The end of Masumi!?

The first match of the second battle began, and the tension in the air was palpable.

Every person in the arena stared at the battlefield, the crowd silent in anticipation.

Seichii stood trembling, blood dripping from his mouth, his body barely holding together after the brutal effects of the Blood Draining Array that Rika had deployed.

His chest rose and fell unevenly, each breath a struggle. Across from him stood Rika, her cruel smirk never wavering, her eyes glinting with malice.

Masumi stood at the edge of the battlefield, her heart racing as she watched Seichii's suffering from afar.

A cold sweat dripped down her neck as her gaze locked onto him, her worry intensifying with every passing second.

Rika, sensing her victory, loomed over Seichii like a predator ready to strike.

Seichii's injuries were not only physical but internal, a gnawing, painful weakness eating away at his life force.

The Blood Draining Array had already taken its toll, and with every passing moment, his blood was drained, pulverized by the force of the magic.

Seichii could barely see through his blurred vision, but he refused to give in.

"It's useless to even try to stand up,"

Rika taunted, her voice laced with mockery.

"The more you resist, the more it will hurt. In five minutes, your blood will be pulverized. Just give up and die quietly. Maybe, just maybe,

I'll let you keep that pretty face of yours."

She giggled sadistically, her words cutting deeper than any physical blow.

Despite the agonizing pain, Seichii didn't flinch.

He stood there, his knees barely able to hold him up, his face bloodied but his spirit unbroken.

His eyes, though heavy with pain, were filled with an unspoken determination.

Ryuu and Ryoko stood outside the battlefield, fury boiling in their veins. Seichii was their friend, someone they cared for deeply, and seeing him like this was unbearable.

But Ryoko's thoughts were elsewhere, her gaze fixed on Shinju Hayato, who was sitting calmly, his face unreadable.

She clenched her fists, her blood burning with anger.

(If anything happens to Seichii or Masumi, you will regret it, Hayato. I swear on my life.)

Rika leaned in closer, her hands gripping Seichii's hair, yanking his head back with brutal force.

The air around them grew colder as she prepared to land the next blow.

BAM!

Seichii's head snapped back from the impact. Blood poured from his nose, staining his already ruined face.

He staggered, his vision blurry, but his resolve never wavered. He didn't speak. He didn't scream.

He only stood there, enduring the pain like a silent warrior.

"You damn bastard!"

Rika shouted, enraged by his defiance.

"You sure have a death wish, huh?"

She twisted his hair violently, her fingers digging into his scalp as she roared in fury.

Seichii's body was on the brink of collapse, yet he still refused to fall. His blood continued to flow freely, staining the dirt beneath him.

"Even if you kill me today... I'll never accept defeat in front of a dirtbag like you."

His voice was hoarse, barely a whisper, but the words were filled with unshakeable conviction.

Rika's rage boiled over.

BAM!

Her fist collided with Seichii's face once again. His head jerked to the side, more blood spraying from his mouth.

But Seichii remained standing, a weak smile on his bloodied face.

Rika's fury only grew with each punch, her hands shaking with anger as she pummeled him again and again.

"STILL NOT ENOUGH!?"

She screamed, her voice cracking with frustration.

She threw Seichii to the ground, his body crumpling like a ragdoll.

The pool of blood surrounding him was grotesque, a testament to his agony.

The arena was silent, save for the sound of Seichii's labored breathing.

Masumi's heart broke at the sight. She had never seen Seichii like this—so broken, so vulnerable.

But even in his suffering, he had not given in. He refused to let Rika win, refused to allow her to break him.

Rika, seeing that Seichii had reached his limit, suddenly shifted her focus. Her eyes landed on Masumi, standing just outside the battlefield.

A dark glimmer of satisfaction passed through her gaze. She grinned as she began to walk toward her next target, a predator sensing an opportunity.

"I see... You don't care if you die for yourself,"

Rika said, her voice soft but laced with cruelty.

"But what about her? Will you die for your little friend, too?"

Masumi froze as Rika's eyes locked onto her. She felt a chill run down her spine, her body paralyzed with fear.

Rika's footsteps echoed in the stillness of the arena as she moved closer, her ice-cold smile widening.

"You're pretty close to this boy, aren't you?"

Rika's voice was honeyed with malice as she approached Masumi.

The air felt thick, suffocating, as if the very atmosphere was pressing in on Masumi's chest.

"I wonder... How would you feel if something happened to him, hmm?"

Masumi's legs trembled, but she refused to back down. She had watched Seichii suffer, and now, she would face Rika's cruelty head-on.

"You're wrong," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper, but steady. "I'm not afraid of you. Even if I die today, I won't regret being friends with Seichii."

A surprised silence swept over the arena. Masumi, the quiet girl who never spoke out of turn, was now facing the one who had terrorized them all, her voice filled with defiance.

"He was the one who taught me the real joy of a smile, the beauty of life,"

Masumi continued, her voice growing stronger with each word.

"Because of him, I was able to see the world in a way I never thought possible.

So even if I have to walk through hell itself, I'll always be his friend. In this life, or the next."

Rika's smirk only deepened, but her eyes narrowed with fury.

"I love people who fall in love, but you know what I love even more? Breaking them."

With a swift motion, Rika conjured an ice crystal in her hand, the cold energy radiating off it like an impending storm.

"Goodbye, Masumi. You'll never forget me."

The crystal shimmered in the light as Rika hurled it toward Masumi.

Time seemed to slow as the deadly projectile sailed through the air, its jagged edges glistening like the harbinger of death.

Masumi closed her eyes, accepting the end. In that moment, she wasn't afraid. She was at peace.

(Even if this is the end, I won't regret a thing. I was lucky to have known such wonderful people.)

"MASUMI-SAN!!!"

Ryoko's scream echoed across the arena as the crystal neared its target.

Masumi opened her eyes just as the ice crystal reached her. She just smiled, as she had accepted her death.

Psh!!!

The ice crystal collided causing Icey winds to cover the whole battlefield. Blood splattered high in the air, as everyone in the arena gawked at the battlefield with their face fell.

Ryoko stared at the battlefield in utter shock as her hands trembled. Veins bulged on her face as pure rage filled herr crimson eyes.

On the other hand, Rika stood their grinning as she enjoyed the horrified look on the people's face....