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Chapter: 28
At Karina’s meaningful smile, Callahan’s brow furrowed.
“Do you really think you can defeat the elite knight order raised by Ludovico?”
“You won’t know until you measure it,” she replied.
At her somewhat boastful answer, Callahan’s gaze turned cold.
Even under the duke’s pressure, Karina kept smiling calmly. As if she had just thought of something, she raised a finger and continued.
“But not with something boring like a simple team match.”
Karina met the duke’s eyes head-on and smiled faintly.
“Let’s do a winning-streak match—plus an interference battle.”
For a moment, the duke’s expression turned strange.
“A winning-streak match and an interference battle?”
“The winner continues on to the next duel. And during the fight, they can call in allies to fight as a team.”
She said it lightly, but it was a surprisingly intriguing proposal.
Calling in allies mid-fight to turn it into a team battle?
“Of course, the timing of calling allies depends entirely on the will of the current fighter. They can call them from the start—or hold out until a critical moment and summon help then.”
This wasn’t a simple duel. It required careful calculation and strategy.
In a straightforward 2-on-2 team match, Batius’s side was clearly at a disadvantage.
They had three non-combatants: Ariel, Isabella, and Albin.
Concentrating combatants on one side would weaken the other two teams. Even if one team’s win rate rose, the overall result of the friendly match would likely be a loss.
But if combatants endured as long as possible in a winning-streak format, and non-combatants supported them through interference battles?
It was entirely feasible.
A confident smile spread across Karina’s lips.
Alberto—the one she’d briefly clashed with—was no match for her.
The inner power she had accumulated at monstrous speed, combined with her experience as the Black Heaven Flying Swallow, placed her on a level that even the famed elite knights raised by Ludovico couldn’t dare compare to.
Of course, there was one exception.
Ellen, Ludovico’s heir.
She didn’t know exactly, but he was at least on Isaac’s level—perhaps even comparable to Xavier.
But if they quickly dealt with the rest of the riffraff?
They had a real chance.
At the very least, she and Isaac were holding the line.
Callahan stared silently into Karina’s confident eyes, then turned toward the aide waiting in the corner of the office.
“Propose what we just discussed to Duke Ludovico.”
At the duke’s order, the aide nodded without protest.
“Yes. I’ll ask him immediately.”
The aide returned to the office in less than ten minutes.
“They say they don’t mind however it’s done. They’ll accommodate us as much as possible.”
Callahan’s expression stiffened at the easy acceptance.
Was it arrogance—the belief that they would win no matter what?
Karina’s face twisted in irritation as well.
How obnoxious.
They must have noticed our non-combatants and are bluffing. Guess they haven’t been beaten enough yet.
While Karina grumbled internally, Callahan wrapped things up.
“Then we’ll proceed as discussed. The friendly match will be exactly two weeks from now.”
After saying that, he stared straight at Karina.
“We’ll see whether your confidence is justified—or just empty bravado.”
At the duke’s quiet warning, the other children swallowed nervously.
“You may leave.”
At his words, the children hurriedly turned to go.
But Karina suddenly clapped her hands, as if she’d just remembered something.
“Oh right—since I personally took down Count Frederick, isn’t there some kind of reward?”
At Karina’s sudden question, the children’s faces drained of color.
* * *
Karina looked down at the mana stone in her hand.
“Hehehe.”
It was the reward the duke had given her for taking down Frederick.
Even while handing it over, the duke had worn an expression that clearly said, What kind of kid is this?
But rewards and punishments must be clear!
Reward those who do well so they do even better!
Punish those who act out so they never dare again!
By that logic, she absolutely deserved this reward. Obviously.
Karina’s eyes gleamed with greed as she stared at the mana stone, overflowing with blue energy.
It was enormous—far beyond comparison with the one she had seized from Largo, the Iron-Blooded Demon Emperor.
Apparently, these things were ridiculously expensive.
Swallowing the drool that nearly escaped her lips, Karina tucked the mana stone into her clothes.
With this amount, she should ask Albin how many artifacts could be made.
She planned to have him craft artifacts for the upcoming friendly match.
Ah, of course—only a very small portion.
The rest would be saved as future funds. Heh.
Lost in thought as she headed toward the dormitory, she spotted a familiar figure in the garden behind the building—a place she often used.
It was Denian.
He was sitting cross-legged, looking surprisingly convincing—as if he’d learned something at least.
Watching him with displeasure, Karina quietly approached.
As expected, he was forcibly trying to circulate energy the same way she had once pushed inner power into him.
Unable to stand it anymore, Karina smacked the back of his head to stop him from doing something stupid.
Smack!
Denian couldn’t even cry out. He just clutched the back of his head and bowed forward.
Seeing a kid who didn’t even scream made Karina feel oddly guilty, and she cleared her throat.
“I told you not to do stupid things.”
Denian lifted his head and glared at her with tear-filled eyes.
“And what if I do?” Karina replied mockingly.
Her expression irritated him so much that Denian suddenly grabbed her sleeve tightly.
“What’s with you? Why are you clinging to me?”
She tried to pull her hand away, but Denian wouldn’t budge.
“Oh?”
Maybe knocking some sense into him with a proper lump on his head would help?
As she thought that, her eyes met his.
Eyes filled with malice, stubborn will, and obsession.
Eyes burning with a desperate desire to learn.
They reminded her of herself in the past—struggling to survive like a rat in the Black Dao Hall, determined to grow stronger.
Captured by that gaze, Karina unconsciously loosened her clenched fist.
“You want to regain that feeling from before?”
At her question, Denian’s face lit up, and he nodded vigorously.
Seeing that, Karina let out a deep sigh.
“It’s not as easy as it sounds. If you mess up, you could end up half-crippled—or dead.”
Well… since he couldn’t speak, maybe he was already halfway there?
Feeling awkward, Karina scratched her forehead—but Denian’s grip on her sleeve tightened.
It was a declaration that he wouldn’t let go, even if it killed him.
Meeting that relentless gaze, Karina finally sat down, resigned.
“Temporary methods like before won’t make you truly strong. Back then, I only pushed a tiny bit of my energy into you. To really grow stronger, you need to form a dantian yourself and accumulate energy.”
She was explaining the basics of energy circulation.
Denian looked completely lost.
Seriously… is it okay to teach this to someone who doesn’t even know the ‘mu’ in martial arts?
Hesitating, Karina soon ran a hand through her hair, thinking, Whatever.
In the martial world, even a lawless beggar with no knowledge could become a supreme master if they met the right teacher.
Of course, innate talent and luck were absolutely essential.
At the very least, this kid had talent—he remembered and imitated the energy she had pushed into his meridians just once.
And that was without even understanding the concept of inner power.
Of course, even naturally gifted prodigies often ended up crippled while forming a dantian.
“Don’t blame me later, got it?”
Denian knelt before her and nodded enthusiastically.
He really did want to learn.
“Hmmm… which cultivation method would be best…?”
There were countless internal arts techniques.
Besides the methods practiced by cult members, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult also possessed many manuals stolen from the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families.
They weren’t the absolute top-tier techniques of each sect, but there were plenty of solid methods—from foundational ones to fairly advanced ones.
As the cult leader, Karina had mastered all of them.
What should she teach?
The Wudang Taiji Divine Art?
Shaolin’s Prajna Divine Art?
Mount Hua’s Six Harmonies Art?
Just then, a familiar voice spoke.
“Karina, can you teach me too?”
Ariel had approached without her noticing and knelt down beside Denian.
