I Accept Defeat

"Well then, I'll be the first!" Maruti said with excitement.

Kaelith didn't respond. She simply restrained her frightening aura, making it feel less overwhelming.

Maruti's brown eyes sparkled like polished emeralds as she pulled out her weapon, a bec de Corbin, a long polearm with a sharp beak-like tip.

"Here comes my first move!" she declared with a grin.

At that moment, an orange glow surrounded her body, flickering like flames. Her weapon started to shine, turning a bright, fiery orange, like it had just been pulled out of molten lava.

The heat in the air intensified.

Maruti dashed forward, closing the distance between them. But before reaching Kaelith, she suddenly jumped high into the air.

She raised her bec de Corbin above her head.

And then—

Something shocking happened.

The weapon started to grow.

First, it extended two feet.

Then three feet.

In just seconds, it became over ten times bigger than Maruti herself!

A wild, confident smile spread across her face as she prepared to strike.

"Blazing Stick!" she roared.

With all her strength, she brought the massive weapon crashing down toward Kaelith as she descended from the air.

A deafening explosion rang out as the weapon neared Kaelith's face—

But—

Before it could land, Kaelith casually lifted her hand and grabbed it.

Just like that.

As if it were a mere toy.

A massive shockwave erupted from the impact, shaking the entire arena. The ground beneath Kaelith shattered, deep cracks spread out in all directions. Dust and debris flew everywhere.

And yet—

Kaelith remained completely unharmed.

Not a single scratch.

She stood there, holding the gigantic flaming weapon effortlessly.

Then, she let out a small snort.

With just a slight twist of her wrist—

The bec de Corbin snapped in half.

Just like that.

"Is that it?" Kaelith asked in a calm, casual tone.

It wasn't a direct insult, but the way she said it made it clear—

She wasn't impressed.

Maruti immediately jumped back to create distance, but instead of looking disappointed, she grinned.

"There's still two moves left!" she thought with excitement.

Maruti took a battle stance with full confidence. She clenched her fist, and then—

She punched the air with such force that the entire battlefield shook.

From her arm, a massive lion made of pure fire erupted, roaring loudly. Its eyes burned with golden flames, and its mane crackled like a raging inferno as it charged forward.

Killer Move—Lion Roar!

Yes! This was the same move Maruti had used against Princess Ravenna when she was in Ultra Instinct Mode.

But—

Something was different.

The fiery lion was now much bigger and stronger—dozens of times more powerful than before.

A powerful aura swept through the entire arena.

The audience immediately recognized it.

"A Rank C Essence Stone?!" many people gasped in shock.

With the Fiery Storm Essence Stone, this move had reached Rank C Top-Tier Level!

The lion wasn't just a simple fire beast anymore. It was now surrounded by a storm of flames, its size towering over eight feet tall. Everyone could see it clearly—it was like a massive beast from an ancient legend.

Kaelith's expression changed.

"Not good!"

Even she had no choice but to take this seriously.

The lion let out another deafening roar and charged straight toward Kaelith.

Kaelith quickly crouched down and slammed her palm into the ground.

"Glacier Wall!"

A surge of silver ice spread across the battlefield.

In an instant, half of the arena was covered in a thick, frozen wall—tall, strong, and shining like crystal.

Boom!

The fiery lion crashed into the ice barrier. Shards of frozen crystal flew in all directions like debris from an explosion.

But—

The lion didn't stop.

With overwhelming force, it broke through the ice wall, crashing directly into Kaelith.

Bam!

Kaelith was sent flying backward—skidding across the ground for at least twenty steps.

Her entire body was covered in flames.

But—

She didn't fall.

With some effort, she steadied herself and stood back up.

Her clothes were half-burned, revealing parts of her body.

But she didn't seem embarrassed at all.

Instead—

For the first time—

She laughed.

"Hahaha…! As expected of my friend. I really underestimated you!" Kaelith said, her eyes shining with excitement.

The entire arena fell silent.

Then—

Shock!

Intense shock ripped through the crowd.

"Wait… Kaelith… actually has a friend?!"

"How is that possible?! Kaelith made a friend?! And it's Maruti?!"

Many people gasped in disbelief.

How could this be?

Kaelith—the arrogant, proud, and strongest girl, full of ego—actually called someone her friend?

And Maruti, of all people?

Even Lilith, watching from the side, was stunned.

Esdeath was also quite shocked.

"She's friends with Kaelith? Since when?" she thought in confusion. Even she had no idea about it.

But Maruti didn't show any emotions on her face. She was focused—ready for her last attack.

She knew Kaelith had incredible healing abilities. If she gave her too much time, Kaelith would fully recover.

So—

She had to finish this now!

Maruti charged forward.

Kaelith didn't move. She just stood there, waiting to take the final attack head-on.

Maruti clenched her fist tightly.

At once, her arms started glowing like burning lava. The heat around her intensified, and the air wavered as if she was standing inside a furnace.

She closed the distance between them.

Then—

She threw her punch straight at Kaelith's abdomen.

But—

The moment Maruti's fist slightly touched Kaelith's skin—

Something shocking happened!

All the fiery energy that had been glowing around Maruti's arm suddenly gathered into one point.

It compressed—shrinking into a small, dense, marble-like shape—right between Maruti's fist and Kaelith's abdomen.

Then—

BOOM!

The fiery marble exploded like a bomb!

A massive beam of fire erupted, completely engulfing Kaelith. The sheer force of the blast even shook the entire arena, leaving scorch marks on the ground.

Maruti herself was thrown backward by the impact—flying dozens of steps before she barely managed to stop.

The audience went silent for a moment—then gasps and murmurs filled the air.

"Such power… Is this even a fight between first-years?!"

Many second-year students were in shock.

"This year's students are real prodigies!" others gasped in amazement.

But Maruti said nothing.

She hadn't even thought of a name for this move.

She had just created it a few minutes ago—on the spot—after seeing Violet's Red and Blue Sphere.

She had simply mimicked the concept and made it her own.

Creating a killer move in just a few minutes?

That was true talent.

But—

The aftermath of the attack was devastating.

Kaelith coughed up blood, her legs trembling slightly.

A deep injury had formed on her abdomen, and burn marks covered her skin.

She looked weak, as if she might collapse at any moment.

But then—

Something terrifying happened.

All her burns began to disappear.

Her injury healed in mere moments.

Within seconds—

She was back to normal.

Seeing this, Maruti clicked her tongue in frustration.

"Tch. This damn dragon blood!" she muttered.

But there was nothing she could do.

Even after taking three powerful attacks head-on—Kaelith was still standing.

And now—

It was her turn.

Kaelith looked at Maruti.

Her eyes gleamed with excitement.

A wide grin spread across her face.

"It's my turn," she said, her voice as cold as ice.

"Finally, it's time!" Kaelith thought to herself, feeling a surge of excitement.

Maruti, on the other hand, immediately felt a chill run down her spine.

"I'm fucked!" she thought, gulping nervously.

Kaelith took one step forward and stomped her foot on the ground, preparing for a devastating attack.

Bam!

The ground beneath her cracked and split in two from the sheer pressure of her strength.

The entire arena fell silent.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock.

They were too focused to even breathe, let alone speak.

At that moment, they knew—this match was worth every coin they had spent to watch it.

Kaelith pulled her arm back and bent her body slightly.

Swish!

Then—

She charged forward at blinding speed!

Her attack was fast—too fast.

It was an attack that couldn't be dodged or defended against.

But just as her fist was only a few inches away from Maruti's face—

A voice rang through the arena.

"I accept defeat!"

Maruti's voice echoed loudly.

Kaelith's fist stopped—just inches away from landing.

Then—

Boom!

Even without making contact, the sheer force of her punch sent a powerful shockwave through the air.

Maruti's hair flew wildly, as if she had been struck by lightning.

The shockwave crashed into the arena's protective barrier—

And then—

Crack!

The barrier shattered completely!

The audience gasped.

Many people even jumped up from their seats.

"The barrier broke?! Was she trying to kill her or what?!" someone shouted in disbelief.

Of course, the barrier had already been weakened by Violet and Maruti's earlier attacks.

But still—

For Kaelith's attack to finish the job—

That meant it was just as destructive, if not more.

But Kaelith wasn't thinking about that.

She stood frozen, her eyes wide in shock.

"What...?" she muttered, dumbfounded.

Maruti rolled her eyes dramatically.

"I said I accept defeat! You win!" she announced casually, already turning toward the exit.

Kaelith snapped out of her shock.

"Wait... wait! This isn't how it was supposed to go!" she called out.

Maruti glanced back and shrugged.

"Huh? I never said it's necessary to go through with the deal till the end. I'm just admitting that I can't take your attack. You win," she said in a casual tone.

Then, waving her hand lazily, she added—

"Well then, congrats! I'm leaving."

With that, she walked away.

The entire arena fell silent.

Then—

Shock.

Everyone had the same stunned expression.

Maruti had attacked three times—but when it was Kaelith's turn, she backed out.

She had completely fooled Kaelith!

Even though Kaelith had won—

It didn't feel like a real victory at all.