BANG!

Death Aura or Nihility Aura. 

It was one of the two rarest auras in the world. 

And it was the complete opposite of Righteous Aura. 

If Righteous Aura represented hope, then Death Aura represented despair. 

Many people in history had possessed Death Aura, but the most famous of them was the very first Death Aura wielder— 

Demon King Aurora. 

Both auras had their own strengths and weaknesses. 

Righteous Aura worked best with Light element. 

Death Aura worked best with Chaos elements

. 

But almost no one knew that Chaos elements even existed. 

Because in all of history, there was only one person who ever had an affinity for Chaos— 

Demon King Aurora. 

Because of this, most people who had Death Aura were usually dark mages or dark knights. 

Since Death Aura also worked well with Dark element, they became the only ones who could use it. 

But that wasn't the most important thing. 

The real issue was the timing. 

In all of history— 

There was never a time when both Righteous Aura and Death Aura appeared together. 

The last time it happened was two hundred years ago. 

Back then, a hero with Righteous Aura fought against Demon King Aurora, who had already weakened over time. 

And now—two hundred years later— 

Once again, two people with those same auras had appeared in the same era. 

Ethan Rothslayer, wielder of Righteous Aura. 

Esdeath Crimson, wielder of Death Aura. 

The moment Esdeath's dark aura spread across the arena— 

The crowd froze. 

A heavy silence filled the air. 

Then— 

Whispers. 

Murmurs. 

And finally— 

Countless glares fell upon her. 

Everyone had the same thought running through their minds. 

"Demon King." 

"I knew it! She has black hair! She must be related to the Demon King!" 

"Is the Demon King reborn in a girl's body? Is she playing with us?" 

Fear. 

Suspicion. 

Hatred. 

It was all directed at Esdeath. 

Even Lilith, one of the strongest people in the academy, felt uneasy. 

Her eyes narrowed, her mind racing. 

"I always believed that Dark Magic had nothing to do with the Demon King… but this?" 

She clenched her fists. 

"No wonder she always gave me a strange feeling... She's definitely connected to the Demon King!"

Lilith's silver eyes were locked onto Esdeath as she thought to herself, "Ethan has a Righteous Aura. He also has talent. If we train him properly, he will definitely become a great strength for this kingdom." 

Her thoughts became serious. 

"But you… you are dangerous. You leave me no choice but to—" 

Just as she was about to finish her thought, her gaze shifted. 

She noticed Lortell. 

Lortell Mariette's crimson eyes were wide open. 

She wasn't just watching—she was staring. 

Her gaze was sharp, cold, and deadly serious. 

A deep, chilling silence filled the air. 

Lilith froze. 

An instant, piercing chill ran down her spine. 

Lortell's death glare locked onto her. 

Just one glance from Lortell sent a bone-chilling fear through Lilith's entire body. 

She quickly looked away. 

Her throat felt dry. 

A drop of sweat rolled down her forehead. 

Lilith gulped, feeling cold sweat covering her entire body. 

She understood the message clearly— 

Lortell was warning her. 

A silent, unspoken threat. 

"Do not lay a hand on Esdeath." 

Lilith took a deep breath and slowly stood up. 

"I just remembered something urgent. I'll be right back," she said, forcing a calm voice. 

Without waiting for a response, she quickly left. 

Once she arrived at a quiet, hidden place, she whispered, 

"Soravi. Getz." 

At once, two figures appeared from the shadows. 

One was a beastwoman with sharp cat-like eyes. 

The other was a human man with dark skin, a long beard, and an assassin's uniform. 

Both of them were deadly killers—Lilith's most trusted assassins. 

"Prepare for an assassination," she ordered in a low, firm voice. 

"Esdeath Crimson must die." 

The beastwoman, Soravi, hesitated. 

"But my lady… what about Lady Mariette?" she asked cautiously. 

Lilith glared at her for a moment but then sighed. 

"I know. That's why you won't act immediately. Wait four or five days. Maybe even weeks. I will give you the order when the time is right." 

She narrowed her eyes. 

"And as for Lortell…" 

She scoffed. 

"How long would she cry over a girl? She will move on eventually. In the end, this is what's best for the kingdom. A future threat like Esdeath must be eliminated." 

Both assassins nodded silently and disappeared into the shadows. 

Meanwhile, back in the arena— 

Esdeath looked around, observing everyone's reactions. 

The fear. 

The anger. 

The killing intent. 

She saw it all. 

But instead of feeling afraid— 

She smiled. 

A wide, wicked grin. 

"I know exactly what everyone is thinking right now." 

Her icy red eyes gleamed with amusement. 

"They all want to kill me." 

She chuckled softly to herself. 

"Hehehehe… but by the time they realize their mistake" 

Her grin grew even wider. 

"It will already be too late." 

Esdeath knew exactly what she was doing.

Esdeath looked at Ethan. 

He was preparing to unleash his final attack. 

Raising his sword high above his head, he gripped the handle tightly with both hands. 

All of his aura gathered into the blade. 

A powerful golden light burst out from it, growing larger and larger— 

Until the aura sword reached ten feet in length. 

"Azurelion Sword Style—Third Form: Excalibur!" 

With a mighty swing, he slashed downward. 

The golden aura shot forward, tearing through the air. 

The ground cracked beneath its force. 

Debris flew everywhere as the powerful attack rushed straight toward Esdeath. 

Before it could hit her, Esdeath moved. 

She had already planned for this. 

In an instant, she unleashed all the guns in her possession, forming them into a massive sphere around herself— 

Like a giant metal egg. 

But that wasn't all. 

Another layer of defense rose from the ground— 

A thick wall of dirt. 

Then came a layer of stone. 

A shining purple crystal layer appeared next. 

And finally, a burning wall of fire erupted around her. 

But it still wasn't over. 

A final layer formed— 

A barrier of strong, swirling wind. 

All of these defenses appeared in the blink of an eye, like Esdeath had expected this attack from the very beginning. 

She was ready to use every bit of mana she had to block Ethan's attack. 

BAM!

The golden energy wave crashed into Esdeath's defenses. 

The entire arena shook violently. 

The ground crumbled, and a massive dust cloud covered the area. 

Some people in the audience even shut their eyes in fear. 

The wind barrier broke first. 

Then the blazing fire sphere shattered. 

Next, the purple crystal layer cracked under the pressure. 

By now, Esdeath's defense sphere was reduced to half its original size. 

The dust slowly began to settle. 

Smoke rose from the remains of the sphere. 

It was covered in deep cracks— 

It looked like it would break apart at any moment. 

But there was still no sign of movement from inside. 

Ethan fell to his knees, panting heavily. 

Blood dripped from the corner of his lips. 

He was exhausted. 

That attack had taken everything out of him. 

But he forced himself to stand. 

He had to confirm it. 

Was Esdeath still inside? 

And if she was— 

Was she in any condition to fight? 

If she had passed out, then he would be declared the winner. 

The whole audience held their breath as Ethan slowly walked toward the sphere. 

Reaching out, he gently placed his hand on the cracked surface. 

Crack!

The moment he touched it, large cracks spread across the entire sphere. 

And in just a few moments— 

The front side completely collapsed. 

Leaving Ethan's eyes widened in shock. 

He wanted to step back— 

But it was already too late. 

Inside the broken sphere— 

Esdeath was standing tall. 

Like an unshakable mountain. 

Her hand was raised— 

Her fingers shaped like a gun— 

And she was pointing directly at Ethan. 

A small smirk appeared on her lips. 

And only one word left her mouth— 

"Bang!" 

The moment Esdeath spoke, an invisible force erupted from her outstretched fingers. It wasn't fire, lightning, or wind—it was something far more terrifying. A pure shockwave of destruction, fueled by her death aura, shot forward with unstoppable force.

BOOM!

Ethan didn't even have time to react. His exhausted body was blasted backward like a cannonball, his vision blurring from the sheer force.

CRASH!

Ethan's body smashed through the remains of the invisible shield protection arena and slammed into the audience area, knocking over several chairs before he collapsed in a heap.

The happy look on Sylviana and Violet's faces vanished, replaced by pure horror as they ran toward Ethan to check if he was okay. 

Esdeath, meanwhile, jumped in cheerful enthusiasm, waving her hand toward the audience. "Your prayers have taken effect, I won... yay!" 

Of course, no one prayed for her to win except Valen and Lortell. 

But who cares? There was no doubt she won the competition while making almost everyone's faces bitter. 

Maruti looked at Esdeath and her surroundings. "I guess it's over then, I should leave too!" she thought and turned back, leaving the arena and heading toward the academy dorms. 

Lortell was in a daze. "To think she would actually win? I really underestimated her. No wonder I fell in love with her," she thought as her breaths grew heavy, thirsty, and hot. 

"I wanna give her a kiss for such a wondrous performance... should I confess to her here in front of everyone?" she thought as she licked her fingers lustfully. 

But then she shook her head. "No, she might think I only took an interest in her just because I saw talent in her!" she decided to wait longer. 

After the match, some soldiers took Ethan to the healer's office to heal fully while Violet and Sylviana also followed them. 

As the battle finally ended and after half an hour, Ethan was also fully healed and came back to the arena. It was already about to be evening, but there was still one more crucial thing to do—award-giving. 

Esdeath, without a doubt, came first, and because Kaelith withdrew, Ethan, even after losing, became second, and Kaelith became third. 

Of course, she was not here to receive the rewards. She was very angry and had long left the arena. 

Others even thought of giving the third position to Maruti since she came fourth and now that Kaelith withdrew, she would likely be third. 

But she also left for the academy dorms, so only the first and second players were present to receive their rewards.