Chapter 25: Beyond Power

The heavy roar of the crowd echoed through the arena, but inside the medical room, the air was entirely still.

Shawn slept soundly, his breathing slow and steady. Aria sat on a wooden stool beside his bed, watching him in silence with a soft, gentle smile. After a long moment, she stood up and brushed down her skirt.

“It's time,” she whispered softly, her fingers lingering on the edge of the mattress. “I’ll come back after the match. Until then… rest well.”

She turned and slipped quietly out into the corridor.

Meanwhile, inside the dim preparation room, Kaelen sat hunched on a wooden bench. His elbows rested heavily on his knees, his eyes locked onto the stone floor beneath his boots.

“Lilian… Meli…” he muttered under his breath, his knuckles turning white. “I’m finally here. Watch me closely from above. I’m going to—”

A harsh knock shattered his focus. The door swung open.

“Kaelen… get ready. The match is about to start.”

Kaelen stood up without a word. As he brushed past the guard and stepped toward the bright archway, he muttered coldly over his shoulder, “Hope at least you don't die today.”

The guard scoffed. “Pray for your Sword Saint, not me.”

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE MOMENT WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!”

The announcer's voice boomed over the magic-amplified speakers, drowning out the ambient noise of the packed stands.

“OUR BELOVED SWORD SAINT, ARIA-SAMA, IS READY TO GRACE US WITH HER BEAUTIFUL DANCE OF BLADES! AND ENTERING FROM THE OPPOSITE GATE—THE CHAMPION OF THE GRAND STAR FESTIVAL TOURNAMENT! AN UNEXPECTED DARK HORSE FROM THE SANDSREACH KINGDOM… KAELEN VOSS!”

Kaelen stepped out into the blinding sunlight, raising a single hand with an arrogant grin.

Instead of cheers, a wall of deafening hostility erupted from the audience.

“BOOO! GET OUT OF HERE, YOU CHEATER!”

“SHAMELESS! DEFEATING THE HERO WITH A BANNED RELIC!”

“GO TO HELL!”

Empty glass bottles, half-eaten food, and trash rained down toward the pathway. Royal guards quickly moved to form a defensive wall, struggling to push the furious crowd back.

Among the guards leading the line, Marvin raised his voice, trying to maintain order. “Everyone, calm down! Clear the aisle and let the event proceed!”

Kaelen walked past Marvin, his smirk widening as he glanced at the guard captain. “Heh… so these are the kingdom's finest, huh? I actually feel pity for anyone holding you lot in high regard. Your kingdom sure breeds weaklings—being the host nation, and not a single representative even cleared the quarterfinals.”

Marvin stopped in his tracks. He turned slowly, his face like carved stone.

“Kaelen,” Marvin said, his voice deadly low. “I won't debate my own defeat. It only proved I still have much to learn. But…”

Marvin’s hand rested squarely on the hilt of his longsword. The steel shivered in its sheath.

“…be grateful you are currently standing here as a guest of our kingdom. If we were anywhere else, I would have beheaded you where you stand for speaking ill of my home.”

Kaelen merely sneered. “Try it.”

Suddenly, the massive iron gates on the eastern side of the arena ground open.

A single figure stepped out from the shadows into the blinding arena light.

Instantly, the deafening screams of the crowd died. A suffocating pressure settled over the entire stadium, heavy enough to make the air itself feel dense and hard to breathe. Every single footprint Aria left in the dirt seemed to echo off the stone walls like a heartbeat.

The announcer swallowed hard, his throat dry as he fumbled with his papers. “R-Right… I need to announce…”

He cleared his throat nervously into the microphone.

“AND HERE SHE IS… OUR SWORD SAINT… ARIA-SAMA!”

Up in the guest stands, Rikka shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. She turned to Celestia, whose eyes were locked tightly onto the arena floor.

“Celestia-sama… do you feel that?” Rikka whispered, her voice trembling.

“Yes…” Celestia replied, her jaw tight. “It feels like… if any of us move or speak too loudly… we’ll die instantly.”

On the sand, the referee quickly scurried over to Aria. Sweat dripped down his temple as he leaned in, speaking in a strained hurry. “Aria-sama, if you are not feeling well, we can—”

“Don't worry about me,” Aria interrupted softly. She glanced at him, her expression completely unreadable. “But I have one request. Leave the arena.”

“H-Huh? Ah—understood, Aria-sama!” The referee didn't ask twice. He turned and sprinted toward the safety of the perimeter walls.

Across the field, Kaelen ground his teeth together. His cocky smirk wavered for a fraction of a second as his instincts screamed at him to retreat. The aura rolling off her was suffocating.

“So… you're actually taking this seriously, Sword Saint?” Kaelen called out, dropping into a tight, low stance.

“Seriously?” Aria tilted her head slightly, as if trying to process the word. “Why would I take you seriously? I can sense your strength, Kaelen. Even if you put your very life on the line… you won't manage to lay a single finger on me.”

“Overconfident… as always,” Kaelen growled, shifting his weight.

“I’ll make a deal with you,” Aria continued, her voice entirely flat.

“A deal? What, are you scared now that you’re finally facing—”

“I will stand right here,” Aria interrupted, ignoring his bluster. “I won't move my feet, and I won't draw my weapon. I will give you two… no, four? No, let's say five full minutes. If you can force me to move even a single inch, I will forfeit my title, and you can become the new Sword Saint. But if I am still standing here when time runs out… you will answer my questions. Without lying.”

Kaelen let out a harsh, bitter laugh. “Forfeit your title? Don't make me laugh! I’m not here for your useless title! I am here for—”

Flashbacks crashed into his mind like a physical blow.

He saw his home. The warm dining table, the smiling faces of his wife and daughter… and then, in a blink, the memory twisted into nightmarish flames. The smell of burning wood and metallic blood filled his senses. He saw himself covered in red, staring in sheer terror at a young girl. She moved through the slaughter without a second of hesitation, her black dress soaked in blood, her silver hair fluttering with every horrific strike.

A wild, unhinged grin stretched across Kaelen’s face.

“I am here to take back what you stole from me!” he roared.

Dark, chaotic mana burst from Kaelen's body like a black tide. His breath came in ragged, unstable gasps.

Deep sorrow… hatred… pure malice, Aria thought, analyzing the violent aura swelling before her. His mental state is completely broken. Once I get my answers, I’ll end this quickly.

“Are you ready?” Kaelen hissed, his blade trembling in his grip.

Aria gave a single, quiet nod.

The match began.

Kaelen’s flash step shattered the earth beneath him as he closed the distance in a fraction of a second. His blade hissed through the air, aimed directly at Aria’s heart.

Finally… I will… Lilian, I—

Victory shone in his eyes. But as his sword reached her chest, he caught sight of her face. She was smiling—a distant, peaceful smile.

Kaelen blinked.

The world snapped back.

The rushing air violently reversed. The heat of battle vanished, replaced by the dead chill of still wind.

He lunged forward violently—driving his blade into empty air.

Kaelen staggered, almost losing his balance. He gasped, his eyes wide as he looked around. He wasn't at her chest. He was standing twenty paces back, at the exact spot where he had started.

“What…?” he muttered, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. “I know just a second ago I was about to—”

He looked at Aria. She hadn't moved. She was still standing in the exact same spot, that faint, distant smile resting on her lips.

She’s playing tricks on my mind… I just need to be faster!

“HYAH!”

Kaelen lunged forward a second time, abandoning form for pure speed. He swung his sword in a wide, lethal arc aimed straight for her throat.

Snap.

He blinked, and his momentum vanished. Once again, he was standing at his starting position, his sword raised uselessly in the air.

He froze, his breath catching in his throat.

Up in the stands, murmurs began to ripple through the confused crowd. Nearly two minutes had passed, but to the spectators, neither fighter had made a single move. They were simply staring at each other across the dirt.

“What are they doing?” Rikka asked, leaning over the railing. “Why isn't he attacking?”

“I don't know,” Celestia murmured, her eyes narrowed. “Look at Kaelen’s face. Something is happening… but whatever Aria is doing, none of us can see it.”

Over the next three minutes, Kaelen tried everything. He used feints, heavy lunges, maximum-speed flash steps, and circular swings. But no matter what technique he executed, no matter how fast he moved, every single attempt ended the exact same way—he blinked, and found himself reset to his starting line.

Finally, his legs gave out. Kaelen collapsed onto his hands and knees, panting heavily, his chest heaving as sweat poured off his chin into the dirt.

Aria took a slow, deliberate step forward toward him.

“Your time is up,” she said softly. “Will you quietly answer my questions now?”

Kaelen looked up through his messy hair, his teeth bared in a snarl. “You think… I’ll ever obey you?!”

He reached into his inner jacket and yanked out a pulsing crimson orb. The artifact immediately burst with a violent, sickening light.

“He’s using it again!” someone in the crowd screamed.

“STOP HIM! HE’S CHEATING AGAIN!”

“ARIA-SAMA, BE CAREFUL!”

In the royal box, the King, Queen, and Marvin leaned forward, their knuckles white as they gripped the stone balcony rail.

In the stands, Rikka closed her eyes tight, clutching her hands in prayer. “Aria-sama… please!”

Celestia bit her lip so hard it nearly bled. “Aria! Move! If that thing activates, your mana will be—”

“BAHAHAHA!” Kaelen cackled insanely, holding the glowing crimson orb toward her. “NOW! WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW?! Without your divine mana, you are NOTHING! Once this drains every last drop of your power, let's see how arrogant you remain!”

Aria didn't stop. She didn't even slow her stride. Her expression didn't shift by a single millimeter as she walked directly into the sphere's radiant light.

“What are you babbling about?” she asked flatly.

She raised her hand toward the glowing relic. Her voice dropped, carrying a chilling, absolute cold that cut through the noise of the stadium.

“Unlike ordinary people… I have no need for such petty things.”

The crimson orb shuddered violently. The harsh red glow flickered, turned stark white, and shattered into a shower of harmless dust right in Kaelen's palm.

The shockwave blew Kaelen backward onto his hands. Before he could recover, the cold tip of a sword rested lightly against the skin of his throat.

Aria looked down at him, her eyes calm and clear.

“It’s over. Now… let's talk.”