The arena fell silent as Shadow moved forward.
Zara stood across from him, a wide smile spread across her face.
It wasn't her strength that made Shadow uneasy—
it was that smile.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.
Zara's grin grew wider.
Leonida lifted her hand.
"Begin!"
Darkness burst forth around Zara in an instant.
Black water gushed from beneath her feet, rippling across the arena like a living shadow.
Silver leaned in.
"Darkness and water?"
June gave a nod.
"An unpleasant combination."
Zara thrust her hand forward.
The black water exploded into motion.
WHOOSH!
Several torrents surged toward Shadow from all sides. He didn't budge. The crowd held its breath as the rushing attacks closed in—only to pass clean through him.
BOOM! They slammed into the stone behind, leaving Shadow standing exactly where he'd been, completely unharmed. Zara blinked as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"Haha…"
Another torrent came, but Shadow just stepped forward. The attack slipped right through him again. Then a third, a fourth, a fifth—each one hitting nothing. His uneasy laughter echoed around the arena as Zara's eye gave an involuntary twitch.
Another twitch. Shadow wasn't mocking her, which somehow made it worse. Zara's smile faded.
"Sorry."
"Stop doing it!"
The arena burst into laughter, and even Leonida covered her mouth. Shadow looked instantly embarrassed.
"I can't help it."
"You absolutely can!"
Dark water burst outward again as Zara launched an attack from every direction at once. Shadow sighed as the strikes reached him, passed straight through, and smashed harmlessly against the arena walls. The laughter faded—not because it was amusing anymore, but because people were starting to realize none of her efforts were working. At all. Zara's frustration deepened, and the darkness around her grew heavier.
"Fine."
Her hand moved to her waist.
A dagger slipped into her grip.
"If I can't hit you from a distance—"
She disappeared.
The stone floor splintered under her feet.
"—I'll do it myself!"
She charged forward.
Fast. Faster than before. The dagger flew straight toward Shadow's throat. The crowd froze, holding its breath. The blade hit—or should have. Instead, it passed right through him. Zara's eyes went wide. Shadow was gone. A voice came from behind her. "You rely too much on your abilities."
Zara spun around, but it was too late. Shadow stood behind her, one hand raised, the other casually resting in his pocket.
"Too confident."
THUNK.
His hand struck the back of her head.
It wasn't hard.
Nothing flashy.
Just a clean, precise chop.
Zara froze,
the dagger slipping from her fingers. Then—
THUD.
She fell face-first onto the arena floor.
Silence followed.
Every eye in the arena was on her.
Shadow glanced down at her, then let out a sigh.
"…Overconfident."
He scratched the back of his neck.
"And a complete amateur."
Leonida blinked. Lunara did too. Even Aster looked confused.
"That was it?"
Shadow gave a shrug. "She made it easy."
The referee snapped out of it.
Leonida lifted her hand. "Winner!"
She gestured toward the man standing awkwardly nearby.
"SHADOW!"
The crowd roared with excitement, but Shadow looked like he wished he were anywhere else—far from arenas, far from tournaments, somewhere quiet. Unfortunately for him, the throne tournament was far from over. With Shadow's win secured, Leonida turned her attention to the remaining champions.
Her eyes landed on Vael, the dark wolf who had just barely recovered from Aster's punch. One loss already weighed on him.
One more—and he was done. Leonida gestured toward the far side of the arena.
"Next!" Lucia stepped forward, her face hidden behind a veil as four pale fox tails fanned out behind her.
Raven's eyes drifted toward her again, a nagging sense of familiarity tugging at him, though he couldn't place why. Scarlet caught him staring and narrowed her eyes. He quickly looked back to the arena, where Vael now stood opposite Lucia, thunder rippling through his fur.
CRACKLE!
Lucia calmly lifted one hand, four tails swaying behind her. Julie leaned over the railing with a grin. "Mom's got this." Silver shot a glance at Vael. "He's still strong." June shook her head. "Not strong enough." Leonida raised her hand. "Begin!" In an instant, Vael vanished.
BOOM!
Thunder cracked beneath his paws.
Lucia stayed perfectly still.
In a blink, Vael tore across half the arena, lightning streaming in his wake.
Then—
A pale flame flickered to life at the tip of one of Lucia's tails.
Then another.
And another.
Until four small flames drifted gently behind her.
Foxfire.
Vael lunged, but Lucia merely flicked a finger, sending a foxfire orb streaking toward him. He twisted aside, the flame missing by a hair, and surged forward. Another orb blazed after him, but he dodged again. Eyes narrowing, he closed the distance—jaws parting—when the first flame curved back. His ears twitched.
BOOM!
Foxfire slammed into his side, knocking him off course. Vael hit the ground on all fours and sprang forward again without hesitation. Lucia swept her hand to the side, sending all four flames into motion. Vael weaved between them—left, right, duck, then accelerate—thunder bursting from him as he circled around her. Lucia stood perfectly still while Silver observed intently.
"She's not following him."
Julie smirked.
"She doesn't have to."
Silver leaned in for a better look.
Lucia's eyes weren't on Vael.
Her tails were.
Each swayed on its own, quietly scanning a different angle around her.
Vael darted behind her.
One tail whipped toward him.
Foxfire flared.
He veered away.
Another tail was already there, waiting.
WHOOSH!
He leapt over the flames, only for a third to appear above him. Vael's eyes widened just before—
BOOM!
—the blast hurled him down. He hit the ground hard but sprang back up in an instant, a low growl rumbling from his throat. "You're fast," Lucia said at last. Vael crouched, thunder thickening around him as her four tails fanned out wider. "But you're leaning on that speed too much."
Vael vanished again, this time charging straight ahead without circling, putting everything into one attack. The arena floor cracked in his wake. Silver's expression sharpened; even after what Aster had done, Vael's speed was still impressive. Lucia raised her palm, foxfire gathering as Vael closed in—twenty metres, ten, five. She released the flame, but Vael swerved abruptly, anticipating it. The foxfire missed, and in the next instant, he was at her side.
Vael's jaws snapped open as Raven leaned in, but his bite closed on empty air. His eyes went wide as Lucia's form melted into pale flames—just an afterimage. Spinning around, he found her standing several metres away, four tails unfurling behind her like a blossoming flower. For the first time, her full aura flared, and the atmosphere shifted under the weight of her powerful presence.
Late Master Aura Stage.
Vael froze in place, and even Raven's usually deadpan expression wavered. Shadow shot him a quick glance while Raven fixed her eyes on the veiled woman. Scarlet, on the other hand, looked completely pleased with herself. Lucia lifted her hand, and foxfire flared along all four of her tails. A low growl rumbled from Vael as thunder roared around him again—then he charged.
Lucia curled her fingers, sending four flames bursting outward. Vael slipped past the first, then the second, speeding up to evade the third. The fourth shot off target. Spotting his chance, he saw Lucia right in front of him and charged. Silver's eyes narrowed.
"No…"
June finished his thought quietly.
"There's no opening."
The four foxfires suddenly veered off.
Vael's eyes went wide.
They were coming from behind—four separate paths, four different angles.
He tried to turn, but it was too late.
Lucia lowered her hand, and the flames closed in.
Pale fire burst around Vael as the thunder enveloping him shattered. He was hurled across the arena, crashing against the stone and tumbling before coming to a stop. Struggling to rise, one paw moved, then another, faint flickers of thunder dancing weakly over his fur. Lucia watched in silence as Vael pushed himself halfway up with a growl. A final spark traced his body before fading, and his legs collapsed beneath him.
THUD.
Leonida waited, but Vael didn't stir. The silence stretched until she finally raised her arm. "Enough!" she commanded. Lucia dropped her hand, and the foxfire disappeared in an instant. Leonida pointed at her.
"Winner—Scarlet's Champion!"
The crowd roared. Lunara's ears sank as she gazed at her defeated champion. "Two losses…" Vael had fallen first to Aster, and now to Lucia. Leonida raised two fingers, then crossed them. "Vael has used both chances," her voice rang out across the arena.
"He's eliminated!"
Members of Lunara's family stepped in to take him away.
Lucia turned aside, her four tails swaying back into place as she strolled calmly toward Scarlet, Silver, and the twins.
Lucia sighed softly beneath her veil, while Raven's eyes stayed locked on her—her movements, her aura, those four tails, and that voice. Something about it all unsettled him. Not because it seemed dangerous, but because it felt—familiar.
Scarlet slowly turned her head, her golden eyes locking onto Raven's. He froze, every muscle tense, as she fixed him with the same murderous glare as before. Without a word, Raven leaned quietly toward Shadow.
"She's doing it again."
Shadow kept his eyes on the arena.
"Maybe stop staring at her champion."
"I wasn't staring."
"You've been watching her for most of the match."
Raven's face stayed impassive.
Shadow nearly smiled.