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Iris walked in silently. Learning about Hecate’s past was painful. She did not know what was even possible in this situation. It was a mess.

Hecate was filled with guilt. But she needed to kill the raven, or its existence would drive her to insanity. Yet she knew firsthand how hard it was to kill someone you loved. The twisted emotion born from that moment birthed the litchworm in her sword.

Her broken basic knowledge knew about why Hecate could not ascend to Level 5. Half soul cannot. Only a Scion, the lowest rank in the ladder of the complete soul, can ascend to Level 5. Every mage’s soul rank is Scion; after that, it goes to Demi Lord, Lord, and Elder Lord. To raise the rank of the soul, one needed to slay opponents of higher-ranked souls. Her knowledge stops there. She did not know what was above the Elder Lord. Just like her knowledge on Level stops at 6, But the unassuming boy gave her assurance that there was a level 7.

Iris sighed. Diantha was behind her. Diantha was afraid that Hecate would kill herself, so she wanted Hecate to kill the raven. At the same time, she was not capable of forcing Hecate directly, lest she do something to herself. This tournament, where her fate hangs in balance, forces Hecate to make a choice—Raven or Diantha.

The room that she destroyed was remade identically. Iantha was not with them; Jasper had taken her along for something. Iris did not know what.

She twisted the knob and stared at Ilona, who sat in the corner, absolutely lost in her mind. There were six knights clad in blue armor with golden capes. "..." She stared like a dumb idiot at the grandeur of the armor that would be completely worthless after a single battle.

Diantha cleared her throat, and Iris scooted to the side, letting Diantha in. The knights bowed. The one in the most pompous armor stepped forward before bowing.

"Greetings, Grand Duchess, Lady Lancaster, We represent the emperor’s will. We Six will enforce the foretold outcome and agreement that have been agreed upon." He presented a jade pendant.

"I see." Diantha took the jade pendant, carved with a dragon wearing a crown. "I fail to see any dissimilarities between this and my memory. Go ahead. You may do as is deemed by the Emperor’s divine wisdom. Still, I expected the emperor to make Jeremiah effectuate the agreement."

"The crack in trust between Jeremiah and the Emperor continues to deepen; His Majesty no longer believes Jeremiah is worthy of such a task," Knight replied. His respectful tone that did not hide a snide beneath the voice was the first Iris had seen. Did the Imperial Knight respect Diantha?

"I wonder who is behind such abhorrent blasphemy…" Diantha whispered.

Knights bowed and left, except for the two who stayed behind.

After a long awkward silence, during which Hecate was announced and the list of other performances that would take place after the battle, Lesley brought in Hecate and dropped her on the stage.

To Iris, Hecate looked very disoriented. She wanted to rush in and take a look at her condition. "Did Lesley do something?"

"He would not dare to." Ilona muttered, "If he has, there must be a cause."

"I will take a look," Iris muttered.

…

"Hella?"

Hecate looked at Iris. Ah! She was in the coliseum. She did not realize it. "Iris!" Hecate said her voice was powerful and like her usual self. "That Lesley bastard! I will make him pay for kidnapping me."

Iris looked relieved at her fake voice. Hecate knew it was fake, and Iris too, but that was enough. The surface was enough; the depth was convoluted with emotion, which Hecate did not want right now.

"Match will begin; you should go," Hecate said as she regained her bearing.

"Did Lesley hurt you?"

"What!" Hecate exclaimed in panic, "N-no, he will not dare to." She forced another smile.

"I see," Iris left with a zap!

Lesley showed her the pain she forced her sister to live through. She shook her head. Don't think!

Rian Reed also walked in on the stage. He was clad in red knight armor and a double-edged sword. He looked humongous and ominous. Her shoulder faltered. His unhinged smile and lack of any sanity in his hair made him look even more dangerous.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

She must win. Hecate’s mana flowed through her body. She already knew he would swing his blade at her the moment the referee called. She would not create a barrier. That was foolish.

The co-equal spell would be her flame cloak. It gave her a speed boost. Something she needed if she was to avoid his blade.

First, she would dodge and then cast a fireball in the window, where he would try to search for her. If Fireball hit, she would use all her mana to summon a flame lance, and... no, if she injured him gravely, the battle would end in her disqualification. Barrage him with thousands of flame arrows, but he would not give up. They would keep fighting until she or he died. And she cannot kill him. Unless…

"Hey, Pussy! How does it fucking feel to have all the advantages in the world? and a condition that forces me to never use powerful spells lest I burn the puny dick that you shamefully hide," Hecate spat. "As a Level 5, don’t you feel any remorse or shame? If nothing else, at least your father was not a cunt; he accepted Duel to Death; what about you? I challenge you, Rian Reed, to a duel to death. Does your whore ego dare accept it? "

Rian Reed laughed, and laughed, like she said some kind of joke. "You really tried hard to get on my nerves; unfortunately, I refused. What kind of retard would throw away a match like that?" He drawled and ruffled his unhinged hair. He looked like a mess, and the dark bag under his eyes made him look tired.

Hecate could only clench her teeth. Of course, his whore ass would not dare to squall without his master’s smack. Hecate did not say that out loud; Laurent was a Duke—it would create another mess.

"I had hoped for more than a worthless whore as my final opponent," Hecate added. She was no longer expecting him to agree; Laurent's leash held him tight to the tournament’s rules.

"It is your Lady—" Rian stopped as the color of his face drained. "I was a second away from death, phew," he sighed. He looked right. Hecate followed his gaze and noted the Imperial Knight.

"Heh! I was this close to vitory by default," Hecate gleefully said. If she could not take the duel, then making him unrest was the second best option. The imperial knight was duty-bound to defend the Grand Duchess’s honor. He would slay Rian Reed the moment he stepped above his station.

The referee looked at her, and Hecate nodded.

"Begin!"

A long coat made of flame appeared on Hecate’s body. She dashed to the side, and Rian Reed appeared in that spot like an afterimage. His sword came crashing down, covered in overflowing mana.

DOOM!

The stage broke in half, and cracks spread from the point of impact. The referee ran for his life. The stage was a meter above the ground; if he fell with this much rubble, it would be the end of him.

Hecate jumped in the air as the floor beneath her feet crumbled. The moment she was supposed to create her fireball passed—startled, she tried to find a footing for her landing. It was a split moment of miscalculation, and Hecate failed to notice the monster had already recovered from the recoil.

He dashed like he was walking in the air. The straight blade trusted into the air, making it quiver like some beast in the heat was humping.

Hecate landed with his blade right at her. Hecate calmly saw it, shifted a little, the blade missed, mana converged in her hand, and it turned white. She punched Rian Reed in the gut. The impact sent him hurtling to the center of the stage.

The audience erupted in mad cheers; almost the entire city was screaming.

That only made Hecate feel even more burdened; if she lost, many people would blame her for the rest of her life. She spat out the dust that she breathed in. Rian stood completely unharmed. His position in the air made it easy to send him flying; otherwise, a caster like her could never damage him.

"That was unexpected." He said, "But if this is all the reputed Roundtable taught you, then it is disappointing."

Of course, Rian was short-selling Hecate. She sped him and punched him, all the while remaining completely unscathed. Even at Level 5, that would have been a feat to be reckoned with. Casters are slow; unless it’s Iris, who is very much one with Lightning, they never outpace a knight like him.

"Look up," Hecate said, as she pointed up her finger. The next moment, the whole stadium was covered in red, and the Hundred Flame Javelin hung in the air. Hecate was hesitant to throw her spell; if Rian Reed intentionally did not defend himself, she would lose.

Rian, of course, understood Hecate’s dilemma. He was not going to defend. He smirked and prepared to strike Hecate.

Hecate decided against striking Rian Reed; his smirk told her he was thinking the same thing.

"How the FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO WIN THIS FIGHT!" Hecate screamed in rage. Her hair became undone from a ponytail and turned into flames. She would punch him until he passed out. Hecate rushed in head-on. Her fist was embraced by the white flames. It would not burn him; it destroyed mana but not flesh. With these, she did not need to hold back.

"Bastard!!"

…

"How will she win?" Iris asked Ilona. She could not see the victory.

"She cannot." Ilona replied; her calm voice was filled with defeat.

Iris looked behind her; the knight stood like a statue. She was tempted to use a manipulation spell on Rian and this knight to end the battle. She did not know if there was someone else hiding who would detect her spell. The mess had far too many variables and eyes to do something blatant.

"If she ascends to Level 5, she would be a close combat class; Reaper, she will have the strength to win," Diantha replied. She said it with absolute surety.

"Death of the Raven, or Your Fate There is no choice in between." Iris said.

"As if there is someone else behind this moment, pulling every string, who? That eludes even me," Diantha said.

"Dr. Fenroy lives," Ilona said.

"And, now, this farce makes much more sense, especially Laurent’s excitement—the unassuming boy, is that his real identity? Or are there two people?" Diantha said her voice was level. But the whitening knuckle and chilling smile gave Iris an idea of Diantha’s rage. "Perhaps another night of cleansing approaches the horizon—except this time, not for Lancaster’s estate but for the whole of Gracia. Knight."

Night of Cleasing is the name that News gave to the massacre she committed.

Knight shook and bowed. "Y-Yes, My lady?"

"Tell Emperor, if he fails to provide me the location of Fenroy in three months, another massacre is to happen." Diantha sighed and looked over her shoulder.

"You can do that?" Iris asked, and her words threw all her understanding of empire out the window. She thought no one displeased the emperor, no matter what. But her words right now did the opposite.

"I am asking his permission before the massacre; I don’t see why not."

"It feels like an order to me," Iris whispered, her eyes trained on Hecate and Rian Reed. Hecate was doing too well for a caster, but not sufficient to win against Level 5.

"No, we have an agreement—I have the right to wage war on three houses whenever I feel the balance is threatened. The Emperor ordered me not to; in return, he will listen to one of my demands." Diantha turned to her, "If Fenroy is alive, then I must have his head in my collection."

Iris tilted her head. Collection? Did Diantha collect the heads of the people she killed? That would be so cool—Iris thought.