Merrick plunged five thousand magic stones at once, not because he believed Duke could win, but simply to support Duke, as well as to support Black Sail.

For him, he didn't expect to get back these five thousand magic stones, much less make money from it.

In the audience of the gladiatorial arena, many people's eyes flickered, looking at the tempting odds on Duke's side, feeling restless.

"Let's take a gamble!" someone gritted their teeth, got up, and quickly went to find the arena's people to borrow money.

There were not few such people. Some thought that Duke was bound to lose, so they bet a lot of magic stones on Bell, intending to earn a little money.

But there were also some who, with a gambling mindset, placed a significant bet on Duke.

Vivian bet one thousand magic stones on the ticket, all of it on Duke.

She was different from Merrick. Merrick did not believe Duke could win, while Vivian believed Duke was sure to win.

Duke, as a participant, couldn't partake in the betting himself, so he couldn't make a bet for himself.

But in reality, this rule wasn't very useful; one just had to find someone trustworthy to place the bet for them.

In the arena, the bald host shrieked, "Whoa! I declare, begin!"

Duke immediately used Petrification Skin and Rock Armor to establish a basic defense. His entire body was covered with a layer of earth-yellow armor, wrapping himself tightly.

"Earth magic? Interesting." Bell seemed a bit surprised.

He knew that mastering earth magic wasn't easy. From Duke's casting speed, it was evident that he had a high mastery over the spell.

Bell also started taking things seriously, knowing he couldn't let his guard down.

For him, this duel had to be won, not lost. Otherwise, he would become a laughingstock, although he never thought he would lose.

Magic power surged within Bell, and then three black balls appeared around his body.

The bald host saw this scene and immediately shouted, "It's actually dark attribute magic! This is the Crawford Clan's signature!"

Dark attribute magic is extremely rare. It's difficult for average wizards to absorb free energy particles of the dark attribute, let alone manipulate dark attribute energy particles to cast magic.

Typically, it requires unique talent and lineage to perform this kind of magic.

Or through self-modification and enhancement, one can gain such abilities. Many wizards are researching this aspect.

The Crawford Clan is renowned for their proficiency in dark attribute magic. Their lineage is quite special, naturally having a high affinity with the dark attribute.

This is one reason they maintain the purity of their bloodline, never intermarrying outside the clan, to avoid bloodline contamination.

Dark attribute magic is particularly special; dark attribute energy generally has significant destructiveness and carries the unique corrosion of dark attribute energy.

This corrosiveness is extremely troublesome, requiring light attribute energy to have a restraining effect.

But like the dark attribute, the light attribute is also rare, possibly even more so.

At least on the West Coast, there are no wizard clans known for proficiency in the light attribute.

Many in the audience who bet on Duke started to feel worried, with some even regretting it.

Duke's Rock Armor looked thick, and indeed, earth attribute magic is good at defense.

However, against dark attribute magic, the defensive effect might not be as good.

Bell snapped his fingers, and one of the dark attribute magic balls floating in front of him lifted, then split into several smaller black balls.

These black balls, under Bell's control, flew directly toward Duke at high speed, aiming at vital parts like Duke's head and abdomen.

It seems Bell intended to first deplete the Rock Armor on Duke before being able to harm Duke, who was protected by the thick armor beneath.

Duke had no intention of relying only on Rock Armor to withstand the attack. It was just one layer of his multiple defenses.

He waved his hand, conjuring a Water Shield in front of him. This Water Shield, however, looked somewhat different from an ordinary Water Shield Technique, tinged with a dark green hue.

Seeing the Water Shield, Bell couldn't help but laugh, "A Water Shield Technique to block my Dark Magic Ball? Your defense strength is at most three or four grades; it's impossible to block it."

This is common knowledge among many wizards. The Water Shield Technique is considered a common defensive spell.

Generally, the strength of such spells depends on the caster's spiritual power. Duke is only a second-order wizard apprentice, which means his spiritual power wouldn't be high, implying the Water Shield Technique's defensive strength wouldn't be high either.

Bell's Dark Magic Ball headed straight for the Water Shield, seemingly intending to pierce through the somewhat delicate Water Shield directly.

Just when most thought the Water Shield was about to be pierced, several Dark Magic Balls hitting the Water Shield only caused a few ripples on its surface, then disappeared.

The Dark Magic Balls seemed to have fallen into water, vanishing from view.

All of this was within Duke's expectations. His Water Shield was fused with Shadow Water and the saliva of a Three-headed Dog, also possessing energy absorption properties.

The strength of these Dark Magic Balls was at most six or seven grades, while the Water Shield's defensive strength had already reached sixteen grades.

Such an attack was only a scratch for his Water Shield, incapable of stirring up any waves.

This scene left many people dumbfounded; a Water Shield cast by a second-order wizard apprentice had such high strength.

Many at this moment realized the peculiarity of the Water Shield—the color was unlike any typical Water Shield.

Many wizards thought of it that Duke must have integrated something into the Water Shield to enhance its strength.

But what kind of materials could elevate an ordinary Water Shield to such a level?

Bell became aware of this problem but had no time to dwell on it now.

For him, failing to even break through a basic Water Shield was somewhat embarrassing.

After all, he bore the Crawford Clan's name. Losing in such a setting wasn't just about embarrassment; he would likely be punished upon returning.

This was when Bell felt the pressure and suddenly realized that the one in a predicament wasn't Duke but himself.

For Duke, losing this duel was expected, but winning was a bonus.

But for Bell, this was a duel with no retreat, where he had backed himself into this corner step by step.

Bell's expression turned serious as he waved his hand, and all the Dark Magic Balls beside him converged into a giant Dark Magic Ball.

After that, he kept infusing it with magic power, seemingly intending to crush Duke in one go.

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