The Greatest Sinner

The last time Evan had been "creating" in the "Pond of Mountain Crystals," it had taken him an entire day to unlock one chain. Now he only had an hour, but he was sure he could do it. It was all about the fact that he had previously injected some mana into the fifth chain.

"Just a little more, just a couple of links left..." Evan muttered.

By now, it had been fifty-five minutes since he had been in the special room for "Creation." It seemed okay if he delayed five or ten minutes. Nevertheless, that was a problem. These rooms were rented by the hour, so Evan could only stay here for the paid time.

Crack.

The last link was filled with mana, and the chain disconnected from the Pillar. A blue crack appeared in space, and the chain was quickly in the "Library," joining the others.

At the exact moment, Olivia's voice was heard from behind the doors, "Hey, why are you so long? You have one minute left."

Click.

The door opened, and with a slight smile on his face, Evan said: "Are you looking forward to losing to me?"

"You! Go to the arena. I've already had time to warm up, unlike you." Said Olivia and headed for the arena. While she was waiting for Evan, she had already had three fights, which she easily won.

"By the way, Olivia, how will other people know we're going to fight?" Evan was worried that they would have to wait a long time for enough spectators to gather.

"Аh? Don't worry about that. I'll explain it. You can go into the arena and fight anybody you want, but you can also register your fight. When you entered the room for "Creation," I put us on the list and set the time of our fight. So there's already a lot of people waiting for us." Olivia calmly replied.

<Hmm, that makes sense. Judging by the map of the Academy, there are a lot of arenas in it, so there is enough place for everyone to compete.>

"By the way, Olivia, since this is the case and other people will be betting on our duel, would you like to bet too?" With a slight smile on his face, Evan said.

Evan wanted to get the most out of this fight, and he was a hundred percent sure of his victory.

"But, what can you offer me? You don't have any money..." Olivia muttered, puzzled.

"Yes, but you have money! If I lose, I'll pay you back when I have the right amount. We can make a deal if you want."

Olivia hesitated and, after a while, replied, "Okay, I agree and no contracts. I'm sure your reputation is more important to you. How much do you want to bet?"

"5,000 "Moon Coins," is it okay for you?"

"Huh, okay, I guess I should thank you for practically giving me that much money."

In fact, 5,000 "Moon Coins" Olivia could earn in a few days. It was a lot of money, but she was strong enough to take the most difficult zero-rank assignments. For her to lose that amount of money wasn't critical.

Evan didn't say anything back. They were both confident in their complete victory, though they understood that their opponent was far from easy. Evan hadn't seen Olivia fight yet. Neither she had personally seen Evan fight, but she knew from hearsay that he'd fought fiercely at the test. So, she had some information about Evan.

Evan and Olivia made their way to the arena. Just like the girl had said, there were already many students in the stands waiting for their fight to start. Honestly, Evan hadn't expected their fight to draw so much attention, and it also proved that each of them was popular.

The contestants stood against each other, and at the same moment, one of the students announced the number of coins gambled on the fight.

"50,000 "Moon Coins" on Olivia Marsh, 12,500 "Moon Coins' on Evan Lynch, the ratio is 1 to 4!

<Hmm, so, 1 to 4. They are so sure about this girl, is she really that strong?>

Evan wasn't surprised that more people had bet on Olivia. After all, he was a "dark horse" at the moment. Betting on Evan was a bit risky now, but it was well worth the risk considering the odds.

After the announcement of the bets, there was silence in the arena, and everyone was waiting for the signal of the start.

Dong!

Their duel began, but neither Evan nor Olivia moved.

The girl mouthed: "Hey, are you going to fight without your scythe?"

Whoosh.

The ring on the girl's finger glowed and I a long sword with a scarlet blade appeared in her hands. Olivia, as well as Evan, had a spatial ring.

Evan shook his head, "No need for that now, but don't worry. I've prepared my best attack for you." Calmly Evan said and, in the next moment, pointed both hands in Olivia's direction.

His "Warp" spun, and mana headed for the tips of his index fingers.

Olivia, as well as the others, didn't understand what Evan was doing. They all knew he was an Amplifier, and they were also aware that one of his spells was "Magic Missile." But, they didn't understand why he would use that spell when he had his scythe and "Ice Veil." Since Evan was an Amplifier, they thought he was acting illogically and rather foolishly.

Olivia frowned, and her sword was covered in a layer of light. This light was pleasant, calm, and deadly at the same time. It was like the sun, beautiful but scalding. If she pierced Evan with this sword, he would be badly burned. She thought Evan was not serious about their duel, and so she was angry. 

The girl lunged toward Evan, intending to strike first.

Whoosh.

At the same moment, two Magic Circles appeared in front of Evan's fingers. Next, a sphere formed in the center of the Magic Circles.

Whoosh.

No sooner had Olivia taken a few steps than two beams, white and purple, headed in her direction. Evan was calm, and his gaze was icy, but Olivia panicked.

It took her a moment to realize just how dangerous Evan's attack was. The "One-Eyed Raven's Beam" was more potent than the "Magic Missile," but their combined power became extraordinary if they were used simultaneously. It was the strongest attack in Evan's arsenal at the moment. 

Whoosh.

The necklace around the girl's neck glowed, and a triangular shield of light appeared in front of her. It was her protective spell that had saved her many times, but not now...

Whoosh.

Before they hit the target, the two beams spliced together, and a monstrous explosion erupted. Part of the arena was destroyed, and Olivia's shield was shattered. She flew backward a few meters and slammed her back against the arena's wall.

Crack.

Even Olivia's sword could not withstand such power. The blade of the weapon cracked and was finally destroyed. Olivia herself received very serious wounds, and most of her body was covered in burns and bleeding wounds. It was an absolute defeat.

"The winner is Evan Lynch!" The announcement rang out loudly, but there was silence in the arena. Everyone watched Evan's actions.

He slowly approached Olivia, and his spatial ring glowed. A green pill appeared in the young man's hands, which he gave to Olivia. This pill and several others he had taken from the warehouse in the "Half-Dead Forest." He decided not to sell them but to keep them for himself.

"Consider it my thanks for your generosity."

Evan turned around, glimpsed the audience, and said loudly: "If any of you want to fight me, then, go ahead. I am Evan Lynch, challenging every one of you!"