Rhys stayed on his knees, shaking with relief.

Puddle patted his head.

"Master gets free pass! Master lucky!"

Rhys whispered,

"I never thought I'd be grateful to NOT fight."

Dreamer tilted his head.

"Don't celebrate too early. You're still fighting one of the winners."

Fate grinned wide.

"Yeah! You're skipping one beating. Not all of them."

Rhys immediately lost all joy.

"…I hate this tournament."

The announcer lifted his hand toward the remaining four fighters.

"THE FIRST MATCH OF THE DAY—

ZENITH VERSUS LEON EMBERSTEEL!"

The crowd exploded in excitement.

Leon cracked his neck and stretched his arms.

"Time to go wild."

Zenith didn't react at all.

He just lifted his greatsword like it weighed nothing.

Rhys gulped.

"…Please don't break the arena."

Lyra answered dryly,

"They will."

Fate pointed dramatically at the stage.

"MASTER! WATCH CLOSELY! THIS IS WHAT YOU DON'T WANT TO FIGHT!"

Rhys sank into his seat.

Puddle whispered,

"Master already shaking."

"NO I'M NOT—" Rhys began.

But he absolutely was.

The announcer's voice boomed:

"FIGHTERS, STEP FORWARD!"

Leon's flames ignited across his arms.

Zenith's dark runes glowed like a storm.

The whole arena trembled as the two faced each other.

Fate leaned over the railing, eyes shining.

"Ohhh this is gonna be good!"

Rhys grabbed Fate's sleeve.

"DON'T JINX IT!"

Fate ignored him completely.

The referee raised his hand—

"READY…"

Rhys took a deep breath.

"SET…"

Puddle covered her eyes with her tiny hands.

"FIGHT!!"

Zenith and Leon launched at each other with insane speed—

—and the arena erupted.

BOOOOOOM!!

The floor cracked instantly.

Fire shot upward.

Dark shockwaves tore through the ground.

Rhys screamed,

"WHY ARE THEY STARTING LIKE THIS?!"

Lyra answered calmly,

"This is normal for the finals."

Rhys stared at the battlefield in horror.

"This is NOT normal! That's a natural disaster!"

Puddle nodded.

"Very disaster."

Leon swung his flaming blade.

Zenith blocked it with his dark greatsword.

KRAAAK!

The shockwave pushed the barrier back.

Students screamed.

Some fainted.

Fate was thrilled.

"Yes! THIS is real fighting!"

Rhys grabbed his head.

"No! THIS is how people DIE!"

Sophia sighed softly.

"I hope the healers are ready."

The two fighters clashed again.

BOOM! FWOOSH! CRAAACK!

Fire and darkness blasted everywhere.

The arena floor started glowing red from heat.

Rhys pointed at it frantically.

"WHY IS THE FLOOR MELTING?!"

Dreamer nodded wisely.

"Sign of a good fight."

"No it's NOT!" Rhys yelled.

But no one listened.

The match intensified.

Blades clashed.

Magic exploded.

Rocks flew everywhere.

It was complete chaos.

And Rhys had a front-row seat.

Fate leaned forward even more, eyes sparkling.

"MASTER! LOOK! LEON JUST MADE A VOLCANO!"

Rhys yelled back,

"THAT IS NOT A GOOD THING, FATE!"

In the arena, Leon slammed his flaming blade into the ground.

FWOOOM!!

A huge pillar of fire erupted, shooting straight at Zenith.

The crowd screamed.

Puddle screamed.

Rhys screamed the loudest.

Zenith stepped through the flames like they were warm air.

His dark aura thickened.

His greatsword changed shape—runic patterns glowing brighter and brighter.

Rhys pointed with trembling hands.

"WHY IS HIS SWORD EVOLVING MID-FIGHT?! WHAT KIND OF BROKEN SKILLS DOES HE HAVE?!"

Lyra adjusted her glasses calmly.

"He's not evolving it. He's unlocking the next stage."

"THAT'S WORSE!"

Fate nodded proudly.

"Zenith is one of the strongest fighters this academy has ever seen. He's on a whole different level."

Dreamer added,

"Leon too. He's a monster with fire. They're both top-tier geniuses."

Rhys slowly melted into his seat.

"So I have to fight… one of THEM?"

Puddle rubbed his back.

"Master strong. Maybe strong enough. Maybe."

"'MAYBE' IS NOT REASSURING!"

In the arena—

Leon charged again, flames bursting around him.

Zenith raised his sword and—

SHOOOM!!

A wave of dark power exploded outward.

Leon blocked it, feet digging into the ground.

The floor cracked under him.

The barrier flickered again.

The crowd roared.

Fate shouted happily,

"YES! DESTROY EVERYTHING!"

Rhys grabbed him by the collar.

"STOP CHEERING FOR MY FUTURE ATTEMPTED MURDER!"

But Fate just kept grinning.

The clash continued:

BOOM! BOOM! CRACK!

Leon's flames turned white-hot.

Zenith's aura turned pitch black.

They struck each other with full force—

KA-BOOOOOOM!!

Half the arena's stage exploded.

Dust flew everywhere.

The barrier slammed into place.

Referees panicked.

Healers stood ready.

Rhys stared blankly.

"My life will end tomorrow."

Puddle nodded.

"Master doomed."

"SAY SOMETHING HOPEFUL!"

Puddle thought hard.

"…Master doomed… but maybe doomed later?"

"THAT'S NOT BETTER!"

Lyra sighed.

"Calm down. You still have time to watch and learn."

Sophia added gently,

"Just breathe. They're strong, yes… but you're not weak either."

Rhys stared at the battlefield where two monsters were breaking the world.

"…I don't feel strong."

Dreamer placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You don't need to feel strong. You just need to fight smart."

Rhys blinked.

"…Smart?"

Fate nodded.

"Yeah! Because you're not winning a strength battle. You'll win by being weird!"

"WHAT?!"

Dreamer smiled.

"You're unpredictable, Rhys. That's your edge."

Puddle patted Rhys's cheek.

"Master weird. Big advantage."

Rhys didn't know if he should be insulted or encouraged.

But the match raged on—

and he could only watch as the world cracked beneath the strength of his future opponent.

Fate slapped the desk in the commentator's booth as another explosion rocked the arena.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THEY'RE BREAKING THE EARTH! THIS IS AMAZING!" he screamed into the mic.

Down in the stands, Rhys stared at the arena like it had personally offended him.

"THIS IS NOT AMAZING! THIS IS A WARNING FROM GOD!"

Another BOOOOM echoed as Leon shot forward, his entire body wrapped in roaring flames.

Zenith didn't dodge.

He just stepped in and countered with a single dark slash.

KRRRRRRAAAASH!!

The shockwave nearly knocked Rhys off his seat.

Puddle held onto his shirt desperately.

"Master—no! Rhys! Hold strong! Arena trying to kill audience too!"

Rhys yelled at the air,

"WHY IS THIS EVEN ALLOWED?!"

Lyra calmly pulled out a notebook.

"It's not allowed. The arena barrier simply isn't strong enough for these two."

Sophia sighed.

"Administration is probably panicking backstage."

Dreamer's voice echoed from the speakers above, cheerful as always.

"Well folks, the crowd loves the chaos, so let's pretend everything is perfectly safe!"

Fate shouted beside him (from the booth),

"THIS IS THE KIND OF FIGHTING THAT CREATES LEGENDS!"

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