Chapter 23: Conclusion of Final

The arena erupted into noise as the spectators intensely enjoyed the soaring tension. Leo took a sharp attacking stance, while his opponent, Kaelen Voss, stood completely still.

Checking his opponent's status, Leo stared closely, a surprised expression washing over his face.

“His status…” he muttered.

What is the meaning of this? His status is completely normal—barely above a trained soldier's. How was he able to reach the semifinals?

“Ivy… is there a glitch or something? Why does his status look like this?” he whispered under his breath, communicating with his internal system.

[I WILL PROCEED WITH A QUICK CHECK…… NO GLITCH OR ERROR DETECTED. THE STATUS SHOWN TO YOU IS HIS ORIGINAL ONE.]

His original one… Leo focused on him, but found nothing suspicious about the man.

“Excuse me…” Seeing the troubled expression on Leo's face, the referee walked over. “Are you alright, Leo? If you are ready, we can start.”

“Huh…” Leo snapped back to reality and nodded.

Maybe I’m just overthinking, but to be cautious, I need to end this quickly before he pulls an ace out from his sleeve.

“Now, both fighters are ready… Start!”

The referee signaled by lowering his hand, and Leo immediately used the skills granted by Goddess Freya to take a flash leap forward. Just as he was about to swing his sword, he caught a glimpse of a cold grin spreading across Kaelen’s face.

Kaelen pulled out a mysterious red orb that began to glow with an eerie light.

In the middle of his attack, Leo felt a sudden, sickening weight overcome his body. He tried to finish swinging his sword, but his movement became agonizingly slow—so slow that Kaelen effortlessly dodged the strike.

“What the hell…” Leo’s arms dropped under the crushing weight of his blade, and he lifted his head in utter shock.

Kaelen delivered a swift kick directly to his face, sending Leo skidding several feet back across the stone floor. Walking over as Leo struggled to stand, Kaelen planted himself on Leo's stomach and, with a sharp grin, began brutally punching him down.

Confused by what was unfolding before their eyes, the crowd began muttering among themselves.

“Hey! What is happening down there?” one spectator asked another.

“I don’t know… but somehow, the Hero’s attacks look like a child swinging a toy sword.”

“A child? But isn’t he the hero summoned by Goddess Freya herself?”

Confusion spread like wildfire across the stands, but Kaelen’s heavy fists did not stop. A brutal blow landed squarely on Leo's face, sending blood spraying across the ground—the red stain expanding with every relentless strike.

Tightening her grip on the railing out of pure frustration, Rikka turned to Aria.

“Aria-sama! What is happening?! Why is that red-haired person overpowering the Hero like this? I know he might be strong, but this doesn't make any sense! Leo-sama was summoned by Goddess Freya herself!”

“His mana…”

“Huh?”

“Leo’s mana… the very unstable mana he received from Freya is being drained by something Kaelen is holding.”

Back on the battlefield, Kaelen’s onslaught remained relentless. Leo struggled with everything he had, but it felt as though the tremendous power granted to him upon being summoned to this world was completely draining away. Desperation flooded his mind.

What is happening? Why can't I use my skills… IVY!

He called out frantically to his system, but received no response.

Ivy…!

Noticing the hollow, bewildered look on Leo’s face, Kaelen paused for a second, glaring down at the hero's bloodied features.

“You’re probably wondering why your skills aren't working, right?”

“Augh…” A painful groan slipped from Leo's lips.

“Well, think of this as punishment for using cheats to stand at the top without ever knowing the struggle it takes to reach it.”

With a massive swing of his fist, Kaelen struck Leo so hard that his head bounced against the ground, knocking him unconscious instantly.

Kaelen stood up, adjusted his clothes, and, without saying a single word, walked back toward the eastern gate, leaving the entire stadium stunned into silence.

The referee rushed over to inspect Leo's condition. After a quick check, he signaled the official end of the match and summoned the healers and support staff onto the arena floor.

The commentator remained completely frozen, pausing to process the referee’s signal before snapping back to his broadcast.

“WELL… IT SEEMS LIKE… UMM… MATCH OVER!” The commentator cleared his throat, desperately trying to regain his composure. “THE MATCH BETWEEN LEO AND KAELEN HAS CONCLUDED, AND IT SEEMS WE HAVE AN UNEXPECTED WINNER FOR THE FIRST-EVER GRAND STAR FESTIVAL TOURNAMENT: KAELEN VOSS! AND WITH THAT, HE EARNS THE OPPORTUNITY TO FACE OUR BELOVED SWORD SAINT, ARIA SERAPHIS!”

Upon hearing Aria’s name, the crowd snapped out of their shock and began chanting her name in unison throughout the stands.

In the royal box, Celestia was engaged in a heated argument with her parents as the surrounding tension mounted. Realizing Kaelen had used some sort of mysterious artifact, she finally snapped.

“Why don’t you understand?! We have to stop the upcoming match!” She raised her voice at her father.

“Celestia, quiet! That is no way for a princess to address her father,” the Queen scolded her sharply.

“I understand what you are trying to say, Celestia… but having come this far, we cannot back down now,” the King replied calmly. “And why fear? Everyone knows how strong our Sword Saint is. No matter what relic Kaelen uses, she will handle it with grace.”

“Why…” Celestia began, but Aria’s calm voice interrupted from behind them.

“Celestia… your father is telling the truth.”

Aria stepped forward into the box, with Rikka following closely behind her. Seeing Aria, the King bowed respectfully. “That is precisely what I was saying, Aria-sama. There is no way a divine being like you could be overwhelmed by a mortal.”

The Queen bowed as well, adding, “Please, Aria-sama, forgive my daughter's outburst.”

Celestia turned to face Aria, who offered a distant, serene smile before continuing, “Leaving that aside, I came to say that no matter what happens, the tournament must not be stopped. I will face him tomorrow.”

“Yes, Aria-sama…” The King bowed once more as Aria turned back toward the exit.

Her eyes twitching with irritation, Celestia rushed to catch up with her.

“Aria…! Hey, wait!” She reached out and grabbed Aria’s hand.

Aria paused and looked over her shoulder.

“What are you doing?! You sensed it too, right?” Celestia demanded, her voice tight with concern. “That Kaelen guy is hiding something dangerous! I saw him use that red orb on the Hero, and the Hero’s power vanished completely!”

“I see. Thank you, Celestia…” Aria smiled warmly and gently continued, “It feels good to know you’re worried about me, but as I told Shawn before, I will tell you now… In my entire life, I have never felt that anyone could defeat me. Not back then, and certainly not now.”

Leaving Celestia frozen in place, Aria released her hand and resumed walking. Rikka bowed respectfully to Celestia before scurrying to follow.

Walking through the arena gallery toward the open garden outside, Rikka looked up nervously. “Aria-sama… are you sure about fighting him? I’m not doubting your strength, but what I saw back there was unimaginable. I know Leo might lack combat experience, but he is the Hero, blessed by Goddess Freya—yet Kaelen completely overwhelmed him.”

“Well… the blessing was from Freya, so I wouldn't rely on him being overwhelmingly strong just because of that. Freya might be a goddess, but in the end, she is still the youngest among us.”

“The youngest…?” Rikka tilted her head in confusion.

“Sorry, I can’t tell you more about that.” Reaching the exit, Aria turned back to face Rikka. “I need to go somewhere. Rikka, take care of Shawn for me. I ordered the guards and healers not to let anyone near him, but you’re a thief, right? Just use your skills to sneak in and stay by Shawn’s side until I return.”

“Huh? Wait, Aria-sama, where—”

Before Rikka could even finish her question, a gust of dust kicked up from the stone floor, and Aria vanished into the sky before Rikka could even blink.