The Wind Dragon Monarch was on the edge of his seat as he watched the jagged ice break through the storm barrier, rapidly approaching the startled Galen within.
The Monarch's heart throbbed fiercely in his chest as he watched the ice draw closer to his only offspring—the future of the Windfall Kingdom.
Below, panic spread across the faces of Frostpire's teammates as they watched the scene unfold before their eyes. Galen had already forfeited the fight; according to the competition's rules, Nox was supposed to cease any further actions.
"If he goes through with this, he'll be eliminated from the competition. That's bad." Kaisy bit her finger anxiously, her face pale.
"Sniff… our luck is just too terrible. I thought with someone like him on our side, we'd finally have a chance at winning resources for our kingdom." Mira, the short girl who possessed unique ice skills that enabled her to heal her kind, was on the verge of bursting into tears.
Toren, usually the loudest on the battlefield, had cold feet, while Fenix had a disappointed look on his face.
The fight was already won. With the majority of the Windfall team either dead or injured, there was no debate about advancing to the next round. However, if Nox followed through with this attack, their trump card in the competition would be disqualified.
The Frostpire team had hoped that with both him and Drake present, they could aim for the finals.
"It's such a shame our dream has to be cut short here."
Hearing this, Drake felt even more agitated. He wanted to charge at Nox and stop the attack, but the distance was too great—not to mention the jagged ice lance moving at a frightening speed, several times faster than his top speed.
Zara watched her teammates, rolling her eyes at how dramatic they were being. "Tsk, quit mourning like someone just died, will ya? Nox wouldn't necessarily kill him."
Everyone's gaze turned to her, their eyes lighting up briefly before fading again as they questioned whether her words were trustworthy.
"I've been with Nox for a long time," Zara said before shaking her head. "Well, maybe not that long, but that's not the point. What I mean to say is, Nox is very level-headed. Unless you harm his close friends, family, or make an attempt on his life, that's the only time he might lose his mind."
Zara thought back to the events in the Tristan Kingdom, where Prince Ainsworth and Brandon had conspired against him. She nodded to herself, her voice brimming with certainty. "Yes, that's the kind of person he is."
True to Zara's words, the ice lance stopped just a few meters from Galen's heart, its cold tip pressing against his chest.
Galen's eyes were shut tight, and two strands of tears rolled down his cheeks. His heart pounded wildly—he felt fear unlike anything he had ever experienced before.
Minutes passed. A confused expression slowly appeared on his face as he wondered why the ice construct had not impaled his chest and burst through the other side.
A deep frown formed on his face as he hesitantly opened one eye before opening the other. Realizing he was still breathing, the prince sighed in relief, his body collapsing to the ground from his previous hovering stance. The lightning hurricane surrounding him dissipated.
The match officiator, who had been stunned by the overwhelming display of power, finally snapped out of his trance. Hurriedly, he rushed to check on Galen's vitals. The results showed that the prince was still very much alive—meaning Nox had not broken any rules.
A moment later, the officiator announced the Frostpire team as the winners, and cheers erupted from the stands as Frostpire's citizens entered a state of pandemonium.
Even the neighboring Dragon Kingdom couldn't help but nod in approval at Nox's strength.
"It seems the Ice Dragons will be the underdogs of this generation's competition. In all my life, I've never seen someone with such fine elemental control apart from the Monarchs."
"Yeah, but you forgot the Lightning Prince. I heard his control is just slightly below that of the Lightning Monarch. If the two were to clash, I bet the Lightning Prince would smoke this half-blood." Someone from the Lightning Dragon Kingdom said confidently.
"Hahahaha! Cry more, Sparky! Our Ice Dragon Kingdom will be the winners of this competition!" someone from Frostpire taunted.
"Sparky" was a nickname other kingdoms used to mock the Lightning Drakes. The Lightning Dragons considered themselves superior to the others, believing their element—thunder and lightning—was the overlord of all elements. Calling it a mere "spark" was a great insult to them. If not for the existence of strict rules and security, a fierce fight would have broken out on the spot.
Regardless, this didn't stop the Lightning Drakes from issuing a cold threat to the Ice Dragons.
Back on the fighting platform, Mira fell flat on her butt as soon as they were declared victorious. Although she hadn't contributed much to the fight, the last few moments had been extremely tense—especially when it seemed Nox would go for the kill.
"Hahahaha! You were right!" Toren laughed heartily as he attempted to hug Zara in a bear hug, but the princess had foreseen it and quickly dodged.
"Nox, my man! You were fire!!!" Drake grinned as Nox returned to his teammates.
"It was thanks to your training. My ice control wouldn't be this impeccable without your help." Nox smiled—not out of humility, but because it was the truth. King Dracos and Drake had been a huge help to him in the past days.
"I'm proud to have been of help!" Drake laughed as he shook Nox's hand.
"But… did you have to kill them?"
"It's part of the rules." Nox shrugged nonchalantly.
"Oi, let's go have a drink! The bill's on me!" Toren roared, placing his massive arms around both Nox and Drake's shoulders.
"Alright, it's not bad to loosen up a little," Nox admitted. He needed it after training non-stop for several days.
The competition lasted for four days, and after the match between Frostpire and Windfall, the event officially came to a close for today. But even after its conclusion, Kawl's name remained on everyone's lips.
From the royal balcony, the Light Monarch narrowed his eyes, his gaze locked onto Nox, who was chatting happily with his teammates on the fighting platform. Then, his attention shifted to the amulet hanging around Nox's neck.
In the heat of battle, it had been exposed to the open.
The Light Dragon Monarch's eyes lingered on the amulet for a moment before a strange light flashed through them.
"Interesting," he murmured with a smile.