The audience was in awe at the battle happening before them. The two contestants were moving too fast for those without aura or mana to follow, but it didn't stop them from enjoying the match.

Gasps rippled through the stands every time the arena flashed with fire or steel. Even those who couldn't follow the speed could feel the pressure, the heat brushing their cheeks, the vibrations under their feet, the shockwaves that rattled the stone benches. It was the kind of match that made even ordinary citizens forget to breathe.

Each technique Elyra used was visually pleasing to the eye. The fiery petals that fell, which then turned into a cyclone of flames. It was truly something amazing to see.

On the other side, there was Lucen, who was using a katana. This was the first time they had seen him use any kind of weapon besides those conjured by his unique magic.

Who knew that Lucen Thornehart, the person who many said had zero talent for the sword, would be so skillful? Now that's another thing they had made a mistake on.

Not only was Lucen very talented in the way of the sword, but it would seem that he either learned or created a new style of swordsmanship.

When Lucen's sword broke and he finally used his unique magic, the audience became even more excited. It was time to see how far Elyra could go.

***

'As expected of the daughter of the sword Duke. Still, to think Lucen knows how to use the katana so well. It's a sword that doesn't match most of the techniques Norvaegardians use.'

Lysette stared at the confident, smiling Lucen. She could hear her heart beating every so slightly faster. She quickly shook her head and focused on the match before her.

'I want to see more, I want to learn more. So show me more, bare more of yourself before my eyes.'

***

Edrim Lysark, the current richest merchant in Norvaegard, was watching the match between Lucen and Elyra with his mouth open.

He had heard rumors of Lucen's might, but he did not understand how strong he was. This was a person who could be considered an enemy.

The two of them were obviously in an antagonistic relationship. Lucen's lackey was the merchant who caused Edrim the most trouble, Aldric Marren.

Edrim had lost a lot of business because of those two; there was also the fact that the Iron Duke didn't really like him. The only reason he was able to survive until now, even against such a high-ranking noble, was because of the backing of the second prince.

Yet lately, Edrim could not understand the recent moves of the second prince. Still, as an experienced merchant, he could feel the tides were changing.

Now that he had witnessed Lucen's talent, Edrim understood that the tides weren't just changing, but they were about to drown him.

'I already made plans on fleeing the kingdom... Still, if I flee now, I won't be able to bring most of my possessions.'

Despite already planning for such a situation, Edrim hesitated. He would lose so much if he left now.

'Should I make a gamble and jump to another ship? The first prince would need financial support for the military he loves so much... Still, right now, the true power in Norvaegard comes from the four dukes. It would have been best if I could ally myself with one of them...'

Edrim remembered when he tried to do just that, but none of the four Dukes wanted to ally themselves with him. The second, he remembered that he massaged his temples.

If he doesn't do something now, when the power shifts in the kingdom, he might get discarded, and even all his riches would not be able to save him.

"No, that can't be. There must be another way here that I'm not seeing. Money, as long as I have money, I should be able to do anything. Yes, that's right, I should be able to do something," Edrim mumbled to himself. He looked at the stage, and he saw the confident grin on Lucen's face. It just made him feel more queasy.

Edrim then looked at the royal area. The king and queen were watching the match with amusement in their eyes.

The third prince and the second princess were also watching the match with awe written all over their faces.

The first princess looked like she had no interest in the match as she pretended to sigh and close her eyes, but Edrim saw her expression as she glanced at the matches.

It was subtle, and most people would not see what he saw, but he wasn't most people. She saw the sparkle of interest in her eyes.

Then there was the first prince, who was frowning. It was no surprise, since it was no secret that the first prince didn't like the four ducal households, as he thought they held too much power.

In the eyes of the first prince, the royal family should have all the power, but of course, that was not the case. So seeing the two ducal heirs becoming so powerful, he could already imagine what would happen when he became king.

Finally, there was the second prince. His expression was completely neutral, and no one could discern what his real thoughts were.

As Edrim stared at the royal family, the second prince suddenly glanced at him. Edrim quickly lowered his head. Edrim was stunned; he did not know why he did something like that.

He tried to lift his head up to see if the second prince was still looking, but for some reason, he could not do so. When the crowd cheered, Edrim finally got the courage to lift his head, but the second prince was no longer watching.

Edrim let out of breath as he noticed that he had stopped breathing for several seconds now.

'Damn, why am I so scared of that brat?...' Edrim gnashed his teeth in irritation.

Before he could think further, another explosion of heat roared from the arena, snapping his attention back to the duel, just in time to see Lucen's unique magic.

***

The battle between Lucen and Elyra was becoming even more intense. The bullets Lucen fired were easily cut down by Elyra.

When Lucen uses elemental bullets to fire, Elyra's crimson veil devours the element, no matter what it was. Since Lucen's mana and aura were less than Elyra's own Third Mantle aura, Lucen could not bypass the Crimson Veil.

Still, physical attacks seemed to work, which was why Elyra was cutting down the bullets. Since it was obvious to him that long-distance fighting by shooting Elyra at a distance isn't working, he decided to get close and personal.

Mid-range was the best range for his gun-kata style, but that was also the best range for Elyra's longsword.

The two then started dancing with her longsword and his guns. It was a vicious, spectacular dance with mana and aura mixing with one another.

At some point, Elyra stopped using Crimson Veil since it was using too much aura to maintain.

Seeing that she was no longer protected by the Crimson Veil, Lucen quickly switched back to using elemental bullets and started firing at Elyra at close range.

Elyra did not block or slice the bullets and instead evaded and counter-attacked. After dodging Lucen's bullets, she performed a piercing move.

Lucen evaded the attack by bending his body backward. He then used the momentum to grab Elyra's arm with his thighs and toss her backward with a burst of RELEASE mixed in.

Elyra flew away and saw that she was going to hit the wall. She quickly stabbed her sword into the ground to stop herself from continuing to fly backward, but then she heard the familiar sound of gunshots and quickly moved her body to the side.

Unfortunately, it was too slow, and a bullet pierced her left shoulder. It was a bullet imbued with an ice element. The ice started spreading from her wound, but it quickly melted because of her blazing aura.

"I knew that would happen, but I still needed to try."

She heard Lucen's voice behind her and did a backward stab with her sword, and then she swung it to the side as he quickly turned around, only to see the barrel of Lucen's gun, and he fired.

Elyra barely evaded the bullet by swaying her head to the side, but then she felt an impact on her abdomen. Lucen had kicked her, making her slide to the back.

Lucen did not let up and dashed towards her. Elyra swung her sword, making Lucen back away for a bit.

The balance between them had now shifted fully to Lucen's momentum. Still, instead of despairing, Elyra felt even more thrilled as the excited smile on her face grew wider.

Elyra's heart pounded in her chest like a war drum. Every strike Lucen threw at her fed the fire inside her, stoking the thrill she lived for.

She wanted to carve this moment into her soul; this was a battle on a grand stage against a powerful adversary.

Seeing that excited look on her face made Lucen sigh in his mind. He was familiar with Elyra's battle j*nkie trait.

In the game, those with those traits gain an increase in stats the longer the battle lasts, and the more damage they receive.

Now, in reality, there might also be other factors that changed, but he knew the more excited Elyra gets, the more her stats would increase.

"Now this is a fight!" Elyra spoke almost like she was roaring.