The Double-Edged Betrayal

The second match of the tournament raged on—Chinatsu vs. Sota.

At first, the crowd expected a fair fight, but within minutes, Chinatsu's overwhelming strength became undeniable.

She didn't just win—she dominated.

It wasn't just her skill but the sheer disparity between her power and her appearance that left everyone speechless.

Thirty minutes passed, and the other battles followed:

Yuto vs. Ren → Yuto wins.

Takibi vs. Botan → Takibi wins.

Finally, the last match of the first round was on the verge of beginning.

Then, something unexpected happened.

Then, without warning, the atmosphere shifted.

The Queen of Arthuria—ruler of the largest kingdom in the world—graced the noble stands with her presence.

A murmur spread through the crowd.

Why was she here? This was unheard of.

She leaned toward her husband and whispered, her words laced with venom.

"This little garbage better win,"

she sneered.

"With all the magic used to turn her into a beast… with all the money I wasted on that trash… if she can't at least bring me that ring, she'll be useless to me."

The King said nothing, his gaze fixed on the battlefield.

The match began.

Akemi vs. Hiratsu.

The moment the signal dropped, auras exploded into the sky.

Akemi's power surged like a tidal wave, suffocating the air itself.

The sheer weight of her magic sent ripples of fear through the arena.

Even the tournament guards—elite warriors trained to handle dangerous fighters—flinched at her presence.

She was beyond powerful.

But Hiratsu's aura… remained dormant.

It stirred beneath the surface, restless yet restrained.

A power far beyond anyone's comprehension lay hidden within him, still locked away.

And now, facing an opponent who seemed unstoppable, Hiratsu was stepping onto the battlefield—without his true strength.

Despite the overwhelming weight of Akemi's aura, Hiratsu didn't move.

Not an inch.

He wasn't afraid—he was waiting.

His heart pounded, not from fear, but from excitement.

He was ready.

He was hungry.

He wanted this fight to be vicious.

Then, in a fleeting moment, he saw it.

Akemi's gaze shifted—just for a second—toward the ground.

A mistake.

Hiratsu took his chance.

Flames burst from his legs, launching him forward like a missile.

His body cut through the air at impossible speed, aiming straight for

her—

But then—

BOOM!

A shockwave of pure destruction erupted from Akemi.

The very ground collapsed beneath her as an unseen force shattered the battlefield.

Hiratsu didn't even have time to react.

He was sent flying.

His body crashed into the other side of the arena, skidding across the stone like a ragdoll.

The crowd gasped.

A cold chill crawled up their spines.

They all knew Akemi was powerful.

But this?

This wasn't power.

This was something else.

She stood in the aftermath of her own attack, motionless.

Emotionless.

Her once-vibrant expression was gone.

Her body stood tall, but something about her seemed… dead.

Hiratsu pulled himself up, shaking off the pain.

He now understood—she couldn't be hurt easily.

Her defense was unlike anything he had ever seen.

That meant there was only one option left.

He had to attack with everything he had.

Magic circles formed around him as he unleashed a barrage of spells—flames, water spears, wind blades.

Each one launched with perfect precision.

None of them worked.

She didn't even flinch.

Then—without warning—

Hiratsu ran at her again.

But this time, she moved first.

She rushed forward—faster, stronger, and more terrifying than before.

Before he could react, her hands wrapped around his throat.

SLAM!

She drove him straight into the ground, her grip iron-tight.

Then—she started punching.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Her fists crashed into his face, his chest, his ribs.

Each blow shook the arena.

She wasn't just fighting—she was trying to kill him.

No one even saw what happened.

All they saw was a magic explosion between them.

But they all knew what was happening.

She was beating him to death.

When the dust cleared, she stood

completely still.

But Hiratsu…

He lay on the ground, pinned down, bleeding everywhere, barely breathing.

His parents, the crowd—everyone—screamed.

"WHO IS THIS ANIMAL?! THIS ISN'T A FIGHT—THIS IS A SLAUGHTER!"

Then—

A pulse of energy rumbled beneath the battlefield.

The air grew thick. The ground shook.

A new aura began to rise.

Not Akemi's.

Hiratsu's.

His body twitched.

His fingers curled into a fist.

Then—he stood up.

And as he lifted his gaze to Akemi, his aura kept growing.

And growing.

And growing.

The seal was finally broken.

This was it.

The real battle had begun.

Hiratsu and Akemi's auras surged, clashing like colliding storms.

The air around them crackled with sheer magical pressure, sending violent shockwaves through the arena.

Dust and debris swirled in the wake of their power.

They hurled attacks at each other—massive bursts of magic, roaring flames, piercing wind blades, violent torrents of energy.

But there was one difference.

Hiratsu was defending.

He was fighting with strategy, maneuvering around Akemi's relentless power.

Akemi, on the other hand…

She stood still.

Taking every hit.

Unfazed.

Yes, she was hurt.

The wounds were there.

But the pain?

It was nothing to her.

As if she had suffered through a thousand times worse.

Hiratsu clenched his fists.

This wasn't working.

If he wanted to land a real blow, he needed speed.

Speed beyond sight.

He formed a fireball so massive it blocked their vision, then launched himself forward—hidden behind the flames.

He put everything into that strike.

And then—he landed it.

His fist connected.

For the first time, Akemi bled.

A single drop of blood slid from the corner of her mouth.

But instead of falling—she smiled.

Then—she changed.

The entire arena fell silent.

The crowd froze.

The Queen?

She already knew what was coming.

She had seen this before.

The rage.

Akemi's body trembled, her expression twisting into something inhuman.

Then—

BOOM!

Hiratsu was blasted across the battlefield.

The sheer force of her magic nearly killed him on impact.

He slammed into the stone ground, his body motionless, his mind flickering between consciousness and oblivion.

But it wasn't enough for her.

She wasn't done.

She couldn't stop.

The rage inside her—uncontrollable, endless, monstrous—erupted.

Magic exploded in every direction.

She lost herself in raw destruction.

Buildings crumbled.

Stone walls shattered.

The entire arena was torn apart, as if a tornado had ripped through it.

The audience screamed and ran.

Soldiers were flung into the air like ragdolls.

Even the strongest of warriors couldn't approach her.

The Queen, watching from above, gritted her teeth.

"Capture her."

Her strongest soldiers stormed the battlefield, surrounding Akemi.

But when she saw them—

She only raged harder.

Her magic grew.

The air burned.

The ground cracked.

But the soldiers—they were stronger.

With overwhelming force, they bound her in enchanted chains and dragged her away—vanishing into the shadows.

The Queen left without another word.

Then—silence.

The once grand tournament arena lay in ruins.

The crowd had dispersed.

The battlefield was empty.

And amidst the destruction, Hiratsu opened his eyes.

Pain consumed him, his body barely able to move. He should've been dead.

Yet—he smiled.

Because through the smoke and shattered stone, something caught his eye.

Taki's ring.

Lying on the ground.

A forbidden artifact, protected by one of the strongest magical barriers ever created.

And yet, Akemi's magic had broken it.

Hiratsu didn't hesitate.

He grabbed the ring and ran.

His body screamed in pain, but he pushed forward, through the broken arena, past the ruins of the battlefield.