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"What if everything you knew about the world... was a lie?”

In a world where the truth is buried under centuries of lies, a secret force simmers beneath the surface—Sparks—powers so dangerous, so unpredictable, that governments erased all trace of their existence, hiding the truth about the world from the people.

But secrets don’t stay buried forever.

Secret  Spark

Quarterfinal Match: Kirito vs. Rei

The names glowed in the sky-blue hologram hovering over the stadium, and the crowd leaned in.

They remembered Rei's… "performance" in the last round. And if her behavior then was any hint, this match promised to be spectacular.

"Quarterfinal Match Two: Begin!"

She skated forward on a growing path of ice, cool mist trailing behind her like ribbons. Her usual sleepy energy was gone—replaced by nervous determination.

She still blushed when Kirito looked her way, but her hands were moving. She was in the fight.

"Focus… focus…" she whispered, and with a flick of her wrist, sharp ice lilies bloomed from the ground—delicate but deadly, each one a potential trap.

Kirito watched her calmly, arms loosely by his sides, not even entering a stance. "You've improved," he said, stepping over one of the lilies as it barely missed slicing his ankle.

Rei flushed bright red. "Y-You noticed???"

Kirito blinked. "It's an observable fact."

Rei fired a spread of icicles—this time with legit precision—and they came from multiple angles. The crowd gasped as Kirito leaned, swayed, and turned in smooth micro-movements.

Each icicle barely missed or evaporated in the heat aura trailing from his body.

Rei's face twisted in frustration. "C-Come on! I'm not some helpless fangirl, you know!"

Kirito actually nodded. "I never said you were."

And that—that little nod of respect?

That threw Rei completely off her rhythm.

Her skates wobbled on the ice trail. Her next launch was overcharged, throwing her slightly off balance—

And that's when Kirito made his move.

He shifted forward, palm raised. A line of flame arced out—not burning, not even hot. Just forceful. It surged underneath her skates and melted a key section of her ice rail—

She slid out of control, teetering on the edge of the arena platform. Her arms flailed, trying to regain balance—

Kirito stepped in and caught her by the wrist, just before she toppled over the edge.

The tension of the fight. The soft glow of flame against falling snowflakes. His hand, firm but gentle around her wrist. Her body, halfway over the edge, flushed pink, eyes locked on his.

He pulled her in close—like a knight catching a princess in a spark-powered romance movie.

"You… caught me…" she breathed.

"You were about to fall out of bounds. If you kept falling the way you did, you would have broken your node and dislocated a shoulder"

"H-H-H-He's so cool—!!"

This time, he made sure she didn't hit the floor. He caught her gently and laid her out just past the arena line.

The announcer—who had no clue if he was watching a fight, a soap opera, or a K-drama—finally stammered into the mic.

"Uh… the winner is… Kirito Izumaki, by ring-out!"

The crowd erupted in chaotic applause and screams of laughter.

Backstage, Kaito was howling. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH!!!! WHAT WAS THAT?! I thought Rei was a cold force. That was HILLARIOUS, SHE DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING!!"

Natsumi giggled, covering her mouth. "Poor Rei…"

Ikazuchi, arms crossed, muttered with a smirk, "Kirito's gonna make the readers think he's the main character instead."

Ikazuchi looked back at her "Huh?"

Jin, shaking his head, said, "At this rate, the real final boss is her crush."

Kirito walked off the stage, cloak fluttering behind him, completely unaware of the chaos he'd just caused.

Rei, from the sidelines, blinked awake, cheeks glowing like neon.

"I'm never washing this hand again…"

Next up: Ikazuchi vs. Kano.

Lightning's about to meet shockwaves—and for once, it's not going to be all chill.

QUARTER FINALS MATCH 2: KIRITO VS REI