I regressed and became the Sword Ice King

NORMAL POV.

Adam fell unresponsive to time. His expression could only give a pygmy of the emotions he felt swell up in his chest. The anguish and anger mixed clearly in an ugly cascade on his face as beads of tears began to flow down his eyes, only to be frozen before it could touch the ground.

His gaze was fixed on Balaq. He had become a sculpture. A magnificent work of art. The mighty figure that protected him seemed to have disappeared in a span of half an hour.

"Do you resent me?" Raph asked as he walked towards him. His body made chilly, crispy sounds as frozen gas exuded from it. "Balaq can still be saved, though finding a cure for him will take time."

Adam stared at him, utterly flabbergasted by his words. His expression quickly changed to disgust. "What? With what audacity?! I begged you! Time and time again.

I begged! So why?"

Raph stared at him, his icy expression exuding a brilliance. "On the battlefield. You will learn to lose and lose again until you become strong enough to protect what you must."

Adam's expression only intensified. He glared at him in hateful resentment, an expression he had never thought he was capable of exuding. "This… this isn't a real battle! This is just a farce played by the patriarchs! You're a smart kid, so why?"

"The battlefield is the battlefield. If you had taken this fight with the intention of winning, then I would have had to resort to my trump card… though. I am impressed you pushed me to this extent." A smile exuded from his charming face when he felt a bright, burning yet subtle sensation in his eyes. He stretched out his hand to block the light as he turned towards the direction of the source.

The dark clouds had begun to collapse, giving way for the bright rays of the sun to shine its brilliance and the arena began to warm up once again. Raph felt the rays. He dropped his hands down and stared at it with a smile. "I won't ask you to forgive me. Instead, use the anger you feel for me to get stronger. There is a way for Balaq to be free from my ice.

Though you will have to work the hardest to find it."

Adam couldn't keep up with his emotions. Raph's calm responses conflicted with his rational anger towards him. He sighed and slowly slumped to the ground. His gaze slowly went towards Balaq. "I don't know what it is you wish to achieve by doing this…" he slowly got up and walked towards his family post. "But I hope it is all worth it, Raffaelo Jun."

Raph watched as he walked away. Adam's clothes were mostly ripped apart due to the fight, and his clothes weren't in any better condition. He chuckled. 'Now… the only obstacle that could stand in my way would be…'. His gaze shifted quickly to the Kang Lin Household.

'Jang Kang Lin.' A smile exuded from the corner of his lips as Jang stared right back at him. A contest of strength. It was no false news when people said the highlight of the day would be these two young beasts.

Michaelo finally got to the middle of the Arena at the same time as the clean-up Mages.

"Winner! Raffaelo Jun!" He cried out, and what followed next was the thunderous standing ovation from the audience section, the patriarchs, and the King. This was only his first step to being the Sword King. He had many more steps to climb, but his battle against the Teras showed his remarkable prowess towards being the Sword King.

Ciara felt perplexed as she sluggishly clapped her hands while staring at Raph with a mix of shallow emotions. Her thoughts must have been on the fight. Not only was she surprised by Adam's summoning prowess but Raph's powerful ice technique. 'Is there an ice magic as strong as that…?' she thought as her gaze slowly locked on her mum's.

She hurriedly looked away. "You want me to defeat that?" she asked.

Her mum, Kira, stared at her daughter. The disappointment in her expression couldn't be any more visible. "What kind of mage gives up without even trying?"

"When? When did I ever say I was giving up?" Ciara muttered in protest but her words betrayed her solemn expression.

Kira sighed and pulled her closely. "My daughter. Magic is supreme. As long as you give your very best, then there is absolutely nothing you cannot achieve." Ciara couldn't bring herself to look up to her mum. She could feel the falsified sweet words her mom only said when she needed her children to accomplish something, and it only made her feel more pressured.

"If he's already mastered chapter 9, then he must be a master… at least an 8th star Master," the words of Almond Merlin got their attention as they turned towards the source of the voice.

"Almond? Shouldn't you be in the Wind Castle by now?" Ciara asked as she slightly pushed her mum away.

"I was curious about this fight too… so I decided to stay a little longer."

Almond Merlin. Otherwise known as the young prodigy. His magic is based on wind and its attributes, and his affinity is so strong that a magic castle was named after his favorite magic. He may be fifteen, but his prowess in magic is remarkable. Though, all of it pales before his sister's talents.

"You shouldn't be here, Almond," Kira said as she gave him a disapproving expression. He shrugged in response and took a seat next to his sisters. "Your words don't matter to me, mother. I am here for my sister." Ciara smiled. If there was going to be a difference between these two siblings, it would be Almond's complete independence from his mother.

She clicked her tongue and sat back down while Ciara chuckled.

The Jun household is truly remarkable…but we do not pale in comparison," he said while he stared at his sister. "You're a 9th circle mage… at the age of 17. You should be confident."

He held her hand and squeezed it tightly, reassuring her with a genuine smile on his face.

Who knows, maybe something remarkable would come out from their battle.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Meanwhile, above the arena, within the midst of the clouds, a certain figure seemed to be standing in the sky, wrapped in cloaks, watching the scene.

It had a solemn aura wrapped around him/her and its attention seemed fixated on Raph as he was being treated by healing mages.

"Master, you shouldn't be here. The mistress will be displeased."

A blonde-haired woman in a maid outfit appeared through a portal and seemingly stepped on the air next to the figure.

The figure remained calm, still fixated on the boy from the Jun household.

"Tacha, why aren't the 12th family allowed to participate?" the figure asked with a feminine voice. A seemingly ridiculous question since it didn't require an answer.

Tacha, the maid, remained silent as she stared at the small figure. "We shouldn't be here. Your mother will be upset…" she repeated, ignoring her question.

The figure sighed. "I want to watch his fight a little longer…" she muttered as she turned around towards the portal. "Alright. Let's be on our way."

She stopped just in front of the portal and took one last glance. "We will meet again, Raffaelo Jun," and slowly she walked through the portal.

Tacha adjusted her glasses and took a quick look at the arena. Her expression curled into disgust as a result and without realizing it, her eyes had darkened. She could only feel hate for the rest of the family that had isolated theirs for hundreds of years.

Though she felt a ridiculous amount of hatred, it was evident that she couldn't release it. At least not right now.

With a solemn expression, she turned around and walked through the portal and it disappeared as soon as she did.

*****

The arena had begun to quiet down now. Their refreshed expressions as they conversed on the battles that had occurred and the battles that had yet to begin only left them with excitement.

The clean-up mages were nearly done and the patriarchs had begun to settle down.

The next series of battles was about to begin. The tension had definitely risen to a remarkable level.

It was no surprise. The expectations from the king and the audience must have risen after seeing that fight but yet the best was yet to come.

"Father, how do you feel?'' The second prince asked as they watched the scene unfold from their podium.

"...I showed an ugly side of me today."

"...no father….it is Raffaelo who must apologize for making the temperature drop by so much."

The king chuckled. "It was truly remarkable. I hope to see more of what I did. It is important to gauge the strength of those around us."

The prince nodded as they watched the patriarch of the Jun Household walk up to the Arena.

The fight between Adam Teras and Rhett Son Goku was canceled, and Adam Teras won by default. It seemed Son Goku was yet to recover from his wounds and he had certainly strained his techniques in the battle. It would have been difficult for him to go on any longer.

It was finally time for the final lap of the battle, consisting of Jang Kang Lin, Darell Silvan, Louis La Teur, and Mariam Aquarius.

"The finale shall now begin!" Michaelo announced, gaining the attention of the audience. "The next battle shall be between Darell Silvan and Jang Kang Lin."

It was time. It was finally time to take a look at the martial arts technique that had begun to gain popularity. Jang had quickly jumped into the arena, boiling for excitement and the taste for blood.

His opponent, however, wasn't.

"I surrender!"