Chapter 144: Fighting Aurelius

Lucien stood with his arms crossed, sneering from below the stage. "No matter how many times I see it, that power is just plain revolting."

"Gives me chills just watching."

"If it weren’t for the implants, would he even be this strong? What a joke."

Despite the trash talk, no one could deny how dangerous Aurelius’ superpower was.

In the air above, his tentacles cracked like whips. Lyra, steady as ever, calmly raised a shimmering shield of light, deflecting each strike with perfect precision.

She smiled slightly. ’Even bringing it up feels like an insult. That prince is way too insecure.’

Suddenly, she spun, narrowly dodging another tentacle creeping up behind her.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, she snapped up a light barrier, blocking every incoming tendril. She looked a little surprised. "I heard you only have Class-B talent and owes his rank to the implants. But now I’m starting to think..."

"Shut up!" Aurelius snarled. His tentacles coiled tightly around his arms, and in a blink, he became a blur, rushing at her with raw force.

Lyra hesitated for a second before leaping into the air, flipping mid-flight to dodge his charge. As she twisted back around, she kicked out hard.

Her foot connected with something rubbery, but before she could react, Aurelius countered with a punch, sending her flying.

While tumbling through the sky, Lyra quickly threw up another light shield to stop her fall, preventing him from capitalizing on her stumble.

"Cough, cough!" She let out a laugh, healing herself with a burst of energy.

Turns out, Aurelius had been hiding his real strength the whole time. He was no pushover, and he knew exactly how to play dumb and wait for the perfect moment.

"Looks like our idol Lyra is really a healer!" the commentator called out. "What’s she going to do now?"

Aurelius wasted no time. He lashed out with more tentacles, ready to take her down mid-air.

But in the next moment, a green flash appeared, slicing through his tentacles like butter!

Lyra hovered in the sky, her expression icy.

Behind her, light strips fanned out, mimicking Aurelius’ own attacks.

With a simple wave, those light strips transformed into sharp blades, tearing through his power in a matter of seconds.

As blue light shattered around him, Aurelius’ eyes widened.

He felt like facing a giant mountain. No matter how hard he tried to climb, he would never reach the top. All he could do was watch her, standing victorious at the peak.

Suddenly, a surge of green light wrapped around him, flinging him to the ground. He bounced off the light barrier twice before crashing down hard.

The referee had been hiding in the corner. At that moment, he rushed forward, sweating bullets, to check on Aurelius.

After a moment, he declared, "NMA wins!"

Even Andre, watching from the sidelines, exhaled in relief.

No one had expected Aurelius to hide his strength like that. If anyone else had faced him, they’d probably have lost, and the team would’ve been knocked out.

Before the team match, there was some bickering in RMA. The third prince, Lucien, refused to include Aurelius in the match; he used Aurelius’ loss as a reason and gave the chance to his own supporters.

In the end, Aurelius coldly said, "I’m not fully healed. I’m back out for now."

He knew, even if he did go back up, no one would follow his orders anyway, and he didn’t have the energy to argue about it.

Without Aurelius, their most dangerous player, NMA took a little longer but secured the win.

When Lucien was finally freed from the earth wall, his face was twisted in anger.

After the match, he shot a death glare at Aurelius. "You agreed to back out on purpose, just to watch me fail, didn’t you?"

Aurelius glanced at him, unfazed. "We were losing it anyway."

This year, with Lyra in the competition, it was clear NMA was going to take first place.

"Hmph."

Lucien didn’t even bother with the obligatory handshake for sportsmanship. He ignored the commentator, storming off with his supporters trailing behind.

They giggled as they glanced at Aurelius. They thought they were humiliating him, but in truth, the royal family was the one left red-faced.

Aurelius led his two teammates onto the stage, each of them hailing from commoner backgrounds.

Despite that, he maintained his royal composure, shaking hands with every opponent.

But when it came to Lyra, something in him hesitated. Still, she had already switched back to her usual detached expression. She offered a quick handshake and a nod before looking down.

’She’s too hard to read,’ he thought.

Yet, someday in the future, he’d realize that Lyra was far more straightforward than anyone else.

The finals were set for the next morning, and now, it was a bit late.

The light from the satellite above shimmered down, mixing with the bright glow of the city beneath it.

Lyra and her team headed back to the hotel.

At the entrance, a young man sat by the flower bed, waiting. The moment he spotted her, he jumped up and rushed over.

"Lyra, big sis!"

His face lit up, but after just a few steps, he froze, hesitating.

After everything that happened on Wyrmtrace, he had been buried in military duties, while also trying to uncover the truth about their past. He hadn’t found much.

After finishing his latest mission, he heard about Lyra’s sudden rise in the AMAT competition.

Elsie and the others traded glances, puzzled. To them, Lyra was their junior, but this guy, mature-looking in his military uniform, was calling her big sis.

Lyra, however, stayed calm. "Why are you here? Decided to come with me after all?"

Kail stood there, stiff as a board. The uniform of the Legion Skywalkers he wore suddenly felt like a burden.

"I..."

No words came.

Lyra gave him a cool glance and walked past him into the hotel. "I told you to stop bothering me," she muttered coldly as she passed.

Elsie, following a step behind, noticed how completely crushed Kail looked, like a puppy left out in the rain. The rest of the group exchanged looks and quietly followed Lyra inside.

The next day, despite Lyra’s coldness, Kail still showed up at the competition alone. He leaned over the railing, peering down toward the players’ tunnel.

Every roar of the crowd seemed to make him strain his neck just a little more.

When Lyra finally appeared, the cheers were deafening.

On the big screen, Lyra looked composed and graceful, nothing like the ice queen she’d been toward him the night before.

"Tsk tsk, ran back to see your sister just to get ignored? And now here you are, watching her from the sidelines like a lost puppy. Pathetic." Erin’s mocking voice cut through his thoughts as she stood beside him, arms crossed.

Kail took off his glasses, clearly annoyed. "Are you spying on me again?" His tone was sharp. "This is between me and my sister. Stay out of it."

"Don’t forget," Erin sneered, "you’re a Shedd now. Don’t ruin everything for a traitor who doesn’t even care about your precious family."

She tossed her hair back. "Better watch your back—your sister might sell you out before you even see it coming."

Kail wasn’t rattled by her attempt to drive a wedge between him and Lyra, but the confidence in Erin’s voice stirred something. She seemed too sure of herself, too certain about the rift between Lyra and the Shedd family.

"What did you do to her?" Kail asked, suspicion creeping into his voice.

To Erin, Kail was little more than just an annoyance. She chuckled. "Why don’t you ask her? See if she trusts you enough to tell you the truth."

With that, she sauntered off, leaving Kail standing there with disappointment flickering across his face.

But it was gone as quickly as it appeared. Kail knew Lyra had her reasons for keeping secrets, and he wasn’t about to fall for Erin’s games. He was sure Lyra wasn’t the villain Erin tried to make her out to be.

Suddenly, the announcer’s voice boomed through the arena. "In the singles match, Lyra takes the stage! Her opponent, Robin from EPMA, also a first-year!"

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read