The crisp night air brushed across Leo Aetherwind's face as he exited the Bladecrest residence, his expression unreadable, calm like the eye of a storm.
Butler Wang and several members of the Shadow Force silently followed behind, like loyal wraiths attached to their master.
Roxanne's challenge still echoed in his ears, her words laced with desperation, duty, and some strange defiance.
"If you can defeat my brother, I will agree to the marriage."
Leo smirked to himself.
"So, she's got fire. Not bad."
Once inside his temporary estate, a luxurious courtyard villa secured by Shadow Force agents, Leo let out a long sigh.
He entered his private chamber, locked the doors with a flick of his hand, and collapsed into the high-backed throne chair placed just beside his training arena.
"System," he murmured. "Show me my status."
[Beep! Displaying updated status panel.]
---
Status Panel
Name: Leo Aetherwind
Age: 16
Cultivation Realm: Peak Emberborn Realm
Physique: Immortal Body (Locked)
Bloodline:
Pureblood Aetherwind
Pureblood Skydawn
??? (Locked)
Cultivation Techniques:
Nature Vein Overdrive
Shadow Wind Step
Crimson Pulse Art
Moonfall Blade
Energy Strike Out technique
Divine Punishment technique
Skills:
Phantom Mind (Charm, Illusion, and Manipulation Resistance)
Inventory:
Villain's Cloak of Shadow (Equipped)
Insight Pill (1/day weakness reveal)
System Points: 20,000
---
"Tch. I can't buy any decent advanced techniques. Everything decent costs like 50,000 points minimum.
Greedy damn system." Leo rolled his eyes.
[System Notification!]
Ding! Congratulations to host for altering Rio and Roxanne's fate.
System points rewarded: 20,000.
Ding! New function unlocked: System Lottery.
Leo blinked.
"Huh? Lottery? You serious?"
[Explanation:] For every 2,000 points, host may perform 1 random draw from the System's Reward Vault.
Prizes range from techniques, artifacts, rare consumables, skills, or... junk. Depends on luck.
"So... basically gacha," Leo muttered, rubbing his chin. "Ah well, what kind of protagonist would I be if I didn't gamble fate? Let's roll the dice. Five draws. Go."
Lottery Draw x5 Activated!
Draw 1: Copper-threaded Socks of Minimal Static Resistance (Useless.)
Draw 2: Slightly Cracked Toothpick of a Forgotten Hermit (…what.)
Draw 3: Portable Potato Masher +1 (Leo stared at this one for 10 seconds.)
Draw 4: Squeaky Chicken of Distraction (Not even magical.)
Draw 5: Phoenix Break - Burst Mode: Once activated, unleashes firepower and boosts all stats by 100% for 30 seconds (cooldown: 1 hour).
Leo nearly spat out water.
"Finally! Something usable! Thank heavens for RNGesus."
He grinned. "That alone is worth the gamble. Let's go again. Another five!"
Lottery Draw x5 Activated!
Draw 1: Glowing Pebble of Unknown Glow (Just glows. That's it.)
Draw 2: Dented Helmet of Historical Irrelevance (Literally museum trash.)
Draw 3: Mystical Soap that cleans spiritual energy but smells like onions (Horrific.)
Draw 4: Perceptive Lens (3 uses): Reveal any individual's weakness. Cooldown: 24 hours.
Draw 5: Light Cannon (Passive Skill): Fires concentrated beam of destruction with low energy cost. High impact.
"Okay... okay, this is seriously good. Weakness detection and a passive weapon skill? I'll take it."
Butler Wang entered the room quietly. "Young Master, preparations for tomorrow's duel have been completed."
"Good. I need the arena ready," Leo said while staring at the Light Cannon's description.
That entire night, Leo trained.
He focused first on integrating the Phoenix Break technique, understanding the moment of ignition and how to handle the sudden 100% boost in stats.
The fire-based energy that exploded within him left trails of embers every time he moved.
Then came the Light Cannon. A dazzling sphere of golden-white energy formed at his palm, compressed into a thin, glowing line.
It pierced through his test dummy and vaporized the training rock behind it.
He activated the Perceptive Lens, and spectral lines formed over the silhouette of a random Shadow Force member.
"Target Weakness: Left shoulder fracture. Partial instability in balance." It even showed a red glow where the weak spot was.
"Heh... this is broken."
With techniques adjusted and his body harmonized to their effects, Leo slept like a baby phoenix ready to ignite the sky.
---
Next Morning - Bladecrest Clan Arena
The grounds buzzed with excitement. News of a duel between the Sole Heir of Aetherwind and Rio Bladecrest, the disgraced but once-talented son, had spread like wildfire.
Nobles, rogue cultivators, mercenaries, and officials filled the stands.
Rio stood in the center, shirtless, sword on his back. His eyes were calm, but his posture screamed thunder.
"You sure you want to do this?" he asked Leo.
Leo walked in slowly, sipping tea from a tiny porcelain cup.
"You sound like you're worried for me."
"You'll regret accepting this fight."
"And you'll regret that haircut. Seriously, did your sword do that to your bangs or was it a conscious decision?"
Some laughter echoed in the stands. Even Roxanne covered her mouth.
Rio's eyebrow twitched.
"Begin!" the referee shouted.
And all hell broke loose.
Rio drew his blade and vanished. A whirlwind of sword slashes came at Leo from every direction. Blades shimmered like streaks of rain—swift, light, lethal.
Leo sidestepped each one like water slipping past rocks. But a cut landed on his arm. Blood dripped.
"Fast," Leo muttered. "But predictable."
Rio used his technique Falling Meteor Swords, and dozens of illusory blades struck down from the sky.
Leo activated Shadow Wind Step, weaving through the barrage like a phantom. With a swift backflip, he created distance.
"Let's test this," he whispered.
Perceptive Lens: Activated.
Rio's body became layered in glowing lines. His right leg shimmered red.
"Weakness: Torn ligament from old injury. Limited side-step reflex."
Leo smirked. "Gotcha."
He fired the Light Cannon.
A golden beam shot across the arena like the breath of a god. Rio dodged, but the lens warned Leo beforehand—Rio's dodge would favor the left.
Leo redirected the beam last second.
Boom!
The edge clipped Rio's side, forcing him to stumble. His foot twisted—on his weak leg.
"Now!"
Leo charged, eyes glowing. Moonfall Blade wrapped his arms in silvery aura. As Rio tried to swing his sword again, Leo spun and used Energy Strike Out, slamming a raw blast of aura to Rio's wrist, disarming him.
Then with a backhand, he pushed Rio flat.
He pointed the Light Cannon again.
The arena went silent.
Rio groaned, looking up at Leo. "Do it."
Leo deactivated the cannon.
"Why?" Rio spat.
Leo shrugged. "You're not worth killing. Not yet. Also, I want you alive to see how high I'll climb. And maybe, just maybe, you'll learn there's a sky above your sword."
Crowd exploded in cheer. Some gasped. Roxanne bit her lip.
Leo turned, walking away with a wave. "Remember my words. One day, you'll beg to be my brother-in-law."
Chapter 20 Ends.
---
System Notification:
Ding! Victory secured against a fated plot character. System Points Earned: +10,000
---
Status Panel Updated:
System Points: 30,000
---
[ TO BE CONTINUED ]
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Author's Note:
Boom! The chapter ends… but my journey as a humble author continues!
If you laughed, raged, or felt the urge to slap a fictional character today—don't forget to drop a Power Stone or add this novel to your collection!
It fuels my fingers and feeds the system behind this villainous tale.
Got an idea? A plot twist suggestion? Or just wanna yell at a character?
Slide into the comments—I read everything.
Until next time,
Stay evil, stay awesome, and thanks for reading!
– Your Scheming Author
azuredragonx
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