"You mutt!"

Valen Gregarius roared in fury, rubbing at his eyes.

"How dare you use such cheap tricks!"

While I had been on one knee, I had quietly gathered a handful of sand.

When Valen charged, I shifted aside at the last second.

His shield slammed into the ground.

A cloud of dust erupted upward.

Straight into his eyes.

Blinded for a split second, he left himself open.

I seized the opportunity.

Thud!

My wooden sword struck his chest guard.

The crowd erupted.

For the first time in the duel, Valen had been hit.

But instead of ending the fight, it only humiliated him further.

His face twisted with rage.

Then—

Flames burst around his body.

The temperature across the arena rose instantly.

Several nobles jumped to their feet.

"Valen!"

A blazing javelin formed in his hand.

And he threw it.

The projectile shot toward me like a streak of fire.

I barely managed to dodge.

Boom!

The explosion still caught my side.

A wave of heat slammed into me and hurled me across the arena.

My back crashed into the stone wall.

The impact knocked the air from my lungs.

Pain exploded through my body.

Commander Kael immediately stepped forward.

His expression darkened.

"Enough!"

His voice thundered across the arena.

"The boy is—"

"I'm still standing!"

The words escaped through gritted teeth.

Using the wall for support, I forced myself back onto my feet.

Every muscle in my body screamed in protest.

Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth.

Yet I refused to fall.

Not now.

Not while Luna was watching.

Valen's face twisted with pure rage.

"Now you die."

The arena fell silent.

Even the nobles who had been cheering moments ago looked uneasy.

Commander Kael frowned.

For a brief moment, it looked as though he might stop the duel.

Then his gaze shifted toward me.

Seeing that I was still conscious, he slowly stepped back.

"Second hit for Valen."

The announcement echoed across the arena.

Two hits.

I had only landed one.

Valen needed just one more strike to win.

My vision was growing blurry.

Every breath burned.

The front of my chest guard had been reduced to charred fragments.

Valen slowly raised his sword.

Flames erupted along the wooden blade.

The sight alone sent a chill down my spine.

This was no longer about winning.

The killing intent in his eyes was unmistakable.

He wanted to hurt me.

Badly.

The arena seemed to spin around me.

My legs felt heavy.

Distant.

Yet somehow, I remained standing.

Then Valen moved.

Fast.

Far faster than before.

His shield crashed into me first.

Boom!

The impact rattled my entire body.

Pain exploded through my ribs.

But this time—

I didn't dodge.

I took the blow head-on.

Then his flaming sword swung toward my neck.

At the very last moment, I hurled my wooden sword into the air and ducked.

The blazing blade passed inches above my head.

Heat scorched my skin.

I sprang upward.

The falling sword spun through the air.

Then—

I caught it.

Crack!

The wooden blade slammed into Valen's wrist.

Pain flashed across his face.

His shield slipped from his grasp and crashed onto the arena floor.

Before he could recover, I drove my foot into his stomach.

Thud!

The force sent him staggering backward.

For a brief moment, shock crossed his face.

Then his hand shot forward.

Magic circles flared into existence.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

A barrage of explosive spells erupted toward me.

Cast without a single chant.

Proof of the talent that had made him one of the kingdom's most gifted young nobles.

I grabbed the fallen shield and raised it in front of me.

Explosion after explosion crashed against it.

Each impact forced me backward.

Stone cracked beneath my feet.

My burned hand screamed in agony.

Every strike felt as though my flesh was being torn apart.

Still, I refused to let go.

Gritting my teeth, I endured the barrage.

Then, with a roar, I hurled the shield straight at him.

The spinning shield blocked his vision.

Valen reacted instinctively.

His flame-coated sword flashed through the air.

Slash!

The shield split cleanly in two.

Exactly as I had planned.

That single moment was all I needed.

Using every ounce of strength I had left, I hurled my wooden sword.

The blade spun through the air.

Straight toward its target.

Valen's eyes widened.

Too late.

Thud!

The wooden sword slammed into his chest guard.

Silence.

Then Commander Kael's voice thundered across the arena.

"Second hit for Azrael!"

A stunned murmur spread through the crowd.

No one could believe it.

I had lost my shield.

I had thrown away my sword.

Yet somehow, through sheer determination and desperation, I had landed a second strike.

But the reality remained unchanged.

The gap between us was still enormous.

Now I stood in the center of the arena.

Unarmed.

Defenseless.

Exhausted.

Across from me, Valen still held his weapon.

The nobles shifted uneasily in their seats.

For the first time, the outcome no longer seemed certain.

In the stands, Marquis Gregor made no effort to hide his fury.

The duel was supposed to end within the first few moments.

Instead, his nephew had been pushed to the brink by a commoner.

Across the arena, Marquis Gregor's face darkened.

Valen smiled.

But there was nothing playful about it anymore.

Nothing arrogant.

Nothing amused.

Only cold fury.

The kind that made even the nobles uneasy.

Then—

He vanished.

Gasps erupted from the stands.

A split second later, something slammed into my stomach.

Boom!

The impact felt like being struck by a war hammer.

The world blurred.

I was hurled backward and crashed violently into the dirt.

Pain exploded through my body.

Yet Valen wasn't finished.

Before I could even lift my head—

He appeared above me.

Crash!

His heel drove into my chest and forced me deeper into the ground.

The stone beneath me cracked.

Agony shot through my ribs.

Several spectators turned pale.

"He isn't even aiming for the chest guard..."

One noble whispered.

Another swallowed nervously.

"He's trying to hurt him."

Valen slowly stepped back.

His figure flickered.

Then vanished again.

"He activated Light Step."

The whisper spread through the crowd.

A high-level light magic technique.

One that allowed the user to instantly cross short distances.

Most knights spent years trying to learn it.

Valen had mastered it before reaching adulthood.

For the first time since the duel began...

The audience truly understood why he was considered a genius.

He became a blur across the battlefield.

One moment he stood before me.

The next, he appeared behind me.

Then came the flames.

His wooden sword ignited as it carved across my back.

The strike tore through my clothes.

The heat scorched my skin.

Agony ripped through my body.

I couldn't even scream.

A sickening crack echoed through my arm.

My right hand went numb.

The sword slipped from my grasp.

My vision blurred.

The world spun around me.

Somewhere in the distance, I could hear people shouting.

Yet their voices sounded far away.

Muted.

As though I were sinking beneath water.

Through the haze, my eyes drifted toward the royal stands.

Luna von Arondain sat beside King Valerius.

Her posture remained flawless.

Elegant.

Royal.

Anyone looking at her would see the perfect princess.

Calm.

Composed.

Unshaken.

But I knew her too well.

I saw the blood staining her hands.

I saw the faint tremble in her shoulders.

And I saw the fear she was desperately trying to hide.

Yet she remained seated beside the King.

Elegant.

Composed.

Royal.

Every strike that landed on me sent the slightest tremor through her body.

Yet she never looked away.

Not even once.

"Get up, Az..."

The whisper barely escaped her trembling lips.

Her blue eyes shimmered faintly.

For a brief moment, violet flickered within them before fading once more.

Still, she endured in silence before the entire court.

Nearby, Reginald closed his eyes in anguish.

Gregor, meanwhile, watched with undisguised satisfaction.

Then Valen appeared behind me once more.

I didn't even see the attack.

Boom!

Another devastating blow slammed into my body.

The world spun.

The arena vanished.

My legs finally gave out beneath me.

Darkness swallowed my vision as I collapsed face-first into the dirt.