From the start of the fight to Sige’s body crashing through the window—shattered glass and blood hanging in the air—it all happened in the blink of an eye.
The crowd stood frozen, stunned into utter silence.
On one side stood an angelic girl, her swaying skirt like blooming forget-me-nots, breathtaking as if she’d stepped out of a timeless dream.
On the other lay tangled trails of blood and shadow, glass shards glittering like fallen stars, crimson stains on the broken window spreading like a dark omen over the crowd’s hearts.
Two utterly contradictory scenes, yet both undeniably real.
And the second scene? Crafted entirely by Luyi’s hand in a single instant.
“What… just happened?”
“Did that golden-haired girl unleash her combat skill the moment the fight began?”
“So fast Sige couldn’t even react—it was like… instant activation!”
Yes.
Instant cast.
The moment Wilk announced the start, Luyi’s combat skill materialized, piercing straight toward her opponent.
No deliberate mana gathering. No rune tracing. Just effortless flow.
Noble faces paled.
Instant casting—a technique reserved for high-tier mages or those with profound affinity for the Source of Magic.
Yet here it was, wielded by Luyi—a girl plucked from obscurity, with no resources, no battle experience.
Wilk’s jaw hung slack, eyes vacant. He still couldn’t accept Sige’s defeat—lifeless, vanished in seconds.
The Second Prince frowned at Luyi’s direction.
*Instant casting… Something even I can’t achieve yet.*
“Judging by the trajectory and shape… it was the basic combat skill, Magic Spirit Spear,” he murmured. “But its power… far exceeded the norm.”
*Her affinity for the Source of Magic must be extraordinary.*
Prince Leon watched intently.
*Truly beautiful. Truly powerful.*
***
Luyi hated the spotlight.
But Wilk’s presence here? Unbearable.
So she acted.
As a sliver of the Demon Sovereign’s authority seeped out, sharpening her senses, her disgust for this filthy world—and for Wilk standing before her—deepened. Far deeper than mere social anxiety.
“So,” she said coldly, “am I qualified now?”
“You… you—” Wilk finally choked out, words failing him.
After that instant strike, something about Luyi had shifted. Just standing before her, he felt crushing dread. He couldn’t meet her eyes.
*This wasn’t how it was supposed to go!*
*Luyi should’ve been defeated. Dragged away. Alices humiliated in public!*
*Why… why did it twist like this?!*
“Damn… she’s incredible.”
“Talk about a slap to the face—Wilk actually got his comeuppance.”
“I’ve always hated that arrogant fool.”
“Looks like Miss Alices made one hell of an investment!”
Whispers of mockery swirled—not aimed at Alices, but at *him*.
Wilk staggered back, face ashen, sweat beading on his temples.
Suddenly, he felt like a clown on display.
“The scion of the Fallen Shield… reduced to this?” Luyi’s voice cut through the noise. When Wilk looked up, she’d already turned away, walking toward the exit. “And his master? Just a maggot in the dark—stupid, arrogant, twisted, filthy.” Her contempt was raw, unfiltered.
Those words snapped Wilk’s last thread of sanity.
“You bitch!” he roared, fury boiling over. “A stray dog picked off the streets—what right do you have to judge *me*?!”
He lunged, a dagger studded with mana crystals flashing from his spatial ring. “Today, this commoner pays with her life!!!”
His full-tiered power erupted, aimed to tear through Luyi’s back.
“Wilk’s gone mad!”
“Miss Luluie, watch out!”
No one expected this. Sige might survive his wounds—but a full-power strike like this? Luyi could die on the spot.
“Annoying.”
Luyi didn’t turn. Just a cold glance over her shoulder.
Another sliver of the Demon Sovereign’s seal broke.
A glacial, world-shattering aura erupted—
The arena lights dimmed.
Bone-deep cold swept through the crowd, piercing flesh and soul alike.
Wilk, mid-charge, locked eyes with that icy gaze.
Terror crushed him.
His mind shattered.
Childhood memories flooded back—the day he faced his father’s wrath.
*No… this brutality… this killing intent… it dwarfs even Father!*
*I’ll die…*
*If I stand before her… I’ll die…*
*No… please…*
Before everyone’s horrified eyes, Wilk convulsed like a man possessed. His legs gave way. He collapsed.
A wet stain spread across his trousers. A foul puddle seeped into the floor.
He’d lost control. From sheer terror.
—Under Luyi’s ancient, monstrous pressure.
No one saw this coming.
Wilk, scion of the Demon Sovereign, reduced to a trembling, broken thing.
This moment dwarfed even Luyi’s victory over Sige.
Luyi kept walking. Toward the exit. Never looking back.
No one dared block her path.
Her aura had faded with Wilk’s collapse—but its shadow lingered.
“That pressure…” Lan whispered, face still pale. Her unique senses had felt it most acutely. Only royal princes in the academy had ever made her feel this small.
*Miss Luluie…*
How could such power radiate from a shy, gentle-looking golden-haired girl?
“Bloodline suppression?” Serti finally breathed the words.
The Second Prince said nothing. His expression darkened.
*Bloodline suppression… Her purity must rival the Crown Prince’s.*
A twinge of envy flickered in his chest.
