Azzy smiled, a faint gleam of amusement in his eyes. "You have potential, indeed," he said, voice carrying clearly even across the arena.

He raised his arm, glancing down at the analog watch on his wrist with deliberate slowness. The hands ticked, marking the remaining time. He turned his gaze back to Aya, tilting his head slightly.

"You still have one minute and sixteen seconds of advantage," he said, his voice calm but carrying weight. "Would you like to do anything?"

Aya's white eyes glimmered with determination, her tails flicking aggressively as she crouched low, energy coiling like a spring ready to launch. The crowd leaned forward instinctively, knowing that the next minute would define the intensity of this battle.

The air around the training grounds was tense, thick with anticipation. Aya's chest heaved as she crouched low all of a sudden, white tails coiling behind her like serpents ready to strike. "That… was my strongest attack," she admitted, panting heavily. Her words were almost a whisper carried by the wind, but they carried weight. "I have… nothing else to show."

Azzy's calm gaze swept over her briefly, then shifted to Shuichi and the cluster of Minamoto elders observing from outside the barrier. His expression didn't change, but his voice carried the same measured authority. "Lord Fujiwara, there's still time. If you wish to help your clan member, anyone from your clan—any number of you—can come forward to block me and assist her in winning this wager. Should she succeed even then, I will grant your clan a Rank-9 Spirit Core."

A murmur ran through the elders. A rank-9 spirit core is indeed quite tempting. It will surely help someone stuck at peak rank 8 to break through to the Supreme realm, and there are more than a few who were stuck but didn't get the opportunity back when Shuichi selected a few for the breakthrough. And it is not like they have to defeat this mighty demigod. All they have to do is make sure either Aya lands one of the hits on his body or prevent him from hitting her.

A few of the younger men shifted uncomfortably, and whispers spread about how mesmerizing she looked, how the combination of her power and beauty was intoxicating instead of Azzy's dominating performance. But Shuichi's expression darkened.

"We don't consider Aya a part of our clan," Shuichi said sharply in response to Azzy's offer, stepping forward. His voice carried like a whip across the grounds as he further spoke. "She was expelled long ago because of her immoral behavior—seducing others' spouses, destroying marriages, and committing acts for her own amusement. No one from the Minamoto Clan will aid her in order to gain a Spirit Core."

He paused, letting his words sink in. The elders' faces hardened, and the temptation in their eyes dimmed under the weight of Shuichi's authority.

Shuichi's gaze then softened just a fraction as he continued. "But, if she is defeated, it is even more of a disaster. Lord Garcia should have discussed with me or listened to my opinion before issuing such a wager. At no cost, we won't accept her as a shadow guard, someone who will monitor and protect us. For that reason alone, we will help her. However, it is also a pipe dream for her to land a hit against you, but protecting her against you is something within our reach. Mobilize the senior elders. Shield her."

As soon as he passed the order, a subtle hum of energy began to ripple across the arena as the senior elders moved into position, their presence radiating authority and power.

Even as Aya's form shimmered with residual soul energy, the barrier was beginning to form around her, ready to intervene should Azzy move.

Aya's white eyes flickered briefly toward them, her grin returning despite her exhaustion. "Hmph… I didn't expect such courtesy," she muttered, tails flicking in amusement.

Azzy's calm gaze swept across them all, his lips curving into the faintest smile. "Very well," he said softly, almost to himself. "Let's see how this turns out."

The tension thickened. Every spectator held their breath, knowing that the next exchange, even with Aya's allies surrounding her, would decide the outcome of the wager—and the shadow guards' future.

The four Rank-9 elders braced themselves, standing like statues around Aya as the scarlet energy swirled into a shimmering barrier that pulsed with demigod-level power. For a moment, it seemed as if even Azzy was contemplating.

But he only glanced at the analog watch on his wrist, noting the seconds ticking past. The elders held firm, channeling all their strength into maintaining the barrier.

hey didn't attack; their focus was singular—to protect Aya and ensure the wager remained fair. Yet, there was an unspoken tension in the air. Even a barrier this strong could not hold forever against someone of Azzy's caliber. Or so they thought. Hence, they were also prepared to become human shields by unleashing their strongest techniques to block Azzy for the final 30 seconds.

As the timer ticked past the 270th second, Azzy's lips curved into the faintest of smiles at last. "Alright," he murmured, voice almost soft, but it was so powerful that it rang in everyone's ears, "now, I'll make my move."

And then, in an instant, Azzy closed the distance. The gap between him and Aya, guarded by the Rank-9 elders, disappeared in the blink of an eye before his hand was placed against the scarlet barrier.

The elders didn't even get time to react. Before even one second has passed, the death energy erupted from his palms

The dark, void-like essence coiled around the barrier like a serpent at a terrifying pace. Sparks erupted as threads of the barrier dissolved into nothingness. In a matter of that one second, the impenetrable demigod-level defense crumbled completely, leaving Aya exposed.

Azzy stood before her, his form calm and composed, raising his hand. A gleaming death scythe materialized, the edge gleaming with lethal intent.

Aya's eyes, frozen in mid-blink, seemed to widen in surprise, digesting the scenario that was happening right in front of her eyes.

Gasps echoed from the spectators, even from the senior elders who had stood their ground only a moment ago as Azzy's scythe hovered with one edge lightly pressing against her neck, a silent statement of absolute control. At that moment, everyone knew that the match was lost. It ended. No elder tried to make any move as they originally thought. Shuichi, the clan leader, could only shut his eyes for a moment and shake his head in disappointment.

Aya remained kneeling, her body tense but her expression unflinching.

Her gaze lifted slowly to meet his, a faint spark of admiration—or perhaps curiosity—glimmering in her eyes. "Is this… the power of a demigod?" she murmured, her voice steady despite the position she was in.

Azzy's eyes met hers evenly, his tone casual but edged with weight. "I don't know your circumstances or your story," he said, "but I know this much—you don't fear death. From what your clan leader said, I can tell you have no attachments. Your power… it makes me think you've never truly committed to anything. No wonder you're bored so easily. Do you have any last words to say?"

Aya blinked at him, a slight smirk tugging at her lips instead as she knew that he wasn't going to kill her. "Nothing." She replied.

"Do you have a goal?" He asked softly, tilting his head.

Azzy shook her head. "No."

Azzy's lips curved slightly. "How about I give you one?" His scythe retracted slowly, though his presence remained commanding. "Try to become the Shadow Guard Commander. If you succeed… if you actually manage it, I'll grant you a Rank-10 Spirit Core, giving you a way to become a demigod. And not just that—you'll face opponents strong enough to make you actually feel challenged, strong enough that boredom will become a memory. Do you want to try?"

Aya's eyes flickered with thought, her tails twitching slightly behind her in restrained anticipation.

Azzy didn't wait for her answer. With a controlled motion, he raised the head of the scythe and struck firmly against her chest. Aya gasped sharply, coughing up a mouthful of blood as a small, precise hole appeared between her breasts. The impact was enough to pin the reality of her wager in front of everyone without unnecessary brutality.

"Gaah…"

She fell to the ground with a loud scream, the wound stark against her white fur. The elders took a step back in surprise. Shuichi furrowed her brows, clenching his fists instinctively. He might hate his sister who caused trouble for the clan but she is still his sister and he would naturally not want to see her hurt or worse, die, in front of his eyes.

But right then, a faint golden glow gathered at Azzy's forehead. A life jewel formed, pulsing with steady energy. Slowly, deliberately, he released life force into her, mending the wound in an instant. The hole closed seamlessly, and Aya's labored breath steadied as if the strike had never happened.

"Huh?" Aya blinked constantly, feeling the pain removed from her.