Chapter 5: The Unyielding Flames

The courtyard, once a place of refined elegance, was now a battlefield. The once-pristine marble floor cracked beneath the pressure of clashing auras, and the sky above twisted with the aftershocks of their battle.

Lilith Omega stood in the center of it all, her crimson eyes ablaze with unrelenting focus. Her opponent, Adriel Faelor, a self-proclaimed genius from a noble lineage, gritted his teeth as he lunged forward.

His Heavenly Monarch Realm, Stage III cultivation was nothing to scoff at, but against Lilith, he might as well have been swinging a wooden sword against steel.

Yet, he refused to back down.

With a roar, he summoned a blazing Heavenfire Spear, its golden flames spiraling like a dragon seeking to devour its prey.

Lilith exhaled slowly, unshaken. With a single step, she vanished from sight.

Adriel's instincts screamed at him. He spun, thrusting the spear be behind him, but it was too late.

Lilith's foot connected with his wrist in a brutal arc, sending the spear soaring into the sky. Before he could react, a heavy fist slammed into his gut, bending him in half.

He shot backward, crashing through a marble pillar.

The spectators gasped.

"She's a monster..."

"Her movements... I couldn't even see them..."

Elizabeth Céleste Windermere—Liz—stood with her arms crossed, watching the scene with a small smirk. "Adriel should've known better. Lilith doesn't lose."

Seraphiel Zorathian, the imperial prince and the academy's rising prodigy, observed quietly. His expression was unreadable, but his wings twitched ever so slightly.

Adriel coughed, dragging himself up. Blood dripped from his lips, yet his pride would not let him fall so easily. With a furious snarl, he slammed his palms together.

"Flames of the Sovereign, hear me!"

A brilliant surge of energy erupted around him, and the ground beneath him glowed with runes.

The air warped with heat, and the temperature skyrocketed.

Liz's eyes narrowed. "He's pushing himself past his limits."

Lilith, however, remained unimpressed.

The moment his attack reached its peak, she moved.

A single step.

A single motion.

And in the blink of an eye—

She was behind him.

Her hand wrapped around his throat.

A gasp. A moment of silence.

Then, with terrifying ease, she slammed him into the ground.

The entire courtyard trembled.

Dust and debris clouded the air, and when it settled, Adriel lay in a crater, groaning in pain.

His flames flickered out like a candle in the wind.

The match was over.

Lilith loosened her grip and straightened, her expression unreadable.

Silence reigned.

Then—

A slow clap.

Seraphiel stepped forward, his golden eyes gleaming with intrigue. "Impressive. I can see why you were accepted here."

Lilith ignored him and turned away. "We're done here."

As she walked off, Liz followed with a smug grin. "You could've at least let him land a hit."

Lilith scoffed. "If he can't handle me, he has no business challenging me."

Liz laughed. "And that's why you're undefeated."

Behind them, Seraphiel watched with growing interest.

And deep within the shadows of the academy, unseen eyes observed as well.

For better or worse, Lilith Omega had made her mark.

And the academy would never be the same.