Klaus stumbled back, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip with the back of his hand. The look of shocked surprise on his face hardened into one of cold, humiliated fury.
He pushed himself up. As he did, a thick column of solid iron rose from the molten puddle on the floor, pressing against his back and forcing him to stand perfectly straight.
With a slow, deliberate motion, he raised both of his arms out to his sides, palms open, in a pose that was both elegant and incredibly arrogant.
The crowd, which had been cheering for Elina's surprising uppercut, fell silent as Klaus rose into the air, supported by the iron pillar. His arrogant pose was infuriating, but it was also a clear sign that he was about to unleash a major attack.
"You common-blooded brawler," Klaus sneered from above. "You may have gotten in a lucky shot, but a true artist of creation will always triumph!"
He thrust his hands forward, and the molten puddle on the floor erupted. Dozens of sharp, iron spears shot up from the ground, all aimed directly at Elina. She sidestepped the first volley, her rapier a blur as she deflected a second. But there were too many. One spear grazed her arm, leaving a shallow, bleeding cut.
Instead of retreating, Elina did something unexpected. She charged forward, right into the forest of rising spears. She didn't try to block them. She simply ran.
On the balcony, Kerina watched, a tense, proud smile on her face.
Elina closed the distance, now standing directly at the base of the iron pillar Klaus was perched upon. She looked up at him, her eyes burning with a new, fierce intensity. "My turn," she said.
She placed her hand on the iron pillar. It wasn't the gentle, sunrise-colored flame of her 'Firespring'. This time, fueled by her anger and the thrill of the fight, the fire that erupted from her hand was a brilliant, roaring white.
The entire iron pillar instantly glowed white-hot. Klaus shrieked as the intense heat shot up the pillar, scalding the soles of his boots. He lost his balance, his concentration shattered for a second time, and he tumbled from his perch.
As he fell, the forest of iron spears he had created wavered and dissolved into molten puddles on the ground.
Elina was waiting for him. The moment he hit the ground, she was on him, her rapier put away. She didn't use magic. She used her fists, a flurry of quick, precise jabs to his ribs and a final, clean hook to his jaw that sent him sprawling onto the stone stage, unconscious.
The referee's jaw was on the floor for a moment before he finally regained his senses and rushed forward, raising Elina's hand in the air. "The winner, by knockout... Elina Solcrest!"
The arena was silent for a full five seconds, and then it exploded into a deafening roar of pure, incredulous applause.
The roar of the crowd was a distant, muffled echo in the quiet of the victor's preparation room. The large, circular chamber was empty now, the other contestants having long since departed.
Elina sat alone on a cushioned bench, staring at her own reflection in a large, polished silver mirror.
Her cheek was a little red and swollen where one of Klaus's desperate, wild punches had grazed her. She gently stroked her own face, a small, tired smile on her lips.
The heavy stone door swung open, breaking the silence. Hayato, Lila, and Kerina walked in. Riko and Lenna, having seen enough of the tournament, had already left to attend to their own business.
Kerina was the first to break the silence, a rare, wide smile of pure pride on her face. She strode over to her sister and gently cupped her bruised cheek, her touch surprisingly gentle.
"You were incredible, Elina," she said, her voice full of a warmth that Hayato had never heard before. "You fought well."
Elina's face flushed with a happy, embarrassed blush. "Thanks, sis," she said. "I just... I remembered what Hayato said. About what to do if I lose my sword."
She looked over at Hayato, her eyes shining. "It worked."
Hayato simply gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. "Your execution of the strategy was efficient," he said. It was the highest form of praise he was capable of giving.
Lila, meanwhile, lingered awkwardly by the door, completely out of her element and unsure of what to do, a silent observer to the family moment.
Hayato watched Elina, his analytical gaze piecing together the events of the fight. "You were angry. Your fire... it was different. Just like you said it would be."
Elina looked a little surprised by his directness, but her cheerful energy didn't waver. "Yes! Back in the prep room, right after I saw Lia get hurt... I slapped myself. A few times. Just to get myself mad."
She looked at her own hands, then back at them, her expression one of simple, happy triumph. "And it worked! That's it!"
Kerina and Lila stared at Elina, completely taken aback by her simple, almost childish explanation. Hayato, however, was already analyzing it.
"That's an inefficient and unreliable method," he stated, his voice flat. "Self-induced anger is a temporary emotional state. It's not a consistent combat strategy. You can't guarantee you'll be able to make yourself angry enough in a real crisis."
Elina's cheerful expression faltered. "But... it worked," she said.
"It worked this time," Hayato countered. "You need a better trigger. Don't think of it as 'getting mad.' Think of it as a power switch. You need to find a single, core memory or thought—something that will always provoke the correct emotional response—and associate it with activating your power. Turn the emotion into a tool."
Kerina just stared at him, a look of profound disbelief on her face. "You want to... weaponize her trauma into a magical trigger?" she asked, her voice dangerously quiet.
Hayato just looked back at her. "Yes. It's the most logical approach."
Kerina stared at Hayato, her mouth slightly agape, completely taken aback by his cold, logical, and frankly terrifying suggestion. After a moment, she just let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh.
"Weaponize her trauma," she repeated, shaking her head. "You are truly something else, Hayato." She decided then and there that the conversation was over before he could offer any more psychologically questionable combat advice.
"Alright, let's go. We're heading home."
She then turned to her sister, her expression softening. "Speaking of which, where's your friend? Where's Lia?"
Elina, who had been listening to Hayato's advice with a look of intense, curious concentration, blinked and looked around.
"Oh! Lia already left, She came by for a moment after her match to say congratulations, and then she said she had to go home with her parents."
***
As Kerina and Elina disappeared down the street, Hayato and Lila were left standing in the fading afternoon light. The sisters waved goodbye, leaving the two of them in a slightly awkward silence.
Hayato turned to the nervous girl beside him. "So," he asked, his tone all business. "Are you going back to your home now?"
Lila looked up at him, then down at the heavy pouch of gold he had given her. "Honestly," she said, her voice quiet. "I don't really have one. I mean, I have a rented room, but I don't have a good relationship with the owner." She clutched the pouch. "With this money, I think I need to find a new, better place to stay."
Hayato considered this for a moment. "Then why don't you come to my inn?" he suggested. "Rent a room there."
He saw the suspicion in her eyes and immediately gave his logical reason. "You're part of the expedition now. It's more efficient if I have you close by. I need to make sure you don't cause any more trouble."
They walked in silence for a few minutes, the bustling sounds of the festival starting to fade as they moved towards the quieter street where the inn was located. Lila clutched the heavy pouch of gold, her mind still trying to make sense of the situation.
"Hey," she said finally, her voice hesitant. "Why do you really want me for this expedition? I mean... I'm a thief. Why would you trust me? This is all so sudden."
Hayato kept walking, not looking back at her. Her question was logical, but the real answer was a relic of a life she couldn't possibly understand.
It's a bad habit, he thought, a flicker of self-awareness breaking through his strategic mind.
A holdover from my corporate days. He remembered his time at the consulting firm.
Whenever I saw someone with a unique, raw potential that was being wasted, my first instinct was always to recruit them, to bring them onto my team.
He finally stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her. "Your power is useful," he said, his voice flat and direct. "That's the only reason."
Lila looked at him, her expression a perfect mixture of disbelief and suspicion. 'My power is useful'? That's it? The simple, logical explanation felt like a complete lie, a convenient excuse for something much more complicated that she couldn't begin to understand. She made a weird face, a sort of scrunched-up, skeptical expression that clearly said, "I don't believe you for a second."
But she didn't argue. Arguing with a man who could create phantom chains and who was associates with S-Rank adventurers seemed like a very bad idea. She just fell silent and continued walking beside him through the crowded, festive streets.
The inn hallway was a long, quiet corridor lined with identical wooden doors. Hayato stopped in front of his, then pointed to the one directly beside it. "That one's empty. You can take that."
Lila, having just secured her own room key from the front desk, walked up to the indicated door, her hand hovering over the lock. She looked over at him, her expression a mixture of her old suspicion and a new, hesitant curiosity.
"So, tomorrow is a free day," Hayato stated. "But I have a question. Do you know this kingdom well? The whole city?"
Lila blinked, confused by the sudden question. "Yeah," she said, her voice cautious. "I guess. Why?"
He leaned against the wall, his expression unreadable. "I want you to show me some places."
To Be Continued.