At the Utah Midnight Monsters' waiting area, all eyes were on Beatrice, who was about to fight Victoria, the most psychologically skilled manipulator of her opponents. For 143 years, Victoria had been considered one of the strongest members of the Cannibals, a name synonymous with ruthlessness.
"Beatrice, be careful. Don't take any risks, understand?"
Lucy's voice, as she placed her hand on Beatrice's shoulder, held a hint of concern. She had noticed this concern through her Truth Eye, a ability that allowed her to see people's emotions in the form of auras, each color representing a different feeling. Lucy's aura was purple, a color that indicated worry and fear for her safety. But Beatrice's expression was somewhat disbelieving. Someone could manipulate her emotions, so she still doubted the sincerity of Lucy's words.
"Okay, I'll be careful."
Lucy walked towards the fighting arena with a calm expression, showing no emotion.
She was heading towards A gateway to a battlefield. With steady steps, a cool silver sword rested at her waist, a symbol of her reluctance to fully utilize her magical power. She possessed the blessing of a mysterious entity and the power of the Rulers of Matter and Void, and her talent was so unique that she was dubbed the greatest talent in human history.
She gazed towards the light that signaled the end of the corridor and her entry into the battlefield. Upon reaching the gateway, she paused, her gaze fixed on a young man leaning against a wall near the gate. This was Yuta.
"Beatrice, remember one thing: you must portray yourself from your own perspective, not from how others see you. That's my advice to you."
His voice was calm as he approached Beatrice, who seemed indifferent to his words but surprised by his presence. Yuta stood before her, which further surprised her. He placed his hand on her hair and gently stroked it. Beatrice's expression turned to confusion; no one had done that in a long time, and this was because she had never allowed anyone to. Because she sensed their malicious intentions,
"Take care of yourself and don't risk revealing your strength."
He then headed into a tunnel, leaving her stunned for a few seconds before she made her way to the arena.
The crowd roared with excitement after witnessing the fight between Grie de Moulière and William Falconna, the first live appearance of a member of the de Moulière family after decades of absence.
The commentator's voice boomed, announcing the start of the second stage of the sixth round, which was already bursting with excitement.
"The fight in the second stage of the sixth round will be Victoria Cleran against Beatrice Azouassen."
After the commentator announced Beatrice's name, absolute silence fell over the stands. Beatrice was like a demon to them, possessing a power that, in their view, reached a higher level. At the age of 12, she possessed a terrifying talent, so much so that they nicknamed her a monster.
It was a great talent, but excessive and dangerous in the eyes of some, especially if its possessor was an orphan or of low social standing.
If any A duke or count's son with similar talent would have been logical in their eyes, but a girl of common origin who had risen to the nobility so late, during Boswell's youth, was a different story.
What heightened their fear was Beatrice's emotions, which were like a ticking time bomb. Their fear stemmed from several incidents that had turned her into a monster in their eyes.
Flashback
"Beatrice, what is that thing you're holding?"
In Beatrice's hand, at just four years old, was a red ball that looked like a ball of fresh meat.
"It's the maid who was looking after me..."
Before she could speak, he told her that a maid had tried to kill her. This was the same person her father had begun shouting at her angrily.
"Didn't I tell you to control that damned power of yours? Do you want to drive me insane?"
He slapped her hard, sending her sprawling to the ground, not giving her a chance to justify her actions as self-defense. While the powerful often have credibility, at the same time, most people... Suspicions arose about them simultaneously.
Several days later, news reached everyone in Beatrice's town.
One sunny day, perfect for a stroll, she was wandering through Kelowna.
As she walked through the town, a beautiful smile graced her face.
"Hahaha, it'll be a fun day!"
But her beautiful smile turned to deep sorrow. Murmurs from everyone around her were either terrified or disgusted.
"That child from the Azwasen family! Didn't she kill several people, including members of her own family and even some servants? What a monster!"
"To kill someone without a convincing reason is despicable. A devil in sheep's clothing!"
Killing servants, or what were called slaves, was generally considered normal among the Gu Masters or ordinary humans. It was considered natural to kill a normal human; the law was that the strong preyed on the weak. But among the Magic Masters and Mana users, it was almost different. Killing servants and slaves was unacceptable in their society, and this caused many conflicts. Both factions were Mana users who were hostile to ordinary Chi users or Gu Masters, as some Ki users were mercenaries and hunters, meaning they had suffered under the oppressive rule of Gu Masters and Immortals.
Several things happened along these lines, and the most dangerous was that her power sometimes spiraled out of control due to her emotions. On one occasion, she created a gateway to the Demon Realm because her power became uncontrollable due to overwhelming sadness and anger. Beatrice was the type of person who couldn't control her emotions, and this caused her power to become uncontrollable. This led some to view her as a demon. After the Azwasen family was destroyed and she was the only survivor, things worsened, as everyone blamed her for it. This isolated her from most people. She spoke to only a few, including Lucy Grey, Roichi, and Yuta.
Back from Flashback
She turned her gaze towards Victoria Cleran. Her eyes were cold and indifferent, like gray. Theoretically, she was even stronger than William Falcona himself. Her power level was a mixture of the power of the Rulers of Matter and Void, and her apparent power was at the rank of a Supreme Ruler, enhanced by the power of a mysterious entity's blessing, which placed her at the level of a Master Ruler. Victoria Cleran, on the other hand, was at the rank of Saint, several ranks weaker than Beatrice.
"Ready 3...2...1 Go!"
Whistle
As soon as the starting whistle blowsIn the second round, Victoria had moved several steps away from Beatrice, but Beatrice didn't give her any space, launching herself after her at high speed. A faint smile appeared on Victoria's face, surprising Beatrice. She activated the True Eye ability, which she had recently shut down. Her pupils dilated, and she looked down at the ground, discovering a mana piled there.
This indicated one thing: Victoria had set a trap for her, and she had fallen into it like any foolish, reckless girl.
BOOM!
A beam of fire shot into the sky, leaving everyone stunned for a moment. Victoria was able to turn the ground beneath her feet into exploding flames the moment someone stood or flew over it, earning her the nickname "Lady of Explosions."
After several minutes, the dust settled, revealing a girl with minor scratches on her face.
"Is that all you've got, Victoria Cleran?"
Her voice Indifferent and cold, she muttered in a low voice,
"Explosion."
BOOM!
A fireball erupted from Victoria's private space. Beatrice had understood how to perform Victoria's special explosion spell after seeing it through the Eye of Truth, which decoded and analyzed spells and magical and combat abilities. She then enhanced them using the power of the Matter Ruler's teleportation magic, enabling her to transform bricks into ghouls without even touching them.
However, Victoria escaped with only minor injuries because she had used an aura to defend herself.
"So the rumors are true, you Azwasen family demon, Beatrice."
"You really are a monster, and if I hadn't used an aura, I would have suffered several serious injuries."
His voice was sad and terrified; she sounded like a child being attacked by a dog. The crowd's gaze turned to anger, and they began throwing whatever they were holding at her while hurling insults.
"You "You scum! Do you want to kill someone else? You're still that damned monster, and you always will be."
"You vile creature! How are people like you still alive? People like you deserve to die."
......
.......
.....
The reason everyone hated her wasn't because she had killed a large number of people, but because she hadn't controlled her power well at the time. Most of those who insulted her were people who had killed thousands of humans. Jealousy, envy, and a lack of understanding were the main reasons for their hatred.
This was human nature: what they didn't understand, they destroyed. They couldn't accept anything strange or unconventional, and Beatrice was the best example of this petty mentality.
Despite all these insults, Beatrice's features remained unwavering. Her expression was as cold as ice as she crushed everything thrown at her, reducing it to dust.
A malicious smile appeared on Victoria's face as she looked at him, then she moved towards him, launching a powerful attack at Beatrice. But as soon as she got close, Beatrice had disappeared, standing behind her, her face hidden by her hair.
Drops of blood, still warm, dripped from Beatrice's sword. This was Victoria's blood.
She Victoria, her hand pressed to her chest, was grievously wounded. A gaping gash stretched from her shoulder to the bottom of her waist. She was in shock, unable to comprehend what was happening.
"How did this happen?"
Meanwhile, Beatrice snapped her fingers, causing the floor beneath Victoria's feet to explode. A deafening scream echoed through the room.
"Aaa ... "Cannibal Team"
"Currently, the Midnight Monsters team is ahead of the Cannibal Team 2-0."
Beatrice headed towards a gate leading out of the fighting arena. A metal ball was thrown towards her by a spectator who was lost in thought, thinking about the crowd's comments and Victoria's reaction. She didn't notice the metal ball coming towards her.
As it approached Beatrice's head, she didn't see it until it was too late, and she instinctively closed her eyes. A few seconds passed.
The ball missed her, which surprised her. She opened her eyes to find a hand had caught the ball before it hit her head. She looked up at the young man's face and saw it was Yuta.
Beatrice's expression turned to confusion; she hadn't expected him to do that. She was silent, unable to sense what was happening around her.
A slight smile appeared on Yuta's face as he looked at the ball.
"Why don't we return it to its sender?"
He threw A ball was then fired at a man who appeared to be in his forties, aimed at his head. The attack was so swift that there was no sound of bones breaking; it was more like a small explosion of blood, skull fragments, and brain matter flying through the air. The crowd's faces contorted with horror and fear at the man's death. Screams erupted as he lost consciousness and vomited some of what he had ingested. Seconds later, the man's body began to decompose, slowly transforming into black smoke. Even the remains of his head, along with his blood, splattered into black smoke. No one understood what was happening; shock and fear gripped them all.
A smile remained on his face as he looked towards the crowd.
"That person was merely a dummy, designed to self-destruct in half an hour."
"Round 6 was supposed to end in half an hour, attempting to kill the children of the Duchy of Molyar, Cathéali, and Beatrice, as this organization considers them a threat to its existence."
Yuta's voice was calm but audible to everyone. A profound silence had broken, replaced by a joyous arrival in the arena. The crowd erupted in cheers, a mixture of praise and adulation.
"Yuta Cassiral! Yuta Cassiral! Yuta Cassiral!"
"Long live the hero, Yuta Cassiral! Long live the hero, Yuta Cassiral!"
Yuta smiled slyly as he looked towards the cheering crowd.
"Fools, easily deceived."
Yuta's plan, from the very beginning, was orchestrated by one of the agents of Rikudo Navi, nicknamed the Ruler of Darkness and Light. His order was to attack BayatReese reached the gate leading out of the fighting arena.
It was expected by Yuta that Beatrice's hidden grief would leave her oblivious to her surroundings. His hateful attack hadn't gained her trust, and it seemed to have almost succeeded.
Yuta then headed into a tunnel, leaving the fighting arena behind him, holding Beatrice's hand as she remained in shock.
It wasn't a real battle between warriors; it was a battle between a flawed mindset and the exploitation of opportunities to execute plans. This was the battle that had begun before the competition itself even started.