The moment the Judicator accepted the wager, the oppressive silence shattered.
Sound rushed back in—the crackling of the few remaining lanterns, the distant shouts of confused guards, the sharp intake of breath from a dozen terrified nobles. The soul-crushing pressure vanished, leaving behind a lingering, bone-deep chill.
The Judicator gave me one last, long, appraising look. It was a look that said, You have just signed a contract in which your soul and the very concept of your existence are the collateral. I hope you know what you are doing.
Then, with no more ceremony than a wisp of smoke caught in the wind, she dissolved into the violet mist and was gone.
The world was back, but it was a different world now. The game had been reset, the board cleared, and the new rules inscribed in cosmic law. It was me versus Lin Feng. Winner takes all. The loser, and everything they represent, is erased from existence.
The instant the Judicator vanished, Lin Feng's protagonist halo, which had been suppressed, flared back to life, stronger than ever. The overclock was still in effect. He blinked, the confusion on his face being rapidly replaced by his default, arrogant confidence. He didn't understand what had just happened, but his instincts were screaming at him that the threat was gone and the stage was his once more.
He pointed the Dragon's Heart at me, its light glinting in his eyes. "Enough tricks, Kaelen! That… thing… is gone. Now, where were we? Ah yes. You, a traitor, being exposed by me, a hero."
My eldest brother, Valerius, shook his head as if to clear it of water. The memory of the Judicator was already fading from his mind like a dream, leaving behind only an inexplicable feeling of dread. His mortal mind couldn't fully process a being of that magnitude. All he knew was that the crisis had passed, and there was a thief and a stolen artifact in front of him.
"Guards!" Valerius roared, his voice regaining its command. "Seize the intruder!"
The Imperial Guard, shaken but disciplined, began to converge on Lin Feng.
But now, I had to act. The wager had been set. I couldn't let my rival get arrested by my idiot brother. The rules stated we would compete. A competition requires two players on the board, not one in a dungeon.
Besides, I had a much, much better idea.
"STOP!" I commanded, my voice ringing with an authority that stunned even Valerius into silence.
I stepped forward, my gaze fixed on Lin Feng. I ignored the stolen artifact in his hand. I ignored my brother's guards. I looked at the World-Breaker, the Netherworld's chosen cancer, and I smiled.
"You've got guts, I'll give you that," I said, my tone conversational, almost amused. "Breaking into the Imperial Palace, stealing a national treasure, and then crashing a royal banquet to make a scene. It's a bold strategy."
Lin Feng sneered. "It's not a strategy. It's justice. I'm exposing—"
"The 'true culprit'?" I finished for him, letting out a short, sharp laugh. "Please. Spare me the righteous act. You and I both know that's not why you're here."
I gestured around the pavilion, at the terrified nobles, at my furious brother, at the beautiful and now utterly silent Seraphina. "Look at this. Chaos. The Imperial Guard in disarray. The Royal Family in turmoil. This is what you wanted. You're not a hero. You're an opportunist, and you've just created the biggest opportunity of your life."
I turned to Valerius, my expression shifting to one of serious, pragmatic counsel. "Brother, think. Do you really believe this commoner, who is somehow at the Foundation Establishment realm at sixteen, just happened to find the 'real thief' and retrieve the Dragon's Heart, all within minutes of the alarm being raised?"
Valerius hesitated, his rigid mind struggling to process the blatant impossibility of the situation.
"Or," I continued, pressing my advantage, "is it more likely that he is the thief himself? That he stole the artifact and concocted this absurd story about me to sow chaos, making himself look like a hero in the process?"
Lin Feng's eyes flashed with anger. "You dare twist my heroic deed into a crime?"
"Your 'heroic deed' has plunged the palace into lockdown and endangered the royal family," I countered coolly. "My actions today, however misguided you might think them, saved the princess's life. Now, which of us has acted in the best interest of the Ravencrest Dynasty?"
I had reframed the entire narrative. From 'guilty traitor exposed by a hero' to 'loyal prince defending the family from a chaotic and dangerous intruder'.
Valerius was caught, his mind unable to reconcile the two realities.
I didn't give him time to think. I turned back to Lin Feng, my smile gone, replaced by a look of cold challenge.
"You want to prove you're not a thief?" I said, my voice low and dangerous. "Fine. There's a simple way to settle this. You're a cultivator. I'm a cultivator. Let's not bore my father with a lengthy investigation."
I pointed to the open space in the center of the pavilion.
"I, Kaelen Ravencrest, challenge you, Lin Feng, to a life-and-death duel. Right here, right now."
The entire pavilion erupted in shocked gasps.
Lyra's eyes widened, a flicker of panic replacing her calculated calm. This was not part of her script. Seraphina leaned forward, her expression one of intense, fascinated intrigue. Valerius looked at me as if I had grown a second head.
Lin Feng himself was momentarily stunned into silence. Then, a slow, arrogant grin spread across his face. He looked at my apparent cultivation—Body Tempering, 5th Stage. He looked at his own—Foundation Establishment, 3rd Stage, massively buffed by his halo. The gap was not just a gulf; it was a fucking ocean.
"A life-and-death duel?" he chuckled, as if it were the funniest joke he'd ever heard. "You? Against me? Are you insane, or just suicidal?"
"What's the matter?" I taunted, my voice dripping with disdain. "Is the great hero afraid to fight a 'useless dandy prince' on even ground? Or is your entire act just a front? All talk, no spine?"
His grin vanished, replaced by a furious scowl. I had targeted his single greatest weakness: his pride.
"You will regret this," he snarled.
"I'm sure I will," I said pleasantly. I turned to my brother. "Valerius. This is no longer a matter of state law. It is a matter of a cultivator's honor. Sanction this duel. The winner's word is truth. The loser dies. It's the cleanest way to end this mess."
My brother was trapped. A formal challenge had been issued. To deny it would be to deny the very traditions of the cultivation world. Reluctantly, he gave a stiff nod. "The duel is sanctioned."
Lin Feng tossed the Dragon's Heart to Valerius, who fumbled to catch it. He drew his rusty sword, its blade humming with an unnatural power.
I, in turn, summoned the Shadowfang Dagger to my hand. It materialized in a wisp of cold, dark smoke, its sealed power feeling like a hungry void.
The guests scrambled to the edges of the pavilion, clearing the floor. The stage was set.
My wager with the Netherworld had begun. And my first move was to force my rival into a battle he thought he couldn't possibly lose.
But as we faced each other, a final notification from the system flashed in my mind. It was the first quest issued under the new terms of the wager.
[WAGER QUEST ISSUED: The First Blood]
Description: The battle for destiny has begun. Announce your claim with the blood of your rival. You are not expected to win this fight. You are not strong enough. But you are not required to win.
Objective: Survive the duel. In the process, you must inflict a wound upon Lin Feng that draws blood, no matter how minor.
Survival Reward: 10,000 SP, [Wager-Claim Token x1]
First Blood Reward: Title: 'Destiny's Rival', [Protagonist's Blood Sample x1]
Failure Penalty: Death. Annihilation of the Nexus Codex.