Arianna’s uanding of the situation ot on, and Ace had long since reached the same clusion. In fact, so had Olivier, which hen Olivier suddenly came to a stop, it took everyone by surprise.

  “Why did you stop?” Ace asked, not uanding what Olivier was doing.

  If things carried on the way they had been, unless Ace mao make a st-minute breakthrough, it would iably be Olivier’s win.

  “I’m already taking advantage of you with my age and higher realm,” Olivier expined indifferently. “I refuse to wait until you tire out to defeat you on top of all that.

  This move will be my st; if you’re able to remain on your feet, then I’ll admit my defeat, but I should warn you, this following teique is one I’ve only retly created; as such, I don’t have full trol of it. If you fail to block it, you will die – this is your st ce to give up!”

  Hearing that, the majority of the audience wao curse Olivier for his arroga was as though he didn’t uand what was on the line if he lost this – the pride of their empire!

  A the other hand didn’t believe Olivier was being overly arrogant. He uood the pride of a genius better than anyone. Whether it was himself or any of his cssmates, whether they dispyed it outwardly or not, they were all very proud characters.

  As such, wheheir pride ut on the line, ead every one of them became the definition of unyielding.

  In Olivier’s eyes, winning the right way was far more important for his state of mind than simply winning on behalf of his homend. He’d rather lose and be able to die with his head held high than win and forsake his pride.

  Still, Aderstood that although Olivier was giving him an opportunity, it was an incredibly small one. From Olivier’s warning, this teique was likely far strohan anything he had shown thus far, but at the same time, Ace had never beeo shy away from a challenge.

  “e,” Ace grinned as the crimson fmes coating his give strengthened in preparation for peared to be the grand finale in today’s festivities.

  Everyone was watg with rapt attention, not daring to blink for fear of missing what was to e. Still, the two that were most nervous were Milianna and Blumer. Blumer for fear of his brother’s near-perfect record being tarnished, and Milianna because it was her son’s life on the line.

  “Trust in him,” Arianna whispered gently. “Like he does in you.”

  Milianna didn’t respond, but her eyes burned with resolve as she knew her master was right.

  At the same time, the shadowy outer yer of Olivier’s battle-qi dissipated as the golden inner yer shoh far greater iy until it took a golden-white hue.

  “[Radiant Sword]!” Olivier said with a soft indifference as he calmly waved his sword from top to bottom.

  Before the sword light left his bde, Ace’s eyes had already shrunk to pinholes as he urged his mageforce to its limits as he thrust his give forth with unbridled ferocity. “[Bziration]!”

  With his [Observation: Fht], Ace was able to barely pre-empt his oppo’s teique and attack first. Aremely fi burning beam exited from the tip of the bde of his give, tearing through the air at breakneck speed, threatening to pierd then burn anything that dared get in its way.

  Still, despite attag first, Ace’s attack had barely left his give when Olivier’s sword light seemed to teleport, appearing before his attack at a speed that left many of the saints in attendan awe.

  It wasn’t just them; even Olivier seemed to be taken aback by the might of his own attack. His eyes suddenly gzed over as the rest of the world faded out of sight, the se of his st attack repying in his mind over and ain as his aura seemed to grow with wild abando.

  The moment anyone sensed Olivier’s rising aura, be it mortal or saint, everyone uood what it meant.

  “Saint,” Vena excimed with a hint of envy. “Olivier just became the first of eion to break through to the saint realm!”

  Olivier’s sword light seemed to respond to his breakthrough as it too grew in power and speed, instantly tearing through Ace’s fiery forcefield as though it were paper.

  “AACCEEEE!” Milianna screamed frantically.

  She was too weak to follow an attack of that level with any kind of crity, but at that moment, out of pure desperation, she too unlocked [Observation – Fht], but unfortunately, what she foresaw was enough to almost shatter her heart.

  She watched her son being cut in two before falling to his death.

  Her screams returned everyone’s attention to Ace, but instead of the death of a genius which they expected, they saw Ace standing on his feet, a rge ceration across his chest, but otherwise totally fine.

  They would’ve been shocked by the oute had it not been for the entiy casually stood in front of him with her open palm outstretched in front of her.

  “No saints allowed,” Arianna anded softly, leaving no room fotiations.

  The meaning behind her words was crystal clear – since Olivier had broken through to the saint realm, he was disqualified. Still, with things having e this far, how could those from the O’Brien Empire be okay with that?

  “What are you talking about?!” Byrius blurted out, unwilling to allow Ace to get a free pass after ing so close to finally killing him. “Olivier was clearly still a mortal wheack was initiated.”

  Arianna merely g the crimson-haired man but said nothing, too zy to reply to such a man.

  “Are all the saints of the O’Brien Empire really this stupid?” Carter snorted disdainfully. “He may have been a saint wheack was made, but as he broke through before the attaded, his attack also became that of a saint-level strike!”

  Byrius and the others all felt indignant, but there was nothing they could say to that – they knew Carter was right. It was bad enough that they had to resort to sending an alumni to represent them against a teen so young in the first pce. They couldn’t then squabble about the result wheruth was obvious for everyoo see.

  Still, it didn’t stop them fr daggers at Carter for ruining their pns – not that he seemed to care in the slightest.

  Olivier, who had only just pleted his breakthrough, had to forcibly suppress his sudden urge to roar iement, having finally pleted his lifelong dream of being a saint. Still, he kneas her the time nor the pce for that.

  After taking a deep breath tain his posure, Olivier’s eyes went back to their usual indifferent state as he looked towards Ace. “As a thank you for pushiill I broke through to the saint realm, I’m willing to take a step bad cede to a draw,”

  His words came as a shoost listening, but they knew no one else was entitled to interfere in his decision, as much as they were against it. Still, what no one could’ve predicted was Ace’s response.

  “Draw?” Ace asked, a fident grin ad his handsome face. “ht’s just gotten started!”

  Ace’s response received nothing but derisive looks and s from the audience. Even Arianna couldn’t help but turn around with a raised brow, only to find a look she was all too familiar with. A look filled with fidence, excitement, and pride. A look that seemed to say, “I won’t lose!”

  Still, it was only when she sensed his aura that she seemed to somewhat uand his fidence.

  That’s right, after that st attack, Olivier wasn’t the only one who had broken through. Ace, who had been at the peak of the fifth stage as a warrior and mage, had just stepped into the early stages of the sixth rank.

  Still, she didn’t pletely uand where Ace’s fideemmed from. Aside from Ace, Aiden, and potentially Amira, she robably the one who uood Ace’s strength best. As such, she uood that between the innate improvement after his mage and warrior cultivation increased, his insane level of prehension, and his haki, which gets stronger with every breakthrough, Ace could likely fight on par with some weaker early-stage saints.

  But she also knew Olivier wasn’t your average early-stage saint. Even though he had only just broken through after barely beginning to prehend the w of light’s profound mystery of lightspeed, he would struggle to find an oppo at the same level.

  All things sidered, if their fight was to tinue, Ace was asking to be abused and punished. Still, the more she looked into Ace’s eyes, the more she couldn’t help but believe in him.

  “HAHAHAHA! Your bravery is truly endable!” Byrius roared with ughter as his eyes fell ba Arianna. “You heard him; he wants to tihe fight of his own free will. Now you have no reason to get involved.”

  Arianna didn’t respond to Byrius she just g him, but that fleeting look was all it took to put the fear of god in the peak stage saint. Ihan a sed, Byrius’ back was drenched i as he subsciously jolted back.

  By the time he regained his senses, Arianna had already begun floating back up towards Carter and the others.

  “Master, we ’t let Ace tinue,” Milianna excimed urgently. “He’s not read…”

  “You have my word,” Arianna said seriously. “Nothing bad will happen to Ace!”

  P.S. Support me oreon listed below to read ahead - Release rate is at least 2x as many chapters every week! XD

  Currently 126 chapters ahead

  P.atreon./ACoilingDragon

  Book 10: Part 13 – Ace Defeats A Paragon