I woke up with a heavy body, as if every muscle had been replaced by stone during the night. The first day of the tournament had ended, but it was still clinging to me. In the aching arm. In the stiff shoulder. In the memory of the impact of the blows.
I stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before getting up. The mansion was far too quiet for that hour. Normally, there would already be footsteps, low voices, the sound of someone complaining about pain or hunger.
When I went downstairs, I found Elara sitting at the table, holding a warm cup with both hands.
"You didn't sleep well either," I said.
She smiled faintly. "Sleeping was easy. The problem was waking up."
Vespera entered soon after, stretching her neck and shoulders with slow movements. "Today there's no room for mistakes."
Liriel appeared last. Her face was serene, but her gaze revealed absolute focus.
"Today is the day the strong fall," she said.
Scarlet was already waiting for us outside. She had the same calm expression as always, as if the tournament were just a passing inconvenience.
"Individual semifinals," she commented. "Those who made it this far didn't come to play."
The arena was even more crowded than the day before. The stands vibrated with mixed voices, bets, shouts in different languages. The smell of dust, sweat, and mana burned in the air.
We were led again to the combatants' corridor. This time, the silence was different. Less anxiety. More raw tension.
An organizer announced the matchups.
Vespera was called first.
Opponent: a Rank S fairy known as Sylphae, famous for absurd speed and disorientation magic.
"She's fast," I said.
"—Then I can't afford to miss," Vespera replied.
The fight began with Sylphae disappearing from sight in a blink. Invisible strikes, slicing wind, illusions. Vespera was hit more times than the day before. The crowd murmured, believing it would end quickly.
But she endured.
She adjusted her rhythm. Ignored the illusions. Trusted her instincts.
When she finally landed a direct hit, Sylphae fell, surprise written across her face.
Victory.
The arena exploded with incredulous comments.
Elara was next. Her opponent was a heavily armored dwarf, specialized in absolute resistance.
"One spell," Elara murmured before entering. "Just one."
The spell came like a spear of pure concentrated energy. Precise. Overwhelming.
The dwarf fell. Elara dropped to her knees right after, breathing with difficulty.
Victory, but at almost the total cost of her mana.
Liriel faced a large-built demi-human armed with a curved sword. The combat was harsh, technical, with no room for hesitation. Liriel won by a narrow margin, her face sweaty, her breathing heavy.
When they announced my name, I felt something strange. Not nervousness. Not fear.
Pressure.
My opponent was a Rank S demi-human adventurer known for brute strength and absurd endurance. Each of his steps made the ground tremble.
The fight was long. Painful. Each blow felt like it tore something out of me.
But when it was over, I was the one still standing.
The silence lasted for an instant.
Then, the roar.
Scarlet entered last. Her opponent was Rai'kanna.
The air changed.
Their fight was fierce. Neither stepped back. Direct blows. Dry impacts. Blood.
Rai'kanna gave everything she had. But Scarlet was relentless.
When it ended, Rai'kanna fell to her knees.
The silence was heavy.
After the fight, she approached me.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I tried."
I placed my hand on her shoulder. "You were incredible. Don't say that."
She nodded, swallowing hard, and stepped away.
When the second day ended, only two human representatives remained.
Me.
And Scarlet.
We returned to the mansion exhausted. No one celebrated. No one spoke much.
That night, as I lay down, I understood something important.
The tournament wasn't about proving strength.
It was about surviving it.
And tomorrow would be the final day.