The smile on Aris's face carried madness, yet it was closer to the smile of darkness itself. Everyone who saw it unconsciously took a step back — Hela, Loki, Scar, Selina, Zenitha, Ariel, Eva, and even Kira, Kai, and Pain, who was still streaming their fight live, all retreated as well, with Pain almost falling to the ground.
When Mei saw that smile, a strange tension swept through her body, even though she was a mage of the eighth rank. The brilliance in her eyes dimmed for a moment, and she felt the air around her grow heavier, as if darkness itself was crawling into her chest.
Loki was trembling, his face filled with terror, muttering to himself in a trembling voice:
" He… broke one of the chains… He's going to… going to…"
Hela noticed Loki's strange behavior, approached him cautiously, and whispered in his ear, her voice low and filled with worry:
"Loki, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
He raised his gaze to her, his eyes bloodshot, veins bulging under pressure, and cold sweat dripping from his forehead. His voice came out hoarse and ragged:
"Hela… surrender… don't face him… or else…"
She cut him off angrily, the air trembling around her because of it:
"Loki, what are you saying? Do you think I'll lose? In the end, his foundation is still unstable!"
Her tone was sharp, filled with anger and humiliation, as if his words were a stab to her pride. The mana around her flared with faint heat, and her eyes burned with the fire of challenge.
But Loki screamed in a voice mixed with madness and fear, trembling even more:
"Hela, surrender! He's on another level! He's… a monster? No… something else—he's a catastrophe walking the earth!"
Hela didn't understand what had gotten into him. She felt that Loki was no longer himself — no longer the strong, proud warrior she knew. She lifted her chin in disdain and said coldly, filled with contempt:
"I didn't expect you to be this weak…"
After uttering those words, Hela allowed herself to leave without further argument, turning away with tense steps, as if trying to hide a faint tremor in her fingertips.
As for Loki, he couldn't explain what he had seen.
When Aris broke through, Loki had activated the Eye of Heaven — and saw something that should never be seen.
He saw invisible chains surrounding Aris, like a cocoon that revealed only a part of an eye — but that chain shattered.
It revealed a violet eye that turned into absolute darkness, devouring everything around it, as if the world itself was vanishing into that black void.
Loki choked on his breath and tasted the bitterness of iron in his mouth — the taste of blood — while the air around them became thick with the scent of burning ash…
And despite all of that, Aris's smile didn't fade — a smile so terrifying that even light hesitated to approach him.
Selina was staring at Aris, every instinct in her body screaming to run, but she quickly gathered herself, lifting her head to face him with a new look — one that carried both seriousness and caution.
As for Aris, noticing the hesitation in everyone's eyes, he shouted in a powerful voice that shook the training arena:
"Come on! Let one of you step forward! I don't have much time to wait for you to gather your courage!"
Everyone exchanged glances, each thinking the same thing: Aris's foundation was still unstable after his recent breakthrough — this was their only chance to defeat him.
But the question was… who dared to seize it?
While they hesitated, Professor Mei stepped forward calmly toward Aris. Her face reflected genuine concern, and her voice came out calm yet firm:
"Aris, you've broken through the barrier, but you need to stabilize your foundation first. How about we stop here, and you continue your match after your energy settles?"
She was sincerely trying to advise him, and her words were not wrong.
Because even the slightest deviation in his energy flow now could destroy the mana pathways inside his body, leaving him with only two possible outcomes:
either losing his power forever and becoming a normal person unable to use energy again, or… dying.
And though Aris understood that perfectly, his determination was as unyielding as steel — he refused to back down.
He said in a calm, icy voice:
"Thank you for your advice, Professor Mei… but I will continue."
Mei wanted to argue, but the look in Aris's eyes — filled with pure resolve and unshakable will — silenced her.
Aris took a deep breath, then turned his gaze toward the students and said sharply, like a blade:
"Have you decided… or should I choose?"
He didn't wait for an answer, instead pointing his sword directly at Scar.
"You, cat — come. Let's play a little."
Scar froze for a moment, then the hesitation vanished completely from his heart. The word "cat" — how Aris had called him — was what he hated most in this world.
His expression burned with rage, the muscles of his arm bulging as he lifted his massive axe, its blade engraved with the head of a golden lion pulsing with fiery heat.
"Aris, don't get too full of yourself just because of your recent breakthrough!"
He advanced with heavy steps that made the ground tremble beneath him, his golden aura blazing with heat so intense it nearly burned the air itself.
Aris responded with a cold smile as he stepped forward as well — half the arena was swallowed by freezing darkness, while the other half ignited in shimmering golden flames.
The arena split into two opposing worlds — night and a golden inferno.
Everyone gasped in astonishment when Scar released his full aura — it was that of a Two-Star Knight, far stronger than they had expected.
Aris murmured quietly, with biting sarcasm:
"Really? You're using that pathetic trick? Pretending to be a pig while hiding a lion? Such a cheap ploy."
The air froze for a few seconds before Aris's aura exploded, sweeping across the arena, filling it with a suffocating pressure that made even the air tremble.
Scar responded with a furious, mocking voice:
"I didn't want to show my full power, but you forced me. Still… it won't matter. Your talent is far beneath mine."
Aris replied coldly, his tone sharp as frost:
"Hah, talent? You're the one who's beneath me."
Their auras clashed like opposing storms — the air quaked, dust swirled violently, and everyone's hair stood on end from the sheer pressure.
Heat and cold collided in the center, and small explosions echoed around them.
Then, Aris activated the King's Eye on Scar.
Information appeared clearly before him:
> [Name: Scar Leith]
[Titles: The Promised King (the one awaited by the demi-human race for a million years) / Son of Ra's Flame (one of the three holiest flames in the universe)]
[Occupation: Knight]
[Rank: Two Stars]
[Talent: SS — Golden Lion Heart (extraordinary healing ability, overwhelming physical strength)]
[Anger: +50]
Aris blinked slightly, recalling that in his previous life, Scar wasn't yet a candidate for the Demi-Human Empire's throne at this point.
But after a great famine struck the land, through his wisdom, decisiveness, and connections, he solved the crisis himself.
That made him beloved by the people and hated by nobles and his brothers. They conspired against him — but he was one step ahead, claiming the throne with their blood.
His father, the emperor, drowned in lust and never loved Scar for being an illegitimate child, which made Scar grow cautious, ruthless, and distrustful, honing his strength until he seized what was his by force.
Under his rule, the empire flourished in trade, education, and military power — earning him the titles:
Lord of the Golden Flames and The Promised Emperor.
Aris muttered softly, so no one could hear:
"But that's all in the future… For now, he's nothing."
Mei raised her hand, activating the magic barrier that surrounded the arena entirely, and announced clearly the start of the duel.
The moment her voice echoed, both of them dashed forward at blinding speed — even the wind couldn't keep up.
Aris raised his sword shrouded in darkness, while Scar lifted his axe blazing with sunlight-like gold.
The sword and axe collided — a burst of sparks and the clang of metal roared like thunder, shaking the entire arena beneath their feet.
Smoke rose, the smell of burning iron mixed with ash and fire, while everyone watched in stunned silence.
The battle between cold, merciless darkness and a golden flame that devoured the air had truly begun.