An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

“H-Hold on! I-I surrender!” Abigail said urgently. With the sword inches away from her throat, she decisively raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.

She didn’t expect herself to win the match. Her goal was simply to take this opportunity to test Dustin’s strength and also gauge her own progress. But now, it was clear that there was still a sizable gap between them.

“You’ve done well. In a few more years, I might not even be able to keep up with you.” Dustin smiled and lowered his Celestial Blade. His words weren’t flattery; he genuinely saw potential in Abigail.

The dark Phoenix flames carried a corrosive power that even his mystical pure energy couldn’t resist. In other words, Abigail’s black flames were the bane of any martial artist.

Her journey in the martial world was still short-barely two years. She hadn’t unlocked the full potential of her Phoenix bloodline yet. But with more training and experience, the sky was the limit for her.

“Don’t try to console me, Sir. I’m nowhere near your caliber.” Abigail shook her head.

Her current strength was due to her Phoenix bloodline. While her potential was sky-high, she still lagged behind Dustin, a peerless prodigy. She knew that, as she continued to train, there was no way he would stop improving either.

“Sir, next up is the final match. You’ve got to give it your all!” Abigail gave a quick fist pump before turning and walking off the battle ring. She had given it her all, so losing didn’t leave her with any regrets.

“Congratulations to Dustin Rhys for winning the second match of the semi- finals!” Oron announced.

The crowd erupted into applause and cheers.

Before the match, few had expected Dustin to win. After all, Abigail was the Grand Sorceress of the Mystic Arts Order, ranked second on the Legendary List, and far stronger than Fenley.

he wasn’t from a prestigious guild. Despite his impressive strength,

the finals. He had easily defeated Abigail,

didn’t expect Dustin to be this strong. He even

with surprise. She never imagined that a stranger she had met along the way would

it all along.” Crystal couldn’t hide her amazement. She had once thought about catching up to him, but

on

interested in joining the Sword Union, we’d have a true

and murmured to himself, “Guess I was

meeting, He had sensed Dustin

his suspicions. He knew only Logan could defeat

applause, Dustin slowly walked off the

a fight. All that was left was the championship showdown between

now, many had figured out Dustin’s true identity, and the crowd was anticipating the

the break, the tension in the air was palpable. Since Abigail

way to make a quick profit, she quietly set up a betting pool, and gamblers eagerly rushed to place their

his seat. Despite Celestial

there was some hope. Regardless of the outcome, he planned to recruit Dustin

the Sword Union or the Mystic Arts Order. If that