Chapter 165: The Price of Defeat
BOOOOOOM!!
The ground trembled violently with a massive pressure as thick smoke filled the arena. From within the cloud of dust , Vex’s agonized scream echoed across the entire arena.
"ARRGGHHHHH!!"
As Prince Vex’s agonized scream continued to echo across the arena, Lily’s face turned deathly pale.
"My son!!"
Kael, Ravik, and Vex’s other siblings shouted in unison,
"Brother!!"
The entire audience remained frozen in shock. Everything had happened far too quickly. Only moments ago, they had watched Nova treat Prince Vex like a ball, kicking him around the arena.
In the next instant, the prince had been slammed into the ground and was screaming in unbearable pain.
Nova stood beside the writhing Vex. Soul skills were fundamentally different from ordinary techniques. When used offensively, they became especially dangerous because they attacked the soul directly.
If Vex had not been at Emperor Realm and if Nova had not been pushing his body to its absolute limit to maintain the Demon Lord-level pressure while launching the attack, the Soul Pulse would have been far more devastating.
It might have left Vex on the verge of death. Even so, the damage he had received was severe. From now on, he would have to endure intense mental trauma, reduced concentration, and disrupted mana control for a long time.
Although soul injuries could be treated with soul potions, such items were extremely rare and expensive. Still, Nova was satisfied. At his current level, he had forced an Emperor Realm expert to scream in pure agony.
Without hesitation, he gathered the residual Demon Lord pressure into his fist and drove a heavy punch straight into Vex’s head.
Boom!
Vex’s body went completely still as he lost consciousness. The shockwave from the punch cleared away the remaining dust and smoke, revealing the scene to everyone present.
Vex lay unconscious on the ground. Nova stood beside him with a nonchalant expression, using Rouve as a support to keep himself upright.
He was already suffering from the backlash of overusing his power.
The jaws of the audience dropped. Their mighty prince — a warrior who had been on the verge of breaking through to Level 2 of the Emperor Realm — had been defeated by a mere peak King Realm expert.
Not only that, there were almost no visible wounds on Vex’s body, yet everyone had clearly heard his earlier screams of pain before he fell unconscious.
Just what kind of attack had Nova used?
Among the crowd, the mysterious cloaked woman rested a hand under her chin and muttered in interest,
"He can even use a soul skill... Just where did this boy come from?"
Lily’s face grew even paler. Forgetting her status as Queen and abandoning all composure, her body blurred as she rushed to her son’s side. She lifted his head carefully, her expression filled with pure panic and worry.
"My son!! Wake up! What happened to you?!"
Nova watched the scene with a complicated expression and spoke calmly.
"You wanted him to kill me... but in the end, he wasn’t strong enough. Look at him. This is the result of your own scheme."
Lily’s head snapped toward him. Her eyes burned with pure hatred. In the next second, a dagger appeared in her hand as she lunged straight at Nova.
"I’ll kill you!!"
Nova hadn’t expected her to attack so openly in front of the entire audience. His body was currently far too weak to react quickly.
Clang!
Nyxara appeared in front of him in an instant and easily blocked Lily’s attack, sending the Queen sliding backward with controlled force. Kael quickly appeared behind his mother and held her firmly in place.
"Calm down, Mother!! All the citizens are watching!!"Lorcan appeared beside Kael and added in a serious tone,
"Yes, Your Majesty. Please calm yourself. If this situation escalates any further, His Majesty will not be pleased when he hears of it."
Lily hissed through her teeth, still struggling.
"Like I care!! I’ll kill that bitch Nyxara and that bastard who injured my son!!"
Nyxara watched the disgraceful scene and couldn’t help but shake her head. Lily was openly shaming the name of the Zarok Clan in front of the entire audience.
At the same time, Velena appeared beside Nova and gently supported him so he could stand properly. Nova gave her a warm smile in return.
Nyxara noticed the interaction and felt a flicker of annoyance. She had wanted to support him herself... but her maid had beaten her to it.
Lorcan looked at Kael with a complicated expression. Understanding the silent message, Kael gave a small nod. With a calculated and carefully measured strike to the back of his mother’s neck, he rendered her unconscious.
As a Level 5 Emperor himself, and slightly stronger than Lily, the blow was more than enough. She showed no signs of calming down anytime soon, so this was the only practical option left to them.
Kael disappeared with his mother and handed her over to one of his sisters, who quickly carried her away from the arena. Nyxara did not stop them.
This was not the right time to take her revenge — not yet, and not in such simple and easy manner.
A heavy silence fell over the arena. No one dared to openly criticize the Queen, as her ruthless character was well known throughout the territory.
Nyxara stepped forward. Her voice was amplified so that every corner of the arena could hear her clearly.
"My dear citizens of the Zarok Territory. As you have all witnessed, the outcome of this duel is clear. My husband defeated my stepbrother Vex... even though the latter possessed superior strength."
"With this result, I now have nothing to do with the engagement between the Sloth Clan and our Zarok Clan."
"I know our clan could not care less about the Sloth Clan. They are weak and incapable of doing anything against us. If my father still wishes to honor his old promise, he is free to marry one of his other daughters to them instead."
"Because his Queen has already freed me from this engagement through the terms of this duel. I hope all of you present here will serve as my witnesses.
And if you refuse... I couldn’t care less. I no longer give a fuck about this clan."
The entire arena fell into stunned silence at her final words. Although many agreed with the overall content of her statement — since the challenge had been publicly accepted — the blunt and almost rebellious way she finished her speech was completely unlike the noble image she usually maintained.
Not a single one of Lily’s children dared to speak. Nyxara was now openly releasing her Sovereign aura.
They knew that saying anything unnecessary at this moment would only bring disaster upon themselves. They could only grit their teeth and clench their fists in silence.
Nova heard her words and smiled faintly. Velena’s expression also softened slightly as she listened to her princess. Lorcan, for his part, had no personal opinion on the matter.
He was simply following the Demon Lord’s standing orders, and this duel had been something Lily herself had agreed to.
Even if he wished to intervene, he was powerless against a Sovereign Realm expert like Nyxara.
**Clap. Clap. Clap.**
Suddenly, the sound of slow, deliberate clapping echoed across the arena.
A cloaked figure flew toward the center and hovered in the air above Nyxara. Everyone present was surprised by the sudden appearance of this mysterious individual — especially after everything strange that had already taken place.
The figure continued clapping as a beautiful, smooth feminine voice rang out clearly.
"Nice speech, little girl."
Nyxara narrowed her eyes at the mysterious figure’s words. What unsettled her even more was that her senses could not detect the woman’s strength at all.
That could only mean one of two things — either the figure was a mortal... or she was stronger than Nyxara herself.
Clearly, the first option wasn’t the case here.
Nova and Velena also watched the cloaked woman with clear tension. Neither of them was getting a good feeling from her presence.
Before they could think further, Nyxara demanded coldly, "Who are you? Show yourself!"
A soft, almost playful voice answered her.
"Aww... we haven’t seen each other in a few hundred years, and you’ve already forgotten my voice?"
With that, the mysterious figure removed her cloak.
The moment the fabric fell away, the entire arena was filled with gasps of shock. Jaws dropped across the stands.
Demon lo
rd Kharos childrens, his wives , General Lorcan, Nova, and even Velena were visibly stunned.
Nyxara’s face, however, twisted in pure disgust.
**
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