When my eyes opened, my vision was still blurry.
The first thing I felt was the cold pressure of stone against my back. As my sight slowly cleared, I realized we were bound to pillars created from earth magic, thick stone chains locking our bodies firmly in place.
There were three pillars standing at some distance from each other, forming a triangular formation in the center of the arena.
The central pillar held the Spirit Knight, bound tightly with heavy stone restraints.
One of the remaining pillars held all the girls, chained together around the column.
The last pillar held the boys, each of us bound against the rough stone surface.
The arrangement made it impossible for any of us to reach the others, even if we somehow managed to break free.
As my vision cleared, I noticed something important.
None of us had our masks removed.
The armor we wore had a special property. Without the permission of the queen crown holder—Seraphine's crown, no one could remove our masks.
Even if they stripped away every other piece of armor, the masks would remain locked in place.
And just like I thought…
We had lost every other piece.
Only the masks remained.
A short distance away, the Shadow Slave was discussing something with the elves.
Of the six elves under his command, four guarded the arena gate, while the remaining two searched the prisoners.
"Check them again," he ordered calmly.
"Look for their team crown's mana crystal. And make sure they are not hiding any weapons."
Then his voice turned colder.
"And don't touch the girls."
After giving the order, he walked a few steps away and sat down on the ground, closing his eyes.
It almost looked like he was meditating.
Meanwhile, the two elves began searching the prisoners.
They checked the boys first.
Of course they found nothing.
Because none of us had the team crown.
But the elves didn't stop.
Elves were naturally sensitive to mana and emotions. Their feelings were far stronger than those of other races.
Sometimes…
Too strong.
While Shadow Slave remained focused on sensing the crown's mana crystal, one of the elves slowly walked toward our pillar.
Toward the girls.
The moment I saw his eyes, my body began to tremble.
There was something disgusting in his gaze.
Pure, shameless lust.
Fear gripped my chest.
Death didn't scare me.
But losing my dignity… my pride… my grace—
That was something I could never endure.
I tried to move, but the chains held me firmly.
Helpless.
Completely helpless.
The elf stepped closer.
His hand reached down and touched my bare foot.
Tears began sliding down my cheeks.
A burning hatred filled my chest.
A murderous intent that I couldn't release.
His fingers slowly began moving upward.
I closed my eyes.
At least… if someone else was awake, maybe they could try to stop him.
But I was the only one conscious.
And I couldn't do anything.
Then suddenly…
Warmth spread across my body.
The elf's fingers stopped moving.
Confused, I opened my eyes.
The elf had frozen.
His head was tilted upward, staring toward the sky.
Blood slowly poured from his mouth.
For a moment I didn't understand what I was seeing.
Then I looked down.
A hand had pierced straight through his chest from behind.
That hand slowly pulled something out.
His heart.
Blood splashed across my clothes, still warm.
A voice spoke behind him.
Cold.
"I told you to stay away from the girls."
It was him.
Shadow Slave.
He ripped the heart completely out and tossed the corpse aside so it wouldn't fall against me.
Then he crushed the heart in his hand with brutal force.
Mana pressure exploded as the organ turned to dust.
"I told you," he repeated quietly.
"Don't go near the girls."
Then he turned toward the second elf.
"Why didn't you stop him?"
The elf nervously replied.
"I… I thought it was just a safety check…"
Shadow Slave grabbed him by the neck.
With terrifying strength, he threw the elf across the arena.
The soldier crashed near the stone throne at the far end.
In the blink of an eye, Shadow Slave appeared there and sat on the throne.
"How do I know you won't betray me next?" he asked calmly.
Then he snapped his fingers.
Dark flames erupted.
Shadow fire.
The elf screamed as his body burned.
Within seconds, his body turned to ash.
The horrifying scream echoed through the arena.
The sound was so terrifying that my entire team began waking up.
I stared at the scene in disbelief.
What I had just seen…
It felt unreal.
Shadow Slave stepped down from the throne and walked across the ashes.
By now every elf had gathered around him.
But something was different.
He wasn't smiling.
He wasn't emotionless either.
His face held pure rage.
Then he spoke.
"Soldiers."
His voice echoed through the arena.
"It doesn't matter if your enemy killed your father… your brother… or even your son."
His eyes burned with anger.
"A true soldier never looks at a captured slave with lust."
The elves stood completely silent.
"To harass a prisoner… is not strength."
"It is proof of the way you were raised."
He looked at them coldly.
"In this world, your lover may betray you."
"Your family may abandon you."
"But even in your lowest moment…"
"Your enemy will still exist beside you."
His voice became sharper.
"So respect them."
"Because if you dishonor them…"
"Then when your sister… your mother… or your wife falls into enemy hands…"
"Do you expect mercy?"
The elves answered together.
"No, General."
He looked around once more.
"Any other questions?"
"No, General."
At that moment a voice echoed through telepathy.
It was Luna.
"Eron… someone stole the crystal."
Everyone froze.
"What?!" someone shouted.
Luna replied quickly.
"About half an hour ago in the dungeon we felt a massive aura. It was so powerful we couldn't resist it."
"We all passed out."
"When we woke up… the crystal was gone."
Eron took a deep breath.
Trying to understand the situation.
"Are you sure?"
Another voice replied sharply.
It was Caelrion.
"Do you think we'd joke about something like this?"
"Look above. Is Seraphine there?"
Before anyone could answer—
Shadow Slave suddenly shouted.
"Protect the prisoners!"
Instantly every elf moved.
They surrounded us and raised a barrier.
Then—
A massive air slash descended from the sky.
The attack sliced through the arena wall like paper.
Stone shattered.
The ground split apart.
Shadow Slave barely dodged the attack.
For the first time…
I saw fear in his eyes.
A figure slowly descended from the sky.
Demonic wings spread wide behind her.
Dark corruption particles drifted through the air.
She landed in front of the throne.
Her eyes were the same as Shadow Slave's.
Demonic.
Cold.
She wore armor almost identical to his.
Her sword radiated sinister energy.
Then she removed her mask.
Her hand slowly opened.
Inside her palm…
was the crystal from our crown.
The very object Shadow Slave had been searching for.
She smiled faintly.
"Looking for this?"
Her gaze locked onto him.
"Shadow Slave."
She tilted her head slightly.
Then her voice turned colder.
"Or should I call you…"
"Ryn Van Asterin."