Civilization Chronicles: Rise of the Divine Creator

"That’s why we were so certain she would win," Brynn shrugged as she watched from the side of the stage.

"En," Christina agreed, "I’ve met Danika a few times before and even sparred with her once or twice, so I can say with confidence that no one in our generation possesses more raw strength than she does."

Audrey, who was completely absorbed in the match, could only nod. She had watched Danika and Brynn’s match earlier, but hadn’t thought much about it since the latter was several Minor Realms lower in strength.

Danika being faster and stronger than Brynn made sense, but now it was apparent to the Carlson girl that Danika had been pulling her punches, probably so that she didn’t accidentally cause any serious injuries.

"I understand she’s super strong," Eris muttered, "That much was obvious from how she moved in her previous fights, but... how is that possible?"

To that question, Christina and Brynn could only shrug, with the former replying, "I have no idea, but she’s always been like that. It’s part of the reason she doesn’t attend many social events in the capital."

"Hm?" Eris tilted her head curiously, "Why would being strong make her not go to parties?"

"Heh, it’s because she couldn’t always control her strength this well," Brynn chuckled, "Supposedly, when she first started cultivating, her physical strength grew so rapidly she began frequently breaking things because of her lack of control."

"She was worried she might hurt others or cause accidental damage, so she mostly kept to herself," Christina followed up.

"That’s... that’s sad," Audrey couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for the short, sabre-wielding girl.

"Well, she’s always been quite reserved, so she probably didn’t mind either way," Christina smiled and shook her head, recalling the few times she had seen Danika at parties in the capital.

Every time Christina saw her, the Prime Minister’s daughter would be hovering at the edge of the hall or garden, keeping to herself, even after she learned to control her strength.

.....

The match continued for 5 minutes, but after the opening exchange, everyone could tell who was going to win.

Maurice was strong and skilled, but from the very outset, he had been on the backfoot with Danika in complete control of the flow of the battle.

When all one side could do is passively defend, while the other was able to attack at will, it simply became a matter of time before the attacker won.

Sure enough, after enduring a couple hundred heavy blows, Maurice’s halberd snapped and Danika gently rested her sabre against his chest.

With a blade literally pointed at his heart, Maurice let out a long breath and declared, "Lady Emerson is truly amazing. I admit defeat."

"Winner! Danika Emerson!" Allina announced and the crowd cheered.

As for the winner in question, she withdrew her weapon and bowed nervously, stuttering a bit as she did so, "Y-You were also quite good, S-Sir Maurice."

Maurice saluted politely, though his arms were shaking a bit from all the impacts they had just endured, before turning to leave, his calm composure not breaking even in the slightest despite the loss he just suffered.

Danika bowed to his back once more before turning and doing the same to the crowd and gathered masters. Only after she was done paying her respects did she hurry to leave the stage, seemingly not comfortable having so much attention focused on her.

It was truly interesting watching the petite girl shift from swinging her giant sabre around like a berserker to a frightened rabbit trying to escape from the cheering crowd around her.

.....

With the Body Tempering, Vein Opening division having been completed, the finalists of the Core Formation and Sea Establishment division stepped up onto the stage.

Timothy Balfour, 23, Fifth Step Sea Establishment Realm.

Gabriel Roth, 21, Third Step Sea Establishment Realm.

It seemed fitting that the two youths most responsible for this tournament being organized were now facing off in its last match.

Balfour vs Roth, spear vs sword, it was a classic matchup with all kinds of history, rivalry, and grudges lurking behind it.

That being said, right now, the only thing these two young men had in mind was winning.

Lucas, thinking enough time had passed by now, had returned to the girls along with several of the boys who decided to tag along with him, all of them getting as close to the stage as possible so they could observe this contest between the best of the Rockwell Kingdom’s younger generation.

"Nice of you to join us, Senior Brother," Christina snickered.

To which Lucas just scratched his cheek awkwardly.

This wasn’t a fight he had any hope of winning, so he just admitted defeat from the start and did his best to shift the subject, "I wish we had snacks. Like popcorn or hotdogs."

"Ooooh, good idea! I don’t know what popcorn or hotdogs are, but I’m sure they’re tasty," Eris, always up for delicious food, nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, a nice piece of roast meat would certainly hit the spot right now," Brynn concurred while licking her lips.

"Can’t you be a little less crass?" One of the nearby boys complained.

"Hmph, you’re just too uptight," Brynn snapped back.

"Muscle-head."

"Stuck-up snob!"

"Alright, that’s quite enough," Christina, seeing the situation starting to spiral, stepped in to settle the matter, "This is a formal tournament, not some streetside show."

Thinking the princess was siding with them, the more traditional noble youths wore smug smiles while the free-spirits frowned slightly.

That, however, didn’t last long as Tina followed up, "As for snacks... I thought about having them available, but everything happened to fast so I couldn’t get the preparations done in time."

Many of the surrounding youths gawked, wondering if they had heard right.

A royal princess organizing snacks for an event like some common servant? The whole idea seemed absurd to them.

Eris, on the other hand, simply patted her Junior Sister’s shoulder, "Don’t worry about it, Tina. I know your bakery has been really, really busy recently."

"Haaa... yeah," Christina, thinking about her ’little’ side-project, couldn’t help sighing and rubbing her forehead.

After the New Years Banquet, Princess Bakery had rapidly become one of the most popular shops in all of Misty City. People lined up at its doors every morning before opening time, all hoping to secure some of the very limit Redwood-Style Bread.