System S.E.X. (Seduction, Expansion, eXecution)

Chapter 772: Chapter 772: A Second of Dominance

”Insolent fool! How dare you?!” Lucius roared from the bottom of the pit, his face flushed red with rage as the flames on his spear burst with fury. ”I will make you swallow those words in front of the entire Empire!”

Ethan completely ignored the spearman’s shouts, keeping his eyes locked onto the main throne.

The Emperor rested his chin on his hand, observing Ethan with a spark of amused interest. A subtle, enigmatic smile touched his lips before his deep voice echoed across the chamber.

”Go ahead,” the Emperor declared casually. ”I allow it.”

Without wasting a second, Ethan dropped down from the balcony with absolute grace, landing on the glass floor without making a sound.

”Die!” Lucius bellowed, lunging forward instantly.

The air exploded with the crackle of sacred fire. Lucius closed the distance in the blink of an eye, digging his heel into the floor to unleash a thrust directly at Ethan’s chest. The spearhead cut through the air like golden lightning, but Ethan simply tilted his torso a couple of centimeters, letting the blade pass by, brushing his lapel. Without losing momentum, Lucius spun on his axis, whipping a horizontal sweep charged with a blast of fire meant to decapitate him; Ethan took a light step back, feeling the scorching heat pass millimeters from his face.

Overwhelmed with frustration, the youth from the Rising Sun Territory released his spear with one hand and channeled his mana into his left fist, unleashing a barrage of flame-wrapped punches meant to incinerate Ethan’s line of sight. The shockwave from the explosions slammed against the protective runic barrier, rattling the hall’s crystals.

Yet, Ethan closed his eyes.

Moving with terrifying fluidity, Ethan dodged every single impact with surgical precision. A step to the left, a millimeter-precise turn of the shoulders, a subtle arch of his back. He didn’t unsheathe his weapon; he simply walked through the firestorm as if taking a stroll in the rain, without a single spark brushing against the gala robe the butler had given him.

On the throne platform, the Emperor shifted his gaze for a second toward a slender man standing within his personal retinue, who carried a long, thin sword. The swordsman returned the sovereign’s look with narrowed eyes and a grave expression, recognizing instantly the absolute mastery over perception and spatial awareness Ethan was deploying, before both turned their eyes back to the pit.

”Coward! You damned coward!” Lucius screamed, beside himself, gasping heavily as his mana drained from the wild attacks and his flaming fists struck only empty air. ”Stop running!”

Lucius gritted his teeth, leaping backward to create distance while gathering all his remaining fire into the tip of his weapon for one final thrust.

”Do you even know how to attack?” Lucius mocked with a unhinged smirk, lunging forward in a suicidal charge.

Ethan slowly opened his eyes, watching the spearhead approach his throat with an icy calm.

”Like this?” Ethan asked in a whisper.

A flash of black light cut through reality.

Ethan glided forward in a movement almost imperceptible to the naked eye, slipping past Lucius before his attack could touch him. The metallic chime of his sword unsheathing resonated for barely a fraction of a second in the hall before the blade clicked softly back into its sheath.

Lucius’s fire extinguished instantly. The youth from the Rising Sun Territory remained frozen for a second mid-charge, before his head slid cleanly off his neck and rolled across the glass floor, followed by the limp collapse of his body into a pool of blood.

Without looking back, Ethan walked calmly toward the center of the arena. He bowed his head with an elegant gesture of reverence toward the imperial throne.

”I tried to give a bit of face to the kingdom behind him,” Ethan said, his serene voice echoing through the chamber’s deathly silence. ”But he sought his own death; he has only himself to blame.”

Up on the balcony, the deathly silence dominating the hall was broken only by King Alaric’s snort as he released the breath trapped in his lungs, relaxing his shoulders.

”Damned brat... Making me worry like that,” Alaric grumbled, running a hand over his beard to mask the subtle tension he had felt moments prior.

Beside him, Great General Vaelen kept his eyes locked onto the pit, observing Ethan’s posture with a glint of profound fascination in his veteran eyes.

”It seems the brat is stronger than he claimed to be,” Vaelen commented in a low, grave voice. ”I knew his brute strength was far above his realm, but his control is exquisite... He reminds me of that person.”

Alaric raised an eyebrow, glancing sideways at his legendary general.

”That person was a commoner who rose to become the Emperor’s right hand with the title ’One Strike, One Life’,” Vaelen continued, letting out a heavy sigh as he slowly turned his head toward Princess Isabella. ”We must think of a way to retain him within the kingdom. His power goes far beyond anything I have ever witnessed; the title of general or a handful of lands will mean nothing to someone like him.”

Isabella, feeling Vaelen’s gaze and realizing the implicit weight behind his words, felt a sudden warmth rush up her neck, flushing her cheeks a deep, vibrant red. She clutched her midnight-blue dress, averting her eyes toward the arena without being able to utter a word.

Vaelen offered a faint smile of satisfaction and turned back to King Alaric, concluding with icy resolve.

”Even an all-out war is worth it compared to his value.”

King Alaric gazed at Ethan for a few seconds longer as the imperial servants rushed into the pit to clear the body. His expression shifted entirely, leaving behind any trace of doubt or hesitation to make way for absolute resolve.

”Contact the kingdom,” Alaric ordered in a whisper heavy with authority, addressing Vaelen. ”Tell them to prepare for an all-out war. I had my doubts about whether we could win this tournament, but now I have none... Unless some old fool interferes, today we go to war against the Silver Dragon Kingdom.”

Vaelen nodded in silence with a dangerous spark in his eyes, as the Soaring Dragon delegation watched Ethan step calmly back up to the balcony, having altered the fate of an entire region with a single strike.