The Weakest Commoner Controls All Elements

The Chimera's Bite

"Ten gold coins say the beast lasts ten seconds," a merchant shouted from the gallery above the arena floor.

"Ten seconds? You are far too generous," Lord Kelton replied. He leaned over the stone railing and pointed a jeweled finger at the floor. "Those three novices lacked discipline. The captain will melt that mutt in five seconds."

The hall erupted into a flurry of wagers. Coins clinked as nobles and priests placed their bets. They rationalized the previous defeat with ease. The three minor nobles were inexperienced. They lacked true power. Rylen was the captain of the city watch, a seasoned veteran.

"I wager fifty silver the construct shatters on the first strike," a priest added.

"I will take that bet," another noble yelled. "But I say it takes three seconds."

Rylen soaked in the admiration. He stood tall behind his towering fire dragon. The beast radiated immense heat, scorching the marble floor beneath its claws. Rylen raised his hands to quiet the crowd.

"You hear them, Hades?" Rylen asked. He pointed his sword at Jamie. "They are betting on the exact moment of your humiliation. I wanted to teach you the gap between a peasant and a noble bloodline. Now I will demonstrate it."

Jamie stood relaxed. His frost wolf sat beside him. The creature was a fraction of the dragon's size. One of its eyes burned red, and the other glowed a chilling blue.

"You talk too much," Jamie said. "Are we going to fight, or are you going to keep begging for their approval?"

Rylen flushed. The crowd gasped at the insult.

"Kill him," Rylen commanded.

The fire dragon roared. It lunged across the distance with crushing speed. Its massive jaws snapped open to bite the frost wolf in half.

Jamie did not issue a vocal command. He waited until the jagged teeth of flames were inches from his construct. He sent a silent pulse of mana through his bond.

The wolf utilized its wind element. It sidestepped at the exact moment the jaws closed. The movement was a blur. The dragon bit empty air and smashed its head into the temple floor. Fractured marble shot across the room.

The crowd erupted in boos and jeers.

"He is running!" a merchant yelled.

"Cowardice is the only trait commoners possess," Lord Kelton sneered. "Fight back, you stray!"

Rylen recovered his stance. "Is that your grand strategy? Fleeing like a rat?"

"I am waiting for you to do something impressive," Jamie said. "So far you have only ruined the floor."

Rylen roared in anger. He channeled more mana into his construct. The fire dragon launched a relentless assault. It swiped with massive claws. It swung its heavy tail to crush the smaller beast.

Jamie treated the onslaught like a game. The wolf danced around the attacks. It ducked under a claw, hopped over a tail sweep, and sidestepped a crushing stomp. The dragon was large and powerful, but it moved like a clumsy brute.

Rylen was sweating. His chest heaved with the effort of sustaining the massive construct. "Stand still and die like a peasant!"

"A real fighter knows when to strike and when to conserve energy," Jamie said. "You only know how to waste yours on a spectacle."

The crowd began to murmur. The bets were expiring. Ten seconds had passed. Then twenty. The giant dragon had yet to land a single scratch on the wolf.

Rylen heard the whispers. His pride fractured. He pushed past his limits and dumped his remaining mana into the core of his spell.

"Burn to ash!" Rylen screamed.

The dragon reared back its head. Its chest expanded, glowing white with concentrated heat. It unleashed a massive torrent of roaring fire. The flames flooded the arena floor, leaving no room for evasion.

The crowd erupted in cheers. This was the end they had paid to see.

Jamie did not order the wolf to dodge. He commanded it to plant its feet. The wolf opened its jaws wide and faced the incoming inferno.

The torrent of fire struck the wolf, but it did not burn. The wolf swallowed the flames. It absorbed the elemental energy directly into its core. The crowd watched in confusion as the destructive heat funneled into the small construct.

The wolf began to grow. Its muscles expanded. Its fur crackled with stolen heat. Within moments, the beast doubled in size, matching the height of the exhausted dragon. The wolf's red eye flared like a miniature sun.

The cheering in the hall died out. The silence spread from the front row to the upper galleries.

"My turn," Jamie said.

The enlarged chimera wolf opened its jaws. It did not unleash regular fire. It expelled a terrifying, unstable mixture of searing flames and absolute zero ice. The beam shot across the arena and struck the center of the dragon's chest.

The opposing elements tore the structure of the dragon apart. The superior heat burned through the outer scales. The absolute zero ice froze the internal mana core in the exact same heartbeat. The violent contrast in temperature caused the magic to destabilize.

The dragon cracked. The sound echoed like a thunderclap. The massive beast shattered into thousands of pieces and disintegrated into a cloud of harmless steam.

Rylen suffered the violent severing of his magical connection. The backlash hit him like a physical blow. He collapsed to his knees. He clutched his chest, leaned forward, and spat a mouthful of dark blood onto the pristine floor.

The entire hall fell into a suffocating terror. The nobles who had been betting gold a minute ago turned pale. Lord Kelton gripped the stone railing, his mouth hanging open. Mage Oswin tightened his grip on his staff, his hands trembling. Nobody dared to speak or laugh. The silence was absolute.

Jamie stepped forward through the fading steam. The massive chimera wolf stalked beside him, its low growl vibrating in the quiet room.

Jamie swept his gaze across the terrified faces of the crowd. He looked at the merchants, the priests, and finally down at the bleeding captain kneeling before him.

"Is that all," Jamie asked, his voice cold and steady, "or is there more?"