Away from the fight between Raven and Klein at the previous location on the edge of the forest, another confrontation began.
It had become a battlefield where even silence felt like a warning.
"Why don't you insects just disappear?"
Abraham spoke under his breath, his voice calm but laced with something sharp beneath it.
The wind around him twisted violently, responding like a living thing. Air folded into itself, spiraling upward as a massive storm was born in an instant.
A storm that obeyed him.
"Go to hell, you pervert."
Adel raised his middle finger without hesitation, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade of mockery.
The ground beneath Berham ruptured.
"Steel Fist."
Two colossal metallic arms erupted from the earth, launching toward him with crushing intent.
Berham didn't flinch.
"Pathetic."
He mirrored the motion with a flick of his hand ..wind condensed into a brutal counterforce. The incoming arms slowed, then twisted aside as if reality itself had been grabbed and bent.
He wasn't fast.
He was unreachable.
"Fireball!"
Leon lifted his hand behind them. A sphere of blazing fire ignited instantly, illuminating the forest in a flickering orange glow.
Berham didn't even turn.
"Fire against wind? Are you stupid… or just desperate?"
The flame distorted mid-air, swallowed by turbulent currents before it could reach him.
"Damn now!"
Adil slammed his palm into the ground.
A mechanical silhouette surged into existence behind Berham ...massive, incomplete, yet alive with mana-driven intent.
Berham clicked his tongue.
A wind barrier formed instantly.
A shield without shape, yet absolute in defense.
"Don't forget me!"
Leon moved.
His body launched forward like a cannonball, sword raised high. The air screamed around him as he closed the distance in an instant.
"Get back, gorilla."
Berham lifted a single hand.
A shockwave of wind exploded outward.
Leon was thrown back violently, crashing through the air like a broken projectile.
"ROBOT 0.2—GO!"
Adil pressed both hands to the ground.
Mana surged wildly beneath him. The earth trembled violently as something massive forced its way upward.
A giant golem emerged.
Metal groaned. Stone shattered. A towering construct of destruction stood under Berham's gaze.
For the first time
He stepped back.
"…Are you serious?"
Adil laughed, slightly unhinged now.
"I didn't get the chance to use it last time."
His body collapsed from exhaustion, but his eyes stayed sharp.
"This is your payback."
"Leon… finish this."
Leon exhaled once.
And something inside him broke.
"War Chant."
His muscles expanded violently, veins rising like cords under his skin. His eyes turned deep red, glowing with unstable rage.
Then—his mind went silent.
Only instinct remained.
He moved.
The ground shattered beneath his step as he shot forward, sword slicing through the air toward Berham.
"Aaaagh!"
Berham tilted his body slightly.
The blade missed.
But
"Kick."
Leon was struck mid-air by a sudden impact from the golem, crashing hard against its metallic body.
His breath cracked.
His body folded under the force as the golem's grip tightened around him.
For a moment
He saw only metal.
Only inevitability.
"Three against one… isn't that a bit unfair?"
A soft voice interrupted the battlefield.
Everything stopped.
A girl stood at the edge of the chaos.
Golden hair fell gently over her shoulders. Her crimson eyes were calm
but carried a sharp edge of judgment.
Adil blinked.
"…Princess Rina?"
Even Leon paused.
Even the wind hesitated.
Berham seized the moment.
"Finally."
He raised both hands.
Tornadoes erupted in opposite directions, forcing distance between him and the golem. The battlefield destabilized instantly.
"Leon, now!" Adil shouted.
Leon roared again and charged but Rina appeared in front of him.
Silent. Precise.
"Didn't I say this is unfair?"
She drew her sword.
Leon caught it barehanded.
Muscles screamed under pressure.
His eyes burned with madness.
But she didn't hesitate.
"Sun Enhancement."
Flames golden and crimson ...wrapped around her blade.
She struck.
Leon didn't move.
Didn't even step back.
Instead—he grabbed harder.
Rina exhaled softly.
"…Explosion."
A pulse of force erupted from her palm.
Leon's body was launched through the air, crashing into a distant tree. The impact silenced him completely.
Rina steadied her breath.
For a moment, her composure cracked.
"Princess… are you alright?" a soldier rushed in.
"I'm fine."
Her voice was calm again but her face was slightly pale.
Her gaze shifted.
Something about this fight… didn't feel right.
Back at the center, Berham exhaled slowly.
"Tch… she ruined the timing."
He raised his hand.
Wind condensed again.
Five invisible blades formed in the air.
"bye."
Adil's eyes widened.
"Adil eliminated."
"Leon eliminated."
Silence returned.
But it didn't last.
From above, a voice descended like laughter carried by wind.
"Hehe… this is interesting."
Everyone froze.
Even Berham.
Even Rina.
A girl sat casually on a high branch, legs swinging lightly.
Pink hair shimmered under the faint light. Crimson eyes watched everything with amused curiosity.
"Balance… karma… fate."
She tilted her head.
"Watching two of them get eliminated feels unfair."
Her smile deepened.
"…Should I take revenge?"
The forest went still.
Berham's eyes narrowed.
"…Who are you?"
As for Rina she couldn't ...Her body had already frozen.
Her expression tightened ...confused, shaken, as if something had slipped into her mind without permission.
An illusion… or something worse.
The girl's smile softened.
"Maybe later."
Her eyes turned distant for a moment.
"Raiven… I think I should find you first."
And then she vanished.
Not like movement.
Like absence.
As if she had never existed at all.
Rina stood motionless.
"…Was that real?"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Then, she raised her hand.
"Follow me."
Her tone returned to command.
The soldiers obeyed instantly.
But her eyes didn't relax.
She needed answers.
Far above, unseen by them all
...
the academy's observation room was silent.
"Interesting generation," Klyman said with a low laugh.
Behind him, the instructors watched screens filled with chaos.
But Klyman wasn't looking at all of them.
His gaze was fixed on one boy.
A boy surrounded by silver flame.
"…Did I finally find my successor?"
And somewhere else, Maria remained silent.
Watching.
Waiting.