Bang…

Bang…

Bang…

"Tsk."

"Isn't this young lad afraid of offending the King?" an elder muttered as he and the other old men watched in shock.

Calus was destroying the Princess. He had actually kept his word and gone all out.

Many times, the referee glanced at the elders, signaling whether he should step forward and stop the fight. But they gave no response. And whenever he tried to intervene, a cold aura locked onto him as the Princess glared at him in anger.

He didn't dare move.

Now he was stuck in the middle, able to do nothing but watch as Calus completely dominated and humiliated Arie.

Her body was covered in blood. Her legs wobbled as she struggled to stand upright.

"Huff… huff…" Arie winced in pain with every breath she took.

Her ribs were definitely broken. Worse still, she could feel that her lungs had been damaged, and her strength was fading rapidly.

Her misty eyes looked at Calus's incoming punch.

If it landed, she would be finished. She would lose consciousness, and Calus would win.

Yet she felt no anger.

No hatred toward Calus.

If anything, she felt disappointed in herself.

The memories of that night were still fresh.

She had been only three years old when her father was assassinated.

The kingdom was locked down. Various experts rushed to rescue them

but they were blocked.

Her father had been gravely injured, though he had managed to severely wound five opponents of the same realm. However, he himself was left heavily injured.

Realizing they couldn't kill the King

and knowing that once reinforcements broke through their blockade, death would be certain , the attackers chose another path.

They decided to torment him.

And what better way than through his wife and daughter?

They forced the King and little Arie to watch as the Queen was violated and destroyed before their eyes.

Arie cried.

The King trembled in anguish.

They did not push him further because they knew he could self-destruct and take them with him if cornered. Even injured, he still had enough strength

and the blessing of the kingdom's luck

to protect his family if given the chance.

The King was a powerful Diamond Realm expert. If he self-destructed, he would at least destroy the palace. Almost everyone within it had already betrayed him.

He wouldn't hesitate.

The conspirators had accepted death.

But if they could mentally break him

If he developed an inner demon…

If his cultivation regressed…

If he fell into insanity…

Then their master might still have a chance to seize the throne.

Out of the five, two restrained the King. One held Arie.

The remaining two repeatedly violated the Queen.

Her tears.

Her trembling voice.

Her humiliation.

She was only a normal woman.

The King wanted to blow everything up.

But his daughter was being held hostage.

He couldn't reach her.

He couldn't use the kingdom's luck to fully protect her or his wife.

So he watched as everything crumbled.

At last, reinforcements broke through.

The five attackers immediately self-destructed.

But it was too late.

The Queen had died.

---

After that day, the King became ruthless.

He purged the palace.

He found the leader of the coup , his

very own brother

and executed him publicly as a warning.

From that day on, Arie wanted strength.

Strength enough to protect herself.

At that time, those five attackers had been so severely injured that they were no stronger than ordinary men.

If she had even been at the Iron Realm…

She could have stopped it.

Since then, she longed to grow stronger.

But her father never relaxed around her. He doted on her endlessly. Even when he invited powerful experts to train her, none of them dared truly harm her.

She was the apple of the King's eye.

No one would risk it.

---

"I… can't… lose…" Arie muttered under her breath, her eyes burning with fury.

Bang!

Calus attacked

But his expression suddenly changed.

His arm felt stuck.

A chilling sensation spread through his body as he sensed impending doom. He immediately retreated, forcefully breaking free from whatever had restrained him.

White fog spread across the arena.

Calus frowned, but that wasn't all.

He could feel Arie's aura.

And it was rising rapidly.

Bang… Bang…

A hammer-like sound echoed throughout the arena as the white fog seemed to receive a command and converged toward her.

A flash of white light burst forth as Arie stepped out of the thinning mist.

Calus's eyes widened.

Her blue hair had turned white, flowing in the air like a fish swimming through a stream.

Her pale skin had become crystalline.

With every step she took, frost formed beneath her feet. A freezing aura filled the arena as the temperature dropped sharply.

Gulp.

A nervous swallow echoed from the crowd as they witnessed Arie's transformation.

The difference was overwhelming.

Before, she looked like a noble princess gracing the world with her beauty.

Now

She looked like a forbidden being that would freeze anyone foolish enough to touch her.

She carried the authority of a queen.

No one dared entertain improper thoughts.

"Thank you for allowing me to fully awaken my physique," a cold, feminine voice echoed.

Calus narrowed his eyes.

The elders abruptly stood up in shock.

"This physique…"

They muttered among themselves, doubt evident in their eyes. Yet as they looked at Arie, they could clearly see the similarities.

"For that, I will let you witness my full strength," Arie said.

A cold, chilling aura surged toward Calus, and an overwhelming wave of fatigue washed over him.

"What is this?"

Even the knowledgeable Calus was stunned. He didn't remember her possessing such a form

or that her physique had ever fully awakened.

Or had he died too early to see her use it?

Regardless, Calus could feel the aura of death closing in around him. He gulped.

"Cough—!"

Calus suddenly coughed up blood, his eyes widening in horror. A terrifying force erupted from within his abdomen. He could feel some of his internal organs being crushed.

Blood streamed from his ears, nose, and eyes.

Death was only a breath away.

"…Is this the true strength of a young powerhouse?" Calus thought as his vision slowly darkened.