Once upon a time, she too had been an ordinary girl with innocent dreams.
In a humble but warm cottage in the Border Village, she had nestled against her mother's knees, listening to the heroic epics passed down by bards.
Her eyes had shone, her little hands clenched into fists as she declared with absolute conviction:
"My dream is to become a great hero like the ones in the stories! To protect everyone and beat the bad guys! So I'll get to rummage through every chest I find!"
As though searching every treasure chest along the way was all there was to a hero's journey.
Her father, repairing farming tools nearby, had looked up at her words, a teasing smile spreading across his bronze face.
"Then let's hope your little bottom is as tough as those great heroes' too."
Her mother had simply smiled gently and stroked her hair.
Back then, the world had been simple and bright.
Until that day.
Blood had soaked the village's sunset, and the howls of Demons and the screams of humans had torn apart its peaceful days.
Claws had smashed the crude wooden door, and their warm cottage had become an inferno that devoured lives.
Her father had stood guard at the doorway with a woodcutting axe, his back as imposing as a mountain, only to be engulfed in an instant by hideous black shadows.
Her mother had shoved her into the tunnel, the force of that final embrace making her bones ache. On her tear-streaked face was a resolve and desperation she had never shown before.
"Victoria, run! Leave this place forever! Don't look back!"
"You have to survive, my daughter!"
Young Sylvia had clung desperately to her as she screamed and struggled, using every ounce of strength to drag her toward the tunnel's exit.
"Victoria, you can't go back!"
"Mom! Dad! No, I'm not leaving! I want to stay! I want to defeat those Demons! Let go, Sylvia! I don't want to leave!"
She had screamed, kicked, and thrashed, her gray eyes reflecting the towering flames and splattering blood, her nails clawing bloody trails into the ground.
But she had been too weak. Too weak even to break free of her best friend's grip, too weak to do anything but watch her home become ruins amid fire and slaughter, watch darkness swallow the figures of her loved ones.
That night, the flames had not only burned down the village. They had also kindled a fire deep within her heart that would never go out.
Fueled by grief, fear, and helplessness, that fire had ultimately forged a resolve as cold and hard as steel.
Grow stronger-strong enough to sever the chains of every tragedy.
Climb-reach a height where I can shelter those I cherish.
When the Hero's Blessing from the very source of the world had descended upon her, that fire had burned brighter and fiercer.
It was no longer merely an inferno of vengeance, but a responsibility and a path that bordered on a sacred duty.
She could clearly see the thorns and powerful enemies strewn across the road ahead, and she had already made up her mind. She would defeat everyone who stood in her way, reach the pinnacle of strength, and gain the power to end calamity!
And so...
On the arena platform, Victoria's gray eyes refocused. She forced all her surging emotions back into the deepest recesses of her heart, turning them into cold, unyielding stone behind her gaze.
She stared at the blazing flame across from her named Lilith Kahn.
The princess before her was powerful, proud, and as dazzling as the sun.
But she, Victoria, also had reasons she absolutely could not lose!
For the losses she could never undo, for the future represented by that weighty blessing, and to prove herself to everyone who looked down on her.
Her path, her will, and her strength were inferior to no one's!
Victoria took a deep breath and calmed herself.
Granted, the strength Lilith had displayed exceeded her initial expectations.
But that certainly did not mean she had no chance of winning!
She recalled something her master had once taught her: when your opponent was incredibly powerful, you could find a way to lower their guard, then deliver a fatal blow at the crucial moment.
Victoria's mind raced as she analyzed the opponent before her.
What was Lilith's strongest weapon?
Undoubtedly, Flame Explosion, one of the highest-tier fire spells.
Its power was beyond question, enough to change the course of a battle in an instant or even decide its outcome.
But high-tier magic usually meant enormous mana consumption and mental strain.
Especially a spell on the level of Flame Explosion. A single cast would surely drain all her mana and might even leave her briefly weakened.
Then perhaps that was the key to victory-create an opportunity, lure her into casting Flame Explosion, and then... dodge it!
As long as she successfully avoided that devastating strike, the scales of victory would surely tip in her favor against a potentially mana-depleted Lilith!
The challenge was how to make her clever, proud opponent play that ultimate trump card at what she believed was the best possible moment.
Victoria's plan gradually took shape.
She needed an "opening," one convincing enough to make Lilith believe that seizing it and unleashing her full power would secure victory in a single blow.
First, the opening could not look too fake, or it would never fool a genius with such sharp instincts.
Second, it could not be too dangerous, or she might actually lose because of it.
It had to appear at a moment when they seemed evenly matched, when Lilith was growing frustrated and eager to break the stalemate.
With her plan settled, Victoria hesitated no longer and launched a fresh assault!
"Wind Blade!"
"Water Gun!"
"Earth Spike!"
The gray-haired girl darted nimbly across the arena, cycling through basic earth, water, and wind magic. Though they lacked the explosive flamboyance of fire magic, her fluid transitions between elements and tricky attack angles constantly forced Lilith to react.
She no longer sought victory in a single strike, instead drawing the fight into a prolonged exchange that tested their endurance.
At first, Lilith could still use the power and precision of her fire magic to suppress her opponent and even counterattack.
But she soon realized things were not so simple.
Victoria was like a tough piece of waterlogged leather. Flames would raise clouds of white steam and leave scorch marks, but could never truly set her ablaze or tear her apart.
They were evenly matched.
Infuriatingly evenly matched!
The smile gradually vanished from Lilith's face, and an almost imperceptible anxiety began to creep in.
This was nothing like what she had expected!
She had thought she could crush her opponent with overwhelming power and talent, just as she always had.
Yet this commoner, Victoria, was proving unbelievably difficult!
Her use of magic was clearly less refined and dazzling than Lilith's, and her mana fluctuations seemed less powerful as well. Yet her tenacity, composure, and almost animalistic combat instincts had forced the battle into a stalemate.
If this kept up... my mana would keep draining, and my stamina would keep slipping away.
Was this really going to end in a draw?
No! Absolutely not!
The word "draw" did not exist in Lilith Kahn's vocabulary!
She was the princess of flames, a genius destined to burn through everything and illuminate the road ahead!
How could she be evenly matched with someone who had appeared out of nowhere?
Pride burned away her patience.
She yearned for an opening, a moment that would let her secure victory!
But just then, an opportunity suddenly appeared.
After swiftly sidestepping a volley of fire arrows, Victoria's foot seemed to slip slightly as she stepped on the edge of a stone slab that had cracked and tilted upward during their earlier magical clashes!
She instantly lost her balance and staggered backward, seemingly about to fall in a thoroughly humiliating heap!
An opening! A huge opening!
In a high-speed duel, losing your balance meant at least one or two seconds without any effective defense or evasion!
If I cast Flame Explosion now, I'll win!
The thought flashed through Lilith's mind like lightning.
The surging fire mana within her ignited at once, gathering frantically in her right palm!
The surrounding air hummed under the unbearable strain. The temperature soared, and even the light began to warp.
An extremely unstable crimson fireball, its edges glowing white-hot and its core resembling molten lava, rapidly took shape in her palm!
Waves of devastating energy swept outward!
Even at only LV1, this was still Flame Explosion!
One of the highest-tier fire spells!
Its might was incomparable to the fire arrows and fire chains she had used before!
Gasps rose from the stands, and many instructors instinctively sat up straight.
Yet in the instant before that red-and-white fireball, packed with terrifying power, left her hand-
A blond boy's face, wearing a faintly helpless smile, and his seemingly joking words burst into Lilith's thoughts without warning:
"Just wait and see. In tomorrow's Class Placement Duel, Victoria will use a feint at the end to bait Her Highness Lilith into casting Flame Explosion, and win the match that way."
That made Lilith hesitate for a moment.
Was I really supposed to believe something that guy had said so casually?
How could a mistake this serious possibly be a feint?
If I let this opportunity slip, the match might very well end in a draw.
But...!
Another voice, faint but stubborn, whispered deep inside her: What if it was?
She remembered something else he had said beside the campfire, wearing that expression that was infuriating yet somehow reassuring:
"Repay me? No need to make things so complicated. You... well, just keep supporting Her Highness Lilith like this."
Damn it!
Lilith cursed inwardly.
If he dared lie to me, I'd go beat that guy to a pulp afterward!
For now... I'll take the gamble!
Lilith made a decision so bold it bordered on madness.
She assumed that Victoria's current mistake really was a feint meant to lure her into casting Flame Explosion!
Then how would she avoid that fatal strike?
Her gaze shifted to the large pit behind Victoria, created by the destruction from their earlier fighting.
Off balance like this, she couldn't possibly dodge very far. She must be planning to use her momentum to roll into that pit, then instantly seal the top with earth magic to avoid most of the impact.
Once I was briefly exhausted from casting high-tier magic, she could burst out of the pit and counterattack!
Having reached that conclusion, Lilith aimed Flame Explosion straight at the pit and fired.
It worked!
The moment Victoria saw Lilith cast Flame Explosion, she knew her opponent must have fallen for it.
She immediately used her momentum to flip over and drop into the pit, sealing the opening above her with earth magic as she went.
Now, as long as she endured the first wave of the impact, victory would surely be hers!
"But why is it getting hotter and hotter?"
She made a hole and peeked outside.
In the next instant, her gray eyes contracted to pinpoints!
A Flame Explosion, white-hot around the edges and crimson at its core, brimming with the purest destructive power, was hurtling straight toward her!
"How could she have guessed?! I demand to check your cards!!!"
BOOOOM-!!!
The deafening explosion swallowed every thought.
Before you continue