Two days before the full moon, the Council pushed the schedule forward. The duel was to happen tomorrow, broadcast to the entire city.
The sky above the city turned dark as a massive, floating island made of lava and ruins materialized. This was the Coliseum. Leohart flew in first, his royal blood granting him easy passage. He stood on a floating rock, waiting for Mio.
Mio, wearing her school uniform, flew up. She carried the black cat in her arms, looking like she was going for a stroll rather than a duel. The demons in the city scoffed. Bringing a pet to a sacred duel? How disrespectful.
Mio reached the barrier. She was supposed to stop and renounce her claim, but suddenly, a violent surge of pressure hit her from the sky. She blocked it easily with a shield, but then, a figure blurred through the unstable space—a feat only a God-class or someone with a special artifact could achieve.
The attacker lunged at Mio's shoulder, intending to shove her into the Coliseum.
Ethan, sensing the move, didn't block the shove. He only blocked the damage. He allowed the force to push Mio across the threshold into the Coliseum. He followed her inside, unnoticed.
Suddenly, the attacker let out a blood-curdling scream. A shimmering cloak—a high-level artifact—shattered into light. The attacker's disguise dissolved.
"Belgos?!" someone screamed from below.
Belgos was suspended in the air, his purple face cracking like a porcelain doll. He didn't even have time to beg for mercy. His entire body turned to dust and blew away in the wind.
Everyone was stunned. The smart ones, like Leohart's secretary, looked at the synchronized projection of the "pet cat" in Mio's arms. How did a cat enter a royal-only dimension? Is it a familiar? Does a cat have royal blood?
The Council elders, watching from the shadows, felt a cold chill. Belgos was dead, and their precious artifact was destroyed. But the mission was a success: Mio was trapped inside with Leohart.
With twisted grins, the elders signaled the next phase. "Summon the Einherjar army. Bring forth the King of Einherjar!"