[ Freya's POV ]
Shit.
They were going to lose.
I looked at Thalia. She was hissing through clenched teeth. Fists balled so tight her knuckles had gone white. Her mind was racing. I could see it in her eyes, searching desperately for some way to turn this around.
But from her expression, even she knew it was impossible.
Both summons down. Three enemies still standing. The odds had collapsed entirely.
Then there was the bastard.
He just stood there. Holding that ridiculous battle axe. Staring from one person to another like he was watching a play rather than fighting for his future.
But as I observed him from the side, I caught something.
A devilish grin.
And I knew.
This madman was plotting something. Or perhaps he had been plotting from the very start. That's why he—
I stopped.
His hand was raised. The signal.
I understood immediately. He would either die here or pull this off. There was no in between with someone like him.
I looked toward Celestine.
She stood near the betting box. Gold bags clutched in her trembling hands. Her face was petrified. Sad. As if she might burst into tears at any moment.
She hadn't even noticed the signal. Too consumed by the apparent defeat unfolding before her.
I sighed.
Moved forward.
Snatched the bags from her hands before she could react.
Then walked toward the betting box.
The bookie stood immediately. Bowed low. "Princess Freya, how may I help you?"
I threw the bags onto his counter.
THUD.
"Put everything on the team that's losing."
He blinked. Processing.
"They are currently at 11.5 odds. Are you certain, Princess? You—"
"I suppose your duty is not questioning."
He flinched. Understood his place.
"My apologies, Princess. I am registering the bet right away." His voice was nervous. Hands trembling slightly as he worked.
I turned back to look at Eren. '11.5 odds, huh?'
'You greedy psycho. Don't you dare mess this up.'
But then movement caught my eye.
Thalia.
She had started making her move.
Her summon—Leena was dashing across the arena. Moving toward the extreme corner despite clutching her wounded stomach. Green energy leaked from between her fingers as she struggled forward.
'What are you thinking, Thalia?'
After Leena reached the far corner, still struggling, still clutching her gut in agony.
Thalia screamed. "NOW, LEENA!"
At that moment, the wounded elf archer vanished.
Her body dissolved into particles of light. Condensing. Forming a sphere of blinding radiance.
Then it shot forward.
FWOOOOOOSH!
Tremendous speed. A beam of pure sacrificial energy tearing through the air.
My eyes followed its trajectory.
It was aimed perfectly. Aligned so that both opponent girls stood in its direct path.
'Now I understand.'
She had positioned Leena specifically for this. Calculated the angle so that one attack could eliminate both summoners simultaneously.
Their summons were too far away to intercept. Too slow to counter from their current positions.
Brilliant move.
The attack was moving impossibly fast. A matter of seconds before impact.
She would detonate the beam just before contact. Cause enough explosion damage to knock them both out without killing them. A small area-of-effect burst.
Victory would be hers.
But then—
A strong wind began swirling. Forming a circle directly in the beam's path. Like a portal made of compressed air.
One of the girls smiled.
I snapped my gaze to the shaman.
He stood with his totem staff raised high. Blue energy pouring from his tattoos into the swirling vortex.
FWOOOOM!
The portal swallowed the beam completely.
Leena's sacrifice—her entire existence condensed into that final attack simply vanished into the void.
Gone.
Thalia watched in absolute horror.
The short girl didn't waste a moment. "Gladiator! Now!"
The massive scarred warrior moved. Crossed the distance in seconds.
His notched broadsword rose.
Pressed against Thalia's throat.
"Surrender." His voice was terrifying. The voice of a man who had killed countless times in the pits.
Thalia's voice broke.
"I yie—"
But before she could finish—
A voice cut through the arena. Followed immediately by a scream.
I whipped my head toward the commotion.
And found Eren.
He had buried his battle axe directly into the Dancer's skull.
CRUNCH!
While everyone's eyes had been fixed on the main confrontation; on Thalia's desperate gambit and its failure, he had taken advantage.
A sneak attack.
His axe was now lodged deep in the dancer's head. Stuck in the bone.
He kicked at her body. Struggling to wrench the weapon free.
SQUELCH!
Finally, he managed to pull it out.
The dancer crumbled. Dissolved into dust.
'Don't tell me this lunatic is going to fight them all on his own.'
[ Eren's POV ]
I stood in the center of the arena.
The Gladiator to my left. The Shaman to my right. And Both enemy girls behind shaman.
I looked at Thalia first.
"Come on. I thought you would do better. I thought your will—"
They didn't let me finish.
The taller girl pointed at me. "Shaman! Use a controlled attack! Give him as much pain as possible without killing him!"
I grabbed my balls dramatically.
"Ouch!"
I winced in mock agony. "Call the healer! Honey, your words just did a direct hit to my fragile heart!"
Then I paused.
Looked down. "Wait. Wrong organ."
I moved my hand to my chest instead.
But as I did, I noticed the shaman was already in motion.
His totem staff glowed with fierce blue energy. The air around him churning. A terrifying storm beginning to form above his head.
I clicked my tongue. "Too slow, pal."
I turned back to Thalia.
"Now where was I? Ah, yes. Will."
I smiled at her.
"If you have the fire, you have the will. And then storms like these?"
I gestured casually at the growing tempest. "They're no longer disasters."
My voice hardened. "They're just the applause of a sky that's terrified of you."
My mood shifted entirely.
I shouted. "ZENOS!"
The air around me changed instantly.
A presence descended. Ancient. Powerful. The arrival of my loyal pet.
Azure particles swirled. Coalesced. Took form.
The Heretic Archmage materialized beside me. Robes billowing despite there being no wind. Eyes glowing with barely contained arcane power.
I turned my gaze back to the shaman.
"Why don't we show them their places?"
I tilted my head toward the enemy's growing storm.
"Oh, Zenos. See that attack? Feels familiar, doesn't it?"
My tone was pure mockery.
He understood immediately what I meant.
"Should I kill him with that, master?"
"Yeah."
I grinned. "I can't wait to see how many women get wet after my performance."
The taller girl's face twisted with anger.
"Shaman! Release it now! Kill both of them!"
The shaman obeyed. His storm surged forward. A howling vortex of destruction aimed directly at us.
I just smiled. "Now, Zenos."
He didn't need a staff.
He simply raised one hand forward.
Casually. Almost lazily.
The air itself seemed to bow before him. As if the very atmosphere recognized its master and bent to his will.
Then slowly and deliberately a storm of his own began forming.
Growing larger.
And larger.
And larger still.
Until it loomed three times the size of the shaman's pathetic attempt.
A monster dwarfing an insect.