The battlefield still simmered from Dawson's near-limit-breaking Lightning Awakening. Sparks crackled from the shattered ground, and the faint hum of unstable elemental energy lingered in the air. Even the Sovereignties were cautious now, watching the drained but dangerous young man in front of them.
Dawson struggled to stand, Ard supporting him with folds of spatial energy, keeping him upright.
"I… I can still fight," Dawson murmured, voice strained, body trembling from exhaustion.
But Yuujin's gaze did not waver. Eclipse Null shimmered ominously around him, the void of absolute authority pressing down like a physical weight.
"You've caused enough chaos, Dawson," Yuujin said, voice calm but deadly. "A dangerous being like you cannot remain in the arena. Not while the test continues."
Dawson's lightning flickered weakly, but it was a pale shadow of the storm he had just wielded. He tried to summon it again, but exhaustion and elemental backlash shackled him like iron.
"I… I'm not done yet…" Dawson muttered, determination flickering in his eyes.
Yuujin did not move immediately. He simply extended his authority, and the Eclipse Null expanded around Dawson like a suffocating dome of darkness and absolute control.
"Stop resisting," Yuujin said softly, almost pitying. "You're a threat here. And threats have consequences."
The moment Yuujin touched Dawson with the concentrated pulse of his Eclipse Null, the arena itself seemed to shudder. The air bent around Dawson, his lightning surging out uncontrollably, arcs of raw energy snapping against the void shield—but it was futile. Every spark, every surge, was absorbed or redirected by the oppressive force of Yuujin's technique.
Ard shouted, rushing forward, but the speed and precision of Yuujin's authority were inhuman.
"Ard—he…!" Dawson gasped, body quivering under the weight of the nullification.
With a final, almost imperceptible motion, Yuujin compressed Dawson's presence, forcing the lightning out of him in one violent pulse, and erased his ability to remain active in the battlefield.
Dawson collapsed. Not a single spark remained around him. The crackling energy that had once threatened to tear the arena apart now lay dormant, scattered and extinguished. Ard caught him again, but even the spatial folds could not resist the absolute nullification of Yuujin's strike.
"Dawson…" Ard murmured, grief and frustration mixing in his tone.
Yuujin's face remained calm, expression unreadable. To him, this was a necessary step—a dangerous entity like Dawson, even if a Crimson, could not be left unchecked. The rules of the test demanded survival, but they also demanded order.
Jayze watched silently, his blood tendrils curling back as he observed the aftermath. The tension in the air was thick, but even he knew Yuujin's decision was absolute.
The arena fell silent for a heartbeat, the power vacuum left by Dawson's elimination sending a ripple through both the Crimson and Sovereignty sides. The remaining male Crimson students now faced two fully unleashed Sovereign rulers, their own abilities strained to their limits.
"The male test just became even more dangerous," Ard whispered to himself, scanning the battlefield, his body tense for the next clash.
Dawson's sacrifice—and elimination—served as a chilling reminder: in this test, strength alone could not guarantee survival. Every move had consequences. Every decision carried weight.
And from the edge of the arena, Chris, Kira, Ard, and the remaining Crimson boys readied themselves, knowing that the true battle with Yuujin and Jayze was about to begin.
The air was electric with tension, fear, and anticipation. The male test had shifted from a trial of skill into a battlefield of absolute power and survival.