"I can't believe this magic actually helps me change the fate of someone who is under my spell," Ryuujin chuckled, a dark satisfaction curling his lips. His voice, once a playful tease, was now a low, menacing whisper.
"Stop fooling around and fight me seriously!" Athena roared, her voice shattered the tense silence.
Ryuujin's smile faltered, his jaw dropping in genuine surprise. He saw the desperation in her eyes, the strain on her face as she fought against his magic. She was overwhelmed, but not broken, and that put her on guard.
"As you wish," he conceded, his hand sweeping forward. He chanted, "Laplace Art: Twisted Bloody Fate!"
The air around Athena shimmered, a barrier of pure malice that grew thicker and darker until it was an black impenetrable wall.
"Huh! What a petty trick!" Athena scoffed, but her voice lacked its usual conviction.
She moved with a light speed, a blur tossing Ryuujin aside. She attacked with desperation, a consecutive blows aimed at both Ryuujin and Arthur. Her movements were precise, relentless, and ruthless. She did everything she could to immobilize the two Holy Knights while Reah, her teammate, used her own mind control to subdue Akihiro.
"You really don't learn, do you?" Ryuujin's voice, a shivering tone of dullness, reached her ears. Athena coughed, a spray of blood splattering across the floor, her eyes widening in disbelief. He had injured her without even touching her.
"H-how?" she stammered, her strength draining from her with every passing second.
"Your desire to end me led to your defeat," he sneered, holding her team's Crown high up in his hand. "How poor of you."
Her eyes widened, her gaze falling on Reah's unconscious body. "Reah—?" she whispered, her strength fading completely as the reality of their defeat settled in.
Team Holy Knights won Set A!
"Looks like you won, congrats!" said Ate Clydelle, her voice a stark contrast to the dramatic battle that had just unfolded.
"What happened? Why—How—? Whaaaat?" My mind was a whirlwind of confusion. It all happened so fast, and the outcome seemed to defy everything I'd seen.
"As I have said before, the Holy Knights' magic is used to manipulate the fate of the other person," Clydelle explained.
"And what about it?"
"His magic isn't just an illusion; it's a terrifying twist of reality itself. While the audience and even the Valkyries believed Athena's team is winning, the truth was the exact opposite. Their teammate truly destined to win, but Ryuujin's magic twisted their very fate, reversing the outcome and handing his team the victory."
"Wow, isn't that an incredibly overpowered ability?" I asked, my voice filled with awe and disbelief.
"Yes, it is," Clydelle replied, her expression grim. "To wield such power, one must have to pay a tremendous price. Ryuujin must have accepted the consequences before using it."
"And even so, it seems like he's been itching to use it from the beginning," I mused, a chill running down my spine as I recalled his confident demeanor.
"Yeah," Clydelle agreed, her eyes fixed on the screen where the victors celebrated.
"Elios' sacrifice has just gone to waste," I said, a wave of disappointment washing over me. Their desperate efforts and sacrifices were all meaningless in an instant. It was a heartbreaking thought.
"Yeah," Clydelle nodded slowly. "Confronting a man with the power to change someone's fate is a challenge that's nearly impossible to be victorious."
Right after the battle of Set A, the Pacifiers and Sirens were immediately summoned. Their fight was a spectacle of incredible skill and power, but it was a stalemate. The match ended with neither team able to take the Crown from the other within the time limit.
The next set would consist of Team Sol and Team Luna, the royal family's representatives in the Eclipse Kingdom.
"Sari!" Athena exclaimed, bursting into the specter room, a bright smile on her face. "You cheered for me, right?"
"Y-yeah, sure, I did that," I mumbled, quickly averting my gaze.
"Did you cheer for the other team?" she asked, her smile faltering.
"Hmm? No!" I replied a little too quickly.
"But you bet on their team," Ate Clydelle interjected with a mischievous grin.
"Hey! Why would you—"
Athena's face fell, a wounded look in her eyes. "You put your bet on the other team?" she asked, her voice a small pout.
"I'm sorry I lied," I said, my words tumbling over each other. "I couldn't bring myself to tell you that I had bet on the opposing team to win, and it's not like I'm underestimating your team! I bet on the Holy Knights because, considering what I've heard from people around us, they seem like the kind of enemy who could, uhh... win over you guys?"
"I'm disappointed, Sari..." she said, her voice filled with hurt. "I thought you'd always be on my side."
"Athena!" I stood up and grabbed her shoulders. "I know how tough you are! Actually, you did great back there!"
"Hmpf!" she huffed, turning away from me.
"This is all because of you, ate Clydelle!" I yelled, glaring at my cousin. "If only that hadn't been the consequence, I would've supported Athena's team no matter what!"
"But if you really trust them, you'd have bet on them no matter what," Clydelle smirked, her words a subtle jab. I saw Athena's face, a mix of disappointment and sadness, and something inside me snapped. I turned to face my cousin, who was now trying to flee stealthily.
"Arghdt!" I exclaimed, about to run after her, but Athena grabbed me tightly in her arms and made me sit on her lap.
"Calm down, Sari." Athena chuckled softly, gently caressing my hair.
"I'm really sorry, though... I'm not good at planning for war, and I'm afraid our team might lose."
"Plan?" she asked, and I noticed her subtly signaling for my cousin to hide.
"Yeah," I nodded. "Our bet is that whoever wins will plan our strategy later."
"You must have been worried then," she said, and I nodded again. "You're definitely doomed if you chose us."
"Yeah... But still, I should've put my trust in you."
"Still, your choice made you win. You're lucky in your choice, but we're going to win if it weren't for that cheat cunt!" she exclaimed, a flash of anger in her eyes. "Oof, sorry." She must have noticed my body tense up.
"How are your teammates, by the way? And... how are things with the Holy Knights?" I asked, my voice filled with casual curiosity.
Athena's face lit up, a proud and joyful smile spreading across her lips. "My friends are resting to regain their stamina, and the Holy Knights actually visited us right after our game to congratulate us on our skills and teamwork."
"Oh, that's nice! And you? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be resting, too?"
"No, I'm fine. Besides," she said, her eyes twinkling with anticipation, "I wouldn't miss the next fight for anything."
"I did notice a huge crowd waiting for their fight," I said, a sense of intrigue growing. "Is there some kind of conflict between the two teams?"
"No, no conflict at all," Athena replied, a hint of admiration in her tone. "It's just that they both have an incredible, almost equal, level of skill. This tournament is the only way to find out which of them is truly better."
"Wow, that's intense," I murmured, my eyes fixed on the bustling arena.
"Aside from that, I also wanted to watch your battle. Your team's up next, right?"
My eyes widened in surprise. "Ah— right!"
A playful smirk danced on her lips. "Then what are you still doing here?"
"Huh? What do you mean? Where am I supposed to be?"
"You should be in the waiting room right now, getting ready."
"Really?!" I exclaimed, a wave of panic washing over me.
"Uh-huh," she said, her smile broadening as she pointed behind me. "And it looks like your teammates already left."
My head snapped around, and sure enough, Ate Clydelle and the two boys were nowhere to be seen. "Oh no! Thanks! I have to go! Bye!" I scrambled to my feet, my legs wobbly from the sudden movement, and nearly stumbled.
In a flash, Athena's hand shot out and steadied me. "Yeah, be safe! And good luck!" she said, a warm, soft chuckle escaping her lips.
[Team Sol vs. Team Luna]
We were the only ones inside the waiting room, and there was a huge screen where we could watch their fight.
"What took you so long? I almost ordered Frank to fetch you," Ate Clydelle asked, her voice laced with amusement.
"Hmpf! You sneaked out when Athena got my attention," I grumbled, rolling my eyes at her. The battle had already begun, but for what seemed like an eternity, neither team made a move. "What are they doing? They're just wasting their time," I said, my impatience growing.
"No, they aren't," Ate Clydelle replied, her eyes fixed on the screen. "They've already made a move."
"Huh?" I squinted at the screen, and that's when I noticed Stephen, a member of Team Sol, hiding near the enemy's base, a silent spy. Marco was somewhere, waiting, but his exact location was a mystery.
"Wait— Why are there two Marcos on the screen?" I asked my cousin, a puzzled frown on my face.
"I'm not sure... Maybe they have a shapeshifting teammate or someone who can create clones?" she mused.
[Third person's point of view]
20 minutes before the present time...
"So, what's the plan?" Stephen asked, his voice a low whisper.
A cold, calculated calm emanated from Marco as he issued his command. "Stephen, teleport us to the east and west sides of their base. We need to scout the perimeter before we make our move." His gaze was steady, his voice low and firm. "Our primary objective is the Crown—nothing else."
A mischievous glint appeared in Stephen's eyes. "Alright," he replied, a hint of excitement lacing his tone. "I'll just use my other ability."
Marco's demeanor shifted instantly, a sharp edge cutting through his composure. "No, you can't," he snapped. "If you do, our older brother will punish us both. You know what he's like."
"But he's not here," Stephen argued, his voice full of youthful defiance. "How would he even know?"
"He'll know," Marco stated flatly, his conviction unshakeable. "You know he always does."
A silent stalemate hung between them for a moment. "But—" Stephen began, but Marco cut him off, his voice dropping to a low growl.
"No ifs or buts!" Marco's stare was a silent command. Stephen finally broke eye contact, a slight slump in his shoulders. He gave a single, reluctant nod. A secret conversation must've passed between them with the help of the telephatic spell.
The moment passed, and Marco's focus shifted. He turned his attention to their third teammate, his voice returning to its calm, authoritative tone. "Next, Cloud. Use your magic to create a clone of me to fool them into thinking that only Stephen initiated a raid on the enemy's base, and when your ability is nearly past to its limits, go all out and create as many clones as you can to ambush our enemy."
"Alright," Cloud nodded, his expression serious.
"At that point, Shade will create a bubble lock for the entire base, and you should do everything you can to keep him from entering our base until we have stolen our opponent's Crown."
"Wait, isn't that too risky? What if our enemies were also spying on us and then ambushed us when we entered their base?" Stephen wondered, a flicker of concern in his eyes.
"Well, Cloud," Marco sighed, "could you summon us a bird so it can notify me if it matches my calculations?"
"Sure," Cloud nodded again.
The plan was set.