Imprisoned for a Trillion Years, I Was Worshipped by All Gods!

As Daniel sipped his drink, his thoughts drifted to Rose. Perhaps she would also enjoy something like this Fireblood Wine.

It had been a while since he'd seen her, and he felt a slight urge to check in.

However, he dismissed the thought. Rose needed to grow on her own without interference, even if that interference was only a distant watchful eye.

As a bearer of the Ring of Origin, Daniel represented the world's essence.

Even a glance could cause unforeseen ripple effects. His presence in this world was already monumental.

…

In De'an City, at the central arena, Rose stood with her arms crossed, coldly scanning the crowd below.

"Anyone else?" she called out.

The people below, those who had either been defeated by her or who lacked the courage to challenge her, lowered their heads, unable to meet her gaze.

"I heard De'an City was full of young geniuses. Is there really no one who can put up a fight?" Rose mocked.

Her goal was clear. Almost immediately after leaving Riverside City, she had come straight to De'an City.

Learning of the arena at the city's center, she had smiled.

Such a platform saved her a lot of trouble—she could challenge all sorts of so-called geniuses in one place. She wanted everyone to know the name of the Duheng Academy!

For several days now, Rose had been coming to the arena by day and returning to the inn at night. Every opponent she faced fell without forcing her to even draw her sword.

She could still recall the girl from House Goldstone boasting that De'an City was far bigger than Riverside City, with talents Riverside could never hope to match.

Rose didn't believe it.

She knew that, under her father's teaching, she and her four companions were no less than any so-called prodigies. That was why she had come to De'an City—to prove her point.

But in these days of continuous victories, her opponents were far too weak, unworthy of the title "young genius." Could that girl from House Goldstone have been lying?

"So this is the best De'an City has to offer?" Rose looked at the defeated, or those too fearful to challenge her, with a mix of disappointment and disdain.

"'Young genius?' You're nothing special…" She sighed, turning to leave.

"Rose…you're too arrogant!" A young man from the crowd shouted.

"And what of it? If you can defeat me, I'll be humbled. But do you even have the courage to try?" Rose replied, looking directly at him.

"You…you're going too far!" The man raised his voice, calling out, "People of De'an City, are we going to let an outsider shame us like this?"

"Yes, we've lost to her these past few days, but that doesn't mean we should suffer such humiliation! We can die, but we will not be shamed!" With that, he rushed onto the stage.

"Master!" Several guards from the crowd rushed to his side. At that moment, someone in the crowd shouted, "This witch has gone too far! Forget the rules—let's teach her a lesson!"

The onlookers, stirred by the guards and the young man's defiance, began to move toward the stage.

Rose's expression turned icy. "So this is the extent of De'an City's honor? Unable to stomach my victories, you resort to such tactics because none of you can beat me?"

Rose no longer held back. She drew her massive sword and plunged into the crowd swarming onto the stage.

She moved like a human whirlwind, cutting down anyone who approached.

Those who faced her seemed to lose all sense, forgetting how to fight and even how to summon their magic.

They stood like stunned civilians, only realizing the danger when Rose's blade was upon them. But by then, it was too late.

Her sword was no ordinary weapon. Under her strikes, each opponent fell with serious injury, if not worse.

Rose was precise, only targeting those who dared to step onto the stage, sparing the bystanders below.

After a thorough sweep, the stench of blood filled the arena, and the crowd snapped out of their daze, horrified by the grisly scene.

They realized that Rose had been holding back all these days. The giant sword she carried wasn't for show—it was her true weapon.

Until now, she had only relied on magic to fight, yet no one in all of De'an City had been able to force her to draw her blade.

They began to question: was De'an City really so lacking, or was this girl simply too powerful?

"Don't be too arrogant! The real geniuses of De'an City aren't here. They're all tier-gold level! Defeating you would be child's play for them."

"Oh? Then where are these so-called geniuses now?" Rose asked.

No one had an answer. Glancing at the bodies around her and the blood soaking the stage,

Rose decided it was time to leave and find a place to wash up. Why did these people insist on violating the arena's rules?

"Stop! You'll pay for harming my son!" a powerful voice called out just as Rose was about to leave.

A middle-aged man approached, his eyes scanning the crowd, looking for his son. When he reached the stage, his gaze fell upon a familiar figure among the fallen.

"Son! Son, wake up! Why did you kill my son?" the man roared, looking at Rose.

"He broke the arena's rules, so I killed him," Rose replied coldly.

"Rules? I don't care about your rules! You'll die for this and join him in the afterlife!" The man's mana flared, a murderous intent directed squarely at Rose.

A few figures appeared behind Rose.

"Miss Rose!"

"No need—you don't need to help. Let me handle this," Rose said to Kent and the others. Gripping her greatsword tightly, she faced the man before her, who was undoubtedly a powerful opponent.

But she also knew…this was her chance to push herself to the next level.

"You…will die!" the man shouted, summoning a massive fireball from the sky.

He continued to unleash a barrage of magic aimed directly at Rose, meant to disrupt her movement and prevent her from dodging.

The true threat, however, was the fireball above.

Rose didn't retreat. She swung her greatsword, slashing through the oncoming magic spells one by one, each swing bringing her closer to her target.

"Do you really think you can defy me?" the man sneered, conjuring a wall of flames in front of him. From within the wall, torrents of fire surged toward Rose.