Rena and Rika both stepped forward at the same time.

"Then how about us?" Rena asked, sparks already jumping around her shoulders.

Rika nodded eagerly. "Yeah. We awakened too."

Before Garion could even open his mouth, two hands grabbed them from behind.

Rovric pulled Rika back firmly, while Ragric hooked an arm around Rena's shoulder and dragged her a step away.

"Hey!" Rena protested. "What are you doing?!"

Rika frowned and tried to shake free. "We want to fight too."

Garion glanced over his shoulder for a brief moment, saw who was holding them, then turned back to Dahlia and the others without saying a word.

That silence alone made Rena pause.

She looked at Rovric. "Why did you pull us back?"

Ragric released her and crossed his arms. "Because I don't want to see you get crushed."

Rika blinked. "Crushed?"

Rovric nodded slowly. "I advise you both not to join this."

Rena stared at them. "Why?"

Ragric took a breath, his usual sharp confidence replaced by something more serious.

"Because Master Garion is really strong."

Rena scoffed. "We know that."

"No," Rovric said bluntly. "You don't."

The girls fell quiet.

Ragric continued, his voice low. "From what I've seen, Master Garion has never once gone all out."

Rika frowned. "Never?"

"Not even once," Ragric replied. "He's always calm. Always confident. Even when things look bad."

Rovric nodded. "And this is the same look."

Rena slowly turned her head toward the arena.

Garion was standing there casually, hands relaxed, posture loose.

He looked like someone waiting, not someone preparing to fight.

Ragric went on, "We all awakened our [Unique Physique]. That's true."

He clenched his fist. "But Master Garion is the one who invented this path."

Rika swallowed. "So you think…"

"He won't lose," Rovric said flatly.

Ragric added, "And Dahlia and the others are different from us."

Rena frowned. "Different how?"

"They're the originals," Ragric replied. "The ones who walked this path from the start."

Rovric nodded. "Master wants to see their growth. Their limits."

"And he won't hold back," Ragric finished.

Rena felt a chill run down her spine.

Rika looked at the arena again, watching Dahlia stretch her arms, Valtor roll his shoulders, Seira standing perfectly still, Clara grinning, Eliza already fading into silence, and the twins cracking their knuckles.

"…So we're safer here," Rika muttered.

Ragric nodded once. "Much safer."

Rena clicked her tongue but didn't argue.

They all turned back to the arena.

And none of them felt jealous anymore.

Only nervous.

---

Garion walked to the center of the arena and stopped.

He rolled his neck once, then looked at all of them with a relaxed smile.

"Come," he said. "All of you."

The pressure in the arena seemed to tighten the moment he spoke.

Dahlia took a sharp breath, then stepped forward, her usual playful smile turning serious.

She raised her arm and pointed at the others.

"You heard him," she shouted. "This is Master we're fighting."

She looked back at Garion for a split second, then grinned fiercely. "Use your best techniques."

Valtor laughed loudly, flames flickering around his shoulders. "Finally."

Seira adjusted her stance, her expression cold and calm.

Frost spread slowly beneath her feet, forming neat, elegant patterns. "I won't hold back."

Clara cracked her knuckles, eyes shining. "Illusions, body, tricks. Everything goes."

The twins stepped forward together.

Rynar smirked. "Are you ready?"

Rynor grinned back. "Always."

Thunder and flame surged at the same time as their [Twin Resonance] activated, the two elements blending smoothly around them.

Eliza was already gone.

No sound. No presence.

Only a faint distortion in the air hinted at where she might be.

Garion stood there, hands relaxed at his sides, watching them gather power.

"That's it," he said calmly. "Good posture. Stable breathing."

That casual comment almost made Valtor trip.

"Stop analyzing us while we're powering up!" Valtor shouted.

Dahlia laughed once, then her aura exploded upward.

Wind roared as sky energy gathered around her body.

Dragon claws formed along her arms as her [Sky Dragon] traits surfaced.

"On my mark!" Dahlia shouted.

Seira lifted one hand, ice forming into perfectly shaped crystals that floated beside her.

Each one was clean, smooth, and deadly beautiful.

Clara's figure blurred as multiple versions of her appeared around the arena, all smiling.

Valtor leaned forward, flames intensifying as his heartbeat sped up.

The twins took a synchronized step.

Even Eliza's presence sharpened, pressure brushing against Garion's senses from several angles at once.

Dahlia raised her hand high.

"Now!"

Everything exploded into motion.

Valtor roared as flames burst from his body, and he charged straight forward.

The twins moved at the same time, thunder and fire mixing as their [Twin Resonance] surged to life.

Clara's illusions rushed in from every direction, laughing voices overlapping.

Seira's ice formed clean, perfect spears in the air, shimmering with quiet killing intent.

Eliza's presence vanished completely, her position impossible to trace.

For a brief moment, the arena was chaos.

Garion stood at the center and smiled.

"Good," he said calmly. "Really good."

He took one step forward.

"But don't underestimate too much."

He lifted his head slightly, eyes sharp.

"I am still your master."

The air changed.

Everyone felt it at the same time.

A sudden, crushing force slammed down.

Dahlia gasped as her body was forced toward the floor.

Her dragon claws scraped against the ground as she struggled to stay upright.

"What?!" she shouted.

Valtor's charge stopped mid-step. His knees hit the floor hard, flames flickering wildly before being pushed flat.

"Dammit!" he growled, teeth clenched.

The twins felt it next.

Rynor slammed down on one knee. "What the hell is this pressure?!"

Rynar gritted his teeth. "I can't move!"

Seira's elegant ice shattered instantly, pressed flat as if crushed by an invisible weight.

She dropped to one knee, eyes widening for the first time.

"…So heavy," she muttered.

Clara's illusions popped one after another like bubbles, vanishing as the force pressed them into nothing.

Even her real body was forced down, palms shaking against the floor.

Eliza reappeared suddenly, her invisibility breaking as the pressure pinned her completely.

She landed silently but could not move.

Every attack that came within one meter of Garion was crushed.

Garion stood untouched at the center, hands relaxed at his sides.

He looked down at them, still smiling.

"This is the gap," he said evenly. "Between training well."

He took another step forward, the pressure increasing just a bit.

"And mastering your body."

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