EasternZone
"Come on, hurry up!"
One of the entities was holding a fragment in his hands. He glanced over his shoulder at his companion.
The second one was clearly struggling—his legs were trembling slightly. It didn't take long before he collapsed completely, gasping for air.
"I… I can't… anymore…!"
The first one panicked, quickly looking around to make sure no one else was nearby, then rushed to his side with desperate eyes.
"Come on, get up, man, please! If our superior finds out, we're dead!"
"I can't… my muscles hurt so much!"
He sat down, breathing heavily.
"Man… we haven't rested in months, and they still make us carry extra weight every single day…" He gripped his companion's shoulder tightly. "This is too much for us… you know it is."
The first one frowned slightly.
"What the hell do you two think you're doing?!"
Their superior was standing right behind them, arms crossed, his glare absolutely terrifying.
They jumped in fright and immediately dropped to their knees, foreheads touching the ground, shaking uncontrollably.
"We're sorry, sir! It won't happen again, we swear!"
"Enough excuses!"
He drew his sword—the blade glinting menacingly—but just as he was about to swing, someone caught his wrist—right in time.
"Hold on… Gowin."
"What—"
Gowin's eyes widened when he recognized the figure. It was the hooded one. He quickly sheathed his sword and bowed deeply, sweat already forming on his brow.
"W-welcome back, Master! W-what brings you here so suddenly…?"
"Nothing special…" The hooded figure started walking forward. "How's the reconstruction going?"
"E-everything is proceeding according to plan, Master! We've already completed 49% of the work—p-please don't worry!"
"Hm… good."
The hooded figure stopped in front of the two trembling workers, who didn't dare lift their heads.
"…Are they new here?"
Gowin nodded frantically, sweat dripping down his face.
"Y-yes, Master! The previous ones were executed for disobeying work rules. I was just about to punish these two as well!" His fingers were shaking.
The hooded one stayed silent for a few long seconds that felt like forever. Then—he crouched down to their level.
"What are your names?"
Both froze, completely unsure how to react. Eventually the first one timidly raised his face.
"W-we… don't have names… sir…"
"Hm. I see."
He placed a hand on each of their shoulders. Both boys flinched in surprise—even Gowin couldn't believe what he was seeing; his lips twitched slightly.
"From now on… you are Jet and Frey."
Their eyes widened. Then they quickly lowered their heads again, deeply grateful.
"T-thank you so much, sir!"
The hooded figure stood up and began walking away toward nowhere in particular.
"Oh, and you two look exhausted. Why don't you take a break…?"
Gowin's eyes shot open.
"B-but Master, th-they—"
"What is it, Gowin? Is there a problem?"
He swallowed hard and shook his head weakly.
"N-no… sir."
"Good."
And just like that, he vanished, swallowed by the sound of the wind.
Gowin stood up shortly after and started walking away, his expression dark.
"You heard the Master… rest." He gritted his teeth, clearly… frustrated?
The two boys stayed there for a while, still trying to process everything that had just happened.
"Jet and Frey… those are our names… he gave us names!" Jet smiled, eyes sparkling with joy.
Frey just let out a long sigh and lay flat on his back.
"And we even got free time off…" He stared up at the sky. "The Master really is a good guy…"
"And kinda scary…" Jet added, frowning slightly.
***
"I was awesome!"
Takamiya raised his fist in celebration of his recent win. Ike sighed.
"Bragging about your victory is just asking for bad luck, Takamiya."
"I know, I know…" He sat down. "…but a little celebration once in a while wouldn't hurt."
"Sure."
Suddenly a loud cheer erupted from the audience.
"Amazing, folks! Another fast and brutal victory for Ren! Looks like someone came ready to dominate today!"
His opponent was sprawled on the arena floor, body battered. Ren walked over, grabbed him by the collar.
"Tch… too weak."
He casually tossed the guy out of the ring like trash and walked off.
"I think your student has some serious anger issues to work on," Kagura commented, taking a sip of wine.
Darth snorted, arms crossed.
"He just needs to learn one lesson: not everyone should be underestimated…"
His gaze dropped to the wine in his hand.
"Also… isn't drinking banned here during the festival?"
"Oh, of course it is~" she smiled sweetly. "But we're in the special lounge… so that rule doesn't apply here, right…?"
She leaned back in her chair and stretched, her clothes shifting and revealing a bit more skin from the movement. Darth immediately looked away.
"Such indecency. Can't you sit properly?"
"Oh, sorry…" She gave a small smile and adjusted herself.
Inside Room A
"Ren… that guy's a monster. I can't believe he's winning so easily," Erick muttered, staring at his hand—the same one Ren had grabbed earlier. "If the captain hadn't shown up right then… what would've happened…?"
He frowned, but then felt a firm hand on his shoulder. It was Takamiya.
"Let's stay calm… at least he's not fighting us yet. So no need to stress about it right now."
He handed Erick a glass of water.
Meanwhile…
Lilith was sitting a little apart from the group, her expression distant. She stared at her own hands, lost in thought.
Three months ago, those same hands had gently held a small, injured plant in the garden, stroking its leaves with care.
"How is she?" Cosmo asked, leaning casually against the wall nearby.
Lilith startled slightly when she noticed him, but quickly composed herself and gave a small smile.
"I found her over here, all alone… she was dehydrated, stem broken… so I wanted to help."
Gently, she ran her fingers over the leaves and placed the plant back into the soil. Cosmo watched in silence, then smiled.
"Your hands are so soft and gentle… like those of a great healer."
Lilith turned to him, visibly flustered, stumbling over her words.
"H-healer? M-me? No way! I-I just wanted to help!"
Cosmo laughed lightly and ruffled her hair.
"Never forget who you are…"
Her eyes sparkled at those words. Then Cosmo stepped back, heading toward the door.
"Oh, and don't worry about what I said earlier… just focus and keep training!"
He disappeared through the doorway.
Lilith stayed there for a few moments, thoughtful. Then she sighed and whispered to herself:
"Never forget… who I am…"
"Lilith!"
"Hm?"
"Lilith!!"
Rose's voice snapped her back to reality. She sat down beside her.
"I've been calling you for ages. Is something wrong?" she asked, holding Lilith's shoulder with concern.
Lilith looked down at the floor for a second, then answered softly.
"Sometimes… when I look at everyone… I remember everything we went through to get here… Maybe it really was fate that we left our village… a new chance to find happiness?"
Her words were gentle but heavy with painful memories. Rose frowned slightly as she listened, then sighed and took both of Lilith's hands.
"Fate or not… what matters now is that we escaped that awful place. I'd never forgive myself if we had stayed."
Rose gently moved her hand to Lilith's cheek, caressing it softly.
"You're my only family, Lilith… it's just us, after all. You already risked everything once to save me." Her hand instinctively drifted to her abdomen. "So now… I'll do whatever it takes to make your wish for happiness come true… even if it means becoming everyone's enemy."
"Nee-sama…"
Lilith hugged her tightly, barely holding back tears.
And then the announcement finally came:
"Rose vs Senju!"
She stood up, affectionately ruffling Lilith's hair.
"I'm heading out."
As she walked toward the door, she passed by Erick.
"Good luck up there—"
She simply shut the door behind her without a word.
"What did you do to make her hate you that much?" Takamiya asked, confused.
"I… tried to kidnap her once…" Erick muttered, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
"You really are an idiot," Ike commented while polishing his sword.
"Come on, it was just one time!" Erick looked away, mumbling, "…and I apologized afterward…"
Meanwhile…
Climbing the stairs, Rose brought a hand to her face.
"Why can't I just forgive him…?"
She clutched her chest and took a deep breath.
"I think I overreacted a little…"
Inside the arena, her opponent was looking at her with a cocky smile, cracking his knuckles.
"You're a pretty girl. You free tonight…?"
"No thanks. Not interested."
Someone in the crowd raised an eyebrow while staring at Rose.
"Hey, look at those ears… aren't they from that clan? What was it called again?"
Another rubbed his chin.
"Looks like the Herfwolfy clan. I heard their leader is pretty famous—also a huge grimorie creator."
"Really? I heard he made their village prosper a lot after the previous leader died."
"But I heard he disappeared a few months ago… wonder what happened to him…"
Rose's ears flattened. She listened to the murmurs in silence, teeth clenched.
"Your people seem pretty well-known," Senju commented, glancing at the crowd with a light smile.
She crossed her arms.
"Tch… you don't know anything…"
Senju got into position, his aura rising slightly.
"Just warning you—I won't go easy… unless you wanna go out with me!"
He charged forward.
But Rose stood firm, completely unintimidated.
Senju slammed his hands on the ground and began chanting.
"Golem Creation Magic!"
Several mini golems rose from the earth and were launched like torpedoes. Rose's eyes widened in shock—she barely managed to dodge and retreat.
She had just regained her balance when more came flying.
Dodge one.
Dodge two.
But the third caught her off guard. It hit her square and sent her flying backward.
"Having a rough day, huh?" Senju mocked, rolling his shoulder.
Rose stood up, grinding her teeth, glaring sharply at him.
"Tch… where did you learn that magic…?"
With a smug grin, Senju slowly pulled a grimoire from his bag.
"This grimoire contains the basic fundamentals of golem creation. Every page is so detailed and well-made… no wonder Gur is so famous."
With a smooth motion, he created a golem holding a bow and arrow.
"Pretty cool, right?"
Rose clenched her fists, her expression darkening visibly. In a burst of impulse, she closed the distance—30 steps in an instant.
Senju stepped back.
"W-what speed!"
He hurriedly created more golems and launched them at her.
Rose dodged with incredible agility, never losing her rhythm—until an arrow came flying straight at her.
"Got you! No way you can dodge from this close—"
Crack!
To his shock, Rose didn't dodge. She caught the arrow and snapped it in half, maintaining her charge.
"Wow, that's insane!" Erick's eyes widened in admiration.
"She's got crazy reflexes," Takamiya commented, watching in fascination.
Senju desperately summoned more golems, but Rose kept closing in, cornering him.
She finally reached him—and with one precise, powerful kick, sent him flying backward.
"I knew it… the magic from his grimoire isn't nearly as strong as the original old man's."
But suddenly, a strange cold sensation spread through her body.
She quickly looked down—her feet were stuck to the ground.
"What the—"
"Sludge Magic: Viscous Prison!"
Sticky tentacles of mud erupted from the floor, wrapping around her arms and completely immobilizing her. The crowd roared with excitement at the display.
Senju let out a relieved sigh.
"I'll admit, for a second I was actually scared… but you fell right into the trap. I'm not that great with my magic, but it sure came in handy today."
He created a golem fist and aimed it at her stomach.
"Don't take it personally, but I just need to knock you out… I personally don't like hitting cute girls, but I have to win no matter what… so hope you understand. Maybe… we can go on a date after this?"
The fist launched like a cannon. Thoomp.
"Oof…"
The air was forced out of Rose's lungs the moment it connected. She dropped to her knees.
"Nee-sama!" Lilith cried out, genuine worry in her voice.
Senju let out a small victorious laugh.
"Well, guess I win—"
But then someone grabbed his wrist.
"C-compared to everything I've been through… this… is nothing!" she said between ragged breaths, slowly rising to her feet.
Senju tried to step back, but his hand was gripped with monstrous strength.
"L-let go, you monster!"
He swung his other hand, but Rose dodged—and then—
THWACK!
A brutal kick landed right between his legs.
"Eeeeeeeeeegh!!"
He collapsed with a long, high-pitched groan, then took another hit and passed out cold.
Dead silence. The entire crowd stared at Rose with a mix of fear and awe.
"Hmph. Idiot," she muttered, turning to walk away.
"W-well… that victory was, uh… quite painful, I must say…" the announcer wiped sweat from his brow. "And with that, here are the groups advancing to the decisive round!"
He summoned a massive magical screen filled with data.
"For this round, in each match, one random member will be chosen to represent the group. Two losses and the entire group is eliminated! So get ready—the remaining groups are:
Golden Phoenixes – 7 points!
Purple Dragons – 13 points!
Wild Roses – 11 points!
The Paths – 13 points!
Falcons – 16 points!
Raw Diamonds – 10 points!
"Whoa! We actually made it to the second phase!" Takamiya exhaled in relief.
Erick smiled, but his expression quickly fell.
"Yeah… but I really wanted to fight too!!" he said, a bit frustrated. "Still, we passed thanks to Rose's win, right—"
He turned around, looking for her.
"She still hasn't come back…?"
Meanwhile…
On the staircase side, Rose was walking unsteadily, her steps faltering. She leaned against the wall, feeling her strength draining away.
"Damn it…"
"Nee-sama!"
Lilith rushed up the stairs. She reached her and supported her on her shoulder, face full of worry.
"Lilith… you don't have to worry so much… I'll be fine…"
"No, Nee-sama! I'm going to take care of you! As your support, it's my duty to help!"
Rose's eyes widened at her determination—seeing how hard she was trying not to cry. Her expression softened. She gave a small smile and stroked Lilith's hair.
"Okay… you win. Take care of your big sister, alright?"
Lilith nodded with a bright smile.
But then the announcement rang out:
"Erick of The Paths vs Ryusuke of the Purple Dragons!"
"Yeah! It's my turn!" Erick shouted, already running toward the door.
Louis waved.
"Good luck, Nii!"
He waved back and left.
As he climbed, Erick passed right by Rose and Lilith coming down. He didn't stop.
"Sorry, no time! By the way—you were amazing up there!"
"G-good luck!" Lilith called out, but he was already gone.
Rose huffed and looked away.
"Hmph… idiot."