[18th June]
The entire stadium had fallen silent.
Not a single sound echoed through the massive arena as countless eyes remained locked onto the battlefield below.
Rey was pinned brutally against the shattered ground, four blades piercing through his body while spiritual pressure forced them even deeper into his flesh.
Blood had already dyed the arena crimson beneath him.
Meanwhile, standing right in front of him, Raviel wore a cold smile.
A smile filled with cruelty.
He was waiting.
Waiting for Rey to surrender.
Waiting to repeat the same despair he had forced onto Fenlor before.
His qi circulated silently through his body, prepared to move the instant Rey uttered the words of defeat.
Rey's lips moved slightly.
Raviel's smirk widened.
'Say it…'
His eyes gleamed darkly.
'Go on… surrender…'
'Then I'll show you what happens when someone dares mock me.'
Those thoughts repeated endlessly inside his mind.
The entire stadium unconsciously held its breath.
And then—
Rey spoke.
"I…"
The next second—
"I WON'T! GO TO HELL, DUMBASS!!"
His roar exploded throughout the stadium like thunder.
The sound echoed through every corner of the arena.
Across every screen, Rey's bloodied face appeared clearly before the audience.
His teeth were stained red.
His body was broken.
Yet the fire in his eyes refused to bend.
For the first time, Raviel's expression froze.
Murmurs instantly spread across the audience.
Most people still couldn't hear their full conversation, but even then, Rey's refusal alone was enough to shake them.
Raviel slowly exhaled before laughing lightly.
But frustration leaked through his smile.
"Hah…"
"Great…"
"I shouldn't have expected less from that bloodline."
His eyes slowly lowered toward the dagger piercing Rey's thigh.
Then he began walking toward it.
One slow step at a time.
The closer he got, the grimmer several spectators became.
Some had already understood what he was about to do.
Raviel stopped beside the blade.
Then—
He lifted his foot.
And stomped down mercilessly onto the dagger handle.
SHHK!
The blade pierced even deeper through Rey's thigh, erupting out from the opposite side.
"ARRRGGHHHH!!"
A scream tore out from Rey's throat despite his trying to suppress it.
The pain was too intense.
His entire body trembled violently as blood flooded out from the wound.
His eyes had turned bloodshot from agony.
Yet even then—
He still struggled.
Still tried to force himself free.
But the spiritual pressure crushing him down remained unmoved.
Raviel clicked his tongue before moving toward the second dagger.
Even the Host had begun stepping forward slightly now, ready to intervene if things crossed the limit.
Meanwhile, confusion spread throughout the audience.
Nobody understood why Rey still refused to surrender.
He was already destroyed to this extent.
His body looked like it could collapse at any moment.
So why?
Why continue?
"What is this guy doing? Can't he just surrender already?"
One spectator spoke with disbelief.
"Look at his condition. I'm sure he won't survive another wound."
"Exactly. Defeating Young Master Raviel was impossible from the beginning."
"Such stubbornness will only cripple him for life."
"He's gaining nothing from this."
Voices spread throughout the public stands.
Most couldn't understand.
Only the nobles knew why Rey refused to kneel.
And despite the inevitable loss approaching him—
Nobody mocked his strength anymore.
Not after seeing him push Raviel this far.
Even in defeat, Rey had already proven himself as one of the strongest young martial artists in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Raviel stood beside the second dagger lodged through Rey's other thigh.
He slowly looked toward the audience with a cold, prideful gaze.
Like a ruler displaying dominance over a defeated enemy.
His foot slowly pressed against the dagger handle again.
Then he spoke.
"You all must be wondering why this fool still refuses to surrender."
His voice echoed clearly throughout the stadium.
"Then let me tell you the reason."
"This pathetic pride he carries for his ruined name is stopping him from kneeling."
A strange silence spread.
Raviel's lips curved further upward.
"You all cheer for his title every day…"
"The Deathshot Archer."
"But none of you even know his true identity."
He extended a hand toward Rey.
Then declared loudly—
"His real name is Rey Dragonstorm."
The stadium exploded.
"Yes."
"He is the surviving heir of the fallen Duke family of the past."
"And this pathetic pride in his dead bloodline is the only reason he still refuses to surrender before me."
Chaos erupted instantly afterwards.
People stood up in shock.
Disbelief spread across the kingdom.
Nobody expected the destroyed Dragonstorm family to still possess a surviving heir.
Suddenly—
Everything about Rey began making sense in their eyes.
His monstrous talent.
His terrifying growth.
His strength.
All of it became tied to the legacy of the former Duke family.
"That's why he was so talented…"
"I thought he was a commoner genius…"
"One who represented ordinary people…"
"But he was just another noble all along…"
Another voice followed bitterly.
"We were excited seeing someone from the lower class challenge the Duke's heir…"
"But it turns out he belongs to the previous Duke family himself…"
"What a joke."
"And look at him now."
"If this is all the former Duke family can produce, no wonder they were destroyed."
"Such wasted bloodline."
The atmosphere shifted rapidly.
The same crowd cheering him moments ago had already begun slandering him.
Meanwhile, Gravion silently observed from the stands.
Surprise flickered through his eyes briefly.
'Interesting…'
'I never heard about Rey Dragonstorm in my previous life.'
'Looks like my existence really has altered this timeline more than expected.'
A faint smirk appeared beneath his mask.
'Still… if he truly belongs to the Dragonstorm bloodline, things might become troublesome later.'
'After all… I possess something his family would desperately want.'
'But it doesn't matter.'
'I can deal with him when the time comes.'
Across the kingdom, countless viewers were thrown into uproar.
The battle between the current Duke heir and the heir of the fallen Duke family had instantly become far more than a tournament match.
It was history repeating itself before everyone's eyes.
And to most—
The result already seemed obvious.
A ruined bloodline could never compete against the current rulers of the kingdom.
Inside the Valemont family stands, silence dominated completely.
The fear they had carried for so long had finally become reality.
Rey's identity had been exposed before the entire kingdom.
Hosric sat there silently, one hand covering his eyes while staring toward the broken figure below.
Meanwhile, Raviel crouched down before Rey once more.
His voice lowered coldly enough that only Rey could hear.
"Do you hear them?"
"The ridicule."
"The disgust."
"That is the current worth of your family name."
His smirk widened further.
"Did you really believe a leftover heir from a dead family could defeat me?"
"What a joke."
A dangerous madness slowly entered his eyes.
"I'm sure your pathetic mother is trembling right now inside that little house you people hide in at the outskirts of your own former kingdom."
"Just wait until the contract ends…"
"I'll personally hunt down every remaining Dragonstorm one by one."
"My anger still hasn't subsided even a little."
"I'll make sure your entire bloodline experiences despair for the rest of their lives."
Rey's expression slowly darkened.
His glare became terrifying.
If he could move freely right now—
He truly would have torn Raviel's tongue out.
But Aiden's warning still echoed inside his mind.
He couldn't reveal everything here.
Not yet.
Otherwise—
He still possessed methods capable of suppressing Raviel even now.
So he endured.
Again.
And again.
His fingers dug so deeply into the ground that blood began leaking from beneath his nails.
His breathing became ragged.
Violent.
His entire body trembled from suppressed fury.
If hatred alone could kill—
Raviel would have died hundreds of times already beneath that gaze.
Raviel noticed it immediately.
Slowly, he stood up in front of Rey again.
Then smiled coldly.
"What are you glaring at?"
"I really hate that look."
He leaned slightly closer.
"Maybe that's why your family fell in the first place."
"And your father died that day, too."
A cruel laugh escaped him afterwards.
"Then again… what can you expect from rotten fruit born from a rotten tree?"
That sentence crossed the line.
Completely.
Rey's body shook violently.
The final thread of patience inside him snapped apart.
His mind went blank.
Only one thought remained.
Pure rage.
'Sorry… Aiden…'
'I can't hold back anymore.'
The next second—
His mana exploded violently out of control.
Dark veins spread beneath his skin as a terrifying force surged through his body.
⟪Ebon Vein Reinforcement⟫
Mana exploded from Rey's palm the instant it struck the arena floor.
BOOM!
The entire ground ruptured beneath him.
Cracks spread like spiderwebs across the stadium while dust and shattered stone burst upward in a violent wave.
The pressure pinning him down shattered apart.
The daggers embedded in his body were blown loose as Raviel instantly leapt backwards, his expression finally changing for the first time since dominating the fight.
Seriousness.
True seriousness.
He had never expected Rey to retaliate in this condition.
The entire stadium fell silent.
Everyone had already believed the match was over.
But the explosion that erupted from Rey's body had ripped apart that certainty in an instant.
Dust clouds swallowed the battlefield whole.
Nothing could be seen.
Raviel narrowed his eyes and immediately tried recalling his blades with spiritual control.
The daggers trembled in response.
But they didn't return.
His gaze sharpened.
Something was wrong.
Before anyone could process what was happening—
Two projectiles burst out of the dust like cannon fire.
WHOOSH!
The speed behind them was monstrous.
Even Raviel, reinforced with qi circulation, was forced several steps backwards after deflecting them.
The moment the objects landed, the crowd realised what they were.
His swords.
The very swords Raviel had plunged into Rey's shoulders.
But now their handles were crushed and twisted beyond shape.
Finger imprints were deeply embedded into the metal like someone had crushed them barehanded.
The dust slowly began to settle.
Raviel's spiritual energy surged as he prepared himself to suppress Rey again the moment he appeared—
But what emerged from the smoke wasn't caution.
It was madness.
A blood-covered figure shot out from the dust like a human missile.
Rey.
His entire body trembled violently.
Blood dripped from every wound.
His eyes had lost all hesitation.
Mana fluctuations exploded around him wildly, violently, unstably.
Inside his mind, Aiden's voice roared for the first time.
"Stop, kid! Don't do this!"
"You don't have enough mana left to maintain that reinforcement! Your body won't survive much longer!"
But Rey didn't stop.
It was like he couldn't even hear him anymore.
"This idiot…" Aiden muttered darkly before turning toward Victor.
"Is this your doing again?"
Victor denied it instantly.
Even he looked shocked.
Rey's condition shouldn't have allowed him to release this kind of power anymore.
But fury was forcing his body to move beyond reason.
Beyond logic.
Beyond limits.
Rey crossed the distance instantly.
No footwork.
No strategy.
No defense.
Only rage.
Raviel reacted immediately.
Both swords pierced straight toward Rey's abdomen.
SHNK!
The blades struck him directly.
But instead of piercing through cleanly, the swords bent slightly against the violent mana reinforcement covering his body.
Raviel's eyes widened.
Before he could retreat—
A fist smashed straight into his face.
BOOOOM!
"HAAAAAA!"
Rey roared as he forced every last drop of mana into the punch.
The protective qi around Raviel's face shattered apart instantly.
The impact sent Raviel flying across the arena like a broken kite.
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
His jaw shifted violently from the force.
The entire stadium froze.
Nobody could understand what they had just witnessed.
Rey stood motionless in the center of the arena.
Barely standing.
His legs trembled uncontrollably.
The arm he used to punch Raviel was mangled and bloodied from the backlash.
His body looked ready to collapse at any second.
Meanwhile—
Raviel slowly stood back up.
The supporters cheering for Rey suddenly felt fear crawl into their stomachs.
Blood dripped from Raviel's nose and lips.
A swollen red imprint of Rey's fist was visible across his face.
He touched his cheek slowly.
Then looked toward Rey.
Toward the boy who still refused to fall.
Something inside him snapped.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Spiritual energy erupted from Raviel's body in a violent shockwave.
The air trembled.
His rage had completely exploded.
He grabbed a sword from the ground and charged forward with killing intent clear in his eyes.
"I'LL KILL THAT BAS*ARD TODAY!"
But before he could reach Rey—
The Host and every judge instantly appeared between them.
BOOM!
Their pressure halted Raviel in place.
Raviel glared murderously at them.
"Move aside."
His voice sounded less human now.
"I said MOVE!"
But none of them stepped away.
The Host stared at him calmly.
"Sorry, Sir Raviel."
"The match is over."
"Contestant 19,082 has lost consciousness."
"You are the winner."
The cheers erupting through the stadium felt strangely hollow after those words.
Because everyone could still see Rey standing there.
His body hadn't fallen yet.
His eyes remained open.
But there was no focus left inside them.
He had gone unconscious while still standing.
Blood dripped quietly from his body as his head tilted slightly downward.
Like a warrior refusing to kneel even after defeat.
The medical teams rushed onto the arena immediately.
Meanwhile, the Valemont family had already left the stands to reach him first.
Raviel stood there silently.
His chest rose heavily with rage.
But he could no longer continue.
The match had officially ended.
And worse—
His "victory" no longer felt dominant.
Not after the entire kingdom witnessed him being pushed this far.
He glanced once toward the Duke's stand.
Then silently left the arena with a dark expression and a broken condition.
For the first time since the tournament began—
Tension existed in his eyes.
Because he already understood something.
His perfect image had cracked today.
Above the arena, Duke Ashcroft silently observed the aftermath.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Especially remembering the sudden surge of power Rey displayed at the end.
"That power…" he muttered inwardly.
"So the Dragonstorm brat still possesses hidden cards left behind by his father…"
At that moment, Marcus returned hurriedly, carrying a data pad.
"Sir… a message has arrived from the Ice Heart Kingdom."
"From Duke Frostheart."
Marcus hesitated slightly.
"It concerns Rey Dragonstorm."
Ashcroft took the device silently and read the message.
The next second—
His expression changed.
A brief silence passed.
Then he handed the pad back.
"Marcus."
His voice turned cold and absolute.
"Recall every unit monitoring the Dragonstorm family."
"Immediately."
"Seize all operations against them."
"And don't you dare leave a single one behind."
Marcus froze.
"…Sir?"
"And listen carefully," Ashcroft continued.
"No one approaches Rey Dragonstorm from this moment onward."
"That is an order."
Marcus quickly bowed and left to execute the commands.
Meanwhile—
Ashcroft slowly clenched the armrest of his seat.
CRACK.
The entire thing shattered apart in his grip.
"Those fools…"
"They truly think they can pressure me this easily…"
His gaze slowly drifted toward the ruined battlefield below.
"Just wait a few more months."
"Then I'll show every single one of them."
Below the stadium—
The arena was already being repaired again.
But the kingdom itself had already changed tonight.
And somewhere inside the medical wing—
The fate of Rey Dragonstorm remained unknown.