The Invincible Full-Moon System

Chapter 1573: Test of Grit (1)

Princess Davina was the one who asked the question.

It was the first time she opened her mouth.

Knowing the meaning behind the question, all of them were threatened by his success.

Jealousy and anger were shot towards him.

But Rex was unbothered; his eyes remained steadfast, staring at the princessʼ eyes.

Maybe due to the Echo she was assimilated to, or maybe it was a trait of the House of Castillonʼs heirs, there were twinkling stars inside her eyes. As if her eyes were the galaxy, encompassing millions, if not billions, of stars.

”Perfect,” Princess Davinaʼs face remained cold. ”I hope youʼre a man of your word.”

Rex nodded.

He could see that Princess Davina didnʼt believe him at all, and what she said was a warning.

Even without her speaking it aloud, he knew that she was going to test him.

But thatʼs fine.

Rex broke eye contact and glanced to the side with only his eyes.

As long as they have no intention to kill me, Iʼm fi-

Rex blinked tightly, and then he realized he mightʼve come out too strong.

His goal was to get Princess Davinaʼs attention, but there was no need for him to make enemies.

If any of the contenders displayed killing intent and were picked up by the System, heʼd have no choice but to kill them, and that wouldnʼt be pretty. Not only would it be hard—and bear heavy consequences, taking the life of someone with their status meant heʼd have to finish it here, on the spot.

Outside, it would be practically impossible for him to kill them.

And that would mean being slapped with a penalty from the System, which he really didnʼt need now.

A switch happened.

Suddenly, Rexʼs lips curled into a friendly smile as he turned to the other contenders.

Catching the other contenders off guard, he bowed his head a little.

”I hope we can compete amicably. Anything that happens here, stays here.”

Hearing this, the other contenders sneered inside, assuming that this was only Rexʼs antics.

But none of them showed their contempt openly as Princess Davina and the Duke were looking at them.

Rex returned to his spot, and the contest continued.

”I got it from here, Father.”

”Hmm, Iʼll leave it to you.”

Duke Lorcan moved to the sideline, joining Princess Liliana, allowing Princess Davina to start.

She moved to the center and scanned the contenders.

”All of you might know the usual stages,” Princess Davina said, lifting a finger, as a mysterious smile curled on her cherry lips. ”But since Iʼll be choosing my husband at the end of this day, weʼll be doing things my way. Fair warning—some of you might die.”

Upon hearing this, the contenders and their patrons were taken aback.

None of them knew that this would be the case.

”Oh, Iʼm looking forward to it!”

Out of nowhere, a loud and confident voice rang from outside the grand hall.

Almost instantly, everyone turned to look who it was, and most of their faces fell at the arriving person.

It was mostly the contenders who lost all hope.

A faint crease appeared on Rexʼs forehead, the kind of frown that highlights more calculation than the influence of emotion, like a predator studying his prey. He didnʼt know who this man was, but everyone seemed to recognize him.

”The Crown Prince,” Rosa whispered. ”Itʼs going to be troublesome now.”

Standing on the entrance to the grand hall like a blade unsheathed was the Crown Prince himself, Lukas Tharavos. His hair, a polished crown of pale gold, fell neatly to the side, firming a handsome face carved with noble precision—sharp jawline, high cheekbones, and eyes that burned like twin embers.

Those eyes werenʼt merely regal—they were extremely predatory.

A pair that made lesser men forget how to breathe, exactly like Rex, but not as deep red as his.

His attire was nothing short of imperial mastery—a tailored black coat lined with embroidery of molten gold, swirling in patterns like flames caught mid-flare. Beneath it, a vest of similar craft hugged his lean but muscular frame, secured with chains.

Choking his neck finely is a blood-red jewel that pulsed with power and authority.

Clearly, a fine and powerful treasure.

Every button, every thread, every part of him displayed wealth and status.

But more so than the garments, it was his aura that made the room bend to his will.

Heavy, sharp, and suffocating.

Rex knew that the Crown Prince had made his approach on Princess Davina in the past.

But he did not expect him to be this persistent.

Smiling confidently, exposing his perfect fangs, clenched between rows of white teeth, Crown Prince Lukas entered the grand hall. His steps echoed across the entire room—forcing the other contenders to look down awkwardly.

Crown Prince Lukas gave an acknowledging nod to Duke Lorcan but ignored everyone else.

He went straight to Princess Davina.

”Why do you look so surprised? You shouldʼve expected me to come.”

”Youʼve participated in this before. You canʼt participate for the second time.”

”I heard youʼre going to choose someone today, so I must come. Canʼt you make an exception for me?”

Crown Prince Lukas bent down and kissed the back of Princess Davinaʼs hand gently.

Then, he looked up at her, grinning confidently.

Seeing this, Princess Davina retracted her hand and turned her focus back to the contenders.

She was about to start the test.

”Princess Davina, Iʼm sorry for interrupting, but we will withdraw from this test.”

One of the contenders and his patron stepped forward and bowed, announcing their retreat.

Rex recognized one of them.

It was Great Elder Domarion, who seemed a lot more timid than before.

Maybe because Crown Prince Lukas was looking straight at him.

Hearing this, Princess Davinaʼs face darkened, clearly displeased by the sudden retreat.

But Great Elder Domarion didnʼt stop; he quickly led the man beside him to pay their respect to Duke Lorcan and scurried out of the grand hall, running like an animal with its tail tucked between its legs, too afraid to cross with the lion in the room.

Naturally, others followed, retreating from the contest entirely.

Only a handful stayed behind, two to be exact—Rex and the man with long white hair.

”Anyone else?”

Princess Davina swept her gaze across both of them with her hands clenched tightly beside her.

Hearing this, Crown Prince Lukas repeated, but there was no seriousness in it at all.

”The princess is asking, both of you should answer properly.”

Despite the intimidating gaze, the man with long white hair shook his head, ”No, Iʼm staying.”

”Same here,” Rex added.

Crown Prince Lukas nodded, seemingly amused by the situation, but his gaze paused when it landed on Rex. A small frown crossed his face, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. It was quite a jarring reaction, one that Princess Liliana and Rex himself noticed.

”Prepare yourself, Iʼm going to start.”

As soon as Princess Davina said that, Crown Prince Lukas walked nonchalantly behind the line.

He stood right at the center between Rex and the man.

Since the test was going to start, Rosa and the other patrons walked to the sidelines.

Swoosh!

Almost instantly, a sudden surge of life energy filled the entire grand hall to the brim.

It flooded the place without end—even the very air itself seemed to recoil, peeling back in reverence as tendrils of emerald light unfurled from behind Princess Davina—branching outward like the veins of a divine creature, forming the illusion of six translucent, emerald wings.

Strands of energy gathered before her, folding in on themselves, compressing rapidly at a visible rate.

Rexʼs expression twitched.

Is it because weʼre in a safe bubble? Her energy… Itʼs a hundred times more suffocating.

Since he had seen Princess Davina in action before, he never wouldʼve thought that he would be having trouble standing in the presence of her power. She was certainly in a realm beyond Rex, but he should be able to withstand the pressure coming from her.

But he was wrong.

The Black Rift softened the overwhelming pressure coming from her back then.

It fought back and pressed on her, making her aura seem weaker.

Now that there was nothing softening her presence, Rex found it hard to breathe properly.

Just being exposed to her power alone closed up his windpipe as if someone were choking him directly.

Princess Davinaʼs eyes narrowed, noticing that Rex faltered the earliest.

But then again, with his power, it wasnʼt surprising.

Swoosh!

Soon, a shimmering star began to take shape.

Slowly and steadily, the emerald star grew, polished and perfect, expanding until it matched the size of a grown man. Its surface gleamed with impossible smoothness, radiating deliberate harmony despite the raging tide of power within it.

Rex sucked in a cold breath, unable to tear his gaze away.

So much power… And she didnʼt even seem to struggle. Sheʼs surely at the Divine Spirit rank.

Once the star was formed, it floated above Princess Davina.

Princess Liliana stepped forward.

”The test is simple. All you need to do is reach Princess Davina and extend your hand. She will take the hand whom she chose.”

After explaining the test, she turned to Princess Davina and nodded.

”Now, you can start!”

Rex flexed his muscles, preparing to brace whatever was about to happen.

Then, the emerald star flashed blindingly.

Ngoong!

Instantly after that, the air suddenly became ten times heavier—pressing against the contendersʼ bodies and even making breathing hard for them. Rexʼs eyes bulged at the sudden weight, shocked by the sheer pressure coming from the emerald star.

Not wasting a single time, Rex summoned all three of his Soul Artifacts.

His aura expanded rapidly like a gust of wind pushing back on the invisible pressure of the star.

To top it off, he also used the Perfect Hunter Spirit Genesis.

Golden skeleton wrapped around his body like a second layer of skin, enhancing his might.

However, by the time he finished preparations, Crown Prince Lukas was already six steps ahead of him, seemingly unbothered—by the emerald starʼs pressure. His Soul Artifact, a full-body golden armor, was impenetrable.

On the side, the man with white hair was also already on his third step.

But unlike Crown Prince Lukas, he was already showing signs of slowing down.

Gritting his teeth, Rex looked ahead.

He counted that at the very least, he needed to make ten steps to actually reach Princess Davina.

Even so, this doesnʼt hinder Rex at all.

At least this test has a clear goal.

As soon as he took the first step, the pressure increased twofold, causing blood to trickle down his nose.

But he didnʼt stop and took another step.

”Karghk!”

Rex made the second and the third step at quick succession, but blood burst from his nose as the sheer pressure weighed down on his internal organs—making him feel like his insides were going to explode if he continued further.

Meanwhile, Crown Prince Lukas has already made the last step.

He stood before Princess Davina, a charming smile playing on his lips, before lowering himself into a graceful kneel, like a knight awaiting the honor of a queenʼs blade upon his shoulder. As instructed, he extended his arm, palm facing upward, offering himself to be chosen.

Seeing this, Princess Davina didnʼt blush or pleased.

Instead, she seemed to be worried and displeased.

Even though the test was set, it was clear that she was looking for something beyond strength.

Unflinching grit.

Princess Davina looked at the other two; one was already crumbling at the seventh step, while the other was even farther away, at the fourth step. She looked at the two and swallowed hard, ʼIf none of them could reach the tenth step, I have no choice but to choose Lukas. Father played along with me in this. Sister and I made this test. He wonʼt let me choose someone who canʼt even reach the tenth step, Iʼm sure.ʼ

At the thought of that, her face contorted uncomfortably.

She looked at the two other contenders, and for once, there was clear emotion behind her gaze.

Hope.