The quarterfinals had ended, and the results had played out as expected. Dark mana, for all its infamy and power, was still second to light mana in raw, destructive potential. Jin had fought well, his necromantic arts giving him an edge in versatility, but Rachel had overwheld him. Necromancy required ti to reach its true potential, and Jin had yet to fully tap into what made his Gift so terrifying. Even with his Bone Armor enhancing his defenses and his dual-wielding finesse, there was simply no way he could outmatch Rachel's relentless barrage of light spells.
The other matches had been less dramatic. As White-rankers, Ren, Lucifer, and I had outclassed our opponents entirely. There had been no suspense, no real struggle—just overwhelming strength enforcing an inevitable outco.
But now, the semifinals awaited.
And things were about to get far more interesting.
Lucifer Windward versus Rachel Creighton. A mismatch in almost every way. Rachel was a prodigy of light magic, her Gift placing her above nearly every other light mage in our generation. But Lucifer was... sothing else. A walking cheat code. His Yin-Yang Body wasn't just powerful—it was unnatural. If Rachel managed to put up a fight, it would be a testant to her skill, but no one seriously believed she could win.
Then there was my match.
Ren Kagu versus .
Ren had grown terrifyingly strong. If Lucifer was a cheat code, Ren was a living algorithm, his God's Eyes breaking down every movent, every fluctuation of mana, every shift in an opponent's stance with surgical precision. I had sparred with him before. I had lost to him before.
But I had also changed since then.
For the first ti in this tournant, I was going to have to fight seriously.
There was a break before the semifinals, enough ti to rest and recover so that the matches the next day would be at full intensity.
Rachel, positively glowing with excitent, wasted no ti in finding . Before I could say a word, she wrapped her arms around , squeezing tightly.
"Well?" she bead up at . "Aren't you going to praise ?"
Her golden hair shimred under the soft artificial lighting, and her sapphire eyes sparkled with sothing both fierce and playful. It was impossible not to smile.
"You did well," I said, resting a hand on her head and ruffling her hair slightly.
She turned scarlet and quickly stepped back, pretending to fix her hair, but the upward curve of her lips betrayed her flustered happiness.
Cecilia was smirking from the sidelines, arms folded. "Well, Nightingale? Gonna avenge against Ren?"
Her tone was casual, but I could hear the undercurrent of competitiveness. Even in loss, she was unshaken, as confident and teasing as ever.
"I'd expect nothing less," I replied, eting her gaze.
Seraphina, standing a little behind, simply gave a small nod. Her silver hair, as ethereal as ever, caught the light as she looked at , her expression as unreadable as always.
"You fought hard," I told her.
Her gaze softened, and she gave the smallest smile before waving slightly and stepping back.
With the day's fights over, I made my way to the hotel where my family was staying. Mythos Academy had made sure that the families of participants had top-class accommodations, and the place had an air of luxury without being excessive.
As soon as I stepped inside, my mother pulled into a warm embrace. "Arthur, you did so well!"
A high-pitched voice chid in imdiately after. "Yeah, you actually won against the dragon prince. Thought you were gonna get barbecued," Aria added with a mischievous grin.
I snorted. "Glad to see you have faith in ."
"We are proud of you, Arthur," my father said, his voice filled with quiet pride.
I let the warmth of their presence settle in. This world had been strange, dangerous, and full of challenges, but monts like this reminded that so things—family, support, love—remained the sa, no matter the circumstances.
I caught up with them, enjoying the rare mont of peace before the real battles began.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Rachel stretched her arms above her head, letting out a slow sigh. "I was surprised you didn't smother him, Cecilia," she teased. "Were you that down after your match?"
Cecilia huffed, crossing her arms. "Perhaps," she admitted easily, throwing Rachel off guard.
Rachel blinked, her usual sharp retort stalling on her tongue. "Uh… well, did you really think you could beat Ren?"
"Of course not. I'm not stupid," Cecilia said flatly. "It's just… Arthur got so damn strong."
Rachel let the words settle in the air. It wasn't just strong—Arthur had grown into sothing that defied sense. He had always been talented, but the way he climbed higher, step by step, without ever hitting a true wall… it was sothing that made even the prodigies around him pause.
For the first ti, she could actually hope—truly hope—that he had a chance against Lucifer.
"You still think Arthur will win, right?" Rachel asked.
"Of course," Cecilia answered, her voice unwavering. But her expression flickered, the confidence not quite reaching her eyes.
They both believed in him. With their hearts, they did. But their minds whispered doubt. Because Lucifer was a different kind of monster.
He had never gone all out.
The Gift he carried—Yin-Yang Body—was an existence of its own. Most Gifts, no matter how powerful, followed a basic pattern. They were supernatural abilities, but still bound by the limits of their wielders.
Lucifer's, though? His was sothing else entirely.
His Gift had three stages.
Most of the ti, he only operated in the first, its passive effects enhancing his martial talent and physical prowess. During the second practical evaluation, he had activated the second stage. Against Seraphina, he had shown only a sliver of the third.
And that was all it took to crush her.
Rachel tightened her fists. Arthur was strong. He was strong in a way that shook the foundations of everything she understood. White Star. Black Star. A Lich, even suppressed. He stood at the sa mana rank as Lucifer, and yet…
Lucifer still felt like a wall.
Cecilia broke the silence first. "And you're going up against him next."
Rachel pursed her lips, inhaling sharply. Lucifer was her childhood friend. But she had never liked him.
Because he was the first person who made her feel powerless.
"They call all Gifts supernatural abilities," Rachel muttered, her voice quieter now, bitter. "But his Gift… no, his very existence is 'supernatural' by its very being. As if it's normal."
Cecilia didn't answer. She didn't have to. She understood.
Rachel exhaled slowly, shaking her head. "But I'll fight anyway. Even if I can't win."
Cecilia looked at her, the teasing glint in her eyes replaced with sothing deeper.
"I don't want Arthur to be my savior," Rachel continued. "I don't want to be a damsel in distress while he does all the fighting. Even if I can't beat Lucifer… I want to be strong on my own."
She lifted her chin, sapphire eyes steady. "And I will be."
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