And with four victories against the Order of the White Pike, the Rising Heroes had completely dominated the Round of 32. Yet one final bout still remained.
Ifa's voice thundered throughout the arena.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! And for the final bout of this matchup! Representing the Order of the White Pike 'Walter'! And from the Rising Heroes… the Fourth Prince of the Kingdom of Cero… 'Prince Adrian'!"
The crowd erupted into loud cheers but mixed within them were whispers.
Adrian was not someone widely known a few years ago. He was not born from King Arthur's first queen. He had spent most of his life away from the capital before suddenly reappearing.
And now he stood on the grandest stage in the world.
The murmurs spread quickly.
"So the host kingdom's prince is participating too…"
"Surely the tournament is favoring him."
"I heard he leads the Golden Paradox. No way someone that young commands one of the strongest battalions."
"He's probably carried by his subordinates."
"He's there because he's royalty."
The chatter continued endlessly.
Meanwhile Adrian quietly stepped onto the battlefield.
Calm.
Composed.
Unreadable.
---
Before the tournament had begun, every participant had received the same instructions.
This tournament was not meant to reveal everything.
It was preparation.
Experience.
Observation.
A chance to sharpen themselves before the real threat arrived.
They were specifically warned not to reveal their full power. Matches were meant to be efficient and controlled. Entertain the audience, gain experience, but do not expose all your cards. Somewhere out there, the enemy might already be watching.
And because of that King Arthur once had a private conversation with Adrian.
King Arthur spoke calmly.
"Adrian, you are mature enough to understand your strength. No matter what, you are still my son… and you carry my blood."
Adrian remained silent and listened carefully.
King Arthur continued.
"The light that comes from your sword… 'Praito Butham'… is a power inherited through our bloodline. Use it wisely."
Then his expression became slightly serious.
"And if possible… refrain from using your Future Sight too much. Hold back as much as you can."
Adrian simply bowed his head.
"Yes, Father."
---
Back in the arena Shai began speaking.
"Walter is a puppet user, which is already an extremely rare ability. But equally rare are Adrian's techniques , the divine blade art 'Praito Butham' and the infamous Future Sight. Whether we witness it today… only time will tell."
The referee raised his hand.
And the match began.
Instantly Walter attacked.
Multiple summoning circles appeared around the battlefield as puppets, floating blades, chained constructs, and weaponized dolls emerged simultaneously.
The battlefield immediately became chaotic.
Walter smirked confidently.
This was his domain.
But Adrian did not rush.
Small movement.
Perfect spacing.
Walter pulled multiple strings at once as attacks came from every direction.
Spears from behind.
Axes from above.
Floating blades from the side.
Yet Adrian calmly avoided every single one.
A slight sidestep.
A lean backward.
A smooth pivot.
Nothing wasted.
Nothing excessive.
The audience slowly grew quieter.
And Adrian wasn't merely dodging.
One sword slash severed two puppet strings simultaneously.
Another movement redirected a floating construct into another summon.
Then Adrian's sword began glowing softly.
'Praito Butham'
Divine white light spread elegantly along the blade.
With a single motion Adrian destroyed one of Walter's summoning circles completely.
Walter narrowed his eyes immediately.
But he didn't stop.
More circles appeared.
More puppets.
More weapons.
The battlefield became increasingly crowded.
Walter escalated the complexity rapidly.
Hidden puppets emerged underground.
Explosive summons activated on delays.
Illusionary feints appeared among real attacks.
The audience struggled to even track what was happening anymore.
Yet Adrian remained calm.
He relied purely on instinct and reflex.
A backflip avoided an explosion beneath him.
A mid-air twist redirected a barrage of swords into colliding against another construct.
A puppet axe swung toward him, Adrian whispered quietly to himself. "Rely only on your judgement."
He ducked beneath the axe without even looking back.
Walter pulled his strings more aggressively now.
His attacks became relentless.
Faster.
Sharper.
More layered.
Yet over and over again Adrian escaped everything.
The crowd became confused.
"He's only defending…"
"How is he supposed to win like this?"
But then Walter smiled.
Fine.
If smaller creations weren't enough then overwhelming force would do.
A massive summoning circle appeared beneath the battlefield.
'Work of Terror'
The ground shook violently.
A gigantic puppet emerged from the circle.
Six massive arms extended outward.
Two wielded giant axes.
Two carried enormous shields.
Two held colossal war hammers.
The audience gasped loudly.
All smaller summons vanished.
Only the giant puppet remained.
Walter pointed forward.
The colossal construct charged.
Adrian calmly took a deep breath.
Then moved.
An axe descended.
Adrian twisted his body and avoided it by inches.
A hammer immediately followed.
BOOM.
Adrian parried it directly with his glowing sword despite the overwhelming size difference.
Then he began running upward along the puppet's arm.
The crowd erupted.
Walter reacted instantly.
One shield slammed into Adrian and blasted him backward.
Adrian landed smoothly.
But another axe already rushed toward him.
Adrian inhaled slowly.
Then...
FLASH.
A brilliant white line marked the axe arm of the puppet.
Adrian suddenly stood behind the puppet.
Silence.
Then... The puppet's axe arms slowly separated and collapsed onto the battlefield.
The audience froze.
Walter's eyes widened.
Adrian didn't stop.
Using the brief shock, he moved again and severed another arm's control strings instantly.
Walter snapped back quickly.
The hammer arms attacked furiously.
Adrian redirected one hammer using his sword and forced it to crash directly into the puppet's own torso.
But the attacks continued relentlessly.
Axes.
Shields.
Hammers.
Walter gave Adrian no room to breathe.
Yet Adrian continued weaving through every strike flawlessly.
Then Adrian took another slow breath.
The glow of 'Praito Butham' intensified dramatically.
Elegant divine radiance flowed around the blade.
'Luminous Edge'
FLASH.
A single white line crossed the entire puppet.
Adrian stood still.
The giant construct froze.
Then the colossal puppet collapsed apart in two halves.
The entire arena went silent.
No cheers.
No screams.
Just disbelief.
Walter stared at the destroyed remains of his masterpiece in complete shock.
The referee raised his hand.
Winner: Adrian.
Adrian simply exhaled softly.
No arrogance.
No celebration.
Just a calm smile as he turned toward his team.
And immediately Sera rushed forward and hugged him tightly.
"You were amazing!"
Lila jumped excitedly beside him.
Doran grinned proudly.
Fizzle floated around happily while throwing snacks into the air.
Even Drakar showed a faint smile.
Then Drakar and Adrian looked toward one another silently.
Both already understood.
What awaited them next.
Eternal Wings.
Solreth.
This was no longer just a tournament.
It had become personal.
Ifa finally broke the silence loudly.
"And THAT is what I call a royal performance! Elegant! Precise! Absolutely incredible!"
Shai nodded calmly.
"There was a lot of doubt surrounding Prince Adrian before this fight. But now… the arena itself has gone silent. He didn't overpower Walter through brute strength. He controlled the entire battle through precision and judgement."
Ifa laughed loudly.
"And with that! The Rising Heroes achieve a complete clean sweep in the Round of 32 against the Order of the White Pike!"
The crowd finally erupted once more.
This time, not with doubt.
But awe.
Rumors faded.
Whispers disappeared.
Though some still held onto their opinions, Adrian kept walking forward regardless.
And so did the Rising Heroes.