Suddenly—
Pressure exploded.
It hit the arena like a hamr.
Ethan dropped to the ground, face smacking the stone floor.
Even the umpire staggered, falling to one knee.
He gritted his teeth and gasped, "M-Miss Seraph... please... control yourself..."
But Serene didn’t move.
Her slitted eyes stared down at Ethan like a predator.
"You’re nothing," she said coldly.
"You don’t even deserve the dirt on my shoes. A man who betrays his sister... isn’t a man."
The crowd gasped.
Then a wave of cheers erupted, echoing throughout the arena.
From the stands, ika gave a small nod.
She agreed with every word.
Serene pulled back her pressure.
The umpire stood up shakily, brushing dust from his robes.
But Ethan remained on his knees.
His dark eyes burned with fury, his teeth clenched so tight that blood leaked from his lips.
He slowly rose to his feet, trembling—not with weakness, but with barely-contained rage.
You’ll grovel beneath like the worm you are,
And I’ll make sure of it.
The umpire cleared his throat and raised the coin.
"Choose your sides. I will now toss."
Serene’s voice was calm, emotionless.
"Dragon."
Ethan hissed through his teeth.
"Phoenix."
Clink.
The coin hit the stone floor and spun.
The umpire bent down and announced,
"Dragon!"
Then he added, louder for the teams to hear:
"Darkness Zone. Choose wisely!"
Serene didn’t hesitate.
"We’ll attack."
From across the field, Ethan’s fury dissolved into a wide smile.
Perfect.
A Darkness Zone. Our domain.
We Shadow Panthers were born in it. She just gave the advantage.
He turned back to his team and called,
"Huddle up. Strategy ti."
He outlined positions swiftly, then turned to ika.
"You’ll anchor the last column. Any objections?"
ika shook her head.
Ethan’s grin stretched wider.
"Let’s go make ’em scream. Ti to teach them a lesson."
His defenders moved into formation, confidence shining in their eyes.
This match was already theirs.
anwhile, on the other side—
The vice-captain looked at Serene, voice low and urgent.
"Captain... what’s the plan?"
Serene’s eyes narrowed. Cold. Focused.
"Attack. Go for the kill. I want to hear their screams echo in the arena."
Her teammates froze.
Then, slowly, they nodded.
WHISTLE BLEW.
30:00
The attackers stood tense, facing defenders who wore smug smiles.
Serene crouched low. Her sharp erald eyes scanned the battlefield—calculating, focused.
Her high heels dug into the ground.
Muscles coiled.
Pressure surged.
She was ready to launch.
WHISTLE BLEW AGAIN.
29:59
The tir began.
Darkness flooded the arena.
And then—
From the farthest column, a voice rang out.
"I GIVE UP!"
Gasps echoed in the silence.
ika Noctshade stepped out of the arena.
The entire stadium stilled.
Then murmurs began—realization dawning.
Many spectators nodded in understanding. So even clapped quietly.
ika didn’t rejoin her team.
She sat among the spectators, alone.
Ethan’s roar of anger followed:
"Get back here!"
But his rage was cut short—
An erald-green needle shot out of the shadows, aiming straight for his brow.
He ducked just in ti.
But another needle struck his thigh.
Squelch.
He scread and collapsed.
The match descended into chaos.
Serene moved like death itself, gliding through the shadows with chilling grace.
Each needle she released twisted through the darkness like living serpents, piercing the defenders one by one.
Screams filled the air.
Her enemies fell like paper dolls—strong in appearance, weak in substance.
Healers on the sidelines were in overdrive, desperately neutralizing the non-lethal poison that caused unimaginable pain.
The crowd stared, wide-eyed.
Yesterday was just a trailer. Today, they were watching the full movie.
Serene left a trail of writhing bodies and stunned silence in her wake.
She was a scythe—and the defenders were wheat.
WHISTLE BLEW.
GA OVER.
Silence.
All eyes turned to the scoreboard.
Soone whispered:
"Was that... a new record?"
The umpire checked his stopwatch. His hand trembled.
"New record... 10 minutes 57 seconds."
Stillness.
Then—
BOOM!
The stadium erupted.
Cheers exploded. People jumped from their seats. Roars of excitent shook the arena.
But Serene didn’t care.
She stepped out of the battle arena, not even glancing at the scoreboard.
Later...
The sun was setting, its crimson light painting the sky in streaks of sorrow.
Alex stepped out of his dorm room, Hati following closely behind.
Their faces were grim, eyes shadowed with purpose.
Without a word, they walked through the academy’s quiet pathways, heading toward the long bridge that led to the teleportation tower.
There—in the middle of the bridge—stood Serene.
Still.
Waiting.
As Alex approached, she turned around and began walking forward without a word.
None of them spoke.
Their footsteps echoed faintly, quickly swallowed by the crashing of chaotic waves beneath the bridge.
The sea below raged—violent.
They entered the teleportation room, stepping silently onto the glowing circle etched with runes.
A surge of purple light flared—
And they vanished.
They reappeared in ruins.
Serene’s eyes widened.
Around them lay only devastation. The once-beautiful gardens were reduced to ash, the vibrant grass torn from the earth.
But the erald-green castle at the centre stood untouched.
They stepped off the cracked stone floor, crunching rubble beneath their feet. As they turned to look back—
The teleportation chamber behind them had been deliberately destroyed.
They had barely made it.
One misalignnt in the runes, and they would’ve been lost forever in the void.
Alex looked at Serene.
Her expression was unreadable—but her fists were clenched.
Their eyes t.
They both nodded.
Alex shrouded all three of them in dark-elent energy, their presence erased like shadows swallowed by night.
They moved carefully, weaving through the wreckage. Every footstep was silent, calculated.
As they approached the Seraph Castle, Alex’s eyes caught movent ahead—two won, standing near the entrance to the basent. Their features bore a striking resemblance to Serene.
Serene froze.
Her eyes widened.
Then narrowed.
Her fists clenched so tightly, her nails pierced skin. Blood welled in her palms, but she didn’t flinch.
She exhaled slowly, voice a tight whisper:
"That’s my mother... and grandmother. Behind them—there’s a staircase to the basent. Big sister must be down there."
Alex nodded once, then moved.
Serene and Hati followed closely, silent shadows in his wake.
They slipped past the two won unnoticed, veiled in darkness.
If not for the taboo slave spell suppressing their senses, they would’ve sensed the ripple in elental energy.
They descended the staircase, swallowed by the dark.
The stairs spiralled downward, cold and narrow, until they reached a small stone platform.
Before them stood a sleek black steel door, unmarked and smooth, like a wall.
Alex stopped.
So did Serene—and the shock in her eyes told him she hadn’t expected this either.
He studied the door.
No keyhole. No handle.
He turned to Serene.
Her expression was pale and unreadable.
Alex exhaled.
If we break it down... we’ll alert everyone.
If we do nothing... we lose our only chance.
What they saw shattered the air in their lungs.
Alex staggered back instinctively, his eyes wide.
Hati stumbled too, fur standing on edge, a low growl in his throat.
Serene gasped—then clamped both hands over her mouth, muffling the scream rising in her throat. Her knees buckled slightly, but she remained standing through sheer will.
The basent stretched on like a silent tomb, lit only by a dim green glow.
A seemingly endless hall... lined with massive cylindrical chambers, filled with green liquid.
Inside the chambers—floating figures.
On the right: humans.
On the left: monsters.
All appeared dead.
Their bodies were limp, their skin pale or bloodless, so distorted—so mutilated.
Thick black tubes snaked out from each chamber, rging like veins, connecting into the walls, the floor, the ceiling.
Serene began to tremble violently.
She whispered, voice breaking, "They... they’re from my clan. Seraph people..."
Tears stread down her cheeks.
Alex’s heartbeat roared in his ears. Panic and anxious he ran.
Then—he saw them.
Three figures in lab coats, huddled around a large central chamber. Their hair was grey, their movents precise... and completely inhuman in how casually they were monitoring the tank.
Serene followed—and when she saw what was in the central chamber, she let out a raw scream and collapsed to her knees.
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