As soon as Chiacchera announced the name of Leore's new hero, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers. One of the most eagerly awaited competitors in the tournament had just stepped into the arena.
Caesar acknowledged the audience with a graceful wave as he strode toward the center, his movements exuding both confidence and regal poise.
When the two challengers finally stood face-to-face, Ativ spoke first, his voice carrying a blend of excitement and respect.
"What fortune! I never imagined I would meet my target on the very first day of the preliminaries. I had no intention of joining this year's tournament after the death of my king, but when I learned that you, Hero Caesar, would be participating, I rushed to sign up immediately."
Caesar raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Really? My mere presence was enough to make you enter? Then tell me—why? I doubt it's to prevent me from fulfilling my mission, considering what our charming presenter has already said. Still… I can't completely rule it out. Demons are said to be fiercely loyal to their homeland. Even as a renegade, would you try to stop the hero whose mission is to kill the king who slew the previous ruler to whom you were so devoted?" His tone remained calm and probing.
"No," Ativ replied firmly. "I have no intention of defending that king. It's true that many in my position chose to remain and serve the new ruler, but I left of my own accord. My goal isn't to stop you, Hero Caesar—it's to test you. My great King Eleba, even in his venerable age, was one of the strongest beings I had ever known. Yet that accursed Oniac managed to defeat and kill him. I want to see if you have the strength to face him. So I ask you—use everything you have to defeat me!"
Caesar gave a small, understanding nod.
"I see… I don't believe I require testing, but I understand your reasoning. Besides, you are the first demon I have faced since arriving in this world. In Leore, I was taught the traits of your kind—your rapid wound regeneration, your wings that allow great leaps and short bursts of flight—but there is a vast difference between theory and witnessing them in combat. Therefore, Ativ, I gladly accept your challenge." His words carried both elegance and authority.
"Thank you, Hero Caesar," Ativ responded with a respectful bow of his head.
A brief silence followed until the referee broke it.
"Is there anything else either of you wishes to say before we begin?"
Both warriors shook their heads.
"Very well. You will begin on my signal." The referee raised his arm.
"Ready… set… GO!" His arm dropped sharply.
Immediately, Caesar cast a spell.
"Earth Soldiers!"
Six Roman-style soldiers of compacted soil, each armed with a gladius, rose from the ground and closed in on Ativ.
Caesar also uttered a strange word—"Veni."
Ativ's spear moved in a blur, parrying all six incoming strikes before twisting deftly to disarm them. With a powerful beat of his wings, he soared high into the air and landed well outside their encirclement.
But what greeted him on the ground made even a seasoned warrior like Ativ widen his eyes.
Before him stood an army—at least two hundred more earth soldiers, nearly identical to the first six. The difference was that each now carried not only a gladius in one hand but also a massive rectangular shield, the scutum, in the other. They formed a solid wall between him and Caesar.
Caesar sat astride an immense earthen golem shaped like a warhorse—towering at least two and a half meters tall—giving him a commanding view over the entire arena.
Ativ's expression, however, quickly shifted from shock to measured focus.
"An impressive number of soldiers to summon in such a short time, Hero Caesar. It speaks volumes about your mana reserves…" He narrowed his eyes, voice turning defiant. "But can you truly control so many at once?"
Without hesitation, he lunged forward—straight into the advancing wall of earth soldiers.
"As expected of Ativ—he knows the weakness of soldier-type spells," Sequoria observed.
"What do you mean?" Lucas asked.
"You may not have noticed, but you should know this too, my daughter. You've used the Light Archer spell before during your trainings. I'm sure you could summon even more units than Caesar has now—but tell me, how many could you control effectively at the same time?" Sequoria replied in her teacherly tone.
"Two at most," Lucas admitted. "And even then, the accuracy of both archers would—" She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening slightly. "Ah… I see."
"Exactly," Sequoria said with a faint smile. "It doesn't matter how many soldiers you can summon if you can't control them simultaneously. This kind of magic requires immense concentration to manage even one unit with precision—unlike golems, which act on their own. That's why most people limit themselves to creating just two, ensuring they can guide both with accuracy."
"So you think most of Caesar's soldiers are just for show?" Lucas asked.
"If Caesar were an ordinary man, yes," Sequoria replied. "They'd be little more than statues—meant to intimidate and conceal the few real fighters within. But the one facing Ativ isn't ordinary. He's a hero from another world, and from what I've learned, a general who left a deep mark in the history of his own word." Her gaze never left the arena as Ativ charged headlong into the earthen formation.
When Ativ made contact, he cleaved through two earth soldiers with ease—only for ten more to strike at him in perfect unison. Each targeted a different point on his body with pinpoint precision. Using his long spear, Ativ protected his wings and legs, knowing they were most vital, but he still suffered a deep gash in his left arm, a cut across his left eye, and several lesser wounds scattered across his body.
Realizing too late that he had underestimated Caesar's control over the soldiers, Ativ channeled every drop of mana he could into his legs and wings. With explosive speed, he tore through the encircling formation, cutting down eleven more soldiers before finally breaking free and returning to where he was before his charge. But the escape left his body crisscrossed with even more cuts.
Fortunately, the rapid regeneration of his demon blood mended most of the damage inflicted by the earlier coordinated assault. Still, his left arm and right eye would take longer to heal.
"I must commend you, Hero Caesar," Ativ called out. "To control so many Earth Soldiers at once… it's a feat practically unheard of on this continent. I can only conclude that in your world, you were an exceptional and renowned general—surely far better than I."
"Thank you for the praise," Caesar replied smoothly. "But I'm certain that if you commanded an army now, it would still be a worthy challenge."
Ativ gave a sharp grin. "So without an army, I'm not even a challenge to you? You forget one important thing, Hero Caesar—no matter how many troops you have, or how well they move in unison, they mean nothing if none can reach the enemy."
With that, Ativ beat his massive wings and took to the sky, rising several meters above the army of earth.
Yet even as he ascended, doubt lingered in his mind. Caesar knew demons could fly for short bursts, and the distance between them was well within the range of a skilled flier. That meant Caesar had likely prepared for an aerial assault. This was precisely why Ativ had chosen to attempt a ground breakthrough first—though that plan had ended in failure.
Now, knowing that Caesar could control over two hundred Earth Soldiers as if they were an extension of himself, Ativ saw no hope of victory on the ground. He had no choice but to take the risk, soar above the battlefield, and hope he could evade whatever trap Caesar had set for him.
Two and a half minutes had passed since the start of the match.
Caesar watched his opponent soaring toward him and murmured another strange word "Vidi." Then, raising his voice, he commanded, "Archers—now is your moment!"
From behind the taller earth soldiers emerged at least thirty archers forged entirely from fire, their forms perfectly concealed until now—visible only from above. They instantly raised their blazing bows, unleashing a volley of flaming arrows at Ativ.
"Damn, he can use Flame Archers too!" Ativ exclaimed. His thoughts raced 'And there are so many of them… I was sure his magical affinity was with earth. Was I wrong?!'
Although caught off guard, the former demon general twisted and weaved through the air with remarkable agility, narrowly avoiding every projectile. But in focusing on those ahead, he failed to notice the other twenty fire archers positioned behind him—those he had already flown past on his approach toward Caesar.
The first he knew of them was the sound of their arrows tearing through his wings.
"AHHHHH!" Ativ roared in pain as he plummeted toward the sea of Earth Soldiers below.
'Damn… I didn't want to use my derived magic before reaching the hero, but it looks like I have no choice!' he thought, bracing himself.
"Shadow Enhancement: Strength!" he chanted.
Instantly, his skin turned as pale as his snow-white hair. His muscles bulged to monstrous proportions, shredding the battered armor he wore. In its place, solid shadows burst from his flesh, weaving themselves into jagged plates of black armor, complete with clawed gauntlets and a helm that left most of his face exposed. His pupils vanished, replaced by eyes glowing a fierce, hellish red.
The instant he hit the ground, a thick cloud of dust exploded outward—only to be swept away by the force of his first strike. One swipe of his massive clawed hand obliterated ten earth soldiers at once.
Then he threw back his head and bellowed, a roar so deep and powerful the very arena seemed to tremble. "Caesar! Prove to me that you can defeat me—even in this form!"
"Is that your derived magic, Ativ? … Interesting," Caesar replied calmly, his voice carrying no trace of fear. "Let's see if that strength can reach me."
Ativ hurled his spear aside and charged straight for Caesar, tearing through every soldier in his path, reducing them to dust with single, devastating blows.
"So… he decided to use it now," Sequoria murmured, her eyes narrowing. "I understand he had little choice, but I'm still not convinced it's a wise move."
"Really, big sister?" Luvrio tilted his head. "It looks great to me. Caesar's soldiers can't seem to touch him now, and Ativ's cutting them down like paper. At this pace, he should reach Caesar without a problem."
"Yes… if he can maintain it," Sequoria countered. "Shadow Enhancement—Ativ's magic—pushes one attribute to its absolute peak. He's chosen strength, and right now his raw power likely surpasses even my daughter Aislyra's. But every one of these spells carries a cost. In return for boosting one aspect, another steadily deteriorates. In this case, it's intelligence. The longer Ativ stays in this form, the more his mind will erode, until he's nothing but a mindless beast. And a strategist like Caesar…" She glanced toward the hero with a worried expression. "…will know exactly how to exploit that weakness."