The cataclysm I had unleashed in the forest worked better than any magical barrier. It wasn't just destruction—it was a landmark. For days, the ground still glimmered like freshly blown glass, the trees had turned into fragile ash that crumbled at a touch, and the atmosphere crackled with blue electric currents snaking between the rocks.
Three days later, it still felt as though the sky itself had fallen onto that piece of the world.
Out of fear or respect, no one dared cross the new sanctuary. That scar at the heart of the jungle had become forbidden territory, a living reminder that monsters were competing in this tournament.
Far away, on a small hill, six young demons argued with a weight their voices couldn't hide.
"Orders are orders. You know our families won't tolerate this disagreement," said a pale-skinned young man with curly brown hair and piercing green eyes. His posture was firm.
"Orders my ass," snapped a seductive woman with a sculpted body and green hair that shimmered under the dim light. A massive, razor-sharp metallic ring rested on her shoulders like a lethal crown, slowly spinning in her magic. "If that old man I call a father wants to punish me, so be it. I'm not going to risk my ranking in a fight I'm not sure I can win against that monster."
The air grew heavy.
"Coward… I knew you were spineless," replied a tall, dark-skinned demon with long braided hair, his eyes sparking with contempt.
"Watch your words, Plumbarius lapdog," she shot back, her voice dripping with icy venom, and three of the nearby competitors immediately aligned themselves by her side.
The tension burst in sharp stares. The green-eyed boy stepped in, trying to douse the embers before they became wildfire.
"Leon, enough."
Another voice cut in, this one dangerously calm. It belonged to a demon with sleek black hair, dressed in a luxurious robe that would make even the heirs of the Twelve Families envious. His presence was dominant, majestic.
"She's right, Nathanael. All our estimates were built on information we thought was solid… but the truth is, we're missing far, far too much about Elian's disciple. You know that." He ran his fingers over the fine fabric, as if reminding himself of the price of his own insolence.
"The opening of the Realm Artifact is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Even I, who owe obedience to Azrael, won't follow his orders blindly. And you of all people know the punishment waiting for me when I leave here." His eyes trembled slightly at the omen of what awaited.
"But… it's not worth risking losing the only opportunity that matters."
The silence that followed was heavy, almost suffocating. The meeting dissolved without agreement. Four of them chose their own paths, walking down the hillside in different directions, leaving behind only the shadow of disunity.
Before vanishing from sight, the demon in fine clothes turned one last time toward Nathanael and the dark-skinned man with braided hair who had remained by his side.
His gaze was stern, almost a warning.
"Nathanael… take care of your life. Forget those rotten old men's advice. What matters is preparing for the trial of the Celestial Pagoda."
Those words cut like steel. And they lingered in the damp forest wind.
**
The last few days had dragged on in almost unbearable monotony. What should have been a string of frantic battles turned into forced peace, a direct consequence of the catastrophe I had caused.
I remained vigilant, circling the perimeter where I had set my traps, guarding the cave where the incubator of beast eggs rested.
It was the ninth day of the tournament and, honestly… all I had done during that time was face disoriented beasts, driven out of their territories by the destruction of the forest.
Poor creatures, homeless because of a psychopath who decided to throw a meteor from the sky. "Hehe."
Both Norwenna and I had already secured our ten eggs. Technically, we were ready to just wait for the tournament's end. Or at least that's what I naively thought.
Since dawn, an unsettling sensation had been crawling beneath my skin, like a constant shiver, a tingling in my nerves. And if there was one thing I had learned in this hell of a competition, it was to never ignore my instincts.
That's why I was more alert than ever, even in the midst of the dull routine.
And in the end, I was right.
"So, two more had the courage," I muttered, raising my gaze.
Two competitors appeared at the edge of my territory. The first wore black clothing, a heavy overcoat draped over his shoulders. Curly brown hair contrasted with his pale skin, freckles scattered subtly across his face. Beside him, the second was imposing: bronze-skinned, with braided hair, clad in a stylish, all-black armor. On his back he carried a shell-shaped shield and a spear that seemed to pulse in rhythm with his aura.
"They remind me of someone…" I whispered, narrowing my eyes.
I let out a long sigh, closing my eyes for a moment, bracing my mind for another battle that would undoubtedly push me to the limit.
These two carried the same aura of preparation and confidence as Wagner and Moura. Without a doubt, they were worthy enemies.
Both moved through the forest with measured steps, like predators aware they were in hostile territory. The tension in their bodies betrayed their expectation of an ambush, but nothing happened—yet. I was already preparing for the inevitable, ready to engage in combat, when an unexpected presence caught my attention.
At the foot of the tree where I kept watch stood Norwenna, emerging from the grass—who knows how.
Her cold, stern expression had nothing in common with the mocking, sarcastic woman of the past few days. Her face was serious and resolute, and that made my eyebrows arch in a mix of question and unease.
She said nothing.
She just fixed me with her sharp eyes and shook her head, signaling that I should come down. I took a deep breath, shifted my weight with gravity, and dropped silently from the tree, landing at her side.
I met her gaze with the same seriousness, waiting for any explanation. But before a single word could be exchanged, Norwenna made the first move. She simply turned and began walking toward the two competitors, as if stepping into a fate already waiting for her.
Completely against my expectations, Norwenna advanced toward them without the slightest shadow of fear, without even hinting at a strategy. It was as if her choice was simple: face them head-on, without masks, without hesitation.
As she walked, the ground around us began to tremble with faint vibrations, as though each step was the beat of a hidden heart pulsing beneath the earth. I could feel it in my skin, in the roots winding under the dead vegetation of the forest.
Little by little, life responded to her. Branches sprouted, flowers bloomed, grass and vines rose, until a natural armor took shape around her body.
It was beautiful—disarmingly so. A dress made of flowers and grass, delicate and imposing at the same time. But there was something in that sight that froze the blood. The softness was an illusion: a closer look revealed glittering thorns between the petals, each branch carrying venomous hostility. To touch that creation would be to sign your own death sentence.
Our footsteps didn't take long to be noticed. The muffled sound echoed just enough to put the two opponents on alert. They stopped, assuming flawless defensive stances, eyes fixed on the source of the intrusion.
And finally, we stood face to face.
Norwenna at my side, radiating her overwhelming presence. And them—two warriors whose posture and bearing carried the certainty that they were about to fight for much more than simple survival.
The tension crystallized in the air. The silence that followed seemed to last hours.
"I suspected you'd been lucky enough to land in this area," his voice cut through the air like a fine blade, cold and full of certainty. "What I didn't expect was that you'd join forces with the very figure we've been hunting."
And suddenly, everything made sense. That nagging feeling of familiarity clicked into place like the final piece of a puzzle. The way he spoke, the look in his eyes, his stance… there was no doubt.
The two before me were the infamous Plumbarius Twins.
"Well," Norwenna replied with a crooked smile, "I had no obligation, dear little brother. Don't you remember I wasn't chosen for the Twelve Families' little elite group?"
"Hehehe…" the young man, identical to her, let out a restrained laugh. "And now I'm left wondering what reason you'd have to stand here, face to face with me."
"We have unfinished business, Nathanael," her voice sank, deep and firm like roots driving into the soil. "After all, we never had the chance to fight in a place where I could unleash the full potential of my affinity."
Nathanael smiled, but his gaze burned like heated iron. "Norwenna, Norwenna… my beautiful sister. More than anyone, you know the difference in our abilities. Do you really think that just because we're in the middle of a forest the outcome will change?"
"I want to see for myself!" The confidence in her tone was so solid it almost made me believe nothing could bring her down.
Nathanael sighed deeply, like someone resigning themselves to the inevitability of conflict. "I swear, I didn't see this one coming."
Then, he finally lifted his gaze to me. I hadn't said a single word since the beginning, and the weight of that look made it clear my presence was a factor he couldn't ignore.
He then turned to the tall, dark-skinned man with braids at his side—Leon—and gave him a simple nod, the silent order to take care of me while he settled his personal matters with his sister.
"No interference?" Nathanael asked directly, now measuring me as though searching for something in my silence.
I didn't answer. I only turned my head to Norwenna, waiting for her to dictate how this would go. Because honestly, to me, this entire conversation was smoke. If she asked for help, I wouldn't think twice—I'd crush everything around me without distinction.
"Do not interfere."
Her command fell on me with almost imperial weight. Her voice carried an authority that left me no room to argue.
Leon drew his spear and shield from his back in a single, firm motion. Wild prana burst from his body, radiating like waves of heat ready to incinerate everything nearby. He faced me head-on, muscles taut, like a predator poised to strike.
But behind that mask, there was something impossible to miss: unease. Not paralyzing fear, but the clear awareness that he was standing before something that could destroy him.
I wasn't intimidated for a second.
I remained calm, unaffected by the weight of the moment. If he truly wanted to fight me, good. I had already expected another unfair fight, two against one, and now the circumstances had turned unbelievably in my favor.
He gave a sharp nod, signaling for us to move away. Before I could respond, he bolted, rushing out of the twins' area.
I followed, running through the forest until we reached a hill a little over two kilometers from the field where Norwenna and Nathanael were about to begin their clash.
The place was perfect: high ground, with a clear view, and still within range of my portals. From there, I could monitor their battle while handling whatever came from Leon.
Electricity surged through my body, a living thunderstorm dancing across my skin. I slipped into battle mode. My senses narrowed, plunging into the present with absolute clarity. Energy flooded extravagantly through my channels, ready to erupt at any second.
But before anything could start, Leon simply planted his spear and shield into the ground, settled himself on a small rise of the hill, and turned his body to watch the siblings from afar.
I stared, frowning, thrown off by the sudden turn of events.
"Haa… relax. Pretend I'm not even here," he said in a tone bordering on lazy. "No way in hell am I fighting you alone."
"What??" The disbelief slipped out of me.
"My friend, don't take it the wrong way." He let out a heavy sigh, as if stating the obvious. "I was confident I'd crush you, tear you to pieces, you know? But…"
"But…?" I pressed, waiting for at least some coherent justification.
"But… that was with the boss around. Without him, I'm not about to get myself eliminated from the tournament."
"Haan…?" Now the confusion was complete.
"So… we're not going to fight?" I asked, still trying to piece it together.
"Nope," he replied casually, patting the rock beside him to beckon me. "Sit down. Let's watch the boss and my woman fight."
"What? Your woman?"
"Yeah, Norwenna is my fiancée… well… sort of."
I rolled my eyes. "Sort of? What the hell does 'sort of' mean?"
"She's my fiancée, she just doesn't know it yet. Neither do her parents… or the boss… hehehe…"
He said it with the utmost naturalness, as if commenting on the weather instead of declaring sheer insanity.
I stared at Leon for a few seconds, trying to figure out if he was joking or if he genuinely believed what he was saying. The dumb grin plastered on his face wasn't helping.
I shook my head, unwilling and unable to argue with that madness.
"Fine…" I muttered, still processing. "I guess I'll just… watch the fight too."
I turned back toward the field where Norwenna and Nathanael faced each other, the tension about to explode into battle.
But inside, all I could think was:
'Shit… I really don't know how to respond to this.'
Beside me, Leon sighed in satisfaction, as if we were just two friends sharing a beer at a bar.
"This is gonna be a show, partner. And when it's over… I'm going to officially ask for her hand."
I rolled my eyes and pressed my fingers to my temple. Better to pretend I hadn't heard.
Better to just watch the twins.