Melody spoke first. "We should accept."

Akira turned to look at her, a frown on her face "Just like that?"

"Think about it clearly." Melody walked forward to take a seat at the round table. "We were already planning to go to Salaria, and we already knew we’d need support on the Second Floor."

"With this deal, we get both things we’re looking for, from people with the resources to actually deliver on it, and it costs us one mission a month."

She spread her hands. "What exactly is the downside?"

"The organization itself," Akira said.

They both looked at her.

She was quiet for a moment, before joining them at the table.

"Large organizations always look generous from the outside. I spent years inside one that presented itself as righteous and spent most of its energy being the opposite."

She looked at Lukas. "I’m not saying the Le Fay family is like that. I’m saying we don’t know yet."

"And yet we don’t have time to verify anything. The offer only lasts till two days after the tournament. That means just three days." Lukas said. "Just the journey to Salaria alone is three days. All we can do is take a leap of faith."

"Besides, noble families are different," Melody said. "Their primary concern is maintaining and expanding their own power, so they don’t have the same institutional rot that comes from religious or ideological organizations."

"Helping Lukas advance makes them stronger by association, so this might simply be smart politics. I’m sure we can trust them with our advancement."

"That’s... actually reassuring," Akira admitted.

"And if it turns out we were wrong?" Lukas asked.

Akira shrugged. "Then we break the contract and leave. Quickly."

Lukas looked between them both.

The logic was sound. The offer was genuine in its generosity, Salaria was already their destination, and they had Akira’s instincts as an early warning system if anything started to feel wrong.

"After the tournament," he said, "we’ll accept the deal."

Melody nodded.

Akira exhaled. "Fine. But I’m watching them."

"Good," Lukas said. "That’s exactly what I’d want you to do."

And with that, they went about their day.

The sun set, the moon rose, the night passed, and soon, it was the next day.

Within hours, hundreds of thousands of people could be found in the stadium outside the city.

The noise being generated was so loud, most had to wear earmuffs.

This was the battle that the whole week had been leading up to. Who would be crowned the number one prodigy of Havenhart?

Lukas sat in his stone chair at the edge of the arena, and across the open floor, Morgana sat in her own chair.

As usual, her lion mask was in place, and her sword rested across her knees.

Between them, the arena had been given over to a performance.

Drums filled the stadium in deep, rolling waves as a troupe of performers leapt and somersaulted all over the place, delivering an energetic performance to the watching crowd.

The crowd also responded with similar enthusiasm, clapping, laughing, and singing along.

The anticipation was thick in the air, and some couldn’t wait for the match to actually start.

Which was why when the performance ended and the dancers moved off the arena, the cheers that filled the air were loud and exciting.

Then they slowly began to quieten as Rollo slowly descended from the sky.

When he was a few meters away from the ground, he hovered to a stop, spreading his arms theatrically.

"Ladies and gentlemen." His voice echoed through the air. "After six days and hundreds of matches, we have finally arrived here."

"We’ve witnessed fights that filled us with excitement. Fights that filled us with hope. Even fights that served as inspiration. And now, only two fighters remain."

He slowly turned where he hovered. "These two fighters need no introduction, but I will try anyway."

He turned to Lukas’ side of the arena.

"One man who has refused, consistently and without apparent concern for the odds, to behave the way anyone expected him to."

"A man who surprises us all with all that he does. Whether from rising when everyone expects him to fall. Or unleashing power when everyone expects him to be weak." His voice rose. "I give you... Lukas Valentine!"

Cheers filled the air as Lukas stood and walked to the center of the arena with his sword strapped across his back and his hands loose at his sides.

"And his opponent." Rollo paused. "A woman whose face remains unknown. Whose power no one in this tournament has pushed to its limit. Whose name has been on the lips of this city since the first rankings appeared."

"I present to you... Morgana Le Fay!"

Morgana rose from her chair, sword already in hand, and walked to the center of the arena as if she was taking a stroll.

They stopped several meters apart, staring at each other.

They both stood there so casually that without the stadium or crowds, one would think they were just there for conversation.

Rollo turned to look at both of them. "Ready?"

They simply stared at each other, but that was answer enough.

His arm came down.

"Begin."

Lukas activated [Smite] before Morgana had taken a single step.

The sky darkened above the arena and the pillar of golden energy descended, faster than one could blink, and aimed directly at her.

Morgana, however, had expected the move.

[Entangle] activated, vines erupting from the stone floor beneath her feet and wrapping densely around her.

[Smite] hit the vines with full force, burning through them from the outside in.

The divine energy tore through layer after layer, but by the time it burned through the vines, the center was already empty.

Morgana had already dashed forward, leaving her shell behind.

Lukas’s eyes widened at her speed.

She was far faster than anything she’d displayed before. Faster than his current state.

He reached back and drew his sword in a smooth motion, swinging it just in time to block her attack.

Their swords clashed, sending sparks flying through the air.

The impact sent him staggering back, until he planted his feet and pushed against her sword, trying to hold his ground.

However, she held him there without any effort.

His eyes narrowed.

His strength was currently capped at four hundred, but she wasn’t even trying as she pushed against him.

This meant only one thing.

That right now, in this moment, Morgana Le Fay was not only faster, but physically stronger than he was.