A profound silence gripped the arena for several minutes, until the referee finally regained his composure and announced the conclusion of the fourth bout of the sixth stage:
"The winner of the fourth bout of the sixth stage is Yuta Caseral, representing the 'Midnight Beasts' team, defeating his opponents, Guther McIntyre and Jian Yi, from the 'Cannibals' team!"
"And with this, we officially declare the end of the sixth stage of the Magic Tournament, with the 'Midnight Beasts' securing a crushing 4–0 victory over the 'Cannibals'!"
Moments after the announcement, the referee received an urgent communication from the tournament organizers—one that left him completely stunned: "What?! All the remaining participants have withdrawn?!"
The other teams had chosen to withdraw after witnessing the terrifying power of the 'Midnight Beasts,' who had handed the 'Cannibals'—a team that had dominated the tournament for decades—a humiliating and indescribable defeat. Fearing a similarly tragic fate, the remaining competitors decided to bow out.
"And so... following the withdrawal of all other participants, the winner of the tournament is the 'Midnight Beasts' team!"
Yuta turned his gaze toward Guther, who still lay on the ground, and offered a faint smile: "Guther, are you alright?" "Yes, I'm perfectly fine; all my injuries have healed."
A look of genuine amusement played across Guther's face as he gazed up at the sky, where the setting sun cast its glow upon his crimson eyes. Although he lost the battle, he gained a terrifying power—a new trump card to add to his arsenal of abilities and techniques—even though he had utilized only 0.10% of that mysterious strength. He was well aware that the path toward true power remained a very long one.
Following the conclusion of the coronation ceremonies, Gother, accompanied by Yuta, went to join the rest of his team:
"Greetings. I am Gother MacTire, the third son of the MacTire family."
His tone was calm and respectful, exuding a profound sense of composure. Yuta's companions then introduced themselves, with a formality befitting their status as the offspring of key figures within the Empire:
"I am Grey de Molière, a member of the main branch of the family. A pleasure to meet you." "And I am Ruichi de Molière, the youngest son of the head of the de Molière family. Pleased to make your acquaintance." "I am Beatrice Azwasen, granddaughter of the former Magic Emperor, Boswal. Welcome." "I am Prevka Aslahan. A pleasure to meet you, Gother MacTire." "I am Lucy Kathali, daughter of the current Magic Emperor, Balgord Kathali. Pleased to meet you."
With a note of genuine bewilderment, Gother asked, "How did the two of you become friends?" Given that the McTire family consists of assassins and executioners who carry out dangerous missions to root out the corruption plaguing the human realm, it was truly strange that they would allow their members to associate with children from other families—especially those from the Kingdom of Yonglehead, where the McTire family's main estate and grand duchy are located.
Yuta glanced toward Gowther and his companions, noticing clear expressions of surprise on all their faces. He let out a deep sigh before speaking: "We associate with each other just like any two ordinary people. Besides, our friendship only began a few years ago."
Yurchi scoffed, a mocking expression crossing his face: "How did you two even become friends when you're so different? Wait—actually, you aren't that different..."
Beatrice interrupted, asking the question that was on everyone's mind: "Does your family know, Yuta, that you're friends with someone who could become the future heir to the greatest family of assassins—Gowther McTire?"
Hahahaha!
Gowther burst into laughter at Beatrice's remark. Turning to Yuta, he said with a tone dripping in clear mockery and derision, "Didn't you tell them?"
"Tell us what?" Ruichi asked, clearly bewildered—a sentiment shared by everyone present. Seeing that Yuta remained completely silent—as he had no interest in discussing his past or the events of the last five months—Gowther decided to provide the explanation himself:
"Of Yuta's family, only his sister remains; the rest of the Casiral family are all dead." Everyone's expressions shifted to sheer shock as they looked toward Yuta, who appeared completely indifferent. To him, his family meant nothing; the deaths of those wretches were merely a trivial step toward a greater goal—one that, for the moment, remained unknown.
"Who killed them? Who wiped out the entire Baroni family?" Lucy asked, her tone a mix of shock and profound bewilderment.
Yuta replied with an air of utter nonchalance, as if the matter were too insignificant to even mention—especially compared to everything else he had endured: "I killed them, Lucy."
Stunned into absolute disbelief, the group fell into a long, heavy silence before Beatrice finally spoke: "Are you serious, Yuta?" "Yes, I am entirely serious. I was the one who killed them." "But why did you kill them?"
Lucy's tone carried the sharp edge of an interrogation, but Yuta ignored it—though such a lack of respect would have cost her her life, had it not been for the oath he had sworn to a certain individual.
"First, let me ask you all a question: Am I human, or not?"
Confused and struggling to grasp the turn of events, Lucy replied, "What do you mean? We don't understand any of this—could you explain?"
"I am not 100% human. The man who claimed to be my father transformed me into a hybrid—a fusion of three different kinds of beings: demons, angels, and dragons. That is why I took my revenge for what they did to me."
Yuta's voice remained perfectly flat, as if the whole affair were of no consequence to him whatsoever. "What do you mean by 'the one who claimed to be'—as opposed to 'those who claimed to be'?" Lucy asked, her tone laced with disapproval.
Yuta turned his gaze toward Gother—his expression a mix of amusement and a flicker of irritation—before speaking in his usual, measured tone: "The woman who was with us wasn't my mother or my sister's. She was a second wife—an impostor who posed as our mother for seven whole years."
"Does that mean they kidnapped her... or killed her?" Lucy's voice carried a mix of suppressed rage and sorrow. The very existence of such vile, despicable people was enough to stir both disgust and fury—especially for those like the De Molière family, in whose veins the blood of heroes flowed. Yuta, however, clarified further:
"My mother isn't dead. She was banished to the Realm of the Eternal Abyss—a condition of a ritual they performed when I was five, shortly after my sister was born, all to obtain a formula that grants a terrifying surge in power. She is one year younger. I will root out the underworld entirely—though now is not the right time. When the moment is right, I shall show them something far worse than anything they could possibly imagine. One thing I am certain of, however, is that he did not act alone; someone must have assisted him. It is impossible for a fool to manipulate genes on his own without outside help. Who could they be...? "I can't tell you; I wouldn't want to spoil the events for those who are reading."
His final remark was a subtle, private exchange with Gowther, who replied in kind, his tone laced with mockery: "You're right—no need to reveal everything all at once."
Gowther turned and departed, his form dissolving like a fading shadow. "I must be going now. Farewell—perhaps we'll meet again someday, friends." "Goodbye, Gowther—take care of yourself."
Two hours spent wandering through the city of Luxembourg had brought on the night. The sky was adorned with countless stars, while a full moon illuminated the path for any lost soul.
"It's time we headed back, isn't it?"
The group shared a light laugh, failing to realize just how late it had grown. Soon, they parted ways, each heading toward the hotel where they had booked their rooms.
Yuta glanced at Privka, who—unlike the others—had remained by his side. "Why haven't you left yet, Privka?"
A faint smile graced her lips as she drew closer. Placing her hands upon his chest, she tilted her head upward, her gaze filled with adoration. "I wanted to speak with you, O Creator."
Yuta narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping to a chilling, lethal coldness: "So, you've figured out who I am, then?" "It would be best to keep your mouth shut if you want your head to remain attached to your body—understood?"
His tone was heavy with murderous intent and an explicit threat of death. Yet, Brevka agreed immediately; stroking Yuta's cheek with an expression of pure adoration, she replied, "Understood, Creator."
Without a moment's hesitation, she leaned in and kissed Yuta squarely on the lips.
A few meters away, Lucy—who didn't trust Brevka in the slightest—was spying on them from an alleyway. "How dare she kiss him, that depraved wretch! She's stolen the honor of his first kiss from me... If she does it again, I'll kill her!"
Her voice was so thick with rage and fury that she shattered the concrete wall in front of her, reducing it to dust.
At that moment, a flicker of annoyance crossed Yuta's face, and he gave Brevka a light tap—a punch—to the head. "Ow... that hurts! Why did you do that?" Brevka asked, her tone a mix of pain and mockery.
Yuta turned and walked away, ignoring her completely. Yet, this only made Brevka admire him even more; she was the type who preferred to marry strong men—men capable of producing even stronger offspring, providing protection, and ensuring a better life.