"This isn't how it was supposed to go."
Skyler muttered, his eyes narrowing as he stood face-to-face with Yuris Yu—the very same student who had defeated Elena and then Austin in the first round of the finals.
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
Deafening, relentless, and divided. Many cheered for him, but just as many roared for Yuris Yu—the tall, striking man in a uniform, exuding calm, with scars etched across his hands like trophies from countless battles.
Yet, beneath the thunderous cheers, many in the crowd groaned and wept—mourning the star coins they had wagered and lost.
Why? Because right now, Skyler and Yuris Yu stood on the golden stage—waiting to fight the Last Battle of the Annual Gala.
Max Hales—yes, the supposed protagonist—had already been eliminated, knocked out before he even set foot on the golden stage.
No, not because he was defeated.
He was eliminated because he suddenly fainted during the first round of the finals!
Those around Max simply pushed him off the arena. Instantly, healers rushed in and carried him away—his body was drenched in sweat, burning with a very high fever.
Professor Moore followed close behind the healers, his face clouded with worry. Elena, Jenny, Monica, and Austin left the event as well—to find out what was wrong with Max.
Skyler clenched his fists, his mind racing. How? Why? The most favored to win, the one tipped to stand here… gone. First, the 51st level of the Battle Royal was cleared—something shocking—and now this...? He didn't know what was going on anymore!
This wasn't the story he recognized!
Max should have stepped onto the golden stage, faced him in an epic showdown, and lost—just as he had imagined it would go.
Yet Max hadn't even made it that far! And now, Skyler was stuck facing Yuris Yu—the overpowered extra who should have been taken out by Max long before this point.
Ugh, how absurd!
He scratched his head, irritation boiling beneath the surface. The crowd roared around him, but Skyler knew the truth.
Even if he won today—even if he crushed Yuris Yu on the golden stage and claimed the title of 'Star of the Generation'—many would still whisper behind his back that if Max had been there, Skyler wouldn't have won. Max was unlucky to fall ill, so Skyler didn't earn this victory—he just got lucky.
Ridiculous. Infuriating.
And utterly out of his control!
Yuris Yu watched him in complete silence, his calm emerald eyes tracking every twitch of his face like a hawk studying its prey.
"You… are rather expressive."
He finally said, his voice quiet.
Skyler exhaled sharply.
"I am not. Just annoyed."
Yuris tilted his head, the faintest smirk curling at the corner of his lips.
"Oh? Why? Do you not want to fight me?"
He looked hurt—though it was an act.
"This will be our first—and final—battle. I thought you would be excited. You enjoy fighting stronger opponents, don't you? I have watched almost all your battles."
Skyler's eyebrow twitched.
Was Yuris always this talkative? In the Novel, the guy had appeared once—during the Annual Gala—just long enough to lose to Max and then vanish without a trace.
There had been no backstory, no depth.
Yuris Yu was just an overpowered extra designed to make Max Hales look good.
So Skyler had no clue if Yuris being this chatty was a good sign for him or not.
Still, at least Yuris was mentioned in a full page in the Novel—unlike Skyler, who had shown up and died in a single paragraph.
How ironic.
Skyler didn't bother replying.
He was annoyed and knew it was best to stay quiet when he felt like this—otherwise, he might end up saying something sharp to someone he had just met. How wrong that would be. After all, Skyler was a good guy.
Yuris wasn't the cause of his bad mood.
So why should he bear the brunt of it?
Meanwhile, after a long-winded speech meant to build anticipation, Ohm Glacier—the host—finally declared the start of the Final Battle. The crowd buzzed with thrill, eager to witness the crowning of a victor.
The principal of Starlight Academy—Principal Wen—rose from his seat.
His floating figure, clad in a tailored suit, stopped right above the golden arena and announced that he would personally serve as the referee—a gesture that showed the significance of the battle about to unfold.
Skyler offered a nod to the middle-aged man. Principal Wen returned the gesture and spoke in a calm, steady voice.
"Take your positions."
Yuris moved to one end of the arena, and Skyler took his place on the opposite side. Just then, Yuris began speaking again.
"You know... when I first saw you, I was horrified. Truly. Such vast... power."
Skyler furrowed his brows.
"What?"
Yuris's eyes gleamed. Had they not been standing face to face, Skyler might have missed the faint emerald glow.
"Your essence—it's frightening. Truly."
Skyler raised a confused brow.
"My essence?"
"Yes. I inherited a skill from my brother. It's not as powerful as his, but it lets me see the essence of others. And yours… it's terrifying. I used to think my brother's essence was the most fearsome essence I'd ever witnessed—but yours puts even his to shame."
Principal Wen's ears twitched at Yuris Yu's words. Intrigued, he delayed the start of the final battle, quietly observing the exchange.
A strange sense of déjà vu washed over Skyler. Something about this felt… off.
"Who's your brother?"
He asked, narrowing his eyes.
Yuris clicked his tongue.
"Just someone famous. I don't like talking about him—I get jealous, to be honest. But you know what's strange? You're so weak, despite having such a terrifying essence."
His emerald eyes glowed even brighter.
"Everything—almost everything I see—is drowned in your essence. I wish you could witness it... this overwhelming white and dark essence, vast and stretching so far it feels like it's swallowing even the sky."
Skyler froze. What were the chances that this guy was actually sensing the presence of the two figures within his subconscious?
Then, a chilling thought struck him.
There was only one individual in the entire damn original story who had a similar skill—the power to see someone's soul!
No way. No fucking way!
The realization hit like a thunderclap, and before he could stop himself, Skyler simply blurted out—eyes wide with disbelief.
"You're Argon's brother? The Light who holds the official No. 1 title on the Human Continent—and also leads the top guild?"
Yuris grimaced at the familiar name.
"Don't bring him up. I get jealous of him. He's so powerful… always running off to dangerous places without me."
Principal Wen looked even more stunned than Skyler. Argon had a younger brother? This was the first he had ever heard of it!
Still, he had to begin the battle—the crowd was already calling out in impatience. Wen raised his hand, though he couldn't help but notice how Skyler edged further away from Yuris Yu, as if the boy were a bad plague.
Skyler groaned, even more annoyed now, and muttered faintly under his breath.
"Please tell me no one heard us talking except Principal Wen... that the barrier around the arena blocked the sound!"
Yuris stifled a chuckle at Skyler's mutter. Naturally, he spoke so openly because he knew only Skyler and Principal Wen could hear him. The audience and drones were outside the shield encasing the arena—at most, they only saw their lips moving.
Still, they had no time to think further—because Principal Wen began the battle.
The moment he did, Skyler vanished.
As a result, he missed seeing Yuris lunge toward his position with lightning speed.
Skyler reappeared where Yuris had stood, while Yuris arrived where Skyler had been previously—both kicking at empty air.
The crowd was left speechless.
Yuris's eyebrow twitched.
"Come on! I have the space element too! And we're allowed to use anything in this battle. How is this even supposed to end?"
Skyler shot back.
"That's my line!"
He vanished again—this time, just as he disappeared, towering ice creatures shaped like trolls slammed onto the stage, sending tremors through the ground. A split second later, silver lightning descended, engulfing the entire arena in crackling energy.
Yuris's expression tightened.
"Going all out from the start, are we?"
He narrowly dodged the silver lightning, stepping into the air and kicking away an ice creature that attempted to grab his leg—but he couldn't avoid the punch that suddenly slammed into his stomach, sending him crashing back down to the stage.
Skyler smirked as he reappeared.
"I thought you had the space element."
Yuris groaned, his expression darkening.
"You think I'm short on powerful skills? Trust me—I have got so many, you'll lose count!"
Skyler blinked, genuinely curious.
"Your brother gave them to you?"
Apparently, those words struck a nerve.
Yuris exploded. The very air twisted with pressure, space rippling like broken glass. Wind howled as if fleeing the storm. Then—without warning—countless blades forged from space tore into existence, screeching through the air, obliterating everything in their path. The arena groaned under the sheer force, space cracking violently.
The principal hurriedly reinforced the invisible barrier around the arena with a surge of Evol to keep it from collapsing.
It had already cracked under the force of Skyler's earlier attacks—now, with Yuris unleashing such overwhelming spatial power, it was on the brink of collapse.
"This generation is insane. They are not even in their twenties, yet they all already wield such powerful skills and spells!"