Unaware of what was happening in the human domain, Nox stood at the center of the fighting platform amid the fading roars of the Frostpire spectators.
Valkor knelt on one knee a few paces away, his proud armor dented and burnt. The final blow of their fight had not only injured him severely, it had also shattered his pride.
He gritted his teeth, staring at Kawl, who was currently basking under the spotlight. That... that should've been him!
'That last attack, there was definitely sothing wrong with it. It didn't just feel like ice at all; it's as if there was sothing more.'
For a heartbeat, there was silence across Frostpire's grand coliseum. Then, an eruption of cheers. The crowd—thousands of dragons in human form, nobles from all eight kingdoms, and citizens alike—rose to their feet in unison and hailed the Frostpire team's triumph in the Competition of Kingdoms.
Nox's vision swam, and his head ached slightly due to exhaustion, his low mana reserves, and the countless voices he was hearing.
However, despite this, Nox remained standing. He was soone who liked the spotlight a lot, and showing off was his forte.
At that mont, he made a low, elegant bow to the crowd, and the roars of the crowd skyrocketed like a crescendo, making a wide, proud smile appear on Nox's face.
Nox was not alone in the center; the rest of his teammates were beside him, and they followed him in bowing to the crowd, their hearts swelling with pride.
They had done it. Against all odds, the young warriors from Frostpire had defeated the reigning champions of the Competition of Kingdoms—the powerful Inferno Kingdom—in front of the entire realm.
Seeing this sight, Valkor's eyes burned with a mix of anger and grudging respect as he pushed himself to his feet and left.
At that mont, everyone present turned their attention to where the burly officiator stepped to the center of the arena.
The officiator's voice bood across the stadium. "By decree of the Supre Dragon Court and the laws of the Dragon Realm, I hereby declare Frostpire the champion of the Competition of Kingdoms!"
His tone was stern and ceremonial, but Nox caught a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of the ice dragon's mouth as the cheers reached a crescendo. The officiator raised Nox's and Drake's arms high for all to see. "Glory to the Frostpire Kingdom, and may this victory bring honor to all kingdoms!"
The Frostpire team felt a swell of pride as the cheers washed over them. But without a doubt, the most prideful one among the bunch was the king himself, Dracos, who was barely maintaining his stoic expression.
"You look like a creep. You can go ahead and gloat in my face, bastard!" the Inferno Dragon monarch sneered, irritated by Dracos's antics.
Dracos ignored his rival's words; he wouldn't let anyone spoil this mont for him. But it was at that precise mont that his gaze settled in the highest box, under an ornate dragon-carved canopy, where he saw the silhouettes of the Supre Dragon Court mbers themselves.
They hadn't attended the other rounds, but it was tradition for them to attend the final. A slight gleam of unease swept past his eyes.
'I hope those old crooks didn't notice anything.'
Dracos was confident about hiding Nox's identity from others, but when it ca to the elders of the Supre Dragon Court... he wasn't too sure.
'Hmm.' For a second, Nox felt an intense gaze on him, and his eyes automatically darted toward the direction of the elder dragons. A chill that had nothing to do with his ice magic ran down Nox's spine.
Before Nox could ponder on it, the officiator lowered his arm. Formalities were concluding. Normally, the winning team would be sward by well-wishers or invited to a victor's banquet. But instead, a detachnt of royal guards bearing the Supre Dragon Court's emblem—a circle of eight dragons—marched onto the platform. Their armor was polished, and each carried a halberd that glead with elental enchantnts. The noise of the crowd stopped as people noticed this unusual developnt.
The lead guard, a stern-faced woman with a scar across her nose, addressed Nox curtly. "Kawl of Frostpire. By order of the Supre Dragon Court, you are to accompany us imdiately."
Dracos's eyes widened slightly, and for the first ti in a long while, the Frost Dragon monarch felt his heart beat loudly.
Drake stepped forward, moving partly in front of Nox instinctively.
"What's the aning of this?" he demanded, eyes narrowing as a faint chilling aura flickered around him.
The scarred guard kept her expression neutral. "The Court has urgent need to speak with the champion. It is... customary."
There was sothing off about her tone—the way she hesitated at the last word. Customary? In all the tournants they knew of, champions were usually lavished with praise, not whisked away by ard guards.
Nox's mind swirled with countless thoughts, and after a while...
"Alright," he said calmly, stepping forward. "I'll co with you." He shot a reassuring look to his friends. "Wait for . I'm sure it's just formalities."
Drake growled under his breath, clearly unhappy, but Fenix placed a hand on his arm to hold him back. Zara reached out and squeezed Nox's hand.
"Be careful," she whispered. "Sothing feels off."
Nox nodded. He felt it too. But he had no choice except to comply for now. Surrounded by the guards, he followed as they escorted him off the arena floor. As they walked, the stadium's cheers slowly died down behind him. Valkor, being tended by healers at the edge of the field, watched Nox with a troubled frown, as if he suspected what this ant.
The guards led Nox through torch-lit corridors within the colossal arena structure. Each step echoed on stone, and with each step, Nox sensed an increasing tension, as though an invisible weight were pressing on his shoulders. He had expected to be taken to so ceremonial chamber or a reception for champions... but the route they took was unfamiliar. They ascended a spiral staircase toward the highest levels of the coliseum, where a private chamber was located.
At a tall set of ornate double doors, the guards halted. One announced in a loud voice, "We have brought Kawl of Frostpire, as summoned."
Within, a deep voice responded, "Enter."
The doors creaked open, revealing a grand hall illuminated by crystal lanterns. The interior was breathtaking—pillars carved like twisting dragons, a floor inlaid with a giant map of the Dragon Realm, and at the far end, a raised platform with several towering high-backed chairs. In those seats sat the eight elders of the Supre Court.
Nox remained calm, even though he was in the presence of these powerful beings, which elicited a look of displeasure from so and a look of curiosity from a few.
At the center was Rhun'Var, the ancient Light Dragon, who took the shape of a stately silver-haired man with eyes that glowed faint blue. To his right sat a stern woman in erald robes—likely the representative of another kingdom—who stared down at Nox with open distrust. To the Elder's left, a scaled, muscular figure with molten-crimson eyes clenched the arm of his chair tightly, likely from the Inferno Kingdom. There were others too—eight in total, one for each major kingdom.
Nox stepped forward across the polished floor and bowed respectfully. His fake blue hair fell over his eyes as he did so, and he quickly brushed it aside while straightening.
For a mont, none of the Court mbers spoke. They regarded him in silence, the atmosphere thick and heavy. Finally, the Elder Dragon Rhun'Var leaned forward.
"Kawl of Frostpire," he said in a resonant voice that was neither warm nor cold. "Congratulations on your victory."
Nox swallowed. "Thank you, Elder." He kept his response short and polite, sensing more behind the formality.
Another mber of the Court, a woman, sniffed dismissively. "Yes, a fine show," she said, a trace of scorn in her voice. "Perhaps too fine."
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Author's Note:
Thanks to all those who support Supre BeastTar with their valuable Golden Tickets and Power Stones. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry I can't stick to a specific update ti and am just uploading randomly. That's because I'm currently writing an exam. When I'm done with the exams, I'll sort this out.
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