The crowd refused to calm down, Lyrien’s name echoing again and again through the arena.

  From the stands, Toma leaned forward and yelled encouragement, his voice nearly swallowed by the noise. “Nice one!”

  Next to him, Arlen nodded with clear satisfaction. “There’s nothing accidental about this. She beat me too, because she deserved it.”

  Down in the arena, Velk was no longer composed. His expression twisted with rage as he glared at Lyrien.

  “How dare you humiliate me!?”

  He launched himself forward at full speed, abandoning any semblance of patience.

  Lyrien kept up effortlessly. At the very last moment, she slipped past his strike—and immediately countered. Her fist slammed hard into Velk’s stomach.

  The impact forced the air from his lungs. Velk dropped to one knee and drove his fist into the stone floor in frustration.

  The chanting only grew louder.

  “Lyrien! Lyrien! Lyrien!”

  The commentator’s voice rose in excitement, barely keeping pace with the roaring stands.

  “A magnificent counterattack! The audience is completely on Lyrien’s side now—what an incredible atmosphere!”

  Velk snapped.

  The cheers, the chants, the pressure—it was too much.

  “Enough… enough, enough!”

  He forced himself upright, veins standing out on his neck as he screamed his technique’s name into the arena.

  “I will not tolerate this humiliation!”

  “DELUGE!!!”

  Water surged violently above him.

  A massive sphere formed in the air, swelling larger and larger—like a gigantic, floating balloon made entirely of water.

  At the same time, mechanisms activated beneath the stands. From the base of the arena seating, an enormous glass wall began to rise.

  Gasps rippled through the crowd.

  “This is unbelievable!” the commentator shouted. “Velk is activating his strongest technique—Deluge! A massive protective glass barrier is being raised in front of the stands to keep the spectators safe!”

  The transparent wall continued rising, towering higher and higher.

  “Nearly fifty meters tall! This structure was specifically built to shield the audience from the destructive power of the student council president’s attacks!”

  The glass wall locked into place.

  Then—

  The colossal sphere of water crashed down.

  The impact was deafening.

  In an instant, the entire arena was swallowed by water, flooding from edge to edge until it resembled a gigantic swimming pool.

  Velk was completely at home beneath the surface.

  Underwater, his movements were smooth and effortless, as if the water itself were part of his body. Breathing came naturally to him down here.

  Lyrien, however, was different.

  Her lungs burned.

  Instinctively, she kicked upward, pushing through the heavy water, desperate to reach the surface and draw in air.

  She almost made it.

  Almost.

  The water suddenly twisted.

  From below, Velk exerted his control, and a powerful vortex formed around her body. The current yanked her back down, tearing her away from the surface and dragging her deep beneath the flooded arena.

  The commentator couldn’t stay silent.

  “This is Velk’s strongest technique—his true power, Deluge! With it, he can flood massive areas, control the water freely, and even breathe beneath the surface!”

  Lyrien was swept helplessly through the depths.

  The currents turned violent.

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  Using the water itself as a weapon, Velk slammed Lyrien’s body into one glass wall after another. Each impact rattled her bones, pain shooting through her limbs as the water crushed against her from all sides.

  Panic set in.

  Her chest burned.

  Her vision blurred.

  It hurts… I can’t breathe…

  Her thoughts broke apart, turning frantic and fragmented.

  Help… I can’t… go on… any… more…

  The last of her strength faded.

  Bubbles escaped her lips as her body went limp, consciousness slipping away into darkness.

  ***

  In the infirmary, a screen flickered with the live broadcast.

  Arvian watched, his eyes widening in horror as the scene unfolded.

  “This is bad… damn it, this has gone completely out of control! Lyrien’s in danger!”

  He clenched his fist, already moving.

  “I have to stop this match!”

  In the next instant, he was gone—leaving the infirmary as if he’d vanished on the spot.

  Back in the arena, Velk showed no intention of stopping.

  He seized Lyrien’s unconscious body and dragged her upward, breaking through the surface before lifting her high into the air.

  Then—

  He hurled her back down with full force.

  Water exploded outward as her body struck the flooded arena.

  A cruel sneer twisted his face.

  “Now you’ll learn what happens when you mess with me, you little brat.”

  Silence fell.

  The crowd froze.

  Even the commentator’s voice died in his throat.

  The entire arena seemed locked in place, stunned by the sheer brutality of the scene.

  Up in the stands, Arlen’s face drained of color.

  “This is insane—this should’ve been stopped already! She’s unconscious!”

  His panic spiked as he turned desperately toward his seat.

  “Toma! We have to tell the referee to stop the match—now!”

  No answer.

  Arlen spun around.

  Toma wasn’t there.

  “…Toma? Where did you go!?”

  Down below, Velk was already moving again.

  Underwater, he drew back his arm, gathering all his strength. The water around him churned violently as he prepared to crash down once more—intent on smashing Lyrien even harder.

  And then—

  Something happened.

  Something no one expected.

  A blue explosion slammed into the arena with tremendous force. As a result of the blast, all the water vanished. That massive explosion was Toma—who suddenly appeared right in front of Velk, standing with one arm extended, Velk’s fist caught in his open palm, blocking Velk’s strike.

  Toma’s gaze was unbelievably furious, an immense amount of Aima pouring out of him, almost frightening in its intensity. When Velk met those eyes, a powerful wave of fear ran straight through his body.

  With a sharp twist, Toma wrenched Velk’s arm aside and followed up immediately, driving a brutal kick into him and sending him crashing into the wall. Then he started walking forward—slowly, relentlessly, every step heavy with pressure.

  “You piece of shit!? Is this all you’ve got?!”

  The last word hadn’t even faded when Toma suddenly accelerated, his body surging forward, clearly intending to knock Velk out completely.

  Ice erupted in front of him.

  A solid wall rose between them, and Toma’s punch slammed into it with a deafening impact. He turned sharply—and froze.

  Arvian stood there, Lyrien unconscious in his arms.

  “Toma, stop. You’ve done enough.”

  The fury exploded out of him at once. “That bastard almost killed Lyrien!”

  Arvian’s jaw tightened. He was clearly just as furious, but his voice stayed controlled. “I know. And I feel the same way. But this isn’t the time. You’ll still get your chance to fight him properly. You’ll meet him again in the arena, and then you can go all out in front of everyone. If you beat him now, you only help him—you’ll be disqualified, and he’ll advance to the finals without even fighting.”

  He paused, locking eyes with Toma. “That works for me—I’ll face him in the final. But what about you? We agreed we’d fight each other there. Don’t let this asshole ruin our goal.”

  Toma stood there, fists trembling, then forced himself to take a long, deep breath. The storm around him slowly settled.

  “…Thanks, Arvian. You’re right.”

  Without wasting another second, Arvian shifted his grip on Lyrien. “I’m taking her to the infirmary. Her condition is serious.”

  Before leaving, he suddenly turned and pointed straight at the referee, his voice cutting like a blade. “And you—you corrupt piece of trash. How much did the student council president pay you to allow this? I’m a member of the Lysell family. Getting you fired would be effortless.”

  With that, Arvian carried Lyrien away toward the infirmary.

  Toma’s gaze slid back to Velk, cold and full of promise. “Listen carefully. I’ll deal with you in our match.”

  Then he turned and stormed toward the referee, grabbing him by the front and slamming punches into him. “You bastard! How long were you planning to let that match continue—until Lyrien died?!”

  The referee panicked, words tumbling out in desperation. “Wait! I can explain! I couldn’t see properly because of all the water, and I was just about to stop it!”

  Another punch cut him off. “I don’t give a damn about your lies!”

  Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around Toma from behind, restraining him completely. Arlen held him back with everything he had.

  “Toma, calm down. You’ll end up getting disqualified.”

  The headmaster stepped into the arena, his presence alone enough to quiet the chaos. Velk immediately seized the moment, his voice sharp with outrage.

  “Headmaster, you must disqualify this man! He interfered in an independent match and even turned violent toward the referee!”

  A slow shake of the head was the answer. “No. He did exactly what had to be done by stopping the match—and you should be ashamed of yourself.”

  The headmaster’s gaze hardened. “That said, assaulting the referee does warrant disqualification. However, there will be a full investigation into the corruption surrounding this match. As for you,” his eyes returned to Velk, “you should also be disqualified. You had every opportunity to stop the match long before it reached that point.”

  Toma stepped forward before the decision could settle. “Sir, I still have one match left. If I win, I’ll be facing Velk. Please—don’t disqualify anyone.”

  The headmaster folded his arms, clearly weighing the request. “This requires careful consideration.”

  Toma tilted his head slightly, a hint of confidence creeping in. “As far as I know, blue wigs modeled after my hair are already being sold around the academy. And judging by the noise, the spectators seem to be on my side. Would disqualifying me really be the best decision right now?”

  The reaction was immediate.

  “Toma! Toma! Toma!”

  The chant thundered through the arena, wave after wave of voices shaking the stands. Even the headmaster couldn’t ignore it.

  “Hm…” A faint smile appeared. “How cheeky. Very well. I like your attitude—and I cannot overlook the fact that if you hadn’t intervened, a serious tragedy would have occurred.”

  His voice carried across the arena. “I bear responsibility as well, and I offer my apology to Lyrien and to everyone present. This matter will be investigated thoroughly. The championship will continue shortly with Toma Sorien’s match. And I wish Lyrien a swift recovery.”

  Arlen practically exploded with relief. “That’s it, Toma! You did it!”

  The crowd erupted again, but this time the chant shifted—out of respect, out of concern.

  “Lyrien! Lyrien! Lyrien!”

  Toma turned back toward the headmaster. “May I ask for a little time first? I need to check on Lyrien.”

  A nod followed immediately. “Of course. Go ahead. I will visit her myself later.”