This was the town where Jhonathan first met Sylviana.
A place carved in memory and blood.
Once home to Count Shiba's castle—now rebuilt into Levincia Arena, a colossal structure split into three massive stadiums, each governed by its own referee.
Among them stood a familiar face.
Mica.
Once a swordswoman of legend, now one of the judges watching over the tournament like it was fate itself.
Jhonathan and Ruby chose Stadium One.
The gates opened with a heavy groan.
Cold air spilled out like the arena was breathing.
And waiting inside—
were their opponents.
Two towering figures.
Nine feet tall each.
Hansel and Gretel.
Carrying axes that looked too heavy for physics to support.
The bell rang.
They moved instantly.
One swing.
The air cracked.
Jhonathan was struck—his body cut through in a brutal arc of force.
Ruby's eyes widened.
A second swing followed immediately.
But this time—
Jhonathan slowed everything.
The world didn't stop.
It obeyed him less.
His movement slipped between moments.
Between intention and execution.
He stepped forward.
Quietly.
And snapped Hansel's neck in a single motion.
Silence.
Gretel froze.
Not from fear alone—
but from the pressure in the air.
Jhonathan looked up.
Just once.
It wasn't a glare.
It wasn't anger.
It was something heavier.
Gretel dropped her weapon.
Across the stadium, spectators couldn't even breathe properly.
Even the announcer hesitated mid-word.
Because it felt like the arena itself was being told:
you are not safe here.
Outside Stadium One—
a woman watched from above the grand structure.
Svan Ivuch.
The puppeteer.
Her fingers barely moved.
Yet millions of invisible strings stretched across the entire arena system, tying fate, motion, and outcome together like a woven cage.
She tilted her head.
Her ring shimmered softly.
And somewhere in the stadium—
guards began barking orders they didn't remember receiving.
The strings tightened.
Just slightly.
Not enough to control everything.
But enough to remind everyone…
that nothing here was truly free.
Svan Ivuch smiled faintly.
"…interesting contestants," she whispered.
Below her—
Jhonathan and Ruby stood in Stadium One.
Still alive.
Still moving forward.
And for the first time in a long time…
the arena did not feel like it belonged to the rules.