"Umm, aren't you going a little too far?"

Yuki's eyes lifted skyward for one last moment, taking in the descending inferno above. Then everything was swallowed by the endless cascade of meteors. The protective barrier around the arena shattered instantly, and dust and debris came flying outward in all directions.

Amélie and the other high-level experts rushed forward to contain the explosion, desperate to protect the people in the arena. Amélie, who was at the forefront as the most proficient in barrier magic, wore a strained expression as the force of the blast overwhelmed her more and more.

Since when was there such a strong individual in the association?

This single thought echoed through the mind of every person in the arena. Even the chairman, who was using space magic to redirect the dust and debris away from the audience, had a shocked expression on his face. Was this the surprise Cipher was talking about?

It was a surprise alright. But since when was Maya so strong? If he had to face that attack, although he could survive thanks to his space magic, in an all-out war with others involved, he might not be able to save them.

As everything settled, Maya stood in the same position as before, the shield she had cast on herself slowly releasing. She then looked at Yuki, who was sprawled on the ground. Most of her clothes were completely torn, her body bruised all over, and the fur on her tail was almost completely gone. She raised her head with effort and saw Maya walking up to her.

Her eyes struggled to focus, and Maya's form appeared blurry.

Maya extended her hand toward her. "Annihilation," she muttered.

Gasps and shocked exclamations came from the other guild masters who had just managed to defend the audience. They realized what was happening. The magic they felt her casting now was leagues beyond what she had just used. How was this even possible? And how did she still have enough mana to cast an even bigger spell after the last one?

But even more important…they all rushed toward Maya. They needed to stop this. They couldn't afford the loss of a major guild leader. Although the five major guilds could be seen as rivals, they could also be seen as allies. As long as they maintained their power, they would never be completely dominated by the association.

If they were to lose a leader of a major guild, it meant that the association would gain power.

Just as they approached Maya, they slammed into an invisible shield and were knocked back.

Amélie looked at the shield before her with a shocked expression. Even as the master of barrier magic, she couldn't completely understand the level of intricacy that went into this shield.

Yuki stared at Maya's extended hand before her, feeling the heavy magic gathering there. There was no way she could survive this. "I'm cooked," she thought as her eyes rolled back and she passed out.

The other guild masters were still pounding against the invisible shield, trying to get through.

Even the chairman was shouting for Maya to stop as he tried his best to break through. He had tried to teleport through, but not even his space magic was working. Just what kind of monster had Cipher created?

Amélie was trembling. She couldn't get through the barrier. She began reaching for her pocket. Maybe she could if she used that... but what if someone noticed? She began chewing on her nails.

"How about we leave it at that."

Suddenly, a voice rang out, sharp and clear throughout the chaos. Everyone focused on the space inside the barrier and noticed someone beside Maya. It was Cipher, who had his hand on Maya's shoulder.

"How did he..." The other guild masters were shocked beyond belief. Maya creating a barrier against all of them was shocking enough, but Cipher was even more shocking to so easily pass through it - and without them even noticing.

Following his words, Maya lowered her hand. The magic that had been gathering in her palm slowly died out, and the barrier slowly released.

Cipher smiled and looked at the guild masters. "I apologize. My junior was nervous - it's her first time in such a setting. I hope you don't take it to heart," he said. "Since it's our fault, we'll take the loss on this and count it as Maya's defeat," he added.

The guild masters froze for a moment. They finally saw through it. So this was the association's plan. They were clearly making fun of them, saying that a major guild's leader wasn't worth as much as a newbie. So what if she accepted the loss? That was just on paper. In reality, it wasn't even a fight.

Well played, Marcus, they thought, looking toward him. Marcus wore a confused expression, wondering what he had done.

Li Chen cleared his throat and said with a slight smile, "Your junior is really powerful, Cipher. Since nothing bad happened, we won't fault her. We just hope it doesn't happen again."

"But of course," Cipher said.

"Then we're satisfied," Li Chen and the others said with a slight bow before floating away, back to the audience section.

Cipher wore a sweet smile. It had been a great success - even more so than he had expected.

Obviously, this was all an act. How could Maya be unable to control her emotions and try to kill Yuki? If she really wanted to, she would've done it already. After all, with Timeless, the Annihilation spell wouldn't have taken that long to cast and would've been cast instantly.

He exhaled. Now that they'd sent that message, it was time for the final show, he thought as he floated high into the air.

…

Cipher floated high above the arena, and everyone's attention turned to him, wondering what he was up to now. He looked down at the destruction below. After Maya and the healers picking up Yuki left, he made his move.

He extended his hand and activated Map Editor.

All the scattered dust and debris suddenly began moving toward him in a massive vortex. Everything was sucked into his infinite inventory as the crowd watched in amazement. Then solid bricks began appearing before him, floating toward the center of the arena. Step by step, piece by piece, the destroyed platform was rebuilt.

The announcer's voice came over the speakers. "We apologize for the inconvenience, ladies and gentlemen! But thanks to Mr. Cipher, we can continue the battles as before!"

The audience erupted into loud cheers.

"The next match will be..." the announcer began, but before he could finish, Cipher walked up to him and picked up the mic.

"After what you've all just seen," Cipher said with a smile, "won't anything else below that level seem boring?"

Marcus wondered what he was up to now.

Cipher's smile widened. "I don't want my junior to hog all the attention, so I was thinking - I'd like to challenge everyone. All the remaining participants, and also anyone else who wishes to join in on the fun as well. What do you think?"

The entire arena fell silent for a moment.

On the large screen that displayed the matchups, the text shifted to read: "Cipher vs The World."

Then everyone broke into loud cheers.

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