Once upon a time, she too had been an ordinary girl who dreamt innocent dreams.
In a humble yet warm cottage in a border village, she used to snuggle against her mother's knee, listening to epic tales of heroes passed down by bards.
Her eyes sparkling, she would clench her little fists and declare with utter conviction:
“My dream is to become a grand hero just like in the stories! I'll protect everyone and defeat all the bad guys! So, every treasure chest I see from now on is mine to open!”
As if rummaging through every treasure chest along an adventure was all there was to a hero's journey.
Her father, who was repairing farm tools nearby, looked up with a playful grin on his bronzed face:
“Well, then I hope your little bottom is as tough as those lord heroes'.”
Her mother had smiled softly, gently stroking her hair.
Back then, the world was simple and bright.
Until that day.
A bloody crimson soaked the village sunset, as the howls of Demons and the shrieks of humans shattered the former tranquility.
Crude wooden doors were smashed to pieces by sharp claws, turning the cozy cottages into a sea of fire that devoured human lives.
Her father stood at the doorway wielding a woodcutter's axe, his back like a steadfast mountain, only to be instantly swallowed by hideous, towering shadows.
Her mother shoved her forcefully into a hidden tunnel. The strength of that final embrace had made her bones ache, and her mother's tear-streaked face held an unprecedented mixture of resolve and desperate pleading:
“Victoria, run! Leave this place and never come back! Don't look back!”
“You must live on, my daughter!”
A young Silvia clung tightly to her as she cried and struggled, dragging her toward the tunnel's exit with all her strength.
“Victoria, we can't go back!”
“Mom! Dad! No, I'm not going! I want to stay! I want to defeat those Demons! Let go of me, Silvia! I don't want to leave!”
She screamed and thrashed. Her gray eyes reflected the soaring flames and spraying blood, her fingernails scraping bloody marks into the dirt floor.
Yet her strength was far too frail—so small she couldn't even break free from her best friend's hold, so small she could only watch helplessly as her home was reduced to ruins amidst flames and slaughter, watching the figures of her beloved parents swallowed by the dark.
That night, the fire had consumed more than just the village; deep within her heart, it ignited a flame that would never be extinguished.
Fueled by sorrow, fear, and helplessness, that flame was ultimately forged into a resolve as cold and hard as steel.
Become strong—strong enough to sever the chains of tragedy.
Ascend—reach a height where she could protect those she held dear.
When the Hero's Protection, granted by the very source of the world, descended upon her, that flame burned all the hotter, all the clearer.
It was no longer merely a fiery desire for revenge, but a sense of duty and a path almost akin to a holy calling.
She saw clearly that her path ahead was fraught with thorns and formidable enemies, but her mind was set. She would defeat anyone standing in her way, reach the absolute peak of strength, and claim the power to end all calamity!
Therefore...
On the Arena stage, Victoria's gray eyes refocused. She forcefully suppressed the turmoil of her emotions into the deepest recesses of her heart, turning her gaze into something cold and solid as stone.
She stared at the blazing fire across from her named Lilith Kahn.
The Princess standing before her was powerful, proud, and brilliant as the sun.
And she, Victoria, had her own reasons for why she could not lose!
For the sake of all she had lost and could never reclaim, for the future represented by that heavy blessing, and to prove herself to everyone who had ever looked down on her.
Her path, her will, and her strength were inferior to no one!
Victoria took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
Admittedly, the strength Lilith was currently displaying exceeded her initial estimates.
However, that by no means meant she had no chance of victory!
She recalled a lesson her master had taught her: when your opponent is exceptionally powerful, you can find a way to lower their guard, then deal a fatal blow at the decisive moment.
Victoria's mind worked at high speed, analyzing the opponent before her.
What was Lilith's strongest weapon?
Without a doubt, it was Flame Burst, one of the Supreme-tier fire magic spells.
Its raw power was unquestionable, capable of completely turning the tides or even deciding the battle in a single instant.
However, High-tier magic usually came with immense mana consumption and mental strain.
Especially a spell on the level of Flame Burst—a single cast would surely drain all her mana, leaving her briefly weakened.
Thus, the key to victory lay right here: create an opening, bait her into using Flame Burst, and then... dodge it!
As long as she successfully evaded that destructive blow, the scales of victory would inevitably tip in her favor against a Lilith running low on mana!
The difficulty was in making a smart, proud opponent pull out her ultimate trump card at what she believed to be the perfect moment.
Victoria's line of thought gradually sharpened.
She needed a “flaw”—a vulnerability convincing enough to make Lilith believe that by taking full advantage of it, she could secure a victory in one strike.
First, this vulnerability couldn't look too fake, or it wouldn't fool a genius with sharp instincts.
Second, it couldn't be too deadly, or she might actually be defeated because of it.
It had to present itself at a crucial juncture where both sides seemed evenly matched, feeding into the impatience of a Lilith eager to shatter the deadlock.
With her plan settled, Victoria hesitated no longer and launched a fresh wave of attacks on her own initiative!
“Wind Blade!”
“Water Gun!”
“Earth Spike!”
The gray-haired girl darted deftly across the platform, cycling through Earth, Water, and Wind Basic magic spells in turn. Though lacking the explosive flair of fire magic, her elemental switching was smooth and her attack angles tricky, constantly forcing Lilith to react.
She was no longer pressing for an instant kill, instead dragging the battle into a rhythm of attrition that tested endurance above all else.
At first, Lilith was still able to suppress and even counterattack using the overwhelming force and precision of her fire magic.
Before long, however, she realized things were not so simple.
Victoria was like a piece of tough leather soaked in water; flames hitting her generated clouds of steam and left scorch marks, but struggled to truly ignite or tear through her.
They were evenly matched.
An infuriating stalemate!
The smile on Lilith's face gradually faded as a subtle trace of anxiety quietly took root.
This was entirely different from what she had anticipated!
She had thought she could crush her opponent with sheer strength and talent, just as she had always done in the past.
Yet this commoner-born Victoria turned out to be so ridiculously stubborn!
Though Victoria's magical execution wasn't as exquisite or flamboyant as hers, nor did her mana feel as surging, her tenacity, calm composure, and almost wild combat instinct dragged the battle into a deadlock anyway.
If this went on... mana was continuously burning away, and her physical stamina was draining too.
Was it really going to end in a draw?
No! Absolutely not!
The word “draw” didn't exist in Lilith Kahn's dictionary!
She was the Flame Princess, a genius destined to incinerate everything and illuminate the road ahead!
How could she settle for being evenly matched with someone who had just popped out of nowhere?
Her pride was burning away her patience.
She craved a breakthrough—a single moment to secure her triumph!
And right at that moment, an opportunity presented itself.
After a swift sidestep to dodge a Flame Arrow Shower, Victoria's foot seemed to slip slightly, tripping over the edge of a jagged stone slab cracked open from the earlier magical clash!
She lost her balance instantly, staggering backward, on the verge of falling to the ground in an incredibly clumsy heap!
An opening! A massive opening!
In high-speed combat, losing one's balance meant being unable to defend or dodge effectively for at least one or two seconds!
“If I use Flame Burst right now, I win!”
The thought struck Lilith's mind like a bolt of lightning.
The surging fire mana inside her body was instantly ignited, gathering frantically toward her right palm!
The surrounding air hummed under strain as the temperature soared rapidly, even warping the light around them.
An extremely unstable crimson fireball, glowing brilliant white around its edges with a core like molten magma, rapidly took shape in her palm!
Devastating energy fluctuations swept across the area!
Even if it was only LV1, this was still Flame Burst!
One of the Supreme-tier fire magic spells!
Its imposing power was far beyond anything the previous Flame Arrows or fire chains could match!
Gasps erupted from the spectator stands, and many instructors subconsciously straightened in their seats.
Yet, in the very instant before that white-hot fireball condensed with terrifying power could leave her hands—
The face of a blonde boy with a helpless smile and his seemingly playful words crashed into Lilith's mind without warning:
“Just wait and see. In tomorrow's Placement Duel, Victoria will ultimately use a feint to bait Princess Lilith's Flame Burst and claim victory.”
This made Lilith hesitate for a fraction of a second.
Am I really going to believe what that guy blurted out?
How could a mistake of this magnitude just be a feint?
If I miss this chance, it'll probably end in a draw.
But...!
A faint yet stubborn voice whispered from deep inside her: What if?
She remembered another line he had spoken by the campfire, with an expression that was both infuriating and oddly reassuring:
“A reward? No need for that trouble. You... well, you just keep supporting Princess Lilith like this.”
Damn it!
Lilith cursed inwardly.
If he dares lie to me, I'm definitely going to beat the living crap out of him later!
Now... I'm gambling on it!
Lilith made a decision so bold it bordered on madness.
She assumed that Victoria's stumble right now really was a feint meant to bait her Flame Burst!
In that case, how would her opponent evade this lethal strike?
Her eyes darted to the deep crater behind Victoria, blasted open during their earlier clash.
Off balance as she was, Victoria couldn't dodge very far. Therefore, she must be planning to tumble into that crater with her momentum and use earth magic to seal off the top in an instant, shielding herself from most of the blast!
Once Lilith was briefly exhausted from unleashing a Supreme-tier magic spell, Victoria could burst out of the crater and launch her counterattack!
Having deduced this, Lilith aimed her Flame Burst directly at the crater and fired!
“It worked!”
When Victoria saw Lilith release Flame Burst, she immediately knew her opponent had taken the bait.
Riding her momentum, she tumbled backward straight into the crater, sealing the gap above her with earth magic on the fly.
Now, as long as she weathered the initial shockwave, victory would indisputably be hers!
Wait, why is it getting hotter and hotter?
She opened a small peephole and peeked outside.
In the next instant, her gray eyes contracted to tiny points!
A mass of Flame Burst—glowing brilliant white at its edges and molten crimson at its core, packed with pure, unadulterated destruction—was hurtling directly toward her!
“How could she possibly guess that?! I want to check her cards!!!”
BOOM—!!!
The deafening explosion swallowed all remaining thought.
Rate on N.U.
