Moro's Aura soon coated his body along with his greatsword. He sneered and said, "Although they sent you to your death, I'll still show some respect and end you with my full strength."

'I never thought he'd be the long-winded type, judging by his looks,' Nova thought, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the Aura flowing around Moro's body. 'Stage Three Aura is truly different, it can even strengthen your armor and weapon.'

From the stands, a spectator sighed. "I didn't think Moro would go all out against a newbie, not even giving him a chance at life."

The spectators around him listened but didn't comment, their gazes fixed on the arena below.

The Aura surrounding Moro finally settled in place, and he said, "Open your eyes wide and take one last look at the world." With a stomp, he rushed toward Nova, his greatsword already in mid-arc.

'Let's get this over with already,' Nova sighed inwardly, but his movements didn't slow as he pushed forward, both hands gripping Dreadscape.

The two met halfway, and as Moro swung his greatsword, Nova smoothly slipped out of its path and sent a sharp kick to the weapon's side. The impact dragged Moro off balance, forcing a grunt of exertion from him. In one fluid motion, Nova thrust his spear forward.

Moro snapped his head toward Nova and, just as he was about to spit out a derisive remark, a sharp pain pierced his throat. His eyes widened in shock as he looked down to see a spear shaft buried deep inside his neck. Glaring back at Nova, he tried to speak, but no words came. Nova retrieved his spear as Moro's body crumbled to the ground.

Though long in description, everything had unfolded in the blink of an eye.

The spectators stared in stunned silence until one voice finally broke through:

"MORO IS DEAD!"

"WOAHHHH!"

The arena erupted in shouts and frantic discussion. Everyone demanded to know who Nova was and how he had managed to kill Moro so quickly. Even the announcer stood frozen, silent seconds after Nova's victory.

Meanwhile, Nova only frowned in thought. 'How did this guy reach Aura Stage Three yet feel so weak? Laria was far stronger than him. Still… after all is said and done, the good news is that I did feel an improvement in my heart during the fight. That means I can hone myself here before the war between the three kingdoms begins.'

Knowing he had found a way to grow stronger in a relatively short time gave Nova a clear goal, easing some of the tension he had carried from spending so long inside this portal.

"Number 7 is the winner. Do you want to continue fighting or leave?" The announcer's robotic voice finally rang out, quieting the boisterous arena and pulling every gaze back to Nova. Hearts trembled in anticipation, would this newcomer fight again and deliver another shock, or would he leave? It was rare for a newbie to take more than one match on their first day, though not entirely unheard of.

Nova looked up and, without hesitation, said, "I'm continuing. Send one more."

The arena erupted in cheers. The announcer fell silent as a team of staff rushed in to remove Moro's body. Seconds later, the opposite gate creaked open, and a man in a crimson robe stepped onto the field.

He cast Nova a disdainful glance and muttered, "Another lowly knight."

Nova didn't even bother getting angry at the man's words. Instead, he thought, 'Red robe, possibly a fire mage. I haven't used fire much, but it's not too bad. I can pick up a thing or two from him.'

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The robotic voice declared, "Begin."

////////

Fight after fight, Nova held his ground in the arena. At first, the spectators were thrilled, elated even, to witness such a rare event. But as Nova cut down opponent after opponent, sometimes even toying with them until they had exhausted every ounce of strength, the stands grew eerily quiet.

By the time the sky had darkened, the announcer finally spoke again. Though its voice was still robotic, there was an unmistakable hint of awkwardness in its tone: "The matches shall end for today. Come back tomorrow if you wish to continue."

"What? Since when do fights stop at night?"

"Shhh, idiot. Can't you read the room? They obviously don't want him to continue."

"What?!"

Nova heard the whispers but didn't care. 'Whatever. I've already gained a lot today. I need to meet with Letto, hopefully he hasn't died as I might have plans for him,' he thought, making his way out of the arena.

From a room high above, the announcer sighed and slumped into their chair. Muttering to themselves, they said, "I thought we prohibited the Empire's knights from competing in the kingdoms' arenas… so why is he here? I might need to report this if it happens again."

///////

Nova stepped out of the arena and immediately spotted Letto slumped on a bench. His clothes were stiff with dried blood, his face covered in bruises. Chuckling, Nova walked up to the ex-bandit and said, "Looks like you enjoyed your fights. How many did you win?"

Letto's eyes lit up at the sound of his voice. He turned to Nova as if seeing a miracle and said, his voice trembling with emotion, "Sir! I've been waiting here for more than an hour, I thought you'd left me!"

Nova sighed inwardly but kept his tone calm. "I'm here. No need to be so emotional. I do want to hear about your matches, but we have a more pressing matter to deal with first."

"What matter?"

"We need to find a place to spend the night."

I was so worried about being left behind that I forgot about that, Letto thought before blurting out, "Leave it to me! I'll find us a place to stay."

Nova studied him with a meaningful look, then nodded. "I'll count on you, then."

"Yes, Sir!" Letto answered eagerly, and the two of them walked off toward one of the busy streets in search of lodging.

On the way, Letto proudly recounted how he had fought twice in a row against junior squires. The first fight had been easy, he was at full stamina and managed to snatch victory thanks to his opponent's mistake. The second, however, was much harder. His stamina had already dropped by half, and his opponent was more experienced. Still, with the tips Nova had given him, he managed to scrape out a win, though it was a close call.

When he finished his story, he noticed Nova looking at him with a disappointed expression.

"Only two fights, and you almost died in one of them? Tomorrow, don't leave the arena unless you've fought at least three times."

After that, Nova fell silent, and before long, the two of them found an inn where they could stay for the night without any trouble.

At dawn, Nova walked down the corridor toward the waiting room of the Warlord section, thoughts spinning in his head.

'My Aura has definitely grown stronger since yesterday. Maybe today, or tomorrow at the latest, I'll be able to advance to the third stage, depending on my opponents. As for magic… I've barely learned anything. I need more mages to fight.'

Even as he entered the waiting room and felt several gazes land on him, he didn't bother to look up. He sat down, still immersed in thought. Only when his number was called did he snap out of it, rising quickly and heading toward the arena. Behind him, more than a few knights and mages frowned at his indifference.

The moment he stepped into the arena, the crowd erupted. Eyes widened in recognition before shouts and cheers filled the stands. Those who hadn't been present the day before asked what had happened; once they learned the story, they too joined in the uproar.

High above, the announcer's face twisted as they muttered, "He came back again…"

Nova's opponent, a man clad in blue mage robes, glanced at the roaring spectators, frowning, before fixing his gaze on Nova. "Are you famous? Why have I not heard of you?" His tone sounded more of a command rather than curiosity. To him, Nova's spear marked him clearly as a knight.

Nova remained silent, waiting for the announcer to start the match. His refusal to respond only made the mage's teeth grind in irritation.

Moments later, the announcer's robotic voice echoed across the arena.

"Begin."

The fight was short and uneventful. Nova allowed the mage, a water caster, to unleash every trick he had, calmly weaving past spell after spell. Once the man was wheezing and drained of breath, Nova stepped forward and ended it with a single swipe of Dreadscape.

That day, Nova went on to fight thirteen times in total before the announcer once again cut things short with some excuse, forcing him to stop until the next day.

And that same day, the spectators gave him a name. Their voices rose to a thunderous roar as they shouted it at the top of their lungs,

"Overlord!"

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