At that moment, Gu Yue was genuinely stunned.
The aura radiating from Arthur was unlike anything she had ever encountered. It was a blend of divinity and absolute authority, an oppressive force that made her feel as though she wasn't facing a boy her own age, but a sovereign gazing down upon all living things.
Within those scattered points of light, something ancient seemed to be awakening.
Gu Yue's heart began pounding wildly, completely beyond her control.
It was the kind of excitement you'd feel upon discovering that your favorite SSR character was secretly the most powerful UR card in the game.
She had always wanted to bring Arthur under her wing.
The golden light rising around him reflected in her pupils, and the corners of her mouth curled upward without her realizing it.
Her breathing grew rapid and unsteady. This was the person she had set her sights on. A terrifying power hidden beneath the surface — it stirred something deep inside her.
"Hey, snap out of it and stop me!" Arthur glanced at Gu Yue standing there motionless and grew anxious. "Don't actually let me finish charging up. You won't be able to take it."
Gu Yue snapped back to herself at his shout. The fervor in her eyes hadn't fully faded when she fired back through Spiritual Power transmission: "What's the rush?"
Before the words had even settled, the purple soul rings around her flared brilliantly. Ice-element energy surged and converged, forming an enormous blade of ice.
The blade carried a bone-deep chill and the sheer momentum of something that could cleave a mountain in two as it came crashing down toward Arthur.
Boom!
Arthur let the force carry him flying backward, deliberately playing up the appearance of a recoil backlash, spitting out a mouthful of "blood." He twisted mid-air and landed with a heavy thud at the bottom of the crater.
He lay flat on his back, staring up at the sky.
And delivered his final line.
"You're incredible."
"Sorry for not giving you a better fight, Lady Gu Yue."
Gu Yue walked over and looked down at him lying there. She replayed the aura he had unleashed just moments ago.
A thought formed on its own.
What terrifying potential.
Whatever the outcome of the match.
"I don't think I'll ever forget you," she said quietly.
A long moment passed. Arthur still hadn't moved to get up.
The referee announced the result.
"The match is over!"
"And the champion is... Gu Yue!"
First came a beat of silence.
Then the entire arena erupted into thunderous cheering.
It had been an extraordinary match. The dazzling elemental display alone had left the crowd completely spellbound.
People jumped onto their seats, punching the air and screaming.
Others waved banners reading "Elemental Queen" with frenzied enthusiasm. The brilliant flashes of ice and fire still swirled in everyone's minds, the sheer visual impact enough to set their blood racing.
Xie Xie slapped his thigh hard, his voice thick with disbelief. "Arthur actually lost? Something's off. He definitely threw the match!"
"Letting his eyes lead him around again."
They still didn't know about the private deal between Arthur and Gu Yue. All they knew was that Arthur had arranged with the organizers to keep them separated in the bracket so they'd meet in the finals.
Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help pouting. "Arthur definitely did that on purpose. You could tell just from how carefully he fell."
Wu Changkong watched the staff help Arthur to his feet from the crater below, a quiet understanding flickering in his eyes.
Surprisingly, Na'er wasn't making a sound. She was the quietest one of all, crouching in a corner.
On the inside, she was cursing Gu Yue with everything she had.
Earlier in the individual rounds, Na'er had been matched against Gu Yue — and that insufferable Gu Yue had used her authority as Lord of the Spirit Beasts to order Na'er to throw the match.
The night before their individual match:
Gu Yue: "I need you to lose to me."
Na'er: "Excuse me? Dream on. If you want to win, come and beat me yourself."
Gu Yue: "Don't forget what you agreed to."
"This is for the greater cause of the spirit beasts."
"Na'er, I am the Lord of the Spirit Beasts!"
Na'er, absolutely fuming: "You're going to regret this!"
Bang!
She stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
In one of the private boxes, Zhen Hua's mustache bristled as he slammed his hand on the table.
"Nonsense! There's no way my disciple — this kid — could actually lose! It's obviously staged!"
Zhen Hua's abrupt correction stopped Mu Chen mid-stride, just as she had been about to march over.
Su Wuyan, on the other hand, simply cradled his teacup, a faint smile on his lips. He watched Gu Yue surrounded by a cheering crowd, then shifted his gaze to Arthur being helped offstage by the staff, a glimmer of amusement passing through his eyes.
"Heh. He's grown up."
Su Wuyan had clearly misread the situation entirely.
Gu Yue stood at the center of the arena, receiving the crowd's adulation, but her gaze kept drifting, almost involuntarily, toward Arthur's retreating figure.
The divine and commanding aura from just moments ago seemed to still linger in the air around her.
She raised a hand and lightly touched her cheek. Her fingertips carried a trace of warmth from the excitement that had yet to fade, and she repeated quietly to herself: "Arthur... I knew I hadn't misjudged you."
A thought took shape. Gu Yue made a quiet decision — the reward she had originally planned for Arthur's cooperation in the performance would have to be changed.
Back at the hotel, Arthur let out a long breath.
"Performing is exhausting."
The rest of Class Zero crowded around him immediately.
"So it really was on purpose."
"You're the next great actor of our generation." Xie Xie hooked an arm around Arthur's neck, voice dripping with teasing. "Come on, out with it. Was it because she's pretty?"
"Obviously not. There was money involved." Arthur rolled his eyes. "You pay me enough, I'll lose to you too."
"I'll pass on that." Xie Xie pulled his neck back a little. "Even if I beat you, nobody would believe it anyway."
Xu Xiaoyan handed him a bottle of water, eyes bright with curiosity. "Arthur, what was that golden light at the end? It looked incredible."
"That?" Arthur took the bottle and had a sip. "You'll find out when we fight Shrek."
Not long after, Gu Yue returned to the hotel as well. The first thing she noticed was Na'er hunched in a corner, drawing circles on the floor, with Arthur crouching beside her asking what was wrong.
"What's the matter, Na'er?" Arthur said, puzzled.
"I wanted to face you in the finals too, with everyone watching." Na'er puffed out her cheeks, then sensed Gu Yue's return.
She whipped her head up. The moment she saw Gu Yue, her eyes turned fierce and she launched herself forward. "This is all your fault!"
"Is it really that serious?" Gu Yue said, resigned. She made no move to dodge, letting herself be tackled to the ground.
The two girls tumbled together in a heap.
They rolled across the soft carpet. Gu Yue's ice-blue off-shoulder gown slipped slightly, baring much of her fair, luminous shoulder, her collarbone catching the light with a soft gleam. Na'er's pink camisole dress was even more disheveled, the hem riding up to her thighs to reveal a pair of long, slender legs, flawlessly pale.
Their hair tangled together, spilling loose in every direction with each movement.
Arthur sucked in a sharp breath, immediately abandoned any thought of intervening, and whipped out his soul-guide camera to start recording.
He absolutely loved watching girls fight.
The second day featured the three-person team finals, which had nothing to do with Class Zero.
They rested and prepared, and the third day arrived.
This was the main event of every Skysea Alliance Tournament.
The seven-person team finals!
Even more so this year, given that the match was Shrek Academy versus Eastsea Academy — led by Arthur himself, the very person who had defeated them before.
And Gu Yue was there too!
The Gu Yue who had beaten Arthur had also made a name for herself, and the audience were well aware she was also from Eastsea Academy.
"Are you sure you don't want to compete?" Arthur asked Gu Yue before the match.
"No need to draw lots. Just send your seven up." Gu Yue shook her head. She had no interest in building her reputation by stepping on Shrek.
Since Na'er had already entered the upper levels of the Spirit Pagoda, Gu Yue would develop her presence at Shrek and the Tang Sect instead.
Of the four major powers, only the War God Hall remained — but it was too entangled in federal politics for the spirit beasts to infiltrate comfortably.
~~~
A quick note: there are still some conflicting conditions within the Thirteen Restraints, which is a bit of a headache.
I'm just going to give the protagonist an autocratic override. The Round Table votes are just a formality anyway. After all, this is a Martial Soul, not an actual governing body, so a bit of autocracy seems pretty normal, hehe.