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Diyah’s Hope
The following morning, the atmosphere within the Ice Kingdom felt infinitely more freezing than usual. Frost clung stubbornly to the glass panes of the inn’s windows. Ken stood rigidly in the corner of the chamber, his tranquil eyes piercing straight through the white mist blanketing the city.
The spatial void behind him rippled softly. A pitch-black cloaked silhouette manifested from the absolute darkness, stepping closer with movements practically devoid of sound.
”My Lord,” the shadow reported softly, his voice hoarse, resembling the grinding of dry branches. “The Fire Kingdom has enacted absolute martial law. They have hermetically sealed all access in and out of the fortress. I have infiltrated and verified the intelligence—their nine dragon commanders are indeed absent from the capital. Unfortunately… only King Adjong possesses the absolute key regarding their current trajectory.”
The shadowed figure paused for a heartbeat, lowering his head deeply. “And there is one more crucial matter, My Lord… Based on my tracking, the child named Fubao truly possesses a profound, red thread of connection with the Fire Kingdom faction.”
Ken closed his eyes for a fleeting second, exhaling a long breath that plumed as white vapor into the freezing air. “Very well. Let the child keep his secrets for the time being. Your mandate is to continue assisting the evacuation of any slaves or commoners attempting to flee the Fire Kingdom’s territory by any means necessary.”
Ken pivoted his body, staring directly at the cloaked figure. His tone was flat yet saturated with absolute authority. “And regarding those nine demonic dragons… if they are absent from the capital, it is highly probable they are no longer residing upon this continent. Continue expanding your search radius.”
”As you command, My Lord,” the figure answered, cupping his fists before melting away, vanishing as swiftly as he had manifested.
Meanwhile, at the palace’s training arena, the atmosphere was beginning to boil with activity. The core vanguard slated to represent the Ice Kingdom had convened, acutely aware that the Star Seal Cultivator Tournament was merely three days away. Nearly every member was present upon the icy courtyard… except for Diyah.
Julia stood with her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes narrowed sharply, glaring at the two male members before her, Onoke and Arsa.
”Onoke, Arsa… where exactly have you been vanishing to over these past few days?” Julia interrogated, her tone lacing the irritation of a vanguard commander.
Onoke met her gaze without a shred of fear. He crossed his arms, answering with a frigid, dismissive tone. “We had profoundly crucial personal matters that we could not simply abandon, Julia.”
Julia scoffed harshly, her glare growing more piercing. “I expect you to act far wiser than this. The life-and-death tournament commences in three days. We possess absolutely zero room for insubordination.”
Onoke merely shrugged with profound apathy. “Yeah, yeah… very well, we understand,” he replied with a half-hearted drawl.
Before Julia could drop a harsher reprimand, the rapid thud of approaching footsteps echoed.
”Forgive me! I apologize, I am late!” Diyah exclaimed, jogging into their formation with an awkward smile gracing her beautiful visage.
”It is alright, Diyah,” Andin replied amicably, tolerating her best friend. However, the exact moment Diyah raised her arm to tie her hair, Andin’s eyes widened into perfect saucers. “Wah! D-Diyah! Let me see your arm… Have you breached and condensed your sixth Star Seal?!” Andin shrieked in absolute shock.
Hearing that exclamation, the rest of the vanguard jolted and exchanged bewildered glances. The luminescence radiating from Diyah’s arm was utterly impossible to conceal.
”Flawless work, Diyah!” Julia praised, her previous wrath evaporating, replaced by a genuine smile brimming with profound pride.
”Eh… hold on a minute, when exactly did you go hunting in the Star Monster Forest again, Diyah?” Andin asked, her visage painted with extreme curiosity.
”That’s true,” Suta chimed in while scratching his head. “Weren’t we all cultivating together in this very arena the entire day yesterday?”
Diyah smiled innocently, entirely perplexed on how to explain her master’s alchemical miracles. “Umm… Brother Ken specifically bestowed it upon me. I myself do not fully comprehend how he concocted the method. The crux of it is, Brother Ken somehow successfully extracted and sealed the energy of a Star Monster Core into the form of a pure crystal orb… and all I had to do was sit and absorb it.”
Hearing Ken’s name invoked with such profound reverence, a streak of venomous malice flashed across Onoke’s mind.
You pack of naive, pampered nobles… No matter how fiercely you temper yourselves and absorb the power of gods, you will absolutely never claim victory in the tournament. Your destinies have already been sealed, Onoke mused inwardly. A faint, almost imperceptible, cynical smirk formed at the corner of his lips.
”Ohh… Lord Ken truly never ceases to forge miracles. Do you believe I might also possess the opportunity to cultivate under his tutelage?” Andin asked, her eyes sparkling with pleading hope.
”I want to join too!” Suta added enthusiastically, entirely unwilling to miss the carriage to absolute power.
Diyah exhaled a long breath, rolling her eyes playfully. “Ahh… you guys are truly something else. I absolutely have no idea what his acceptance standards are.”
”Hah! Liar! The absolute proof is that you yourself have officially become his disciple and are treated as his golden child! Why can’t we join? Ohh… or are you secretly unwilling to let us interrupt your dates disguised as training sessions?!” Andin teased, nudging Diyah’s waist with a mischievous smirk.
”Th-that is not what I meant at all!” Diyah frantically waved her hands, her visage instantaneously flushing a deep crimson. “I am not cultivating under him in such a formal capacity! Brother Ken explicitly told me he refused to take me as his official disciple. So, if you genuinely intend to attempt it… go ask the man himself!”
Andin burst into boisterous laughter witnessing her best friend’s panic. “Well naturally he refused to make you his disciple! Hahaha! It’s undoubtedly because he is aiming for a completely different position in your heart!”
”Enough, Andin! Stop it! Come on, let us just commence the training, don’t keep bringing this up!” Diyah exclaimed, desperately shifting the topic with burning cheeks.
Their laughter gradually subsided. The Ice Kingdom vanguard immediately initiated their physical conditioning sessions, honing their synchronization and combat formations. Between sparring sessions, Diyah repeatedly executed her newfound techniques. The explosive surge of power from her Golden Star Seal was undeniably palpable, yielding a destructive force that caused the ambient air to violently vibrate.
In another sector of the palace, beyond the arena walls, servants and military officials bustled about, frantically preparing all the logistical necessities for the continental-scale tournament set to detonate in exactly three days.
Within the arena, the roar of ragged breaths synchronized with the clanging of steel. Diyah gripped her silver spear, her movements absolute and lethal. Occasionally, she thrust her spear, then seamlessly swapped to her Phoenix Bow. She drew the empty bowstring, condensing her spiritual energy into a blinding arrow of light—a high-tier technique she had cultivated privately with Ken—with an absolute tranquility that paralyzed her teammates in awe for a fleeting second.
”A combination of a long-range bow and an armor-piercing spear… Your armament preferences truly never change, Diyah,” Julia remarked, momentarily sheathing her blade to observe. “But the sharpness of your current prowess… I can palpably feel it. You are on an entirely different level now.”
Diyah merely offered a faint smile, her eyes remaining vigilantly locked onto her targets. “I refuse to let my guard down for even a fraction of a second, Julia. We do not have the luxury of time to relax.”
”In that case, let us test the absolute solidity of our formation synergy!” Andin cheered, unsheathing her crystal sword. “Diyah, loose one of your arrows of light at me!”
Diyah gasped in sheer disbelief. “Have you lost your sanity?!”
”Relax… I merely wish to test the reflex velocity of my defenses. I have absolutely no intention of committing suicide at the hands of my own best friend!” Andin chuckled, assuming her defensive stance.
Suta smacked his forehead violently observing Andin’s antics. “You have truly been stripped of your sanity, Din.”
Julia finally raised her hand, seizing authority as the tactical commander. “Enough joking around! Everyone, refocus. We shall repeat the defensive formation simulation from yesterday. Onoke, guard the blind spot on the right flank. Arsa, act as the anchor on the left. Diyah, remain in the rearguard to provide long-range artillery support.”
Diyah nodded obediently. She nimbly spun her bow in her hand, then drew a deep breath. She permitted the pure energy of her Golden Star to flood her blood circulation. Her arrows now gleamed with blinding brilliance, storing a destructive yield she had yet to fully unleash upon an authentic battlefield.
The simulation drill proceeded with immense ferocity. The explosive echoes of clashing energies saturated the enclosed arena, sending ice dust spiraling into the air. Every single one of their coordinated movements was phenomenally swifter than previous days. Diyah read the rhythm of combat brilliantly; occasionally she vaulted forward to thrust her spear when the fictitious enemy vanguard pressured their front lines, then executed an acrobatic backward leap while loosing energy arrows into the void. Those arrows of light shot in an arc, diving sharply to obliterate their designated targets with precise, devastating micro-explosions.
Andin let out a long whistle of profound awe. “Wah… if you can maintain accuracy that ruthless in the tournament arena later, I would wager my life that it’s impossible for us to lose.”
However, Julia snapped her head around with a rigid visage. “Never allow yourselves to become overconfident! Our adversaries in the impending tournament are no ordinary youths. They are absolute monsters forged by kings.”
Completely unbeknownst to them, in the corner of the right flank formation, a pair of eyes glared at Diyah with an unfathomable, icy malice.
The exponential surge in this girl’s prowess is utterly beyond my calculations… If she is permitted to evolve further, she will undoubtedly steal the spotlight and sabotage the grand scenario. And that is clearly detrimental to our master plan, Onoke analyzed the threat inwardly. He then pressed one hand to his chest, as if merely exhaling from exhaustion after parrying a strike. In reality, behind that innocent gesture, his brain was meticulously weaving a lethal strategy of treason. A faint, exceptionally cynical smirk formed on his visage, veiled so flawlessly that it was nearly imperceptible to anyone present.
The grueling training raged on without a shred of mercy until the sun began to bleed crimson on the western horizon. Their uniform robes were drenched in sweat, and their muscles screamed in agony, yet the blazing spirit within the chests of the Ice Kingdom vanguard did not recede in the slightest.
”I believe today’s cultivation quota is sufficient,” Julia declared, lowering her blade. “Tomorrow morning we shall restart the simulation utilizing the new rotation formation. Diyah… your performance today was absolutely flawless. But remember, preserve your physical limits. Do not allow yourself to collapse from exhaustion before the day of the tournament massacre arrives.”
Diyah nodded, wiping the sweat from her temples and neck with the back of her hand. “I understand, Julia. I shall safeguard my stamina.”
Beneath that seemingly mundane evaluation, not a single soul realized that Onoke had covertly finalized the first phase of his lethal scenario.
The training disbanded. The vanguard members trudged away toward their respective dormitory barracks with exhausted visages. Diyah was the last to depart the arena, sheathing her spear and bow back into her Spatial Ring. She exhaled a long breath, tilting her head back to stare at the twilight canopy, now bleeding into shades of copper-red.
”How was your cultivation rhythm today, Princess?”
An exceedingly tranquil and highly familiar baritone echoed from behind. Diyah snapped her head around. There, leaning casually against one of the arena’s marble pillars with his arms crossed over his chest, stood Ken. His majestic black robes fluttered lightly and elegantly against the evening breeze.
”Brother Ken…” Diyah beamed, instantaneously forgetting her exhaustion. “Since when have you been standing there watching me?”
Ken strolled slowly toward the maiden. “Long enough to formulate the absolute conclusion that you are genuinely prepared to pulverize any adversary in the impending tournament.”
His gaze was piercing and profoundly unreadable, yet a faint smile of absolute pride was etched upon his lips.
Diyah lowered her gaze slightly, concealing the flush on her cheeks that inexplicably surfaced whenever this man showered her with praise. “I… I was merely attempting to exert everything I was capable of.”
Ken looked up at the crimson sky for a heartbeat, then stated with an incredibly flat tone, “Come, follow me.”
”Hah? Where are we going?” Diyah furrowed her brows, bewildered by the abrupt invitation.
”Relax, it is not back to the training crucible if that is what you are dreading.” An enigmatic, faint smirk returned to Ken’s lips.
Diyah stared hesitantly into the youth’s eyes for a few seconds, but ultimately gave a compliant nod. “Very well…”
The two walked side-by-side, exiting the arena. Exactly as they reached a desolate sector of the palace, Ken outstretched his hand. The spatial void surrounding them rippled and distorted violently. In a cosmic blink, the landscape of the palace walls was obliterated, replaced by a range of eternal ice mountains jutting up to kiss the clouds.
The atmosphere in this new domain felt exponentially thinner and overwhelmingly refreshing. The cool wind howling through the glacial crevices birthed a soft, melodious whistling, akin to the phantom songs of a forgotten, frozen realm.
After hiking upward through the snow for several minutes, they arrived at the edge of a low cliff. Beneath that precipice sprawled a colossal, breathtakingly tranquil glacial lake. Its surface was as pristine as pure crystal, flawlessly reflecting the golden twilight from the western horizon. Flocks of snowbirds soared past in formation, the shadows of their wings dancing upon the surface of that liquid mirror.
Diyah stood petrified at the edge of the cliff, her breath caught in her throat. “Heavens… this is absolutely breathtaking…” she breathed incredibly softly, her eyes gleaming as they recorded the awe-inspiring heavenly landscape.
Ken stepped forward, standing directly beside her, casually slipping both hands into the pockets of his robes. “This domain is profoundly isolated; it is exceedingly rare for any mortal to possess the capability to ascend here. In times when the realm demands us to fight endlessly, occasionally what we desperately require is not an amplification of power, but rather a sanctuary for absolute tranquility.”
Diyah stared at the silhouette of Ken’s visage from the side. This peaceful silence slowly peeled away the layers of doubt she had buried deep within. “Brother Ken, do you truly believe… I actually possess the odds to survive and emerge victorious in that lunatic tournament later?” she asked softly, voicing her profound insecurities.
Ken shot her a sideways glance, then offered a light nod backed by absolute certainty. “Naturally. What compels you to believe otherwise?”
”But…” Diyah lowered her head, wringing her fingers anxiously. “During the Pandhega Trial ceremony last week… with my own two eyes, I witnessed the entire primary delegations of every rival kingdom. Those princes… every single one of them has breached the foundation of Seven Star Seals.”
Ken flashed a faint smirk, pivoting his body to face Diyah. “Your observation is flawless. Based on the quantitative accumulation of energy, they hold the numerical advantage. But if we are speaking purely in terms of destructive yield and absolute quality, you possess overwhelming dominion over them thanks to this Golden Star Seal surging in your veins.” Ken lowered his gaze, staring at Diyah’s hand for a heartbeat.
Diyah drew a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, accompanied by a small smile blooming on her lips. “Hmm… you are right. All the miracles I wield today are a grace born of Brother Ken’s intervention. Truthfully, I am utterly incapable of visualizing just how horrifying my fate would be had destiny not crossed our paths in the forest that night.”
Ken merely shrugged with profound apathy. “A benevolent destiny will perpetually find a path to favor those with benevolent hearts,” he uttered with flat philosophy.
Diyah turned her body, staring straight into Ken’s eyes with a terrifyingly serious expression. “In that case… if Brother Ken is willing, you could register and join as the absolute pillar within the Ice Kingdom’s Team. I beg of you, assist me in claiming victory in this tournament one last time,” she pleaded, her voice trembling with a chaotic fusion of hope and hesitation.
Diyah swallowed hard, unearthing her deepest nightmare. “I am overwhelmingly terrified of defeat… If that apocalyptic scenario comes to pass and this kingdom falls, I will be forcibly subjected to that disgusting political marriage pact. And if that nightmare becomes reality, I… I will never again be able to walk freely by Brother Ken’s side.”
Hearing that profoundly sincere confession laced with absolute despair, Ken remained silent for several breaths. His gaze was exceptionally gentle, yet his verdict was as immovable as bedrock. “Naturally, I could effortlessly butcher every single one of them and claim that tournament for you. But you must understand, Diyah… I refuse to do so.”
Diyah flinched, taking a step back, staring at the man with a visage of utter bewilderment and disappointment. “Hah? Wh… why? Why do you refuse to aid me at this most critical juncture?”
Ken turned his head back to gaze at the vast glacial lake, then snapped his piercing eyes back into the absolute depths of Diyah’s soul.
”Because, if I intervene to violently sweep your path clean, the Princess will forever be stripped of the dignity and absolute authority required to silence the putrid mouths of those nobles,” Ken explained with the sovereignty of a true king. “I desire the Princess to stand tall with absolute pride and seize that flawless victory utilizing your own blood, sweat, and martial prowess. By achieving that, this entire continent shall prostrate itself and realize one absolute truth… that the Crown Princess of the Ice Kingdom is no mere beautiful puppet to be underestimated by anyone.”
That razor-sharp sentence, resurrecting her shattered pride, paralyzed Diyah. Her brain processed the absolute truth veiled behind Ken’s rejection. The despair in her chest instantaneously evaporated, supplanted by a blazing inferno of newborn resolve.
Diyah exhaled a long, liberating breath, shedding the entirety of her mental burdens. “Hmm… you are absolutely right, Brother Ken. Your words have awakened me. I profoundly comprehend your intent now,” Diyah replied. A faint smile radiating an extraordinary, absolute courage now bloomed beautifully across her visage.
Ken nodded slowly, profoundly appreciating the mental resurrection of his disciple and the maiden he sheltered. “Simply maintain your focus and continue to hone your physical limits. When the stage of that tournament arrives, you alone shall orchestrate a localized apocalypse upon their arrogance. Place absolute faith in your instincts.”
Diyah smiled even broader, her eyes completely cleansed of any lingering doubt. “Yes… I swear it, Brother Ken. I shall prove my absolute worth.”
Father, Mother… was it you who intervened with destiny and dispatched Brother Ken to serve as my absolute aegis? Diyah mused, overflowing with profound gratitude, as she gazed at the expanse of the golden lake in the distance.
The two sat side-by-side upon the frozen grass at the cliff’s edge, silently savoring the masterpiece of nature’s canvas sprawling before them, enveloped in a tranquility that required absolutely no words.
The sun slowly sank behind the mountain’s spine, bequeathing a heavenly canvas layered with deep violet gradients and blazing orange. Amidst that eternal, natural serenity, two silhouettes sat side-by-side—one harboring a dark, blood-soaked past, while the other was just beginning to weave destiny for the dawn of a new hope.