The night after Ryo's victory in the semi-finals, he returned to his room, exhausted but satisfied with his performance. Just as he was about to relax, a knock came at his door. He sighed, knowing exactly who it was. When he opened it, his fiancées—Selena, Seyra, Ai, and Lilith—stood before him, their expressions somewhat shy but expectant.
"Do you guys need something?" Ryo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Y-Yes..." Seyra hesitated before Lilith boldly answered, "We need a goodnight kiss from our beloved."
Ryo blinked in surprise. "Alright, I'm going out then—"
Before he could even move, they lunged at him, grabbing his arms and legs. He was momentarily caught off guard as one by one, they planted kisses on his cheeks, forehead, and even lips. Selena smirked mischievously as she went last, ensuring her kiss lingered the longest.
"We should get married after the tournament," Seyra suddenly suggested.
"Nope. Not happening," Ryo answered immediately, making them all pout.
"Hmph, we'll see about that!" Ai declared before they finally bid him goodnight and left.
Ryo exhaled deeply and lay down on his bed. His thoughts drifted to the cloaked warrior he had faced earlier. His skill was too refined for a mere student. The way he fought, his movements, and his relentless aggression—he had the experience of someone who had survived countless battles. The thought unsettled Ryo as he drifted off into sleep.
The next morning, Ryo woke up in a rather unusual way—his fiancées had taken it upon themselves to give him a "morning kiss" as a wake-up call. One after another, they kissed him as he groggily sat up.
"Good morning, my dear," Selena teased.
"Yeah, yeah... morning," Ryo muttered, still processing the unexpected affection.
After breakfast, they made their way to the tournament arena, where an additional presence joined them—an elegant elf princess named Lyra. She greeted them politely, and after exchanging pleasantries, they all took their seats.
Today marked the tournament finals. As the headmasters gave the signal, the final match began. Hilda, the formidable dwarf princess, stepped onto the battlefield, her massive battle axe resting on her shoulder. Opposing her was the mysterious cloaked warrior.
The referee signaled the start.
Hilda lunged forward, swinging her axe in a wide arc. The sheer force of her attack created a powerful gust of wind, but the cloaked warrior dodged effortlessly, sidestepping with inhuman speed. He retaliated with a swift thrust of his blade, forcing Hilda to parry at the last moment. The impact sent her skidding back several feet.
Gritting her teeth, she steadied herself. "Tough bastard," she muttered before charging again. This time, she feinted an overhead swing before suddenly shifting her grip and striking low. The cloaked warrior barely managed to dodge, but Hilda capitalized on the moment, bringing her axe up in an upward slash. Her weapon scraped against his cloak, revealing a glimpse of his armored body underneath.
But still, she couldn't land a direct hit. He was too fast, too precise.
The audience watched in awe as the battle continued. Hilda was powerful, but her opponent was something else entirely. Then, something changed—his movements became more aggressive. He aimed a thrust directly at Hilda's throat, a lethal strike meant to kill.
Ryo moved before anyone could react.
In a flash, he was in the arena, intercepting the attack with his bare hand. His draconic scales absorbed the impact, and with a flick of his wrist, he sent the warrior flying back.
The cloaked warrior tried to move, but before he could react, Ryo snapped his fingers, activating a barrier that trapped him in place. The crowd gasped as Ryo approached the restrained warrior.
"Why did you try to kill her?" Ryo demanded.
The warrior trembled for a moment before suddenly biting down on something. Poison.
Within seconds, his body went limp, the poison taking effect instantly. Before Ryo could investigate further, the sky darkened.
A massive shadow loomed over the arena.
A mutated behemoth, its monstrous form towering over the stadium, let out an ear-splitting roar. Panic ensued as the crowd scrambled to flee, but an unseen barrier had locked them inside.
"Tch. Great timing," Ryo muttered before turning to Hilda. "Get out of the way. I'll handle this."
He extended his hand, forming a protective barrier over the audience before spreading his Abyssal Dragon Wings and taking flight. The behemoth, sensing a challenge, lunged at him with its massive claws, but Ryo used Shadow Steps, instantly dodging and reappearing above its head.
"Let's end this quickly," he muttered, summoning his Blood Scythe.
The beast roared and launched a barrage of dark energy blasts from its mouth. Ryo weaved through them effortlessly before descending like a comet. With one powerful swing of his scythe, he cleaved through the behemoth's neck.
For a moment, silence filled the arena.
Then, the monster's massive head separated from its body, crashing onto the stadium floor with a deafening thud. The audience was speechless.
"He... he killed it in one strike..." someone muttered.
Murmurs began to spread—rumors of Ryo's past deeds, from defeating nobles to even slaying a shadow dragon, a calamity-class beast.
Ignoring the whispers, Ryo turned back to the cloaked warrior's corpse. Upon closer inspection, he noticed something—slave markings. Someone had been controlling him.
Just then, Ryo sensed another hostile presence.
He leaped into the audience, grabbing a hidden figure and hurling them into the arena. The man landed roughly, revealing himself as a dwarf with sinister eyes.
"You... you're the exiled dwarf alchemist," Hilda growled. "Banished for your twisted experiments."
The dwarf sneered. "So you found me. The behemoth was just an unfortunate coincidence, but that slave was mine. A pity he failed."
Ryo stepped forward, his presence alone silencing the dwarf. "And what were you planning to do next?"
The dwarf shivered but forced a grin. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"I don't need to," Ryo said coldly before knocking him unconscious.
The dwarf chieftain stepped forward, his expression serious. "Ryo Takashi, you saved my daughter's life today. I am in your debt."
Ryo shrugged. "I only helped a classmate. Hilda's joining S-Class after the tournament, after all."
The headmasters approached, expressing their gratitude for saving the students. Ryo simply nodded, uninterested in praise.
As he walked away, he couldn't shake the feeling that the real mastermind was still out there, watching from the shadows.
Something much bigger was at play.