Chapter : 683

Gavi sailed through the empty air. His target was gone. His massive, knockout punch hit nothing but empty space.

But Gavi could not stop his own momentum. He was moving way too fast.

The curse magic activated . Gavi's eyes rolled back in his head. His brain received a massive wave of dizzying signals. His legs went numb. His red aura fizzled out and died instantly.

Gavi crashed head-first into the thick stone wall at the edge of the arena.

BAM!

The impact was colossal. The sound echoed across the entire stadium. The thick stone wall cracked violently. Spider-web fractures spread across the gray rock. Dust plumed into the air.

Gavi hit the wall with the full force of his own powered-up charge. He crumbled instantly. He fell backward. He hit the dirt floor with a loud, heavy thud. He lay perfectly still. He fainted . He was knocked out.

The entire arena went silent.

The cheering stopped. The clapping stopped. Nobody made a single sound. Thousands of people stared at the unconscious fighter. They stared at the cracked stone wall. They could not process what just happened.

Ken stood up slowly. He dusted off his navy blue pants. He looked down at his shoes. He smiled a goofy, satisfied smile.

"Tying shoelaces is very important," Ken lectured lazily to the quiet arena. He pointed a finger at his foot. "If you step on a loose string, you can trip and fall. Safety first. Always practice proper footwear maintenance."

The referee stared at Ken. His jaw dropped wide open. He looked at Gavi. He looked back at Ken.

The referee slowly raised a trembling hand. He pointed at the slouching boy.

"The... the winner is Ken Eliot!" the referee stuttered loudly into the magical microphone.

The crowd erupted into pure, unfiltered chaos. They did not cheer. They whispered loudly. They gossiped in total shock.

"What just happened?!" a man yelled in disbelief.

"Gavi missed completely!" a woman shouted. "He tripped over his own feet! He lost control of his own magic! He crashed into the wall!"

"That slacker is the luckiest guy in the world!" another person yelled. "He just bent down to tie his shoe! He won by pure, dumb luck! It was a total accident!"

The entire public reached the exact same conclusion. They thought Gavi lost control of his own massive power. They thought Gavi's speed caused his own downfall. They truly believed Ken won the duel by pure, unbelievable luck. Nobody saw the invisible movement. Nobody sensed the hidden curse magic.

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Ken's disguise remained flawless.

Ken slouched his shoulders as far as they could go. He put his hands deep into his pockets. He dragged his shoes across the dirt ring. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff.

He walked up to the referee.

"Excuse me," Ken mumbled lazily. He let out a loud yawn. "He is asleep right now. But when he wakes up, please remind him about my cake. I want extra pink frosting. It is a legally binding verbal contract. I will come back for it later."

The referee just nodded blankly. He was speechless.

Ken walked over to the edge of the ring. He climbed through the ropes. He walked up the stairs toward the VIP section. He returned to Olivia.

Olivia sat on the wooden bench. She pinched the bridge of her nose. She let out a very long, very tired sigh.

She watched the entire sequence. She knew Ken did not win by luck. She knew Ken did something fast. She knew the curse magic caused the crash. But she also knew she could never prove it. Ken manipulated the entire situation to look like a goofy accident. It was terrifyingly brilliant.

Ken sat down next to her. He slouched into the wooden bench. He grabbed his empty popcorn bucket. He looked at her with a bright, goofy grin.

"The duel is over," Ken announced cheerfully. "I successfully defended your honor. Or something like that. I mostly just tied my shoe. Now, according to our fake boyfriend contract, you owe me snacks. I want sweet buns. The bakery is across the street. Let us go."

Olivia dropped her hand. She looked at his hair. She looked at his untucked shirt. She shook her head slowly.

"You are impossible, Ken," Olivia stated flatly. She picked up her silver spear. She stood up from the bench. "Fine. I will buy you the sweet buns. But you are carrying my bags on the way home."

"That is a massive violation of my labor rights," Ken complained lazily. He stood up and followed her. "Carrying bags requires arm strength. I have zero arm strength. I am a very delicate flower."

"You will survive," Olivia replied strictly. But a tiny, invisible smile touched the corner of her lips.

They walked out of the loud, chaotic arena together. The crowd continued to stare at the unconscious Gavi in the dirt. The rumor of the lucky, clumsy servant of the 13th Unit spread rapidly across the capital city. Ken successfully maintained his lazy persona, secured a free cake, and earned extra sweet buns. For the hidden ruler of the shadows, it was an perfect, highly successful afternoon.

---

The grand assembly hall of the Upper Council echoed with loud shouts. Politicians waved their arms in the air. They yelled at each other across the polished marble floor. Their expensive silk suits wrinkled as they pointed angry fingers. The room buzzed with pure, unfiltered panic.

Ken Eliot sat in a comfortable wooden chair near the back of the room. He wore his navy blue pants. His white dress shirt hung completely untucked over his belt. He did not wear a tie. His black hair stuck up in wild, messy spikes. He slumped his shoulders as far as they could possibly go.

He held a massive bucket of buttery popcorn in his lap. He reached into the bucket. He pulled out a large handful of popcorn. He tossed the food into his mouth. He chewed it slowly. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

"This is like a heist movie," Ken mumbled lazily. He swallowed his food. He looked around the chaotic room. "The bad guys steal the shiny object. The rich politicians lose their minds. The police run around in circles. I love heist movies. They always have great background music."

Naomi sat in the chair right next to him. She wore simple dark pants and a green shirt. She did not scowl at his outfit. She smiled a very warm, bright smile. She reached into his bucket. She took a single piece of popcorn. She popped it into her mouth.

"You watch too many movies, Ken," Naomi said. She chewed the popcorn. "But you are right. They are losing their minds today."

"They need to calm down," Ken complained casually. He let out a loud, dramatic yawn. "All this yelling is terrible for my ears. It disrupts my digestion. I just ate lunch an hour ago. I need a peaceful environment to process my calories."