Some people could ask the question.
How can I be this sure? The answer is simple: they were a major organization in the novel.
In a world with reverse harem elements, having an organization fighting for “liberation” wasn’t out of place. It was almost predictable, a staple of the genre. But at least the author had the sense to craft them as villains rather than an idealistic faction. The Cloud Heavens Sect wasn’t about freedom; it was about power dressed up as virtue, indulgence wrapped in rhetoric.
And at the heart of it was her: Lira Vaelan, the Silent Thunder, the sect’s rising star and its greatest manipulator.
She was the quintessential villainess, playing the role to perfection in the novel. I remembered her arc vividly. She would join the academy in the second act, her charm and composure masking her true intentions. She’d approach the talented and ambitious, enticing them with promises of growth and freedom, seeking to draw them into the sect’s fold. And for a time, she would succeed, her cleverness and beauty drawing many to her cause.
But then Elara appeared.
Elara, the true female lead, is a prodigy in every sense, blessed not just with talent but with a genuine drive to rise on her own merit. She was everything Lira pretended to be—and more. Where Lira manipulated, Elara inspired. Where Lira schemed, Elara led with honesty and strength. It wasn’t long before the disciples Lira sought to recruit began to drift toward Elara instead, captivated by her authenticity.
Lira couldn’t stomach it.
She and her fellow disciples, once so confident in their allure, found themselves eclipsed by someone they couldn’t control, someone who shone brighter than their facade ever could. Their jealousy festered, and they began to lash out, targeting Elara and those who stood with her. It was the beginning of their downfall, a slow unraveling that would ultimately expose the sect for what it truly was.
But their pettiness wasn’t limited to the main arc. Even here, at this tournament, they showed their true colors.
I’d seen how they treated Valeria at the start of this event. Their disdain, their underhanded attempts to undermine her—they couldn’t handle anyone standing in their way.
And Lira, their so-called prodigy, was no different. She was here not just to win but to dominate, to prove her superiority at any cost.
‘Under this façade of virtue…..what lies is a simpleton who only reeks carnal scents.’
To me that was obvious.
Lira Vaelan wasn’t just manipulative; she was hollow. Her elegance, her composure, her disciplined front—all of it was a lie, a carefully constructed veneer meant to conceal the truth of what she was. And in the novel, that truth unraveled spectacularly.
There was more to her hatred of Elara than simple envy or competition. It wasn’t just about power or influence. It was personal.
Varen.
The man was a male lead through and through: brooding, noble, and deeply scarred. His distrust of women stemmed from betrayal—Lira’s betrayal. She had been his fiancée, the one chosen to stand by his side, but instead, she’d thrown it all away, indulging her desires with another disciple. The revelation shattered him. Varen didn’t just lose trust in her; he lost trust in the opposite gender entirely.
It was Elara who changed that.
As their relationship evolved in the novel, Elara became the person who brought Varen back from the edge. Her unwavering honesty, her ability to see through his bitterness and show him the strength in vulnerability—she didn’t just win his trust; she healed him. Slowly but surely, she pieced together the man Lira had broken.
And that, above all else, was what Lira couldn’t forgive.
Lira didn’t antagonize Elara purely because she was jealous of her talent or her popularity. It wasn’t just about the disciples who flocked to Elara or the attention she commanded. No, the root of Lira’s hatred was the fact that Elara had taken something from her—a feeling of superiority she had clung to like a lifeline.
Before Elara, Varen’s brokenness had been a testament to Lira’s importance, a reminder that she had left a mark he couldn’t erase. In her twisted mind, his inability to move on wasn’t a failure; it was proof of her power over him. She was the woman who had shaped him, who had left him scarred and untrusting. That gave her a sense of control, of validation.
But when Elara stepped into his life, all of that crumbled. Elara healed him, replaced bitterness with warmth, and showed him a path forward that didn’t include Lira. And with every step Varen took toward recovery, Lira lost something she didn’t even realize she’d relied on: the twisted comfort of knowing she had irreparably wounded someone else.
Elara was everything Lira wasn’t.
‘That’s why she couldn’t stomach her,’ I mused, watching the arena’s gates open as Lira Vaelan stepped into view. ‘Elara wasn’t just her opposite; she was a reminder of everything Lira had failed to become.’
The crowd erupted into cheers as Lira strode onto the stage, her sword gleaming in the sunlight, her expression calm and composed.
But I knew better than to be fooled by appearances.
She wasn’t here to prove herself as a warrior or to honor her sect. She was here for dominance, to remind the world of her superiority—or at least, the version of it she clung to so desperately.
‘The talent that you think you have… it’s not yours,’ I thought, my gaze narrowing as Lira stepped further into the arena. She carried herself with poise, her every step deliberate, exuding the confidence of someone who believed she stood above the world. The crowd cheered her name, enchanted by the illusion she cast, unaware of the truth.
But I wasn’t here to simply fight her. No, the fight itself was secondary.
I was here to tear away the mask.
The Cloud Heavens Sect wasn’t just a group that had lost its way. Its corruption ran deeper than arrogance or hypocrisy. The very foundation of their so-called “talent” was built on stolen potential, on power taken from others. And the world deserved to know.
‘That’s why I’m here. Not just to win, but to show them the truth.’
The source of their strength wasn’t effort or cultivation. It wasn’t the discipline they claimed to uphold. It was the twisted practice they had buried beneath their rhetoric, a secret that had gone unchallenged for too long.
The announcer’s voice rang out, amplified by magic, echoing across the arena as Lira Vaelan stepped into the light.
“Now we welcome the star of the Cloud Heavens Sect! Lira Vaelan! The Silent Thunder!”
The crowd erupted, a wave of cheers rolling through the stands, their energy palpable. Lira moved with an elegance that seemed practiced to perfection, her movements precise, her posture commanding. She lifted her chin slightly, letting the adoration wash over her like a queen acknowledging her subjects. Her sword gleamed at her side, a symbol of the power she pretended to wield with righteousness.
I stood motionless on the other side of the arena, my gaze fixed on her, my grip steady on the hilt of my estoc. The cheers for her were deafening, but they didn’t matter. None of it mattered.
She wasn’t here for the people. She wasn’t here for her sect.
She was here for herself. Enjoy exclusive adventures from
And I was here to expose her.
‘The Silent Thunder,’ I mused, a faint smirk tugging at my lips. ‘How fitting, for someone who shakes the ground with stolen strength while hiding behind her sect’s lies.’
As she reached her position across from me, her gaze finally locked onto mine. Her face was calm, composed, the perfect mask of confidence. But I caught the faintest flicker of something else in her eyes—something uncertain.
I raised my blade slightly, tipping the estoc in her direction, and let my smirk deepen. “Enjoying the cheers?” I asked, my voice carrying easily across the space between us. “You should. They might not last long.”
Lira’s expression didn’t change, but I saw the subtle tension in her jaw. “I don’t concern myself with fleeting applause,” she replied, her tone smooth and measured. “I leave that to those who crave validation.”
I chuckled softly, shaking my head. “Validation? That’s rich, coming from someone whose power isn’t even her own.”
The crowd’s murmurs began to ripple, confusion and intrigue spreading as my words hung in the air. Lira’s calm exterior faltered for just a heartbeat, her eyes narrowing as she stepped forward.
“I’ve earned my place,” she said, her voice sharpening. “Everything I have is the result of my efforts, my discipline. You know nothing of what it means to stand where I do.”
“Don’t I?” I shot back. “You call it effort, but we both know the truth. The Cloud Heavens Sect doesn’t cultivate strength—it steals it. Every step you’ve taken, every ounce of power you claim, has been built on the backs of those you’ve drained dry. And now, you stand here like it’s something to be proud of.”
The murmurs grew louder, a ripple of shock and curiosity spreading through the stands. Lira’s composure cracked further, her fingers tightening on the hilt of her blade.
“You think you can slander my sect and walk away unscathed?” she demanded, her voice rising. “Do you even know who you’re facing?”
“I know exactly who I’m facing,” I said, stepping forward. The tip of my estoc pointed directly at her, the faint glint of my mana beginning to gather around it. “A fraud hiding behind a legacy she doesn’t deserve. And by the time we’re done here, everyone else will know it too.”
The announcer, sensing the tension, raised his hand to quiet the crowd. “Fighters, prepare yourselves!” he called, his voice strained as he struggled to bring order back to the arena.
Lira straightened, her mask of confidence sliding back into place, but I saw through it now. She was angry—furious—and that anger would be her undoing.
I tightened my grip on my estoc, my resolve firm as I readied myself. This wasn’t just a fight. This was a reckoning.
“For the lies you’ve told, for the lives you’ve destroyed,” I murmured, my voice low enough for only myself to hear. “The world deserves to see you fall.”
The referee’s hand dropped, and the bell rang.
“Begin!”