After Beatrice's sword was caught by Shadow, Shadow quickly hoisted her over his shoulder and slammed her to the ground.
A large crater appeared on the ground.
Princess Rose, who was attacking head-on, also had her attack evaded by Shadow, and she was thrown to the ground like a pile of logs.
The crater grew even larger.
Alice rushed over, but the result was the same; she was quickly thrown by Shadow into the pile.
The crater became super huge.
Milia attacked again. This time, Shadow swung his sword, and Milia was directly sent flying backward, crashing heavily against the edge of the arena, unconscious.
Shadow still didn't want to seriously injure Milia; she could lie separately. She was only knocked out and not severely harmed.
Alexia struggled to get up on her legs.
Shadow approached her step by step.
"Princess Alexia, are you scared?"
"Stop! You are not allowed to harm Alexia!" Alice shouted, struggling to her feet.
Alexia looked at Shadow without speaking, just staring intently at him.
"It seems this is all the strength you possess!"
Shadow turned, intending to leave.
Alice struggled to stand up.
"Shadow, don't even think about escaping! You think we'll let you off for such reckless disruption? The Knights Order of the royal capital is on their way, and the Midgar Kingdom will become your enemy. No matter where you go, to the ends of the earth, we will catch you!"
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Shadow laughed wildly, looking up at the sky.
"Escape? Who is escaping?"
"Escaping to where?"
"And why should I escape?"
Shadow flew into the sky.
Terrifying blue-purple magic power enveloped the entire royal capital.
"Today, I shall let you witness my ultimate technique. Look up! Tear the earth, pierce the heavens! My supreme ultimate arcane art!"
"How can this be!"
Alice was utterly at a loss.
The opponent's strength made her despair.
Alexia looked towards Sino.
Sino also glanced at her, saying nothing.
Claire stood in front of Sino.
"No matter what, I will protect you, Sino!"
"I am..."
A flash of white light passed, and all the dark clouds in the sky dissipated.
Shadow vanished without a trace.
At this moment, the sky was clear, and dazzling sunlight shone upon everyone.
"This!" Alice knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly.
"He spared us!" Beatrice said.
Alice's greatest fear had come true; she had lost completely before a strong opponent, unable to protect anything.
Alexia looked down at her hands.
Having lost her right arm, and now her left arm was also crippled, she was completely paralyzed.
She had become utterly useless, unable to even hold a sword.
She began to wonder if she had truly been wrong.
"Sigh!" King Klaus of Midgar sighed and turned to leave.
Alexia was completely crippled, and Alice had lost disastrously.
Just when a force that could overthrow The Order had finally appeared.
An Alexia who made King Klaus see a chance to contend with The Order.
But now she was completely crippled.
Milia was taken away by doctors.
Alexia, too.
All five of them were admitted to the infirmary.
Everything was over. Due to Shadow's interference, a new Martial Heart Festival champion had to be chosen.
Shadow was not a nationally recognized citizen, so he was not eligible to be the Martial Heart Festival champion.
Because Alexia's arms were crippled, Claire became the Martial Heart Festival champion.
Seeing the state of the Midgar Kingdom, the Oriana Kingdom did not ask them for help with their own country's affairs.
They said their goodbyes and left with Princess Rose.
Alexia woke up in the hospital room, trying to support herself with her arms, but she couldn't control them at all.
Alice was sleeping by the bedside.
Alice was also injured, but she still looked after Alexia.
"Sister, you don't have to mind me anymore, go get some rest!" Alexia said.
"Alexia, you're awake. Uh... it seems your arms are completely crippled! You can't move them anymore. Many doctors came, and they all said they were helpless!"
"But Alexia, don't worry, I will definitely find a way to treat you!"
"Thank you, Royal Sister! Don't worry about me! You go rest first!"
"But Alexia, you!"
"I'm fine, Royal Sister!"
"Alright!"
Alice left.
Alexia tried to move her arms a few times.
But the result was always the same; her arms were completely immobile.
Alexia began to ponder where she had gone wrong.
At this moment, a nurse walked in.
"Princess Alexia, I am the nurse specifically assigned to care for you. You can tell me anything!"
"Um, do you think I brought this upon myself?" Alexia asked.
"Of course not! You saved everyone at the academy with your own strength, and at the Martial Heart Festival, you ended up like this trying to stop Shadow. You've worked hard for this country, how could you be wrong?"
"Then if you had my strength, would you have done the same?"
"Of course!" the nurse replied without hesitation.
"I want to hear the truth!"
"..."
The nurse hesitated.
"That is the truth!"
"I can feel that you're lying."
"How can that be? I promise it's the truth!" the nurse said with a smile.
Alexia could tell the smile was fake.
Alexia trusted her intuition immensely.
"If you don't tell the truth, I'll shout right now that you tried to assassinate me! You might be in big trouble then!"
The nurse immediately knelt down.
"Princess Alexia, please spare me, please spare me!" the nurse pleaded urgently.
She hadn't expected Alexia to resort to such a trick.
She was just an ordinary nurse, as ordinary as could be.
"So what's the truth?"
"The truth is... I would never be like Princess Alexia. I only want to protect the people I care about. What do the safety of others have to do with me? Why should I resist such a powerful opponent? If I ended up with crippled hands like you, I would only be abandoned!"
"Why do you think that way!"
"I had a friend who was also a nurse. She encountered human traffickers and, to protect a child, her arm was completely crippled!"
It was originally a good deed, but the child's parents only said 'thank you' and showed no further gratitude.
Because she lost an arm, she was also disliked and lost her job.
After losing her arm, she was shunned wherever she went, even by her parents and relatives.
She tried to find a man to marry, but no one wanted her.
Finally, unable to bear the pressure from all sides, she committed suicide.
"Everyone has their own value. When she lost her value, everyone scorned her. So I just want to live selfishly! I might admire heroes, but I would never be one!"
"That's a good story. It's alright, you can go!"
The next day, Alexia was discharged from the hospital and returned home.
Everyone in the kingdom knew about her crippled arms.
All the nobles who had once proposed marriage to her had vanished.
Alexia tried to contact them but couldn't find anyone.
"I think I understand!"