''Shckkk''


    Aether ced a hand on his chest, feeling the card return to its ce without the need for a summon, "I suppose it returns to the user and... no one could steal it," Aether muttered under his breath, his gaze fixed on ke, who was still recovering from the sudden attack.


    "Are you okay? Don''t die on me now... I still have a score to settle," Aether remarked with a sly grin, a hint of mischief in his eyes.


    "YOU!!" ke snapped, his eyes filled with hatred as he red at Aether.


    "That''s more like it. Come at me now," Aether nodded in satisfaction, observing ke seethe with anger.


    ke clenched his Arcane Card tightly, and in a swift motion, the card dispersed into shimmering particles of silver before coalescing into a long, slender sword.


    With determination in his eyes, ke lunged toward Aether, the sword gleaming as it sliced through the air, his intent clear.... to defeat his opponent once and for all.


    "Increase Agility," Aether muttered under his breath.


    !~Ding~!


    [+1 Agility]


    [Agility: 11↑]


    ''Shhh''


    Just as ke''s sword was about to connect with Aether''s neck, Aether dodged it with lightning speed, narrowly avoiding the lethal strike.


    "What the..." ke was momentarily taken aback, his confusion evident as he struggled toprehend Aether''s sudden burst of speed. Despite having analyzed Aether''s movements and speed beforehand, he found himself surprised by the sudden increase in Aether''s agility.


    "He''s improving..." Empress murmured quietly, her gaze fixed on Aether''s now more intriguing eyes, which seemed to hold secrets beyondprehension.


    "Yes..." Archpriestess nodded in agreement, noting Aether''s newfound confidence and careless demeanour, a stark contrast to his earlier cautiousness.


    "BAM!!"


    Aether swiftly countered ke''s momentary distraction with a powerful punch to his gut. ke staggered back, coughing up blood as the force of the blow took its toll. With a defiant re, he locked eyes with Aether, his gaze burning with determination.


    "Yes... I quite like those eyes," Aether remarked with a smile, his expression a mix of drunken and delight.


    ''Tsk, He''s clearly concealing his true strength,'' ke thought to himself, his resolve hardening as he prepared tounch another assault on Aether, this time with heightened caution and vignce against any potential blind spots.


    "Hmm..." Aether''s smile widened as he once again muttered,


    "Increase Agility"


    !~Ding~!


    [+1 Agility]


    [Agility: 12↑]


    ''Shhh''


    ''Too fast!!'' ke''s eyes widened in disbelief as Aether effortlessly evaded his attack once more. Reacting swiftly, ke attempted an unexpected de swing, only to have it redirected to the ground by Aether''s agile manoeuvre. However, before ke could fullyprehend the situation, a voice echoed from behind him....


    "That''s a mistake many make..."


    ''He''s behind me!!'' ke''s realization came toote as Aether''s swift kick connected with his body.


    ''Thud''


    ''Thud''


    ''Thud''


    ke tumbled across the ground, his body rolling several times beforeing to a stop.


    ''Thu'' Spitting blood from his mouth, ke''s lips twitched in pain. The impact from Aether''s kick had taken its toll, leaving ke to acknowledge Aether''s strength and agility, ''He''s not just strong... he''s faster than I anticipated,'' ke acknowledged inwardly, his mind racing through any potential opening.


    ke knew he needed a magician to back him up. He nced at his party members, who looked at him with worried expressions.


    ''N-No, I mustn''t fall now. I need to win this tournament and earn the money that Empress promised us,'' he thought. When they arrived topete in the tournament, they received an unexpected visit from the Empress''s Maid. She informed them that they only needed to defeat one opponent to receive a generous reward, and without hesitation, ke and his team agreed.


    Aether observed ke, pondering, ''Did I really get beaten by this guy...?'' He followed ke''s gaze, wondering what had caught his attention.


    "OH! Oh!..." Aether''s smile widened as he addressed ke. "I suppose you are nothing without your group."


    "What are you babbling about?" ke asked, his annoyance evident as he slowly stood up and readied his fighting stance.


    "Let''s see... 1 vs 7...." Aether paused, adopting a contemtive expression before turning back to ke with a mockingly pitiful look, "Oh, my apologies.... hehe... 1 vs 6, isn''t it? I mean, that red-haired bitch you abandoned, crushed like a tomato... am I right?"


    ke''s eyes widened in realization, "I-I didn''t abandon h... wait!!! Y-You..." It finally dawned on him what Aether was implying.


    Aether''s smile widened even further as he mockingly bowed like a gentleman and introduced himself officially, "Heh... Yes, Yours truly... My true name is Aether. The Stray ve whom you and yourpanions once tried to eliminate, along with a little girl!"


    Empress exchanged a meaningful nce with the Archpriestess,who had expressions of simmering anger as she watched the unfolding confrontation.... Her eyes burned with anger when she saw ke.


    ''This is getting interesting...'' Empress thought, her eyes glinting with amusement as she observed her daughter''s surprised reaction.


    "Is something the matter?" Empress asked Princess with a knowing smile.


    "H-Huh? No," Princess quickly shook her head, her attention now fully on Aether as she pointed at him. "Who is he?.... I can feel the Arcane connected to him, just like with Kai''s... but his..... is even stronger."


    "That''s for you to find out," Empress replied cryptically, her gaze lingering on Aether with a hint of intrigue.


    Delphine remained seated behind Velc, observing everything with a calm demeanour as she sipped her drink. Her eyes were fixed on Aether, studying his every move intently. Even the Snow peeked out from her cleavage, its eyes glittering as it followed Aether''s fight with keen interest.


    "M-Master, why is he so strong?" Alfred couldn''t contain his worries and directed the question to Velc.


    "I don''t understand it either..." Velc muttered, his frustration growing as he nced at Delphine, who discreetly pushed Snow back into her cleavage.


    "You said he''s only level 1, right?" Velc''s voice carried a hint of disbelief.


    "Yes, that''s correct."


    "Then can you exin what we''re witnessing now?" Velc''s tone betrayed his rising anger as he pointed at Aether and said, "There is no way in hell a Level One could do this!!"


    "I don''t know," Delphine replied simply, her expression unreadable.


    "Ggrrr" Velc gritted his teeth in frustration, "I''ll have to report this to Father."


    "Sure, go ahead... Even the old man will know I didn''t lie," Delphine waved dismissively.


    "Ggrrr" Velc could only clench his teeth tighter in frustration. Alfred nced at his son, a worried expression crossing his face as he feared his son might lose his position due to this unexpected turn of events.