Ryn carried the unconscious bodies of Luna and Caelrion toward us and placed them beside us carefully.
Without saying anything, he turned and walked back toward the throne.
He drew the anti-magic sword again and slowly swung it through the air.
The blade cut through the atmosphere as if he was trying to ignite something.
But nothing happened.
For a brief moment his eyes narrowed slightly.
A faint curl appeared on his lips.
Disappointment.
Earlier the blade had produced flames that devoured mana.
Now the air remained empty.
It was as if his own heart no longer had anything left to burn.
Ryn took a long breath and approached the throne.
He placed his crown crystal upon it.
But he did not pour his mana into it.
The throne remained inactive.
The tournament should have ended with him claiming it.
Yet he simply stepped back.
Why…?
Did he want to increase the reward somehow?
Or was he planning something else?
The thought remained only inside my mind.
He walked toward the elves guarding the arena and whispered something into their ears.
The moment they heard it, their expressions froze.
Shock.
Confusion.
Even fear.
They stepped back as if they had just heard something forbidden.
Ryn spoke quietly.
"It's selfish of me to ask this."
"But can you help me?"
"You can keep my share of the money."
The elves hesitated.
Then they slowly nodded.
A moment later they released the chains binding us.
Healing magic washed over our bodies, restoring our injuries.
None of us understood what was happening.
Through telepathy, Eron's voice reached all of us.
"If we're going to question him… we'll need the crown authority first."
"If we take the crystal now, we can activate its authority."
"Once the authority is active, we could even enslave him if necessary."
"It's disgusting… but possible."
No one responded.
Before we could decide—
The world shifted.
Space folded around us.
In the next instant we were moved away by Walk of Dragon Mist.
A testing barrier formed around the entire arena.
The last thing we saw before the barrier closed…
Was the elves placing chains and shackles on Ryn.
Ten minutes passed.
Seraphine still hadn't awakened.
Confusion filled every conversation between us.
Eventually we agreed on one thing.
We would first use the crown crystal's authority.
Then we would interrogate Ryn.
And if necessary, force him to claim the throne so we could obtain the maximum reward.
Just as we approached the barrier—
The elves appeared in front of us.
They were crying.
"Stop there," one of them said weakly.
Their voices trembled as they struggled to hold back their tears.
Our confusion only grew.
Then—
We heard it.
A scream.
A horrifying scream.
It was the kind of sound that makes the heart stop for a moment.
The agony inside it was unbearable.
Despair.
Loneliness.
A pain so deep it felt like something tearing apart from within.
It was not the cry of someone afraid.
It was the cry of someone who had carried too much for too long.
And yet none of us needed to ask whose voice it was.
We already knew.
It was Ryn.
Smoke slowly began rising above the arena.
Eron and Aeldir lost their patience.
They grabbed the elves by the collars.
"What did Ryn order you to do?!"
"What is he doing in there?!"
Before they could answer—
The barrier suddenly began dissolving into raw mana.
And then we saw it.
Flames of despair erupted into the sky.
They rose higher and higher until they reached the clouds.
Mira covered her mouth in horror.
Eron ran toward the bridge of the arena.
"Stop Ryn!"
"Everyone—stop him!"
But it was already too late.
A massive explosion erupted from the center of the arena.
It was not a normal explosion.
When the throne and crown crystals were destroyed, the mana and authority stored within them burst outward at once.
The entire arena collapsed.
Stone melted.
Mana storms tore through the battlefield.
And the system announced:
{THE MISSION HAS BEEN BROKEN}
{THE CROWN AND THRONE HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY DESTROYED}
{MISSION RESULT: STALEMATE}
{ALL MARTYRS WILL BE REVIVED}
{THE REMAINING REWARD WILL BE SPLIT BETWEEN THE STANDING KING TEAMS}
In the next moment—
We were transferred back to the stadium.
At the center of the field stood one figure.
Ryn Van Asterin.
Blood ran down his body.
The skin around his feet was burned black.
Yet somehow…
He was smiling.
The anti-magic sword rested on his back.
His eyes were no longer human.
They had become the eyes of a devil.
All of us rushed toward him.
But before we could reach him—
A dark portal formed directly in front of him.
It did not open gently.
It twisted the space itself, like a mouth tearing reality apart.
The darkness inside it pulsed as if it was alive.
Ryn looked toward Eron one last time.
Then he said quietly,
"Have a happy relationship with your girl, Eron."
The portal suddenly expanded.
Dark tendrils of space wrapped around his body.
And in the next moment—
It devoured him completely.
The rift closed instantly.
Leaving nothing behind.
Only silence.