The Golem Mage Chapter 1097: Origin Tournament Final 1.

The roaring cheers from the spectators filled the arena with surging excitement as the opening clash of the day—Northern Kingdom’s Bloodline Academy versus Southern Kingdom’s Ember Citadel—was on the verge of starting.

Although few had given this pairing much thought earlier, their attention locked on the headline showdown ahead, the image of both squads advancing with fierce intent to rip one another apart was sufficient to whip the audience into a wild uproar.

Yet this mere “starter” before the primary contest wrapped up swiftly, since the Ember Citadel squad still bore lingering wounds from their last fight.

These weren’t bodily harms but psychological ones, needing considerable time for natural healing.

For the Southern Kingdom schools, expertise in mind-based healing was scarce, not to mention mental recovery pills for their pupils; reaching the finals would have changed everything, prompting them to spare no expense for peak readiness, but here they simply sent them into combat as is.

Thus, Bloodline Academy claimed an effortless win, locking down third position, which sparked explosive joy in the northern sections, their roars resounding throughout the venue.

The celebration didn’t end there—nearby folks faced their taunts, and even die-hard War God team enthusiasts piled on, united as fellow Northerners.

Facing foes from rival realms, they banded together in solid backing for their own, except against the War God Mage Academy.

_ _

Ten minutes later, the field stood cleared and flawless once more, while the mage throng buzzed in eager suspense, gazes glued to the platform awaiting the officials to unveil the contenders from the remaining two schools.

Luckily, the delay proved brief.

“Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. I seize this moment to welcome you again to the Royal Arena Battlefield,” the judge declared upon arrival, drawing a torrent of cheers and claps from the masses.

“No more delaying your enjoyment—let’s summon the squads for today’s championship clash.”

“Entering from the left: War God Mage Academy, captained by Alec Gordons,” the judge started, only to halt as massive cheers thundered from the northern bleachers the instant Alec’s name dropped.

The din proved utterly deafening and unchecked, demanding time for the judge to regain control, all sparked by Alec alone.

With his emergence, he lifted a hand alongside a serene smile, and the tumult eased—not from judge’s authority, but pure admiration for him.

Other kingdoms were starting to recognize this: Alec Gordons, the least-known northern leader, somehow commanded the biggest following among northern backers, leaving many puzzled about his background.

Despite days of probing, they learned only of his mid-tier clan origins and a school stripped of royal backing, not even ranking in the Great Eight academies.

This rendered his prowess and massive backing all the more baffling. To observers, Alec increasingly mirrored a true dark horse… or even a rogue sovereign.

“Trailing him: vice-captain Beatrice Marionette, Lucas Blade, Arthur Gordons, and Brandon Gordons.”

The complete roster reveal triggered fresh waves of applause. Mages from elsewhere had grown desensitized to one trait: War God Mage Academy rosters invariably featured Gordons Clan members.

But in these finals, attention sharpened—they watched intently now, assessing the might of these selected warriors fit for the grand stage.

Northern supporters kept up the cheers and claps as the War God crew fanned out over the terrain, Alec centered and loosely waving in response.

“Now, from the right, for School of Silent Night, their captain Ryunosuke Takeda steps forth.”

At Takeda’s name, Eastern Kingdom mages exploded in cheers, striving to rival Alec’s reception, voices peaking as he emerged from the passage.

The second he showed, Alec’s eyes fixed on him. One look revealed it: the Progenitor body, masterminding all the rest.

As Alec watched him with calm curiosity, Takeda shot back a gaze filled with blatant scorn, obviously viewing Alec as beneath him. Dismissing him completely, Takeda turned his eyes just a touch—to the left, where Beatrice was positioned, and a sly smile crept onto his face.

That smile churned a dark emotion inside Alec; while most of the audience overlooked it, Brandon and Arthur spotted it right away, knowing instantly that trouble was brewing.

“Followed by the vice-captain, Shin Jae-Hyun, Kenta Mori, Sojin Kuro, and Akihiro Fang.”

With every name announced, they stepped out from the tunnel in sequence. No flashy entrance. No nods to the spectators. Merely quiet, deliberate strides as they lifted their half-face masks up to cover their faces, hiding their expressions.

The appearance of two unknown faces in the squad for the championship bout layered on extra strain, signaling that Silent Night was finally starting to get serious.

Until this point, besides Shin, no one else had displayed the skill to rival Takeda's prowess.

Curiously, the mages from the other three kingdoms showed scant excitement facing off against the War God Mage Academy; though they'd cheered against the Northern Kingdom schools before, this being the finals meant they no longer cared about the victor.

Their sole focus lay on the result… and jeering at the defeated side.

Having no schools from their realms still competing, they were reduced to mere watchers, eager to witness the drama unfold.

“Now, the only rule for this battle format is quite simple, there are no rules, this is a team deathmatch to the end, the last team remaining wins, you are allowed to kill your opponents by whatever means necessary,” the judge announced.

In that short instant, the whole crowd plunged into shocked quiet, bewilderment sweeping through the arena.

“A dome will cover the battlefield after I leave, it has already been infused with the Creation Stone power which has been installed beneath the battle stage, allowing it to generate astral bodies in your place once it activates, so fight to the best of your abilities, you don’t need to hold back.” The judge continued.

That explanation flipped the atmosphere in a flash, with the crowd bursting into roars of approval, hype building as they understood the savage showdown the committee had set loose.

“Since everything has been said, there’s no need to delay any further, I hereby declare this match… begun.”

The instant those words escaped his mouth, the judge vanished from the spot in the air where he'd been hovering.