Christian was not too worried about these families' revenge since he would leave as soon as he found his way home. However, he also worried they would shift their ire toward his teammate, especially Xin'er. Lucretia is from a powerful clan, so she should be fine. However, Xin'er's open identity is that of an ordinary bloodless member.

Without wasting much time, Christian used the hair to find Xin'er's new hiding place. She was not too far away, apparently trying to stay as close as possible to watch the battle. So, as soon as Christian saw her, he wanted to palm his face.

"Xin'er, do you know how dangerous the battle was? What if you got hurt from a random misfired spell or the aftermath of a powerful charm?"

"I-I wanted to stay close in case you needed my help," she replied, slightly embarrassed now after seeing the scope and scale of their fight. Christian looked at the dagger that she had fetched, and he believed her.

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but don't do it next time."

"I promise I won't."

"Good," Christian nodded. He was about to change the subject when he noticed Xin'er glaring at him, her eyes almost shining with excitement and curiosity.

"What? Is there something on my face?"

"You just defeated another one of the Golden Treasures," Xin'er said, her voice a pitch higher due to her uncontained excitement.

"Oh, you're talking about that. Well, he lost because he was arrogant and underestimated me."

"You said the same thing about Sashi," Xin'er replied, almost rolling her eyes.

"It's because they are similar people. The battle would not have been so easy if he had not allowed me to prepare enough water. A prepared bloodless wizard is the scariest thing in the world," Christian said.

Xin'er mulled over his words; she realized they perfectly described the advantage of bloodless wizards. However, Xin'er did not focus too much on this as her mind was still on the fact that Christian had defeated two of the four treasures.

"Would you have lost if you didn't prepare the water?" she asked.

"No, I'd still be the winner."

"You said that a little too confidently, didn't you?" Xin'er chuckled.

"My mother taught me that the mind is the most critical aspect of a battle. She told me never to go into a fight thinking I would lose; I should not be cocky, since that mindset would make me prone to mistakes. However, she reminded me that I should always be confident in my ability.

"So, would I have still won the fight without the preparations? Yes, and I believe that one hundred percent. Of course, it would be more challenging than it was and not as quick, but I would have been the final winner nonetheless."

"Your mother sounds like a great mage and an even greater teacher," Xin'er praised.

"She is," Christian replied in a soft voice before entering a short daze. He couldn't help but think of home. Would he ever be able to return? If he does, how much time will have passed? Will his mother be alright? What about Aunt Eleanor and Arielle? Would they miss him? Would something happen to them? All these thoughts flashed in Christian's mind, almost overwhelming him.

He took a deep breath to calm down and reined in his mind. Christian looked at Xin'er and said, "As soon as the trial ends, you need to tell your mother what happened with Aurelius and Aurora."

Xin'er frowned: "You think their family will involve you and me?"

"Aurelius will either be killed, used as a political pawn, or something worse. Either way, their clan will investigate and implicate us. I know I will be fine, but I'm worried about you."

"No need to worry. All apprentices and Novices are under the strict protection of the library. If anything happens to any of us, there will be a strict investigation, and the Curator might even get involved," Xin'er explained.

"Is that so? Well, that's good to hear, but you still need to tell your mother. After all, the library's protection doesn't involve her. So, it's best she knows and prepares."

"I didn't think of that," Xin'er said, her expression becoming severe. She promised to tell her mother everything, reassuring Christian somewhat. "Alright, let's find Lucretia before something happens to her," he declared before heading out. Christian cast a Disillusionment Charm on both of them before following Lucretia's hair to their location.

Soon, they found her next to a river. However, she was not alone, nor was she in the best shape. Lucretia was half kneeling on the ground, holding her shield and sword. Her body had an armor composed of rock, but parts of it were scraped off with burn marks.

Opposite her was a towering man who everybody could tell with a glance was a Spartan: Niketas Keraunos. Lucretia looked at him with hatred in her eyes; if looks could kill, Niketas would have suffered a thousand cuts before his death.

"Did my first brother put you up to this?" Lucretia asked.

"Yes," Niketas strangely admitted.

"Why?"

"After your mother's death, your father became a little too fond of you. He's worried he'll be too partial to you in the competition," Niketas replied.

"Bullshit! My father would never break the clan's rules; even if he wanted, the elders would not allow it."

"I don't know if that's true, and I don't care. That's the reason he gave me."

"If you don't care, why did you accept his offer?" Lucretia asked with gritted teeth.

"That is not something a dead person should concern themselves with," Niketas said coldly before raising his spear. "I've done you the courtesy of allowing you your last words. Now, go and see Hades with peace." His spear fired lightning, forcing Lucretia to watch death approach her with the utmost haste. She felt no fear, only regret.

Lucretia gritted her teeth, preparing to activate the spatial artifact her father gave her. She knew her action would disappoint her teammate, especially Christos, who seemed desperate to pass this trial. However, her life was worth more than anyone else's desire or goal.

However, a copper cage dropped on her before Lucretia could activate the artifact. Lucretia was shocked, wondering why someone would suddenly capture her, but as she saw the lightning dancing around the cage without affecting her, she realized she was not being captured, but saved.

"Christos!" she yelled, knowing this was the only person who could rescue her in this dire situation. Christian and Xin'er slowly approached her while keeping an eye on Niketas. She fed her the vitaseed Christian had handed her before intervening, allowing Lucretia to breathe in relief.

"The famous underdog — the unknown variable that sprang out of nowhere and dethroned one of us," Niketas said, his tone calm and measured. "Well, one of us is a stretch," he added, not hiding his disdain for Aurelius.

"Shouldn't you be searching for your team?" Christian asked calmly.

"They'll be fine, and if something happens to them, it's because they are weak," Niketas responded. Christian frowned as he recognized the glint in his eyes; it was the same self-entitlement he had seen in many kids at his private school. Many thought the rules did not apply to them because they were rich or their parents had "important" jobs.

'I would not be surprised if there were a back door for certain bloodcrest clans,' Christian thought.

"It seems a battle is inevitable."

"Do you want a prize for stating something so obvious?" Niketas responded in a deadpan voice that almost made this situation comical.

"I've bested Sesha, Aurelius, and forced Aurora to retreat. I guess taking you down should complete my defeat of the so-called Four Golden Treasures," Christian said calmly.

Niketas' body visibly paused for a brief moment before he started laughing, his booming voice echoing through the surroundings. "I've never heard anything so funny in my life. You have a knack for theater."

"You'll know soon whether I'm joking," Christian calmly replied, forcing Niketas to take a second look at him. "You're not lying!" He was a great judge of character and saw the glint of a skilled and proud warrior in Christian's eyes.

"Interesting. It seems this battle will not be as lackluster as I thought," Niketas smiled. His name meant "victorious," so he decided to live up to it for the rest of his life. As the two stared at each other, Xin'er followed Christian's direction, slowly leading Lucretia out of the way. The Metallus descendant wanted to stay and help, but Xin'er dragged her tired body away from the main battlefield before explaining.

Then, just as the two were about to clash, something unexpected occurred.