3 bonus chapters to celebrate the gift the novel received today. I hope you enjoy them! .
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Snow Lionheart had won.
His final strike ...
The one that severed Ghost ... Marked the end of the battle, allowing the audience to finally breathe again.
Thunderous applause erupted as the spectators clung to their screens, mesmerized by the incredible duel they had just witnessed.
The Church, in particular, was overjoyed at the level of strength their Hero had displayed.
Even the SS rank elites—and Emperor Maekar himself—
Watched in silence.
There were no words left to say.
Everyone understood—
What they had just witnessed would be etched into their memories for a long, long time.
From the Church's side, Saint Eurasha nodded in satisfaction at the performance their Hero had delivered.
"Take a good look… All of you can feel it, can't you?"
The raw power—
The staggering talent—
"He may look like a mere insect now in your eyes…"
Right now, they could defeat him easily.
"But compared to his potential…
You're nothing more than minnows swimming around a great white shark."
The Hero—
He would be the one to lead the Empire.
And that Hero—was Snow Lionheart.
The applause continued for a long time,
While highlights from the battle were replayed across the screens.
Meanwhile, Luc Valerion and his team of mages were already working to restore the arena.
The young mage couldn't help but feel a headache brewing—
Wondering just how far that boy's strength would eventually reach.
"This generation… is terrifying."
Ghost Umbra was taken away for treatment as well—after the brutal damage he had suffered.
Fortunately, Snow's final strike had been clean , Allowing the healers to successfully reattach Ghost's severed hand.
But on the other side ...
Ghost himself felt hollow.
He had broken the core teachings of the Shadow Court—
And he didn't know what reaction awaited him from the organization that even the Emperor left alone.
Still—
He was satisfied.
At least he had fought with everything he had,
For what he believed in—
And lost.
Thus, the first semifinal match of the Victoriad came to an end.
After several minutes, which passed by faster than anyone realized—
The screens shifted, announcing the next battle.
---
Victoriad Semifinals
Second Match:
Frey Starlight vs. Daemon Valerion
The match would begin in 30 minutes.
---
Inside Uriel's room—
The young Saint candidate sat alongside Frey.
Both of them stared blankly at the screen.
"The Hero… he's really strong,"
Uriel said softly.
Frey didn't respond.
He didn't show any expression at all—
As if lost deep inside his own thoughts.
"Yeah… he's very strong."
Uriel Platini didn't know much about this new Hero.
She had only heard rumors from others,
And seen him with her own eyes a handful of times.
Most likely, she would be the one to accompany Snow—
Wherever his journey would soon take him.
The young Saint candidate quietly wondered—
What meaning truly lay behind the destiny she had been assigned since birth.
"At least he's on our side... If this is his full strength now, I can't even imagine where he'll reach in the future."
Her words made Frey Starlight let out a dry, humorless laugh.
"That's not his full strength… He was holding back."
"What?"
Frey's demeanor was strange—
Like someone who had finally found a wall too tall for even his dreams.
"He didn't fight with everything he had.
His opponent didn't push him far enough."
Ghost Umbra was strong—
Terrifyingly so, especially for an assassin fighting openly like that.
But it still wasn't enough.
"How do you know that? We only watched one screen—how can you be so sure?"
Frey shook his head slowly.
"I just know. I know everything about that man."
"We're two sides of the same coin."
Uriel blinked, confused by his words.
"You know everything about him…? Are you some kind of stalker or something?"
Her teasing comment didn't land—
The heavy atmosphere around Frey left no room for jokes.
Frey had already confirmed it in his heart—
The level Snow had reached—
Was something that might even surpass the limits of his own imagination.
He knew it because ...
Snow was his mirror.
The perfect version.
When Frey looked at him ...
He saw everything he had once dreamed of becoming.
Suddenly, Frey's eyes widened—
As something finally clicked in his mind.
A reflection of himself.
"Look at him… a mirror image of me."
Look at yourself in the mirror—understand the reflection.
Frey felt his mind go blank as he processed something so obvious that he had somehow overlooked until now.
Things started to become clear.
From the very beginning—
The system had known.
It had always known that his greatest obstacle ..
Would be that person.
A faint smile crossed Frey's face as he stood up from his seat.
"Of course… it had to be him."
Who else could it be?
The final boss of this hellish game he had been playing for two long years.
But before he could face that—
He had another monster to defeat.
"Come on. Let me strengthen you one last time."
Uriel Platini placed her hands over him—
Channeling the holy power into his body.
She had supported him right up until the very end .. To the point that Frey couldn't help but wonder why she was doing so much for him.
"You know," Frey said lightly, "if you keep helping me like this, people might start talking."
"Hah? Don't worry yourself," Uriel replied casually, "Saint candidates aren't allowed to marry anyway. Plus… I'm not interested in younger men."
"Maybe I'm the type who likes older women."
"W-What?!"
Uriel stared at Frey, flustered—
While he just chuckled, heading out after receiving her blessing one last time.
"It was a joke..."
"..."
Frey Starlight headed for the arena—
The place where he would bring an end to all of this struggle.
And even though she tried to brush off his joke—
Uriel felt it.
Felt how he tried to hide his emotions ...
How tense he really was.
"Just… what does this fight mean to him?"
The young Saint wondered seriously.
...
...
...
The World Arena.
The battle was about to begin.
Ada chewed her nails nervously, staring down at the vast arena below.
"His opponent… Daemon Valerion."
The overwhelming prodigy of the Imperial Family.
It was clear the odds were stacked against Frey.
"It's going to be a tough fight…"
Carmen remarked calmly behind her.
In truth—
Many disagreed with her.
Most of the Empire—if not all of it—believed the final would be between Daemon and Snow ...
A continuation of their clash back on the island.
Frey was just a stepping stone.
The numbers didn't lie.
The underworld's betting houses—
Had already closed the odds and announced the final results.
---
Daemon Valerion: 96% — Frey Starlight: 4%
---
An overwhelming margin in Daemon's favor.
And it could be said ...
The few who had bet on Frey hadn't done so out of love for him ..
But rather out of hatred for the Imperial Family.
Or pure disdain for Daemon himself.
Either way ...
Everyone expected a one-sided slaughter.
Behind Ada, Carmen smiled quietly as the two warriors entered the arena.
She tapped on her smartwatch—
Locking in her final choice.
"Frey Starlight…"
"Will win."
...
They stood there.
One—
In black armor emblazoned with the Starlight crest.
The other—
In black-and-gold armor bearing the sigil of House Valerion.
Many familiar—and unfamiliar—faces watched on in anticipation.
But Frey ...
Saw only his opponent.
Daemon Valerion—with his burning golden eyes and explosive aura—
Glaring at him coldly.
Frey felt it sharply.
The disdain.
"It seems like you have something to say."
Daemon crossed both arms ..
"I'm just wondering…"
"Why I even have to fight you."
"You clearly have no chance of defeating me."
Daemon glanced sideways ..
Toward another young man.
Toward Snow Lionheart.
That was the opponent he had longed to fight.
As for Frey ..
"There's no need for you to step onto a stage that doesn't suit you, Frey Starlight.
Just withdraw."
Frey, his face as emotionless as ever, tightened his right hand around his sword and replied calmly:
"You're pretty confident that I can't defeat you…
Even though I'm certain you don't know a thing about me."
A dark aura swirled around Frey, accompanied by a chilling killing intent.
"If you judge a book by its cover…
Don't be surprised when you burn ."
But Daemon brushed aside Frey's pressure effortlessly ..
Releasing an even greater force from his body.
"You misunderstand," Daemon said coolly.
"Maybe I don't know much about you.
But what I do know is that you're no warrior."
"You're just someone waving a sword for some meaningless goal.
The power driving you ..
It's nothing but fleeting emotion, ready to disappear at any moment."
Daemon clenched his fist.
"And against someone like that…
I cannot lose."
At that moment, Ivar Valerion appeared between them ..
Frey cut off any further words.
"Enough talking.
If you want to defeat me ...
Come and try."
Raising his sword toward his opponent ...
Frey prepared himself for battle.
Ivar said nothing.
He had already explained the rules to them beforehand.
All he had to say now ...
"Begin!"