The air in the hall grew suffocating.
The man in the black mantle stepped forward.
Each footfall landed heavy, crushing against every adventurer's chest.
"…Corvian."
Someone whispered his name from the corner, voice trembling.
A warrior of the Black Wing.
The moment those three syllables fell, it was like cold iron pressing into every heart.
Instinctively, the crowd stepped back.
Corvian's lips curled into a serpent's grin. His narrow eyes locked onto Luna.
"Little brat. If you say you want to be an adventurer… then prove it."
He raised his hand. Crimson energy boiled in his palm, thick and viscous like molten blood.
"The rules are simple. Endure three of my attacks, and I'll acknowledge you."
The hall erupted.
"Three strikes? That's Corvian!"
"The Butcher of the Black Wing! She's finished!"
"No… did you not see her just now? That aura… maybe, just maybe…"
Fear, disbelief, and tension tangled in every voice.
Some sneered, some swallowed hard, some stared with restless hunger.
All eyes fixed on the girl at the center.
Luna exhaled softly.
Her aqua-blue hair swayed faintly in the draft.
Mischief glimmered in her gaze, her lips curling upward.
In the next moment—
A sovereign aura poured from her small frame, pressing the hall into silence.
Three strikes? Hah… just that?
She didn't answer.
She simply walked forward, step by step.
Her nine-year-old figure outweighed the entire hall.
"Three strikes?"
Her voice rang clear, laced with icy echoes.
"Corvian… you'd better not regret it."
Corvian's grin widened, colder, sharper.
"Good. I love breaking arrogant brats like you."
Yet deep inside, a flicker of heat stirred.
This one… she's different. Those eyes—she dares look at me without fear…
The hall fell still.
This girl is going to die.
If she survives… it will be a legend.
Every breath trembled.
Corvian raised his hand.
Crimson light burned in his palm, molten glare reflecting in his snake-like eyes.
"—First move."
Boom!
His foot slammed down.
Dark-red energy exploded, cracks spiderwebbing across the obsidian floor.
Heat surged forward, reeking of burning blood.
---
"Damn it!"
Someone cried out.
"That's the Black Wing's Bloodflame Surge!"
The crowd scattered.
Chairs toppled, mugs shattered.
The air seared throats raw.
---
Luna narrowed her eyes.
Her heart pounded—
Now this… this is fun.
She stepped forward instead of back.
Her blue hair whipped upward in the gust.
Her finger curled slightly—air plunged in temperature.
Whoosh—
White mist spread at her feet.
Frost climbed upward like blades drawn from the ground.
---
The crimson surge slammed into her head-on.
Fire and frost collided, detonating with thunderous force.
Shards of burning light blinded the room.
Luna spread her arms. Azure light burned in her palms.
"Heh… that's all you've got?"
Her mind raced.
Dense waves. Impact three times the norm… but linear. Easy to block.
Her palms clapped together.
An ice wall burst up before her.
Crack crack crack—!
The wall shook violently, fissures racing like serpents.
Bloodflame crashed against it, shockwaves knocking tables flat.
---
"She… blocked it?"
"No way! That attack could smash through fortress walls!"
---
The ice shattered.
Mist engulfed the hall.
When it thinned, Luna knelt on one knee.
Her arms still braced forward, hair tossed by the heat.
Her lips curved. Mischief glimmered in her eyes.
"First move—done."
Corvian's pupils contracted. His grin sharpened.
She blocked it… what about the next?
His black mantle rippled in the heat.
Crimson gleam shimmered across his eyes.
"Not bad, brat. But that was just a test. Now—second strike."
Boom!
His aura burst like a bomb.
The air collapsed.
Screens flickered, glasses rattled.
Every adventurer froze.
Corvian lifted both arms, carving arcs with his fingers.
In an instant, dozens of crimson spears formed in the air.
Their tips gleamed with killing intent.
"Bloodfang Javelins! Let's see how many you can block!"
He slashed his hand down.
The spears screamed forward, so fast the air ripped apart.
"Impossible! Those can pierce steel!"
A horrified cry rang out.
Luna's pulse hammered, but her eyes blazed.
So many. All angles covered… no way out?
Perfect.
She tapped her toes—her body blurred, hair trailing like water.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The spears chased, a torrential rain of crimson.
She swung her palms. Blades of ice shot forth.
Clash! Clash! Clash!
Sparks and shards filled the air, deafening.
But the barrage was endless.
Several javelins broke through, streaking toward her chest and throat!
"Watch out!"
Sera gasped, fists clenched tight.
Luna's eyes hardened.
No retreat.
She spun, legs kicking down.
Frost erupted at her feet, blooming into concentric ice shields.
Boom! Boom!
The javelins struck, detonating violently.
Mist and crimson flares tangled, blinding sight.
"She… did she block it?!"
The haze thinned.
Luna stood, one leg grounded, chest rising sharply. Sweat trickled her brow.
But her eyes still burned, sharp as blades.
Frost shards drifted from her hair, sparkling under neon light.
She raised her hand, crooking a finger at Corvian, lips curling.
"Second strike… still not enough."
Corvian's expression stiffened.
This brat… actually held on? That calculation, that willpower… she's no child.
His confidence wavered.
The hall erupted.
"Gods… she blocked it again!"
"This is insane! A nine-year-old?!"
Corvian's smile vanished. His eyes turned to knives.
"Fine…"
His voice dropped low, laced with fury.
"Then the last strike—you'll pay with your life."
Boom!
The floor quaked.
Scarlet-black flames roared from him, devouring half the hall.
Screens sparked dead.
Metal walls groaned.
Adventurers stumbled back, pale.
"Fall back! We can't interfere!"
Corvian's hands twisted, weaving crimson spirals.
A vortex formed between his palms, devouring air like a gaping maw.
"Blood Prison Rend!"
His roar split the hall.
The vortex exploded—
A storm of crimson blades flooded out, shredding everything in its path.
"She can't dodge that!"
"That move could wipe out a whole squad!"
Sera's fists trembled, veins bulging.
She longed to move, but her body refused under the pressure.
At the storm's center, Luna stood.
Her hair whipped, eyes calm, colder than ever.
Dodge? No. That's not what I'll do.
Three strikes… I'll show you real power.
She inhaled deeply.
Azure light blazed at her fingertips, mana flooding outward like a river unleashed.
"—Frostbane Aria!"
Boom!
A torrent of azure-white erupted from her hands.
Blades of ice spun outward, a storm symphony unleashed.
The crimson storm crashed headlong into the glacial tempest.
Clash! Clash! Clash!
Red and blue devoured each other, tearing the hall apart.
Walls cracked, the floor shattered, frost and fire burned the air alike.
"Ahhh—!"
Someone screamed, curling against the wall.
When the chaos ebbed, the smoke cleared.
Luna still stood.
Her shoulders heaved, sweat dripping, but her back was straight.
Her hair flowed in fading currents.
Frost shards spun like stars around her.
Across from her—
Corvian knelt on one knee.
His mantle torn, blood at his lips.
His arms trembled, barely holding him up.
His eyes were wide, disbelief crushing his pride.
"…Impossible…"
His whisper cracked. His gaze hollowed.
I… lost… to a nine-year-old brat?
The hall froze.
Every adventurer gaped, breathless.
Then whispers exploded.
"She won?"
"No—she crushed him head-on!"
"A nine-year-old girl… beat a warrior of the Black Wing?!"
Luna raised her hand.
With a snap, the last shard of ice shattered into mist.
Her lips curved coldly. Mischief and majesty blazed in her eyes.
"Three strikes. It's over."
Her voice rang clear, tolling in every heart.
"Now… admit it."
Corvian clenched his teeth.
His face drained white, then blue.
Finally, he bowed his head.
"…You… have the right."
The hall erupted.
Applause thundered.
Gasps tore free.
Some froze in shock.
In that moment—
The nine-year-old girl stood like a monarch upon a throne.
Unshakable.
The roar shook the guild.
Sera's eyes blazed, fists trembling with resolve.
This is the one I'll follow.
Then—
The mission board flickered violently.
Quests glitched, characters distorting.
The receptionist froze. Her eyes widened at the foreign text scrolling across:
[Upper-level monitoring: ACTIVE]
[Unregistered mana detected]
[Threat classification: EXTREME]
[Uploading——]
Her heart lurched.
It meant only one thing—
The Guild's true upper echelon had turned their gaze toward the girl.
From the far corner, cloaked in shadow, a middle-aged man watched in silence.
His eyes gleamed coldly, fingers tapping his chair's armrest.
"Nine years old…"
His whisper was low, dripping with both ridicule and excitement.
"If she truly has this power… she must be reported immediately."
He rose quietly and vanished into the crowd.
As if he had never been there at all.