic."

With that said, Atticus extended his hand, flicking the ice dagger directly at Eugene. The man barely had the time to dodge away. If he hadn’t managed to do so in time, the last icicle would’ve immediately pierced through his heart and left him lifeless.

However, since he was able to jump out just in time, the icicle merely grazed his arm. It still left a huge tear in his uniform but that was a thousand times better than immediate death.

Nonetheless, Eugene didn’t have that much time to sit around and mope over the injury. He didn’t even have the luxury to wonder how the hell the king of Vramid was able to perform such strong feats of magic so effortlessly without the help of a magical conduit.

Eugene barely even had the time to breathe when Atticus stalked forward, closing in the distance between them. He still stood a short distance away but for what he did, there was no need for Atticus to be too close.

From where Daphne stood, she watched in horror as Eugene was lifted off the ground. Unlike the times when she had witnessed Atticus using his telekinesis — especially against other humans such as during their wedding night — this time, there was no purple aura that surrounded Eugene’s body.

The man simply levitated off the ground as if he were taking flight on his own accord. Yet, the way that Eugene choked and gurgled in a futile attempt to catch his breath was more than a telling sign that he was not willingly flying.

Atticus calmly walked forward, his hands behind his back. Unlike when he had his ring with him, he didn’t even need to lift his hands to direct where he wanted certain things to go. He simply smiled in a way that made even Daphne’s skin crawl.

"How does it feel, I wonder, to be at the mercy of someone else?" he asked rhetorically.

"I... wonder... indeed..." Eugene choked out, struggling to properly say the words. However, even though he was so obviously suffering, he still managed a crooked smile.

That immediately ruined Atticus’s good mood.

With just one look, he flung Eugene across the field and onto the ground, causing the man to grunt in pain as he landed. Dirt and grass flew up, destroying the previously picture-perfect field. Atticus made his way over, using his own hands to press Eugene down into the dirt, face first.

"And what are you so happy about now?" Atticus asked. "You do realize that your pathetic life is about to end, yes?"

"Ah, but you see, King Atticus," Eugene wheezed out, coughing, "it is not. You’ve miscalculated."

Atticus frowned. "What?"

"A friendly word of warning, Your Majesty," Eugene said. "You might want to run. This arena is able to monitor the amount of magic used in every area of the maze. We’ve long hit the limit."

Daphne, who had run forward to catch up with the two men, quickly paled when she heard Eugene’s words.

Eugene laughed, coughing out a mouthful of blood as he did so. "My guess is that they’ve probably also alerted Prince Nathaniel and the other contestants. You might want to retreat, Your Majesty. Before they see you for the monster you truly are."

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