After hearing the king's response, Nicole waited for a few seconds and then replied in an even tone.
"Let's cut the bullshit, Rilias," she said. "Both you and Francis know that you will be facing me in the future. The only reason I have not killed you both is that I don't want an all-out war between the four kingdoms. So tell me, why have you joined forces with Church, knowing what he is doing"
The king smiled.
"The principal sure is smart" he replied in an amused tone, "but you are wrong. It's not his doing, nor is it mine. In fact, every ruler, every farmer, and every child has been doing exactly what 'He' wants. Both I and Francis are just puppets of fate."
Then he looked at her. "And who has ever won against fate?"
***
Chaos pressed in from every direction, but Solace stood still for a brief moment, caught between noise and thought.
The stadium floor was no longer a battlefield in any organized sense. It was a living thing now. Sand churned under dozens of clashing abilities, scorched black in some places, soaked and frozen in others. Shattered barriers left faint afterimages in the air, like broken glass catching light before fading. Somewhere far off, a thunderous boom rolled through the stands, followed by screams and the unmistakable sound of bracelets shattering and teleporting students out.
Solace exhaled slowly.
He had already gathered some points. Not many. Enough to stay afloat for now. But the pace of the tournament was faster than he had anticipated. Groups were forming, collapsing, reforming. Stronger students were snowballing, absorbing points from others who had already accumulated them.
If he stayed alone too long, he would become prey.
Lost in that calculation, he didn't immediately register the shift behind him. Just a subtle change in the air, the faint displacement.
A hand shot toward his shoulders.
Before conscious thought caught up, his body moved.
Solace twisted to the side, feet sliding back in a smooth, practiced motion. He pivoted on his heel, dropping his center of gravity, one hand raised defensively while the other hovered near his waist, ready to summon chains if needed.
"—!"
The hand grasped nothing but air.
"Ah—!"
A familiar voice cut through his tension.
"You almost scared me, Solace."
He froze mid-stance.
Then relaxed.
"Oh," he said, straightening. "It's you."
Vivi stood a few steps away, slightly hunched forward, hands on her knees. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, breath coming in short, uneven pulls. Her usually neat hair was disheveled, strands sticking to her forehead with sweat. Dust clung to the hem of her uniform.
For a second, Solace just looked at her.
Then his brow furrowed.
"… Are you okay?" he asked.
Only then did he really see it.
Red marks bloomed across her arms and neck, some already darkening into bruises. One sleeve had been torn at the shoulder, exposing more mottled skin beneath. There were faint scratches along her forearm, not deep, but numerous.
She noticed his gaze and instinctively tried to cover herself, fingers curling inward.
"Hah… hah…" Vivi laughed weakly between breaths. "I just… I just escaped from a big group."
She inhaled deeply, forcing her breathing to slow. "… I ran as soon as I could. When I saw you, I was really relieved."
Her shoulders sagged, tension bleeding out of her posture now that she wasn't alone.
Solace stepped closer, his expression tightening. "You shouldn't be taking that kind of damage."
"I know," she said softly. "I tried to avoid them. But there were too many."
She glanced down at her arms, then brought her hands together hesitantly.
"[Heal]."
A soft green light bloomed between her palms, gentle and warm, like sunlight filtered through leaves. It spread outward in thin threads, sinking into her skin. The bruises faded gradually, red and purple retreating until only faint shadows remained. The scratches sealed, leaving smooth skin behind.
The light dissipated, and Vivi swayed slightly.
Solace reached out on instinct, steadying her by the elbow. "Easy."
She flushed faintly. "S-sorry."
He withdrew his hand quickly, clearing his throat. "Did you… get any points?"
There was a pause.
Vivi smiled.
"… No," she admitted.
She rubbed the back of her neck, eyes flicking away. "But it's not a big deal. I mean—at least I'm still here, right?".
He remembered.
In the novel, Vivi had always struggled here. Not because she was weak, but because of the nature of her Threads. Heal. Decay. Gate. Power meant to support, to preserve, to end things decisively—but only at close range.
Decay required touch.
And Vivi hated using it.
Even when used minimally, it left… nothing good behind.
She avoided it whenever possible.
Which meant she avoided combat whenever possible.
Solace exhaled slowly.
"… That's not going to work this time," he said gently.
Vivi looked up, startled. "Huh?"
"If you don't get points," he continued, "you'll be eliminated." This round isn't forgiving."
Her shoulders stiffened. "I know that. I just…"
She trailed off, fingers curling into her sleeve.
Solace watched her for a moment, then spoke carefully. "How about we team up?"
Her head snapped up. "W-what?"
"We don't need to fight head-on," he said quickly, anticipating her hesitation. "We just need enough points to pass. Six, seven thousand. That's it."
"That's still a lot," she said quietly.
"It's manageable," Solace replied. "If we're smart."
Vivi hesitated. "But… wouldn't that be taking advantage of you? You're already fighting on your own. I'd just slow you down."
Solace frowned. "That's not true."
She looked unconvinced.
He scratched his cheek, choosing his words. "Look, you're not a burden. And this isn't charity. I could use support. And you could use cover. That's… just being friends."
The word lingered.
Vivi's ears turned red.
She nodded once, then again, a little firmer. "Okay. If you're sure."
"I am."
A faint smile spread across her face. Not bright. Not confident. But genuine.
"Thank you," she said.
Solace glanced around, scanning the battlefield. "Did you see the others?"
She shook her head. "No. I didn't see anyone familiar. But…" She hesitated, then pointed vaguely to the east side of the arena. "I saw a lot of red… and blue… that way."
Solace followed her gesture.
Red and blue.
"… Yeah," he muttered. "We should stay far away from that."
Vivi nodded quickly. "Agreed."
Solace's gaze shifted again, catching movement not far off. A cluster of students was engaged in a fierce fight—three against two. Barriers flared. Earth spikes erupted. A shockwave rippled outward.
He tilted his head.
"… There," he said.
Vivi followed his gaze. "They look strong…"
"Strong enough to collect points," Solace replied. "And distracted enough not to notice us right away."
Her eyes widened slightly. "… You want to crash in the middle?"
"Briefly," he said. "Very briefly."
Vivi swallowed. "That sounds dangerous."
"It is," Solace agreed calmly. "But it's efficient."
She took a deep breath, then nodded. "… Okay. I trust you."
"Alright," he said. "Stay close. If things go wrong, focus on defense. I'll handle the rest."
Before they started, he asked her, "Can you open portals like Instructor Veyra?"
Hearing that, she nodded, "Ah yes, but within 5 meters, Instructor had a longer range."
He then whispered his strategy to her.
She nodded again, her hands clenching and unclenching nervously.
They moved.
The ground trembled as they approached the ongoing fight. Two students were on the defensive, barriers flickering under sustained assault. One had already accumulated visible points, the glow around his bracelet brighter than most.
Solace slowed his pace, eyes sharp.
"On my signal," he murmured.
Vivi swallowed. "… Okay."
A burst of flame erupted ahead, forcing one of the attackers to overextend.
"Now."
Solace moved. [Restriction]. His movements sped up. He restricted all of his threads except chains.
[Chains] snapped into existence from behind his shoulders, silver links whipping forward with precise timing. One wrapped around the ankle of a student mid-lunge, yanking him off balance. Another chain lashed out, striking a bracelet directly.
It shattered.
The student vanished quickly in a flash of light.
Points surged into Solace's bracelet.
"Solace—!" someone shouted.
Too late. A sonic blast radiated towards Solace, threatening to blast him away.
Vivi raised her hands instinctively. "[Heal]."
A green light washed over Solace as a stray shockwave clipped his side, dulling the impact.
Then a student lunged forward; chunks of earthen bullets manifested around him.
[stone bullet]
They shot forward towards Solace at impossible speed. Solace, however fast he may be with his restriction, couldn't dodge the attack. But this is where Vivi played a part.
Small portals formed in front of Solace just as the bullets were about to hit him.
The earthen bullets entered the portals of Vivi and then exited in front of another student, attacking them. Some of the bullets hit the bracelet, giving points to Vivi.
Another shatter.
Another surge of points.
The remaining students recoiled, realizing too late they'd been ambushed.
"Retreat!" one yelled.
Solace didn't chase.
He grabbed Vivi's wrist. "Move."
They sprinted away as retaliatory attacks exploded behind them, stone spraying into the air.
They didn't stop until they were safely near the edge of the arena.
Both of them leaned against a wall, breathing hard.
Vivi laughed weakly. "… That worked."
Solace checked his bracelet.
Points: 8000.
He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"… Yeah," he said. "It did."
Vivi glanced at her own bracelet.
Points: 5000
Her eyes widened. "… I got it"
Solace smiled. "You did."
He then looked at his bracelate
__________________________________
Points Earned: 8000 Time: 8:22
Remaining Participants: 60
Ranking
1) Love - 19,000
2) Michael - 11,000
3) Phoebe - 9,000
4) Leon - 9,000
5) Lex - 8,000
5) Nolan - 8,000
6).....7).....8)....9) Lily - 7,000
10) Alexia - 7000
Your Rank: 15
___________________________________
Love was still dominating the entire arena. Not caring about anything. But besides that, everyone was relatively average and slow.
Solace was happy with his rank; he was 15. As long as he and Vivi were above Rank 45, they were good.
He then turned towards Vivi and smirked.
"Say Vivi lets go farm some more points"
She was taken aback by his sudden grin but didn't argue