The snowy valley, once filled with murmurs and low chatter as crowds gathered from all directions, had fallen into a heavy, breathless silence.
All eyes stared toward a single point.
There, standing among the dismembered corpses of no less than ten, was a boy — his breath uneven, shoulders rising and falling, and yet, his head held high.
Noel stood in the center of the blood-soaked snow, crimson staining the white earth beneath his feet.
It hadn’t been long since he emerged from the Trial Dimension — barely a few minutes — but already, more than ten people had tried to stand in his way.
And he had cut them all down.
His gaze swept across the silent crowd, unflinching and wild.
And then, with a sharp breath, he suddenly threw back his head and roared—
His voice didn’t just echo between the towering peaks.
It struck the hearts of those watching — with fear, with rage, with dread... and for some, awe.
Serah stood quietly amid the watching crowd.
Her face flushed red, her hand fanning at her cheek, eyes locked onto the boy who now seemed to look more and more charming.
She watched him with absolutely no intention of interfering anytime soon.
Unlike the fools behind her, who were itching to jump in.
Waiting only for a single word from her.
But she didn’t give it.
And so, the Hallowed Sun Cult remained still.
As did the other two major factions.
It was the others who acted.
Amid mutters of fear — whispers calling Noel a monster — a louder voice suddenly cut through the tension.
"Bastard thinks he’s invincible. Let’s show him otherwise!"
A middle-aged man stepped forward, wearing the air of a seasoned fighter.
At first glance, he looked bold — but a closer look betrayed him.
There was a tremble in his legs.
A hesitation in his voice.
And as he barked for others to follow, urging them to surround the lone boy, Serah’s eyes narrowed in disdain.
To her, he was no different than the rest.
Just another piece of trash pretending to be something more.
"Trial or not, he bleeds just like the rest of us," another man added, stepping out.
And one after another, more followed — each throwing out some variation of the same tried line.
Their numbers climbed... but still hovered around a dozen.
Not all had the courage to step forward.
Some had already backed off, slipping away into the crowd, choosing survival over bravado.
Serah watched on, excitement in her eyes, curious to see how this second round would unfold.
But then... something cahnged.
More people began stepping out — this time, from the stronger groups.
And the number, once barely over a dozen, quickly swelled past fifty.
That wasn’t what concerned her.
What caught her attention... was where their gazes were now fixed.
But on the unconscious girl from the Everen noble family, lying still on the snow-covered ground.
"What’s going on?" Serah murmured, her tone edged with confusion.
Elysia, ever-attentive beside her, replied smoothly.
"They may be second-rate, but they’re not fools. Many are sharp enough to see what’s truly valuable here."
"They have noticed Noel’s current condition — and realized that the true prize isn’t with him."
Her eyes flicked to the unconscious girl.
"Instead, it’s with the Everen heir."
Raising an eyebrow, Serah asked, "And what did she get?"
"An Apex Relic," Elysia replied.
And Serah couldn’t help but exclaim. "So it really was a high-level Trial Dimension."
Elysia nodded, continuing her explanation.
"Yes. And with how valuable an Apex Relic is, all these groups will start going mad from greed."
"With just one, even a second-rate group could rise to stand among the top organizations, after all."
Serah’s eyes gleamed as she listened to Elysia’s words, but in the end, she simply continued watching... hoping Noel would surprise her even more.
Down below, Noel moved like a blur — dual blades forged from pure Destruction Law power in both hands, tearing through his enemies.
He danced through the battlefield, cutting down one opponent after another.
And yet, more kept joining the fray.
He remained grounded, his back to the unconscious girl lying in the snow, guarding her.
His enemies came from all sides — some from a distance, some from sky — yet he never gave an inch.
His grin didn’t fade.
If anything, it only grew sharper.
He was enjoying this.
Even now, with injuries beginning to show and the pressure mounting... he was enjoying it.
Behind Serah, the members of the Hallowed Sun Cult watched with widening eyes.
Their opinions were already shifting.
What was once a hateful, unlikeable brat — was now, somehow, a likeable... but still hateful brat.
"He really should’ve been born into our cult," one of them muttered.
Another, after a short pause, gave a reluctant nod.
"You don’t see this kind of madness every day."
At the front, Serah clenched her hands tightly as she watched him.
The desire in her eyes — that he should’ve been one of theirs — was also clear as day.
And so, with a careful tone, she said, "Young Miss... you need to give up this time."
"His situation is hopeless."
"Yes, he’s strong. Against anyone outside the major factions and top group leaders, he’d be untouchable."
"But that’s only when they come at him head-on. In reasonable numbers."
She looked down toward the battlefield, her voice quieting.
"But now... the number of enemies keeps growing. And he’s still trying to protect that girl."
"With that kind of handicap... there’s no way he’ll make it."
"But, even if he did... the problem is not what he is facing, instead it’s what he is holding, and you know that right?"
Serah didn’t respond.
She stayed silent, biting her lip, clearly conflicted.
Then, as she saw more injuries accumulating across Noel’s body, she couldn’t help but whisper, "Even if we’re not interfering... what about the Cross family? Or the Everens... are they not coming?"
Elysia replied calmly, "For the Everen family, it wouldn’t be strange if they showed up at any moment."
"But as for the Cross family... the situation is different. They have too many enemies. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were being deliberately held back."
Serah nodded slightly. And the fight continued.
But then, suddenly, changes started happening.
The tide was turning against Noel too quickly... unnaturally so.
"What’s going on?" she asked again, her voice lower this time — sharp.
And once again, her all-knowing guardian answered without hesitation.
"The witches," Elysia said. "They’ve finally made their move."
Serah’s eyes snapped in their direction.
And seeing how they were still standing there — unmoving, playing the part of idle observers — she gritted her teeth.
"Those sneaky bitches..." she muttered.
Her aura flared. Her eyes began to glow, and she was clearly on the verge of stepping in.
A powerful presence washed over the valley — immense, commanding, and far beyond the level of anyone else here.
And then... a woman appeared in the sky.
She radiated uncanny grace.
An overwhelming beauty.
Elysia’s voice was a whisper now.
"...The head of the Everen family."