More fights followed.
A boy from Eldenria stepped into the ring next.
His uniform shimmered faintly under the sun, lined with silver edges. His hair was short and dark, and his stance was arrogant—one foot forward, arms crossed like he didn't even need to try.
The boy's opponent was from Northhelm again. Another frost wielder, judging by the light mist clinging to his robes.
The bell rang again.
The boy from Eldenria moved first—without hesitation. He raised his hand, and a sharp, roaring current tore through the air and slammed into the frost wielder with such force that the ground cracked beneath his feet. The crowd gasped as runes beneath the platform flickered green from the overload.
Kaelith's brow furrowed.
'The Eldenrias are not playing. This would make it more exciting when destroying them.'
The frost wielder responded with a hailstorm of spears made from compacted ice. They flew fast, but the boy in purple barely moved. He spun his fingers, and the wind split in two, forming a cyclone that swallowed the spears whole.
With a final push, the cyclone narrowed into a blade-like whip and slammed into his opponent's chest, sending him flying off the ring. It was over in seconds.
The crowd roared in approval.
Kaelith watched the boy from Eldenria return to his side of the arena with that same smug look. He sighed, already getting bored from the fight.
He turned, facing the direction his father was sitting along with the other Emperors. Then, it felt like time had stilled and his surroundings distorted, as his gaze fixated on the Empress of Northhelm. Her coat was white like snow, her black hair pulled up into a bun with two strands falling at her sides. Her red lips were bold and elegant.
'Aura.'
Kaelith's face turned blank, then unknowingly, his eyes flickered to a shade of burning gold. 'She is still alive? And she even formed her own empire at the cost of my blood! What made her think she could enjoy all of this, when my soul has been subjected to suffering for the last century. She thinks she would live a good life?'
A gush of hot warmth spiralled through the arena, with a suffocating aura filling the air. The Emperors shifted in their seats, unable to detect where the blood-chilling aura was coming from.
The crowd thought it was one of the contestants that was exuding the aura, but as time went by, they knew it wasn't the contestant, as the aura became more overbearing.
However, Agnes, who knew it was her son, quickly covered his face with the blanket. "Calm down, Kael… Please," she chanted, as if that would make him stop. She knew using her suppression magic would make the Emperors notice that there was something wrong with him.
The Empress Aura, who had become the leader of the Northhelm Empire, frantically scanned the surroundings. Her throat tightened; the aura was too familiar to ignore. 'He is back,' she thought inwardly, her fingers tightening around the armrest and trembling both from fear and guilt.
But no matter how much she searched, she couldn't pinpoint where the oppressing aura was coming from. It was like it was coming from every direction.
Dimitri stood up on his feet, his gaze darkened, as he too could not locate the mage with the strong, bloodthirsty aura. The other Emperors soon joined him in rising up.
"Show yourself! How dare you interrupt our event?" Federick yelled. His figure was slightly taller than the railings of their platform.
Suddenly, the sky rumbled before it began to swirl around like a cyclone. The crowd's jaws dropped as they stared in awe and horror. The clouds darkened, before turning into a dark hue of blood.
"The… the… the… DEMON IS BACK!" the announcer yelled, as he scrambled to get out of the arena.
At his words, the crowd plunged into chaos, as they scrambled to get away from the arena, screaming at the top of their lungs.
"Everyone stay calm. The demon has been destroyed." Dimitri's words fell on deaf ears, as the crowds trampled on each other, while others disappeared by activating their portals.
"IT IS JUST A BLUFF," Federick yelled again.
As if to answer his words, hail in the form of fire began to descend on the arena. Dimitri's eyes widened. Quickly, he took to the sky. With a roar escaping his lips, a blue rune formed above the arena, shielding it from the attack.
Every collision sent a wave slicing through the air. Dimitri's knees bent slightly as the fires descended faster. Seeing how he was struggling, Aura flew towards him. She stood beside him.
With a flick of her hand, an arc blade shaped like a crescent moon flew to the sky. "Frost Domain, come forth," her voice reverberated through the air.
Then, the sky tore open. A world of frost opened in the middle of the sky, swallowing the balls of flame.
"Do not underestimate our rival, Dimitri Pendragon."
At her words, Dimitri's brows furrowed. "Azure Domain, come forth." At his summon, seven blue rings formed around him, each larger than the last one. His eyes burned fierce blue.
Meanwhile, Agnes had already taken off from the scene, as she felt the suppression she had placed on the day of his birth was broken. Kaelith's hair had turned snow white again. She didn't know what had triggered him to this extent. But she needed to escape. If he was detected, that would be the end of his life.
She halted when Artherine suddenly stood in front of her, blocking her path. "Where are you running to?" A mischievous glint danced in her eyes.
Agnes tried to keep her usual calm, but cracks were forming on her perfect demeanour. "To safety, of course. Can't you see the fire raining from the sky?"
A cunning smile formed on her lips. "Don't you trust our husband? His royal highness would be able to protect you and your son."
Agnes swallowed, her throat tightening. She knew Artherine was trying to delay her. She didn't know exactly what she was planning, but she wasn't going to sit around and find out. "Out of my way, Artherine."
"Are you hiding something?" she closed in on Agnes.
Agnes saw Federick walking towards them. Her jaw tightened. She couldn't escape if he got closer. Hastily, she turned to Artherine, whose hand was reaching to pull off the blanket that was covering Kaelith.
"Litsi ysta." Her eyes flickered gold. Artherine stood frozen. Without wasting any time, Agnes made her way out of the arena, reaching a corridor. The space slit open; the portal hummed with golden energy. She ran into the space, her hands tightened around Kaelith, and then the portal closed up, disappearing from plain sight.
Federick, who had been following her all this while, came out from a sharp corner, his curious eyes searching everywhere for her, but he couldn't find a trace. Sighing in exasperation, he made his way back to the platform.
He halted—a muffled noise made him turn to his side. His eyes widened. "Lady Artherine, what are you doing standing still over there?"
"That bitch Agnes used a freezing spell on me." But her words came out as muffled nonsense. Federick opened his mouth, unsure of what to make of it.
"Oh, I can see you are enjoying your time," he said, squinting at her. His voice dripped with uncertainty. Then he turned to head back to the platform, where the fight was still happening.
"NO, YOU STUPID DWARF, RELEASE ME NOW!" Yet only a muffling mess came out. Her eyes widened in horror as Federick waved his hand at her, as if to tell her to enjoy.
Meanwhile, the sky had turned into a sea of fire, whirling angrily like a fierce tornado. Dimitri and Aura tried to contain it, but the fire was descending non-stop.
Right below them, a dark figure oozing with black smoke blurred up toward the platform, heading to the place where the other Emperors were standing.
Swiftly, he flung himself up, landing on the platform. Before the blink of an eye, his hand grabbed the vial of Oas liquid that was placed on top of a podium.