Neven wiped the sweat from his eyes as if nothing had happened, his brown eyes narrowing as he looked at the wound on his arm. "Damn bastard," Neven cursed.

Aria stared at his face in shock, doubting her own eyes. But her attention quickly shifted to Neven's wound. Stormblade’s strike had been deep—if it had been any stronger, Neven's entire arm might have been severed.

"You need to withdraw and let Alexander bandage you," Aria said nervously.

"It's not that bad." Neven slowly lifted his arm, showing a rare relaxed expression. "We might still have a chance to win. Stormblade is the soul of Lunarshade. Without him, the rest will fall apart." Neven explained. He frowned, looking worriedly at the Lunar King’s platform, his expression growing more serious. "But we have to watch out for Tailsting. Alpha is sure to have some underhanded tactic to make his team win."

Ten banners fluttered in the wind: three red for Tailsting, three blue for Starguard, one purple for Venom, and three gray for Lunarshade. As the spiral structure descended and leveled, the arena became flat and empty. They gathered together and walked towards the spiral iron gate in the center of the arena.

Thorne walked through the swirling dust, his black skin coated with a layer of pale powder. His eyes showed deep concern. "Neven, your duel with Stormblade just now was truly spectacular."

"It was just luck," Neven said.

"What worries me the most is the upcoming beast fight. I haven't figured out a way to break through its hard armor," Thorne added, his voice tinged with a hint of helplessness and anxiety.

Neven frowned, clearly they had encountered the same problem. "I think Damian knows Alpha won't let Tailsting lose the final match," he said.

Aria stood by, feeling a wave of unease. She was used to relying on Neven, believing he could solve any problem. But this time, that hope was dashed. She clenched her hands, feeling the coldness in her fingertips. Even with Alexander's Essence potion, it was far from enough to deal with the demon bear. This sense of helplessness washed over her like a tide, making it hard to breathe.

Thorne blinked his snake-like eyes, his smile holding a hint of friendliness. "You're different from before."

"How am I different?" Neven raised an eyebrow.

"Not as... annoying, and not as... arrogant," Thorne said slowly, pointing to Neven's sword. "I noticed you're not using your Soul Stone. Damian must have noticed too. Tailsting's people are not good people. You need to be careful."

"That's their usual way," Neven said disdainfully.

"They are despicable and shameless," Aria said angrily, still furious about Damian's actions.

Thorne extended his left hand in slight surprise, his right hand covered in more dust. "You must be the mortal girl. I've heard a lot about you. I'm Thorne, nice to meet you..."

Aria awkwardly extended her scaled hand. "If you mind the scales, you don't have to shake hands."

Thorne enthusiastically shook her hand, his slit pupils narrowing as he saw the scales. "I like them. Your scales are fascinating."

At that moment, the seals on everyone’s weapons were lifted. Neven's sword reappeared with a semi-transparent spider on it, which circled the Soul Stone and quickly crawled down. At the same time, all the spiders jumped off the Soul Stones and vanished.

The Essence barrier around the arena refracted rainbow-like light, and in the silent arena, everyone waited for the final beast fight. Suddenly, a burst of chaotic noise came, and someone in the stands stood up, pointing and shouting, "Starguard has withdrawn!"

Aria looked up, seeing two blue banners falling. Then, two short horn blasts sounded.

"Who ordered two of us to withdraw?" Aria asked, looking at Neven along with Oak.

"I don't know," Neven said in surprise.

By the exit stood Seraphina and Quinn. Seraphina waved at them, trying to shout something, but the distance was too far to hear.

"It's you and Aria who are withdrawing," Thorne said to Neven, touching his ear.

"You can hear that?" Aria asked in surprise.

"My ears are sharp," Thorne replied.

Aria followed Neven out of the arena. They hadn't walked far down the dim corridor when Seraphina angrily reprimanded them, "How could you not report your condition? Going into battle without controlling your Soul Stone is... insane... suicidal... foolish!" Seraphina raged, her snake eyes unblinking.

"It was Alpha who didn’t change the Executive Commander," Quinn calmly explained for them.

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"Alpha again. Your brother is always so immature," Seraphina said. "Starguard's Grand Mentor has been dead for years, and he still won't settle things with the Executive Commander."

"Alpha's personality is more like my father's."

Aria suddenly understood. Alpha and Quinn were brothers, which was why they looked so alike. Apart from the golden eyepatch, Quinn’s nose and build were almost identical. But Quinn had a gentler demeanor, unlike Alpha’s arrogance.

Seraphina's tone softened slightly as she turned her snake eyes to Aria. "Aria, you might not understand how dangerous it is here. I hope you won't be so reckless in the future. You are a mortal and need to be more careful."

Aria stared at her toes, nodding repeatedly in apology. She wanted to say it was all Alpha’s doing, but with Seraphina angry, explanations were useless. Despite this, she felt oddly relieved because they no longer had to face the demon bear.

After the harsh scolding, Seraphina took Neven away to inquire about his Essence Power. Because she was a serpent person, she brought Quinn along.

Aria hurried back to her room to remove her armor. She was very worried about Oak and Thorne. Without Neven, they had to face Damian and the demon bear alone, which boded ill. After changing clothes and donning her cloak, she found the royal city deserted; everyone was still watching the beast fight.

She walked through the deserted paths and dense forest. Cheers erupted from the arena, followed by a terrifying roar from the demon bear. Aria hurried, almost tripping in her haste. Then, she suddenly heard suppressed roars from deep within the forest. It sounded like someone was in torment, just like when Neven had the heart-eating worm removed.

Aria’s spine tingled. Someone was suffering. She hesitated for a moment, then decided to investigate. Pushing through the tough bushes, she entered the depths and saw a desolate, eerie building. It was a former high-security prison from the Sovereign Bastion era, a terrifying place that had held many notorious criminals.

Again, the shouts shattered the silence of the night.

Aria felt a chill run down her spine. She looked around, trying to locate the source of the sound. The person was in a robe, hood up, revealing only a small, indistinct portion of their face. The person groaned in pain, their voice full of agony and despair.

Aria held her breath, slowly moving closer, trying not to make any noise. Her heart raced, palms sweating with tension. Each step was careful, fearing discovery. The person staggered to the closed door, touching the rusty iron and weathered wood.

Suddenly, their palm lit up with a dazzling silver light.

"This... this is demigod magic!" Aria thought, eyes wide with shock. She had seen this light before; it was the mark of a demigod. A name flashed in her mind—Adomoye.

The silver light shone brightly in the dim afternoon.

With a bang, the spell blew the heavy door open, scattering iron fragments and raising dust. Aria instinctively stepped back, grabbing a nearby tree to steady herself, suppressing her fear. She observed the figure carefully. Though she couldn’t see his face, she felt his immense power.

Questions swirled in her mind: Why was Adomoye here? What was he looking for? What secrets did this place hold?

Taking a deep breath, Aria decided to take the risk and find out. She quietly followed the person, keeping her distance but not losing sight of him. She stepped over the scattered iron shards and entered the eerie building. The air was thick with the smell of mold and decay. The darkness was broken only by the silver light ahead.

On the ground, a few drops of glowing blood formed a trail, leading deeper into the building.

Aria moved as quietly as possible, her rapid heartbeat loud in her ears. She followed the blood trail, carefully walking through the dark corridor. Around her were locked iron doors, their heavy chains clinking softly.

The blood trail ended at a half-open door, its chains broken and discarded. Holding her breath, Aria moved closer, ears straining to hear. Inside, she heard frantic searching sounds, mingled with urgent, pained breathing and quiet sobs of desperation.

Standing at the door, heart pounding, Aria peeked inside. In the dim room, a flash of silver hair caught her eye. The person was desperately searching for something, their movements both urgent and despairing.

Her heartbeat quickened, sending a tingling sensation through her entire body. She didn’t know who this person was or what they were looking for, but the tension in the room was suffocating.

Biting her lip, she forced herself to stay quiet. If she were discovered, the consequences would be dire. She tried to control her breathing, but her heart pounded like a drum in her ears.

She edged closer to the crack in the door, trying to get a clearer view of the figure. In the faint light, she could only make out a vague outline and that flash of silver hair.

Just as she tried to discern more, the figure suddenly turned. Shadows cloaked his form in the darkness.

Aria jerked back, heart racing with terror.

Pressed against the cold wall, she struggled to keep her breathing steady, but the sound of her own heartbeat grew louder. She knew she had to leave immediately, but her legs felt like lead. Her eyes darted to the distant door, her only escape route. Suddenly, an angry roar erupted from the room, followed by the crash of something heavy hitting the wall. With a deafening bang, light exploded against the opposite stone wall, sending fragments flying and dust swirling.

Her heart nearly burst from her chest, the roar tearing at her very soul.

When Aria turned around again, the demigod’s figure loomed in the darkness, his silver hair floating like a ghost, his eyes glowing blood-red. Twisted silver energy coiled in his hands, as if ready to tear the world apart.

Aria’s legs began to tremble. She forced herself to stay calm, then ran desperately towards the exit. Her footsteps echoed through the dark corridor, and she glanced back in terror. The demigod stood there, his hair reflecting the silver light. His hands ignited again, stretching luminous tendrils down the hall like ravenous spirits chasing her.

A thousand thoughts raced through her mind.Her throat was dry, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She tried to focus, thinking only of escape.

The terrible roars echoed in the narrow corridor, followed by more violent explosions. Iron doors shattered one after another, chains rattling fiercely. Air currents laden with debris whizzed past her head, the blasts coming faster, closer, as if the entire hallway was collapsing.

A wave of heat surged from behind, nearly engulfing her. Her legs burned with pain, but she dared not stop, eyes fixed on the faint light ahead. That was the exit, her only hope.

The demigod’s furious shouts echoed behind her, filled with unending wrath. Aria knew he wouldn’t let her go easily. She could feel his glowing red eyes, like a curse, boring into her back.

Her breath quickened, and her heart pounded like thunder. Each step felt like it took every ounce of her strength as she sprinted towards the exit. Then, she burst through the half-open door, and sunlight instantly washed over her face, making her feel as though she had escaped from the depths of hell. Just as she emerged from the corridor, the demigod’s roar abruptly stopped, as if halted by an invisible barrier.