Just as Aiden was about to be struck down by the Empress with a single punch, a voice suddenly boomed in everyone's ears.

"Enough!"

Reluctantly, the Empress withdrew her hand and swiftly moved Felix ten yards away.

The next moment, a burst of flames erupted from where she had just stood. It was so intense that it seemed to melt the very ground beneath it, a testament to the extreme heat.

Had Cordelia continued her attack on Aiden, she too would have been injured, a risk not worth taking as the real battle was yet to come.

Aiden, who had narrowly escaped death, was drenched in sweat. For the second time, after the close brush with death during the Dragonia Martial Arts Competition involving Felix, he felt death brush past him once again.

As he regained his composure, three figures appeared before him. It was two men and a woman, all with gray hair yet standing tall and straight. Even their silhouettes exuded an overwhelming sense of grandeur.

"You've finally come," murmured Corde