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Ryota woke up more tired than usual. His power still seemed to be recovering from the previous day's event. Today, he could rest a little—it was Evelynn's turn to enter the arena and face Raythem.
When he arrived in the living room, only Scarlet and Yuta were already there. The atmosphere felt strange, a heavy silence lingering over their morning coffee.
— What's going on with you two? It's… really quiet, Ryota remarked.
Scarlet immediately looked away toward her cup. Yuta did the same, as if they shared the same thought.
— Did you recover from yesterday? Yuta asked.
— I slept well, but I feel like my power hasn't fully recovered.
— You'll have time to recover today.
Ryota sat down and took his coffee. Scarlet then broke the heavy silence.
— … Do you think she'll succeed? You know Evelynn.
— What do you mean by that? Ryota asked, intrigued.
— Evelynn is… how should I put it… always cheerful and extroverted, but during a fight…
Yuta added something, and the silence immediately returned.
Evelynn then arrived in the living room, radiant as always.
— Good morning everyone! Sleep well?
— Yeah, thanks.
— And you?
— … Yeah.
She was surprised by the strange atmosphere.
— Whoa… did all of you suddenly get a stick up your ass or something?
No one answered. She sat down next to Ryota and Yuta, quietly joining the heavy silence.
***
Back in the arena, for the last time.
Ryota, Yuta, and Scarlet took their seats in the stands, while Raythem already stood at the center of the field. Evelynn stepped in, ready for her training: Dance of the Twin Blades.
— Remember, Evelynn, Raythem explained. To win, you must anticipate an attack and counter with a slight time delay. Are you ready?
— More than ever! Evelynn replied, smiling.
As in the previous duels, glass panels rose around the stands, and the hologram displayed the fight duration: five minutes. Raythem summoned his two claymores, one in each hand, and the duel began.
Under the watchful eyes of the others, a quiet fear settled in—they were about to see Evelynn truly fight.
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The fight had barely begun when Raythem rushed straight at her without even drawing his weapons. Evelynn narrowly dodged and drew her two katanas. She tried to combine her power with her blade mastery, but with little success.
Raythem quickly gained the upper hand and noticed that Evelynn didn't seem to be taking the fight seriously. Always smiling and full of joy, seeing her fight with true focus felt almost impossible. Yet she was trying—but her lack of technique and confidence showed immediately.
Raythem closed in, his claymores surrounding her. She tried to stop his attack to counter, but failed and fell to the ground.
— Argh… I can't do it.
— Focus on the present moment—on yourself and your power, her mentor reminded her.
She stood back up, determined to give the others a good fight, without realizing she shouldn't be fighting for them—but for herself.
She stepped back, her katanas raised in front of her face, trying to read Raythem's next moves. But by the time she analyzed his blades, the moment had already passed, and she couldn't dodge or counter his attacks.
Raythem charged again.
But unexpectedly, Evelynn managed to follow the rhythm set by her mentor. An elegant duel took shape—two blades against two blades. And yet, she felt that Raythem wasn't daring to strike as powerfully as he had against the others.
Maybe I'm not ready yet… Am I not good enough? she wondered.
Those thoughts destabilized her. She lost speed and precision. The rhythm she had managed to maintain slowly slipped away.
— Why isn't he attacking like he did with the others? Evelynn thought. They were allowed powerful strikes…
Reluctantly, Raythem decided to answer her unspoken request.
He threw one claymore into the air and charged with the other, striking Evelynn with overwhelming force and speed. She couldn't dodge or anticipate it—and was sent crashing into the arena wall.
In the stands, Yuta and Ryota grew anxious. Scarlet, silent, couldn't hide her concern.
Evelynn's fallen katanas began to tremble slightly, as if time itself wanted to return them to her. Raythem frowned—something strange was happening, but he couldn't explain it. For the first time, he felt genuine unease.
On the other side of the arena, Evelynn slowly stood up, head lowered, eyelids heavy, her gaze empty. Not a word. Not a sound.
She breathed calmly… then raised her head, locking eyes with Raythem.
— Evelynn? Are you okay? he asked.
He immediately understood—the person standing before him was not the one he knew.
The katanas lifted from the ground and flew back into her hands. She grabbed them, perfectly still.
The three spectators no longer understood what was happening. The timer continued to tick down—only about forty seconds remained.
Concerned, Raythem attacked.
Evelynn dodged with unsettling ease, as if she could perceive the entire fight in a single glance. When she raised one of her katanas to counter, Raythem shifted to a completely different style—more aggressive, more direct, like a real fight with no restraint.
When their blades clashed, a colossal shockwave erupted. The glass shattered. The air itself seemed to break.
Time… felt frozen.
Then the hologram sounded, marking the end of the fight—and the training.
Raythem did not lower his weapons.
— Who are you, Evelynn?! he demanded.
Silence fell over the arena, broken only by the sound of falling glass.
— Who I am…? That's a good question, she murmured.
Her eyes regained their usual light.
In a low voice, just before collapsing to the ground:
— I'm tired… it's over…