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Garr stood frozen, struggling to believe what had just transpired.
He had never imagined being dismissed in such a condescending manner, with the words,
“You may leave,”
spoken as if his life was worth nothing.
Even as Rose said it, her greatsword hadn’t fully withdrawn from his neck, leaving him with an overwhelming sense of humiliation.
Who was he?
He was the Saint of
Sanctuary of Extension
!
Yet today, someone had placed a blade to his throat and spared him with an air of disdain.
The shame burned within him.
“You’re not leaving? Do you want to die after all?” Rose said coldly, her sword once again pressing against Garr’s neck.
She noticed the resentment and fury etched across his face. If she let him go now, it felt like sparing an enemy who wouldn’t think twice about retaliating.
The sharp edge of her sword pricked his neck, drawing a trickle of blood.
“Rose! Enough!” Reed intervened, grabbing hold of her blade once more.
In this moment, Garr was genuinely frightened. He could feel that she wasn’t bluffing—she was ready to end his life without hesitation.
Did she truly have no fear of Sanctuary of Extension?
Looking at her expression, Garr realized that she might genuinely not care. If not for the man stopping her, he was certain he’d already be a corpse.
Reed tightened his grip on the blade.
“Letting him go isn’t releasing a tiger back into the mountains,” he said calmly, “Not unless he’s a real tiger—and one capable of returning to the mountains.”
He added, “Besides, the Headmaster will be here soon. Let’s leave it at that.”
Hearing this, Rose hesitated before lowering her sword. Without another word, she turned and said, “I’m tired. I’m going back.”
She walked off, heading toward the exit.
Reed let out a resigned sigh and followed after her.
Green, too, exhaled in relief. At least the situation hadn’t escalated into a full-blown fight between the two of them. That would have been a spectacle nobody wanted to see.
The group vanished from Garr’s sight, leaving him standing there alone.
As their silhouettes faded, Garr’s body trembled, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His legs nearly gave out beneath him.
For the first time, the reality of his injuries set in.
The sensation of having his life completely under someone else’s control was harrowing, as was the chilling closeness to death he had just experienced.
Never in his life had Garr imagined that, as the Saint of
Sanctuary of Extension
, he would one day find himself in such a predicament.
“Saint!”
Several of his subordinates managed to get back on their feet and rushed over to him.
Though Green and Reed had held back, only injuring rather than killing them, some injuries were severe enough to take weeks to heal. Those less hurt moved swiftly to their Saint’s side.
“Are you alright, Saint?” one asked anxiously.
“We should go find Lord Rod! He’ll definitely…”
Rod was the elder accompanying Garr to the
Battle for Dominance
. His purpose was to ensure Garr’s safety and oversee post-battle negotiations, much like Karea Academy’s Hayes.
His strength was unquestionable.
The suggestion to seek Rod’s help was meant to enlist his aid in seeking justice for their humiliation.
But upon hearing this, Garr turned to the speaker with fury blazing in his eyes. Without a word, he slapped the man hard across the face, sending him sprawling.
“Do you think I haven’t been humiliated enough already?”
This loss had been a complete defeat. There were no excuses—he had been outmatched.
To lose was one thing, but to remain ignorant of his own shortcomings would be an even greater failure.
Garr glared coldly at the man he had struck, who now lay on the ground.
“No one is to speak of this incident. If we encounter that group again, avoid them at all costs. Do you understand?”
…
Meanwhile, Daniel emerged from the depths of the Fire Abyss, reuniting with Rose and the others. Together, they returned to their rented residence in Sunken City.
On the way, Nina whispered to Daniel about what had transpired earlier between Rose and Reed.
“Headmaster, they were both terrifying. I was so scared they were going to start fighting,” Nina said softly.
If a fight had broken out, Nina wasn’t sure what she would’ve done. While she felt compelled to side with Rose, the thought of attacking Reed left her feeling conflicted.
Luckily, it hadn’t come to that.
Daniel smiled slightly.
“Disagreements are normal. They’re both adults now, not children. A simple argument won’t lead to an all-out brawl. Everyone has their own perspective.”
“And in the end, didn’t they both step back?”
Nina nodded thoughtfully.
“So, in the Headmaster’s eyes, they’re not kids anymore. That’s why they knew to compromise. Then… who’s the kid?”
It can’t be me, right?
Nina shook her head, dismissing the thought.
I’m an adult now.
The kid must be Rikki the bear. Definitely.
…
The
Battle for Dominance
began.
In Sunken City, there were no public announcements or fanfare. Most residents remained oblivious, speculating about when the superpowers would finally clash and hoping to secure a good spot to watch.
But the truth was, only a select few had the privilege to witness the event.
The superpowers had no intention of turning themselves into spectacles for the masses. Access to the battle was strictly controlled, limited to notable factions.
Naturally, Daniel and his group wouldn’t miss such an event.
Nina held a token gifted by the elders of
House Ponton
to placate Nora’s anger. This token allowed unrestricted access throughout Sunken City, including the battle’s viewing area.
The audience sat in a magically created space, much larger on the inside than it appeared from the outside. At its center, a projection displayed real-time events from within the secret realm.
Daniel chose a quiet corner and sat down, awaiting the battles with some anticipation.
He was eager to see how much Nora had grown in recent years. He also wanted to gauge the strength of the superpowers’ so-called prodigies—and determine whether these factions were connected to the lingering forces of gods and devils.
Karea Academy
, for instance, clearly had ties to such powers. What about the others?
…
Meanwhile, Nora was seated in an ancient residence belonging to one of House Ponton’s tier-sages, with Hayes at her side.
“We’ve managed to gather some intel on your opponents,” Hayes began.
“
Dawnlight Empire’s Yesar
, a light magic user.”
“
Dark Empire’s Deguro
, a necromancer.”
“
Cult of Calamity’s Fedrick
, skilled in curses and calamities.”
“
Sanctuary of Extension’s Garr
, adept at their signature magic, Derivation of All Spells and Unified Arcana.”
“As for
Dragonscale Bank’s
chosen representative, we’ve only learned her name: Imora. Dragonscale Bank has sealed all other information about her.”
After listing the opponents, Hayes warned,
“Especially be cautious of Dragonscale Bank’s representative. They’ve been preparing for this battle for a long time.”