At the end, after discussing every detail of the plan, the timer finally expired.
All five teams were gathered at the center of the colosseum. We were instructed to use the points we had earned based on our rankings across all missions. Everyone spent theirs silently—just as I did—without letting anyone notice what they chose.
Then, in a single moment, light devoured everything.
When my vision returned, we were standing inside a castle.
This final mission was titled "Throne or Crown."
The rules were simple:
Either occupy the central throne—or seize the crowns of the other kings.
Each team leader had been designated as a King.
The castle followed an old Roman design—not massive, but large enough to serve its purpose. It contained a library, a king's chamber, a queen's chamber, a jail, and finally, the throne room. In front of the castle stretched an open plain, split by a river.
I gathered my team.
"This is the finale," I said. "We've come too far to step back now. We didn't carve our path this far just to hesitate at the end."
My gaze hardened.
"I won't hold back—and neither should you. No matter what happens, remember why you came here. Your people. Your tribes. Those hungry children waiting back home."
I paused, then continued quietly.
"Help me—not just to win a war, but to force fairness upon this competition. We'll crush them before they even realize what's happening. But we won't rush blindly."
I met each of their eyes.
"A king isn't someone who fights endlessly for his people. A king is someone who knows when to fight for them. We'll bend fate to our will—and let the noisy melody of our victory be heard."
As planned, I moved first.
I mounted my brown horse and rode straight toward Team Lysandria's castle.
The moment I approached, arrows rained down from above. I raised a shield without slowing, pushing forward until I stood directly before the castle gates.
Their castle was nearly identical to ours—except for one detail.
Their armor.
They wore knight armor trimmed in red, forged from black metal. Every member was dressed the same—except Seraphine.
She sat calmly upon the throne, wearing a crown set with a blue gem at its center.
A cold voice echoed in my mind.
{Curse Weaver: Use her as bait.}
I clenched my jaw.
Damn it.
I had done everything I could until now to avoid targeting any of the girls from Lysandria's team. But I had no choice left.
If I wanted to change fate, I had to do this.
Sorry, Seraphine… I don't have another option.
They surrounded me.
"You're trapped, Shadow Slave," one of them said.
I replied with a teasing yet cold smile. "You can't use your full potential because you're bound as a team."
I spread my arms slightly.
"I can—because I'm standing at the center of it."
I raised my output to the system's maximum allowed limit.
18%.
I slammed my foot into the ground, dust erupting as I unleashed a flame tornado.
They instantly regrouped behind a single knight who formed a barrier. They countered with coordinated magic. The power was balanced—but even under concealment rules, Shadow Flame burned hotter than ordinary mana.
Still, I couldn't maintain it for long. The drain was severe.
Seraphine wasn't behind the barrier.
I didn't attack her.
Instead, before the firestorm fully faded, I summoned a water storm around myself, flash-boiling it into dense steam and blocking their vision.
They all turned toward my horse—assuming I would retreat.
They were wrong.
I slipped through the steam, appeared behind Seraphine, and placed my sword at her neck.
For a fraction of a second, my hand twitched.
Then I spoke through telepathy.
"Now."
Light swallowed us both.
In the next instant, we vanished.
It wasn't cowardice.
I wasn't in a position to face their entire team head-on—doing so would have been suicide. And if I fell while carrying the crown, my entire team would be eliminated as well.
That was why I had prepared the summoning escape before the battle even began.
When the light faded, I stood elsewhere—safe.
Back at the castle, only two elves remained.