The ground trembled beneath the thunder of thousands of synchronised boots. A wave of tension rippled through the air as shouts erupted from every corner of the colossal arena, echoing like a storm about to break.
Spears lowered.
Swords gleamed.
Shields slammed together with a bone-shaking clang.
Kaelen moved first.
Like a shadow torn straight from the flesh, he lunged into the massâno hesitation, not a single breath wasted.
His hands morphed into claws, glistening like sharpened obsidian, curved and glowing faintly with a dark, sinister energy. His eyes locked onto the front line, pupils narrowing as every muscle in his body coiled with purpose.
Then, in a blinkâ
He vanished.
One second, he was still. The next, he was airborne.
Crack!
The air split with a deafening snap.
He descended like a meteor, claws outstretched, a living weapon of fury and speed.
He smashed into five tightly grouped men, slamming into them with such force that their armour crumpled like tin. Blood spurted from their mouths as they collapsed, unconscious, before they even hit the ground.
BOOM!
Above, a hologram bearing Kaelenâs face blinked from â0â to â5â.
Kaelen bared his teeth in a savage grin, eyes blazing as a low growl rumbled from his throat.
The othersâmen and women alikeâstumbled back at the sight of him.
He didnât give them time to recover.
With a roar, he leapt again, diving into the next cluster. He slipped between spear tips with inhuman grace, his body ducking, twisting, coiling like something born in the wild. His tail snapped like a whip, disarming attackers, while his claws slashed through armour as if it were paper.
He wasnât thinking anymore. His body moved on instinct, raw and wild.
This wasnât a style.
This was nature.
Feral. Brutal. Precise.
âIâll prove it. Father... you didnât make a mistake choosing me,â Kaelen growled in his head, baring his blood-slicked claws.
Meanwhileâ
Aria hadnât moved a step.
Her calm eyes scanned the wave of bodies charging at her.
Hundreds of enemies, all screaming, weapons flashing. But her heart didnât race.
Steady. Focused.
Her hand reached behind her back, fingers wrapping around the smooth curve of her bowâa weapon carved from rich dark wood, veins of silver running down its limbs like living energy.
She whispered something, too quiet to catch.
Then she moved.
Her fingers pulled.
She released.
The first arrow didnât just strike.
sssshh!
It split.
One became five, each one curving mid-air with a high-pitched whistle before plunging deep into the knees and feet of the front line.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Screams tore through the chaos as the injured toppled, and those behind them crashed over their fallen comrades.
Aria turned slightly, already drawing the next.
Another shotâpull. Release.
It split again, this time into seven, slicing through the air like hunting birds.
More screams followed.
The enemy formation faltered.
But Aria was already in motion.
She fired as she moved, her steps light, measured. Her silver hair streamed behind her like a cometâs tail, every movement flowing into the next. Each arrow she loosed danced through the sky, bending unnaturally, directed not by gravityâbut by her will.
Within seconds, the hologram below her name shifted: â0â to â20â.
Aria smiled softly. "If I can keep this rhythm... I might just pull ahead ofâ"
A flash of steel.
An axe screamed toward her face.
She ducked, barely missing the blowâher silver strands sliced clean in the air.
Her hand snapped up. Two arrows shot point-blank, slipping through the cracks in his armourâone in the thigh, the other in the forearm.
He grunted, fell to his knees.
Another attacker cameâfaster than the first.
She backflipped, mid-air, and released three arrows in one motion. They hit with unerring precisionâthigh, shoulder, handâjust as her boots touched the ground.
She never stopped.
Not for a second.
Her hands moved like music, rhythm and purpose. There was no pause between thoughts, no reset between strikes.
She flowed.
Every movement was artâgrace bound in danger.
Above, high in the observation platform, Aether leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowed and sharp.
"...Theyâre doing well," he muttered, though a frown tugged at his lips. âBut itâs still not enough,â he thought grimly.
They couldnât kill their opponentsâthis was just a control exercise. But it revealed more than strength. It showed discipline, instinct, and timing.
Aether turned his gaze toward Maelona, who stood watching the children with an unreadable smile on her lips.
Aqualinaâs eyes narrowed. "I see now... this testâitâs not just about technique. If they keep going like this, theyâll burn through all their energy before the real race even begins, wonât they?"
Maelonaâs smile widened, but she said nothing.
And soon...
Kaelen, meanwhile, was reaching his limit.
Two hundred clean takedownsâand his style had become even more ruthless. His movements were feral, vicious. Blood streaked his face. His breathing had grown laboured.
He needed to stop. Just for a second. Just one breath to collect himself.
But the attackers didnât let up.
They were relentless.
Kaelenâs focus frayed. His vision narrowed. He was starting to lose himself.
With a frustrated roar, he rammed his elbow into a warriorâs chest, bones cracking. He spun in mid-air, landed behind, and dragged his claws in a brutal arc across five more enemies.
"Ha... ha... ha..." he panted, chest rising and falling rapidly. His eyes flicked sideways.
Aria was still at rangeâcalm, deadly, and graceful. Her arrows never missed, dropping opponents like toy soldiers. Her movements made trained snipers look like amateurs.
But she wasnât safe.
More enemies were circling around, rushing from both sides.
Ariaâs eyes narrowed.
She pivoted her foot, just slightly.
Then fired.
Three arrows curved mid-air like they had minds of their own, looping around in wide arcsâthen veering back toward the enemyâs exposed backs.
They hit. Hard.
The crowd gasped. Some even stood in disbelief.
"Did she just... curve them back?" an elder whispered.
Kaelen glanced at the scoreboard.
Aria had already doubled his number.
He could not lose to her!
His jaw clenched. Muscles tensed.
"COME ON!!" he roared, fury and pride swelling inside him as he launched himself into the next wave with reckless power.
Liora swiftly moved through the battlefield, picking up the unconscious and wounded with practised grace.
One by one, she tossed them out of the arenaâs boundary, where her fellow tribe members stood ready to catch and carry them off to the healers.
This wasnât just some meaningless brawl for entertainment.
These people hadnât come here to simply get beaten down. Maelona had made a promise beforehandâthose who performed the best would be given a rightful place in the army, a rank they earned through merit. And for those aiming for personal rewards, she ensured they would receive what they deserved. Every move, every takedown was being recorded, judged by her subordinates, who would later decide the fate of each participant.
Soon, the scoreboard began to glow with eye-catching numbers:
Aria Zephyr â 897
Kaelen Drakfang â 645
But both warriors, Aria and Kaelen, were starting to falter. Their bodies trembled with exhaustion. Their breathing turned heavy, shoulders rising and falling with each laboured breath.
Their movements lost their sharpnessâstrikes slowed, reflexes dulled. Enemies who once fell with ease were now beginning to land hits.
Aether observed it all from above, face impassive, his expression unreadable.
"I just realised something," Maelona spoke, her tone curious. "Youâre not hiding anymore, Aether... Is this really your original form now?"
She tilted her head at him. Until now, she had only seen him projecting illusionsâfrail versions of himself. But here he sat, comfortably relaxed, no glamour to hide behind. Only his hair seemed changed.
Aether gave a soft hum, nodding. "Yeah. I donât really see the point in hiding anymore..."
Helena leaned forward, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. "So... what about your position as the victor?"
Aether hummed again, voice quieter this time. "That guy still needs his spotlight..." he muttered vaguely.
"Finally!" Aqualina exclaimed, her fists clenched with anticipation as she watched the arena, "Theyâve finally figured it out. Theyâre teaming up."
"Took them long enough," Maelona added with an amused smirk, though her eyes were sharp with assessment.
She knew betterâtoo much time had passed. They had already burned through the majority of their stamina, draining themselves against the endless wave of opponents, each facing the horde alone.
Aether nodded, his voice low but knowing. "I see..."
Helena tilted her head. "I still donât really get it..."
Aether turned slightly, his gaze gentle as he explained, "You see... Maelona never told them they had to fight alone. That was their assumption. They thought the challenge was about taking down one thousand enemies soloâthinking their raw strength and confidence would be enough."
He looked at the arena with quiet intensity.
"But time passed. Their bodies grew stiff. The tension crept in. And unlike real combat, they couldnât kill their opponents.
They had to restrain themselvesâto knock them out, immobilise them, without doing fatal harm. That takes more than strength. It takes control. Precision. Discipline. One slip, and they couldâve killed someone with that power."
"Oh..." Helenaâs lips parted slightly as the realisation sank in.
Beside her, Thalia blinked in surprise. Her voice was hushed. "If it were me, I probably wouldâve gone all out without thinking twice."
"Exactly," Maelona said, folding her arms across her chest. Her voice was calm, but the pride in it was unmistakable.
"This wasnât just a test of strength. Weâve already tested their ability to kill. This was about something greaterârestraint, judgment. Knowing when not to use your full strength. A throne doesnât just demand a sword. It demands a mind that can weigh every possibility... and..."
Down below, the battle had shifted.
Kaelen ducked low as a massive warhammer crashed down toward him, the steel head missing by inches. Sparks exploded behind him as it slammed into the arena floor. Before the enemy could recover, Ariaâs arrow was already flyingâslamming into the warriorâs knee with a burst of energy that knocked him down cold.
"Your left!" she shouted sharply.
"I see itâ!" Kaelen replied, turning on his heel, claws flashing. He sliced clean through the shaft of a charging womanâs spear, knocking him off balance before flipping over the enemyâs shoulder.
They were in sync now.
Aria stepped closer to Kaelen, placing a hand on his back. As he spun, she used the momentum to leap upward, vaulting over his shoulder. He instinctively crouched, giving her the perfect springboard.
Her boots pressed lightly against his back, and she launched herself high into the air. In one smooth motion, she twisted mid-flight, three arrows already drawn.
They flew in succession, whistling through the airâeach hitting with precision, aimed to disarm, not kill.
Three enemies dropped, weapons flying from their hands, stunned by the rapid assault.
Kaelen grinned, heart pounding with new rhythm. For a brief moment, he believed they could win.
But above, Maelonaâs voice returned to where she had left off, eyes narrowed.
"...To understand when someone uses you."
As Ariaâs scoreboard flicked to â1000â, she didnât hesitate.
She turned and walked awayâleaving Kaelen standing amidst a wave of opponents.
"H-Huh?" Kaelen blinked, his expression twisting with disbelief. Horror spread across his face.
Liora sighed quietly, shaking her head in mild disappointment.
"W-Why did she do that?" Helena gasped, voice rising in shock. "Why would she betray him?"
Aqualina chuckled faintly. "Itâs not betrayal. Itâs timing. She saw her chance... and she took it. I donât blame her. Kaelenâs faster. If she waited for him to finish off the rest, he mightâve beaten her. So the moment she reached her goal, she left. She used himâsmartly."
She shrugged. "Thatâs what strategy looks like."
"T-Thatâs... wrong," Helena whispered, her face pained as she watched Kaelen now alone, surrounded, fighting on fading energy.
Aether leaned down and gently kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms around her in a quiet, comforting embrace.
Maelonaâs voice softened as she spoke to the Saintess. "Itâs not wrong, Helena. And itâs not right either. Aria was nearly at her limit, but she almost reached her goal; Kaelen, on the other hand, was past his limit, and He was still far from the goal. She saw the gap and used it.
Temporary alliance to benefit each other and when itâs over, the alliance were destined to collapse... Thatâs how you win."
She paused.
"Sometimes... thatâs just how it works."
Helena didnât fully understand it. Not yet. But the warmth of Aetherâs arms around her calmed her thoughts, and for the momentâshe let it go.
Just then, the doors opened behind them.
All eyes turned.
Standing there was Delphine.
She stepped inside, her presence as striking as everâbut her face wore a slightly awkward expression as her gaze landed on Aether, who was currently surrounded by powerful women.
Her eye twitched involuntarily.
"Welcome, Miss Delphine Frostblade," Maelona greeted her with a warm, knowing smile.
"Thank you," Delphine replied gracefully. "I came representing Sovereign. She sends her apologies for not being able to attend the ceremony in person."
"Itâs perfectly fine, Miss Delphine. Please, have a seat," Maelona said, motioning to a chair as one was swiftly arranged.
"Good Morning, Teacher~"
Aether muttered innocent tone.
Delphineâs lips twitched as she ignored him, walked forward and sat down with elegance, crossing her legs as she turned her gaze toward the arena belowâher expression calm, unreadable, but her sharp eyes missed nothing.