The palace war drums beat with a rhythmic thunder that resonated deep within every chest.
Today, the colossal arena grounds were a literal sea of bodies, all gathered to witness the apex of the grand finals.
In the center of the ancient stone stage, Xavier stood tall.
A fierce gale swept across the platform, whipping his sharp black noble coat and causing his shimmering silver locks to flutter violently.
His striking heterochromia eyes—a mysterious purple on the right, a blazing gold on the left—were locked dead ahead.
Standing opposite him was a youth with cascading golden hair, clad in royal armor woven from pure cosmic thread.
This was Prince Valen, the scion of the 97th Legendary Slayer, the late fallen King.
“I have closely watched every single one of your matches, Xavier,” Valen spoke, his voice carrying the innate charisma of royal blood as he drew a golden broadsword radiating a sacred, blinding aura.
“You are phenomenally strong.
But the title of this planet’s strongest warrior is my father’s lineage legacy.
I will not allow anyone to desecrate it!” Xavier offered no verbal reply.
He casually hoisted his silver blade with a single hand, transitioning into a flawlessly elegant combat stance.
At that precise microsecond, the final gong blared.
*BOOM!* The duel erupted with a cataclysmic shockwave.
Valen translated into a streak of golden light, raining down the ‘Royal Cosmic Sword’ style inherited directly from his father.
Every heavy swing of Valen’s golden broadsword manifested crescent waves of sacred energy that literally fractured the arena’s atmosphere.
*Clang!
Clash!
Shatter!* Xavier was forced to utilize the absolute maximum efficiency of his mature mind and cosmic senses just to parry the onslaught.
His counterfeit wind blades collided violently with Valen’s golden energy, triggering consecutive magical detonations mid-air.
For the first time, Xavier was driven back several paces by the sheer, aggressive pressure of Valen’s offense.
The crowd went into absolute hysterics witnessing the sheer intensity of the clash.
“Your wind magic will never possess the density required to pierce my cosmic armor, Xavier!” Valen roared, vaulting high into the sky as he condensed his golden energy into a singular, earth-shattering blade of light.
“Take this!
Royal Cosmic Judgement!” Beholding the cataclysmic strike hurtling down toward him, Xavier realized that the conventional wind magic he used as a cover would never suffice to deflect the strike of a King’s direct heir.
Unbeknownst to the entire stadium, Xavier covertly manipulated a microscopic fraction of his taboo authority.
He did not unleash his Void power openly, but instead infused just a *sliver* of the chilling Void darkness into the metallic structure of his silver blade.
*Flash!* Xavier executed a singular, upward vertical slash.
The silver blade emitted a terrifyingly cold, deep purple flash.
The absolute second Valen’s colossal golden strike made contact with Xavier’s purple wave, the golden energy vanished into nothingness—entirely erased, as if swallowed by an invisible abyss.
The lingering kinetic shockwave of Xavier’s counter-slash continued its trajectory, fracturing a portion of Valen’s royal plate armor and sending the prince skidding backward until he collapsed onto his knees at the very edge of the ring.
Valen gasped heavily, his face drained of color, staring at Xavier in absolute disbelief.
He could not comprehend how his absolute ultimate technique had simply ceased to exist.
Xavier stood in the dead center of the ruined arena, his silver hair drifting slightly, maintaining his serene, breathtakingly beautiful profile.
The transparent system window before his eyes illuminated with brilliant golden text: *[Main Quest Completed: You Have Defeated the Heir of the 97th Slayer.
King’s Throne Eligibility Status Progressed to 50%.]* Time flowed mercilessly.
Three agonizing hours had ticked away, yet the fractured ruins of the stone arena layout continued to vibrate from the cataclysmic impact of clashing steel.
Not a single spectator dared to move an inch.
Their breaths remained caught in their throats, utterly stunned by the inhuman stamina and sheer endurance displayed by both youths.
Prince Valen was heavily drenched in sweat, his royal plate armor fractured in dozens of places.
Across the shattered ring, Xavier was also beginning to experience the physical limitations of his nineteen-year-old body, though his breathtaking, silver-haired profile remained chillingly composed.
His counterfeit wind magic and Valen’s sacred lightning had continuously neutralized one another for three solid hours without producing a clear victor.
“You…
are truly worthy of praise, Xavier!” Valen gasped, gripping his golden broadsword with fingers that trembled from extreme physical exhaustion.
“But I will absolutely not suffer defeat here!” Xavier glanced down at his standard silver blade, which had begun to crack and chip from the three-hour continuous friction.
He recognized that a common weapon would never endure the subsequent clash.
Exhaling a long, measured breath, Xavier briefly closed his eyes.
‘System.
Manifest the Side Quest reward from earlier,’ Xavier commanded internally.
*[System Confirmed: Accessing Cosmic Inventory.
Deploying Spirit Weapon Phase 1: The Mithril-Orichalcum Twin-Forged Blade.]* *Hummm!* A blinding, dual-colored column of light erupted directly from Xavier’s palm, forcing Valen and the entire stadium to shield their eyes.
When the radiance finally receded, Xavier’s standard silver blade was completely gone.
In its place was a brand-new sword that radiated a terrifyingly dense cosmic pressure.
The primary edge was forged from pure **Mithril**—a shimmering silver metal that was weightless and capable of conducting limitless magical vectors, while the guard and inner core were synthesized from **Orichalcum**—a legendary reddish-gold alloy possessing absolute durability that could never be fractured by any weapon in the multiverse.
The mere presence of this supreme dual-alloy weapon caused the stadium’s atmospheric density to skyrocket, leaving the noble spectators in the upper tiers gasping for oxygen.
Lord Alden leaped to his feet with his eyes wide in absolute shock, while the high palace mages went into a frenzy beholding an SSS-grade artifact that was supposed to only exist in primeval cosmic myths.
Xavier’s brilliant purple-and-gold heterochromia eyes ignited.
With the Mithril-Orichalcum blade firmly in his grasp, his hidden profile was now beautifully masked by the majestic aura of the supreme spirit weapon.
“This duel…
is officially over, Valen,” Xavier’s voice resonated, carrying a terrifying weight of absolute authority.
As he slowly raised his new weapon, the very space above the arena layout began to physically warp, poised to unleash his final, definitive strike.
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