"... I have finally figured out the origin of that guy's system…!"

Felt blinked.

Her brain stuttered trying to process the statement while her hands still clutched research notes about healing formulas that suddenly felt way less important.

System?

The word bounced around her head for a second before connections started forming.

Oh.

Right.

That made sense actually.

Master Nero had summoned her and dozens of others through some kind of mysterious mechanism that nobody could properly explain.

Luna had been obsessing over the details for weeks now, running analysis after analysis on the energy patterns involved.

"Y-You mean...?"

Realization dawned across Felt's expression as understanding clicked into place.

Luna nodded firmly, though her heterochromic eyes still carried visible disbelief as they tracked back toward the analytical display.

Her fingers drummed against the desk in an unconscious rhythm that suggested her mind was racing faster than her mouth could keep up.

"This might be bigger than either of us can properly imagine."

Luna's voice dropped lower, weighted with implications that made the air feel heavier.

She shook her head slowly before turning away from the machine.

"I need to speak with him directly about this. Felt, could you go call—"

She stopped mid-sentence.

Her expression shifted as she reconsidered the request.

"Actually, no. I'll go myself. This requires immediate discussion."

Felt nodded quickly and followed Luna as they headed toward the door together.

Whatever the high elf had discovered, it was significant enough to warrant dropping everything else.

And honestly?

Felt desperately wanted to know what could shake Luna's usual composed demeanor this badly.

***

The Colosseum roared with noise that made thinking difficult.

Thousands of voices merged into a wall of sound that vibrated through the stone seats and shook dust from ancient rafters.

Arena Seven had become the center of attention after word spread about the duo tearing through preliminary matches like a natural disaster with perfect coordination.

William Fordsmith adjusted his pince-nez with practiced precision.

His suit remained impossibly clean despite the dirt and blood coating the arena floor around them.

Across from him, floating casually in her hard hat and overalls, Heena Min-Jeowon cracked her knuckles with a grin that promised violence.

Their opponents looked confident.

A massive armored knight wielding a tower shield that could probably stop siege equipment, paired with a lithe assassin type whose daggers dripped with something that definitely violated several poison regulations.

The crowd loved them.

"CRIMSON BLADE AND IRON WALL! UNDEFEATED IN TWELVE MATCHES!"

The announcer's voice boomed across the space with enough enthusiasm to make subtlety look weak.

"CAN THESE NEWCOMERS POSSIBLY OVERCOME SUCH EXPERIENCED VETERANS?!"

Heena snorted.

"Twelve matches. Cute."

William said nothing, though his eyes tracked movement patterns with analytical precision that made casual observation look amateurish.

The bell rang.

*CLANG!*

Both teams exploded into motion simultaneously.

The armored knight charged forward like a battering ram, shield raised to create an impenetrable wall of steel and momentum.

Behind him, the assassin vanished into a blur of speed that made tracking difficult.

Classic pincer strategy.

Tank draws attention while the damage dealer flanks for a killing blow.

It would've worked against most opponents.

Unfortunately for them, William and Heena had been killing cultists and corrupted monsters for months.

Heena raised one hand lazily.

*CRACK!*

Gravity reversed around the charging knight with violent abruptness.

His massive armored body launched upward like someone had fired him from a cannon, shield and all, flipping end over end as physics decided momentum worked differently now.

"WHAT?!"

The knight's shocked scream echoed across the arena as he sailed toward the ceiling.

William moved.

His katana Pendulum cleared its sheath in a motion too fast for most eyes to follow properly.

*SHING!*

The blade sang through air with a sound like reality being politely asked to step aside.

The assassin appeared behind William exactly where his predictive analysis said she would.

Her daggers aimed for kidneys with practiced precision.

Should've connected.

Would've been lethal.

Except William had already moved.

His body twisted with impossible timing as Pendulum carved through the space where the assassin's weapon trajectory intersected with time itself.

*SLASH!*

Steel met steel.

Then steel met flesh.

The assassin's eyes widened in shock as her momentum carried her directly into the counterattack.

Blood sprayed across stone as she collapsed, not dead but definitely out of the fight.

William flicked his blade once to clear it before resheathing with practiced efficiency.

"Twelve matches of experience means nothing if predictable patterns define every engagement."

His tone stayed perfectly polite despite the brutality of what had just happened.

Above them, the armored knight finally reached the apex of his unwilling flight.

Gravity reasserted itself with Heena's casual permission.

*WHOOSH!*

He plummeted.

Fast.

Accelerating.

Then accelerating faster as Heena added extra force just to make the landing more memorable.

"Catch!"

She called out cheerfully right before impact.

*CRASH!!!*

The knight cratered the arena floor hard enough to spider-web cracks through reinforced stone.

His armor held, barely, but consciousness fled immediately.

Silence crashed across the Colosseum.

The crowd processed what they'd just witnessed.

An undefeated veteran team eliminated in approximately fifteen seconds through overwhelming tactical superiority and physics abuse.

Then the noise erupted.

Half the spectators screamed in excitement while the other half groaned about lost bets, and the combined volume probably violated noise ordinance laws.

"WINNERS! THE NEWCOMER DUO ADVANCES TO—"

The announcer's voice boomed with renewed enthusiasm as medics rushed onto the field.

Heena floated down to ground level and landed next to William with a satisfied expression.

"That was fun. Wanna grab food after this?"

"We have three more matches scheduled today."

"So that's a yes to food after those?"

William sighed, though his expression carried faint approval beneath professional disapproval.

"Your tactical applications of gravity manipulation continue improving."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

***

High in the spectator section, two figures watched with very different reactions.

Priestess Joanna leaned forward with eyes practically sparkling.

Her hands gripped the stone railing hard enough to make her knuckles white as she tracked Heena's movements with intense focus.

"Did you see that?! She controlled the entire battlefield without even breaking a sweat!"

Joanna's voice carried genuine awe mixed with excitement that made her sound years younger.

"Someone with her physique fighting like that... it's incredible!"

Brunhilde glanced at her friend with mild surprise.

The vice-captain of the Valkyrie Squad had seen Joanna heal thousands, comfort countless wounded, and maintain composure through scenarios that made hardened warriors crack.

But genuine excitement like this was rare.

"You seem unusually enthusiastic about a tournament match."

"Because it's amazing!" Joanna gestured toward the arena with barely contained energy. "I've spent my entire life dedicated to salvation and healing. Combat training was never part of my path because there wasn't time for both."

Her expression shifted into something wistful.

"But watching someone like her... someone who shares my build, who looks like she'd be better suited for support roles... absolutely dominating fighters twice her size?"

She turned toward Brunhilde with a grin.

"It makes me wonder what I could've been if I'd chosen differently."

Brunhilde studied her friend's expression carefully.

The stress lines that had been etched around Joanna's eyes for weeks looked softer now.

The tension that normally tightened her shoulders had eased considerably.

Coming to Legendor and attending this celebration had been the right call after all.

"You're enjoying yourself."

It wasn't a question.

Joanna nodded enthusiastically.

"More than I expected to, honestly. After everything with the sanctuary attacks and the Seer's warnings about the sealed entity..."

She trailed off briefly before shaking her head.

"I needed this. A chance to just... watch something exciting without worrying about apocalyptic consequences for five minutes."

Movement below caught her attention as William and Heena exited the arena to thunderous applause.

They headed toward the winner's area where other successful duos gathered between matches.

Joanna's eyes lit up with renewed interest.

"Come on!"

She grabbed Brunhilde's arm with surprising strength for someone who specialized in holy magic.

"Let's go talk to them! I want to know how she developed that fighting style!"

"Joanna, we have duties to—"

"Those duties can wait ten minutes while I satisfy my curiosity about gravity-based combat applications!"

Brunhilde found herself being dragged toward the stairs before she could mount a proper protest.

The priestess moved with determination that suggested arguing would be pointless.

Below, William and Heena had barely reached the winner's section when they noticed two figures approaching with purpose.

One was a young woman in pristine white and gold robes that screamed "important church official."

The other was an armored warrior with silver wings folded against her back, moving with the easy confidence of someone who'd survived countless battles.

Heena tilted her head slightly.

"Uh, Will? I think we're about to have company."

William followed her gaze and felt his analytical mind immediately catalog details.

The robed woman carried herself with authority despite her friendly expression.

The winged warrior watched everything with sharp eyes that missed nothing.

Both radiated power that suggested they weren't casual spectators.

"Indeed. Prepare for diplomatic interaction."

"You mean 'be nice and don't accidentally insult anyone important'?"

"Precisely."

Joanna reached them first, slightly out of breath from speed-walking down multiple flights of stairs.

Her eyes sparkled with genuine enthusiasm as she addressed Heena directly.

"That was incredible! Your control over gravitational forces during combat was unlike anything I've seen before!"

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