Arke sat comfortably in his room, a wine glass in hand, within reach of a table piled high with fruits and meat.
With a satisfied smile, he reached for a red fruit and began eating it with relish.
"Ah, this is heaven," Arke sighed in contentment. "That b*tch will definitely die! Hahaha! And she'll suffer greatly!"
His laughter echoed inside the room, blending with the sounds of fighting outside.
As he laughed, he touched his chest, feeling that his injuries had fully healed. His smile widened. "With my wounds gone, I don't have to worry about winning first place."
After the battle with Bel, he had been gravely injured. If he hadn't been healed in time, he'd still be stuck in the Healing Room.
Thinking back to their fight, he knew it had been a close call. He had to abandon his defense, focusing solely on getting close enough to use his poison. Fortunately, it paid off, and the poison managed to enter her body.
But as his thoughts lingered on the aftermath of the fight, Arke gritted his teeth.
He had been humiliated by Mathias in front of hundreds of people, forced to kneel with his life in the other man's hands. Helpless, he had waited for death—a situation more infuriating than anything he'd ever experienced.
"Tsk! But I still won. You'll see your daughter suffer, slowly slipping away from you!" Smirking coldly, he resumed eating the food on the table.
"You seem so happy," a voice suddenly echoed in the room.
Recognizing it, Arke placed the fruit back on the plate and turned toward the sound.
Standing at the viewing deck was a figure in a black-and-white butler uniform—Holst.
Arke couldn't help but wonder how this man always appeared out of nowhere, unnoticed.
"Who wouldn't be?" Arke smirked.
"You're right," Holst said, turning to face Arke. "But you still have one more mission."
"Ha, don't worry about it. It's going to be easy from here on out," Arke said confidently.
"If you say so," Holst replied, his eyes as narrow as ever. "We'll meet again after you complete the last mission."
As Arke was about to respond, the butler suddenly vanished from sight, as if he'd never been there.
What the hell? Arke shook his head. At that moment, there was a knock on the door, which opened to reveal a man in a simple white robe.
"It's time for the final round. Prepare yourself," the white-robed man said. "Please follow me."
"I see," Arke smiled. "I guess it's time to win this examination!"
Meanwhile, back in Apollo's room.
"Are you sure you can kill him?" Filly asked, concern written all over her face as she looked at the small, masked man.
"Don't worry, I'm a lot stronger than you think," Apollo replied. They were talking about killing someone like it was a simple matter.
"What about the consequences?" Filly asked, staring into Can Deez's eyes.
"I said, don't worry," Apollo repeated firmly.
"I think we should trust him," Gail chimed in from the side, having listened quietly until now. They had come to ask if Can Deez was truly confident about this.
"Alright then," Filly nodded reluctantly. Though she didn't know the small masked man well, she felt a strange familiarity with him, which made her all the more concerned.
A knock came at the door as they were talking, and a person in a white robe entered.
"Mr. Can Deez, it's time for the final round," the robed person said. "Please follow me."
Hearing this, Apollo stood up from his seat and followed the man. "You should just enjoy the show," he said before leaving.
With those words, his figure disappeared, leaving the two women behind.
"I wonder why I feel so close to him," Filly muttered before turning to Gail. "What do you think? Do you think he can do it? I may not be as strong as you guys, but I also want to kill that guy!"
Gail remained silent, her eyes still fixed on the door.
"What's wrong?" Filly asked, noticing Gail's unresponsiveness. "Hey, Gail!"
The shout snapped Gail out of her thoughts. Shaking her head, she looked at Filly. "S-sorry. It's just… I've been feeling strange, like something heavy is pressing on my mind. My instincts… they're telling me something's wrong. I smell danger."
Worry appeared on Filly's face. "Do you think something bad will happen to him?"
"I don't know," Gail said, shaking her head, a frown on her face. "I've been feeling this way for a while now."
"You were trained by my family to be an assassin, right? Your instincts must be right," Filly said.
"Sometimes instincts can be confusing. Besides, Bel's instincts are more accurate than mine," Gail explained.
Suddenly, the Host's voice boomed throughout the stadium, prompting them to move to the viewing deck.
Filly walked over to a chair and sat down. With a full view of the platform, she couldn't help but think how amazing it looked. Gail stood beside her, her eyes fixed on Can Deez's back.
"Ladies and gentlemen! It's finally time for the final battle of this Advancement Examination!" the Host shouted, excitement evident in his voice. "Over the past days, we've seen eliminations, blood, and tears from the first test up to this very moment! Today is glorious, as we will finally witness who will reign at the top of this Examination!"
The audience erupted in cheers, their voices echoing through the venue.
"And furthermore, we have an outsider as one of the finalists! Facing off against Arke, the student with a Poison Body! Who will emerge victorious? The underdog or the infamous champion?" The Host continued, gauging the crowd's excitement, which had reached its peak. "Let's welcome Arke and Can Deez!"
The two participants walked onto the stage, both jumping onto it at the same time.
The Host stood in the middle of the massive platform, while the Referee waited on the sidelines.
As the Host hyped up the crowd, the two participants locked eyes, with Arke grinning from ear to ear.
After a while, the Host stepped away, and the Referee moved forward, though he didn't start the match just yet, giving the two contestants time to prepare themselves.