Shoujo Hater-Chapter 12 - 10 : The Emergence of Lowen’s children
While Lin drifted inside the maze of his thoughts, the booming cheers of the crowd shook the arena like a storm without end. Yet somehow, he felt completely disconnected from all of it. The noise, the chaos, the violent excitement... none of it reached him.
His mind was elsewhere, thinking, calculating, searching for a way out.
Before he could sink deeper into his thoughts, a calm and steady voice tore through his distraction.
“Get ready.” 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
It was Ian, standing beside him. His expression was as unreadable as ever, but his tone was enough to pull Lin back to reality.
Lin barely had time to respond before the supervisor entered and announced the lineup.
“Sirk will go first, then Ian, followed by Luna, and finally Lin. I want all of you to restore your dignity and the dignity of the knights.”
And so began Sirk’s match as the first among them to fight.
Sirk walked into the arena with anger burning in his eyes. He wasn’t only seeking victory.
He wanted to prove himself to Luna.
He wanted to show her that he was better than Lin.
What is this nonsense?
Does this idiot not realize that his life is on the line right now?
This simper is going to die a stupid death.
Forget him. Not my problem.
Everyone is responsible for their own choices.
Whether he lives or dies means nothing to me.
Anyway, let us see his opponent.
Lin turned his gaze to the other side. A girl stepped onto the field, her hair a bright sky blue.
The crowd screamed her name.
Nova.
Before either of them exchanged greetings, the battle had already started.
Sirk rushed forward immediately, swinging his sword with reckless determination.
But Nova simply raised her hand.
A massive ice barrier materialized before him, blocking the strike completely. Before he could pull back, a glowing magic circle spun behind her, firing a barrage of ice arrows like a rainstorm.
Sirk dodged by instinct and lunged forward. His blade broke through the ice shield and sliced across her cheek, leaving a thin red line.
But instead of retreating...
Nova’s aura surged violently.
“How dare you, you filthy common insect.”
With a single gesture, a tremendous ice cannon burst toward Sirk and slammed into him with brutal force.
He staggered, trying to regain his footing, but the ground beneath him froze instantly.
Within a heartbeat, ice spikes erupted from the floor and tore through his body without mercy.
Sirk fell violently, blood spilling over the icy ground.
The arena fell silent for a moment... then erupted with cheers.
To them, this was not tragedy.
It was entertainment.
“The winner is... Nova.”
The judge’s voice echoed, but Lin barely heard it.
All he could see was the horrific scene in front of him.
Sirk’s body hung on the ice like a broken puppet, several spikes pinning him down. One through his shoulder, one through his abdomen, another through his thigh.
Blood drenched the white ice in a sickening crimson pool.
He was still breathing... barely.
Those angry eyes of his had become half closed, staring into emptiness.
There was no pain left in them.
Only the slow descent into darkness.
His lips moved weakly, repeating one word.
Luna... Luna...
And the crowd cheered louder, thrilled by the spectacle.
Lin felt a tightness in his chest.
His hand trembled slightly on the sword hilt.
He had seen death before...
But not like this.
Today, he witnessed the true nature of this twisted world.
His thoughts were cut short.
The supervisor’s voice echoed sharply.
“Ian, prepare yourself.”
“Be careful, Ian,” Lin said with a feeling he could not fully explain.
“And most importantly, do not lose. If you feel you will lose, withdraw immediately.”
“Do not throw your life away.”
Ian smiled while walking toward the arena.
“Do not worry, brother-in-law. I will not disappoint you.”
Lin raised one eyebrow while lowering the other.
He turned to find Luna’s face blushing bright red.
Lin muttered inside his head:
Perfect. This is great. You two almost got me killed earlier, and now you are flirting in a moment like this.
Meanwhile, Frosita ’s aura surged like a roaring blizzard.
Lin immediately avoided looking at her.
He focused instead on Ian’s first match.
Ian entered the arena with a calm smile, as if the fight were nothing more than a relaxing walk. Nova stood at the opposite end, surrounded by frost, her gaze sharp and cold.
“You will not find me an easy opponent,” she said, raising her hand. Dozens of ice spears shot toward him at incredible speed.
Ian did not run.
He did not flinch.
He simply walked, avoiding each projectile effortlessly, as if he were strolling in the breeze.
“Is that all you can do?”
He paused, smirking.
“I expected something more exciting from an old ice witch.”
Rage ignited in Nova’s eyes. She slammed her hands down, freezing the entire floor around Ian. Walls of ice rose to imprison him.
But before her spell completed, Ian vanished.
“What?” Nova gasped, realizing too late that he was directly behind her.
“I love seeing you angry,” he whispered mockingly, then struck her head with the hilt of his sword.
Her eyes widened... then she collapsed unconscious.
The crowd went silent for one heartbeat
Then exploded in shocked cheers.
Ian raised his sword, preparing to finish her with a final stroke.
“Stop!”
Luna jumped into the arena and grabbed his wrist.
They stared at each other for a moment before Ian backed away with a confident smirk.
“The winner is... Ian.”
Then the next match was announced.
Nova’s brother entered the arena.
The audience grew tense, anticipation filling the air.
Kyle, a dual mage of ice and water, was ready to fight Ian with a fury fueled by his sister’s humiliation.
“You son of a traitor. You will pay for what you did!” Kyle roared as he launched his first spell.
Ice and water swirled around him like a raging storm. The ground froze beneath Ian’s feet, barriers formed around him, whirlpools of water circled.
But Ian, accustomed to fighting in chaos, immediately sensed that this was only the beginning.
“You think ice and water will stop me? Pathetic. Is this all you have to defend your sister?”
He smirked.
“Let me show you a real fight.”
Suddenly, Ian released a blazing aura.
Fire erupted around him in a swirling inferno.
It looked as if the flames themselves bowed to him, forming a fiery shield.
Lin watched with disbelief.
“How did he grow this fast?” he whispered, stunned by the overwhelming heat enveloping Ian.
Kyle grit his teeth and forged sharp ice walls around the flames. Then he began merging his elements, forming a hybrid spell far stronger than either on its own. His hands glowed, the air crackled, frost and water spiraled together violently.
His intent was clear.
A new spell.
A deadly one.
Ian advanced, dodging each blast, closing in on Kyle.
Then Kyle began his incantation.
O frost and water
O newborn breath of winter
Gather in my hand as a cold light
Rise and form a merciless icy veil around me...
But before he could finish, an unexpected command rang out.
Lin shouted at Ian to throw his sword into the middle of Kyle’s incantation.
Without hesitation, Ian hurled his sword with all his strength, charging it with nearly all his fire aura.
The blade shot through the air like lightning, wrapped in blazing flames.
It pierced through the merging spell.
The entire incantation exploded.
The blast shattered the arena.
Dust, water, and ice flew everywhere while both fighters were thrown backward violently.
A shockwave rippled through the stadium.
“Draw.”
The judge announced with a trembling voice.
Ian and Kyle stood slowly, exhausted yet unyielding.
“You are strong, Kyle,” Ian said quietly.
“I did not expect this much from you.”
“For my sister, I will fight with everything I have,” Kyle replied, breathing heavily.
“Remember that.”
Fools, Lin muttered with annoyance.
But he did not have time to dwell on it.
Because the judge announced the next match.
Luna stepped into the arena.
Her movements were confident, her eyes sharp with resolve. A golden aura radiated from her body, pulsing with light as if it were the reflection of her spirit.
Her first opponent, a wind mage, summoned swirling cyclones to keep her away.
Luna gave him no chance.
Her aura flared brightly, turning into golden threads that wrapped around her sword. She dashed forward with impossible speed.
The wind split in two before her.
His barrier shattered.
He collapsed in one clean strike.
Her second opponent was a massive warrior with a dense gray aura and near impenetrable defense.
Luna moved like lightning.
She struck the joints in his legs with surgical precision.
His knees buckled.
A final luminous slash sent him flying out of the arena.
Her third opponent, Irina, wielded water defense magic. Her aura flowed around her like a moving shield.
But Luna moved faster than her spell.
Her blade shone with concentrated light.
She cut through the water barrier as if it were air.
Irina was sent flying before understanding what happened.
Three consecutive victories.
The crowd roared, but Luna’s eyes stayed fixed on one person.
Frosita .
Moments before the final match...
High on the platform, the Matriarch sat with calm, piercing eyes. Everyone waited for the next fighter to be announced.
Frosita stepped forward toward her mother.
“I will fight in the final.”
It was not a request.
It was a declaration.
Her cold aura radiated outward, chilling the air around her.
Even seasoned warriors shivered.
“The fighter has already been chosen,” the Matriarch said.
“That does not matter,” Frosita replied.
“If this is the final round, then I must be in it. No one else is worthy.”
And then she added with a sharp voice that carried through the entire arena:
“I must show these traitors that they do not touch what belongs to Frost.”
Lin felt a shiver run through him.
Her eyes glowed with deadly frost, but the real fire was inside her heart.
This was not merely a match.
It was vengeance.
The arena erupted with chants.
“Frosita ! Frosita !”
Her icy aura intensified with each cheer.
The Matriarch observed her for a long silent moment. Then she smiled faintly and asked:
“Is this love or possession?”
Frosita did not answer. She did not need to.
The Matriarch closed her eyes for a heartbeat, then opened them and declared:
“Very well, Frosita . The final match is yours.”
The cheers doubled.
Her name thundered across the arena.
Frosita turned slowly, locking eyes with Luna.
The look she gave her was not challenge.
It was a warning.
“It seems betrayal runs in your family,” Frosita said coldly.
“Tell me, did you inherit it from your father, or are you refining it with your own hands?”
Luna’s aura burst with golden light, her eyes blazing.
“Let us finish this, you wretched woman.”
