Larena froze in place, unable to react to his accusation. Her lips parted, but no words came. By the time she realized her mistake, it was already too late.

"Don't bother, Larena," Nova said, appearing from the shadow behind Morten. He stepped into the lamplight, small but fearless. "There's no point in trying to convince him anymore."

Morten turned the instant Nova's voice could be heard. His hand drifted toward the weapon at his belt as he stared at Nova's small form with great cautiousness and curiosity. The overseer's eyes narrowed, taking in every detail of the white-haired child. "Who are you?"

"Just one of the countless victims of this place. And since you don't care about us, I guess I'm nobody." Nova's voice remained steady as he met the man's gaze.

Morten turned back to Larena. "What kind of play is this? A last-ditch effort to trick me?"

"Let's not beat around the bush, Overseer." Nova drew his attention away from Larena. "We're going to fight, you and I. The only question is, if you want it to be to the death, or you want to make a bet."

"Fight? With you?" Morten's eyebrows rose toward his hairline.

"Oh, you're confident?" A slight smile crossed Nova's face. The man's towering presence didn't intimidate him at all. "Then you wouldn't mind making it a bet, right?"

Morten's eyes flashed with the familiar yellow light of Assess as he looked at Nova. But the result only left him more confused. His brow furrowed as he processed whatever information the skill revealed. "You're barely even a child. And I can't sense much power from you, so either you're hiding it very well, or you have no idea how strong I am."

"Can't I just be extremely stupid? What's it going to be?" Nova held his ground, hands loose at his sides.

"Are you a spy from a neighboring nation, or has Archbishop Sar finally gone senile and decided to get a hold of our hidden talents by force?" Morten circled Nova slowly from a distance, studying him from every angle.

"I am what you see, a four-year-old born in this place." Nova spread his small hands wide, acting much older than his childish appearance. "Any other identity I have is wholly disconnected from any place you know, though I am somewhat acquainted with the church."

Morten's jaw tightened as he loomed over Nova, casting a long shadow across the polished floor. "And you realize who you're threatening here?" His voice dropped to a dangerous rumble. "After you're dealt with, it won't just be you losing your life." He pointed at Larena without taking his eyes off Nova. "Your captain here will be charged with treason. Any other allies we manage to root up will be thrown in the nearest dungeon, and the children—" he paused as his lips curled into a cold smile, "—the children will continue the path already laid out for them."

Nova didn't flinch. His blue eyes remained steady, almost bored. "I am fully aware. Unfortunately, threats and authority tend to have little to no effect on me."

Morten stared at him in disbelief. A muscle twitched in his cheek. "...This is ridiculous."

Nova nodded calmly. "I agree. But unfortunately, you're too good at your job. I didn't notice anything off about any of the children."

"That's because I was bluffing."

Nova's eyes widened slightly before narrowing again. He studied Morten's face, searching for deception but finding none. "...Indeed, you are too good at your job. I would hate to kill you, forcing the king to take action here, but I wouldn't mind getting rid of an enemy such as yourself. And the souls would be a good bonus. Or..." He paused meaningfully. "You could accept the bet."

Morten turned to Larena again. His gaze raked over her face, searching for answers. "Is this really who you have been cooperating with? This child, he speaks for you?"

Larena lifted her chin. "Correct. I am a willing pawn in his plan."

A heavy silence filled the room. Dust motes danced in the evening light streaming through the windows.

Morten's shoulders rose and fell with a deep sigh as he turned back to Nova. "What kind of bet?"

"The winner gets absolute power over the loser."

"And why would I do that instead of fighting to the death?" Morten's hand rested on his weapon again, tapping his fingers against the hilt with restrained impatience.

"Because I have knowledge that would turn this world on its head." Nova's voice dropped lower, taking on a gravity that seemed impossible from such a young frame. "It will be gone if I die. I want to make a bet so I can keep hiding my efforts to save these children from the king." He took a step closer to Morten, unafraid of the towering man. "So your life is only in danger if you're too incompetent to hide it from him, or you're too loyal to lie."

Morten's eyes narrowed to calculating slits. The lamplight caught the scar running down his face, making it appear deeper in the shadows. "...What if I escape right now?"

"I am faster." Nova stated it as a simple fact, not a boast. "And teleportation isn't possible from this room due to an existing formation disturbing the space."

The overseer studied Nova for a long moment. "...Well then, you seem firm in your decision to fight me." A dangerous gleam entered his eyes. "It's been a while since my last proper brawl."

Stolen novel; please report.

"Would you mind taking it out of the city?" Nova asked, as if they were discussing the location for a picnic rather than a duel.

"Not at all." Morten matched his casual tone. "Through teleportation?"

"Yes. I just need to change the coordinates here."

Nova moved to the carpet at the center of the room and pulled it back. The floorboards beneath glowed faintly with hidden runes. He knelt down and pressed his small palm against the formation, sending essence flowing into the intricate patterns. The runes brightened in response, shifting and rearranging under his control.

"How do I know you haven't set an ambush there?"

Nova didn't look up from his task. "I'll let you change it a kilometer in any direction if you want."

"No, it's fine." Morten shook his head. "I wouldn't know how."

The formation completed its transformation, now pulsing with steady blue light. Nova stood and brushed dust from his knees. "Then let's go." He turned to Larena, who had been watching the exchange in tense silence. "Larena, you stay here."

She nodded once, looking way more nervous than either of them. "Okay..."

'This jump would take quite a bit of essence, so I'll swap to another fragment so I don't waste any. Just to be on the safe side.'

[Fragment of Nova Gorton equipped.]

"Let's go, Morten." Nova stepped onto the glowing formation and gestured for the overseer to join him.

He stood next to Nova on the circle, towering over him like a mountain, even more imposingly than Annelie had in her drakeling form.

The runes flared bright blue beneath their feet. Each symbol activated in sequence, spreading outward like ripples in a pond. The air shimmered around them, warping reality itself.

And then they were gone, leaving only fading blue light and Larena's worried expression behind.

Two kilometers outside the city, they materialized ten meters above the ground. Nova dropped through the evening air and landed gracefully on the grass. Morten followed with surprising agility for his size, weaving a pattern that slowed his descent until he touched down without a sound.

The setting sun painted the clearing in amber light. Tall grass swayed in the gentle breeze, and the distant silhouette of Collport was barely visible on the horizon. Not another soul was in sight.

"So this is the place you've chosen as your grave?" Morten surveyed the peaceful landscape. "Not too bad."

Nova tilted his head, studying the man's confident posture. "Nothing of what you've seen me do has lessened your confidence? Really?"

"Well, I at least don't think you're an idiot anymore." Morten's mouth curved into a thin smile. "I'm prepared to accept the bet."

"Great." Nova's small hands clasped behind his back. "Then let's set the rules while I create the contract."

"A magical contract?" Morten's brow furrowed.

"Yes, very hard to escape." Nova began tracing patterns in the air, leaving faint golden trails with his fingertips. "But it's just to ensure both parties hold up their part of the deal. We fight until one of us gives up or loses consciousness. In such a situation, the other party is the winner. The loser will listen to any order the winner gives him, as long as it is possible to obey. Sound good?"

Morten watched the glowing symbols take shape around them. His hand still rested on his hidden weapon, and wariness flashed across his features. "What... I just feel like this escalated much faster than expected." He shook his head slightly. "Can I ask some questions before we fight?"

"Sure, I have nothing to hide right now." Nova continued his work, the formation growing more complex by the second.

'I could do this through the system, but I think they all respect it more when I do it by hand. Not that it matters much with this guy.'

"Why are you doing this?"

Nova didn't pause in his spellwork. "I fight for justice. I care for children. I hate it when the innocent are taken advantage of." His blue eyes hardened. "And I abhor the killing of children, in any situation."

"Okay..." Morten's stance relaxed slightly, though his eyes remained vigilant. "And that's the reason you've started fighting the harvesting system. You are the assassin?"

The golden light illuminated Nova's small face as he met Morten's gaze directly. "I am the assassin."

"And the explosion?"

"No, that was an accident caused by another child." Nova's fingers continued their intricate dance through the air, weaving the contract into existence. "I taught her how to use runes, and her talent was greater than I imagined."

"...What role does the Governor have in all this?"

Nova felt a slight tug at his core as he considered if he should speak. 'Ah, I cannot reveal anything quite yet. I am certain of victory, but Morten could theoretically still harm Governor Newark at this point in time.'

"I'm not in contact with the Governor." Nova watched Morten's reaction carefully. "I was too weak to initiate any contracts with him when this all started, so I had to go through Larena. Then I'd figure something out when he wanted to start it again. But you arrived first."

Morten tilted his head, narrowing his eyes in Nova's direction. "Hmm, I thought he was involved..." His eyes tracked the formation's progress. "I guess that's all I want to ask. The rest can wait until the bet is won."

"Good." The golden light of the contract formation now formed a complete circle around them both. "Then please stand in that lesser circle so we can formalize our deal."

Morten stepped forward as requested, but his body remained tense. He moved his hand to the hilt of a sword hidden beneath his coat. The weapon gleamed red in the evening light, pulsing with power like a beating heart.

'Is he hiding his strength after all?' Nova watched the man's confident stance with growing concern. 'He's not negotiating like someone considering the consequences at all... Maybe I bit off more than I expected here.'

"This all seems pretty straightforward. But it's an interesting contract skill. I've never seen anything like it before." Morten's eyes studied the golden formation with professional curiosity.

"Like I said, it's firm. I'm ready to get this started." Nova's voice carried a finality that seemed to weigh on the air between them.

The formation locked in place around them, sealing the agreement with a flash of golden light. The runes etched themselves briefly into the ground before fading, leaving only a faint glow to mark their presence.

'No need to drag this out. I'll show him everything right away.'

Nova's essence flowed through his small body in a torrent. Skills activated in rapid succession: Cloak of Nova, Grounded, Mantis Windblades, and finally, Grand Element Unification of the Third Level. The air around him erupted with swirling currents as his body transformed, stretching and growing until he stood as a ten-year-old boy.

His physical power skyrocketed to over eighty thousand in all aspects, sending waves of pressure across the clearing that bent the grass flat against the earth.

Morten unsheathed his blood-red blade. The moment it touched the open air, flames erupted along its length—not wild and chaotic, but controlled and fluid, as if time itself moved differently around the weapon. The fiery glow cast strange shadows across his scarred face. "You don't even have a weapon?" he asked, eyeing Nova's wind blades.

Nova's lips curved into a slight smile. The wind around his arms condensed into barely visible curved blades of pure force, humming with deadly potential.

"I don't want to make this too unfair." His voice remained calm, yet was filled with absolute certainty. "Don't die."

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