Chapter 90 - 090: Royal war...

Neither brother had much strength left.

Rylan’s breathing had become heavier, and the pain from his old injuries had returned with every movement. His body was exhausted, but he refused to let Zane see how badly it was affecting him.

Zane wasn’t doing much better. Blood ran from a cut above his eyebrow, and his movements had lost some of their earlier speed. Even so, there was still confidence in his expression. He had defeated Rylan once, and he clearly believed he could do it again.

He moved first.

Rylan didn’t rush forward. Instead, he watched carefully, remembering everything he had learned throughout the fight. Zane’s attacks had become predictable whenever exhaustion began to take over. He was relying more heavily on force and giving himself less time to recover between movements.

Zane swung toward him.

Rylan moved aside, allowing the attack to pass before striking his shoulder. Zane staggered but recovered quickly and attacked again.

Rylan blocked.

The force pushed him backward.

Zane followed immediately, trying to prevent him from regaining his balance. Rylan stepped away from another strike and watched his brother’s feet.

For a moment, Zane’s weight shifted too far forward.

Rylan noticed it.

He waited.

Zane attacked again, convinced that Rylan was too tired to respond properly.

That was the mistake.

Rylan moved at the same moment Zane committed to the attack. He avoided the blow, caught Zane’s arm and twisted his body around it. Zane tried to pull free, but Rylan used the little strength he had left to drive him backward.

Zane lost his balance.

Rylan struck him across the chest.

Zane fell.

The crowd erupted around the fighting ground.

Rylan remained standing, though barely. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he tried to catch his breath. For several seconds, he simply watched Zane on the ground.

Zane pushed himself up.

Rylan immediately raised his hands again, prepared to continue.

One of the cabinet members stepped forward.

"Enough."

The command carried across the fighting ground.

Zane stopped.

The older council member turned toward the gathered people and formally announced the result. "According to Wolfrine’s royal tradition, the challenge ends when one contender can no longer continue. Rylan has defeated Zane."

The crowd reacted immediately. Some called Rylan’s name, while others stared at Zane in disbelief. The supporters who had gathered behind him remained silent.

Rylan barely noticed them.

His attention had already moved through the crowd until he found Anaria.

She stood with Ana against her chest, Kenai and Kai beside her. The relief on her face was obvious, and Rylan finally allowed himself to lower his hands.

He had won.

But the moment he looked at the people waiting for him, the victory felt less important than the fact that they were still there.

Anaria started moving toward him, but Rylan remained where he was for a moment longer.

The system suddenly chimed inside Anaria’s mind.

[Primary Mission: Save Your Husband.]

[Final condition reached.]

[Target: Rylan has survived and reclaimed his rightful position.]

[Primary Mission completed.]

Anaria’s eyes widened slightly.

The system continued before she could respond.

[Reward: 500 System Points.]

[Additional Reward: Wolfrine Royal Access.]

[Mission completion bonus has been granted.]

[And a huge reward, do host want to unlock it now or after]

Anaria stared ahead for a moment then she nodded and told it to kept it for later

After everything they had gone through, the task was finally complete.

But before she could think about the reward any further, Rylan’s knees nearly gave way.

Anaria immediately hurried toward him.

Kenai and Kai reached him at almost the same time, each taking one of his arms.

"You’re going to fall," Kai said as he steadied him.

"I noticed," Rylan muttered, breathing heavily.

Anaria stopped in front of him and looked him over. "Are you hurt badly?"

Rylan shook his head. "Nothing I can’t handle."

She gave him an unimpressed look.

"You can barely stand."

Rylan glanced down at himself before sighing. "Fine. Maybe I need a little help."

Kenai gave a short laugh and helped him move away from the fighting ground.

Behind them, the crowd was still reacting to what had happened.

Some of the beastmen were openly celebrating Rylan’s return, while others remained uncertain, watching the defeated Zane and the council members surrounding him.

Zane slowly pushed himself upright.

A few of his supporters moved toward him, but he waved them away.

He looked across the fighting ground and found Rylan surrounded by Anaria, Kenai and Kai.

There was no fear in his expression.

There was anger, but it was controlled.

Zane wiped the blood from his mouth and looked toward the council.

"You have your result."

The older council member nodded. "The challenge has been settled."

Zane gave a short laugh.

"So now you expect everything to change because he won one fight?"

The council members exchanged uneasy looks.

Rylan turned at the sound of his voice.

Zane met his eyes.

"This isn’t over."

Rylan said nothing.

Zane looked toward Anaria next, his expression unreadable.

Then he turned away and allowed his supporters to follow him.

Anaria watched him leave.

She had expected him to react badly, but she hadn’t expected him to simply walk away.

Rylan noticed her expression.

"He won’t accept this easily," she said.

"I know."

Rylan looked around Wolfrine.

The place he had spent so much time trying to escape was now his responsibility.

The cheers continued around them, but he barely heard them.

The cabinet had recognized him.

The people knew he was alive.

Zane had lost the challenge.

And yet Rylan couldn’t shake the feeling that none of this meant the problem was over.

He looked down at Ana, who was still resting quietly against Anaria’s chest.

Then he looked at Kenai and Kai.

Finally, his eyes returned to Anaria.

"I never wanted this," he admitted.

Anaria held his gaze. "I know."

Rylan looked toward the royal grounds again.

"But I have it now."

Anaria nodded.

Rylan let out a tired breath.

Winning the challenge had given him Wolfrine.

Now he had to figure out what to do with it.