Everyone was gawking at Rajin in stunned disbelief.
In less than a heartbeat—faster than their eyes could track—he had already flung one of their teammates across the battlefield. The victim crashed into the distant arena wall with a gut-wrenching thud, followed by a faint echo as they slumped to the ground, unconscious.
The crowd went silent. Murmurs died in throats. Even the wind seemed to halt.
In an instant, what had been a tense team battle had spiraled into chaos. The First Division, once united and balanced, was now down to six. But even those six looked like they were barely standing. Their knees trembled, not from exhaustion—but from fear.
Even Shinju, who rarely showed emotion, sat still with eyes wide, disbelief painted on his face.
(I-Is this… the power you gain after manifesting?)
(It's... monstrous... utterly monstrous.)
Carol's eyes trembled as she stared at Rajin. He was no longer the boy she once knew—the quiet storm now stood revealed in full. He wasn't just stronger. He was something else entirely.
He stood there casually, exuding a deadly presence. A faint smirk played on his lips, as if all of this was little more than a game. His aura—wild, volatile, and suffocating—continued to swell like a rising tide, crashing over the battlefield in invisible waves.
Even the usually composed members of the Fourth Division, his own teammates, couldn't help but flinch. They felt it too—that primal sense of dread. It wasn't just his strength. It was the sheer wrongness of it. Rajin, in his manifested form, no longer felt human.
Some members of the First Division began to step back involuntarily, their instincts screaming at them to flee.
They had faced danger before. But this—this was different. The sheer pressure Rajin released made it feel like they were suffocating under an invisible weight, each breath a struggle. Their legs wouldn't move. Their minds refused to believe what they were seeing.
Then Rajin finally spoke, his voice smooth and dangerously calm.
"Now, now, Your Highness... don't look at me like that." He tilted his head mockingly. "I've only got ten minutes to play around in this form... so I thought I'd clean up the trash before you and I start playing properly."
His grin widened with devilish glee, eyes glinting like those of a predator toying with its prey. He looked straight at Carol, but his words stung the entire First Division.
Miyuki's fists clenched. His blood boiled as anger erupted within him. Veins pulsed across his arms and forehead, his aura beginning to flare violently.
"RAJIN, YOU—!!"
"MIYUKI, STOP!!"
Carol's voice rang out sharp and sudden. Everyone froze. Her head was lowered, her long hair falling forward like a curtain hiding her expression.
Miyuki looked back in shock.
"Her Highness, but—!"
"Stop!" she repeated, firmer this time. "There's no point in fighting him right now. None of us—not even all of us together—can defeat him in this form. I've seen it before… this is the true power of manifestation."
Her voice cracked ever so slightly. She still didn't raise her head.
"I don't want any of you getting hurt. Not for me. Not because of me."
A heavy silence followed.
"I never joined the team training over the last three months. I never tried to talk to you. I thought I didn't need to. I looked down on all of you…"
Her voice faltered.
"But... when I was in danger—when I needed someone—you were there. All of you. You stood beside me... like a real team."
She finally dropped to her knees.
"I can't bear to see anyone else get hurt because of me," she whispered. "Please. Step away from the battlefield. This is my fight. It always was."
The crowd gasped.
Even the referee paused, unsure whether to intervene.
A member of the Royal Family… kneeling? Begging? The nobility in the stands stared with wide eyes. Many had never seen such humility. To them, Carol's kneeling figure was more shocking than any display of power.
Even Rajin blinked, his smirk faltering for just a second.
Miyuki froze. His heart cracked as he watched Carol kneeling, her pride tossed aside.
"H-Her Highness! W-What are you doing? Please—please stand up!" he shouted, almost tripping over his words as he rushed toward her. "We can't let someone like you kneel in front of us! Not for this!"
Then, softer, but filled with conviction: "Even if you gave your life… we would never abandon you. Not now. Not ever."
He stepped closer, kneeling beside her.
"We came here as a team… and we'll return as a team. The only thing that'll separate us is death!"
Carol's eyes widened. She slowly looked up at him. Miyuki's eyes were full of fierce, unshakable loyalty.
"But—"
"Her Highness!" another voice called.
One by one, every member of the First Division stepped forward, surrounding her.
"Let's return together," one said.
"We stand with you," said another.
They all extended their hands to her, palms open.
A shaky smile broke across Carol's face. She reached out, took their hands, and stood back up—no longer alone, but supported by her team.
Together, they turned to face Rajin.
Their eyes now burned—not with fear, but determination.
"Rajin," Miyuki shouted, voice strong.
"Today, we'll defeat you—and move on to the final round!"
"Today, you'll witness what true power looks like… the power of a team!!"
A crackling wave of energy surged around them as their auras intertwined, growing stronger together.
But then—
Pff…!
"Aha-ha-ha!!"
Rajin suddenly doubled over, laughing hysterically.
Everyone froze in confusion.
"Aha-ha-ha! Oh my… I almost fell for it! You really are devious, Her Highness,"
He said, clutching his stomach.
"Even managed to fool me!"
Laughter continued to echo through the arena.
The crowd exchanged bewildered looks. Even Shinju narrowed his eyes.
"What the hell is he talking about?" Miyuki growled.
Rajin straightened, amusement glinting in his eyes.
"Why don't you ask Her Highness?" he said, grinning. "She knows exactly what I'm talking about."
He began pacing slowly.
"She knows that my manifested form only lasts ten minutes. After that—I can't even stand. I become completely useless."
Gasps rippled across the spectators.
"So, what does she do? She pretends to have a change of heart. She fakes a noble speech. She acts like she cares about teamwork, begging you all to step aside—when in reality, she was just stalling for time."
He raised a finger.
"The truth is... she used all of you. She wanted to distract me—make me forget the clock—so she could land a final strike once my time runs out."
His smirk deepened.
"What else can you expect from a manipulative royal? Using her own comrades like pawns."
The arena fell dead silent.
Every eye turned to Carol.
Miyuki slowly turned too, his expression shattered. His mouth opened, but no words came.
"H-Her Highness… that's… that's not true, right?"
Carol didn't answer. She stared down at the ground, fists clenched.
"She doesn't even deny it," Rajin chuckled. "Look at that guilty face."
The First Division began to falter. The resolve in their eyes cracked. Doubt seeped into their hearts. One by one, their knees touched the ground.
RUMBLE!!!
The entire arena began to tremble. Dust lifted. Air vibrated.
Carol raised her head. Tears streamed down her face—but her eyes now blazed with fury and conviction.
"RAJIN!!"
Her voice thundered louder than ever before.
"Yes. You're right. I did use them at first," she admitted. "I looked down on them. I saw them as tools, nothing more. But everything I said after that was real. Their strength, their loyalty… it changed me."
Her eyes locked onto Rajin.
"When they stood beside me—even after everything—I felt something I've never felt before. I was finally accepted… not as a princess, but as one of them."
"You made a mistake,"
She said, stepping forward as golden light began to radiate from her body.
"Your biggest mistake… was mocking what I felt in that moment."
"I will never forgive you."
The ground cracked beneath her feet. Blinding golden light exploded from her form, washing over the entire arena.
Spectators shielded their eyes.
Above her, a brilliant weapon slowly descended.
A spear—ornate, ancient, divine—shimmering with pure light.
Carol reached up and grasped it. Her body glowed as her hair lifted in the energy wind, eyes turning luminous gold.
Shinju stood up so fast his chair toppled behind him.
"I-It's the TRIAINA!!" he cried out.
The arena shook again.
The final act of the battle was about to begin....