<p>Chapter 37: The Curtain Falls</p>
<p>Silence lingered for a long time.</p>
<p>“……What was that?”</p>
<p>Sital, with a dazed expression, spoke in a vague voice.</p>
<p>What Shaya had just demonstrated was no longer a surprise but a shock.</p>
<p>What did he just see?</p>
<p>A 16-year-old student smashed apart a Mountain Giant at the Extraordinary Knights level with a single punch?</p>
<p>By the gods of justice and judgment, when did this world become so insane?</p>
<p>“Perhaps… it’s the long-lost abilities of ancient knights.”</p>
<p>After a moment of silence, Rod, well-informed and knowledgeable, frowned and replied somewhat uncertainly.</p>
<p>From his lips came forth a completely new term.</p>
<p>However, very few people were qualified to know this secret.</p>
<p>It was a skill possessed by the most powerful knights of ancient times, most of which had been lost with the fall of ancient ruins, buried in the ruins beneath the earth.</p>
<p>For knight practitioners, such a ability was far more alluring than ancient artifacts.</p>
<p>And to awaken a similar ability, apart from a series of harsh conditions, the most fundamental point was the need to fuse with the essence of ancient beings.</p>
<p>Had he come into contact with certain ancient existences?</p>
<p>Dragons?</p>
<p>Elves?</p>
<p>Or perhaps… certain ancient gods of the order?</p>
<p>He couldn’t help but glance at his old friend beside him, seeing his horrified expression, and sighed while rubbing his forehead.</p>
<p>That boy could not possibly be a product of Sital’s teachings; there must be some hidden powerful figure behind him.</p>
<p>Thinking of this, Rod felt an even deeper curiosity about him, as if he were digging for treasure, discovering new surprises time after time.</p>
<p>“That kid, we have reserved him for the Judgment Tower.”</p>
<p>……</p>
<p>When Mevis finally broke through the space barrier and returned to reality from her exile, she instinctively felt something was off as she reappeared in the audience.</p>
<p>Logically, by now, the duel arena should have declared a winner or loser, and even if there weren’t any cheers, there should be discussions.</p>
<p>But now, the entire place was eerily silent.</p>
<p>Looking around, nearly all the audience were standing in front of their seats with clenched fists, silently gazing at the center of the duel arena with eyes that Mevis found somewhat familiar.</p>
<p>That kind of gaze seemed to have just witnessed a miracle.</p>
<p>“……”</p>
<p>The young sorcerer, dressed in a moonlight-colored Mage Robe and with a beautiful appearance, subtly frowned.</p>
<p>She turned around and looked at her proud disciple.</p>
<p>Then, a look of surprise appeared on her face: “Naya? Why are you crying?”</p>
<p>During the time that she had been exiled by Dean Lucius to the starry sky, Naya had been standing still, unresponsive, like a puppet without independent thought, only reacting upon hearing commands.</p>
<p>That was how it should have been.</p>
<p>But now, two lines of hot tears were gently sliding down her delicate face that bore a previously indifferent expression.</p>
<p>“Teacher…?”</p>
<p>Upon hearing this, Naya raised her hand to gently touch the tear at the corner of her eye.</p>
<p>Looking at the glistening liquid on her fingertip, a rare look of confusion crossed her face.</p>
<p>Mevis gazed deeply at her, a faint green glow flashing in her eyes.</p>
<p>“You are the strongest genius destined to ascend as a Great Sage. How can you cry over trivial matters?” In Naya’s ears, Mevis’s voice suddenly became ethereal and otherworldly, “Wipe your tears, forget those troubling emotions; they are unnecessary burdens.”</p>
<p>“……”</p>
<p>Naya’s small, delicate body shook slightly but did not respond immediately.</p>
<p>A hint of struggle flashed in her eyes.</p>
<p>Seeing this, the green light in Mevis’s gaze intensified.</p>
<p>This time, Naya did not resist too much; her expression quickly reverted to its usual indifference, her gaze losing its luster once again.</p>
<p>“Yes, Teacher.”</p>
<p>She lowered her head and answered calmly.</p>
<p>After calming the green light in her eyes, Mevis gently nodded, then shifted her gaze towards the duel arena.</p>
<p>“Since you all have this reaction, then I can roughly guess the result.”</p>
<p>“However, a wild boy with no background… on what basis?”</p>
<p>Mevis muttered to herself.</p>
<p>Then, she cast her sight downwards upon the multitude of focused gazes.</p>
<p>……</p>
<p>In the duel arena, the already broken ground had formed a deep pit once again.</p>
<p>The gigantic rock body of the Mountain Giant lay sprawled in that pit, its body intact, but its head had vanished.</p>
<p>Upon closer inspection, the part that constituted the head and the single eye was shattered into countless shards scattered around the arena.</p>
<p>Under Shaya’s most powerful punch, even a giant magical beast at the level of Extraordinary Knights could not escape the fate of being instantly killed.</p>
<p>Of course, Sital’s timely reminder played a massive role in this, as Shaya had limited opportunities to attempt using explosive fighting spirit, only a brief dozen seconds or so.</p>
<p>“Cough, cough, cough……”</p>
<p>As he waved his hands to disperse the surrounding dust, Shaya slowly stood up from the remains of the Mountain Giant.</p>
<p>Since the effects of the explosive fighting spirit had passed, the crimson patterns on his body quickly faded, and the steam and heat gradually dissipated.</p>
<p>He raised his head and slowly scanned the arena, noticing that the students in the audience were all averting their gazes.</p>
<p>They felt guilty.</p>
<p>After all, at the beginning of the duel, most had come here with a mocking attitude and to hurl trash talk.</p>
<p>Who would have thought that the final winner would be this boy, whom almost no one had bet on?</p>
<p>Seeing their reactions, Shaya grinned widely, like a happy child.</p>
<p>After a moment of laughter, he finally directed his gaze to the girl curled up at the other end of the duel arena.</p>
<p>The originally neat and clean rose-colored Mage Robe had become wrinkled and dusty, and there were even several blood-soaked wounds on her exposed fair legs.</p>
<p>This was an outcome Angelica had never imagined.</p>
<p>Shaya drew a tattered longsword from the rubble, waved it a few times, and then walked slowly towards Angelica.</p>
<p>Looking at her defeated demeanor, he couldn’t help but scoff and pressed the blade against her delicate neck.</p>
<p>“This expression is far more interesting than your usual self.”</p>
<p>As the blade pressed inward, a red mark appeared on Angelica’s neck, and blood began to seep out slowly.</p>
<p>It seemed that if Shaya exerted even a little force, that pretty head would say goodbye to the body.</p>
<p>“……” Angelica stared blankly at the corpse of the Mountain Giant, a strand of platinum hair stuck to her lips, “Just kill me.”</p>
<p>“Do you concede?”</p>
<p>Shaya placed his foot on Angelica’s shoulder, pinning her against the wall behind.</p>
<p>“……Just kill me.”</p>
<p>Angelica lowered her head deeply and repeated.</p>
<p>It seemed she was resisting the terrifying outcome that filled her with dread in this posture.</p>
<p>“Slap!”</p>
<p>Shaya extended his hand and mercilessly slapped her twice.</p>
<p>Angelica’s body trembled slightly, but she still kept her head down, showing no reaction.</p>
<p>Shaya shook his head and looked for the referee’s silhouette: “At this point, can’t you declare the victory…”</p>
<p>Before he could finish, just at that moment of distraction, Angelica suddenly lifted her head, and in her previously dull eyes, a flash of green light sparkled!</p>
<p>Accompanied by a silent chant, the green light surged straight towards Shaya!</p>
<p>“!!”</p>
<p>Shaya’s pupils dilated as he snapped back to reality, but it was too late to evade, and he watched helplessly as the green light pierced into his eyes.</p>
<p>Then, the light transformed into a complex and obscure spell, floating slowly within his pupils.</p>
<p>In that instant, his mind seemed to suffer a powerful jolt, and his head involuntarily tilted back, his flowing black hair concealing his current expression.</p>
<p>After doing all this, two streams of bloody tears flowed from the corners of Angelica’s eyes.</p>
<p>It seemed that casting this eye technique had severe consequences for her.</p>
<p>But once the opponent fell under the curse, they would gradually become a puppet unable to resist her commands.</p>
<p>This was Angelica’s last resort in the face of despair!</p>
<p>“Let me go.”</p>
<p>At this moment, having just experienced a miraculous turn of events, Angelica breathed softly, her expression still somewhat dazed.</p>
<p>She tried to push away the boot pressing down on her shoulder, pushing it twice with all her strength, but it wouldn’t budge.</p>
<p>At this time, hearing the command, Shaya slowly raised his head and met Angelica’s gaze.</p>
<p>His eyes were dim and lifeless, like a puppet to be manipulated.</p>
<p>Silence lingered for a long time.</p>
<p>“……What was that?”</p>
<p>Sital, with a dazed expression, spoke in a vague voice.</p>
<p>What Shaya had just demonstrated was no longer a surprise but a shock.</p>
<p>What did he just see?</p>
<p>A 16-year-old student smashed apart a Mountain Giant at the Extraordinary Knights level with a single punch?</p>
<p>By the gods of justice and judgment, when did this world become so insane?</p>
<p>“Perhaps… it’s the long-lost abilities of ancient knights.”</p>
<p>After a moment of silence, Rod, well-informed and knowledgeable, frowned and replied somewhat uncertainly.</p>
<p>From his lips came forth a completely new term.</p>
<p>However, very few people were qualified to know this secret.</p>
<p>It was a skill possessed by the most powerful knights of ancient times, most of which had been lost with the fall of ancient ruins, buried in the ruins beneath the earth.</p>
<p>For knight practitioners, such a ability was far more alluring than ancient artifacts.</p>
<p>And to awaken a similar ability, apart from a series of harsh conditions, the most fundamental point was the need to fuse with the essence of ancient beings.</p>
<p>Had he come into contact with certain ancient existences?</p>
<p>Dragons?</p>
<p>Elves?</p>
<p>Or perhaps… certain ancient gods of the order?</p>
<p>He couldn’t help but glance at his old friend beside him, seeing his horrified expression, and sighed while rubbing his forehead.</p>
<p>That boy could not possibly be a product of Sital’s teachings; there must be some hidden powerful figure behind him.</p>
<p>Thinking of this, Rod felt an even deeper curiosity about him, as if he were digging for treasure, discovering new surprises time after time.</p>
<p>“That kid, we have reserved him for the Judgment Tower.”</p>
<p>……</p>
<p>When Mevis finally broke through the space barrier and returned to reality from her exile, she instinctively felt something was off as she reappeared in the audience.</p>
<p>Logically, by now, the duel arena should have declared a winner or loser, and even if there weren’t any cheers, there should be discussions.</p>
<p>But now, the entire place was eerily silent.</p>
<p>Looking around, nearly all the audience were standing in front of their seats with clenched fists, silently gazing at the center of the duel arena with eyes that Mevis found somewhat familiar.</p>
<p>That kind of gaze seemed to have just witnessed a miracle.</p>
<p>“……”</p>
<p>The young sorcerer, dressed in a moonlight-colored Mage Robe and with a beautiful appearance, subtly frowned.</p>
<p>She turned around and looked at her proud disciple.</p>
<p>Then, a look of surprise appeared on her face: “Naya? Why are you crying?”</p>
<p>During the time that she had been exiled by Dean Lucius to the starry sky, Naya had been standing still, unresponsive, like a puppet without independent thought, only reacting upon hearing commands.</p>
<p>That was how it should have been.</p>
<p>But now, two lines of hot tears were gently sliding down her delicate face that bore a previously indifferent expression.</p>
<p>“Teacher…?”</p>
<p>Upon hearing this, Naya raised her hand to gently touch the tear at the corner of her eye.</p>
<p>Looking at the glistening liquid on her fingertip, a rare look of confusion crossed her face.</p>
<p>Mevis gazed deeply at her, a faint green glow flashing in her eyes.</p>
<p>“You are the strongest genius destined to ascend as a Great Sage. How can you cry over trivial matters?” In Naya’s ears, Mevis’s voice suddenly became ethereal and otherworldly, “Wipe your tears, forget those troubling emotions; they are unnecessary burdens.”</p>
<p>“……”</p>
<p>Naya’s small, delicate body shook slightly but did not respond immediately.</p>
<p>A hint of struggle flashed in her eyes.</p>
<p>Seeing this, the green light in Mevis’s gaze intensified.</p>
<p>This time, Naya did not resist too much; her expression quickly reverted to its usual indifference, her gaze losing its luster once again.</p>
<p>“Yes, Teacher.”</p>
<p>She lowered her head and answered calmly.</p>
<p>After calming the green light in her eyes, Mevis gently nodded, then shifted her gaze towards the duel arena.</p>
<p>“Since you all have this reaction, then I can roughly guess the result.”</p>
<p>“However, a wild boy with no background… on what basis?”</p>
<p>Mevis muttered to herself.</p>
<p>Then, she cast her sight downwards upon the multitude of focused gazes.</p>
<p>……</p>
<p>In the duel arena, the already broken ground had formed a deep pit once again.</p>
<p>The gigantic rock body of the Mountain Giant lay sprawled in that pit, its body intact, but its head had vanished.</p>
<p>Upon closer inspection, the part that constituted the head and the single eye was shattered into countless shards scattered around the arena.</p>
<p>Under Shaya’s most powerful punch, even a giant magical beast at the level of Extraordinary Knights could not escape the fate of being instantly killed.</p>
<p>Of course, Sital’s timely reminder played a massive role in this, as Shaya had limited opportunities to attempt using explosive fighting spirit, only a brief dozen seconds or so.</p>
<p>“Cough, cough, cough……”</p>
<p>As he waved his hands to disperse the surrounding dust, Shaya slowly stood up from the remains of the Mountain Giant.</p>
<p>Since the effects of the explosive fighting spirit had passed, the crimson patterns on his body quickly faded, and the steam and heat gradually dissipated.</p>
<p>He raised his head and slowly scanned the arena, noticing that the students in the audience were all averting their gazes.</p>
<p>They felt guilty.</p>
<p>After all, at the beginning of the duel, most had come here with a mocking attitude and to hurl trash talk.</p>
<p>Who would have thought that the final winner would be this boy, whom almost no one had bet on?</p>
<p>Seeing their reactions, Shaya grinned widely, like a happy child.</p>
<p>After a moment of laughter, he finally directed his gaze to the girl curled up at the other end of the duel arena.</p>
<p>The originally neat and clean rose-colored Mage Robe had become wrinkled and dusty, and there were even several blood-soaked wounds on her exposed fair legs.</p>
<p>This was an outcome Angelica had never imagined.</p>
<p>Shaya drew a tattered longsword from the rubble, waved it a few times, and then walked slowly towards Angelica.</p>
<p>Looking at her defeated demeanor, he couldn’t help but scoff and pressed the blade against her delicate neck.</p>
<p>“This expression is far more interesting than your usual self.”</p>
<p>As the blade pressed inward, a red mark appeared on Angelica’s neck, and blood began to seep out slowly.</p>
<p>It seemed that if Shaya exerted even a little force, that pretty head would say goodbye to the body.</p>
<p>“……” Angelica stared blankly at the corpse of the Mountain Giant, a strand of platinum hair stuck to her lips, “Just kill me.”</p>
<p>“Do you concede?”</p>
<p>Shaya placed his foot on Angelica’s shoulder, pinning her against the wall behind.</p>
<p>“……Just kill me.”</p>
<p>Angelica lowered her head deeply and repeated.</p>
<p>It seemed she was resisting the terrifying outcome that filled her with dread in this posture.</p>
<p>“Slap!”</p>
<p>Shaya extended his hand and mercilessly slapped her twice.</p>
<p>Angelica’s body trembled slightly, but she still kept her head down, showing no reaction.</p>
<p>Shaya shook his head and looked for the referee’s silhouette: “At this point, can’t you declare the victory…”</p>
<p>Before he could finish, just at that moment of distraction, Angelica suddenly lifted her head, and in her previously dull eyes, a flash of green light sparkled!</p>
<p>Accompanied by a silent chant, the green light surged straight towards Shaya!</p>
<p>“!!”</p>
<p>Shaya’s pupils dilated as he snapped back to reality, but it was too late to evade, and he watched helplessly as the green light pierced into his eyes.</p>
<p>Then, the light transformed into a complex and obscure spell, floating slowly within his pupils.</p>
<p>In that instant, his mind seemed to suffer a powerful jolt, and his head involuntarily tilted back, his flowing black hair concealing his current expression.</p>
<p>After doing all this, two streams of bloody tears flowed from the corners of Angelica’s eyes.</p>
<p>It seemed that casting this eye technique had severe consequences for her.</p>
<p>But once the opponent fell under the curse, they would gradually become a puppet unable to resist her commands.</p>
<p>This was Angelica’s last resort in the face of despair!</p>
<p>“Let me go.”</p>
<p>At this moment, having just experienced a miraculous turn of events, Angelica breathed softly, her expression still somewhat dazed.</p>
<p>She tried to push away the boot pressing down on her shoulder, pushing it twice with all her strength, but it wouldn’t budge.</p>
<p>At this time, hearing the command, Shaya slowly raised his head and met Angelica’s gaze.</p>
<p>His eyes were dim and lifeless, like a puppet to be manipulated.</p>
