That night, Liebe said, "Mommy, did I do good?"
Lilith replied, "Very good."
Liebe grinned. "Spoil me, Mommy."
Lilith gently patted him and said, "There, there."
Liebe asked, "Mommy, after I win tomorrow, when are we going to Celes Beach?"
Lilith smiled. "Sure, this weekend. My workload is already low, so let's do it."
Liebe cheered, "Yeahhhhh! Just one more fighhh—then beachhh!"
Tenebris added, "But shouldn't you be practicing the Abyssal moves?"
Liebe replied, "I'm… uh… focusing on storing magic for tomorrow's final. Today's matches drained me—about one-fifth of my reserve."
Lilith said, "Isn't that the most you've spent so far?"
Liebe nodded. "Yeah, Mommy."
Lilith asked, "So, how does it feel to finally use magic?"
Liebe answered, "It feels good. I feel like… bang, bling, and boom!"
Lilith chuckled. "That must have been quite the experience."
Liebe suddenly shouted, "Mommy, look! A snake!"
Lilith looked around. "Where?"
Liebe pointed, "Above you!"
A small black snake dropped down onto Lilith. She screamed, "Get it off! Get it off!"
Liebe calmly said, "Vanish." The snake disappeared instantly.
Lilith, still catching her breath, exclaimed, "Liebe, you scared me to death!"
Liebe giggled. "Did you like my little snake, Mommy?"
Lilith sighed. "Yes… but don't ever do that again!"
Tenebris laughed. "You have to admit, it was a bit funny."
Lilith glared. "No, it wasn't!"
She playfully added, "And since we have such a naughty boy, here comes the tickle monster!"
Liebe gasped, "Oh no! Not the tickle monster!" and ran.
Lilith caught him quickly and tickled him, while Tenebris used the moment to snap a picture of Lilith and Liebe playing together.
Lilith looked at the photo and said, "It turned out pretty bad."
Tenebris replied, "Who cares how it turned out? That was a moment far too precious to let go of."
Lilith smiled. "Are you going to put it there?"
Tenebris nodded. "Yeah. That's exactly where this picture belongs."
The following morning, only one hour remained before the final match. Lilith, Jewel, and Tenebris met up with Liebe and Licht beforehand.
Liebe said, "You ready?"
Licht nodded. "For sure."
Liebe grinned. "Afterwards, wanna play TABS?"
Licht said, "Sure."
Jewel added, "Whoever wins today, we'll be equally happy for you."
Liebe pouted. "That isn't fair. Shouldn't the winner get a bit more happiness?"
Lilith chuckled. "Yes and no."
It was now time for the final battle.
Sujibur spoke: "Hello, everyone! I'm B.S. Sujibur Rahman, member of Black Rose, and today I'll once again be your commentator—just like yesterday. And once again, our chief guest today is the captain of Black Rose, Domr Faust himself!"
Domr stepped forward. "Hello, everyone. I'm Domr. Today, we are assembled here to bear witness to the legends being created by those who will soon surpass us. This final round will decide who is the strongest, and mark the beginning of one's legendary journey. Let this battle commence!"
Sujibur continued, "Thank you, Captain, for that great speech. Now—since ancient times, gladiators have fought on this battlefield to leave their mark upon the world. Let's see what kind of battle these modern-day gladiators will show us today!"
He announced: "First, we have the heir to the House of Faust—the boy who went on a rampage in the earlier rounds—Liebe Al Faust!
And on the other side, we have a boy who mercilessly crushed every opponent with ease like no other—Licht Vaude!
The match will begin at the count of three. In one… in two… and THREE—BEGIN!"
As soon as the match began, both Liebe and Licht started to chant.
Sujibur shouted, "Look at this, folks! They're only seven, and yet they're both starting with chants! No wonder they've dominated the tournament so far!"
Liebe's chant was:
"From the depths of my heart, darkness arose.
May those who bear hatred turn to dust,
Those who doubt it—witness my strength.
My dark magic: Blackened Abyss!"
Licht's chant was:
"Pierce through shadows with holy light.
Now—Light Magic: Wings of Liberation!"
Sujibur commented, "Liebe used a four-sentence chant! Most people can't even manage a two-sentence chant by the time they're twenty.
But Licht used a short two-line chant to gain the upper hand!"
After Liebe's chant, a circular area with a 10-meter radius turned pitch black.
Following Licht's chant, glowing wings of light sprouted from his back, allowing him to fly.
Liebe declared, "Summon—Cerberus!"
From the darkness, a massive Cerberus emerged.
Sujibur gasped, "What is happening right now?! Cerberus… and wings of light? If this is a dream, don't wake me up!"
Liebe said, "Summon blade—Blade of Hades!"
A black sword emerged from the shadowed floor.
Licht countered, "Create blade—Blade of Mikhail!"
A white sword materialized before him.
Watching this, Jewel said, "This doesn't look good…"
Lilith said, "The spells they're using—they're more than Tier 4 military grade. It's far more than their bodies can handle."