"Mixarnt... Please win!" Misa whispered, her voice filled with hope despite the fear of seeing him nearly fall to Lancelot’s attack. It was more than a wish—it was a prayer.

Kara, Jenna, Nessa, and Poppy glanced at Misa, then, without a word, clasped their hands together as well. They shared the same silent prayer, their hearts filled with worry. But they knew stepping in would mean disregarding Mixarnt’s resolve. All they could do was believe in him.

The tension in the air was palpable. Everyone watching—from the throne room to the plaza—held their breath. The magical screens displayed Mixarnt standing firm against Lancelot, his deep blue eyes burning with determination. The two warriors faced each other, a single moment away from deciding everything.

Lancelot smirked, his grip tightening around his spear. "Alright, kid. One strike. No blocks, no parries. Just pure, unfiltered battle instinct." His aura surged, melting the snow on his feet, the very ground beneath him cracking from the sheer pressure. His eyes gleamed like those of a predator.

The blizzard also stops, and gentle snow started falling.

Mixarnt exhaled slowly. He could feel the weight of the armlet’s restriction pressing down on him, but he had already adapted. He clenched his fists, black lightning crackling wildly around his body.

"Here I come!"

Like a thunderclap, Mixarnt vanished from sight, reappearing an instant later, his blade aimed directly at Lancelot’s heart. The sheer speed of his movement sent a shockwave through the air.

But Lancelot wasn’t just standing still.

He lunged forward at the same time, his spear thrusting straight at Mixarnt’s chest with ruthless precision. The sheer force of his attack tore through the air like a meteor, causing the very atmosphere to vibrate.

The two attacks collided—

—or so it seemed.

At the last possible moment, Mixarnt twisted his body, tilting his blade just slightly. Instead of clashing head-on, he redirected his momentum around Lancelot’s spear, narrowly avoiding instant death.

Then he whispered, "Enigma Enhancement 100%" with a burst of black lightning he vanished again.

Lancelot's eyes widened slightly, the only hint of surprise he had shown all day.

"Above?!"

Mixarnt reappeared mid-air, directly above Lancelot, his blade descending like a bolt of lightning. His timing was impeccable—Lancelot had fully committed to his attack, leaving just a fraction of a second where he couldn’t adjust his stance.

The magical screens in the throne room and plaza flickered from the sheer energy of the moment. Orion gripped his chest, feeling like his heart would explode. Elara practically vibrated in her seat, whispering, “Come on, come on!”

Sunshine's knuckles were white from clenching her fists, and even Eclipse’s gaze flickered with anticipation.

"This is it."

Mixarnt’s blade was inches away—

And then—

BOOM!

A massive shockwave erupted.

The screens went completely white for a moment because of the snow before the image returned—dust and debris swirling across the battlefield.

Silence fell across the spectators.

Then, as the dust settled, two figures emerged.

Mixarnt stood tall, his blade extended.

Lancelot remained still, his spear pointing forward.

A single drop of blood trickled down the side of Lancelot’s cheek.

The entire kingdom watching the exam fell into stunned silence.

Then—

Lancelot threw his head back and laughed.

"Hahahaha! Incredible!" he roared, his booming laughter shaking the air. He turned to Mixarnt, his eyes alight with exhilaration. "You actually managed to graze me! Kid, I underestimated you."

Mixarnt exhaled, barely staying on his feet, but smirked. "A hit is a hit, old man," he muttered before collapsing from exhaustion.

Kara, Jenna, Nessa, Misa, and Poppy rushed to him, embracing him tightly despite his unconscious state.

Lancelot sheathed his spear, his amusement turning into genuine respect. "Very well. You and your friends pass the first exam."

The plaza erupted into chaos. Cheers, gasps, and disbelief filled the air. Orion actually fainted this time, collapsing to the ground. Elara screamed in triumph, shaking him.

In the throne room, Gundrik wiped his sweat away. "Hahaha… I knew he’d be fine. Yep. No doubt at all."

Sunshine let out a long sigh of relief, sinking into her chair. "Damn idiot… making me worry like that," she muttered.

Eclipse, however, simply smiled beneath her mask.

Mixarnt had done it. He had faced Aetherlight’s God of War and landed a hit.

The screen displayed the final results—Mixarnt and his friends were the last to pass. Out of 3,000 participants, only 456 remained. The rest had either given up, gone missing, or died.

The first phase of the Aether Knight Exam was over.

A few minutes earlier, at the peak of Glacier Mountain, Rosalind watched as desperate participants sprinted toward the cave—the gateway to passing the first exam. Behind them, monstrous Yetis tore through the weaker ones, and amid the chaos, three nobles stood at the entrance, mercilessly cutting down anyone who tried to enter.

"What the hell are you doing!? Let us in!" Carter shouted, his winter clothes in shreds. Beside him, Cobber and Cooper were equally battered—injured, exhausted, and barely standing.

Ever since they pushed Mixarnt off the cliff, things had only gone downhill for them. The weight of their supplies slowed them down, forcing them to abandon rations. The blizzard had been relentless, and without Mixarnt's uncanny ability to navigate safely, they had stumbled into wave after wave of monsters. Carter couldn't understand it—when Mixarnt was with them, they had made great progress, avoiding conflicts and reaching the halfway point in just a few hours from the start of the trial. But now, they were barely clinging to life, and to make matters worse, the nobles were blocking the entrance.

"Let us in!" Cooper gasped, his mana completely drained from overusing his invisibility and anti-detection magic.

Caelum, Aurelian, and Adrian, the three nobles guarding the entrance, exchanged indifferent glances.

"If you can’t get through this barrier, you aren’t qualified," Caelum said, his tone filled with disdain. The mana barrier he had cast only allowed entry to those with medium or high mana reserves, completely rejecting those with low capacity—like commoners.

"Just accept your failure and die," Aurelian added dismissively.

"Don’t screw with us! We worked just as hard to get here! We deserve—"

Cobber's words were cut short—literally. In a flash, Adrian’s blade sliced through his skull, leaving half his head missing.

"Silence," Adrian muttered, not even sparing him a second glance. "You dare compare yourselves to us? How pathetic."

Behind them, the situation grew worse. A swarm of wounded participants, mostly commoners ran for their lives, unwittingly leading Yetis straight to the cave.

Rosalind, observing from a distance, scoffed. "Hmph. They're dying because of their own kind."

Unlike the others, she took no pleasure in the slaughter. She wasn’t heartless, but she had been raised to accept the brutal reality of the exam. Her grandmother, Rosalinda, had prepared her well for this moment.

She recalled their conversation.

"Grandma, how did you turn away from all of the brutality in the Aether Knight Trials?"

"I didn’t," Rosalinda had said. "But I also didn’t interfere. The Aether Knight Exam has always been a battle to the death, and you can only trust yourself. Is it cruel? Perhaps. But even commoners show their true colors when faced with desperation."

Rosalind had understood then. And now, standing at the peak, watching the massacre unfold, she understood even more. As the chaos continued, Rosalind turned away, her grandmother’s advice echoing in her mind. She knew she had to focus on her own survival, even if it meant closing her eyes to the cruelty around her.