The imperial bloodline’s majesty belonged to Louise.
It vanished in a flash—because the moment that royal aura surfaced, it was erased and devoured by the Demon Sovereign’s power awakening within Luyi.
After that, Salros’s bloodline resonance fell utterly silent.
All he could sense now was the soul-shaking terror radiating from the battlefield.
Having touched the Blood-Dark Flame and felt its horror—knowing it was tied to both Luyi and Alices—even if this imperial aura truly came from Louise, Salros’s thoughts still fixated solely on Luyi.
As for Louise?
*Who the hell is she?!*
Could Miss Luluie truly be…?
An absurd notion resurfaced in his mind.
His expression grew increasingly peculiar.
Yet he refused to let Luyi overlap with that woman, not even slightly.
“No…”
“This isn’t logical. It shouldn’t be…”
But one truth he had to admit:
Even he, standing before Luyi, likely wouldn’t last long.
“Luluie… just who *are* you?”
He murmured, eyes flickering.
...
Louise huddled alone in the arena, back turned to the crowd. She wept quietly for a long while before slowly rising.
She knelt before the shattered fragments of her shortsword, staring blankly for minutes. Then, carefully, she gathered the pieces with a handkerchief, tucked them into her spatial ring, and swayed unsteadily away.
Seeing the arrogant girl humbled was undeniably satisfying.
Yet right now, Louise looked like nothing more than a forlorn stray pup.
Watching her small, dejected figure, some spectators’ hearts softened.
A girl from the remote regions must have saved for ages to buy a weapon like that.
And today, Miss Luluie had shattered it in an instant.
A few even considered buying her a replacement.
But Louise needed no one’s help. No one’s pity.
It had always been this way—even as an imperial princess.
She handled everything alone.
...
“How disgraceful…”
Outside the arena, Louise’s composure slowly returned, though her face remained pale, silver hair disheveled.
A faint blush still stained her cheeks.
She sighed. She’d actually sobbed in front of Luyi.
She’d nearly believed Luyi would do… *those* things to her.
Thankfully, it hadn’t happened.
The audience saw only her collapse after losing combat ability.
Yet a strange sense of regret lingered in her chest.
*What was I even hoping for…?*
She buried the odd feeling, but her eyes reddened again.
“My lifebound weapon… shattered again. Sob…”
The last time it broke was a century ago, facing the Imperial Armament.
This time, it was shattered by a mere girl.
“That shortsword…”
She shuddered at the Stellar Dragon Scales’ sharpness. Not even an emperor’s weapon could shatter her lifebound blade so effortlessly.
“And her bloodline…”
Before, she’d thought Luyi’s power was ancestral reversion.
But now?
Calling it that felt like blasphemy.
Challenging Luyi with her royal blood had cost her dearly.
Her shattered weapon had wounded her deeply.
A sliver of the Demon Sovereign’s power still lingered within her, suppressing her royal blood, gnawing at her body and spirit.
The backlash left her utterly drained.
For now, she could barely muster thirty percent of her strength.
Full recovery would take a very long time.
“Luluie… just who *are* you?”
Slowly, she echoed Salros’s words.
...
After Luyi’s battle with Louise, the newcomers finally grasped the chasm between them and the top three.
In subsequent matches against Luyi, nearly all surrendered the moment combat began.
If even Louise had been crushed so thoroughly, what chance did they have?
Luyi faced Salros in the finals.
His decision stunned everyone—including the Hall Master and the Regents.
“Miss Luluie,” he declared solemnly before her, “I forfeit.”
He was no match for Luyi.
He lacked even the courage to fight her.
He feared defeat. Feared a more humiliating end than Louise’s.
Feared the battle might confirm that absurd suspicion.
He despised surrendering without a fight.
Yet now, he’d become what he hated most.
“Prince Salros… is *afraid* of Miss Luluie?”
“Impossible! Prince Salros is the strongest!”
“I get it—he’s currying favor! He has resources to spare, but the Lost Bloodline’s Miss Luluie…”
The debates proved more thrilling than the finals themselves.
Some claimed the prince feared Luyi; others called it noble generosity.
A few even whispered he sought her affection.
...
Regardless, the newcomer tournament ended.
The final rankings remained unchanged: Luyi first, Salros second, Louise third.
But after her defeat, Louise faded from public view.
Visitors still flocked to Alices.
Notably, two new faces joined them.
“My dear sister, my past actions were inexcusable. I beg your forgiveness.”
“Wilke alone bears the blame. He slandered you, Alices. Now that the truth is clear… Seventh Sister, you’ve suffered enough…”
The Second and Third Princes visited repeatedly, offering lavish apologies and gifts—nearly kneeling at her door.
“Second Brother, Third Brother, you…”
Alices was startled yet wary, remembering Wilke’s betrayal. Still, their persistence wore her down, and she accepted the gifts.
The mending of sibling bonds brought her genuine joy—Luyi could feel it.
“Lord Luyi, these might be of use to you…”
After they left, Alices reverently offered the most precious gifts to Luyi.
Luyi was now the only one she truly trusted.
Luyi glanced at the items. Most were valuable to the Soulfall Royal Family—but useless to her.
Then her gaze snagged on a meticulously framed blueprint in the finest gift box.
*This…?*
Wasn’t this the sketch she’d casually drawn and tossed aside?
How did it end up here?
*Did some prince mistake trash for treasure?*
“No need,” Luyi declined. “Since your brothers gave these to you, keep them.”
She looked up. Alices smiled back, sunlight catching her profile—dreamlike yet dazzling.
Like a sunflower stretching toward the dawn after a long night.
Lifting her head with quiet determination.
...
