Chapter 92: The Grand Final of the GOD Tournament

There are battles born from duty.
Others, from resentment.
Some, from the simple desire to prevail.

But there are those…
that transcend pride and fear—
those that carry upon their shoulders the echo of lost generations,
the judgment of the gods,
and the hopes of those who can no longer fight.

Today is not just a duel.
It is the climax of an era.
The clash between what we were and what we could become.

And though the name says it all — The Grand Final of the Tournament of GOD —
only those who step onto that battlefield will truly understand what it means to win…
and how much is lost in doing so.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The coliseum erupted in cheers.
The stands trembled under the weight of weeks of anticipation.
Flags, chants, confetti, lights—every corner was alive.
The air was electric.
There wasn’t a single soul who didn’t feel the tension…
not a single heart that didn’t pound with force.

Raijin raised his voice, amplified by the very energy of the stadium.

“How’s everyone doing?! Welcome to the Grand Final of the Tournament of GOD!”

The crowd roared.

“A final that has kept the entire world holding its breath! A final thrilling to mention alone!”

As Raijin spoke, the cameras panned to the center of the coliseum and then to each end of the field, where the contenders waited with eyes of steel.

“Today, two colossal forces face off. On one side, the Zutarts Institute…”

Three students from the mentioned school stepped forward.
Serious. Determined. Unbreakable.

“A team that has shocked the world since the very first round. Just a year ago, they were eliminated without glory in their opening match! But everything changed with the arrival of the phenomenon: Takahashi Kazukane. A warrior who single-handedly reduced the Shamqui Institute to rubble in the first round. No compassion. No mercy. No rival.”

The screens projected images of that lightning-fast massacre.

“In the second round, he led his team against the GODS Institute. Although the match was interrupted by external causes, GODS’ tactical withdrawal sealed Zutarts’ victory, granting them direct passage to the semifinals… where they faced none other than last year’s runner-up: the fearsome Nede Institute.”

Fragments of the massive battle filled the screens—fists, powers, screams, and Zutarts’ brilliant victory.

“And now… they are here.”

Behind the curtains, Zef watched Yohei, who wore the Zutarts uniform as if it weighed on him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked in a low tone.

Yohei clenched his fists.

“I still wonder what the hell I’m doing here… I shouldn’t be. I was defeated by Zipacna in that battle.”

“You’re here because you earned it,” Zef replied without hesitation. “And they know it too.”

The camera caught Zipacna exchanging a respectful glance with Takahashi—sharp and mutual as polished steel.

“If you weren’t strong enough, you wouldn’t be here. You know that.”

“There’s someone else who should be in this final… He never lost.”

Zef nodded with regret.

“Maybe… but you know he’s in no condition. Not now.”

Yohei swallowed.

“Is he… here?”

“Yes. But he’s not the same anymore. Something broke inside him.”

High above the coliseum, far from everyone, Eden stood alone.
His silhouette framed against the sky, his gaze as cold as the edge of a blade.
He watched the battlefield in silence, like an exiled god who no longer belonged to this world.

From afar, the remaining GODS students looked at him, wordless.

“Are you sure about this?” Violet asked, uneasy. “Do you really not want to go to him? You haven’t seen him since you returned from Zutarts.”

Shu lowered his eyes.

“Since that day… he hasn’t stopped. Mission after mission. As if he were trying to destroy himself.”

“What really happened?” Violet insisted.

“Only he knows,” Shu replied with sorrow.

“That idiot…” Yuki muttered, arms crossed. “He’s become even more of an idiot.”

Afrodita, distant, closed her eyes.
A sharp memory returned without warning.

Flashback

“Eden, how are you feeling? Are you any better?” Afrodita asked gently.

Eden, lying on the hospital cot, eyes empty, muttered:

“Kill…”

“Huh? What are you saying?”

“I have to kill them… every last one of them. They’ll suffer… I’ll make them suffer for everything… those damned bastards.”

His body began to emit a dark, dense, sickening energy.

“Mo—”

Before he could finish the word, Shun drove a precise strike straight into his head, slamming it against the cot.

“Shun!” Afrodita yelled.

“Stop saying stupid crap, you idiot!” Shun roared. “Do you seriously think this is the moment to talk like that? Have you forgotten the dead? Get a grip already!”

Eden lifted his face, his gaze ice-cold.

“I’ll erase them with my own hands. All of them. Every single one will pay. They’ll suffer so much the underworld will feel like a playground.”

“Eden…”

“Shun! They took everything from me! My family! My friends! My peace! Do you think I could ever forgive them?”

Eden glared at him, resentment boiling beneath the surface.

“Tell me, what would you do if they took everything from you?”

Shun fell silent.
Not out of fear.
But out of respect for the pain in front of him.

“You don’t know, do you? Of course not… you’ve always had power. You don’t know what it’s like to love and lose. You don’t know what it feels like…”

“Eden!”

Before Afrodita could intervene, Shun raised a hand to stop her.
He looked at Eden—more human than ever—and without another word, he turned around.

“When I find out something about them, I’ll tell you. I’ll move heaven and earth to find their hideout. And when I do… we’ll go after them. Understood?”

Eden stared at him in confusion, but Shun was already walking away, carrying with him the last spark of hope.

Afrodita, in silence, thought:

Shun…

Back to the present.

From the upper stands, Aphrodite watched in complete stillness, arms crossed, her gaze hidden beneath a shadow of doubt.

“Ever since that day, Eden hasn’t stopped taking missions from the Twelve Families,” she reflected in silence.
“What is he really searching for?”

The perspective now shifted to one of the underground locker rooms—a place so tense it felt as if the air itself could snap.
There stood the three representatives of Zutarts Academy.

“Are you nervous?” Zipacna asked, adjusting the gloves of his combat uniform.

“No,” Takahashi replied, a contained smile forming. “I’m excited. I’ve been waiting months for this. I won’t hold back.”

Zipacna let out a small laugh and nodded.

“I expected nothing less.”

His gaze grew serious, weighing every word.

“This will be a brutal match… they’re real monsters. I don’t know if we’ll win, but I’ll fight until the end.”

Takahashi lowered his head. The darkness of his memories caught him for a moment.

“Ever since that day… I still have nightmares,” he confessed.

In his mind, the image was painfully clear: Puppet’s invisible blade piercing through his back, the cold sensation of death breathing against his ear.

“I thought I was going to die. If it hadn’t been for you two… I wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

He lifted his head, eyes burning with a mixture of anxiety and desire.

“And I’m still not satisfied. I want my rematch against him.”

He saw it again—
the exact moment Eden’s eyes lit up with inhuman fury.
A power as pure as it was terrifying.

“Those eyes… they burned with an impossible fire. He looked invincible. Damn it… if only—”

“I’m sure he feels the same frustration,” Zipacna interrupted, crossing his arms. “But now you have the chance to show the world who you really are, Takahashi.”

Zipacna raised his fist.
Takahashi didn’t hesitate.
Their knuckles collided—sharp, firm. A wordless promise.

“Yeah!”

Meanwhile, at the center of the coliseum, Raijin’s voice ignited the crowd once more.

“And on the other side! The second participant! The reigning champions of the tournament! Wataraha Academy, here to defend their title with honor!”

The cameras zoomed in on the rival trio. Fierce stares. An overwhelming presence.

“As last year’s champions, Wataraha advanced directly into the semifinals, where they faced—
and crushed—
Nekiams Academy!”

The screens showed the aftermath of that battle: students from Nekiams unconscious, bloodied, sprawled across the remains of a shattered arena.
In the center of that devastation stood a single figure, like a queen among ruins: a woman with unwavering golden eyes.

“A full-scale battle where only one was needed! The number one student in the ranking—Adnais Celestia! Her light power obliterated all fourteen enemy combatants!”

The audience roared with madness.

“Who will win today’s grand final?” Raijin continued.
“Will it be Zutarts, delivering the unexpected blow?
Or Wataraha, maintaining their reign?”

A dramatic pause.

“We’ll find out… right here… and right now.”

The coliseum lights went out in an instant. A reverent silence swept across the stadium—until a flash ignited the sky.
Huge holograms came to life, projecting luminous figures above the crowd.

“Allow me to present the six warriors who have proven they have the strength, courage, and spirit to be here today, chasing victory!”

The spotlight illuminated the Zutarts side.

“For the Zutarts Academy! A student of rival origin! A prodigy! Son of an Olympian god… a member of the High Council!
Ladies and gentlemen… the Heir of Thunder… Yohei Aktína!”

Lightning crackled around the hologram as Yohei’s determined face appeared onscreen.
At his feet, the label shimmered:

“Gold Rank No. 5”

The Greek audience burst into proud screams.

“But that’s not all!” Raijin continued.
“We still have more surprises!”

“A brilliant young man with both mind and heart! Son of the Champion of the Sky Tournament!
The strategist who guided his team this far!
Give it up for—Zipacna Cuxtal!”

Two golden suns rose from the ground. Their light struck the hologram, causing a radiant explosion that revealed his image.

“Gold Rank No. 4”

From the stands, his people chanted his name over and over.

Zipacna swallowed hard, overwhelmed.

“Guys…”

“And finally—” Raijin lowered his voice, then raised it with explosive force,
“this great young man… who doesn’t lead with wisdom or strategy… but with sheer strength.”

“The Aztec prodigy! The living flame of battle! The warrior whose fire burns hotter than hell itself!
Ladies and gentlemen… Takahashi Kazukane!”

Real flames erupted at high speed, engulfing the hologram until, rising from the ashes, Takahashi’s blazing image appeared.

“Gold Rank No. 2”

The roar of the coliseum shook the air.
Smiling, Takahashi lifted his gaze.

“Today… I’ll show not just you, Eden, how strong I’ve become…
I’ll show the entire world who I really am.”

His eyes searched for Eden.

He found them.

Takahashi radiated fire, hope, and youth.

Eden answered with an unfathomable abyss—

the soul of someone who no longer sought glory,
but redemption.

Raijin raised his arm with electrifying energy, infecting the crowd with barely contained euphoria.

“Alright, alright—calm down!” his amplified voice roared. “We’re not done yet! We still have the three representatives of Wataraha Academy!”

The roar from the Japanese section erupted like an ancient beast awakening. Flags, lights, and chants shook the air with patriotic frenzy.

“First… he is known as the Indestructible Wall. An impenetrable warrior, master of absolute defense… I give you… Golmus Kattaro!”

The ground at the center of the arena trembled. Cracks spread across the stone as a colossal figure rose from the earth like a living mountain.
His roar echoed like an earthquake, and his gigantic fist smashed against the hologram, leaving a glowing fracture that morphed into his portrait.

Golmus ‘The Indestructible Wall’ – Gold Rank No. 7

The yokai crowd exploded. Guttural cries, wild applause, war drums.
The symbol of resistance had arrived.

“Excited yet?” Raijin continued with teasing flair. “Because we’re not done!”

“Also representing Wataraha… a student nicknamed the ‘Feline Thunderbolt’ for his superhuman agility and blinding speed! Give a warm welcome to… Kilax Katkei!”

An animalistic roar tore through the coliseum like lightning. The earth vibrated, and the hologram appeared shredded from side to side by invisible claws. From the fractured lights emerged a fierce image: a warrior with tiger-like features, whiskers, gleaming claws, and fangs capable of crushing steel.

Kilax Katkei – Gold Rank No. 6

The audience responded with a feral roar, driven mad by Kilax’s beastly presence. He delivered a roar of his own, raising his arms, demanding respect.

“And now…” Raijin lowered his voice, weaving silence through the air. “Now comes the final name. The summit. The chosen one. The girl who has not been surpassed—not once—all year.”

The coliseum lights shut off.
The night sky cleared instantly.
A starry vault illuminated the arena as celestial trumpets echoed from afar, as though true angels were announcing her arrival.

Raijin exhaled, almost whispering:

“The angel of the new light… Adnais… Celestia.”

From the heavens, a figure descended wrapped in divine radiance.
Snow-white skin. Wings of golden feathers. An aurora crowning her head. Eyes brighter than the sun itself.
The wind curved around her. The world seemed to fall silent.

In the stands, Shun watched her with grave seriousness, saying nothing.

Shu, meanwhile, took an involuntary step back.

“Is… is this even possible?” he whispered, paralyzed. “How can someone possess such power?”

Celestial music was suddenly joined by war drums, epic violins, and dark trumpets.
Liquid gold coated the hologram, and at its center appeared the imposing image of the young woman.

Adnais Celestia – Gold Rank No. 1

Ares glanced sideways at Shun.

“Shun…”

“Yes. I know,” Shun muttered, frozen. “That girl is—”

“Well, well,” interrupted a familiar voice. “Looks like she made it this far, Shun…”

Eschatos.
Grinning arrogantly from his royal balcony, seated among gods and kings.

“Seems like today is going to be fun,” he added, a cruel gleam in his eyes.

The two men stared at each other from afar.
The king smiled with mockery.
Shun… with absolute coldness.

In the center of the field, the six participants finally stood face to face.
Their gazes clashed like sharpened blades. Wills collided without anyone taking a single step.

Except one.

Adnais seemed to ignore everyone.
Her eyes remained fixed on her sword, as if destiny itself was a trivial matter.

From the Zutarts zone, Zipacna frowned.

“She… she knows none of us are a match for her,” he thought, the weight of that truth crushing his chest.

His gaze shifted from Takahashi… to Adnais.

“Not even Takahashi. She’s on another level. I can’t feel her limit…”

“The only way to win is to defeat the other two. If we do that… the outcome between those two won’t matter.”

He watched the boy closely.

“How will he take it…?”

Then he saw it.
Takahashi, with a radiant smile, walking up to Adnais to shake her hand.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Takahashi!” he announced, eyes sparkling with childish excitement.

Zipacna exhaled with a resigned smile.

“What was I worried about…? That look says everything. He doesn’t want to avoid her… he wants to fight her.”

Adnais, surprised, accepted the handshake.

“N-Nice to meet you…”

“I hope we have a fun match,” he said with pure sincerity.

“Y-Yes…”

Raijin cleared his throat into the mic, seizing the world’s attention.

“Attention, attention.”

Silence washed over the audience.
The participants’ expressions tensed.

Shun gritted his teeth.

“Don’t tell me…”

“Looks like I forgot one tiny detail,” Raijin said, wearing a disturbingly playful smile.

“As you all know, this final is a 1 vs 1 match, with three total battles!” he announced theatrically.
“But now… the king has decided to add certain modifications!”

Every expression changed instantly.

“First rule,” Raijin declared, “the winner of a match does not secure total victory. They must wait… to fight again after the first round ends.”

Zipacna’s eyes widened.

“What? More than one match!?”

“Second rule: if after the first round a team is left with only one fighter, that combatant may choose their opponent. If they win, they advance to the final… with a brief rest before the deciding battle.”

Aphrodite narrowed her eyes.

“This won’t end until only one remains…”

“Third rule: if only members of the same team remain, they can choose between two options—
One: fight each other.
Or two: vote for the winner.”

Yohei clenched his fists.

“It’s a trap. If that woman is still standing… none of this matters. Her victory will be inevitable.”

Takahashi closed his eyes, inspired.

“So… teamwork means nothing here. Only the strongest will remain.”

Zipacna’s gaze hardened.

“They knew. They planned all of this to force Takahashi and Adnais to clash. Even if we win the other duels… they won’t allow us to avoid that collision.”

His eyes studied both of them.

Two stars destined to collide.

Shun lifted his gaze toward the royal balcony.

“They never expected alternatives. They never sought fairness. They only want… entertainment.”

Then it fell.

A black curtain descended across the sky, covering the coliseum.
Upon it, twisted smiles slowly appeared—those of the gods.
Mocking faces. Gleaming eyes. Silent laughter.

They watched.
They judged.
They delighted.

And the world…
was nothing more than their stage.

The clouds hung motionless over the coliseum, as if the very sky were holding its breath.
Among the stands, hidden in the shadows, Quetzalcóatl clenched his teeth discreetly.

Those bastards… he thought.

“What troubles you?” asked Amaterasu calmly, her eyes never leaving the field. “You seem tense.”

“You… already knew?”

“No. But it was to be expected.”

The goddess tilted her head slightly, her tone serene—almost prophetic.

“We both know what those monsters are after. They know that if Adnais doesn’t fight, the disappointment would be… inconceivable.”

“And it seems they found a way to drag her into the field,” Quetzalcóatl muttered, forcing a faint, joyless smile. “Do you think praying will help?”

“Who knows,” Amaterasu replied with an enigmatic smile. “Perhaps the god of fortune will listen to you this time.”

“I hope so…”

An aerial shot revealed the magnitude of the event: the stadium overflowed with life. Creatures from every world, race, and dimension chanted names, waved banners, and roared with voices intertwined like a single soul craving blood and glory.

“Have you already decided who’ll fight first?” asked Fujin, directing the question to the Wataraha team.

Golmus stepped forward with a firm stride, arms crossed.

“Yes, I will—”

But his sentence was brutally cut off as his massive body was slammed into the ground with overwhelming force. His enormous torso was driven head-first into the earth, dust rising like a stunned witness.

Standing before him, expression emotionless, was Adnais.

“I will be the first to fight,” she declared.

A brief silence preceded the uproar.
The crowd erupted.
Cameras zoomed in on the high gods—some surprised, others… entertained.

Kilax stormed forward, furious.

“What the hell are you doing, Adnais?! That wasn’t the plan! You were supposed to fight last!”

She looked at him as if seeing him for the first time—bored, unimpressed.

“Waiting that long bores me.”

“What did you just say?!” Kilax snarled, his claws trembling with rage.

From the stands, Zipacna let out an awkward laugh.

“They don’t seem to get along very well…”

“Yeah…” Yohei muttered, raising an eyebrow.

Adnais smiled calmly and rang a small silver bell that no one had noticed until now.
The sound was soft. Almost mocking.

“How about we make this more interesting?”

Kilax scowled.

“What do you mean?”

All eyes turned to her. The tension was thick enough to cut.
Then Adnais extended her hand, the little bell dangling between her fingers.

“If the two of you manage to touch this bell… I’ll let you fight before me.
But if I knock you out first… then I will fight all three matches.”

The stadium exploded.

Gasps. Laughter. Outrage. Murmurs. Disbelief.
The uproar rippled through the crowd in waves, as if no one could fully process what they’d just heard.

“This is insane!” Raijin bellowed in his signature over-the-top tone. “Never seen before! Adnais Celestia challenges her own teammates for the right to fight first!”

Zipacna swallowed hard, eyes locked on her.

“This is… real?”

“Hey, hey!” Yohei cut in, offended. “Stop underestimating us! Do you really think you can fight three matches in a row without losing?!”

Adnais looked at him.
Her voice was firm—like a divine decree:

“Yes.”

“You damn brat…”

Takahashi raised his hand.

“Your Majesty… is this allowed?”

“Takahashi?!” Zipacna and Yohei blurted at once.

From the royal balcony, Eschatos snapped his fingers, smiling with cynical delight.

“Very well. Why not?”

“You can’t be serious…” Kilax muttered, exasperated.

“It’s official!” Raijin shouted. “Adnais Celestia will face Kilax Katkei and Golmus Kattaro simultaneously! A bold gamble that could reshape the entire tournament!”

“If she wins, she earns the right to fight in all three matches! And if she loses… she forfeits her place!”

“This is history in the making!”

The scene shifted. Adnais stretched her arms calmly as her future opponents prepared at the edge of the field.

Kilax’s brow was furrowed in pure irritation.
Golmus, still marked by fresh wounds, clenched his fists with restrained fury.

“We’re wiping that idiot smile off her face,” Kilax spat.

“Yes…” Golmus growled.

“She’s underestimated us from the start. Time to teach her a lesson.”

“No holding back. Even if she’s a Celestia… she’s not invincible.”

They bumped fists, invoking their fighting spirit.

From the opposite end of the field, the Zutarts team watched in silence.

“I guess you could say we got a little lucky,” Zipacna remarked. “No matter what happens, we win either way.”

“That brat…” Yohei grumbled. “She’s treated us like garbage from the beginning. You two would make a great pair, you know… brat to brat.”

But Takahashi didn’t respond.
His eyes were fixed on Adnais.
Silent. Serious. Absorbed.

This is the second time I’ve witnessed such power… so overwhelming… he thought.

A fleeting image flashed in his mind: Edén, engulfed in an impossible aura on that forgotten battlefield.

And not only that… since we arrived here… her power keeps growing.
Second by second… she becomes stronger.

The camera slowly descended, resting on Adnais’s face.

She was no longer smiling.

Only the absolute calm of someone who is not expecting the future…

…but someone who has already seen it.

“Are you all ready for this incredible match?!” Raijin roared, raising both arms high.

The crowd answered with an earth-shaking roar.
An ocean of voices, applause, drums, and flags waving wildly in the wind.

“Begin!” Fujin ordered, launching the battle.

Not wasting a single heartbeat, Kilax and Golmus shot forward like projectiles. Their bodies tore through the air with violent force, shockwaves bursting behind them as they charged at Adnais.

Her response was immediate: a graceful footwork sequence, gliding between their attacks as if she saw them before they even happened. Punches, sweeps, claws, charges… every single strike missed.
Adnais dodged with the precision of a divine clock.

In the stands, Shu stared with his eyes stretched wide.

“She's so fast… I can barely follow her movements…”

A few seats below, Zef clenched his teeth with a mix of admiration and frustration.

“So this is the level I’m aiming for… damn it, she’s far…”

A faint blue spark flickered above Kilax and Golmus’ heads—their Zenka had synced.

“Ready?” Golmus asked mentally.

“Yes!” Kilax replied, brimming with energy.

“Mud Flood!”

Golmus slammed his arms into the ground. As if releasing an invisible dam, a massive wave of mud and rock erupted beneath their feet, surging toward Adnais with a deafening roar.

But she didn’t move.

With a calm, almost bored gaze, she unsheathed her sword and delivered an impossible flurry of cuts. Waves of blade pressure shredded the flood again and again, pulverizing it into thousands of fragments scattering across the battlefield.

And just then—
From within the debris, Kilax burst forward. A perfect ambush. His hand stretched toward the silver bell—

“Hyaaah!” Adnais shouted.

Her spinning kick struck his ribs with brutal force. Kilax flew like a ragdoll, slamming hard into a wall of mud erected by Golmus, barely softening the impact.

“Are you okay?!” the giant shouted in panic.

Kilax stumbled out of the mud, gasping for breath.

“Y-Yeah… I think so…”

The crowd exploded. No one wanted to blink.
The speed.
The precision.
The sheer brutality.

“What an incredible fight we’re witnessing!” Raijin yelled. “The Wataraha pair attacks relentlessly, but Adnais shuts them down with cold, surgical mastery!”

The girl twirled her sword between her fingers, unimpressed.

“Come on… I’m getting bored.”

Golmus clenched his fists.

“Damn you…”

“It’s time to teach her a lesson,” Kilax muttered, eyes blazing.

The coliseum fell silent—as if the world itself stopped.

Then the air cracked.

A violent explosion of energy erupted from Kilax’s body. The sky trembled. The earth split beneath his feet.

“What power…” Yuki whispered, paralyzed.

“小白虎 — Lesser Byakko,” Kilax announced.

A torrent of white energy burst from his body. His skin grew coated in snowy fur as his muscles expanded, shaping him into a powerful, ferocious white beast.

From the stands, Edén watched with a flicker of intrigue.

That transformation…

But there was no time to think.

Adnais raised her sword—
and vanished.

“Where…?” Golmus uttered, disoriented.

Kilax barely opened his eyes when—
Adnais appeared before him like a ghost born from the wind.

“What—?!” he managed to say before a devastating punch smashed into his chest.

The impact sent him flying like a projectile. His body pierced through the coliseum dome, shattering it as he spat blood into the sky before vanishing out of sight.

“You’ve got to be kidding…” Golmus murmured, frozen.

Adnais slowly turned her head toward him.

The look she gave him…
was not human.

A bead of sweat slid down Golmus’s forehead. His breath faltered.
Fear swallowed him whole.

He ran.

But the wind betrayed him.

Adnais was no longer there.

One second later, she appeared behind him.
With a clean, sharp blow, Golmus collapsed unconscious, his body falling like a puppet with cut strings.

Silence.

The entire stadium… fell dead quiet.

Only the wind could be heard.

Adnais stood tall at the center of the coliseum, untouched.
Her hair fluttered softly.
Her sword rested in her hand.
Her eyes… empty.

The camera focused on Raijin, jaw hanging open.

“Eh… uh…” He shook his head, grabbed the mic, and shouted:

“It’s over!!”

The roar of the crowd shattered the trance.

“Adnais Celestia wins this improvised battle!” Raijin bellowed, sweating from the intensity. “She has shown overwhelming strength, wiping out her own Gold-Rank teammates without mercy!”

From his seat, Zipacna swallowed hard.

“This is real…? She didn’t even break a sweat…”

He turned to his team, doubt lurking in his eyes.

“And we’re supposed to fight that monster?”

Yohei clenched his fist.

“We have to win… no matter what…”

Takahashi, however, smiled like a child faced with a new challenge.

“This is going to be fun…”

Amid the uproar, Adnais lifted her gaze.

Her eyes found Shun among the crowd.

For a single instant, the world stopped again.

Someday… she thought, someday I will defeat you.