Far away from the chaos of Raro Island, in the peaceful village of Wardo nestled within the Emberfall Kingdom, a young yet fierce woman sparred with a student in the middle of a training field. Her strikes were quick, precise, and merciless. Her name—Azalea, the Flare Princess—a warrior who once defeated her own brother, Crimson, a legendary Celestis-rank hunter.
Azalea, despite looking barely twenty-two, moved like a seasoned master. Her student, drenched in sweat and fear, thought to himself, "How the hell can I defeat her? She's more than just strong."
In a flash, she appeared behind him and knocked him out cold with a single punch. The other students watched in awe—and fear.
Azalea exhaled and looked at them with disappointment.
"My powers are gone now. I'm just human… weaker than I used to be. And still, none of you can defeat me?"
The students lowered their heads in shame.
With a wave of her hand, she turned and said, "I'm going to get something to eat. While I'm gone—keep training."
As she walked away, she overheard two students whispering:
"Did you know her brother was an idiot?"
"Yeah, that asshole thought he could erase humanity alone."
Azalea stopped, her eyes dimmed with sadness.
Brother…
---
Later that day, Azalea wandered through the Emberfall marketplace. She bought some fresh bread and noticed a poster stuck to a nearby board. It read:
> Royal Gathering at Raro Island. New SSS+ Rank Hunter.
At the same moment, a newspaper boy passed by, tossing out the day's papers. One slid near her feet. She picked it up and read the headline:
> " Hunter from Elyria Defeats Jaxon and Finn in Seconds!"
Her eyes widened.
SSS+ Rank? He beat them both… this person isn't normal…
Her gaze fell on the name—Zaren, from the Elyria Kingdom.
Azalea narrowed her eyes and smiled.
"I guess… I should go meet this Zaren someday."
---
Back at Raro Island…
Zaren stood near the arena, watching other hunters duel while healers treated the unconscious bodies of Finn and Jaxon. He sighed.
Maybe I overdid it... I should've held back.
Moments later, Finn groaned and slowly stood up, chuckling.
"Oooh! Don't tell me I actually lost!"
Jaxon also opened his eyes, blood still on his lips. He looked at Zaren and muttered, "Oh fuck… this is bad."
Finn smiled, "Guess we weren't a match for you, huh?"
Jaxon, clearly frustrated, stormed up to Zaren.
"Hey! What the hell was that back there? You were in three places at once! Those clones were as strong as you… What kind of illusion was that?!"
Zaren gave a fake smile, shrugging.
"Nothing much. Just a little trick I can do."
Finn stood beside Jaxon, arms crossed.
"So, how many of those… 'tricks' can you create?"
Zaren hesitated for a second.
I can't let them know the full truth.
"Just two clones. The third one was me."
Finn looked at him, unconvinced but calm.
He's hiding something. I can tell...
"Well," Finn smirked, "Next time… I'll beat you for real."
Zaren smiled again—fake, but warm enough.
"Yeah… sure."
(Chapter 37 Fin)