Chapter 63
"Ah, I see. Most people say he's strong, so the public ends up turning falsehood into truth. That's what you mean, right?"
"Yes."
"Hehe, got it."
"Sheffy, you're up to no good again, aren't you?"
"Relax~ I'm a law-abiding citizen! I wouldn't cause public disorder!"
Xiarette looked at Sheffy's little face as she covered her mouth and grinned mischievously. It was clear she had come up with another outrageous idea.
Still, Xiarette wouldn't tell her to drop it. After all, she fully respected Sheffy's freedom.
Moreover, Xiarette also felt that the Second Prince's behavior was unreasonable.
"So the semifinals are coming up soon?"
At some point, Sheffy had set up a small dining table in front of them.
A dazzling array of food was spread out on it. It seemed she had finally gotten fully into spectator mode.
"Xia, Xia, who's fighting who in the next round? Are the Fire Cats up?"
"Why are you so obsessed with the Fire Cat Clan..."
"Master anglers deserve respect. Sometimes I wonder, if I gathered a bunch of Fire Cats to join a fishing competition in the Demon Clan, and I deliberately competed from the opposite side of the river, then the big fish, out of instinctive fear of the Fire Cats, would all swim over to my side! Wouldn't that make me rich? I could catch as many as I wanted!"
"That won’t work."
"Why not?! It's clearly a genius idea!"
Why not?
Because honestly, I think big fish fear you—the lake-wrecking predator—more than they fear racial suppression.
Fish fear the Fire Cats deep in their bones, but their fear of you is written all over their faces—far more direct.
While the two were chatting about such nonsensical topics, the host had already started announcing the next round of the match through the amplification magic stone.
And wouldn’t you know it—Sheffy had just casually mentioned it, but the next contestant was really from the Fire Cat Clan!
"This round’s matchup is going to be interesting...! From the right passage, the contestant! The Fire Cat Clan warrior who triumphed with ease in the first round—Lilina!"
The Fire Cat Clan traits were unmistakable as the contestant walked out from the right passage.
The woman, graceful in her steps like a cat, had flame-like cat ears atop her head. A similarly fiery but heatless tail flowed behind her. Her movements didn’t make the slightest sound.
They were masters at fishing, and equally strong wielders of fire-type magic.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t brought any fish with her today.
"From the left passage...! Dear audience, dear audience! Are you ready?! Tonight's mysterious powerhouse is making their entrance right now!!"
A mysterious powerhouse?
Amid the sudden surge of chatter, a figure slowly emerged from the left passage, cloaked in black. Their steps were slightly heavy but brimming with presence.
Judging from the silhouette outlined by the cloak, the person underneath was likely a girl.
Why? Well...
The cloak could hide her face—but it couldn't conceal the slight, proud swell of her chest!
She stood steadily across from the Fire Cat Clan contestant, fingers clutching the edge of her cloak, showing signs of letting go.
The Fire Cat Clan girl, upon hearing from the judge that this was today’s special powerhouse, showed no fear. Instead, light flickered at her fingertips as claws gleaming with a cold luster materialized. Her naturally combative nature surfaced as a vicious smile crept across her lips, revealing sharp teeth.
The time for the hunt had come...
Everyone back in the Fire Cat Clan was waiting for her to seize victory—to prove they weren’t just good at fishing...!
The battle was about to begin.
The cloak that had veiled her figure finally caught the wind in the arena and was swept far away.
The form revealed beneath it—
Caused almost the entire audience to rise in astonishment!
A pair of sharp horns, a crimson robe.
A powerful tail like an iron whip, and a pair of wings spread wide, blazing red like flames.
A tall, beautiful figure, long flame-colored hair, and that ferocious smile that utterly overpowered the Fire Cat Clan’s own.
"F-Fire Dragon Clan...?"
"Isn’t that one of the higher races?! Why would someone like that enter a match like this?!"
"Wait... Is it still safe here? Do we need to evacuate?!"
One couldn't really blame them for reacting like that.
Sheffy folded her arms, nodding in thought.
The higher races had always been distant and mysterious existences to the Human side—beings shrouded in awe and legend.
Just like this Fire Dragon Clan girl on the field… or rather, her... cough... her presence.
Not all members of the higher races were overwhelming powerhouses; their tribes, too, varied in strength.
They were deemed higher races because the peak individuals among them had far greater potential, granting them more influence in the world.
And due to their innate talents, most of them weren’t weak.
This Fire Dragon Clan member present today didn’t seem weak at all...
Sheffy squinted one eye.
Meanwhile, Xiarette, after a moment of observation, finally shared her conclusion.
"Ninth-rank strength... probably on the verge of reaching the tenth rank. Entering a competition like this... I’d say the Fire Cat is in trouble."
"Ahh... that little Fire Cat, what a pity."
When the Fire Cat Clan girl saw the Fire Dragon Clan standing across from her, she naturally froze for a moment.
But the Fire Cat Clan was not a race that surrendered—they would never yield to overwhelming force!
Even though the Fire Dragon Clan girl radiated a dangerously scorching aura, the Fire Cat warrior Lilina still relied on her exceptional agility to dart around her opponent in swift circles, attempting to disrupt her vision and judgment to find an opening for a strike!
However...
Sometimes, speed alone wasn't enough.
The Fire Dragon girl remained rooted to the spot—she didn’t move at all.
She didn’t even bother tracking the Fire Cat's movements with her golden, slit-pupil dragon eyes.
What she needed to do to win—
This alone was enough...
"Dragonburst Purgatory."
"Huh?"
The Fire Cat was sprinting forward when—at some point—a wall of flame suddenly emerged right in front of her.
Though proficient in fire magic, Lilina attempted to power through the fire—but upon sensing its absurd heat, she chose to avoid it.
Escape upwards...?
She looked up. The curtain of fire surged all the way to the top of the arena’s barrier—there was no way to pass through from above.
Hmph... Higher race or not, you’ve underestimated the mobility of the Fire Cat Clan.
This was her chance.
Lilina believed that by using the flames as a stepping stone, she could leap toward the safety zone behind and loop around to strike at the Fire Dragon's flank. If she hit during the brief window after a large spell cast, victory would be hers.
But the moment she locked in her strategy—
The same intense heat flared behind her.
Not just behind.
Above, and below—every direction was the same.
Eh...?
There was no escape.
Perhaps the Fire Cat thought the dragon had used some sort of tracking magic that covered a wide radius.
But in truth… it was only the roaring of the flames that had drowned out the gasps from the crowd.
From the audience’s perspective...
—The entire area within the arena’s magic barrier had turned into a hellish sea of fire.
Like the breath of a dragon devouring the heavens and earth—it was utterly terrifying.
"Too reckless."
"Exactly, exactly. What was the organizer thinking, bringing in something like that? Clearly they’ve got no bottom line when it comes to milking money~"
"Uh... Sheffy, maybe now’s not the time to be saying that."
"Dragonburst Purgatory" was a high-grade flame-type magic. Its power was already considerable—and since it had been cast directly by a Fire Dragon herself, the scale and reach of its effect had broken into an entirely new tier.
And now, the magic barrier meant to separate the stage from the audience was starting to falter.
The barrier continuously swelled outward, then struggled to contract back, as if the flames could break through into the spectator stands at any moment, causing casualties.
Even the referee, who had promptly escaped outside the barrier, was panicking now. While patting out the flames on his tailcoat, he shouted frantically!
"Barrier constructors! Barrier constructors, reinforce the barrier! Miss Timani, please cease your magic immediately!"
Timani must have been the name that the Fire Dragon Clan member used when registering.
The referee wouldn’t outright say “there’s danger.”
Because if he did, the panic of thousands of spectators scrambling to flee could easily lead to a deadly stampede.
But the audience wasn’t foolish. Even if they were slow to react, once they took in the referee’s desperate tone as he called for the barrier team, they could tell the barrier might not hold much longer!
“Quick... run! We’ll be burned alive!”
“Damn it, damn it...! As expected, the higher races are all monsters... monsters!”
The crackling collisions of flame against barrier screeched in everyone’s ears. The seventh- and eighth-rank barrier mages focused their efforts on maintaining and repairing the shield, but the frenzied screams from the crowd made it impossible to fully concentrate.
Moreover... this Fire Dragon named Timani showed no intention of withdrawing her magic—on the contrary, she was pouring in even more power!
“Ugh... we can’t hold much longer! What’s this Fire Dragon doing?! This is practically an attack! Where’s the Kingdom’s Knight Order?!”
“Someone’s already contacted them...! Just hold on for another minute, one more minute and... huh?”
It was like skipping breakfast and being dizzy from hunger—
Then, at some point, hey! You suddenly weren’t hungry anymore.
That’s what it felt like for the barrier mages. One moment they were at their limit, and the next, the entire barrier suddenly stabilized again.
The reason was—those overwhelming flames of high-grade magic vanished in an instant, dispersing into faint sparks, as if they had disappeared into thin air.
The barrier mages frowned in confusion, examining the perfectly intact barrier. They could only assume the Fire Dragon had voluntarily stopped the magic.
But the cancellation had been far too sudden, hadn’t it...?
Those audience members who had started evacuating now froze mid-step. The host quickly took the opportunity to use the amplification crystal to announce that there was no danger anymore, that it had merely been a “program segment.”
It was the Royal Capital’s host, after all—no doubt about his professionalism!
After that, the crowd begrudgingly returned to their seats while grumbling.
In truth, the host knew exactly whether or not it had been a “program segment.”
There was no way something this outrageous could be part of a program... this wasn’t some circus act—it was a gladiatorial match.
Ah.
With the flames gone, the poor Fire Cat Clan warrior girl was now lying flat on the arena floor, little swirls circling her eyes, unconscious and completely unable to continue fighting.