The arena remained silent beneath the starry, unreal sky. The massive orb of white light above them pulsed once—like the heartbeat of the world itself—before Eira's bright, ringing voice flowed down from it.

"Now then… participants, get ready!"

Her words rippled through the vast stone field.

"To equalize all of your strength, the arena will now calculate your team's average battle power… and adjust every one of you accordingly!"

The air tightened.

A low hum vibrated beneath their feet.

Then—

WHOOOOSH—!!

Mana suddenly burst from all eight students in a spectacular flare of color—red, green, blue, gold, shadow violet, and pale white arcing upward into the air before being pulled sharply back down, wrapping around each of them like luminous chains.

Ron staggered half a step.

"I… feel weaker," he muttered, flexing his fingers as his usual fiery strength felt muted, compressed, suppressed into a controlled baseline.

Across from him, Maera furrowed her brows.

"Hmm… me too," she admitted, clenching her gauntlet-clad fist as the wild red aura she was used to suddenly felt far less explosive.

But on the opposite side—

Col blinked rapidly.

"I… feel stronger," he murmured under his breath, staring at his hands as new power filled his limbs, saturating his body with unfamiliar weight and balance.

Iselde trembled slightly, a faint glow outlining her frame.

Drevin inhaled slowly, feeling his muscles firm with strength he didn't normally possess.

On Ron's side, Jax rolled his shoulders.

"Oho…Uh I also feel weaker ."

Selene tested a small rune in her palm—its glow weaksd than usual.

"A true average…" she whispered. "This is indeed equal."

Eira's voice sparkled as she echoed across the arena:

"That's right! From this moment on—your natural talents don't matter. Your base strength is the same. What determines victory will be your coordination… your adaptability… your synergy… and your teamwork!"

The orb above them pulsed again.

Eight hearts pounded at once.

Eira's voice rolled across the enormous arena, bright and casual as ever—but this time, her words carried a frightening edge.

"Now then… get ready! You may fight without any restraint, because even if someone dies here, they won't die in reality!"

A ripple of confusion ran through both teams.

Selene's brows tightened.

We still can't trust a voice just like that…

Her instincts whispered caution. Her mind rejected the idea of risking death based on a cheerful announcement.

As if hearing her unspoken doubt, Eira chimed loudly:

"To give you proof—look at this!"

A massive holographic screen appeared above the arena, shimmering into existence like a floating window to another world.

Every student froze.

The screen showed the dormitories, each room lined up row after row—and inside them, all the participants were lying on their beds, fast asleep.

Peaceful. Still. Unmoving.

Then the view zoomed in…

onto them.

Ron sleeping.

Lia sleeping.

Jax sprawled on bed like a half-open suitcase.

Selene resting neatly, arms folded.

All eight of them—peacefully asleep in reality.

Their eyes widened.

Jax's jaw dropped.

"H-HUH?! How am I sleeping there!?"

Eira answered with a triumphant hum.

"In this space, only your consciousness was brought here! So your bodies are still asleep in the real world. That's why you won't die here even if you're, you know… stabbed, burned, blown up, ripped apart—"

"—Okay, we get it!" Ron snapped.

Jax whispered to Selene, eyes wide,

"Still… it feels so real, doesn't it?"

Selene swallowed, nodding.

"…Yes."

Lia, Maera, Drevin, Col, Iselde—everyone agreed silently.

The ground, the air, the mana—everything felt painfully real.

Eira clapped once.

"Aaanyway~! Now that the explanation is done… get ready!"

Both teams exhaled.

And one by one—

they unleashed everything.

---

Ron stepped forward first.

A brilliant blue flame-like aura exploded around him, roaring upward. His cream-white hair fluttered violently, lifting like a blazing tail of fire. His black spear materialized in his hand—sharp, sleek, deadly—and he sank into a grounded stance, spear angled forward.

Total focus.

Total readiness.

Lia followed.

Her aura burst outward in a dazzling spiral—sharp pink winds screaming across the arena. Ethereal pink butterflies fluttered through the air, carried by the violent breeze of her awakened strength. Her brown-gold ponytail whipped like a blade; her dusk-pink eyes sharpened as she lifted her sleek white straight-edged sword.

Grace and danger united.

Jax rolled his shoulders.

A smooth white aura erupted from him, flowing like mist wrapped in moonlight. His twin pistols spun from their holsters into his hands with crisp metallic clicks. He grinned, eyes glowing with excitement.

"Mmm. I've been waiting for a match like this."

Selene stood tall.

A warm, steady orange glow enveloped her like a calm flame. Runes flickered softly around her form as her polished wooden staff compressed—shrinking, twisting—becoming a refined wand with silver runes pulsing along its length.

Her orange eyes sharpened.

She was ready.

On other side,

Maera inhaled once—

and her aura erupted like a beast waking from a cage.

A dark crimson storm surged outward as claws jutted from her red gauntlets. Her olive-green eyes sharpened into a predator's glare. She crouched slightly, ready to pounce, muscles coiled like springs.

Col took his stance next.

A sharp green wind aura exploded around him, his twin short swords materializing in reverse grips. His eyes narrowed in focus as he tested the balance of his newly equalized strength.

Drevin remained calm.

His transparent purple-violet aura shimmered quietly. He drew an arrow from his quiver, pulling it across his bowstring in a smooth motion. No theatrics—just deadly precision.

Iselde swallowed hard… then focused.

A delicate light-blue aura bloomed from her body as shards of glass and mirrors floated gently around her, orbiting her like fragments of moonlight. Her fingers tightened on her pouch, magic humming softly against her palms.

All eight stood ready.

Eight auras danced across the arena under the artificial moon.

Eight sets of eyes locked onto each other.

The silence grew thick—

a calm before the storm—

a breath before the clash.

Eira raised her voice.

"Alright, everyone…"

A pause.

The sky pulsed.

"START!!!"

Ron and Maera were the first to move—two monsters among their teams, surging forward like twin storms destined to collide.

Behind Ron, Lia rushed in, her pink aura flaring violently. She coated her sword in sharp, spinning wind—energy butterflies swirling behind her like a storm of pink petals.

"Wind Butterfly — Butterfly Slash!"

With a single swift arc, she launched a brilliant pink crescent slash forward. It tore across the arena with razor precision, aimed right at Maera's chest.

Ron saw it.

And without hesitation—the moment the slash passed by him—he thrust out his spear.

"Inferno Spear — Flaming Stab!"

The blue, blazing-hot flame that ignited at the spear's tip erupted outward and merged with Lia's slash. The moment Ron's spear touched it—

The attack tripled in intensity.

The crescent slash expanded into a massive, spiraling arc of purple-flaming wind, thick with violent energy, butterflies now trailing in shimmering violet.

Maera's eyes widened.

That attack was no joke.

"Mirrorweaving 3rd circle —Glass Shield!"

On instinct alone, dozens of small mirror shards burst from Iselde's pouch far away. They assembled instantly in front of Maera like spinning tiles, locking together into a shimmering, circular barrier.

The purple-flame slash hit.

CRRRAAAAAAACK—!!

The shield shattered like fragile ice—exploding into glittering fragments—but it bought Maera just enough time to leap aside, the scorching slash passing inches from her waist.

She spun midair, eyes darting back.

"Thanks, Iselde!"

Iselde, focusing on Selene, gave a timid but earnest nod—her blue aura trembling, her mirror shards orbiting protectively.

Maera landed and clashed directly into Ron.

Ron's black spear met Maera's crimson gauntlet claws in a violent spark of blue flame vs dark red aura.

BOOM—!!!

The ground beneath them cracked.

They pushed against each other—gritting teeth, fire vs wild fury—before bursting apart to begin a fierce close-quarters exchange.

Lia, meanwhile, had intercepted Col as he tried to rush Ron.

Their blades collided in a shrieking flare of wind and steel. Lia's single-edged white sword glowed with sharp pink wind, while Col crossed his twin short swords in an X to stop her momentum.

"Not happening," Lia said sharply.

Col grinned.

"I wasn't planning on backing down anyway."

The two locked together, wind ripping around them.

Across the battlefield, Drevin's neutral, expressionless face remained unchanged as he pulled back his bow. His arrow pulsed with shadowy violet mana.

"Nightstalk Arrow — Umbra Volley."

He released continously.

One arrow became five.

Five became fifteen.

Fifteen became a storm of miniature dark projectiles, each weaving unpredictably through the air, all homing on Selene.

Selene's eyes widened—but before she could react—

Bright mana covered metalic bullets blasted in from her left.

"Spellshooter's Arsenal — Ricochet Hex!"

Jax blurred in front of her, both guns firing unpredictably angled rounds. The bullets shattered mid-air into dozens of bouncing fragments, each ricocheting off its own shards in chaotic patterns.

Every ricochet shard smashed cleanly into Drevin's projectiles, nullifying the Umbra Volley entirely.

Jax wagged his finger left-right with a smug smirk.

"Tch tch tch~ You're NOT attacking her… not while I'm here."

Drevin, calm as ever, simply drew another arrow.

"Then I just have to defeat you."

Jax grinned.

"Try me, bow-boy."

Selene lifted her wand—orange runes blooming around her in concentric circles.

"Rune Magic — 2nd Circle: Ignition Runes!"

Dozens of blazing orange runes shot forward like radiant sigils of fire.

Iselde inhaled sharply.

Her blue aura pulsed.

More mirror shards burst from her pouch, swirling around her like protective satellites.

"Mirrorweaving 2nd circle— Shatterpulse!"

The shards condensed into a shimmering orb—

and detonated.

Glass-like mana fragments exploded outward toward Selene's runes.

The moment the runes touched the shards—

BOOOOM—!!

Both spells detonated in mid-air, scattering glowing fragments across the arena like falling stars.

Iselde stumbled back a step, cheeks pale.

Selene steadied herself, wand glowing brighter.

Above them all, Eira's excited shout echoed from the artificial moon:

"YEAH! That's it! THAT'S the fight!!"

The final round had truly begun.

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