CHAPTER 5 — THE BLACK CROWN'S FAVOR
The chamber stank of scorched stone and burnt hair. Seren's frost magic had iced the floor into treacherous sheets, catching the light from the wall sconces in pale blue shards. Around her, half a dozen competitors sprawled unconscious or groaning in pain.
Kael didn't waste time asking what happened. He could see it in the twitch of her shoulders, the way she kept flicking her gaze to the northern archway.
> Side: "Large group inbound. Nine signatures. Armed. Aggressive posture."
Kael: "Friends?"
Side: "Likely not."
Ryn tightened his grip on his spear. "We fight?"
Kael tilted his head toward Seren. "We hold."
The first of the incoming group emerged — a brute in scale mail, shield up, face painted with white war stripes. Behind him came a thin woman with hooked daggers, eyes glittering with anticipation. The rest fanned out, each wearing the green-and-gold crest of House Mariven.
Seren's lips curled. "Of course it's them."
Mariven. One of the minor noble houses vying for scraps beneath the Five Crowns. Their entrants weren't here to win; they were here to cripple competition.
---
The fight broke instantly.
The brute's shield bash came fast — Kael sidestepped, letting the man overextend, then cut deep into the gap under his arm. Blood sprayed. The man screamed, stumbling back into his comrades.
Ryn intercepted another attacker, the spear's point flashing in short, vicious jabs. Seren's frost magic sealed one enemy's legs to the floor before she shattered them with a burst of ice.
Kael caught the dagger-woman mid-lunge, their blades ringing as she tried to slip inside his guard. She was quick — but not quicker than Side's voice in his mind.
> Side: "She's about to feint left."
Kael dropped his sword a fraction, letting her commit, then stepped into her line, smashing her nose with his pommel. Cartilage cracked. She went down screaming.
---
The rest came in a wave. Kael became movement — steel flashing, boots grinding stone, breath steady. He cut tendon, opened arteries, and never let the momentum stall. Even as his blade drank life after life, the bodies vanished into his shadow, unseen by the others.
It was over in less than a minute.
---
From the high platform, the masked adjudicator of the Black Crown rose slightly in his seat.
"That one," he said. "Mark his name."
The other Crowns murmured among themselves. The Mariven representative's expression was like soured wine.
---
The chamber fell still. Seren wiped frost from her wand. "We should move before more of them arrive."
"Agreed," Kael said — but he lingered long enough for the System notification to flicker before his eyes.
---
[SYSTEM: STATUS UPDATE — MAJOR VICTORY]
Name: Kael Cromwell
Level: 4
Race: Human (Reincarnated)
Titles: None
Primary Class: Blade Sovereign (Locked Tier I)
Secondary Class: None
Affinity: Darkness (Base), Space (Primary Proficiency)
Hidden Traits: [Locked]
HP: 185/200
MP: 260/260
Strength: 18
Dexterity: 21
Constitution: 17
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 13
Skills:
Sword Mastery (Intermediate) — +15% attack speed, +20% precision with blades
Spatial Step (Beginner) — Short-range blink within line of sight
Darkness Manipulation (Novice) — Shape and solidify shadows
Combat Instinct (Passive) — Predictive reflex improvement under threat
Undead Dominion (Sealed) — [Hidden]
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> Side: "Stats looking healthy. Wouldn't mind a little more Charisma though."
Kael: "I'm not here to win beauty contests."
Side: "Could've fooled me with that hair."
---
They left the chamber without looking back. The Labyrinth's exit was near — but so was the political fallout of humbling a noble house in front of all five Crowns.
Kael had no intention of hiding from either.