On the stage, two former friends engaged in a life-and-death struggle.

Both being Casters, their movements were agile and quick, each attack aiming to take the other's life, only to be often thwarted by the opponent.

Ordinary people watched the scene unfold.

They saw a man and a woman moving too fast for them to react; their intertwined silhouettes almost too fast for the eye to follow.

The Casters, however, saw more clearly.

With each clash between Eve and the King of the South Sea, Magic Fluctuations appeared on their bodies; they were adept at a certain type of body-enhancing Spell, which seemed to originate from the same tome.

Moreover, due to their excellent skills gained from past experiences.

Eve and the King of the South Sea were highly skilled in close combat; each perilous exchange meant that any mistake could result in immediate death.

Thus, even without large-scale destructive Spells or varied Spells flying everywhere, to the true Casters, this was absolutely a high-level life-and-death duel!

Of course, there were exceptions in the audience.

Ronald and Costate witnessed the battle, their expressions unchanged throughout.

Speaking bluntly.

Forget about the King of the South Sea or Eve.

Even if everyone in the entire square turned against them, it would be nothing but a minor problem resolved in minutes.

In the upper echelons of the mysterious Casters.

The gaps between individuals were often even more severe than ordinary people imagined.

At this point, the emotions of the dueling pair grew more intense, their moves losing the initial calm precision.

Eve noticed the King of the South Sea was a beat slow; without hesitation, she twisted her movements and stabbed at the gap by his left rib.

Bang!

As the blade neared, Eve saw the opportunity for victory.

However, at the final moment of deciding the outcome, the King of the South Sea's sturdy hand grabbed Eve's hand holding the dagger, his eyes glaring furiously at her.

"Mongrel, got you this time, didn't I?"

"I intended to spare you, but since you're asking for death, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

With that, the King of the South Sea exerted force.

Eve's right hand holding the dagger emitted the sound of cracking bones instantly.

Ten fingers are connected to the heart; such pain is unbearable even for those trained, let alone a woman like Eve.

Under the violent assault, she wailed, kneeling to the ground, almost completely drained of strength. Yet, the King of the South Sea did not release her hand, leaving her almost sprawling on the ground, hanging in front of him by one grip.

"Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!"

Meanwhile, cheers erupted around.

The spectators of the battle fervently anticipated the conclusion, sending a victory cry to the King of the South Sea, the champion.

The King of the South Sea's face showed a cruel expression.

He held Eve with one hand, casually dangling her like picking up a piece of garbage.

"Consider this my last mercy, you may now speak your final words."

"..."

Eve's face was pained, unable to speak.

But from her gaze directed at the King of the South Sea, one could see only a curse and hatred for the man before her.

"Sir, is it time for us to act?"

At this moment, the atmosphere reached its peak, making it the most suitable time for Ronald and his companion to intervene.

Costate softly inquired, preparing to step forward.

But as the maid instinctively glanced at Ronald, she realized her master shook his head gravely:

"Hold off, Costate."

"Look at the east side of the square; those people have a strange demeanor, let's observe further." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Following Ronald's direction, Costate saw two individuals in long robes, clearly adopting traditional Caster attire, approaching the stage.

Though Costate could discern no other features.

She understood from Ronald's special attitude that these two were far from simple!

"Wait, Phil sir."

"You've already triumphed in this battle. As a broad-minded leader, you may consider sparing this lady's life."

"..."

The two Casters did indeed speak up.

And their words were nothing short of a heavy blow!

Hearing this, not only did the King of the South Sea freeze, but even the surrounding audience who were just cheering were momentarily paralyzed.

Where did these two tactless fellows come from?

To attempt to interrupt an irreversible duel in broad daylight!

The atmosphere grew increasingly odd, even revealing a hint of danger. Those stirred by the duel's ferocity could never allow such interference, and following Eve and the King of the South Sea's duel, an even larger-scale new battle seemed inevitable.

Just then.

Standing on the stage, the King of the South Sea first recognized their identity.

He furrowed his brow, speaking with some uncertainty:

"You... are messengers of the Nine Commandments Assembly?"

The Caster intending to save Eve spoke with a calm demeanor:

"Yes, Phil sir."

"We represent the Nine Commandments Assembly here, as our organization also wishes for peace to return to these seas."

After two exchanges of dialogue, the surroundings were in an uproar.

Ronald and Costate stood among the crowd, listening to the varied discussions.

"Nine Commandments Assembly? Heard they completely closed off the sea area?"

"Silver Sheep's fleet was defeated over there!"

"But why are these folks here, aren't they from the southern faction?"

"They must be plotting a takeover."

"Our situation is so chaotic now, there's such a large piece of land here, how could they not be tempted."

"I also heard the Gret's fleet came?"

"When two major powers fight, they'll pay to hire us to join the battle, that's good news."

At this moment, amidst the pirates' discussions, one could pick up quite a bit of useful information.

Yet, the emergence of the Nine Commandments Assembly was too significant.

Costate had no time to pay attention to these, directly reaching for Ronald's sleeve, asking earnestly and tensely:

"Sir, what should we do?"

Ronald responded immediately, calming Costate to face the situation:

"Calm down, Costate; losing one's composure is most feared now."

Costate tightened her grip on Ronald's sleeve but obeyed his command:

"Sir, I'm ready for your orders anytime!"

"Remember our objective." Ronald nodded slightly, seriously reiterating, "We're not here to kill a few Casters of the Nine Commandments Assembly. Rather, we need to acquire a useful identity and then infiltrate their territory unnoticed."