Chapter 93: Up to the Height

Sometimes, wanting to be worthy is not enough.
Not even pushing yourself to the limit—bleeding, shaking, enduring—guarantees anything.
The summit isn’t a place for dreamers, but for those who accept falling… and still climb again.

There are battles not fought for pride.
Nor for victory.
But to prove to yourself that the abyss beneath your feet… is not deeper than your will to jump—
and fly.

Because being worthy doesn’t always mean winning.
It means burning in the middle of judgment, body trembling, gaze unwavering.
It means that even when everything screams that you can’t… you try anyway.

Today, someone will decide whether their light is enough.
Today, someone will want to prove they can shine too.
Not for recognition.
Not for applause.
But to stay true to what they carry inside.

Because sometimes, the real battle is not defeating the enemy.
It’s defeating yourself.
And standing—if only for an instant—at the same height.

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

The crowd roared like a wild, uncontrollable sea.

Ad-nais! Ad-nais! Ad-nais!

Her name thundered through the coliseum, shaking the stands, the walls, the air itself.
In the middle of that storm of cheers, she stood firm.
Motionless.
Serene.
A marble statue untouched by chaos.

“I’ll… go first,” Zipacna said, breaking the silence in the group.

Yohei and Takahashi turned immediately.

“What?”

Zipacna stepped forward. His voice, though determined, trembled underneath.

“Sorry, Takahashi. You’ll have to wait a bit before having your fun.”

A faint, nervous smile crossed his lips as he clenched his fists.

“Still… this is the only way to defeat her.”

His words were brave, but his body betrayed him.
A line of sweat slid down his neck.
His hands trembled.
His legs kept tensing.

“That woman…” he whispered, swallowing hard. “She’s a true monster. She annihilated two Gold-Rank fighters without blinking. And… it feels like she hasn’t even started fighting seriously…”

Yohei observed him in silence. Then nodded to himself.

It’s risky, he thought. But it’s the best move.
If the brat can find even one weak point… we’ll still have a chance.

“I agree,” he said at last, crossing his arms firmly. “I’ll go second. But don’t you dare give up, brat. That arrogant woman… owes me a beating.”

Takahashi smiled. A brief, calm smile—the kind that appears when there are no doubts left.

“We’ll win.”

Together—no speeches, no dramatic poses—they bumped fists.
A promise sealed with nothing but trust.

Zipacna began walking toward the arena.
His steps were slow. Heavy.

Around him, the noise faded away.

There was no audience.
No gods.
No friends.

Only the sound of his heartbeat.

“Hah…” he chuckled under his breath. “I’d forgotten this feeling… The last time I felt it… was fighting Takahashi.”

Memories burned in his chest like embers.

“That time, I was arrogant. I got an unforgettable beating. But this time… it’s different. This time, I’m not alone. This time… I have people I can trust.”

He lifted his gaze. And there she was.

Waiting for him.

“That’s why… I’ll give everything I have. Until I have nothing left. Until… I’m worthy.”

Adnais looked at him with the eyes of a queen.
No expression.
No interest.
Only analysis.

“Hate to disappoint you,” Zipacna said with a shaky smile, “but… it’s still too early for the main show, don’t you think?”

She drew her sword with a movement so smooth it was threatening.

“Entertain me,” she said. “There are things I want to test.”

She pointed her blade at him. Her gaze was as cold as the steel she wielded.

“So that’s how it is…” Zipacna murmured, taking his combat stance.

And then—

The world stopped.

Only the wind whispered, sweeping across the arena.

Face to face.
Two figures.
Two forces.

The murmurs of gods, orcs, fairies, giants, dwarves, and yokai faded away.

Everyone held their breath.

“Begin!” Fujin thundered.

In a blink, Adnais vanished.

The dust lifted by her step remained suspended like a ghostly trail.

“W-What…!?” Zipacna barely reacted.

Suddenly—she was on top of him.

A brutal slash fell like a lightning bolt.
Zipacna twisted his body at the very last instant.

The ground shook.
The strike carved a crater and a cloud of dust.

Blood slid down his cheek.

A shallow cut… but enough to know he’d been a centimeter away from death.

In the stands, Yohei’s eyes widened.

I lost sight of her…
I couldn’t see her until the attack was already over.
Are there really people this strong…?

Adnais stepped out of the dust. Her sword dripped blood.

“You’re faster than I expected. I thought that strike would eliminate you.”

Her voice was calm. As if they were talking about the weather.

“But it seems… I’ll get to have some fun with you.”

And the smile she gave him at the end—

was not human.

Adnais’s eyes glowed with intensity.
Not with excitement.
Not with fury.
But with a cold, absolute certainty.
A certainty that pierced Zipacna’s back like an invisible spear.

He felt it.
He felt the difference.
That abyssal gap separating mortals… from prodigies.

If that strike had hit me… I’d be dead, he thought, his body still trembling.

Then he laughed.
Not out of joy.
Not out of courage.
A dry, absurd laugh—
the kind that defies every instinct for survival.

“Looks like you’re not holding back at all…”

He straightened his back.
Spread his arms.

And in an instant—
he erupted.

A massive orange aura burst from his body like a rising sun.
Heat rippled through the air. The ground cracked beneath his feet.
His eyes finally stopped shaking.

Enough of being afraid.
Enough of doubting.
If I want to achieve something… I can’t hesitate.
I must take a step forward… and win!

Dozens of solar spheres emerged around him.
Zipacna hurled them one after another, a barrage of enraged suns.

Adnais… smiled.

She leapt toward the attack. She didn’t dodge.
She cut through it.

One after another, the spheres were sliced apart by her sword as if they were vapor bubbles.
Her body moved with surgical precision, mechanical beauty—
each cut executed as if she had rehearsed it thousands of times in her mind.

Zipacna didn’t stop.

He raised his arms, summoning hundreds of magic circles that surrounded Adnais completely.

For a brief instant… even she opened her eyes in surprise.

Takahashi…

From the stands, he recognized it at once.

“That technique…” the prodigy murmured, caught between awe and pride.

Sorry, Takahashi… Zipacna thought. But I’ll borrow your technique.

“Burn!” he shouted.

The circles reacted in unison.

A colossal wave of heat swallowed the arena.
Light devoured the space. The crowd screamed.
The ground cracked. The air changed color.

“What an incredible technique!” Raijin shouted, face flushed with excitement.
“Participant Zipacna has forced Adnais into his game, landing a powerful attack that might have dealt real damage!”

But then—

A single line of light sliced through the flames.
Cutting everything.
The heat.
The hope.
The illusion.

Out of the fire…
Adnais emerged unharmed.

“What am I even seeing!?” Raijin roared.
“Participant Adnais Celestia is completely unscathed after taking that devastating attack head-on!
Is there any way to defeat this girl!?”

From the dust, Zipacna laughed again.
This time… with no strength.

“That’s the same question I have…”

Adnais patted her clothes lightly, putting out lingering flames with total calm.

“You truly surprised me,” she said, voice unbothered.
“I didn’t expect you to have something of that magnitude up your sleeve.”

“Sure enough… you’re quite interesting.”

Her eyes shifted.
A shadow crossed them.
A smile traced her lips.

And Zipacna froze.

“Could you entertain me a little longer?”

From the stands, Shun watched with a nervous smile.

“She’s… terrifying.”

Beside him, Ares frowned.

How can she be this strong? Even for a Celestia… this defies all logic.

Then he glanced sideways at Shun.

Although… he has never made sense either.

The battle resumed without warning.

Adnais sighed…

And launched forward.

A burst of thrusts crashed down on Zipacna like a rain of needles.
Every attack was precise.
Every cut a perfect signature of technique.

Zipacna held on. He moved.

But not enough.

His body began turning red.
Arms, legs, ribs… small wounds appearing one after another.

Adnais drove him back.
As if dragging him toward the edge of an abyss.

Until his back hit the coliseum wall.

“Got you.”

Her blade fell like lightning.

Zipacna dove to the side.
The attack struck the wall—

CRASH!

The impact shattered the structure… and wedged her sword between the stones.

“Got you,” Zipacna murmured, a spark of hope in his eyes.

A magic circle lit up behind him.

“What…?”

Adnais’s voice was a whisper.

“Burn.”

And then he understood.

That circle…
wasn’t his.

BOOM!

The explosion struck him directly in the back.
His body was sent flying, rolling across the ground.

“How is this possible!?” Shu shouted from the stands.
“Isn’t she supposed to only use light energy? How did she use a fire technique!?
And she saw it only once!?”

Afrodita watched in silence.

“That’s not all,” she said gravely.
“She… improved it.”

Adnais, her back still facing Zipacna, stared at her hands.

“There really are people with such curious techniques…”

On the ground, Zipacna struggled for breath.
Burn marks covered his body.
His face was… bewildered.

She saw it once… and copied it.
No—she didn’t copy it. She perfected it.

But the worst part…

She held back.

Adnais turned slowly.

Her voice was almost teasing—
but not cruel.

Just indifferent.

“What’s wrong? Can’t get up?”

“I thought I had adjusted the strength of the technique so I wouldn’t end the fight.”

“But it seems… I failed.”

What does that even mean…?

Zipacna, collapsed on the ground, could barely hold up his own body.
The heat that once surrounded him now weighed on his shoulders like chains.
But his mind refused to fall silent.

Has she been playing with me this whole time?
Just using me as an experiment?
Am I really… that pathetic?

His fingers curled against the ground.

No. Enough of that.

He stood up—staggering, wounded.
But something inside him began to burn beyond pain.

A dense, scorching aura burst from his body.
It was no longer just fire.
It was an affirmation.
A scream.

“Enough games…” he said through a broken voice. “I’ll make you take me seriously.”

Adnais watched him with reserved calm, as if she already knew what was coming.

“Relax. This time I’ll wait. I want to see what you’ve got.”

Zipacna closed his eyes.

This is everything I am.
The result of all my training.
This… is Zutarts.

“Lack: Helios!”

The shift was immediate.

A crown of fire appeared above his head.
A massive sun manifested behind his back.
And from it, wings of blazing fire burst forth—majestic and trembling.

But beyond what could be seen…

His eyes became unbreakable.

For the first time, Zipacna did not seem to doubt.

The coliseum erupted.
The crowd roared his name like he was a hero, a legend, a rising god.

Zipacna. Zipacna. Zipacna.

He floated, held aloft by sheer conviction, looking down at Adnais from the skies.
The heat distorted the air. The heavens themselves trembled.

“It’s time to end this game, don’t you think?”

Adnais raised her gaze.
Her lips curved into a faint smile.

“Do you know what’s best about watching someone fly so high?”

Zipacna frowned.

“What?”

Her voice was an icy whisper.

“That their fall is always the most tragic… and the most beautiful.”

Zipacna answered by summoning a massive solar sphere between his hands.
The battlefield cracked beneath him.
The ground split open.
The air… ignited.

A supernova was being born in his palms.

From above, the gods watched in silence.

Quetzalcóatl exhaled:

“So much power…”

Amaterasu murmured:

“Not bad…”

Ares, without taking his eyes off the fight, said a single word:

“Shun.”

And Shun, brow furrowed, nodded.

“Yeah. I know.”

On the ground, Zipacna’s teammates held their breath.

Yohei narrowed his eyes.

“He’s even stronger than when we fought…”

Takahashi clenched his teeth.

You really have grown stronger, my friend…

But even so…

“This is everything I’ve got,” Zipacna whispered.
His wings spread fully.

“Supernova!”

The incandescent sphere shot toward Adnais.
Not as an attack.
But as a declaration.

Adnais didn’t move.

The heat licked her skin.
The entire world seemed to shrink under the impending impact.

“It’s over…”

Then—
a different light emerged.

Shun, from his seat, raised his hand and generated a new barrier of energy, reinforcing the previous one.
He knew they would need it.

Adnais unsheathed her sword.

A smooth motion.
Elegant.
Lethal.

Slash.

The supernova was cut diagonally.
It didn’t explode.
It was cleaved—
as if it had never been a real threat.

The cut was so precise that its energy compressed—
and then detonated in a devastating shockwave.

The sky changed color.
The wind twisted.
The barriers cracked like glass.
The crowd screamed.

The blast hit Zipacna before he could react.

His divine form shattered.
And his body fell—
like a dying star.

CRASH.

“It’s over!” Raijin roared, breathless and on his feet.
“The second battle is over!
The winner is Adnais Celestia once again!”

The coliseum erupted into wild cheers.
The entire city trembled with the roar.

They had just witnessed the impossible.

Zipacna, lying on the ground, barely managed to murmur:

“I… lost…”

The medics rushed in, surrounded him, lifted him onto a stretcher.
His body was destroyed.
His spirit… far less so.

From the stands, Takahashi lowered his gaze.

“Zipacna…”

Yohei, however, didn’t blink.

Zipacna… I won’t let your effort be in vain.
I’ll take the baton.
And I’ll continue the race.

He clenched his fist.
His eyes… were ready.