Meanwhile—
far away inside the Whitemere mansion—
Lysara's entire face was covered in tears.
Even sobbing hurt now.
Each cough sent pain throughout her frail body.
Yet her trembling eyes never once left the magical screen.
Because seeing her brother covered in blood—
hurt far more.
Her small fingers tightly gripped the cloth covering her legs.
But beneath all the fear.
All the pain.
All the worry.
There was also pride.
Immense pride.
Because her brother—
the boy everyone underestimated—
had stood against one of the greatest prodigies of this generation.
And for a single terrifying moment—
had nearly defeated him.
"…Brother…"
Her voice trembled softly.
Back inside the arena—
medical staff immediately rushed toward Darius after the duel ended.
The unconscious white-haired boy was carefully carried away toward the infirmary.
Rio's crimson eyes quietly followed Darius Whitemere being carried away by the instructors toward the infirmary.
The white-haired boy had completely lost consciousness.
Yet despite losing—
the impact he left behind remained enormous.
My eyes then shifted toward Samuel Crimson.
The red-haired boy still stood silently near the battlefield.
His crimson eyes remained locked onto the massive slash carved across the SS-Rank wall.
A small smirk appeared on my face.
…He's absolutely seething.
Not because he lost.
But because for a single moment—
he had nearly been defeated after lowering his guard.
Soon—
Samuel calmly picked up his spear before silently leaving the arena.
Selena Thorne attempted to approach him midway.
"…Samuel—"
But he simply walked past her without stopping.
That made Selena sigh softly afterward before stepping toward the arena herself.
Meanwhile—
the battlefield slowly began repairing itself through magic.
Soon the announcer's voice echoed once more.
"The final match of today!"
"Selena Thorne versus Alyssa Croft!"
Selena quietly tightened her grip around her bow.
Truthfully—
she knew she had been extremely fortunate with her bracket to even reach the quarterfinals.
Now though—
her opponent was completely different.
My crimson eyes quietly fell toward the sleepy pink-haired girl slowly walking into the arena.
Alyssa Croft.
Bearer of the Stigmata of the Demon King of Sloth.
Above my head—
Astarix narrowed her golden eyes slightly.
"…Hm?"
"A Demon King actually took interest in a mortal?"
"And even went far enough to grant a Stigmata…"
Currently—
only a few people within the kingdom knew Alyssa carried the Stigmata.
The Royal Family.
The Church.
A few monsters hidden within the higher ranks.
Yet despite knowing—
not a single one of them dared act against her.
All because of one existence.
Marian Croft.
The SS-Class Archmage.
That woman would rather burn the kingdom itself to ash than allow anyone to touch her daughter.
I quietly glanced toward Alyssa.
…Is she even aware of what she actually is?
Meanwhile—
inside Alyssa's head—
only two thoughts currently existed.
Food.
And sleep.
The pink-haired girl slowly pouted while walking toward the arena.
Her mother had confiscated her favorite pillow before the tournament began.
Saying if she didn't properly participate—
she would never get it back.
Cruel.
Absolutely cruel.
Then—
Alyssa's sleepy pink eyes slowly shifted toward Selena.
And instantly—
they turned crimson.
A faint demonic pressure spread throughout the battlefield.
Alyssa blinked lazily.
…I'll win for you pillow.
Across the arena—
Selena froze completely.
Her instincts screamed immediately.
Because those crimson eyes no longer looked sleepy.
They looked monstrous.
Like the eyes of something pretending to be human.
Selena had already witnessed Alyssa during the entrance examination.
The way she erased everything in her path effortlessly.
That terrifying abnormality.
Yet part of Selena still held onto hope.
Maybe…
Maybe she could somehow fight back.
But now—
standing directly before that gaze—
her body trembled instinctively.
The announcer raised his hand.
"Begin—"
"I forfeit."
Silence.
"…Huh?"
Confused voices instantly spread throughout the stadium.
Several seniors looked visibly stunned.
Meanwhile—
I simply sighed softly.
…Good choice.
High above the arena—
Sylas narrowed his eyes slightly while staring at the pink-haired girl below.
"…So that's the girl with the Stigmata?"
Beside him—
the Crown Princess calmly nodded while keeping her sharp gaze fixed on Alyssa.
"Yes."
...
High above the arena—
the Crown Princess quietly observed the pink-haired girl below.
Ismeria Valerion's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"We still do not know which Demon King granted her the Stigmata…"
"…but she is undoubtedly a bearer."
Her calm voice carried a strange heaviness behind it.
Even Sylas' expression became more serious afterward.
Because a Stigmata was not some ordinary blessing.
It was proof.
Proof that an existence standing near the pinnacle of the demonic world had personally acknowledged someone.
And that alone was terrifying.
Ismeria's gaze remained fixed on Alyssa Croft silently.
Then—
a memory surfaced within her mind.
The day it happened.
Years ago—
a colossal beam of crimson light had suddenly erupted near the Croft family estate.
The heavens themselves had seemed to split apart.
Even from the Royal Capital—
the phenomenon had been visible.
Panic instantly spread throughout the kingdom.
The Church moved immediately.
The Royal Family personally investigated.
Several high-ranking hunters and archmages rushed toward the Croft territory expecting catastrophe.
Yet when they arrived—
only silence remained.
And standing there amidst the destroyed land—
was Marian Croft.
The SS-Class Archmage.
Her expression back then had been cold enough to freeze the atmosphere itself.
No one dared question her.
No one dared step past her.
Because every single person there understood something clearly.
If they attempted to touch that child—
Marian Croft would kill them all.
Ismeria slowly exhaled afterward.
Her gaze quietly returned toward Alyssa below.
The sleepy pink-haired girl was currently yawning while rubbing her eyes lazily.
Completely harmless on the surface.
Yet hidden beneath that appearance—
was an existence even the kingdom treated cautiously.
...
Soon afterward—
the updated tournament standings for the semifinals were finally displayed across the massive magical screen above the arena.
Because Reinheart Verilian and Yelena Zephyr's duel had ended in a draw—
the tournament structure itself had slightly changed.
Alyssa Croft—
was automatically advanced to the finals.
Several students immediately erupted into discussion afterward.
Some looked relieved.
Others looked horrified.
Meanwhile—
my crimson eyes quietly shifted toward the next announced match.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Semifinals — Tomorrow
Noctis (#1)
Versus
Samuel Crimson (#2)
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The atmosphere inside the stadium instantly changed.
Because unlike the previous matches—
this battle was different.
This was not simply another duel between talented cadets.
No.
This was a collision between the two greatest monsters of the first years.
The battle everyone had secretly anticipated ever since the entrance examination.
The undefeated rank one.
Against the prodigy blessed with a system.
And whoever won this match—
would advance to the finals against Alyssa Croft.
The entire stadium buzzed with excitement afterward.
Even the higher years narrowed their eyes seriously now.
High above—
Sylas slowly leaned forward slightly with interest.
Even Ismeria's sharp golden gaze focused silently on the arena.
Because honestly—
no one could predict the outcome anymore.
Then—
I felt it.
A gaze.
My crimson eyes slowly shifted sideways.
Samuel Crimson was staring directly at me.
The frustration from earlier had disappeared completely.
Only battle intent remained now.
Faint traces of heat distorted the air around him unconsciously.
Meanwhile—
I quietly stared back at him.
Silence.
Yet the pressure between us alone made several nearby students tense instinctively.
Then—
a small grin slowly appeared on Samuel's face.
Not arrogance.
Excitement.
Because tomorrow—
he would finally fight the one person in this academy he truly viewed as an equal.
And honestly—
so would I.
Beside me—
Clara Taylor suddenly glanced in my direction.
Her expression looked unusually complicated.
"…You're seriously fighting Samuel tomorrow?"
I glanced at her lazily.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"…Do you think I'm going to lose?"
"…Uh."
For once—
Clara genuinely didn't know how to answer.
Because honestly—
this situation made absolutely no sense to her.
Samuel Crimson was supposed to be the protagonist.
The main character of the novel.
The monster destined to stand at the very top.
She herself had created him.
His growth.
His system.
His talents.
His future.
Everything.
And yet—
Clara's eyes quietly shifted toward the white-haired boy sitting beside her.
Toward Noctis.
No—
toward the anomaly that should not even exist.
Ever since his appearance—
the story had begun changing more and more violently.
Characters behaved differently around him.
Events shifted unnaturally.
Even the main cast themselves were changing.
Silver smiled now.
Yelena cried publicly.
Samuel had nearly lost control emotionally.
And somehow—
instead of fearing that change—
Clara found herself wanting to support it.
Wanting to support him.
That alone confused her the most.
Because this world wasn't supposed to revolve around Noctis.
It revolved around Samuel Crimson.
…Right?
Clara quietly looked away afterward while holding an awkward expression.
"…Just don't die."
That made a small smirk appear on my face.