The second match began.
"Rouge Wallfire and Millan Phantom of Team Black Serpent, versus Soren Novad and Mira Caster of Team Shooting Star!"
Soren tilted his head with a confident smirk: "Mira, if you run into trouble, I'll take care of it."
"Y-yes… I understand…" Mira replied softly, heart racing.
"Begin!"
Rouge grinned, his expression a twisted mask of arrogance: "Your ranking means nothing. You're only praised because you're on Kyran's team. Don't fool yourselves into thinking that makes you strong."
The muscles along his arms flexed as two black serpents slithered from his body.
"Haaah! Venom Summon... Serpent's Curse!"
A hundred streaks of purple vapor burst forth, splattering the ground in sizzling puddles.
Some struck Soren's armor, hissing as they ate away at the metal.
Rouge let out a mad laugh: "You've been poisoned! Burn slowly, weakling!"
But Soren only smirked, crimson light blazing across his body: "Flame Domain Purify!"
Fire erupted around him, consuming every trace of venom. The serpents shrieked before turning to ash.
"What... ?! Impossible!" Rouge staggered back, eyes wide.
"Sorry," Soren said casually, flames swirling around his fists. "My fire cleanses toxins."
Across the arena, Millan Phantom, dressed in noble finery, gazed at Mira with infatuated eyes.
"My, what a delicate little flower… how could I ever harm someone so enchanting?"
"What's this? Is this guy out of his mind?" Mira frowned, retreating a step.
Drawing a breath, she raised her hand. It was time to fight back.
"Illusory Mist!"
Dozens of shimmering after-images surrounded Millan.
In the next instant, Mira transformed into a small, nimble squirrel and darted among them, slashing with tiny claws and injecting venom with every strike.
In the stands, a masked spectator burst out laughing: "Hahaha! You've got to be kidding me!"
Damian scowled from his seat. "Pathetic. Turning into a mere animal, what's there to laugh about?"
But before he could continue, a chilling pressure rolled over him.
He froze as he met Everen's cold, murderous gaze.
"I... I misspoke, Lord Everen!"
Everen ignored him, eyes narrowing toward the masked spectator instead.
Yet the moment he turned away, the masked figure looked right back, eyes gleaming with strange suspicion.
Down in the arena, Millan howled in pain. "I'll kill you, you wretch!"
He unleashed Flame Burst, firing a rain of blazing projectiles.
The little squirrel darted between them, its expression hardening.
"You've ruined my fun... " Mira muttered.
"Toxic Miasma Field!"
A cloud of violet fog billowed outward, engulfing Millan completely. His screams echoed briefly before his body collapsed to the floor.
"Millan Phantom is incapacitated! Winner, Mira Caster!"
Cheers exploded through the coliseum. Mira jumped with joy.
Meanwhile, Soren still clashing with Rouge felt an unexpected weight in his chest.
Mira, a mere four-star mage, had defeated a seven-star opponent… while he, a seven-star, still struggled against one only slightly stronger than himself.
"Stay back, Mira! Don't interfere. I've got this!" he barked.
"Okay…" Mira nodded obediently, stepping away.
Soren clenched his fists: "Hellfire Domain!"
Scarlet flames roared outward, devouring the entire field.
Rouge screamed as the inferno swallowed him whole.
Moments later, the smoke cleared and only Soren stood.
"Rouge Wallfire... eliminated!"
The stands erupted once more.
"Final result: Team Shooting Star wins 2–0!"
Their teammates cheered wildly.
Mira was showered with praise, while Soren simply glanced at her, his gaze complicated, unreadable.
From above, Everen watched silently. The masked figure nearby smiled faintly, expression unreadable.
The following matches ended swiftly.
Team Luminous Star triumphed over Infernal Flame, and Team Overlord crushed White Horse.
Three teams advanced to the Final Round, the last step to determine the kingdom's twelve new elite warriors.
That night, the camp was calm beneath the silver moon.
Banners fluttered in the soft breeze, and at Kyran's tent, laughter echoed around a small bonfire where meat sizzled over glowing coals.
Mira raised her wooden cup high, eyes sparkling. "We did it! That was such an amazing victory!"
Lyra laughed and clinked cups with her.
"Yeah! That was almost too easy. Just reaching the finals feels like a dream!"
The soft crackle of firewood filled the brief silence between bursts of laughter.
Aria crossed her arms, her golden eyes reflecting the flames: "Don't get careless. The enemies today were weak. The next round won't be so simple."
Kyran chuckled: "Relax. Everyone here knows what's at stake. None of us are planning to slack off."
Still, a faint shadow crossed his expression.
He hadn't fought at all that day, something that weighed heavily on him.
He sighed: "Sorry, everyone. I should've taken part in the first round."
Soren set his cup down: "Don't apologize. If the first two matches had gone wrong, you would've been the deciding factor. Don't forget, your opponent's supposed to be Sharian Lethial herself. Lucky for us, her teammates were too weak for her to even enter the stage."
The group burst into laughter, the tension fading.
Yet deep down, Soren felt something different, a quiet sting of pride. Mira had saved him.
The burns on his arms still ached, a reminder of his own shortcomings.
Kyran clapped him on the shoulder with a grin: "You did great, Soren. Rouge was once a royal knight, you know."
"What?!" Soren's eyes widened.
"Yeah! I overheard some contestants from other teams talking about that guy while you were fighting him. He used to serve in the Lumerious army. It's only natural he's that strong. Beating him is something to be proud of."
Soren blinked in disbelief: "A royal knight… then why was he expelled?"
Aria's voice dropped to a low tone: "Because he betrayed them."
The crackling fire was the only sound.
After a pause, she continued: "You remember the war between the Lumerious Kingdom and the Kumeroa Empire, right? The one our forces won thanks to the legendary commander of the Seven Saint Armies. He's long retired now… but Rouge once sold classified documents to the enemy. He was the traitor within."
The air grew heavy. Everyone stared into the fire, seeing the reflection of a man who had fallen from grace.
Lyra tilted her head with a teasing smile.
"How do you even know that? That kind of info isn't public."
Aria flinched slightly before forcing a small laugh.
"My father's friends with someone in the royal court. I just overheard it."
It sounded reasonable enough that no one questioned further.
But the calm shattered when mocking laughter drifted from behind them.
Team Overlord walked by, their silhouettes glowing red in the firelight.
One of them stopped, a young man with silver-white hair and piercing golden eyes. He stared at Aria with open contempt.
"Well, well… I didn't expect you to crawl into this tournament. You're only tarnishing the royal name."
Lyra shot to her feet.
"Hey, Your Highness or whatever you are — you've got looks, sure, but your manners are garbage!"
He smirked, bowing mockingly.
"And you're lovely too, but with a mouth that sharp, I doubt any man could stand you."
"WHAT?!" Flames literally sparked around Lyra, the air turning hot and tense.
He just laughed, turning back to Aria with a cruel grin.
"Consider yourself lucky we didn't face your team today. Otherwise... " he snapped his fingers, smirking: "Boom! You'd be ash, little sister... Ha ha ha..."
Aria trembled, lowering her gaze, fists clenched.
Kyran and Soren both rose to their feet, but Aria quickly stopped them: "Don't… please."
The man's laughter echoed through the camp.
"Still as pathetic as ever. I'm ashamed to share the same bloodline."
He left, leaving silence in his wake.
After a long pause, Lyra finally spoke, voice barely above a whisper.
"That was… Prince Michael Hal Lumerious. The second prince of the Lumerious Kingdom."
Soren's eyes widened: "Prince?! Then that means... "
Lyra nodded: "Yes. Queen Martha had two children: Prince Michael… and a princess who was cast aside a girl who received no blessing from any Guardian Spirit during her baptism."
The group fell silent, the truth settling like a stone in their chests.
Lyra turned toward Aria gently.
"Aria… is there something you want to tell us?"