The ice dome held.
Flames of Hell struck the dome.
Outside, the sea of crimson fire raged against it — a roaring inferno that consumed everything in its path. The heat was so intense that even the spectators in the highest rows felt its warmth.
Steam blurred the vision of the spectators. Professors edged forward in their seats. Conversations erupted. Nobody knew what was happening inside.
Inside, silence.
Rush's arms trembled. His breath came in shallow, ragged gasps. Every ounce of his being was focused on maintaining the dome. The strain burned through every part of him.
Frieren — the ice held.
Something was glowing above Rush. He looked up.
A double-layered barrier covered the inside of the dome. The second layer of protection. It was the twins' doing.
Kurt looked at his sister.
"Why are the barriers inside the dome?!"
"Don't know. His dome is restricting magic," Patricia said.
Rush looked at Patricia. She was watching him. Her expression was unreadable.
Then— Richard collapsed.
His body hit the frozen stone. The crimson flames around his hands died instantly. His chest rose and fell, but his eyes were closed. Unconscious.
Patricia's gaze shifted to her brother. Her jaw tightened. She said nothing.
The flames raged for what felt like an eternity.
Then— they began to recede.
The crimson sea slowly withdrew, contracting inward until it had nothing left to feed on. The volcanic stone beneath it was blackened and cracked. The frozen ground around Rush's dome was the only thing untouched.
Silence settled over Eta.
"Let go of the dome, child. It's safe now," Beelzebub said.
The dome shattered into thousands of glittering fragments.
Ice fragments scattered across the arena floor. Rush stumbled forward, barely catching himself. His body screamed in protest—every muscle, every joint, every breath.
Patricia and Kurt were standing. Their barrier had held. Richard lay unconscious behind them.
The mana screen flickered. The runes along the arena boundary dimmed.
The match was not stopped. The runes had not triggered.
The crowd erupted—not in cheers, but in noise. Confusion. Shock. Questions.
"What happened?"
"The flames—they didn't stop the match—"
"The runes didn't trigger—"
Rush understood why. The runes were designed to stop spells that would cause fatal harm to unprotected students. The runes calculated risk. Four combatants. A dome. A barrier inside it. The math said survivable. And they survived.
Rush straightened. His vision blurred for a moment, then cleared. He knew the battle was not over.
He looked at Patricia and Kurt across the arena. They were breathing hard. Their movements were slower than before. The battle had drained them too.
"They're exhausted too,"Beelzebub said.
And that's enough for me, Rush thought.
He had one chance. One final push.
Patricia was studying him. Her eyes moved across his stance, his breathing, the way he held himself. She knew. She knew he couldn't hold on much longer.
Their eyes met. Neither moved. The arena held its breath.
Then—
Both disappeared.
Patricia dashed straight toward Rush. Rush dashed toward her. At least — That's what everyone thought.
Halfway through — Rush changed direction. Flash Step. Straight toward Kurt.
Kurt's eyes widened.
"So fast—"
Golden mana exploded around him. A barrier began forming. Half complete.
Rush was already there. His foot crashed into the unfinished barrier.
CRACK!
The barrier shattered instantly.
Kurt stumbled backward, off balance, unable to process what had just happened.
Rush didn't stop.
He planted one foot against the broken barrier, vaulted over Kurt's shoulder, and landed behind him.
His hands caught Kurt's collar. And ripped the marker free.
Before Kurt could understand what had happened — Rush threw him across the frozen battlefield.
Kurt rolled several meters before coming to a stop. Eliminated.
The crowd gasped.
"Rush!"
Patricia was already there.
Rush twisted. Her sword grazed Rush's arm, tearing through cloth and drawing a thin line of blood.
At the same instant — Patricia's free hand reached his collar.
Click.
Rush's marker came loose. But Rush had already moved. His fingers brushed Patricia's collar as they crossed.
The exchange lasted less than a heartbeat.
Both landed several steps apart. Silence spread.
Patricia smiled faintly.
She lifted her hand, holding the marker aloft. A flicker of triumph crossed her face. She thought she had won.
Rush looked at her. Then slowly opened his own hand. Two mana markers rested on his palm.
Patricia's smile disappeared. Her hand instinctively reached for her collar.Empty.
Her marker was gone.
For the first time since the battle began — she looked genuinely surprised.
Kurt looked down at his own collar.
Rush held her gaze. Then he looked past her, toward Richard's unconscious form.
Rush smiled. It was thin. Exhausted.
"...Looks like Richard saved you."
Richard's marker was still on his collar.
The mana screen flickered.
[ Winner: Squad Two ]
The crowd went completely silent. Then — erupted. A match where both sides had lost markers, where the unconscious had decided the outcome.
"What happened?!"
"Did he just eliminate both twins?!"
"When did Patricia lose her marker?"
"I didn't even see it!"
"He changed directions!"
"He outplayed them!"
"He almost won!"
Cheers. Shouts. And disbelief.
Every spectator seemed to be arguing over the final exchange.
Professor Spellworth looked toward Rosetta. She merely smiled.
"I told you."
Rush stood where he was for another moment. His knees finally gave out.
He stumbled, breathing hard. His vision swam. His core pulsed with exhaustion. Before he could fall — Ethan caught one shoulder. Amber caught the other.
"We've got you," Ethan said quietly.
Rush managed a weak smile.
"I almost had them."
Amber shook her head.
"You gave us a chance."
Rush looked at the Aetos twins. Patricia was helping Kurt to his feet. Her expression was cold—not toward Rush, but toward Richard's unconscious form.
"He risked us," Rush heard her say, her voice low and sharp. "He risked all of us."
Kurt didn't argue.
Richard was carried out on a stretcher. His breathing was steady, but his face was pale. The punch Rush had landed had done significant damage.
The professors moved quickly. Spellworth was already at the center of the arena, his voice cutting through the noise.
"The final will take place in two days," he announced. "Squad One and Squad Two will compete for the trial's final."
Richard Dragonean was given time to recover. The crowd murmured.
Rush barely heard it.
He was guided back to the waiting area. His body was a mess—exhaustion, strain, and the lingering ache of his fractured core. The academy healer checked Rush. He was alright.
Ethan sat beside him. Amber stood nearby.
"I cost us the match," Rush said quietly.
Amber turned sharply.
"What?"
"I couldn't finish it. I ran out of—"
"You pushed yourself past your limit," Amber said. "You fought Richard. You fought the twins. You held a dome against a tier-three spell. You don't get to blame yourself."
Ethan spoke. His voice was quiet.
"We couldn't defeat the twins. That's not on you."
Rush closed his eyes. His core pulsed faintly — aching, but intact.
Beelzebub, he thought.
"You did well, child. Your core is strained but stable."
Rush let out a slow breath.
His friends walked toward him. The crowd was still buzzing. The spectacle was over, but the afterglow remained.
Jennifer spoke first.
"Are you alright."
"Yes."
"That was quite the battle you displayed. "
Rush knew where she was getting with it.
"So you have double innate abilities too?"
Rush's expression remained unchanged. He understood they were thinking in the wrong direction. He decided to go with it in his own way. But lying wasn't his option — not with Jennifer present.
"Maybe."
"Maybe. What does that even mean?"
"I — I don't know my innate ability."
He looked at Nia for rescue. He knew Slavic would bombard him with questions.
"I initially thought fire control was my innate ability but I recently discovered that I could use frost control too."
"You definitely are something, Rush," Slavic said, astonished.
"Friends. I think he needs to rest."
Nia said, saving him from the cue of questions.
"She's right,"Jennifer said, looking at Nia suspiciously. "Let's go."
Everyone left.
***
Healer took Rush to the infirmary for checkup.
Across the infirmary, Richard was lying on a bed, still unconscious due to exhaustion. Healers moved around him, checking his vitals.
Rush sat at the bed on the opposite side of the infirmary. He was looking at Richard. Richard's words still rang in his mind. The taunt. The mockery. And the hatred.
"Don't let him get to you, child." Beelzebub resurfaced quietly. "He was just tryin— "
I need to ask father about Richard's grandfather, Rush thought. He holds so much hatred toward my family. He risked everyone to defeat me.
"That's the right thing to do, child."
Rush stared at the ceiling. The exhaustion was catching up with him. His thoughts were slow, heavy.
"Rush!"
A familiar voice — cut through the quiet.
He turned.