Edward rose slowly from his seat, his expression remained calm but his eyes were as sharp as ice. He stared down at Rein like one would at something pitiful.

"Pathetic," he said flatly. "Why are you screaming like a loser?"

His voice was calm, yet it carried an invisible weight that pressed on everyone's chest. "Your failure is your responsibility, not others'."

Rein's expression darkened. His eyes burned with restrained fury, and a faint tremor ran through his clenched fists. His voice echoed through the hall, amplified with mana that made the walls tremble.

"Are you now playing games with me?" Rein's tone was filled with rage. "First of all, why the hell was I given the side of an evil group of lunatics? And I couldn't even change sides!"

Edward tilted his head slightly. "Who said that?"

Rein's voice rose higher, raw emotion seeping through. "Who said that? Didn't Verion try to change sides, and it failed? And even if I managed to win with them, what do you think people would say?"

He turned toward the crowd, his voice breaking with bitterness. "Would any of you even accept it if I won after killing countless innocent people?"

The crowd fell into dead silence.

No one moved and no one spoke.

Kael, standing a few steps behind, shook his head slowly. For a moment, a dry laugh almost escaped his lips. "He's surely unlucky," he muttered under his breath, clicking his tongue.

Edward's gaze hardened. "It's your own choices that led you here," he said coldly.

Rein's face twisted with disbelief. "My choice?" His voice cracked. "What do you mean, my choice? How can I be sure it was mine and you didn't tamper with it?"

Edward's eyes narrowed slightly, his tone still composed. "Why would I?"

Rein's voice suddenly turned harsh, filled with venom. "Because you don't want me to be Emperor."

The crowd gasped, the weight of the accusation heavy enough to suffocate the room.

"Rein, that's enough!" Roosevelt's voice cut through the tension, his tone sharp and commanding.

"Rein, let's stop here," Roosevelt continued, his tone softening slightly. "You should calm down. We'll talk about this later."

Rein turned to look at him, and the sight made Roosevelt's chest tighten. The warmth that was once in Rein's eyes was gone. What replaced it was a cold, empty glare that felt like staring into the eyes of a corpse.

Rein's gaze swept across everyone present—Martina, Edward, Kael, the princes, the nobles—all of them.

'He was right,' Rein thought, his mind echoing a memory of someone's words. 'If you want to achieve something, you need to take it with your own hands.'

'And if you can't, then you bring someone else who can.'

A faint mumble escaped his lips, too soft for anyone to hear. But Kael's instincts screamed danger. His eyes widened as he sensed a sudden change in Rein's aura. The air around him warped slightly, twisting like heatwaves.

"He is doing something!"

Without a second thought, Kael vanished in a flash of blue lightning. He reappeared in front of Rein, his sword already unsheathed, glowing with silver light. "You talk too much."

"Wait…What?"Roosevelt and others were taken aback seeing this.

Rein's lips curved into a faint smirk. "Oh, I was wondering when you'd come."

He lifted his hand, and a surge of distorted energy burst forward. The space between them rippled like shattered glass, bending reality itself. The invisible force tried to crush Kael's body, tearing at the air around him.

But Kael swung his sword in one fluid motion. A trail of silver cut through the distortion like slicing through water. His stance remained firm, his eyes glowing with fierce determination. "Your tricks won't work on me."

Rein's smirk widened, even as blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth. "Too late."

Kael's gaze flicked downward, and his pupils shrank. A glowing red circle was spreading beneath Rein's feet, pulsing like a heartbeat. In an instant, it expanded tenfold, consuming half the arena in blinding light.

Seeing this,Kael's eyes narrowed.

"Everyone, fall back!" Kael shouted. His voice was drowned by the rumbling energy that shook the ground beneath them.

Then the world erupted.

BOOOOOOOM!

A shockwave exploded outward, shattering the marble floor and tearing through the stands. The blinding red energy consumed everything, and a horrific tearing sound filled the air. Space itself cracked open like glass under pressure.

From the rift, a massive leg covered in black scales slammed into the ground. The sheer impact sent a storm of dust and rubble into the sky. The earth split open, and mountains in the distance fractured as if struck by invisible hammers. The very air grew heavy, thick with blood and malice.

Kael and the others were blown back like leaves caught in a hurricane. Kael twisted in midair and slammed his sword into the ground to stop himself. Sparks erupted as he skidded across the ruined arena floor.

When he finally stopped, he raised his head and his heart froze.

A monstrous silhouette loomed through the haze. A gigantic, blackish dragon emerged from the rift, its eyes burning like molten fire, wings stretching wide enough to cover the horizon. Each breath it took sent shockwaves rippling across the ground.

Kael's hands trembled slightly as he looked at Rein, who stood smiling before the creature like a madman.

"Weren't you just negotiating?" Kael shouted, his voice filled with disbelief. "So why the fuck did you summon an evil undead dragon in the middle of this?"

The dragon's roar answered him. It shook the heavens.

"Never mind!" Kael muttered, shaking his head as he pushed himself up. Dust and debris filled the air, stinging his eyes. He coughed hard, waving a hand to clear his vision and shouted loudly, "Vic, Gare, Handle! Are you alright?"

His voice echoed through the ruined arena. He turned frantically, scanning the shattered ground until he spotted them sprawled across the floor. The three of them groaned as they pushed themselves up, their clothes torn and faces covered in dirt.

"We're alive!" Gare shouted back, staggering to his feet.

Vic rubbed his head, glaring at the swirling smoke. "What the hell is that thing?" he yelled.

Before anyone could answer, a bone-chilling roar ripped through the Colosseum.

ROOOAAAAARRRRRRR!

The sound was so loud that the entire ground shook. Stones cracked and the protective barrier surrounding the audience flickered violently. Shockwaves rippled through the arena, and many spectators fell to their knees, covering their ears in terror.

The barrier strengthened for a moment, glowing faintly, but then fractures began to spread across it like spiderwebs.

Edward's eyes narrowed sharply. His calm expression turned grim. "Everyone, protect the people and evacuate them to safety!" he commanded, his voice cutting through the chaos.

Knights and guards immediately sprang into action, rushing toward the stands. But even Edward's voice was drowned out by another deafening roar that rolled over them like thunder. The panic in the crowd grew worse. Screams filled the air as people tried to escape the collapsing stands.

From the center of the arena, a huge shadow slowly emerged through the dust and light. The massive portal behind Rein twisted violently, expanding until it cracked the air itself. Out from the swirling abyss stepped a creature so enormous that the entire Colosseum trembled beneath its weight.

It was an Evil Undead Dragon, blackish-gray scales covering its body like armor forged in hell. Its wings spread wide, casting a shadow that blanketed the entire battlefield. Every step it took made the ground split open, lava-like energy leaking through the cracks. Its eyes glowed with a deep crimson light that made even seasoned warriors freeze in fear.

The dragon raised its head, inhaling deeply, and exhaled a blast of foul, hot air that melted the remaining barrier fragments into liquid energy. Its breath carried the stench of death and decay.

Several figures shot into the air in a flash, each radiating power as they faced the creature.

"Holy shit!" Luke shouted angrily, his sword drawn as he hovered midair. "Now what kind of mess is this!"

Duke Martin joined him, his eyes narrowing sharply. "Look there!" he shouted, pointing toward the dragon's head.

Everyone turned. Standing on top of the dragon were several cloaked figures, their outlines blurry and distorted, their bodies wrapped in black smoke. Their faces were hidden, but an overwhelming sinister aura spread from them, covering the arena in cold pressure.

Martin's face turned pale as realization struck him. "It's… It's the Cult of Abyss," he muttered.

The air grew heavier, almost suffocating. Magic energy crackled in the sky as the portal behind the dragon began to distort once again.

"Wait…" Martin's expression hardened, his eyes darting toward the other side of the arena. "Don't tell me…"

A sudden pulse of power hit everyone like a hammer. They turned around just in time to see another rift forming behind them. The air split apart, and from the swirling darkness, countless twisted figures began to crawl out.

They were followers of the Abyssal Lord…

They looked like grotesque creatures with twisted limbs and hollow eyes, each radiating a dark aura that reeked of corruption. Their screams echoed across the Colosseum as they poured out one after another, flooding the ground.

Martina and Roosevelt stared in horror, their faces drained of color.

"This can't be happening…" Roosevelt whispered under his breath.

Martin's face twisted with anger and disbelief. His voice roared across the field as his aura flared. "Just what the fuck did you do, Prince Rein!"

The words echoed, mixing with the roars of the dragon and the howls of the abyssal creatures.