"Girl, you mean... you can see it?"

Hearing Lily’s words, Valen suddenly asked, curiosity sparking in his voice.

She first shook her head, then nodded. Under his bewildered gaze, Lily explained slowly,

"I can’t see it clearly. Just... vague, blurry afterimages."

"Seriously?!" Valen stumbled back a few steps, utterly dejected. "I’m the one who ate the golden apple... why are you all so strong without it? I must’ve gotten a fake one." He muttered, lost in despair.

Lily frowned, puzzled by his question.

"That’s true. I couldn’t see anything before... what’s going on?"

Becoming a king who guides the people wasn’t just a slogan. It was Lily’s deepest conviction—and the key to awakening her royal bloodline.

What mattered wasn’t whether you could be king. It was whether you... truly wanted to be.

The moment you resolved to claim that throne, the power of royalty would open its doors to you.

O King, the gears of fate began to turn!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Meanwhile, the battle had soared from earth to sky. Explosions ripped across the horizon nonstop. Thunder roared, chilling the air like the apocalypse itself.

"Crimson blaze! Violet inferno! Icy spirit flames—fusion magic: Absolute Fire Domain!"

Flames swirled around Ink Ash—from searing red to freezing blue, from scorching heat to bone-chilling cold. They danced like the most spectacular fireworks, dazzling and wild.

Trapped in that fiery cage, Ink Ash showed no fear. Only deep fascination... and that unshakable smirk.

"Magnificent. Truly magnificent..." He stepped effortlessly out of the flames, changing his mind about finishing the old man off. "Hey, old timer—ever considered being my personal fireworks master?"

Watching Ink Ash emerge unharmed from the inferno’s heart, Norris grew more terrified with every strike. A long-forgotten dread crept over him... he could never defeat this youth.

Absurd. Yet painfully real.

Banishing those demoralizing thoughts, Norris—his body blazing with magic—unleashed his trump card.

"You insolent brat! You’ve gone too far—super-tier magic: Dance and sing, Ode to Fire—begin!"

Ink Ash watched the fire spirits leap through the air, utterly unbothered. He casually remarked,

"Oh ho, this beats your earlier flashy tricks. Not bad—you can even command elementals. Future head fireworks master? I’m rooting for you."

Ignoring the taunts completely, Norris channeled his chant with solemn intensity.

"First chapter: Fire born of man, scorching the sky!"

"Second chapter: Fire from the earth, burning a thousand miles!"

"Third chapter: Fire from the heavens, apocalyptic flames!"

Three distinct scenes flashed before Ink Ash’s eyes—shifting from illusion to solid form to reality in mere seconds.

Wild fire elements surged uncontrollably. A destructive frenzy flooded the sky, threatening to annihilate everything.