[12 Hours Later]
Rio's eyes opened slowly.
"…Ugh—"
A dull ache ran through his body as he pushed himself up. His arm felt stiff, his grip weak for a moment before it steadied again.
"Haah… my hands are still stiff."
He sat there for a second, letting his body catch up. The ruins around him were quiet now—broken pillars, cracked stone, and the faint marks left behind from a battle that still didn't feel entirely real.
"…So that actually happened."
He exhaled and raised his hand slightly. A faint tremor ran through it before settling.
"…Still can't use that technique cleanly."
Leon had taught him this special sword style.
Even now, it left a strain he couldn't ignore.
Rio glanced upward, then opened the exam panel.
[Student Rankings]
#1 Noctis — 8400
#2 Samuel — 8100
#3 Silver Ryker — 7900
#4 Reina Emberheart — 7200
#5 Yelena Zephyr — 7050
#6 Selena Thorne — 6700
#7 Reinheart Verilian — 6500
"…Samuel's getting closer."
That wasn't surprising—but it was fast.
"…Did he find something like this too?"
Silver wasn't far behind either.
Rio closed the panel.
"Ten hours left…"
He picked up his sword, adjusting his grip as he stood fully.
"…No point staying here."
He stepped out of the ruins and back into the forest.
The moment he crossed the threshold, lightning gathered faintly beneath his feet.
Then—
He moved.
The trees blurred past him as he accelerated, weaving through the dense forest with controlled bursts of speed. His movements were sharper now, more refined than before, conserving energy instead of wasting it.
A few minutes passed.
Then—
Rio slowed.
"…Hm?"
In the distance—
A mountain rose above the forest line.
Not massive, but tall enough to stand apart. Its slopes were jagged, the terrain uneven, and from even this distance he could sense something—
"…That place might have stronger Void-Borns."
A small pause.
"…Worth checking."
He shifted his stance slightly—
Then pushed forward again.
But just as he moved—
He stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
"…Someone's there."
A presence.
Ahead.
Rio's hand tightened slightly around his sword.
"…Another cadet?"
The figure stepped out from the shadows.
Golden hair caught the faint light filtering through the trees, and a familiar grin rested on his face—relaxed, almost playful.
Onyx eyes met his.
"Hello~"
Rio's expression didn't change much.
"…Reinheart."
The prince's smile widened just slightly.
"You must be the current rank one."
A small tilt of his head.
"Noctis, right?"
"…And if I am?"
Reinheart chuckled softly, raising a hand as if to ease the tension.
"Relax. You don't need to be wary of me."
A pause.
"I already know I'm not a match for you."
His tone was light.
Casual.
As if admitting that meant nothing.
"I know my limits very well."
Rio didn't lower his guard.
"…Then why are you here?"
Reinheart brushed a strand of hair back, still smiling.
"…What else?"
A small pause.
"Entertainment."
"…?"
And then—
The ground beneath Rio's feet lit up.
A crimson magic circle expanded outward in an instant, intricate patterns forming faster than the eye could follow. Symbols burned into existence, connecting into a massive formation that swallowed the entire area.
Rio's eyes widened.
"—!"
Heat surged upward.
And then—
A voice.
Calm.
Cold.
Sharp.
"Let the heavens bear witness."
The air trembled.
"From ash to ruin, from ruin to nothing—"
Flames ignited along the edges of the circle, rising in spirals that twisted upward like living things.
"I summon the judgment of flame."
The forest itself seemed to recoil.
"Crimson Cataclysm."
The circle erupted.
A massive pillar of fire burst upward, swallowing everything within its radius. Trees disintegrated instantly, the ground cracking and collapsing under the sheer intensity as waves of heat tore through the surroundings.
At the edge of it—
Reina Emberheart stood.
Her hand lowered slowly, crimson eyes fixed on the center of the flames.
The attack hadn't been rushed.
Hadn't been reckless.
It was precise.
Calculated.
And meant to erase everything inside it.
Reinheart stepped back slightly, completely unbothered by the inferno.
____
The fire swallowed everything.
For a moment, the forest simply ceased to exist within that circle—trees, ground, air itself consumed under a single overwhelming surge of heat. Even the sound was drowned out, replaced by a deep, roaring silence that pressed against the ears.
It should have ended there.
Anyone caught inside that spell—
Would have been eliminated.
…
But just before the flames rose—
Something shifted.
A fragment of memory surfaced.
Leon's voice.
Light isn't just something you emit… it's something you become, even if only for a moment.
Rio's eyes sharpened.
"…Just once."
The instant before the spell activated—
Light flickered.
Not around him.
Not outside him.
Through him.
For less than a heartbeat, his body blurred—his form breaking from where it stood as if the space itself failed to hold him in place.
The flames rose.
The circle detonated.
But Rio—
Was no longer there.
A flash.
Gone.
And then—
He reappeared beyond the edge of the inferno, momentum failing him as he dropped to one knee.
"—Guh—"
His breath came uneven, chest rising sharply as his hand pressed against the ground to steady himself.
"…Haah… haah…"
His vision swayed slightly.
"…That… was too close."
The faint glow of light around him faded completely.
It had lasted less than a second.
But it was enough.
Across the burning clearing—
Reina's eyes widened, just slightly.
"…You dodged that?"
Rio looked up.
And this time—
He did smile.
He rose slowly, deliberately, lifting his sword as faint threads of lightning crawled along the blade, humming low and restless.
"That was quite nice," he said, voice steady despite the strain still lingering in his body. "I almost got eliminated."
A breath.
Then, quieter—
"But unfortunately… even you aren't strong enough."
Reina's eyes sharpened.
The air between them tightened again.
She moved first.
No hesitation this time—no probing attacks, no testing.
A wide magic circle spread beneath her feet, flames rising not upward, but outward—spilling across the ground like a living tide. The forest around them caught instantly, trees igniting, roots cracking under the heat as the fire spread in every direction.
This wasn't aimed.
It was control.
"Let's see how long you keep that calm face," she said, her voice colder now.
The flames surged.
Rio stepped forward.
Lightning burst beneath his feet as he cut through the edge of the spreading fire, the heat licking at his sides as he pushed straight through instead of avoiding it.
Reina's brows knit slightly.
"…You're walking into it?"
A second circle formed above her—this one vertical.
Condensed fire gathered, then split into dozens of smaller projectiles, each one angled differently.
"Then don't complain."
They fell.
Not as a single attack—
But a barrage.
Rio's blade moved.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Each strike was clean, minimal—deflecting just enough to alter trajectory rather than meeting the attacks head-on. The ones he didn't touch, he slipped past—his movement tightening, becoming sharper with each step.
He closed the distance again.
Reina adjusted instantly, flames compressing around her as she stepped back, forcing space.
But Rio didn't give it to her.
A flash of lightning—
And he was already there.
His blade cut down.
Reina raised her hand, a burst of fire erupting point-blank to intercept. The clash sent a shockwave outward, steam bursting between them as frost and flame collided violently.
Both were forced apart.
For a brief moment—
Silence.
Then—
They moved again.
Reina's attacks came faster now, less restrained.
Fire curved mid-air, changed direction, split and reformed—forcing Rio to read each movement instead of relying on rhythm. The forest around them continued to burn, the battlefield shrinking under her control.
Rio adapted.
His steps became lighter.
Sharper.
He stopped reacting.
Started predicting.
A lance aimed for his blind spot—
He shifted before it arrived.
A burst from below—
He stepped through the gap before it fully formed.
Reina noticed.
And for the first time—
Her expression tightened.
"…You're reading me."
Rio didn't answer.
He was already moving again.
He stepped in—
Close enough to break her casting range.
Her next spell faltered.
Too late.
His blade slipped through her guard.
A clean strike—
She twisted at the last second, minimizing the damage, but the edge still caught her shoulder.
A shallow cut.
But enough.
Reina staggered back, flames flaring instinctively as she widened the distance again.
Her breathing had changed.
Not heavy.
But no longer perfectly steady.
Rio straightened.
"…You're losing control."
Reina's eyes narrowed.
"…Shut the hell up."
The flames around her surged violently—far larger than before.
The forest didn't just burn now—
It collapsed under the heat.
Trees split apart, the ground cracking as waves of fire rolled outward in every direction. The air itself shimmered, pressure building as if the entire area was being forced to submit.
Reinheart, watching from the edge, tilted his head slightly—his usual smile fading for the first time.
"…This might actually get dangerous."
Back in the clearing—
Reina raised both hands.
The fire condensed again.
But this time—
Not into lances.
Not into beams.
Into something heavier.
Denser.
The flames above her twisted, folding into a massive sphere of compressed heat, its surface unstable, crackling with violent energy.
"…Let's see you walk through this."
She brought her hands down.
The sphere dropped.
Rio's eyes didn't waver.
Instead—
He stepped forward.
Through the heat.
Through the pressure.
His grip tightened on the sword.
He raised the blade.
Just like before.
Reina's eyes widened slightly.
"...w-what"
Reinheart's expression changed instantly.
For the first time—
The smile vanished.
"REINA GET AWAY FROM THAT!"
She reacted.
Immediately.
Her body moved to retreat—flames bursting beneath her feet to propel her back—
But it was too late.
Rio smiled.
The air shifted.
"…Heavenfall Execution—Second For—"
Before the words could fully leave his mouth—
A voice cut through the burning forest.
Calm.
Cold.
"Eclipse."