The first-floor lobby was now filled with all the previously "killed" players, gathered to witness the father-daughter duo's final showdown.

"Go, Sis~ Go, Dad~"

"Noa-chan, you can do it~"

Muen and Helena enthusiastically took on the role of the cheering squad, setting the mood for the match.

Aurora was nestled in her aunt's arms, her little tail twitching with excitement.

Over the past dozens of hours playing the game, Aurora had seen plenty of amusing moments. But those had always felt like they stopped just short of reaching a climax—they hadn’t managed to fully hype her up.

Now, however, the ultimate showdown was happening between her big sister and father.

This kind of fun was rare.

And unlike the fleeting pleasures one might quickly forget, this particular "fatherly love vs. daughterly piety" dynamic was the type of entertainment that only got better the more one enjoyed it.

Aurora even had the impulse to ask the staff for a few Recording Stones so she could record the match and rewatch it endlessly once they returned home.

At the same time, Aurora could feel her aunt's anticipation for the battle.

"Auntie, who do you think will win—Big Sis or Dad?" Aurora asked.

"Objectively speaking, even if your big sister had a hundred clones of herself, she wouldn’t stand a chance."

Isa began with an honest analysis but then quickly added, "But you never know. Your dad might just go easy on her."

Aurora blinked her pretty eyes. "Auntie, according to what you're saying, even Daddy go SO EASY on Big Sis, and Big Sis still wouldn’t win, right?"

Isa chuckled, lightly tapping Aurora’s nose with her finger. "Just watch and see. I’m also eager to find out how this ultimate showdown will unfold."

Roswitha stood nearby, silently observing.

She was well aware that Leon would surely hold back to let their eldest daughter win.

But therein lay the challenge—Noa wasn’t naive.

Given how well Roswitha knew her daughter, she was positive that Noa fully understood she couldn’t defeat her father.

This placed Leon’s acting skills under heavy scrutiny.

He would need to appear completely serious while holding back just enough to not make it obvious.

The goal was to achieve the effect of “Wow, I was so close! I tried my very best, but I still couldn’t do it!”.

Faced with an insurmountable gap in strength, only a flawlessly natural display of "momentary carelessness" could allow their daughter to accept the outcome of the duel.

Of course, just minutes earlier in the cellar, the couple had thoroughly discussed their plan.

They both wanted Noa to ultimately claim victory—but not at the cost of making it too obvious.

If Leon held back too much and it was glaringly intentional, it would likely upset Noa. At that point, playing at full strength might actually be the better option.

In short, for Leon, losing this duel "perfectly" was far more difficult than winning it effortlessly.

"I’ll need to take this even more seriously than when facing those Dragon Kings," Leon mused to himself.

At that moment, in the center of the first-floor lobby, the father and daughter prepared to face off.

Their ultimate showdown was a game of [Bell Snatch].

The rules were simple:

Each opponent wore a bell tied to their waist. Whoever managed to snatch their opponent's bell first would be declared the winner.

Now, with their bells securely fastened, the father and daughter stood on opposite sides of the field, readying themselves.

"Hey, kid,"

A voice suddenly called out to Noa from the deep golden waterway of her consciousness, breaking a long silence.

"What?"

Time inside her mental space flowed differently than that in the real world, so Noa had plenty of minutes to spare for a quick chat with her ancestral spirit.

"You realize that in a physical contest like this, you have absolutely no chance of beating your father, right?"

"Mm, I know."

Noa’s tone was calm as she shrugged and casually replied, "But what would you have me do? Surrender outright? Maybe act spoiled and beg Dad to hand over the prize—the Black Holy Stone?"

"That does sound efficient and hassle-free."

The ancestral spirit let out a soft, amused snort before continuing, "But I know you’d never do something like that."

"Yeah, I didn’t expect the game to end up like this either. So as for the Night Crystal, I guess I can't—"

"If your heart is set on winning, then none of this defeatist talk," the ancestral spirit interrupted, her tone uncharacteristically stern.

Her white dragon eyes reflected Noa’s small figure as she continued, "Even in the face of an overwhelming strength gap, proper analysis and preparation before a battle are still necessary. You’re not planning to just recklessly brute-force your way through without a strategy, are you?"

Noa’s pupils wavered ever so slightly. On her otherwise unperturbed little face, a brief flash of emotion flitted by but disappeared just as quickly.

Taking a deep breath, she paused for a moment before responding, "Beyond the glaring difference in power, Dad has far more combat experience than I do. Any tricks I can think of are ones he or the academy drilled into me—they’re too rigid."

"Exactly. So when the time comes, be adaptable. Don’t stick to schoolbook maneuvers. Stay sharp and learn to counteract on the fly."

Noa nodded. "Got it."

"Well then... a bit of encouragement wouldn’t hurt either."

The ancestral spirit gazed deeply at Noa. Gradually, her small figure seemed to overlap with the one in her memories—the spirit’s own self from long ago.

Thousands of years ago, countless voices had urged her not to attempt becoming the savior of the Dragon Clan.

But she had resolutely chosen that path anyway.

Now, as she looked at this young girl in front of her, she thought she could see that same fiery conviction—the kind of resolve that burns with “Though a thousand others stand in my way, I shall press on.”

"Even though this is just a tiny game of Bell Snatch, your determination to fight despite knowing the odds moves me. Go for it, little one. Give it your all, with no regrets."

Noa murmured a low "Mm" in response before exiting her conscious space.

Right then, the staff announced the start of the game.

Standing roughly five to six meters apart, the father and daughter locked eyes. Neither made a move to attack.

"Well, I wasn’t expecting you to still have a card like that up your sleeve, Noa," Leon said with a grin.

"Dad, do you know who I was most eager to face when I found this card?"

"And who would that be?"

Noa looked straight at the man standing before her.

"You, Dad."

Leon raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you'd say Mom or Helena. So, me?"

"Of course. It’s always been you."

Noa slightly crouched, arching her back and extending her leg as she assumed a pouncing stance.

"I’ve always, always wanted to truly test myself against you, dad."

"Even if it’s just a little game of Bell Snatch... I’ll give it everything I’ve got."

Leon didn’t fully understand why his eldest daughter was saying something like "I’ve always wanted to test myself against you." However, seeing her brimming with fighting spirit despite knowing the stark power gap...

It made him happy.

Many years ago, when he was just a boy, he had been just like Noa—challenging his master despite being hopelessly outmatched.

In the end, his reckless zeal had earned him merciless beatings from that heavy-handed old geezer.

Well, at least he wasn’t going to treat his daughter that way.

"I’m coming, Dad."

"Alright."

As the final words fell, Noa lunged forward, darting straight for the bell at Leon’s waist.

But such direct, unhidden intentions were child’s play for Leon.

With a slight pivot, he effortlessly dodged Noa’s charge.

Then, seizing the momentum, Leon reached out toward the bell tied to Noa's waist.

He moved fast.

But not his highest speed.

He had to avoid immediately snatching her bell, all while ensuring Noa didn’t notice he was deliberately holding back.

Noa’s reaction was equally swift.

After her initial miss, she quickly adjusted her balance, twisting to shield the side where her bell was located, causing Leon’s hand to grasp at empty air.

Touching the ground lightly, Noa sprang up for a fiercer second assault.

Due to their height difference, for Noa to reach Leon’s bell, she had to leap.

But in mid-jump, openings would inevitably surface.

Noa had realized this flaw immediately after her first round.

So for her second attack, she prioritized destabilizing Leon’s footing rather than randomly lunging.

She sought to exploit her shorter stature by making her dad bend down to defend.

Leon quickly discerned her strategy and let out a small smile.

"Turning a disadvantage into an advantage, huh? Not bad, Noa."

"A very skilled teacher once told me—"

Noa spoke as her relentless offensive maneuvers showed no signs of slowing.

"Don’t be a slave to old routines. Keep your mind adaptable."

Deep within her consciousness, that "skilled teacher" let out a haughty little snort.

"Alright then—how about this?"

With those words, Leon extended his long arm, capitalizing on his height and reach advantage, and casually pinched the back of Noa’s collar, lifting her off the ground entirely.

This demonstrated exactly what they had discussed earlier—when faced with insurmountable strength, all of Noa’s tactics could be easily dismantled by Leon exerting even the slightest bit of effort.

"Well then, I won’t hold back—I’ll take your bell now."

Holding Noa in mid-air with one hand, Leon slowly reached toward the bell on her waist with the other.

Noa struggled futilely for a moment before realizing there was no way to muster any power while suspended like this.

And now, her father’s unyielding hand was closing in on her bell, threatening to steal it away.

In that moment of desperation, Noa clenched her teeth, shifting her focus and using her core muscles to generate momentum. Swinging her body back and forth, she managed to lift herself up slightly.

Timing it just right, Noa used her tail to hook onto her dad’s arm, twisting her hips to reposition her bell away from danger.

Leon raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

"Oh, wow. You’re more flexible than I thought, my girl."

"Wait till you see this!"

Using Leon's arm as a fulcrum, Noa forcefully propelled herself upward, tail coiling for leverage like a spring.

Employing her nimbleness, Noa rotated her small frame in a fluid “barbell swing” motion, hanging herself off Leon's shoulders.

It was a daring and elegant acrobatic maneuver, one that only further highlighted Leon’s incredible physical build—if not for his regular training and muscle tone, his arm might not have borne the strain of such an advanced move.

“Dad, I’m going to become a dragon knight!”

“Huh?”

Standing on Leon’s shoulders, Noa didn’t stop there. She leaned forward and straddled her father’s neck.

Just like the “dragon knight” game Muen and Leon used to play.

“But you’re sitting so high. How are you going to snatch the bell from my waist?” Leon asked, his tone teasing. As he spoke, he reached one hand and gently held his daughter’s ankle, which rested against his chest, worrying that any vigorous movement might cause Noa to lose her balance and fall.

Noa giggled softly.

“Of course… like this!”

With that, Noa leaned back abruptly, her legs hooking tightly under her father’s arms to secure herself in place.

Then she performed a perfect backbend.

Noa’s little head swung downward, her black and silver hair cascading as she hung upside down from Leon’s back. Her outstretched hand landed just within reach of the bell at Leon’s waist!

“Got it!” A glint flashed in Noa’s eyes as she reached for the bell dangling from her father’s belt.

But alas, age indeed comes with cunning.

Leon immediately tightened his grip on Noa’s ankle and began spinning in place.

The unexpected dizziness momentarily robbed Noa of her focus, forcing her to abandon the attempt.

After a few spins, Leon gradually stopped and crouched down, allowing his daughter to safely dismount from his shoulders.

“Looks like you’ve improved quite a bit while I wasn’t paying attention,” Leon complimented her sincerely.

“I told you, Dad—I’m giving it my all!”

After a brief pause to catch her breath, Noa charged at Leon again, while he assumed a defensive stance in readiness.

Both of them knew this was likely their final round of confrontation.

By now, they had more or less figured out each other’s tactics. Whoever managed to claim the bell in this third round would be the ultimate winner.

Noa rapidly shifted her attack angles, her movements quick and unpredictable. She darted and spun with such agility that even the “corpses” spectating on the sidelines couldn’t help but be mesmerized.

“Your daughter… is really just five years old?” Even Claudia, who had seen her fair share of extraordinary sights, was amazed by Noa’s talent.

“She’ll be turning six later this year,” Roswitha replied calmly.

“Mommy, Muen’s gonna be six soon too!” the little one beside her chimed in cheerfully.

Roswitha looked down fondly and ruffled her hair. “That’s right. Muen is about to turn six as well.”

“When I was her age… I couldn’t even come close to this level—such clean, decisive attacks coupled with precise defense…” Helena sighed in admiration. “I always knew she was exceptional compared to the young dragons in her age group, but I never imagined she could hold her own against Uncle Leon at this level…”

Everyone was full of praises for Noa.

Roswitha couldn’t help but feel proud of her daughter’s talent.

But as Noa’s mother, Roswitha naturally considered the matter more deeply.

For instance… to reach the level she was at now, how much effort had Noa poured in, and how much sweat had she quietly shed in the unseen corners of her world?

For that child… her accomplishments could never be brushed off as mere “talent” without recognizing the incredible hard work behind them.

...

At the center of the hall, Noa spotted a small opening in Leon’s defense. Taking full advantage, she leaped up, aiming directly for the bell at Leon’s waist.

The move was incredibly swift, and Leon barely dodged after sensing her approach.

However, just as before in the first round of attacks, a missed strike would inevitably leave an even larger weakness exposed.

Leon planned to exploit it using the same strategy as earlier, launching toward Noa’s bell in return.

But the tides turned in a single instant!

Instead of immediately correcting her stance after missing her target, Noa observed her father’s positioning angle closely. Seizing the opportunity, she extended her tail, striking toward the bell on Leon’s belt from an angle he hadn’t anticipated.

Leon never expected his daughter to use her tail for a sneak attack.

“Aw, crap—”

*Jingle!*

Noa landed lightly on her feet, her hands empty.

However, a dainty silver bell now dangled from the tip of her silver tail.