The blinding white light faded, and Ron's team found themselves once again standing in the familiar endless white space. The emptiness stretched in every direction, soft and weightless, like a blank canvas waiting to be filled.

Jax blinked twice, then stretched his arms.

"We returned…" he muttered, sounding half relieved, half exhausted.

A second flash erupted nearby.

Four silhouettes emerged—Maera, Col, Drevin, and Iselde—materializing one after another. Maera still radiated the remnants of her earlier battle, her wild aura now settled but unmistakably present around her shoulders.

Lia immediately lifted a hand.

"Maera! You're here!"

Maera gave a small, confident nod.

"Yes. We defeated our reflections."

Jax leaned forward, hands on hips.

"So your team won too, huh?"

Maera smirked slightly.

"That's right."

Ron, Selene, Lia, and Jax exchanged mutual nods with Maera's group—two teams standing among the very few who survived everything the competition threw at them.

Col scratched the back of his head, stepping forward with a puzzled look.

"So… how does this work now? Did we all win? That was the last phase according to that woman's voice, right?"

He glanced around. "Does this mean… we all won?"

Ron's brows furrowed.

"No… she said only one team can win."

The moment he said it—

A cheerful, echoing voice rang across the empty space, cutting clean through Ron's words.

"You are absolutely correct, Ron Volkov…!"

The familiar, lively tone bounced off the unseen walls, dripping with enthusiasm. Everyone stiffened instantly.

Jax muttered, "Here we go again…"

The voice grew louder, brighter, more dramatic:

"And now—"

A pulse of light spread through the white space like a wave.

"We are going to make that decision…

Right here, right now."

Eira's cheerful voice echoed across the white expanse like a bell made of light.

"Both teams have passed the Trial of Reflected Self," she announced, her tone bubbling with excitement. "Although… by very different strategies."

Ron's team exchanged glances while Maera's group stood firmly opposite them.

Eira continued, almost sing-song:

"While Ron, Lia, Jax, and Selene chose to swap their opponents and defeat reflections that didn't know their techniques…"

A flash of light displayed a recap of their chaotic cross-battles.

"…Maera, Col, Drevin, and Iselde enhanced themselves instead—overpowering their own reflections directly!"

Selene blinked, brows knitting.

"You won… without swapping?"

Maera nodded casually, crossing her arms.

"Yeah. We used Iron Pulse. And Iselde used Tranquil Veil."

Iselde flinched a little at the attention, but still nodded.

Maera added firmly,

"Besides… in our case, swapping wouldn't work."

Lia tilted her head.

"What do you mean by that?"

Maera gave her a straightforward look.

"Unlike your team… our team's battle power is too unbalanced."

She pointed slightly with her thumb.

"Col or Drevin wouldn't be able to defeat my reflection. If they swapped with me, they'd be eliminated almost instantly. I couldn't risk that."

Col scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"Yeah… her reflection was… kinda terrifying."

Drevin silently looked away, agreeing.

"So," Maera continued, "we used the next best option. We enhanced ourselves. When I fought my reflection, I realized something—the reflections can't use Professor Zane's techniques."

Selene's eyes widened a little.

She lowered her gaze, thoughtful.

"…There was this way too," she murmured to herself.

Maera nodded. "Iron Pulse, Tranquil Veil—we used what they couldn't copy, and crushed them."

Before either team could speak further—

Eira's voice brightened dramatically:

"And while all eight of you were absolutely brilliant…"

She paused for effect.

"Only one team can win this competition!"

Both teams tensed immediately.

Eira's voice rang through the white space, bright and playful as ever, but the words she spoke carried the weight of a final verdict.

"Alright, everyone! To decide the ultimate winner… we'll be taking the simplest approach of all…"

Every student unconsciously leaned forward, breaths held.

"That is… both teams will fight in an arena!"

Her voice sparkled with excitement.

"And the team that wins… will win the entire competition! How about that?"

The white space fell silent for a moment.

Maera's eyes narrowed slightly. She stepped forward with a calm but firm tone.

"But… won't that be a disadvantage to us? Our team's battle power is far too unbalanced compared to Ron's."

Col and Drevin didn't deny it.

Iselde shrank slightly behind Maera.

Eira giggled.

"That won't be a problem at all!"

A ripple passed across the space as she continued:

"Because the moment you enter the special arena… all of your strengths will be adjusted to both team's average battle power."

Eight eyes widened at once.

"That means," Eira clarified, "every member of both team will have the same battle capability. No more overpowering or underperforming due to natural strength differences."

Her tone dipped into a teasing hum:

"Winning will depend only on your teamwork… your coordination… and your skills."

Maera slowly nodded, accepting that explanation.

Ron exhaled deeply.

Lia crossed her arms thoughtfully.

Jax grinned like the idea of a fair fight excited him.

Selene remained composed, calculating quietly.

"Good!" Eira chimed. "Since both teams understand—"

She clapped her tiny holographic hands.

"You now get a five-minute break."

A warm, soothing light enveloped all eight students, sinking into their skin, stitching cuts shut, soothing bruises, mending torn muscles.

Jax blinked.

"Oh? Healing included? Nice."

Selene rolled her eyes but didn't protest.

Eira floated upward, her voice bouncing cheerfully through the space:

"Rest well! Recover! Prepare!"

A dramatic pause.

"Because in exactly five minutes…

the final battle begins."

Her voice faded into silence.

The white space grew still.

The calm before the storm.

.

.

.

The healing light faded gradually, leaving the eight students standing in the white expanse once more—completely restored. Not a single cut, bruise, or burn remained. Even their clothing, previously shredded and stained by battle, now looked freshly washed and perfectly tailored, as though the fight had never happened.

Jax tugged at his jacket with wide eyes.

"Even the clothes are fixed…?"

He sounded genuinely impressed.

Ron snorted.

"After all that happened that's what surprises you?"

Jax smirked. "Hey, I appreciates the small things in life."

Their brief amusement didn't last long.

Tension crept back in as both teams gathered in small clusters, using the precious minutes to strategize.

Jax elbowed Ron lightly, that familiar annoying grin plastered on his face.

"Anyway, Ron bro… didn't you take a bit too long dealing with my shadow?"

Ron side-eyed him, unimpressed.

"Be grateful my reflection didn't have time to unleash its blue flames. You would've been crying on the ground."

Jax flicked his wrist dismissively.

"Mm. Sounds like an excuse."

Ron's eyebrow twitched.

"You little—"

"Focus." Selene cut cleanly between them, eyes cool and steady. "We should be talking about how to fight Maera's group."

Jax clicked his tongue, but quieted.

Selene continued,

"In the arena, everyone's strength will be equalized. No natural advantages, no overpowered matchups. It'll come down to roles and responsibility."

Lia nodded, tying her golden brown hair tighter in ponytail.

"I'll take Col Alven," she said with certainty. "He's fast. After the equalization, I'm probably the only one who can keep up with him."

Ron nodded.

"That's fine."

Jax raised a hand lazily.

"Then I call dibs on the bow-and-arrow guy. Classic matchup—guns versus arrows. I like the theme."

Lia rolled her eyes, but didn't object.

Ron continued, tone decisive:

"I'll fight Maera. With equal strength, only I can match her ferocity and raw skill."

Selene glanced at Iselde's direction.

"Then I'll handle Iselde. She's a mage… although we don't know her exact type yet."

Ron nodded.

"Good. But listen carefully—"

His gaze sharpened, voice dropping lower.

"Our top priority is keeping Selene safe."

Selene blinked once, surprised.

"Ron—"

Ron held up his hand.

"You're our core support. Enhancement, calming technique, burst boosts… and healing. If they take you out first, we're done. So—"

He turned to Jax.

"You keep an eye on her while fighting Drevin. Can you handle that?"

Jax placed a hand dramatically on his chest.

"Can I handle that? Ron, please. I'm insulted you even have to ask."

Ron didn't comment, but his nod showed acceptance.

Selene inhaled slowly and looked at the three of them.

"…Then it's settled."

The weight of the coming battle pressed down on them.

Their five minutes were almost up.

.

.

.

Eira's voice chimed brightly through the white void:

"Are you all ready…?"

Both groups turned.

Maera's team had just finished their own discussion; the four stood in a tight formation, their expressions calm but alert.

Ron's team nodded as well—four determined faces, four steady breaths, four hearts beating as one.

"Perfect!" Eira sang.

"Then—off you go!"

A brilliant flash swallowed them whole.

—

Lia's eyes snapped open.

Her breath hitched softly.

She stood beside Ron, Selene, and Jax… the ground beneath her feet no longer the infinite white space. Instead, a vast stone arena expanded in all directions—a massive circular battlefield carved from ancient stone, its surface scarred with old cracks and scorch marks, as if thousands of battles had been fought here long before them.

Across from them stood Maera, Col, Drevin, and Iselde.

But it wasn't the enemies they first noticed.

It was the sky.

Above the arena stretched a breathtaking expanse of midnight—deep, endless, and glittering with countless stars. A surreal darkness that wasn't frightening, but peaceful. And high in the center of that cosmic canvas floated a giant orb of pure white light, suspended like an artificial moon. Its soft radiance bathed the arena in perfect visibility, warm and calm despite the tension in the air.

Lia stared upward, awe blooming in her chest.

"…beautiful."

Ron, normally unphased by scenery, couldn't help but nod, his gaze drawn to the unreal stars.

"Yeah… it is."

On the opposite side, Maera lifted her chin, eyes reflecting the moon-like orb. Even she, wild and fierce as she was, softened ever so slightly at the sight.

Iselde whispered something too small to hear, clutching her pouch tightly but smiling.

Even Drevin—ever silent—allowed a tiny breath of admiration to escape.

The arena was like a world untouched by chaos—

a place made only for battles destined to be remembered.

And then—

Eira's voice cascaded from the sky itself, amplified by the massive white orb above them:

"Welcome, all of you…

to the arena for the final round! "

Her voice echoed against the stone walls, crisp and electric.

The stage was set.

The sky was watching.

The final fight was about to begin.

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