The moment the four of them stepped through the glowing exit, light swallowed their vision in an instant. The sensation was identical to the end of Phase One—a weightless pull, a shift in space—and when the brightness faded, they stood once again in the familiar white void. However, unlike before, the space was completely empty. No chatter, no scattered groups, no confused students wandering about. Just silence stretching endlessly in every direction, making the area feel larger and colder than before.

Lia slowly scanned the surroundings, a thoughtful look crossing her face.

"…Maybe we're the first to finish this phase."

Ron nodded beside her. The emptiness made it obvious.

"Yeah. Looks like it."

Jax lifted his hands behind his head, smirking proudly.

"Heh. First place without even trying that hard—"

A burst of bright light interrupted him. The brightness blossomed directly ahead, expanding outward before fading just as quickly. From that light, Maera's group appeared—Maera Raynhart standing confidently at the front, Col Alven and Drevin Solveil on either side, and Iselde Velmira half-hiding behind Drevin like a nervous kitten.

Maera swept her gaze across the empty space, her eyes sharp and perceptive.

"So it's true," she said, her attention landing on Ron's group. "You really were the first."

Lia and Selene both nodded politely, acknowledging her.

Ron exchanged a brief smile with Maera before the two naturally fell into conversation, comparing what they had experienced during the second phase. Jax, meanwhile, wandered off to poke at the ground like he expected a secret staircase to open.

Lia turned toward Selene, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Hey… how did you not fall for the illusion? You didn't even flinch."

Selene blinked, then offered a small, gentle smile.

"My eyes have been trained since I was a child. Illusion magic is my main field… so anything at or slightly above my level doesn't affect me easily. I can see through the layers."

Lia's eyes widened, admiration clear on her face.

She's really amazing…

Selene's calm confidence made her seem almost untouchable.

Before their conversation could continue, several flashes of light erupted around them—quick, successive bursts scattered across the empty void. When the light dimmed, another team stood nearby, and Ron's eyes widened slightly in recognition.

At the front stood a tall blonde boy with striking cerulean eyes—Aurelian Valmont.

Beside him, elegant as ever, was Lyria Silverwind, the elven princess.

To her right stood Durnan Stonebrow, the dwarf with a hammer strapped to his back.

But the one who caught Ron's attention the most was the last girl—

Celeste Azurecrest.

Her presence alone brought a faint surprise to Ron's expression. Celeste rarely joined groups. Seeing her with Aurelian's team was unexpected.

Aurelian noticed Ron and lifted a hand in greeting.

"Hello."

Ron nodded back.

"I didn't realize you were part of the participants. We didn't see you among the crowd earlier."

Aurelian shrugged with casual ease, his tone light.

"Well, now you have, haven't you, bro?"

Ron couldn't help but laugh softly.

One by one, the top teams were gathering.

.

.

.

Ron studied Aurelian's group for a moment before his gaze finally settled on Celeste, who was standing quietly beside Lyria. Her posture was composed as always, but there was a faint heaviness in her eyes—a subdued silence that hadn't been there before. Ron exhaled softly and turned back to Aurelian.

"I didn't expect Celeste to team up with you," he said, keeping his voice low.

Aurelian let out a light laugh, though a bead of sweat slid down the side of his face.

"Neither did I," he admitted with a helpless smile. "But… she's still recovering from Arin's death. It's been hard on her."

Ron slowly nodded, a faint shadow crossing his expression. Arin's death had shaken Celeste who had been closer to him than anyone.

Jax, who had been unusually quiet for once, simply folded his arms and listened in silence, his usual jokes nowhere to be found.

Before the atmosphere could deepen further, a familiar chime echoed through the white space—bright, cheerful, and unmistakable.

Ding—ding—ding!

Eira's enthusiastic voice burst across the entire void like a festival announcer.

"Participants~! The second phase of the Competition has officially ended!"

Her voice reverberated through the space, instantly grabbing everyone's attention. The scattered conversations stopped. The survivors stood straighter, instinctively bracing themselves.

"Only the very strong teams remain now," Eira continued, excitement bubbling in her tone as if this was her favorite part of the whole event. "But remember! Only ONE team will claim the victory!"

A faint ripple of tension spread through the white space.

Ron's hand tightened into a loose fist.

Lia's breath caught.

Selene's gaze sharpened.

Even Maera and Aurelian's groups straightened naturally, instinctively aligning themselves as warriors prepared for the next challenge.

Eira's voice rose dramatically, like she was raising a curtain on the grand finale.

"So everyone—get ready for the third and final phase of this competition…!"

A soft thrum of mana pulsed beneath their feet, the white space beginning to shift ever so slightly, as though preparing to reshape itself into something entirely new.

"Give your all, survive what awaits you—

and win the right to obtain the Ultimate Artifact!"

The declaration echoed like thunder, and every surviving participant felt their heartbeat speed up.

The final phase was about to begin.

.

.

.

Eira's voice rang out again, bright and commanding, cutting through the rising tension of the white space.

"Now then, all of you—get ready to move to the third phase space!"

A soft murmur rippled through the gathered students. Someone from the back stepped forward, confusion in his voice.

"Wait—what is the third phase about? You still haven't told us anything!"

Others nodded in agreement. Even some strong teams looked uneasy. The first two phases had been very tough even if she told about them , and the unknown phase was already more intimidating than any illusion or shifting maze.

But Eira only giggled, the sound light and almost teasing.

"You'll know when you get there~!"

The students groaned in unison—some frustrated, some nervous, and some already mentally preparing for the worst.

Eira's tone softened, carrying a weight behind the cheerfulness.

"But remember this," she said slowly, clearly, so not a single person missed the meaning.

"This stage—no, this entire competition—is about one thing."

Her words lingered for a heartbeat.

"Teamwork.

If your team cannot act as one…

you will fail."

Silence filled the space.

No one laughed.

No one argued.

Every participant understood the message clearly.

Then Eira clapped her hands—her voice switching back to bright enthusiasm.

"Alright then—off you go!!!"

Before anyone could react—

FLASH!

A blinding burst of white light exploded across the space, swallowing every team at once. Their forms disappeared instantly, pulled toward the unknown space waiting for them.

The blinding flash faded slowly, and Ron, Lia, Selene, and Jax felt solid ground beneath their feet once again. When the light cleared completely, the four of them found themselves standing in a vast, circular arena. Its walls—towering and made of obsidian—curved around them like a colossal black dome. A dim, silvery glow seeped down from an unseen sky, bathing the entire stage in ghostly light.

The floor beneath them was unlike anything they had seen before.

Smooth, polished, reflective—

like a single gigantic mirror stretching across the entire arena.

Ron scanned the area, his brows tightening.

"…So this is the third phase?"

Lia stepped forward slightly, eyes wide as she took in the eerie silence and strange glow.

"It really feels like a final stage…"

Before any of them could speculate further, Eira's cheerful but echoing voice rang out all around them:

"Correct! This is the final phase!

And to clear it—

you must defeat someone."

Selene immediately tensed.

"Who?"

There was a brief pause…

then Eira laughed lightly.

"Simple.

Look down."

All four blinked—then glanced at their own reflections in the mirror-like ground.

Jax squinted.

"Uh… so you want me to admire my handsome face or what—?"

But his joke died halfway.

The polished surface began to ripple softly beneath the images, as though the mirror-world under their feet had suddenly turned into a disturbed pool of water.

"Okay, what the hell— I wasn't ready to see that this."

The distortion grew sharper, and the four instinctively stepped back as the ground right beneath their reflections began to liquefy into shimmering, ink-like waves. Without warning, the surface bulged upward. Figures began rising from the mirror, emerging slowly as if climbing up from a deep, reflective ocean.

The water-like ripples solidified again once the figures fully surfaced.

Ron's breath caught as he instinctively stepped into a defensive stance.

Because standing across from them were four people who looked exactly like them—same clothes, same stance, same mana signature. They were perfect copies carved from their own images, but something was undeniably wrong with them. A faint, dark aura curled around the duplicates like mist clinging to their skin, and their eyes—cold, hollow, and piercing—were nothing like their own.

Eira's voice echoed through the arena, devoid of its earlier playfulness.

"Welcome…"

she announced,

"to the Trial of Reflected Self."

The three shadows excepts Selene's get into fighting stance simultaneously—

each mirroring the exact stance their real counterparts usually took.

For the first time in the entire competition—

Ron, Lia, Selene, and Jax would face…

Themselves.

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