CHAPTER 120: OHHH, COME ON THEN

"You have a duel with him today too, don’t you? What was the bet you two made again?"

Maria stiffened.

She paused, clearly debating how much to reveal. But then she exhaled and answered with practiced nonchalance.

"If he lost, I’d get the right to use his body."

She shrugged.

"I planned to crush his bones into powder and have them made into a stepping stone outside the Grave family manor."

She said it flatly, like it was a line rehearsed, meant to impress.

But when her mother gave her a slightly raised eyebrow half questioning, half judging Maria quickly added,

"He disrespected our family," she added quickly, voice sharper. "That was the only answer he deserved."

Her mother didn’t comment on the cruelty. Her silence said enough.

Instead, she asked, almost idly:

"And if he wins?"

Maria froze.

Her eyes flicked away. Her lips parted, but she didn’t speak. Instead, she just... closed her mouth. Her jaw clenched.

"If he wins, I’ll be his bitch."

No way in hell I’m saying that out loud, she thought

She could barely stand the words even inside her own head. Saying them aloud? That would be suicidal.

She sighed inwardly, running a hand down her face, fingers pressing hard into her temple.

"Gods... I really lost my head that day. Its because of that that bitchy princess"

And then she remembered.

His words. That look.

"You’re not even worthy of that."

Her blood boiled again just thinking about it.

Arrogant bastard.

She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms.

I swear, I’m going to scatter his ashes when this is over. She cursed in her head

Thought he waved her hand dismissively, brushing the thought away like dust.

"Forget it. It’s nothing important," she muttered.

"He’s not going to win."

That part, she said aloud with confidence she didn’t fully feel. Better to hide her regret in certainty than let it show.

Her mother studied her for a beat longer. The hesitation hadn’t gone unnoticed.

But she didn’t press. She knew her daughter’s pride too well. And at this point, even if the bet was a disaster, refusing would’ve brought even worse shame.

If only she knew just how recklessly her brilliant daughter had backed herself into the worst kind of corner.

"Just be prepared," her mother said quietly.

"I have a feeling you really might be fighting today."

Maria frowned.

"I doubt it," she replied. "He still has to fight a substitute for Areon. That’s how it works."

Her mother raised an eyebrow.

"He can reject that."

"He won’t," Maria snapped.

Why do you think so?

She leaned back in her seat, arms crossing over her chest as she looked down at Razeal in the arena with obvious annoyance.

"He’s crazy arrogant. He’ll accept it. Just watch."

Her mother’s brows furrowed at the tone in her voice.

"Oh? You seems to sound like you are familiar with him?"

she asked, half-curious, half-concerned.

---

Elsewhere ~ High VIP Chamber

Nova sat in silence, legs elegantly crossed, her chin resting lightly in her hand as she watched the chaos in the arena unfold below.

A smirk slowly curled on her lips.

"I really underestimated you, little brother," she murmured to herself, the amusement in her voice laced with something colder.

She had spent the entire week annoyed furious, Just on that their mother had allowed this duel to happen. She’d thought it reckless. Pointless. A mistake waiting to explode.

But now?

Now she felt... satisfied.

No. More than that.

Calm. Cool. Impressed.

She watched Razeal standing firm in the middle of the storm, untouched, unreadable.

He had played the entire field. Turned the odds. Crushed expectations.

Even she hadn’t seen it coming.

Her calculations meticulous as always had been wrong. Entirely.

And normally, that would have eaten at her. Made her furious enough to punish herself for the oversight.

But this time?

She smiled.

Also

"Sigh... I really went too far last time, didn’t I?"

Words like he was nowhere near Areon’s level not even close. There was no hope of winning.

She almost called him strengthless. The word had nearly slipped from her lips.

And now, she looked shaken. Truly shaken. Stressed in a way that cracked through her usual composure.

"How should I deal with this?" she muttered, almost to herself. Should I... apologize to him?

Her fingers tangled nervously together, a helpless fidget she couldn’t stop.

She didn’t know how to handle any of this. All she had was one belief, one anchor in the chaos:

Today, they would take Razeal home. No matter what.

Her mother had promised her. And if her mother said it then it would happen.

It had to.

"It’s going to be fine," she whispered, inhaling deeply, trying to push the fear down and summon even a shred of confidence.

But she was just sitting there, stranded in this massive, echoing room, drowning in her thoughts and desperation. It was maddening.

"Gods, it’s so irritating," she hissed, pressing her palms to her forehead. "I wish I could just... go and kidnap him. If only.."

She cut herself off, shaking her head hard. Her hands clenched and unclenched in her lap, her body betraying the chaos within.

Across the citadel, in a lavish chamber, Selena had been slumped in her oversized velvet chair for what felt like hours. The silence clawed at her. Her legs trembled. Her jaw locked. She looked disturbingly disturbed eyes wide, unmoving, breath shallow.

Then, suddenly, she leapt to her feet.

"He... he won

?" Her voice cracked. "Good. Good. Very good."

She clutched the edge of the chair for balance as her thoughts spiraled.

"He has the Holy Promise now... which means if he asked for the world to forget... to forgive what happened five years ago.."

She swallowed.

"They might. They actually might No they will have to. Under Church law... he’d be protected."

Her voice thinned. "He wouldn’t have to run anymore. Or hide his face."

Her throat tightened. Her eyes burned. Emotion cracked through her chest like ice underfoot.

"What should I do?" she whispered, pacing. "Should I speak to him after the duel? I should yes, yes, I will. I have to."

Then her confidence faltered.

"But what if he... rejects me again?" she whispered.

"What if he looks at me like he did before? Like I’m some thing to despise?"

She spun in place, gripping her arms, circling the chamber like a caged thing.

"I... I don’t know. I don’t know.. but but but I’ll try. I have to try. That’s fine, right?"

She forced herself to stop. To breathe.

"He can’t stay angry forever. I’ll apologize."

She closed her eyes.

"Yes. I will. No more running. I’ll face him. I will."

---

Back to the center of the arena.

The ground was cracked. The silence, brittle.

"If you were a man," Areon snarled, voice shaking with fury, "you’d have fought with honor. But you’re nothing. Despicable."

Razeal tilted his head, lazily pouting.

"Yeah, yeah, cry about it. Maybe don’t be so greedy next time?"

Was this bastard seriously trying to pin everything on him?

Areon’s rage boiled over.

"Youuuuuuuu...!" he roared, voice echoing through the open sky.

"I swear it here and now I, Areon Dragonwevr, declare you my eternal enemy. For the cheating, the insult, the disgrace I’ve suffered today I will have my revenge. I’ll bathe in your blood if I must. If not now, then later. If not here, then somewhere. But you will pay. No matter the time, no matter the place you will pay!"

Razeal barely reacted. His expression was still a smirk mocking, effortless, cruel.

Areon couldn’t stand it.

His body trembled. Flames surged from the right side of his face, his horn glowing violently as his rage became uncontainable. His crimson hair lifted behind him, whipped by unseen winds, and one of his eyes now completely consumed by fire looked like a burning socket of fury. His body was shaking, cracking, burning with more power than it could handle.

He was unraveling.

But more than anything Areon was angry at himself.

His limbs refused to move. Every breath stabbed through him with unbearable pain. His muscles spasmed; even the smallest twitch sent waves of agony through his frame.

If his body had listened if it had just moved he would have torn Razeal in two by now. He would’ve ended this.

Razeal looked at him, quietly.

A slow smile curved on his lips.

"You’re always welcome to try," he said, shrugging like none of this mattered. "Come at me any time." His gaze sharpened slightly.

"But remember this your current state? It was already decided. Before you even took me as enemy."He tilted his head, eyes gleaming. "So now imagine what I’ll do, now that you’ve declared me your enemy."

He said it like Areon was already defeated.

That smugness broke something in Areon.

"I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!!"

The scream tore out of him like a beast’s final roar.

With every shred of will he had left, Areon forced his body to move. Just one step. One step toward Razeal. Blood burst from his eyes as the veins across his body ruptured tiny red explosions streaking across his skin.

He took that step. And the floor beneath him darkened with blood.

Razeal’s eyes lit up with something wicked. A twisted smile crept over his face.

"Ohh, come on then..." he whispered.

He shifted slightly one hand sliding into his pocket, his body leaning ever so slightly forward, like a predator inviting the kill.

Then, softly:

"Murderous aura~."

As he said it, his pupils contracted. His eyes glowed a deep, unnatural red.

And then..

Shhhk BOOM.

A thin, invisible wave of red energy containing killing worth of hundred of thousands of beings pulsed out from him in every direction like a sonic vibration made of heat and hatred. It moved so fast it almost wasn’t seen but it passed through everything.

Every stone. Every person. Every barrier.

Nancy blinked, frozen mid-step as trying to back down. But it was too fast

Selphira’s face turned cold with alarm.

Arabella’s eyes narrowed as the ripple approached. To her, it moved in slow motion a distortion in space itself. She saw it coming... and chose not to stop it.

The pulse passed through her. Through them all.

Through Areon.

Through the entire coliseum, rippling across walls, stone, and air.

And then

---

Hey guys! First of all, huge shoutout to our amazing supporter Yuri_IsNTR for the Golden Gachapon and 96 golden tickets really means a lot, man. 🤧💐

Sorry for the delay today. I’ve been feeling a bit sick lately weather changes got me all messed up. Still managed to push through and write these two Chapters, even though it was rough.

Anyway, thanks so much for reading. It really means a lot. Love you all!

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