The dust slowly began to settle.
Stone fragments clattered to the ground.
Cracks spread silently across what remained of the arena.
At the center of it all—
Raze Arcwell knelt on one knee.
His head was lowered.
One hand pressed weakly against the shattered floor.
The other hung limply at his side.
The Starbreaker suit was barely holding together.
Arcsteel plates were fractured.
Nanotech seams flickered and failed.
The once-steady hum of Abyss Alloy radiation faded… and then stopped entirely.
Silence swallowed the stadium.
No cheers.
No gasps.
No movement.
Thousands of eyes were locked on the boy in the ruined armor.
"…What's happening?"
"Is the match… still going?"
"He's not moving…"
Even Astra hovered in place, frozen.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
Pain still tore through her body.
But all of it faded beneath the sight in front of her.
"…Raze…?"
His body trembled once.
Then—
He collapsed.
Raze Arcwell fell forward, hitting the broken stone without resistance.
The sound was dull.
Final.
A collective breath was sucked out of the stadium.
"He—!"
"He's down!"
"Raze collapsed!"
The Starbreaker's lights went dark.
No radiation.
No hum.
No response.
Just cracked armor and a motionless body.
In the VIP section—
Lily screamed.
"BIG BROTHER!!"
She struggled wildly, trying to break free from Luna's grip.
Luna's face went pale.
"No—no no no—!"
She tried to leap over the barrier, but Rose caught her arm, holding her back with trembling hands.
"Medical team—NOW!" Rose shouted, her calm finally cracking.
Raze's classmates stood frozen.
Roger's fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.
Rain covered her mouth, eyes shimmering.
Gray stared in shock, unable to move.
"…He pushed himself that far…"
"…For this fight…"
The referee hesitated only a second longer—
then raised his hand.
"RAZE ARCWELL IS UNABLE TO CONTINUE."
The words echoed painfully through the arena.
"WINNER OF THE MATCH—ASTRA NOIRE!"
No one cheered.
Not a single clap.
The announcement felt hollow.
Astra descended instantly.
She didn't care about the result.
Didn't care about rankings.
Didn't care about the tournament.
She rushed toward Raze—
"Astra—wait—!"
Too late.
She reached him—
And then—
**SWOOSH.**
A sudden pressure slammed down on the arena.
The air twisted.
Lights flickered violently.
Barriers screamed under an unknown interference.
A figure stood at the center of the stadium.
Calm.
Still.
Unbothered.
A man wearing a blindfold.
The entire stadium froze.
"…No way…"
"…That's—"
"…He's really here…"
Astra stopped dead.
Her blood ran cold.
Raze lay unconscious only meters away—
and between them stood the man the nation feared most.
Nightveil.
Hands in his pockets.
Head slightly tilted.
As if he were simply taking a casual stroll.
"Ah," he said lightly, his voice carrying effortlessly through the stunned silence.
"So this is where you all gathered."
Heroes shot to their feet.
Security alarms blared.
Weapons activated instantly.
But Nightveil didn't move.
He turned his head slowly—
toward Raze's fallen body.
"…Interesting," he murmured.
The stadium felt like it was holding its breath.
The tournament had stopped.
The fight had ended.
But something far worse—
had just begun.