At this very moment, atop the stage, the Prince, in a silent wait, gazed intently at the teenager not far away.

Suddenly, a pleased smile appeared on his face.

"Well done, Huai Shi."

He gripped the reins and Sword Blade firmly, nodding in approval. "Indeed, you are a worthy opponent, and I must concede—this profound popularity you've gathered is truly a Crown of glory, one to be envied."

"So, what now?" Huai Shi asked with a smile. "Ready to concede? Surrender and lose by half."

The Prince paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. He slowly raised his Sword Blade. "—I will use all my strength to defeat you and bring tonight's duel to an end. Huai Shi, no matter which of us wins, we shall inherit this stage."

"Then come at me!"

Huai Shi grinned, motioning towards the Prince on the White Horse, his fighting spirit blazing... then suddenly, it seemed to falter as if he remembered something. He turned around in shock to the figure behind the curtain.

"Wait a second... I remember, you can't sing, can you?"

It wasn't just a matter of not being able to sing—it was downright tone-deafness!

His worry grew and grew.

"…"

The Teenage Girl behind the curtain, ready to start singing, was taken aback.

Huai Shi coughed awkwardly, suggesting quietly, "How about we switch? You just draw me some supportive emojis; that'll do."

"…"

In the brief silence that followed, that gaze from behind the curtain grew dangerous.

Soon after, a howling gale burst forth beside his ear.

The Prince's laughter rang out.

"Don't be distracted!"

BOOM!

The Sword Blade fell.

Sheer luminosity burst forth from the Sword Blade, cleaving towards Huai Shi like the dawn of creation. He awkwardly dodged within the sweeping gales, being completely overturned in the process.

But behind the curtain, there was utter silence; without the lead singer's voice, the entire orchestra was quiet as death.

"I was wrong, I was wrong."

As all the spectators watched in stunned silence, Huai Shi landed awkwardly, unable to counterattack. With hands joined together, he begged the Teenage Girl behind the curtain for mercy. "I'm really sorry that the first thing I said to you after such a long time was this. I'm just no good; my character is flawed. Please don't hold it against me, okay?"

Is this guy some kind of scumbag trying to get back with his ex? countless spectators wondered, their anger boiling over into jeers. "I was just getting pumped! Hadn't even been moved for a moment, and you throw this at me! Can't you just fight properly?!"

Soon, heaps of rubbish and bottles were being thrown onto the stage amidst the endless boos. This wasn't just inside the hall but outside as well. All the previously impassioned supporters now felt like slapping a bad review on Huai Shi's face, or better yet, started cheering loudly for the Prince who was chasing Huai Shi with intent to slash.

"Right, aim for the face!"

"I've had enough of him for a long time!"

"Go for it, horsey! Yes, kick him right between the legs..."

Even amongst the choir seats, sailors wielding trombones and other instruments loudly cheered, hoping that this ignorant bastard would get a good dose of bad karma.

Until a clear snapping of fingers erupted from behind the curtain.

The delicate sound spread from slender fingertips like iron, silencing all other noise. As thick books opened in mid-air and a slightly raspy humming began, it was like mist.

"Wem der große Wurf gelungen, Eines Freundes Freund zu sein?"

The singing voice couldn't be considered heavenly. Despite the pleasant tone, amidst the roaring stage, it wasn't overwhelmed by the clamor but spread gradually.

Like a soft question, it echoed in everyone's ears.

—Who can be a faithful friend and offer lofty friendship?

"Who finds love's blessed fortune, let him join in our communion..."

The lingering voice unfurled delicately. As the Teenage Girl behind the curtain lifted her fingers, an invisible force flowed forth, enveloping the whole orchestra.

It knocked over the first domino, triggering a miraculous chain reaction. This was followed by the high-pitched blaring of trombones and the melody of violins flowing like a calm river.

As countless delicate streams converged, they transformed into heart-shaking tidal waves. The sound of the iron drums burst forth, like an earthquake. From within the interwoven melodies, voices both aged and youthful arose, merging into a deep chorus.

"With genuine heartfelt kinship, true companionship is found; if lack of such Intention, then let him weep and confound..."

So sang the voice, answering Huai Shi's question.

As the song rose, numerous lights emerged from the void, halting the ever-changing stage. Countless trapdoors rose and fell. The canopy transitioned, and the Four Seasons drastically shifted as if toyed with by an invisible hand. At last, countless pillars rose from the stage, erecting the vast dome of a grand hall and shrouding the place in solemnity and grandeur.

Converging light shone on the disheveled Huai Shi, as if evaluating something, judging whether he was worthy of this friendship.

In an instant, it turned into a downpour from the heavens, covering him, healing all wounds, erasing all exhaustion.

Huai Shi, revived with full health!

As if very pleased with the judgment's result, the Teenage Girl behind the curtain fiddled with three delicately carved dice in her hand, the corners of her mouth revealing a joyous smile.

"Then listen, my friend."

In that instant, the audience gasped at the grand Transformation on stage. But in the VIP seats, everyone involuntarily straightened their bodies, eyes wide open, gazing at it all.

"This is..."

Immediately following that, a Symphony's roar burst forth under the Teenage Girl's command.

Like a Sea of light swallowing everything, the melody became a vast torrent. It swept over and intimidated every Soul, unifying every wandering thought. It dispelled all discord and trouble until all disharmony was dissolved.

United as One!

It was a soul-stirring chorus, like the resounding Symphony of tumultuous ocean waves.

Amidst the majestic tunes of the Pipe Organ, all the members in the orchestra opened their mouths, singing in chorus, "Freude, schöner Götterfunken Tochter aus Elysium..."

Indescribable joy burst from the melody, soaring above heaven and earth, becoming the world's sole tune.

It was the unique "Ode to Joy"!

"Creator!"

Atop the VIP seats, the representative of the Astronomical Society finally recovered from his shock, exclaiming in disbelief, "That's a Creator!"

A Creator had come to this place, to Hell!

They stood at the pinnacle among countless Scholars and mortals. They were capable of amending the rules of Current Circumstances, establishing new laws out of thin air. With a mere wave of their hand, a Creator could turn Hell into Paradise!

Yet now, a Creator of such noble rarity, found throughout the world, had abruptly appeared here, wielding the melody of miracles, to sing exuberantly for an unknown youngster?

Who could it be?

It must be from the Rome Genealogy's Source, but since when did the Rome Genealogy have such a mysterious presence? Could it be that in addition to the four hidden Creators in The Church, a new Creator had been born over these years?

But who could it be?

Such a young female should not be unknown!

Countless astonished looks were exchanged; some were dumbfounded, some shocked, others utterly clueless. In the end, they all felt a stupefying sense of disbelief, as if life had played a cruel joke on them, followed by the sour taste of envy, like they'd fallen into a pile of lemons.

Why on earth!

Such a strong Gold Thigh, appearing just like that?

This bastard actually has such a profound background?

Wait, does that mean that guy really isn't the pervert from Deer's Sing Hall?

The representative of the Seven Star Group's face underwent drastic changes as he stared at the Astronomical Society's delegate, his thoughts racing. Minister Liu looked over blankly. But with one glance from that gaze, the Seven Star Group representative felt as though he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Indeed, a Sublimator with the backing of the Rome Genealogy had appeared in the Asia Rookie Competition; there must be some shady dealings among connections going on behind the scenes.

Although he had long suspected the Little Brag's identity, if he were to expose it himself...

"That bastard from Deer's Sing Hall has gone too far!"

The Seven Star Group representative suddenly saw the light, slapping his knee and loudly denouncing, "Knowing they couldn't win with their weak foundation, they actually thought of colluding with other Genealogies, making use of external forces, utterly shameless!"

The sound of something shattering came from behind.

At the door, the Old Court Official who had just pushed the door open stood aghast, his formerly carried oxygen tank falling to the ground, shattering.

"You... you..."

Shakingly pointing at him, the Old Court Official's face changed from red to green, then from green to red. After changing several times, he suddenly tilted back his head and spat out a mouthful of old blood.

He fell backward.

"Heavens! Someone get help!" the Older Cousin's voice rose gleefully. "The Old Court Official spat blood again!"

Right after, his voice was drowned by the mighty roaring melody, ignored by everyone.

Such generous joy became a downpour, swallowing everything in its path with the melody.

On the stage, Huai Shi roared.

The Axe Blade fell, clashing hard against the Prince's Longsword.

With the Thunderous roar of the Pipe Organ, countless rays of light continuously emerged from his body, the Creator's enhancement appearing as pop-up windows around him.

"Bear's Resilience," "Bull's Power," "Cat's Grace," "Darkvision," "Eagle's Majesty," "Owl's Wisdom," "Protection from Arrows," "Deflection Field," "Skill Purity," "Steady Confidence," "Weapon Extension," "Heroic Spirit Possession," "Snake's Swiftness"...

The powerful enhancements from the Frontier Darknet kept flashing.

With every moment, every second, countless buffs fell from the heavens, piling up until they almost formed a Sea of overlapping pop-up windows around him, endlessly boosting his Power.

Finally, in a daze, Huai Shi felt as if he had become a Giant, with the world trampled beneath his feet.

The Spear's Edge pierced, repelling the Prince's "Offensive," stirring up a hurricane. Numerous Iris flowers spread and grew. From among them, the blazing Mountain Ghost suddenly leapt up, slashing down with the Axe Blade from the air toward the enemy!

The White Horse let out a mournful cry, actually smashed down several meters by that strike. It landed on the ground, its wings flapping helplessly, unable to rise to the skies again.

The Prince reached out, tenderly stroking its mane, comforting the fear in its heart. When he lifted his eyes to look at Huai Shi, he could not conceal his shock and admiration. "What an incredible power, what Magic is this?"

"Don't you know, Your Highness?" Huai Shi grinned, laughing joyfully.

"—Friendship, that's Magic!"

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