Chapter 348: 348

The mention of the trial drew cheers of joy and excitement across the stadium. The air trembled with shouts and applause.

What a way to begin.

Veydrin against Ruther.

It was absolute cinema.

Edward sat back on his throne with his frail body leaning into the carved seat of power. His tired eyes shifted toward his children who were seated behind him. For a brief moment, a weary smile touched his lips.

He had fathered ten children, yet out of them only three carried his blessings and the strength to stand as heirs. The rest were weak and without value in his eyes.

"Tell me," Edward asked slowly, his voice carrying through the silence. "Who do you think will win this trial?"

"Ruther has the bigger chance," one of them answered with confidence.

"I will choose Veydrin," Cassandra said firmly, her chin raised with pride.

Edward’s gaze then fell on Rein. The young man only shrugged and gave a careless smile. "I will go with Ruther, and I am sure about it." His tone carried an innocent charm, but his eyes shone with something darker.

In his heart, Rein already made his plans. With Adele by his side, Ruther had formed a partnership with the Assassin Tower. Ruth’s dealings with the tower had already crossed a dangerous line. Rein clenched his thoughts.

Once the Crown Games ended and he claimed the throne, he would take Adele’s hand and crush Veydrin into pieces.Such danger can’t be left lurking.

Edward’s voice broke the silence again. "Roose."

All eyes turned toward the eldest prince. Roosevelt sat calmly in his seat, leaning back with one leg crossed over the other. His posture was relaxed, yet it carried authority.

"Don’t look at me," he said evenly. "I don’t know enough about them to choose a side."

Rein chuckled lightly. "You don’t want to choose, or are you just afraid of losing face, brother?"

Roosevelt’s lips curved faintly. He folded his arms and replied, "I don’t have the habit of betting without knowing the truth. I have heard much about both sides but do I know them personally? Absolutely not. So how could I make a choice?"

He paused and let his gaze drift playfully between Cassandra and Rein. "But I see clearly that you two have already chosen your sides. And it looks like you both are hoping to drag Veydrin down."

At his words, the expressions of Cassandra and Rein darkened.

"Enough." Edward’s frail but commanding voice cut through the rising tension. He raised his hand and silenced them. "Finish these things in the Crown Games. Do not give me another headache."

"As you command," they answered, though unwillingly.

........

Soon after, the teams who would participate in the Trial of Justice were escorted to their stands.

Vic leaned toward Kael with worry etched across his face. "My Lord, are you going first?"

Kael sat down calmly, his eyes fixed on the opposite stands. His gaze lingered on Elara for a moment, and turned away. Instead, his eyes found Vale. With the slightest movement of his lips and expression, he mocked him.

Vale saw his gaze.

His blood boiled, his hands tightening into fists, but he forced himself to hold back.

Kael turned then to Ariana. His eyes, sharp yet filled with trust, locked onto hers. "Can you defeat her?"

Ariana met his gaze and felt the weight of his trust press into her heart. She reached for her sword and bowed deeply. "I will absolutely dismantle her."

"Do not be overconfident," Kael warned, his tone steady.

"I am not," Ariana answered, lifting her head.

Her confidence did not come only from her strength. She knew Elara better than most, after all once they had stood in the same camp.

She had seen every weakness, every habit. And deep inside, she also carried hatred.

That woman had always mocked her, saying a warrior was worth nothing compared to a mage. She had looked down on her, insulted her worth, and treated her like a tool in her past life.

Vic looked at Kael, his face pale with disbelief. "But, My Lord... are you really going to let go of this chance to humiliate that woman?"

Kael’s lips curved into a sharp smile. "That woman framed me, yes... but Vale..." His hand rose slowly to rub at his cheek and then down his torso where the bruises still ached.

"The punches he gave me, I will return a hundredfold. No... even more than that. Not one less."

He leaned back in his seat, his smile cold. "Go."

........

Vale stared across the arena, his tone sharp and full of intent.

"That woman will fight first. After her, Kael will step in."

Elara followed his gaze, her eyes falling on Ariana. Disgust twisted her face.

"So I have to waste my time on a servant. Damn it. I should just let someone else fight instead."

"No." Vale’s voice was steady as he shook his head. "Do not underestimate her. Use your magic. Crush her before she has a chance to move. End it quickly. Once you are done, I will deal with Kael."

Elara’s lips curled as she looked back into his eyes. "Fine. I am only doing this because you asked. Otherwise I would not waste my time on such a weakling."

She grabbed her staff and walked toward the stage. The moment her foot touched the ground, a strange sense of déjà vu struck her.

Her eyes fell on Ariana, who was already standing there with a dark expression, filled with shadows of the past.

"What is with that look?" Elara shouted from across the stage. Her voice grew sharper, anger boiling. "How dare you look at me with those eyes. I will gouge them out."

Before her words could echo again, a cold voice cut through the noise.

"I swear... if there is a next life, I will destroy you."

Ariana’s mind drifted far from the stadium. The shouts of the crowd faded. The lights dimmed in her eyes as memories forced their way back.

She remembered the scene of the battlefield lingered with blood and fire.

The ground trembled as enemy soldiers charged at her from every direction. Her sword drenched in blood as she cut down one man after another, their screams echoing in her ears as the blades clashed and the earth turned red.

At the edge of the carnage, she heard a familiar voice. Elara stood tall with her staff, with her tone laced with scorn.

"She is just an ugly duckling. Why do you even keep her around?"

Rein stood beside her, his face lit by cruel amusement. He smiled as though everything around them,the death, the blood, the horror was nothing but entertainment. "Everyone has their uses," he said with triumph, his eyes following Ariana’s blade as she cut down yet another soldier.

When the fighting paused, Rein’s gaze turned toward her. His eyes glittered like sharp steel. "Tell me," he asked, "do you carry any grievance against us?"

Ariana froze as her heart was heavy. She shook her head and fell to her knees. Her voice was low. "No."

But inside, she did.

She carried it every day. She remembered where she came from. She remembered the pit of despair where she had once been trapped.

Sold to a fat pig of a man who used her, beat her, and left her broken. It was Rein and the others who had pulled her out of that pit, who gave her a sword, who gave her life back.

For that, she swore loyalty.

But that loyalty was twisted. They never treated her as a companion. To them, she was nothing but a slave with a blade.

She was their hound and their weapon.

She clenched her teeth in silence back then. Because she could not rise against them as she owed them her life.

But now, in this life, she had another path. For this life, she would wield her sword for herself.

But if the heavens gave her another chance...

"I swear," she whispered in her heart, "I will cut you down."

The words echoed from her lips, dragging her back into the present.

"I swear... if there is a next life, I will destroy you."

Her eyes opened wide. Ariana raised her sword, and the air itself trembled. The blade glowed with a light that was more that gave everyone looking at her a chill.

The moment her weapon appeared, a powerful wave of aura exploded outward. Wind swirled into a storm. The ground beneath her feet cracked. The force shook the entire arena and startled the audience.

Elara was thrown back a step, her eyes wide. She quickly raised her staff and summoned a barrier, with a shocked expression.

"You... What is this power? Who are you?" she screamed, her voice cracking with disbelief.

Ariana’s grip tightened around her sword. She planted her feet firmly on the ground, her aura pressing down like a heavy storm. Her gaze did not waver.

"I am someone who will cut you down."

The weight of her words silenced the crowd. The stadium that had roared moments ago fell into uneasy stillness. Even the nobles in their stands shifted in discomfort.

Elara’s face twisted.

"I thought you are nobody but it seems your sword carried weight but despite that,I will crush you."