The dawn rose crimson over Elyndor, painting the city in the colors of blood and fire.
Today was no ordinary battle.
Today, destiny itself stirred.
The Dragonblood Heir had issued his challenge.
And Kaelen Drayce had accepted.
Inside the Celestial Arena
The colossal stadium roared with life.
Nobles crowded the golden balconies.
Guildmasters and mercenaries filled the lower tiers.
Hidden watchers from the ancient Legacy Families lingered in the highest shadows.
Even the Royal Council had gathered, banners of the Crown and the Guilds rippling in the rising wind.
Today, the world would witness a clash that could not be ignored.
The Challenger's Entrance
The arena gates groaned open.
From the shadows emerged the Dragonblood Heir — Tyrian Drakonis.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, golden eyes burning with ancient power.
Black-and-crimson armor clung to him like living flame.
A spear forged from dragonbone rested casually on his shoulder, humming with destructive energy.
The crowd fell into a stunned silence.
Even without announcing his name, his blood spoke louder than any title.
He was not just human.
He was something more.
Something ancient.
Something deadly.
The Sovereign's Entrance
From the opposite gate walked Kaelen Drayce.
No noble regalia.
No royal fanfare.
Just a battered leather coat, Sovereignblade Astryn strapped to his back, and the cracked-crown sigil gleaming against his chest.
He walked calmly, without fear, without hesitation.
Every step radiated a quiet, defiant power.
And somehow, even against the overwhelming aura of the Dragonblood heir, the crowd's eyes were drawn to him.
Drawn to the boy who refused to kneel.
Above the arena, the Royal Herald's voice thundered:
"Under the gaze of gods and kings,
Kaelen Drayce, Sovereign Candidate of Valewind,
faces Tyrian Drakonis, First Heir of the Dragonblood Legacy!"
The roar from the crowd shook the sky.
Bets were placed.
The very leylines of the world seemed to hold their breath.
[System Notification]
[Special Duel Detected: Legacy Challenge.]
[Victory Reward: 1x Bloodline Fragment Extraction Opportunity.]
[Warning: Death is permitted under Legacy Challenge rules.]
Kaelen's lips curled into a faint, fearless smile.
"Perfect."
The Duel Begins
The gong sounded like a thunderclap.
Tyrian moved first — faster than any human eye could follow.
With a single thrust of his dragonbone spear, he unleashed a crimson inferno.
Dragonfire howled across the arena floor, turning stone to molten glass.
Kaelen moved, Arcane Step flaring beneath his boots.
He blurred to the side just as the flames roared past, the heat scalding his cloak but missing flesh.
Tyrian pressed forward, a monstrous force clad in the guise of a young man.
Each blow from his spear cracked the ground, sending shockwaves through the arena.
Kaelen parried and dodged, Sovereignblade Astryn humming with contained power.
In the stands, whispers rose in awe and terror:
"The Dragonblood's strength… it's monstrous!"
"No human can match that!"
"That Kaelen… he's still standing?"
Kaelen gritted his teeth.
Tyrian wasn't just strong.
He was overwhelming.
Each strike threatened to tear Kaelen apart, to reduce him to ash and bone.
But Kaelen was no longer the boy who scraped through battles by luck alone.
He had fought wyrms.
Faced assassins.
Broken nobles and guild champions.
He was forging himself into something greater.
Kaelen ducked under a sweeping strike, rolled across the stone, and lashed out.
Blink Shot cracked through the air — a condensed spear of mana aimed for Tyrian's exposed flank.
Tyrian snarled, throwing up a dragonfire shield to block the blast.
Kaelen didn't stop.
He flowed into Sovereign's Combo Strike, closing the distance in a blur.
Three strikes landed in less than a heartbeat:
The first numbed Tyrian's spear arm.
The second fractured his chestplate.
The third sent the Dragonblood Heir skidding backward across the arena.
The crowd gasped.
Tyrian steadied himself, golden eyes narrowing.
For the first time in decades, a Dragonblood heir looked at a human commoner — and saw not prey.
But a rival.
A Sovereign rising.
[System Notification]
[Dragonblood Resonance Achieved: 5%.]
[Battle Synchronization In Progress.]
Tyrian's dragonfire flared brighter.
Kaelen's cracked-crown sigil blazed silver.
The true battle was only beginning.
And the world would never be the same again.