The magic cards I made are absolutely flawless!

If she hadn't known the script, even she would have been fooled by this Imperial Election Minister!

In addition to being Dekan's stylist and makeup artist and making a cameo appearance in the scene, she also secretly assisted Clay in carrying out his work on multiple fronts. Standing at the best vantage point, she also had to act as a cameraman, using her recording magic to capture everything on set!

Mia couldn't help but feel glad that she had repeatedly refused to officially join the Beautiful Minds team, otherwise the multi-talented Mia would definitely have become a super-working queen.

Recording all of this doesn't really serve much purpose, since it won't be made public in the future anyway.

Dekan definitely wanted to show it to Cornelia.

Because Mia knew that Cornelia's favorite thing to watch was Dekan's shameless live performances.

The thought that she was working overtime for her good friend Cornelia temporarily suppressed Mia's resentment about working overtime.

"Boom!"

Dekan tapped the ground lightly with his cane, as if to remind everyone—

Now that his self-introduction was over, it was time for this farce of the empire in his eyes to come to an end.

“I don’t want to complicate things, nor do I want to see unnecessary casualties, so Ikatinos and Olivia, my personal suggestion is that you follow the traditional rules of the Empire.”

At this point, he glanced at the two of them.

“You need not worry that anyone will use underhanded means to break the rules, or that anyone will dare to refuse to keep their promises after losing. Because I will be the upholder and enforcer of the rules.”

When he spoke the last few words, his words were filled with immense power and authority, as if even a powerhouse of Menellios's caliber could be crushed by him if he dared to defy the rules!

"What do you think, Secretary Pritzker?"

After Dekan finished speaking, he asked Pritzker, as if he already regarded him as a trusted subordinate.

"You're right, you will definitely follow the rules!"

Pritzker raised his fist and responded emphatically.

After confirming the reliability of the Elector's promise, Icardinos and Olivia quickly nodded in agreement.

They all knew what Dekan meant by "imperial traditions and rules".

Dekan continued:

"To prevent any misunderstandings in our understanding of the rules, I will reiterate the Imperial Classic Duel Rules as I remember them, as well as the current costs of victory and defeat. If I am mistaken, please point them out."

"Instead of a large-scale battle, you two will fight in person or appoint a proxy to engage in a duel. The winner will become the emperor of the empire as desired, while the loser will be forbidden from ever setting foot on imperial territory again or harming the empire. I will act as the impartial judge."

"If anyone violates the dueling rules, I will personally punish them, and if either party attempts to break the loser's oath in the future, I will also force them to do so."

"According to some of the supplementary treaties in the Imperial Rules, also to make the judgments more objective and convincing, one or two assistant judges are required, who also follow the oath of the adjudicator,"

Dekan glanced at Pritzker and Cynthia, the commander of the Second Army who had remained silent until now.

"Are you two willing to assist me as assistant referees in a completely neutral capacity?"

He stretched out his hand towards Pritzker and Cynthia.

"I am happy to serve adults."

Pritzker immediately stood up and went to Dekan's side, bowing deeply in respect.

"I, I'm fine."

The blindfolded Anti-Mage Cynthia paused for a moment, then quickly followed Pritzker's lead and came to Dekan's side, answering somewhat nervously.

Although she had sealed her eyes, she was absolutely certain that this elector was not only terrifying in aura, but also incredibly gorgeous, rational and captivating in appearance!

I must sneak off the blindfold later to see what he looks like...

Cynthia secretly made a plan in her mind.

"Are you two, and if there is a proxy, willing to swear an oath to the Empire's sacred dueling rules?"

Dekan asked.

Princess Olivia glanced at Menellios, who hesitated slightly before nodding.

Although this red-haired man will inevitably become an obstacle for their Chaos Gods in the future, it is better to follow his rules for now.

At least his attitude was absolutely neutral, and he provided reasonable and credible rules.

Menellis was quite certain that Icardinos's injuries had not healed, and she was not only far weaker than in her prime, but her old injuries could also recur at any time.

Meanwhile, Menellios, in full condition, had already prepared countermeasures to completely counter Icardinos, based on a review of their last match!

Even if one of the reasons why Icardinos dared to return so hastily to fight for her life was that she had obtained the key poison magic from the Shadow Bishop, it was meaningless, as Menelios had already foreseen it.

The odds are at least 80/20, and he has the power of the Chaos God to back him up. Only if Icardinos loses will she face utter ruin.

“Mr. Menellios will fight as my agent.”

Olivia said.

Menellis, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up: "If it can be absolutely fair, I will follow the rules of this duel."

Dekan nodded and then looked at Icardinos.

Now it was Icardinos who hesitated for a moment, and she asked with some worry:

Even if I win, will you still acknowledge me as emperor?

Dekan smiled slightly.

He naturally knew the worry that Icardinos should show at this moment.

After all, from the perspective of the Imperial Censor, she was the one who was a rebel.

"I think you've managed the empire quite well during your time as empress. If my old friends saw you taking control of the empire, they probably wouldn't be disappointed. Please rest assured, I will not interfere in the empire's internal affairs; my only task is to resolve this dispute."

Dekan looked out of the rose window at the capital city outside the church, his eyes filled with an indescribable sense of loneliness.

His emotions seemed complex, yet easily understood by the Imperials—

Even though things have changed, he still hopes that the capital city will not be destroyed again.

That's it.

Finally, under the grand drama orchestrated by Dekan himself, both sides compromised.

Unrelated personnel were temporarily removed, or they were given the freedom to leave the church for refuge.

Only a few eighth-tier powerhouses will be able to remain here to witness the outcome of the upcoming battle.

……

Several tens of minutes later.

Accompanied by three referees, Icardinos and Menellis arrived at the Imperial Arena.

This ancient imperial building looks quite magnificent, with walls reaching hundreds of meters high, solid and thick metal fittings, and dense magical barriers along the edges of the stands, making the entire arena look like a giant work of art cage.

The vast arena was unusually empty at the moment, but after Icardinos and Menelius arrived, a few guests began to occasionally pour into the stands.

Although the audience stands are a hundred meters away from the dueling area, the protective barrier of the arena cannot absolutely guarantee the safety of the audience during a ninth-level duel.

However, many nobles who had previously been asked to leave the church, Chaos cultists, imperial powerhouses, and residents of the capital city, who disregarded the danger, still wanted to come and witness the event.

Compared to the devastating war that was about to erupt in the church at the beginning, it now seems incredibly safe.

And all of this is because there is a convincing and absolutely strong person guaranteeing it!

High above the edge of the Imperial Arena.

Dekan and the commanders of the First and Second Army Corps stood on the highest platform.

This area was originally reserved for the royal family during grand ceremonies.

However, since the area was currently unoccupied, the three of them chose to watch the game from there.

Through Princess Olivia's voluntary transfer of authority, the Elector, as the referee, can also control many functions of the arena, such as the barrier.

This location is absolutely far from the battlefield, which almost completely ensures that even if they wanted to intervene, it would be difficult to disrupt the game at crucial moments. Moreover, both the referees and the players have had their oaths verified by Pritzker.

"Hello everyone. I'll just say a few words here."

Dekan raised his hand, gesturing to everyone in the arena.

"Please make sure you are safe in the audience. The referees will not be able to attend to you during the duel."

"Please take good care of your belongings and valuables while watching, and try to look after the elderly and children around you. When you leave, please take your trash with you..."

After explaining the precautions, Dekan finally drawled out, "..."

"I hereby declare—"

"The Capital Derby is now officially underway."

Both Icardinos and Menelius were already prepared for the battlefield.

After Dekan gave the order, the duel to the death began!

The terrifying magical pressure and spell fluctuations instantly stirred up storms, causing many onlookers who had been full of anticipation to panic.

Menellis floated high in the sky like a god, his whole body surrounded by an eerie and unpredictable radiance, and even the air was filled with that indescribable power!

Enveloped by Menelius's gravity and pull, the already injured Icardinos dared not get too close, and could only do her best to curse Menelius.

Once a true ninth-tier battle begins, even with the protection of distance and the arena's barrier, ordinary people in the stands can only feel the invisible pressure from the air. Even if they are not directly affected, they can feel that they are standing on ice!

Not only the body, but even the mind is like a small boat in a howling icy sea, in danger of falling into this boundless icy abyss and being destroyed at any moment!

Anyone who gets tainted by Icardinos's curse, or loses their grip on the stands and is pulled away by Menelios's gravity, could be crushed like an ant in this clash of behemoths, even if they are a seventh or even eighth-tier powerhouse.

Even though many people risked their lives to witness this unprecedented ninth-tier battle, they finally realized how insignificant humans were in the face of the world's strongest monster.

"……horrible."

High in the stands, the abyss mage Pritzker narrowed his eyes.

He couldn't help but feel fortunate that he hadn't been in the capital back then.

Even though they were both at the ninth level, he knew he was no match for either of them.

But Pritzker felt no fear at all.

All the sense of security comes from the Emperor's Chosen One by his side!

With him around, he's practically an organizer! And Icardinos and Menellios are just players!

"So this card is one of Miss Icardinos's biggest sources of confidence?"