Adrian's eyes were burning with magic and rage. At that moment, he didn't look like the same person anymore. His whole body, even with one broken arm hanging uselessly, gave off an intense aura.
On the other side of the arena, the situation was still chaotic. Sera, Doran, and many other adventurers were still fighting against the endless waves of monsters that kept regenerating no matter how many times they were defeated.
Zora was acting as a shield, standing in front of the civilians, especially the children and the elderly. He punched away any monster that came close, making sure not to reveal his true power, and was helping to move the people to safer places. The adventurers and the royal guards kept slashing, stabbing, and smashing the monsters, but no matter how many they killed, the monsters would simply stand back up, like puppets refusing to stay down.
It was turning into a battle of survival, where winning seemed almost impossible.
In the middle of this chaos, a familiar figure returned, Yuno, the elf who had given up during the semi-finals. His sudden appearance gave a spark of hope. He stormed through the monster horde, sealing some of the monsters with his magic. Then, he handed out potions to every fighter. The potions were small but powerful, healing minor injuries and restoring stamina. The fighters felt refreshed, like a second wind had arrived, and the hopelessness in the air was slightly lifted.
---
Back at the center, Adrian faced Lilith. He stood still, his broken left arm hanging by his side while his right hand gripped his sword tightly. His sharp, focused eyes didn't move away from Lilith even for a second. Lilith, full of confidence and madness, threw a punch at Adrian with all her strength. But Adrian dodged it with ease, moving fluidly and precisely, wasting no movement. Lilith, frustrated, jumped into the air and opened her mouth wide, spitting out countless weapons, swords, spears, daggers—shooting them toward Adrian like arrows.
Yet Adrian didn't even flinch. He stood in one spot, his body barely moving, only stepping and twisting at the perfect moments, dodging every weapon effortlessly. His sword moved just enough to deflect anything that came too close.
Lilith's anger grew with every second. She was furious.
But Adrian remained calm. His mind was sharper than ever. It was as if he could see every movement before it happened. His ability, Future Sight, had fully awakened, though Adrian himself did not yet fully understand it. But now was not the time to think; he simply followed his instincts. He took action, moving quickly and striking precisely. His sword cut into Lilith multiple times. Though she managed to dodge a few strikes, many found their mark. Small and deep cuts appeared on her body, blood trickling down her pale skin.
The fight continued, with Adrian having the clear advantage. Each strike added more wounds to Lilith, and her smile grew wider and crazier. She wasn't upset at the damage—she seemed thrilled.
Then, suddenly, Lilith's speed increased dramatically. She moved faster than before, almost blurring. Adrian could still "see" her movements using his Future Sight, but his body couldn't react fast enough. His legs and arms felt too slow to keep up with the visions he saw in his mind. Still, he managed to dodge and defend, but it was clear he was being pushed to his limits. His eyes, the source of his ability, began to bleed. Streams of blood ran down his face, but he did not stop. He pushed through the pain, determined to keep fighting.
Lilith noticed. She grinned widely, knowing that Adrian was nearing his breaking point. She prepared a deadly attack, one that would surely kill him. Just when she was about to deliver the fatal blow, another figure appeared. A mysterious person wearing a dark cloak shrouded in mystery stepped in. The person calmly placed a hand on Lilith's shoulder, and despite her madness and frustration, Lilith stopped moving instantly.
Then, the mysterious person placed a hand on Adrian's shoulder as well and spoke in a cold, emotionless voice:
"Go to rest."
Adrian's body, already at its limit, could not hold on anymore. His sword fell from his hand, and he collapsed to the ground unconscious.
The cloaked man walked towards the princesses without rushing. Just then, Yuno appeared, attempting to stop him, leaping at him with all his strength. But Lilith moved between them, saying coldly:
"Your opponent is me."
Yuno was forced to fight Lilith instead.
Meanwhile, the mysterious man reached Lyra. He calmly placed his hand on the necklace she wore, the one with a beautiful red jewel attached to it. He spoke softly to Lyra: "You don't know the worth of this thing." Before she could react, he snatched the crimson jewel from her necklace. Holding it in his hand, he turned toward Lilith and said, "Enough. We have what we came for. You wasted too much time."
In an instant, both the man and Lilith disappeared into thin air. At the same moment, all the monsters around the arena vanished, along with the seal that had trapped everyone inside. Soon after, many veteran adventurers and guards who had been waiting outside rushed into the arena. They quickly began helping the wounded, treating injuries, and escorting civilians to safety.
Among the arriving groups was The Grand Party. They rushed towards the princesses to make sure they were safe. As the Grand Party tried to help the princesses, Kyla and Lyra refused their help and pointed at Adrian instead, telling them to help him first.
Cyrus, the leader of The Grand Party, asked Lyra what had happened and whether they were seriously hurt. Lyra replied that Kyla had taken some injuries but would recover. She also explained briefly:
"One of them called herself Lilith the Gluttony. Another one, cloaked in mystery, came later. They stole our family heirloom, the Crimson Jewel."
Junith, went deep into thought. She wondered about the motives behind this attack. "If they only wanted the jewel, why create such chaos? Is there more to the Crimson Jewel than we know?" The arena, once a battlefield, was finally calming down. Injured people were being treated, and the worst of the fear had passed.
Then, King Arthur and the royal princes arrived at the scene. Everyone, even the injured, quickly saluted and made way for them. King Arthur rushed toward the princesses. Seeing that they were not severely injured, he let out a small breath of relief. But then his eyes spotted Adrian lying wounded.
Without hesitation, King Arthur dropped to his knees and took Adrian into his arms. The sight shocked everyone. Even the royal princes immediately ordered the best healers to focus on Adrian. The adventurers, guards, and even the audience who were watching were confused. Why was the King showing so much emotion for a young adventurer?
Then King Arthur spoke, his voice trembling with emotion: "This young man... he is Adrian. He is my son—the 4th Prince."
Gasps of shock filled the air.
King Arthur explained everything. Adrian was the son of King Arthur and Vanessa Valmont, Arthur's second wife. Vanessa had died giving birth to Adrian. As a child, Adrian had been weak and fragile, constantly falling sick. Fearing for his health and safety, the King had secretly sent Adrian to live with the Valmont family, where he could be treated properly and raised away from the dangers of court life. Only a few trusted people knew the truth.
As Adrian grew up, he showed a strong desire to become an adventurer. No matter how much the Valmonts tried to stop him, he would not listen. He trained every day, pushing himself harder than anyone else.
Then, one day, he left the Valmont household without telling anyone and disappeared.
King Arthur's voice broke as he spoke, tears falling from his eyes: "Now... finally... I have found my son again."
The crowd was silent, the truth settling into their hearts. Adrian, the boy who had fought so bravely, was not just any adventurer. He was royalty, the lost 4th Prince of the kingdom.