"D-Draven was eliminated first," Javier announced, shock evident on his face. "Thunderbane advances to the final round."
The audience went wild after witnessing the battle between the Rockbanes and the Thunderbanes. Loud roars rippled through the stadium, one na fixed on the lips of every person.
"Thunderbanes! Thunderbanes! Thunderbanes!"
Even the leaders at the high tower could not help but feel goosebumps from the sheer determination with which Cedric had fought.
"These young warriors have proven why they are called the descendants of the strongest warriors of the Western Continent," Barbatos said, his sly smile turning into one of admiration.
"Master Robert, would you share the secret behind their exponential growth?" Tartaglia asked, his voice filled with curiosity and shock.
"Beat them half to death every day," Robert replied, a proud smile on his face.
"Tsk, I knew you would not reveal it," Tartaglia scoffed.
While the Sect Masters of each sect were sharing their thoughts and admiration for the Thunderbanes, Titan and Aethon remained utterly silent.
Titan remained silent out of embarrassnt, as the Rockbanes had lost to the Thunderbanes despite having the upper hand in both numbers and strength, while Aethon silently observed the competition.
"You have done a great job training them, Master Robert," Aurelion finally spoke. "Their previous arrogance is gone, and they now behave and fight as the Thunderbanes should."
Everyone in the tower was surprised by Aurelion’s words. It was rare for Aurelion to speak first. It was even rarer for him to praise soone.
So even though he only said a few words, it was clear that he genuinely appreciated Robert for guiding his disciples back onto the right path.
Robert, being a proud man himself, did not want to take credit for Lucifer’s efforts. However, he had no choice but to accept Aurelion’s praise. He thought it was unwise to reveal that Lucifer was the one who had trained them, as it would only attract unnecessary attention toward him.
---
"Shit, everything hurts like hell," Cedric muttered, lying on the ground and gasping heavily.
Through his blurry vision, he saw a figure walking toward him. Once the figure ca close enough for Cedric to recognize the man, he murmured in a low voice, "F-forgive , Senior Brother Lucifer. We failed to et your expectations."
Lucifer stood before Cedric with an unreadable expression. In a cold voice, he said, "You were unable to stay calm during the battle, fought recklessly against the Rockbanes without properly blocking their attacks, and unleashed an untrained skill that hard even your own teammates."
"I-I have no excuses," Cedric replied, lowering his eyes. "I will accept any punishnt you—"
"Still, you led your team to the final round. You have done well."
The mont Lucifer said those words, uncontrollable tears began rolling down Cedric’s cheeks.
After crying for a full minute, the only words that ca out of his mouth were, "Th-thank you... thank you so much..."
"Leave the rest to ."
"Yes," he nodded, wiping his tears before pushing himself into a standing position.
"For the final round, I ask for the assistance of Lucifer Morningstar, the Core Disciple of the Thunderbane Sect!" Cedric roared, using the last of his remaining strength before falling unconscious to the ground.
All the injured disciples were imdiately carried away by the dical team for treatnt, while the platform that had been torn apart in the previous clash was repaired by Javier.
In the anti, all the spectators fixed their attention on this unknown man nad Lucifer, whose na Cedric had announced before fainting.
Even the leaders at the high tower were confused by Cedric’s foolish decision.
They could clearly sense that Lucifer was at the First Level of the Awakened Sage realm, a level even lower than Cedric’s, yet he chose him instead of the obvious choice, Lyra, who was at the eighth level.
"Tsk-tsk, the injuries must have clouded Cedric’s mind," Aethon spoke for the first ti. "Why would he call for soone who is obviously in a lower realm than himself? Lyra might have posed a challenge to the Inner Court Disciples of the Flabane Sect, but I am certain even she could not have defeated them. This Lucifer stands no chance against them."
The other Sect Masters agreed with Aethon’s remarks, while Robert remained silent, his straight face concealing a smirk.
"The Flabanes are dood," he chuckled inwardly.
---
After ten minutes...
"Lucifer Morningstar, co to the stage," Javier announced, a hint of annoyance in his voice as he recognized the man. He was the one who had not only insulted him but also dared to block the path of the Snow Princess.
In an instant, Lucifer vanished from the ground, leaving behind a trail of crimson lightning before arriving on the platform at blinding speed.
"Flabane disciples, co to the stage."
After Javier’s summons, a volcano of flas as high as the platform erupted from the ground, through which twenty disciples of the Flabane Sect leaped onto the stage.
"Tch, this is boring," a Flabane disciple muttered. "We have already won without even fighting properly."
"That Cedric bastard deliberately chose this Lucifer, knowing the Thunderbanes could not beat us. Now they will have an excuse that they let us win," another added, while the rest nodded.
Yes, the Flabanes had already decided that they had won.
Lucifer, unfazed by their remarks, turned toward the high tower and announced in a sharp voice, "Greetings to King Aurelion and Queen Lunaria!"
After a brief pause, he continued, "Greetings, Snow Goddess. I have always wished to et you. It feels like a dream co true."
"What is this idiot doing?" Magnus of the Flabanes sighed. "No way he just called out to the Snow Goddess."
Not just him, the spectators were also taken aback by the bold behavior of this outsider. Even the heirs of the seven sects avoided conversing with the Snow Goddess due to her cold deanor and rciless behavior.
And then it happened. Sothing even more shocking than Lucifer calling out to the Snow Goddess.
"Greetings, Lucifer. I wish you victory in the competition," said Nyria, speaking for the first ti since the competition had begun.
Her sudden words took everyone completely off guard. Even Aurelion, who always maintained a cold expression, could not hide the faint trace of surprise on his face.
"Do you know him?" Aurelion asked, narrowing his eyes at Nyria.
"I do not," Nyria replied, shaking her head.
While Aurelion remained focused on Nyria and her sudden change in behavior, Lucifer below said with a smirk, "Thank you for your wishes, Snow Goddess."
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