Blood dripped from Miko's eyes and mouth as he collapsed to the forest floor. The void ash technique—a desperate move that had literally reduced Aria's fifth-circle ice magic to dust—had extracted a brutal toll on his body. Where her perfect ice formations had stood seconds before, only glittering particles remained, drifting through the air like diamond dust.The silence that followed was absolute."Double elements..." The whisper started somewhere in the judges' booth and spread like wildfire. "He has double elements."Professor Reika clutched the edge of the monitoring station, her knuckles white. "That's not just dual elemental control. That ash technique... it didn't just block her ice. It destroyed it. Molecularly.""Impossible," Professor Varn breathed, his analytical lenses recording data streams that defied categorization. "Ash is a derivative element. It can't possibly... no one has ever..."The magical sensors throughout the forest sparked and sputtered, overwhelmed by read

At the last second, he stepped aside, hands in his pockets, and let the spike stab into empty air.Damian scowled. He stomped again, sending another jagged rock toward him.Liam yawned, dodging just as easily.“Really?” he said, ducking under a third attack. “You’re making this too easy.”Damian snarled. He slammed his fist into the ground. The earth cracked open, and a massive wall of stone shot up, aiming to box Liam in.Liam’s smirk widened.There it is.The wind around him shifted.Then, in an instant—He was gone.Damian's eyes widened. "What the—"Liam reappeared above him.Before Damian could react, Liam brought his heel down—hard.The kick connected with Damian’s shoulder, sending him crashing into the dirt.Liam landed lightly, stuffing his hands back into his pockets. “Took you long enough to do something fun.”Damian growled as he pushed himself up, rubbing his shoulder. “You think you’re fast, huh?”Liam tilted his head. “I know I’m fast.”Damian exhaled sharply. "Alright

The room went silent.Everyone had given Miko some space to breathe and recover.Miko let out a slow breath, sinking deeper into the thin mattress. The quiet was nice, even if his body still ached from the fight. His limbs felt heavy, and for once, he actually considered listening to Anna’s advice and getting some rest.Just as his eyes started to close, the door creaked open.He sighed. "I thought you guys wanted to let me rest—" He turned his head, expecting to see Akiya or Liam smirking at him.It wasn’t them.Aria Lin stood at the doorway, arms crossed, her usual cold expression in place.Miko blinked, sitting up a little. "…You’re not one of my teammates."She took a step inside, closing the door behind her. "Obviously."Miko tilted his head. "So what, you here to finish the job?"Aria exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "I don’t know why I’m here.""That makes two of us," Miko muttered.Aria’s sharp eyes flickered over him, as if scanning his injuries. She crossed her arms tighte

Anna moved swiftly between them, her light-infused hands skimming over the wounded as she muttered hurried healing spells. Blood dripped from a gash on her own arm, but she kept going, refusing to stop.“Where the hell is security?” Liam shouted, using gusts of wind to keep a group of wraiths at bay. “This is their job, isn’t it?”As if on cue, a thunderous crash echoed through the stadium. From above, white-cloaked figures descended in streaks of light, landing gracefully amid the chaos. Their silver armor gleamed under the stadium lights, and each bore the insignia of a golden cross on their chest.“The Church Knights,” Anna murmured, eyes widening.One of the knights, a man with short silver hair and piercing blue eyes, stepped forward, drawing a massive greatswordfrom his back. He raised it high, and pure white flames erupted from the blade’s edge.“In the name of the Sanctum, cleanse these wretched beings!” his voice rang through the battlefield like a divine decree.The knights

The stadium was a mess. Debris littered the ground, bodies of wraiths lay scattered, their dark forms slowly dissolving into nothing, leaving only traces of abyssal residue. The air was thick with the scent of burnt magic and blood, a reminder of the battle that had just ended. The once-roaring crowd was now subdued, murmurs of disbelief and relief filling the space where cheers had been just moments ago.A group of knights in pristine white garments, their armor barely stained from combat, walked toward the remains of the dead wraiths. Their leader, a tall man with silver hair, knelt beside one of the dissipating creatures and ran his gloved fingers through the ash it left behind. His face darkened as he exchanged glances with the other knights."This wasn’t a random attack," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Something bigger is at play.""Sir?" one of the younger knights asked, looking at him with uncertainty.The leader rose to his feet, dusting off his gloves. "Call