The aftermath of the duel was a controlled, simmering chaos.
Lin Feng, screaming threats and proclaiming his innocence, was dragged away by the Imperial Guard. His overclocked halo couldn't save him from the cold, hard reality of iron chains and a direct order from the Crown Prince. He was a hero without an audience, a protagonist whose script had been forcibly paused. For now.
Lyra, having successfully halted the duel, allowed herself to be whisked away by physicians, her "relapse" providing the perfect exit. But not before she gave me one last look—a promise of retribution so cold it could have frozen fire. The game between us was no longer about manipulation; it was about annihilation.
The remaining guests, their appetites for drama more than sated for one night, were swiftly and unceremoniously dismissed by my brother Valerius. He then turned to me, his expression a complicated mess of suspicion, grudging respect, and utter confusion.
"The Sky-Cell will hold him," Valerius stated, his voice flat. "Tomorrow, the council will convene. You will explain, in excruciating detail, exactly what you did tonight, Kaelen. Both the teleportation and the… dismantling of that technique."
"Of course, brother," I said with an easy smile, playing the part of a loyal, if mysterious, prince. "I am merely glad the honor of our family has been protected."
He grunted, unconvinced but without grounds to press the matter further. He stalked off, likely to oversee the imprisonment of his new, high-profile captive.
That left me alone in the ruined pavilion with one other person.
Seraphina Vane.
She hadn't moved. She stood by a shattered silk screen, a half-empty wine cup in her hand, her amethyst eyes glowing in the moonlight. She had watched everything—the duel, Lyra's act, my victory—with the keen, analytical gaze of a master strategist.
"Body Tempering, 5th Stage," she said, her voice a low, musical murmur. It wasn't a question. "Yet you dodged an attack from a Foundation Establishment cultivator using spatial movement, and then unraveled his Qi technique with a single strike."
She took a slow, deliberate sip of her wine. "The dandy prince, it seems, has been hiding a few secrets."
The quest to claim her had been sidelined by the night's chaos, but now, the opportunity was back. And the dynamics had shifted entirely. I was no longer the foolish prince she pitied. I was an enigma, a source of power and mystery.
I walked towards her, my steps silent. "A man without secrets is a man without value. Surely you, of all people, understand that, Lady Seraphina."
"I understand power," she countered, her eyes never leaving mine. "And tonight, I saw a glimpse of it. Tell me, Kaelen. What is it you truly want?"
It was a direct question, a test. The correct answer wasn't wealth, or titles, or even the throne. A woman like her was drawn to something grander.
"Everything," I said, my voice a low, confident whisper. I stopped just before her, close enough to feel the warmth radiating from her body. "I want the kind of power that makes emperors kneel and makes destiny itself rewrite its own rules. I want to stand at the absolute pinnacle, with the entire world in my hands."
It was the unvarnished, arrogant, and utterly intoxicating truth.
A slow, dangerous smile touched her lips. It was the same smile I had seen on her in the garden, but this time, it was filled with a palpable excitement. "An ambitious goal. And what makes you think you can achieve it?"
"Because I am not the hero of this story," I said, my voice dropping lower. "Heroes are bound by rules. By morality. By the needs of the weak." I reached out, my fingers gently brushing a stray strand of hair from her cheek. Her skin was like cool silk. She didn't flinch. "I have no such limitations."
Her breath hitched. This was the moment. The culmination of the night's display of power.
"The world belongs to those who are willing to take it," I murmured, my gaze dropping to her lips. "And I intend to take it all. Starting with its most beautiful treasures."
I didn't wait for a response. I leaned in and kissed her.
It was not a gentle, romantic kiss. It was a kiss of conquest. A branding. I was staking my claim. For a moment, she was rigid with shock, then, as my hand moved to cradle the back of her neck, she did not pull away. She responded. It was a subtle shift, but it was a surrender, an acknowledgement of the power she had witnessed.
When I finally pulled back, her eyes were dark, her breathing slightly ragged. The cool, untouchable mask of the ducal daughter was gone, replaced by the flushed, intrigued face of a woman who had just touched something wild and dangerous.
I hadn't claimed her "first blood" as the system so crudely put it. But I had done something far more important. I had conquered her will. I had planted my flag in her mind. The path was now open.
"Tonight was… illuminating, Your Highness," she finally whispered, regaining a fraction of her composure. "I will be watching your next move with great interest."
She turned and walked away, her hips swaying with a newfound purpose. I had not just gained a potential fiancée. I had gained a powerful, intelligent, and ambitious ally.
As she disappeared, I finally allowed myself a moment to revel in my victory.
"System," I said, my voice filled with triumphant glee. "Show me the rewards."
[WAGER QUEST COMPLETE]
[Objective: Survive - COMPLETE]
[Objective: First Blood - COMPLETE]
[Calculating Rewards...]
[10,000 SYSTEM POINTS AWARDED.]
[Current Balance: 11,054 SP]
A fortune. Enough to buy techniques, skills, and artifacts that would have been unimaginable dreams just hours ago.
[WAGER-CLAIM TOKEN x1 AWARDED.]
[Description: A token representing your victory in the first clash of the Wager of Realms. Can be consumed to permanently claim a fraction of the Protagonist's 'Destiny'. This will slightly weaken his Protagonist Halo and slightly strengthen your own 'Anti-Fate' presence.]
I felt a surge of elation. It was a tangible piece of his power. A way to literally devour his plot armor. I would save this. Using it now would be a waste. I'd wait until it could trigger a catastrophic failure for him.
[TITLE AWARDED: DESTINY'S RIVAL]
[Your status as a recognized threat to the timeline is now solidified. Opportunities and challenges that would normally be reserved for the Protagonist may now present themselves to you.]
This was the true prize. I was no longer just a regressor. I was now an official candidate in the race for the world's destiny.
I opened my inventory and looked at the final reward.
[PROTAGONIST'S BLOOD SAMPLE x1]
Description: A sample of the World-Breaker's biological and spiritual essence, obtained before his power has fully matured. Contains vital information about his soul, his techniques, and the nature of his 'cheat'.
A cold, analytical smile spread across my face. This was a weapon. A key.
"System," I commanded. "Begin the analysis of the blood sample. Full spectrum. I want to know everything. His weaknesses, the source of his power, the nature of his connection to the Netherworld. Everything."
...COMMAND RECEIVED. BEGINNING ANALYSIS.
...THIS IS A COMPLEX BIOLOGICAL AND METAPHYSICAL SAMPLE.
...ESTIMATED TIME TO COMPLETION: 24 HOURS.
...COST: 1,000 SP.
"Do it," I ordered without hesitation. Information was worth more than any pill or artifact.
I had done it. I had faced down the hero, survived, won, and laid the groundwork for his eventual destruction. I had turned my sister from a manipulator into a declared enemy and intrigued a powerful new ally.
Everything was going according to plan.
And then, just as I was about to leave the pavilion, a new system notification appeared. It wasn't a quest, and it wasn't a reward. It was a piece of information, a single line of text that arrived with no fanfare, but which held a twist more chilling than any demonic contract or Judicator's verdict. It was the first preliminary result from the blood sample analysis.
[ANALYSIS PRELIMINARY FINDING...]
[Subject: Lin Feng. Bloodline Analysis complete.]
[Subject shares a 49.8% genetic marker compatibility with the Ravencrest Royal Bloodline.]
[Conclusion: Lin Feng is your unacknowledged half-brother.]