The End of the Fight 1
A faint smile appeared on Ruichi's face as he looked toward Grey, and he muttered in a low voice:
"It seems you've finally become capable of wielding that power."
The moment Grey removed the ring, a surge of spiritual energy erupted from his entire body, cloaking him in a jade-green radiance. His power spiked dramatically, leaving both the audience and the referee stunned—unlike William, whose expression remained calm, a subtle smile still gracing his face.
The referee spoke, his voice filled with astonishment:
"What is happening here? What is this terrifying energy? Is this truly the power of the Al de Moliar clan? They are absolute monsters!"
The jade-green aura began to shatter, piece by piece, revealing a radically transformed Grey. His hair had shifted from blue to a jade-green hue, and his eyes—once the color of the deep sea—had turned a pale, luminous green, as if carved from jade itself.
His physical appearance had altered in perfect harmony with his aura. Behind his back, a massive disc emerged, bearing the image of a beautiful woman draped in a black veil, her hands clasped together as if in prayer.
Grey's power now rivaled that of a fighter at the "Beginner Ruler" level. Yet, given his current stage, this state was strictly time-limited; he could sustain it for no more than half an hour, after which he would fall unconscious for several hours. William began to applaud enthusiastically, his gaze fixed on Grey, who hovered several inches above the ground.
"It seems that every member of the De Molière family is truly this powerful."
No sooner had he spoken than he darted toward Grey at lightning speed, his axe aimed directly at him. Yet, Grey remained chillingly composed—so much so that signs of dread and cold sweat appeared on William's face as he watched him. He muttered under his breath:
"I have fought many members of the De Molière family over the last 600 years—some even unleashed their 'blessings' against me—but none possessed such an overwhelming presence. This is no mere 'blessing'; it is the power of something else entirely.
I am not the only one who bears a 'lethal blessing.' Many others, from noble houses and beyond, have carried this same burden. Among them were two members of Guther MacTire's team: the son of Duke Yukimarus MacTire—the 'Demonic Assassin'—and Jian, known as the 'Legend of the Sword,' who attained the rank of 'Demi-Ruler' at the tender age of sixteen.
Even the son of the master who taught me possessed this very same overwhelming presence—the one Grey now displays.
I cannot fathom the origin of this power; it points to something beyond my understanding—something I am unlikely to comprehend anytime soon."
With effortless ease, Grey parried William's axe, severed the double-headed weapon, and tossed William out of the arena as if he were nothing more than a broken doll.
But the price for such power was steep; The use of such a vast amount of this mysterious power in such a short time caused him to vomit a great deal of blood. He also sustained numerous physical and spiritual injuries, eventually losing consciousness.
Nevertheless, Grey emerged as the victor, as William had ended up outside the arena.
A chilling silence descended upon the arena. Ruichi roused the referee, who had been left paralyzed by the sheer shock of the events.
"Isn't it time to declare the winner?"
The referee's body began to tremble, and then he spoke in a loud, strained voice:
"We declare the end of the first round of today's sixth match—the winner is Grey de Molière, from the Midnight Beasts team!"
Yuta approached him with graceful strides, lifted him up, and—a faint smile gracing his lips—murmured in a calm, respectful tone:
"You are truly strong, Grey. You have always been strong—in the past, in the present, and in the future."
End of the Fight 2
Despite all the insults, Beatrice's expression remained entirely unmoved. Her face was as cold as frost; she effortlessly pulverized everything thrown her way, reducing it all to dust.
A malicious smile spread across Victoria's face as she watched her. She lunged toward Beatrice, unleashing a powerful attack.
But the moment she drew near, Beatrice vanished—only to reappear directly behind her, her features obscured by her own hair.
Beatrice's sword dripped with blood that was still warm. Victoria placed her hand over her chest, which bore a grievous wound—a massive gash stretching from her shoulder all the way down to her waist.
"How did this happen?!"
Elsewhere, Beatrice snapped her fingers, and the ground beneath Victoria's feet exploded.
A piercing scream tore through the air, shaking the entire arena.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Everyone stood in shock, unable to process what had just unfolded. Victoria's defeat had been swift and entirely unexpected; logically, she should have been in a poor mental state following the insults she had endured, yet, in the end, she had emerged victorious.
As the dust settled, the body of a girl with yellowish-green hair lay unconscious within the crater left by the explosion, a pool of blood spreading around her.
"The winner of the second match in the sixth round is Beatrice Azwasen, from the Midnight Beasts team, defeating her opponent, Victoria Seliran, from the Cannibals team!"
"The Midnight Beasts now lead the Cannibals with a score of 2 to 0!"
End of Fight 3 — Part One
Yurchi and Jin Mori were locked in a fierce exchange, trading blows between sword and spear.
"You are truly an impressive opponent. You certainly live up to the title 'De Moliar'!"
His tone was filled with genuine respect for Yurchi, even as he pressed his assault with the Spraika spear. Following this, the two stepped a few paces apart. A golden-red aura—resembling tongues of flame—erupted around Yurchi, while a yellow aura manifested around Jin Mori.
Each launched a powerful attack toward the other.
Yurchi:
Jin Mori:
Their attacks surged toward one another. Hundreds of phantom spears collided with a crescent-shaped wave of red energy; the crescent cut through the phantom spears and continued toward Jin Mori at breakneck speed, triggering a massive explosion that shook both the arena and the stands.
BOOM!
Several minutes passed, and then it cleared.The dust settled, revealing Yurichi and Jin Mori lying on the ground, unconscious following their final clash.
The referee's voice rang out, breaking the silence:
"Since both Yurichi de Moliar, of the Midnight Beasts team, and Jin Mori, of the Cannibals team, are unable to continue, I am pausing the match until the contestants can be removed. Will members of both teams please come forward to retrieve their teammates!"
End of Fight 3 — Part Two
Lucy's expression shifted to shock as she parried a sudden attack from Peter West.
"What is this scoundrel thinking?!"
Her surprise deepened as she realized how close Peter West had gotten, yet her expression soon softened into a faint smile.
As Peter West's staff drew near her body, it began to veer away, inch by inch, until he was sent flying backward.
"What's happening? How did she do that? The staff kept pushing back just before it could touch her skin—seconds before contact. Could she have combined her aura with her time-manipulation abilities?"
Upon hitting the ground, he was startled to find Lucy already standing before him, launching a powerful strike.
A crescent-shaped slash tore through the air, slamming Peter West violently against the arena wall. He fell unconscious, overwhelmed by a severe depletion of energy and the force of the blow. As for Lucy, she was breathing rapidly from the exertion and fatigue. The referee announced the end of the third round:
"The winners of the third round are Lucy Kethali and Yurchi de Moliar from the 'Midnight Monsters' team, defeating their opponents, Peter West and Jane Murray from the 'Cannibals' team!"
"The 'Midnight Monsters' take the lead over their rivals, the 'Cannibals,' with a score of 3–0!"
No sooner had the referee finished speaking than Lucy collapsed, unconscious from the severe depletion of her Konowa energy.
End of Fight 4
"The final match of the sixth stage will feature Yuta Kaseral and Prevka Aslahan against Gother MacIntyre—known as the 'Prince of Assassins'—and Jian Yi, known as the 'Legend of the Sword'!"
A few minutes later, Gother MacIntyre, Jian Yi, Yuta Kaseral, and Prevka Aslahan made their way toward the arena with steady strides, their expressions firm and radiating power and authority.
Three minutes later, the four of them stood in the center of the arena.
Gother and Yuta locked eyes with a gaze as sharp as a hawk's; their eyes began to glow—Yuta's shifting into a dark, violet abyss, while Gother's transformed into a blood-red one.
Amused smiles spread across their faces, as if they were two beasts preparing for a merciless slaughter.
"Prevka, withdraw—now. Is that clear?"
Yuta's tone was imbued with absolute authority. His words were not a request directed at Brevka, but an unequivocal, direct command.
Brevka was taken aback by his demand that she withdraw; however, the moment she looked at him, she saw a being consumed by an intense hunger for battle—and she realized that, by staying, she would be nothing more than a hindrance.
"He looks like a beast about to pounce on its prey."
Her inner voice betrayed a hint of tension and astonishment as she raised her hands in surrender.
"I, Brevka Aslahan, wish to withdraw from this round!"
Silence descended upon the stands. Shock was etched onto every face—from the members of the 'Midnight Beasts' and 'Cannibals' teams to Jian Yi and the referee.
"Are you certain you wish to forfeit?"
The referee's tone was laced with surprise and disbelief, yet Brevka remained resolute, turning toward the gate that led out of the arena.
The referee declared her elimination from the round:
"Brevka Aslahan withdraws from the fourth round of the sixth stage—seconds before the round has even begun!"
"And now, I declare the start of the fourth round: Yuta Caseral versus Gother MacTire and his companion, Jian Yi!"
"Is this supreme confidence, Yuta Caseral, or merely arrogance and conceit?"
Jian Yi's tone carried a blend of astonishment and mockery. From his perspective, a single individual challenging two elites—both contracted to Rulers and blessed by a mysterious entity—was utterly preposterous. Furthermore, the head of the McTire family held a contract with the Sovereign of the Polar Wolves, while Guther held one with the Sovereign of the Black Phoenix. Thus, Guther was contracted to two beast sovereigns—the Sovereign of the Polar Wolves and the Sovereign of the Black Phoenix—though he could not yet summon the former, as he had not yet become its true heir.
As for Jian Yi, he possessed the powers of the Sovereign of the Black Phoenix, the blessing of a mysterious entity, the ability to manipulate space and time, and the capacity to copy other abilities—in addition to his contract with the Sovereign of the Sword.
From their perspective, Yuta was contracted only to the Sovereign of Space, which they assumed to be his sole trump card. At least, that was what the spectators and Jian Yi believed; Guther, however, knew the true extent of Yuta Casiral's power.
Yuta fixed his gaze upon Jian. His eyes were like a frigid, icy abyss—a look so piercing it sent a shiver through Jian's entire body.
Then, Yuta pointed his index finger toward Jian Yi.
"Your time in the arena is up. Goodbye."
His tone was cold, devoid of even a shred of emotion.
As he flicked his finger toward Jian Yi, a gash opened across the latter's chest. It was not a fatal wound, but the force was enough to send him flying several meters until he slammed into the arena wall and lost consciousness.
The disparity in strength between Yuta Casiral and Jian Yi was so vast that they were simply beyond comparison. The expressions of everyone present shifted to astonishment and shock. Jian Yi was one of the greatest talents of this era, yet he had lost to someone the public had only recently come to know. Most had no idea who Yuta Caseral was—even his own teammates knew nothing about him; he remained a complete mystery to them.
Setting aside the shock that had gripped the crowd, both Guther and Yuta summoned their weapons. Yuta's "Kamish's Sword" and Guther's "North Wolf Sword" appeared.
The two darted forward with lightning speed, their blades clashing with frenzied intensity.
*Clang... clang... clang... clang...*
The force of their collision was immense, whipping up gusts of wind and tearing rocks from the arena floor.
Both fighters wore cold, sharp gazes.As Gother retreated, he began to mutter in a faint, barely audible voice:
"Rise."
Following this, several shadow beasts—creatures Gother had slain and transformed into shadows—emerged. This was one of his core abilities: the summoning of shadows.
There were fifteen of them, all shadows of giant orcs.
Their axes and swords surged forward with immense speed toward Yuta, who erased them all with a single sweep of Kamish's Sword.
After all, Yuta's power was terrifying—surpassing that of this world's Rulers by light-years.
Furthermore, Kamish's Sword was forged from three artifacts belonging to the Rulers: the Sword of Destruction, crafted from the energy and blood of the Ruler of Destruction; the Sword of Life, forged from the energy and blood of the Ruler of Life; and the Gem of the Ruler of Space, created from the soul of the former Ruler of Space.
Because of this, Kamish's Sword could effortlessly erase infinite universes and sever the very concepts of life, death, and space itself. Consequently, it could obliterate Gother's summons with absolute ease.
Yuta glanced behind him, only to find Gother—who had been trained in the art of assassination since the age of six—thrusting his "North Wolf" sword toward a vital point on Yuta's body.
*Clang... clang... clang... clang...*
Yuta skillfully parried the strike, and the two once again locked into a fierce exchange of blades.
A faint smile appeared on Gother's face as their swords collided. "Using the power of 'Infinite Evolution' to enhance Konowa's size, durability, stamina, and speed... well done."
"Your control over this ability is remarkable. In anyone else's hands, this power would have triggered an uncontrolled, all-encompassing evolution—one that would have shattered both body and soul, as they could never have withstood such a massive surge in strength over such a short period."
Yuta's tone was calm, carrying a hint of respect.
Suddenly, Yuta delivered a powerful kick to Gother's midsection, sending him flying several meters backward as blood gushed from his mouth. Gother drove his 'North Wolf' sword into the ground, desperately trying to halt his momentum.
"Cough... cough... cough... cough... that bastard!"
Gother cursed Yuta, coughing up blood from the force of the blow.
He remained frozen in place for several minutes, until his hair began to shift into a deep, crimson red.
His hair swept back from his face—which had previously been partially obscured by stray locks falling across his forehead and cheeks. A new sword materialized out of thin air, replacing his former weapon. It was a pitch-black blade that seemed to absorb all light; double-edged and stained with a blood-red hue, it left the spectators in a state of shock.
An overwhelming aura swirled around Gother's body as he levitated several meters off the ground. His expression remained as cold as frost, devoid of any emotion—a pressure so intense it felt as though the weight of mountains had descended upon everyone present.
He pointed his sword toward Yuta.
"Prepare yourself. This will be your end." His tone was as cold and sharp as a sword's blade.
A malicious smile spread across Yuta's face as he gazed toward Gowther.
"Don't get arrogant; in my eyes, you're still nothing more than an insect."
His voice dripped with mockery.
Suddenly, an overwhelming aura—far more potent than Gowther's—erupted from Yuta. His hair turned white and stood upright, much like Gowther's. Kamish's sword vanished, replaced by a double-edged broadsword with a blood-red blade that emitted a faint, crimson glow.
The two clashed with legendary force. The battle escalated rapidly until the arena was completely obliterated, leaving behind nothing but a massive crater—at the bottom of which lay Gowther, unable to move.
A profound silence descended upon the scene for several minutes. Finally, the referee grasped what had transpired and announced the conclusion of the fourth match of the sixth stage:
"The winner of the fourth match of the sixth stage is Yuta Casiral, representing the 'Midnight Beasts' team, defeating his opponents, Gowther MacIntyre and Jian Yi, from the 'Cannibals' team!"
"This concludes the sixth stage of the Magic Tournament! The 'Midnight Beasts' have secured a crushing 4–0 victory over the 'Cannibals'!"
William let out a heavy sigh as he stared at the results of the matches against the Midnight Beasts. It was a humiliating defeat in every sense of the word—they hadn't won a single fight. It was a stain upon them that no amount of effort could ever erase. "More than two weeks have passed since the tournament ended. This is the fifty-seventh time I've watched the conclusion of these combat rounds, and every single time, I'm struck by an unbearable bitterness."
"It seems there's something I must do—something I should have done a long time ago."
William's tone was calm as he gazed at a rune stone—a recording device he had acquired after the competition concluded.
*Crash!*
William shattered the rune stone, then left his apartment to do the thing he had long needed to do.