The coliseum trembled.
Thousands filled the stands—citizens, nobles, soldiers, spectators. Their voices merged into one monstrous sound: hatred.
They didn't come for justice.
They came for blood.
They came for Allen.
He stood beneath the arena gate, half in shadow. His wounds ached. His right arm was barely functional. But his mind? Razor-sharp.
That's when Zephran appeared.
Ikki's Left Hand. Loyal, composed, and one of the few people who had ever shown Allen any real kindness.
"You came to watch the execution?" Allen muttered without turning.
"No," Zephran said softly. "I came because I didn't want this to be the last time we speak."
Allen turned. Zephran's usually cold expression was laced with tension.
"I tried to stop this," Zephran continued. "But with Ikki gone, everything is falling apart. Nobles are making moves. The court is fractured. And the ones who hated you… they've hijacked this 'trial.'"
Allen clenched his jaw. "So it's just a slaughter with extra steps."
Zephran nodded. "Pretty much."
A pause.
"What about Barron?" Allen asked. "He'll show up. He always does."
Zephran looked away.
"He's gone. Vanished. We tried contacting him. Nothing. Some believe… he might be a traitor."
"No. He wouldn't." Allen's voice cracked with anger. "He trained me."
"I hope you're right," Zephran said gently. "But in this storm, even good men can sink."
The crowd roared beyond the gate.
Zephran placed a firm hand on Allen's shoulder.
"Don't let them define who you are. Survive this. That's all I ask."
Allen nodded.
"Time to give them a show."
The Arena
The gates opened. Allen stepped into the sunlit arena.
Booing. Screaming. Hatred.
"Murderer!"
"Liar!"
"Kill him!"
Allen raised a hand mockingly, grinning.
"Wow. Didn't know sheep could make so much noise."
The crowd roared louder, some throwing stones.
Then the second gate opened.
Serenya Kaelith stepped into the light, dressed in shining armor, her white spear gleaming. Calm. Cold. Focused.
"Took your time," Allen called out. "Still fixing your hair, princess?"
"You won't provoke me," she said, unfazed.
She tossed his old spear onto the ground.
"That belonged to the one who hurt my sister. It ends here."
Allen's smile vanished. "Let's get this over with."
Serenya moved like lightning.
Her strikes were precise, brutal, elegant. Allen blocked what he could, dodged the rest barely. But his strength wasn't enough.
She overwhelmed him.
Within moments, she knocked him flat and pressed her spear to his throat.
"Any last words?"
Allen, panting and bleeding, smiled like a man possessed.
"Funny… that's exactly what I asked your sister."
The crowd gasped.
Serenya froze.
Her fingers tightened around her weapon.
Flashback: Doryan's Plan
"Words are sharper than blades," Doryan had said. "You can't outpower her, but you can outthink her."
"Use your mind-reading. Find her weak point. Break her calm."
"When you strike shape your SERRA into a blade at the last moment. That'll cut deeper."
"And remember: keep your SERRA surface smooth for defense. You'll absorb more, last longer."
"This isn't about pride. This is survival."
Serenya screamed and lunged faster, wilder, out of rhythm.
Allen sidestepped her fury. With a surge of shaped SERRA, he struck her ribs hard.
CRACK.
She staggered.
Allen closed in.
"What's wrong, Princess? Losing your balance?"
He struck again sharp SERRA hidden in his fists. Her armor dented. Her footwork faltered.
The crowd fell silent.
"Not so high and mighty now, are you?"
Allen's movements were smoother now refined. Doryan's training surged through every motion.
He twisted, struck her shoulder, forced her back.
She stumbled. For the first time Serenya looked shaken.
Even the Six Knights above stirred uneasily.
Allen ducked a counterstrike, pivoted, and landed a kick to her abdomen. She hit the ground hard.
"Eat dust, justice queen."
He was breathing hard, but he was winning.
He could feel it.
But Then...
Serenya's rage vanished.
She stood.
Calm. Silent.
Then she accelerated.
Her movements refined, her technique perfect. Allen couldn't keep up. His own SERRA flickered weakly.
"Damn it… I'm out... I can't keep"
She struck.
SLASH.
His right arm fell to the ground.
Allen collapsed, screaming.
"This," she whispered, "is the arm that hurt my sister."
She beat him down, relentless, cold.
"This is your end."
Flashback: Barron's Warning
"You sure you want to learn this?" Barron had said, shadows dancing over the fire. "Because once you tap into it, you can't go back."
Allen just stared. "Teach me."
Barron sighed and drew two circles in the dirt.
"Darkness doesn't shape. It doesn't emit. It devours."
"Inside every user, there's a space called the Shadowverse like a void. Everything you devour goes there. It doesn't return. Not energy, not power, not memory."
"You could eat the power of a god… but you'd feel it all. Their joy. Their pain. Their regrets. If you're not strong enough to hold it…"
"...the Shadowverse eats you."
Allen looked uncertain. "And how long can I use it?"
"Two minutes," Barron said. "Any more and you'll disappear."
Allen's body shook. He looked up at Serenya, panting.
"No choice..."
His eyes turned black.
The arena trembled.
A wave of shadow exploded from his body.
Darkness coiled around him as he devoured every thread of SERRA from her attacks. Her blows landed but did nothing.
Serenya froze. "What... what is this?!"
Up above
"It's Darkness," Ravik whispered. "He's using the forbidden element."
"Serenya, fall back!" Veyra shouted. "NOW!"
"No," she said. "I'm stronger than him."
"You were," Veyra snapped. "Now, any wrong move will kill you."
Allen grinned, blood dripping from his chin.
"What's wrong, my lady? Getting nervous?"
Serenya dropped her spear.
"If SERRA doesn't work... I'll kill you with my hands."
Her footsteps cracked the stone beneath her.
She ran straight for him.
Allen had one arm left. No Darkness. No tricks.
But he stood firm.
"Perfect," he whispered. "This is my last stand."
They clashed.
Everything exploded.
The stone cracked. The sky shook.
Silence
When the dust settled…
Serenya stood.
The crowd roared.
But
There was no sign of Allen.
"Where is he?!"
"There's no blood trail!"
"He didn't die!"
The Six Knights ordered soldiers to search.
"We can sense every living being across the world!" Juno growled. "How can he be gone?!"
Elsewhere
A ripple of black opened beside a quiet river.
Allen collapsed out of it, broken, gasping.
He laughed shaking, weak, delirious.
"Hell yeahhhhh… thought I died for a minute..."
He collapsed.
Because the truth was simple:
He never planned to win.
"Just survive," he whispered.
He had used the darkness element to devour Serenya serra then unleashed it as a bomb to create a chance to escape. Then used Shadowverse to teleport risky, unstable, nearly fatal.
But he made it.
And now the world was hunting for him.
He didn't win the war.
But he was still alive.
And that…
was enough.