[Compression Phase Two Beginning.]
And far above, within the watching halls of the Academy, Alicia Grape smiled as she viewed the feed.
Lightning danced across the digital sky of NightSun Grid. The field had begun to shrink, its boundary walls glowing violet as energy surged inward.
The northern quadrant—once a wide grassland—now burned under the aftershock of battle.
Two figures clashed at its heart.
Yvonne Grape's rapier, Sunflare, carved golden arcs through the air. Each swing left behind a streak of light that seared the ground. Across from her, Kesha Billex met every strike with a rhythm born of chaos, twin pistols spinning in her hands like extensions of her heartbeat.
Each bullet was a flare; each deflection a spark.
Their power collided, scattering waves of color that rippled through the clouds above.
From the observation decks of the Academy, the duel was broadcast across dozens of projection walls.
Students, instructors, and nobles leaned closer, murmuring.
"That's Yvonne Grape's form—pure Astraea technique."
"And the other one… that's Kesha Billex, right? She always breaks patterns."
"They're fighting like they've got history."
Alicia Grape sat apart, silent, chin resting on her hand.
Her eyes never left the screen.
Show me, Yvonne. Show me if you've learned anything… or if my mistake will always overshadow you.
Back in the field, heat shimmered between the two combatants.
Yvonne advanced, thrust after thrust, Sunflare singing through the air. Kesha rolled aside, one pistol morphing into a short blade, catching the rapier mid-swing. The impact rang like metal on glass.
"Still chasing perfection, princess?" Kesha grinned. "You fight like a statue."
"And you talk too much," Yvonne hissed.
She twisted, disarming the blade and sending it spinning. Kesha caught it mid-air, turned it into a rifle, and fired point-blank. Yvonne threw up her rapier; the blast scattered into golden fragments.
The shockwave sent both of them skidding backward through the dust.
The field's compression alarm wailed overhead.
[Warning: Outer radius collapse in T-04:00:00.]
[Evacuation advised.]
Neither of them moved. The ground cracked under their boots.
Wind tore through Yvonne's hair as she reset her stance.
"You've been waiting for this, haven't you?"
Kesha holstered one gun, eyes gleaming.
"Ten years. You beat me in the qualifiers last cycle. I promised myself—next time, I'd carve that smug look off your face."
Yvonne's lips curved slightly.
"Then stop talking and try."
They vanished.
A sonic boom followed—two streaks of light colliding mid-air. The impact threw out concentric rings that flattened the grass for hundreds of meters.
Kesha's attacks were relentless, wild, unpredictable. Bullets curved, split, multiplied mid-flight. But Yvonne read every pattern, every motion, anticipation refined by endless drills.
When their blades met again, sparks filled the sky.
EVA-9's monotone voice crackled faintly through the static above them.
"Power levels exceeding safety threshold. Combat zone marked as volatile."
They ignored it.
Each movement grew faster, cleaner, more desperate. For a moment, even the air forgot how to breathe.
Far away, hidden among ruined towers at the edge of the field, two faint silhouettes watched the glow from the distance—Leice and Zack.
The younger boy shielded his eyes.
"That light—someone's using Astraea combat art!"
Leice didn't answer. He stood still, arms folded, Breakam One resting against his shoulder, eyes fixed on the sky that burned gold and crimson.
"They're testing limits," he murmured. "Good. I wanted to see what the top of this world looks like."
Back in the arena, Kesha's ammunition meter blinked red.
She tossed her pistols into the air; they merged into a twin-edged staff, spinning like a propeller.
"Let's finish this!"
Yvonne met her in mid-air, Sunflare flaring bright as a miniature sun. The blades clashed, locking together—heat and shockwaves ripping outward.
Both faces inches apart, eyes burning.
"Still think money buys victory?" Kesha snarled.
"No," Yvonne said through gritted teeth. "Discipline does."
She pivoted, energy gathering along her blade, and thrust.
A pillar of light erupted between them, swallowing the plain.
The explosion's echo rolled across the Grid.
For a moment, nothing moved.
Then, through the smoke, two silhouettes still stood—one knee-deep in the crater, one on the opposite edge, breathing hard but unbroken.
Kesha wiped blood from her lip, laughing.
"Now this is a fight!"
Yvonne raised her weapon again.
"Don't flatter yourself. We're just getting started."
From above, Alicia exhaled softly.
"Good… keep fighting."
The screens around her trembled with static as the energy readings spiked again.
Somewhere deep in the Academy, senior staff began shouting about safety protocols. Alicia ignored them.
At the same time, in the ruins below the battle, Leice finally moved.
Breakam One shimmered, transforming into a spear, the edge glowing faint silver.
The weapon vibrated, sensing the nearby surge of devotion and fury.
"Calm down," Leice muttered. "We're just watching—for now."
Zack stared at the sky.
"You know them?"
"Unfortunately," Leice said, smirking. "One's my sister. The other's my problem."
He crouched on the ledge as fragments of gold light rained from above.
Every instinct told him to join the chaos—but this wasn't the time.
He needed to see how far they'd push themselves.
The clouds split again.
A beam of light fell from orbit, striking between Yvonne and Kesha—a system pulse warning of the next phase. The ground quaked; cracks spread like lightning veins.
[Compression Phase Three Approaching.]
[Remaining participants: 382.]
Wind howled, carrying dust and sparks through the air.
Yvonne steadied her breathing, her uniform torn, armor cracked.
Kesha twirled her weapon, still grinning.
Both were bleeding, both smiling.
The next heartbeat decided nothing—only promised that the next exchange would be worse.
High above, the broadcast zoomed closer: two women framed by a burning sky, equal parts fury and grace.
And from the far side of the horizon, a third streak of silver light approached—the signature trail of a player entering the zone.
EVA-9's sensors flickered, identifying the newcomer.
[Player Detected: Leice Grape.]
Alicia leaned forward in her seat, the faintest smirk curling her lips.
"Show me what you'll do, Leice Grape."
In the Grid, Yvonne and Kesha lunged again, weapons colliding mid-strike.
The explosion threw shockwaves through the valley—
and in that blinding flash of gold and red, a shadow stepped through the smoke, sword slung low, eyes gleaming silver.