CHAPTER 202: LAST REGRET.

The referee’s announcement declared him the winner, and the match was over.

Just like before, he climbed up to the top floor by jumping from each level. This time, however, the only reaction he was getting from the nobles was fear—visible and raw on their faces.

It seemed that directly killing the Duke’s eldest son had terrified those who had been snickering just moments before, when he won against Emily.

Hmm... I love the look on these bugs’ faces now. All that swagger, reduced to a puddle of fear. Satisfying.

Once he arrived back at his spot, Seraphine greeted him with a smile. She felt refreshed by how he had brutally dealt with Malverick. Her love for him was overflowing at this moment, yet she knew she couldn’t do anything right now—because of the pests who were currently eyeing them.

Once the dust settled, she would have him all to herself—and she intended to savor every moment.

The four knights beside them, including Kaela, had already unsheathed their weapons. They knew any attack could come from any direction. There was too big a target on them. But none of them ever considered fleeing the scene.

It also gave them immense satisfaction that young master Leon had dealt with the one who had pestered their master for so long. They couldn’t count how many times they had volunteered to assassinate him.

Death was inevitable if the assassination succeeded, yet they were ready to accept that burden. For the one who had given them such a life, they would gladly embrace it. But she had never allowed them to act.

The odds were against them, but they were ready to sacrifice their lives if it meant the young master and Commander could escape safely.

Despite how tense and deadly the air around Leon and Seraphine was, both of them were sharing a moment of their own. Seraphine looked at him with love radiating in her gaze. No words were exchanged, yet peace filled her knowing he had eliminated one of her biggest worries.

Yet he knew this had not ended. It had only just begun.

The source was gone—but the collateral, those who dared to attack, would not be forgiven. He wasn’t going to show any mercy.

Clang!

Kaela and the three other knights were engaged in a fierce fight with the knights of Duke Arselin’s house.

They were locked in a brutal battle. Five knights were trying to overpower them. Kaela was handling two at once, but barely. It wouldn’t be long before their defense broke.

Phew...

All four of them felt lucky that only five people were allowed beside each high-ranking noble. Otherwise, things would have turned much worse for them.

Hearing the sound of clashing steel, Liora increased her pace and began running toward the top floor. Her father, wearing a tense expression, followed behind her. Beside him was her mother, who no longer seemed as playful and emotional as before.

Her hands were on her slim rapier, which she hadn’t unsheathed in a long time.

But today, she had to—because her daughter had fallen in love with a man who had offended the entire Kingdom of Shampain.

She had to make sure her daughter and her boyfriend escaped today.

—

Leon sensed something. His figure teleported from in front of Seraphine and appeared next to Kaela. His arm stretched out, and with only two of his fingers, he stopped the giant sword coming down toward Kaela.

The air split with a whiplike crack, the pressure wave slamming outward as if the strike had hit a wall of steel.

Boom!

The wind pressure alone forced Kaela, the others, and even their enemies to stumble back. They were barely able to stand. Kaela, shielded by Leon’s presence and experiencing much less pressure, acted immediately.

Her blade pierced flesh with a sickening crunch, hot blood spurting onto her arm in sharp bursts.

With sharp precision, she drove her sword through the heart of one of her enemies. Clean and decisive—there was no holding back. She directly killed him.

Phew. Now I can handle the other one more easily, Kaela thought.

If she hadn’t had that opportunity, things would have gone badly. Out of the corner of her eye, she witnessed an unbelievable sight.

William Arselin—the strongest of the Duke’s house, one of the five strongest people in the Lower Domain.

His giant sword, rumored to crush small mountains, had been stopped by young master Leon’s fingers alone.

His expression remained calm. Kaela’s whole body trembled at the sight, but there was no doubt left in her mind.

Young master Leon was definitely stronger than their master.

Even though the situation had become slightly easier for Kaela, they were still in danger. They had to escape before the army of the Kingdom of Shampain arrived—or they would all die.

Then a sound caught her attention. She couldn’t fully focus on it as she blocked another spear strike from the knight she was fighting. Because of his long range, it would take her a little more time to finish him.

However, the red light in the sky was visible to everyone—especially the braver members of the audience who had stayed to watch from afar.

Even the birds in the rafters fell quiet, as if nature itself had paused to watch.

The moment they saw it, they began fleeing.

It burned like an angry scar across the sky, tinting their faces with war’s crimson hue.

The King had sent the signal. Soon, the entire arena would be surrounded by the royal army.

This was no longer a fight for revenge. It was war.

The future felt inevitable in the minds of those escaping. It was a pity to see such a talented young man die—but he had been foolish enough to offend an entire kingdom. His death, they believed, was his own doing.

Those kingdoms that had been looking for an opportunity to strike the King of Shampain quickly backed off, as he had summoned his entire royal army.

They were too far from their strongholds. They couldn’t act up now. Joining him would be wiser—they might even improve relations that way.

But only when the time was right. Foreign nobles didn’t want to be seen as greedy.

That would have been their normal thought—until they saw the young man stop William Arselin’s sword with just two fingers.

So much for joining the King. What if he joins us instead? one noble wondered silently, not daring to speak aloud.

They swallowed hard and held onto their seats, trying to maintain neutrality.

Until the army arrived, if they tried to gain favor with the King of Shampain and failed, they might die at Leon’s hands instead.

So, they kept their seats, asses heating the cushions in awkward silence.

—

The moment he saw the monstrous boy stop William’s sword strike with only his fingers, the King ordered the army to move. He couldn’t take any risks. The boy was too rowdy and dangerous to be kept alive.

Even his Queen agreed with his decision. The King knew he had done the right thing.

"Maximus, go help General William kill that boy. It would be better if we didn’t have to use our army," a sharp, feminine voice laced with hidden grudge ordered the knight commander.

Maximus looked directly into the Queen’s eyes, his expression composed but intense.

"Yes, My Queen," he replied, eyes flashing with barely restrained eagerness.

But before moving, he turned toward the King and dropped to one knee, asking in a sincere voice, "Should I go, my King?"

The King, seeing his Royal Knight Commander’s usual behavior, felt proud. He couldn’t help but smile slightly, knowing how loyal Maximus was to him.

"You may go. Make sure to kill that monster. He’s too big a threat to be left alive."

The King’s words were caught by the Saintess of Life’s sharp senses. She felt enraged. She was about to step forward and finish the King right then and there—how dare he even consider killing someone who had a higher connection to God than she did?

Yet the firm grip on her arm held her in place, followed by a calm voice that belonged to Senior Aurelia.

"Little Saintess, don’t get too excited. Have you forgotten what I said about how strong that boy truly is? Just sit back and enjoy the show. Nothing here can stop him. And if something unexpected does happen..."

"I’m here, after all. Don’t worry—relax."

She would have stopped the massacre earlier, but this... this was holy retribution. Aurelia might help if the need truly arose.

Liroiel, hearing her senior’s words, became extremely relaxed—anticipating the moment when Leon would eradicate the entire kingdom that had targeted him and the purple-haired woman from the beginning.

The purple-haired woman—his apparent lover—stirred mixed feelings in her, leaning more toward the negative for now.

The Headmaster of Ascension Academy sat near them but didn’t react to their words at all, which felt unnatural.

It was as if there were a barrier preventing her from hearing them—or else she might have already started helping Leon, the monstrous boy who continued to surprise everyone, rather than simply watching the clash between the people of the Lower Domain without interfering.

"You’re the strongest human I’ve ever faced, old man... but you’re simply too weak."

The older man, shocked by his blatant disrespect, began using his mana to reinforce his sword. No matter how much strength he applied, it was useless. His weapon, covered in water aura—a complete one—didn’t budge.

Leon felt only a slight sting on his fingers. The aura couldn’t penetrate his skin, not when the older man’s physical strength was this weak.

That’s it? This is your strongest? Pathetic.

He twisted his fingers with a bit of force.

Crack.

The sword broke into two pieces.

William stood in shock. He didn’t even have time to compose himself before a punch came straight at him. He barely registered it, let alone reacted.

The older man knew it was over. He felt it deep in his bones.

His breath caught in his throat, lungs frozen like ice under the weight of fear.

No... I wasn’t able to take revenge for my grandson...

That was his final thought.

The punch connected with the buffed older man’s stomach.

For a moment, the world held its breath.

And then—

BOOOOOM!!!