No, Senior Brother. You said you could win…."
"How can I overco what I am not ruthless enough to wield?"
Marcus quietly looked at Vera, who sat beside Aiden.
And Vera… was smiling.
"Look, Ethan, Noah."
"At what?"
"Look at her. Vera is smiling."
Both Noah and Ethan turned to see the sa smile.
Those dark, empty eyes no longer seed as hollow.
"That's enough," said Marcus softly.
If he had used a Killing Strike to win, would that girl still smile at him like this?
If he had injured him using a strike ant to kill...
As a martial artist, it might have been a victory worth boasting of.
But as the Senior Brother of the Mount Suncrest Sect, it would have been a loss far greater than the battle.
Even if he earned recognition from the martial artist Vera, he would not have been able to face her as Junior Sister Vera without sha.
In his final move, Marcus chose his true identity.
Not rely a martial artist, but a Senior Brother above all.
Before considering his pride as a swordsman, he asured his dignity as a leader of his juniors.
To bite into the world with the fangs of his sword was not his destiny.
That fate belonged to people like Vera or Theron, seated in the audience—those of a different caliber entirely.
Though still young, Marcus already knew.
The era he was born into would be swept into chaos.
A ruler would never tolerate soone beyond their control.
But his Junior Sister?
If it were her, she would undoubtedly…
"Well done, Senior Brother," said Vera as she rose from her seat beside Aiden and approached him.
That small, fragile girl would undoubtedly surpass the heavens one day.
Last night, as she faced a table full of food with a sword drawn, Marcus had known.
"So, Vera, how was this Senior Brother? Did I do well enough to earn your acknowledgnt?"
"Yes. Among all of us, Senior Brother is the greatest."
"Then that's enough. I think I'll take a rest now…"
With those words, Marcus collapsed unconscious.
Noah and Ethan paled as they rushed to his side.
Aiden quickly descended and checked his pulse.
"…He's only fallen asleep."
Only then did Vera, Noah, and Ethan exhale in relief.
He had simply fallen into an exhausted slumber.
Aiden lifted the unconscious Marcus, cradling him gently.
"Let's return to the tent for now."
* * *
The First Competition was temporarily suspended.
After all, only two matches remained: Dylan versus Vera, and the winner of that battle against Jace in the finals.
The semifinals were already underway.
This pause allowed Aiden's brothers to tend to their fallen Senior Brother, a thoughtful gesture by the Sect Leader.
But that was only the surface reason.
"Dylan," called Magnus, his tone low.
The girl's small shoulders trembled as her gaze remained fixed on her feet, unable to et his eyes.
"Y-Yes, Master…"
"I've heard you intend to leave the sect."
Her eyes widened in shock.
Only Jace had known about that.
But then, she recalled the earlier commotion in the training grounds when Vera had intervened.
Did she tell him?
No.
Even though they had t only a few tis, Vera wasn't the type to do that.
Then who?
"Are you that surprised? Do you suspect your Senior Brother?"
"N-No, I wouldn't dare. No, Master…."
Jace wasn't the kind to reveal such things either.
From the start, he was the one who had brought her to Mount Suncrest Sect when she had nothing.
Even though they were both beggars, he had shared his food with her.
Then who? Who could have known?
At that mont, the door slid open, revealing her master—Aetheris.
"After taking you in, cleaning you up, and raising you to be a worthy warrior, this is the kind of betrayal you repay with?"
Dylan froze.
Her master… knew?
The next mont, his hand gripped her head tightly.
"Let warn you in advance."
The pressure from his grip felt like it would crush her skull.
Even in the face of overwhelming pain, she couldn't utter a single scream.
"If you lose in this competition, I'll make sure your Senior Brother dies without a trace."
"N-No, anything but that…"
"Then you must win. Kill that girl if you have to. Do you understand?"
Outside the sliding door, Jace stood frozen, unable to enter.
He was rooted in place, his body stiff as ice.
* * *
Half an hour before the competition resud, soone arrived at Aiden's tent.
It was none other than Jace.
"Isn't that Jace? What brings you here?" Aiden asked.
"During the First Competition, visiting each other's tents is forbidden."
"I know, Master," Jace replied, bowing deeply.
His serious and unusually reserved deanor caused even Vera to tilt her head in confusion.
Even the resting Marcus glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.
"I have a request… for Vera."
"For ?" Vera's eyes widened in surprise.
But Ethan and Noah glared at Jace with suspicion.
The match between Dylan and Vera was imminent.
For Jace, Dylan's Senior Brother, to co and make a request now…
It was clear to everyone what that could an.
However, Aiden simply smiled kindly.
"Very well. Speak."
Without any objection, Aiden gestured for Vera to co closer.
Vera, who had been changing the cold towel on Marcus's forehead, rose from her seat.
"…Vera, I ask this of you," Jace said, suddenly dropping to his knees on the ground.
Marcus shot to his feet imdiately. He already knew what Jace was about to say.
"Please… lose to Dylan."
"Jace, what nonsense is this?"
The veins in Marcus's forehead bulged.
As the Senior Brother of the Mount Suncrest Sect, this was an intolerable act.
No matter how young they were, this crossed the line.
Yet Aiden simply waved his hand, signaling Marcus to stand down.
He then lifted Jace from the ground and seated him in a wooden chair.
"Explain yourself," Aiden said firmly.
"…I…" Jace's eyes trembled.
Aiden flicked his sleeve lightly, severing all surrounding energy flows.
Now, not even soone using internal energy could overhear what was being said inside.
"Speak freely. You may talk now."
"…Are you sure?"
"Yes. I will stand by your side."
It was a shocking statent.
Only then did Jace clutch his head and begin to speak.
"…Neither Dylan nor I are geniuses. We're just ordinary people."
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
Noah and Ethan reacted similarly.
Only Vera remained unfazed.
"Please, explain further," Vera said calmly, her voice thin and cold.
Sothing about her tone compelled Jace to confess the truth as if entranced.
"Dylan and I… every month, we undergo the Bone-Cleansing Rituals from Magnus."
"Bone-Cleansing Rituals… it must have been painful," remarked Aiden softly.
"Yes, Master. All for the purpose of defeating your disciples in this First Competition."
Vera blinked, processing the implications.
Neither Ethan nor Noah were participating.
That left only Marcus, the Senior Brother, and herself, the youngest.
But Marcus, despite his skill, was not Jace's true target.
The goal was her.
"If Dylan fails to defeat Vera this ti… sothing terrible will happen."
"Terrible? What do you an?"
"Yes, Vera. Magnus… well, perhaps he wouldn't actually kill . But…"
The implication was clear.
For Magnus to ntion death ant he was not bluffing.
Aiden's expression hardened.
He already knew Magnus was not soone who spoke in vain.
"No, Senior Brother Jace. Surely, the honorable Mount Suncrest Sect wouldn't actually kill you?"
"They may not kill outright. But crippling , rendering useless before casting out… I can't dismiss that possibility."
"Isn't that too harsh a view of Magnus?"
Jace shook his head violently.
"You don't understand. You've never seen the expression he wears during the Bone-Cleansing Rituals."
"What kind of expression?"
"He smiles. He watches us suppress our screams in pain… and smiles."
Jace clenched his fists tightly—not out of his own suffering, but for soone else.
"Dylan… that girl is like my little sister. There's a reason I let her mischief slide."
The bond of martial siblings within the Mount Suncrest Sect was forged in the sect.
But Jace and Dylan shared a different connection.
Though it wasn't a story for now, the truth was clear.
When Gideon sent Damien and Aetheris to recruit disciples from secular sects, they had swept through countless minor sects.
Jace and Dylan were orphans raised in a small, struggling sect.
The sect's master didn't teach swordsmanship; instead, they fed and sheltered orphans, believing that exposing them to the violent world of martial arts would only lead to early graves.
However, this drew Gideon's attention, and Magnus personally intervened.
"…Master Aiden, this was the only way. Vera, I beg of you…"
Aiden gently patted Jace's shoulder.
"No, Jace," he said.
"…What?"
"I will speak to Aetheris, your master. We can resolve this."
The kind smile had vanished from Aiden's face.
And Jace saw it: the gleam in his eyes.
"But there is a condition," Aiden continued.
"A condition…?"
"You and Dylan must accept the result, no matter what it is. Do you understand?"
Vera recognized those eyes.
The sa eyes that had once proposed a deal to her:
To protect and teach her martial arts under the Mount Suncrest Sect…
But in return, she would carry the weight of their duty.
She would have to kill the Sword Sovereign.
"…Of course. I will obey. And I will persuade Dylan as well."
"You've promised. There's no taking it back."
"I will not go back on my word. Never."
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