After the match between Jin and Rachel concluded, the semi-final matchups were announced and scheduled for the following day.
Lucifer Windward vs. Jin Ashbluff, and Arthur Nightingale vs. Ren Kagu.
Of the four remaining contestants, three were already
The excitement in the air was palpable. Spectators buzzed with anticipation, knowing they were about to witness battles between some of the brightest young talents in the world. However, despite the hype, not everyone was equally thrilled about the first match.
Lucifer Windward vs. Jin Ashbluff.
The result was a foregone conclusion.
Though Jin was incredibly talented, his Gift of Necromancy giving him a unique edge, Lucifer was simply in a different league. The peculiar nature of
Even if Jin were to reach
Lucifer wasn't just strong—he was overwhelming. His mastery over his mana, his swordsmanship, and his battle senses put him on a level few could hope to touch, especially at his age.
It was inevitable.
And the crowd knew it.
'Jack could wipe the floor with him, though,' I mused, my thoughts drifting as I lay in my room, resting for the night.
Tomorrow was my match against Ren Kagu, and despite my confidence, I knew he wasn't an opponent to take lightly. Ren was still a step behind Lucifer, but in the novel, he almost managed to defeat him. It had been a battle that came down to the wire, with the only difference being their physical attributes.
That fight was the closest anyone of their age had come to making Lucifer taste defeat.
Still, I held a massive advantage over Ren—one that, if I could fully capitalize on, would give me a simple victory. The problem? Using it might make my eventual battle with Lucifer nearly impossible to win. There would be consequences, and the risk was almost too great to ignore.
I was deep in thought when a knock on my door interrupted me.
I sensed the shift in the ambient mana brushing lightly against my skin, a subtle alert to the presence beyond the door.
"You can come in, Sera," I said, with a slight flick of my fingers. The door creaked open as I used mana to unlock it.
Seraphina stepped inside, dressed casually in a T-shirt and shorts, though her mood was far from relaxed. She seemed... off.
"Hey, Arthur," she greeted, her voice quiet, a far cry from her usual composed tone.
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"What's wrong?" I asked, my brow furrowing in concern.
"Hm," she hummed, looking at me for a long moment. I felt a flicker of annoyance—how was I supposed to figure out what was bothering her if she wouldn't just say it?
Finally, she spoke. "How do you do it, Arthur?"
"Do what?"
"How do you keep moving forward?" Her ice-blue eyes locked onto mine, searching, as if I held the answer she couldn't find.
The question hung in the air, and for a moment, I wasn't sure how to respond.
I recalled Seraphina's past from the novel. Though her story wasn't identical to Rachel's, it held its own share of tragedy.
Seraphina was born into greatness, the princess of Mount Hua, with immense talent as the daughter of a
But her life took a tragic turn due to her father's neglect.
Her father, though he loved her deeply, was consumed by an obsession: the Martial King and his desire to prove the superiority of Mount Hua Sect. His dedication to advancing his martial prowess and elevating the sect's status blinded him to his own daughter's needs. He was loyal to Mount Hua, yes, but that loyalty came at the cost of his relationship with Seraphina—and, in the end, the sect itself.
The worst decision he ever made was adopting Sun Zenith.
Sun was a prodigy, no doubt. In terms of raw talent, he was considered equal to Ren, a genius on par with Lucifer. But talent wasn't everything. Sun was a psychopath, a master manipulator who corrupted the elders and masters of Mount Hua Sect from within, ultimately leading to its downfall.
The catastrophe wasn't just the result of Sun's actions. It was the consequence of the Sect Leader's ignorance, his refusal to see the darkness in his adoptive son. And when the day came for justice, when Lucifer finally killed Sun, he had to purge most of the sect as well—so deep was Sun's corruption.
Sun Zenith was a villain in every sense of the word, but Seraphina's father never saw it.
Seraphina grew distant from her father, believing his neglect and blindness were signs he didn't care for her. The bond between them withered, leaving her detached, cold, and alone.
Her uncle, Li Zenith, was the only one she still trusted. He had been a source of guidance, her pillar in the chaos that engulfed her life.
And her mother? Her mother died when the Northern Ice Palace was destroyed by the Shadow Seekers when Seraphina was just six.
That was the life Seraphina carried with her—the weight of loss, betrayal, and loneliness.
But more than that, her life had been a cage.
Seraphina had come to believe that she deserved everything she got—because, in her mind, she was always inferior to Sun Zenith. The Sect Leader's favoritism, her own struggles, and now the loss to Lucifer all reinforced that belief. It had shaped her, turned her inward, and left her trapped in that cold, isolating space she called her life.
"Because I must," I replied simply.
I had to grow stronger. There was no other option.
The truth was, I was in more of a rush than anyone else. That was why I pushed myself through brutal training in the Amarion rainforest, why I embraced every challenge with a single-minded determination. Survival.
Every day was another opportunity to strengthen myself before the storm hit. Right now, the events of the novel were still manageable. But soon, powerful enemies—bosses, antagonists who would push me to the edge—would emerge, and the world would plunge into interstellar chaos when the demons finally arrived.
"Do you believe you're inferior to Sun?" I asked her directly.
The words seemed to strike her like a blow. Seraphina's stoic mask crumbled, her icy blue eyes betraying a flash of raw emotion. Her features tightened, and I noticed how her fists clenched at her sides, her lips quivering as she bit down gently.
She didn't need to answer. Her reaction told me everything.
The weight of that belief had been suffocating her for years.
I had to change the characters in this world.
They weren't ready for what was coming.
The future would devour them all unless I intervened, and Seraphina Zenith would be the first. She wasn't just another character in a story anymore—she was real, and she needed to be much stronger than she was now.
'The first major change I'll make… it will be with you, Seraphina Zenith,' I thought, watching her carefully.
"Do you know what your Gift, Ice Crystal Jade Body, truly entails?"