Lina’s left foot slid forward and her body rotated smoothly around its center.

The heavy broadsword traced a perfect circle through the air.

The silver edge completed its circle, and there was a dazzling beam of light, but no explosion.

Only a faint whisper passed through the air, so quiet that many of the spectators questioned whether they had imagined it at all.

Lina’s sword never stopped moving.

The momentum flowed from her feet, through her hips, across her shoulders, and finally into the blade.

The Ancient Shadow-Blade Art was never meant to overpower an opponent, it existed to end a battle with the smallest movement necessary.

Gideon stared at Lina, breathing heavily, and a confident grin slowly returned to his face.

"...Is that all?"

His fingers tightened around the haft of his hammer.

CRACK.

A thin fracture suddenly spread across the stone weapon, his smile froze.

Another crack appeared.

Then another.

Like a spiderweb racing across glass, dozens of hair-thin fractures exploded through the hammer before the entire weapon shattered into hundreds of fragments.

Stone rained onto the arena floor, Gideon’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"My... hammer..."

Behind him, the Obsidian Bear took another step, and its wounded foreleg buckled.

The crimson line beneath its shoulder suddenly deepened.

SCHRK!

The previous cut that Lina had left inside the joint burst open as compressed mana erupted from within. The remaining obsidian plates covering its shoulder split apart one after another, exposing flesh beneath.

The giant beast roared in agony and it tried to charge, managing only two staggering steps.

Then both front legs gave way.

The enormous creature crashed onto the arena floor with enough force to shake the stadium.

Dust exploded into the air, and the bear struggled to rise, but couldn’t.

Every attempt sent fresh cracks racing through the damaged armor covering its body.

Only then did everyone understand.

Lina’s attacks throughout the entire battle hadn’t been random.

Every attack she had made, had been placed with terrifying precision.

She hadn’t been fighting to injure, she had been patiently dismantling both opponents piece by piece.

A stunned silence swallowed the Great Colosseum.

As one spoke, and one cheered.

Thousands of eyes remained fixed on the lone silver-haired girl standing quietly amid the drifting dust.

Gideon’s breathing became ragged, his hammer was gone, and the contracted beast could no longer stand.

Yet stubborn pride refused to let him surrender.

With a roar, he gathered every remaining thread of earth mana inside his body. Thick stone armor surged over both fists until they resembled enormous gauntlets.

"If I can’t crush you with my weapon..."

"...I’ll crush you myself!"

He launched forward.

His speed surprised everyone.

Even without his hammer, he remained a Class C noble whose body had been reinforced by earth medicine and mana for years growing up.

His right fist shot toward Lina’s chest, and his left followed.

A relentless combination of heavy blows rained down, each punch carrying enough force to crack the enchanted arena floor.

Lina met none of them directly.

Her body moved like flowing water, and every punch missed by the width of a finger.

The difference between life and death became mere centimeters.

Gideon’s frustration exploded.

"Fight me!"

"I am."

The calm reply stunned him.

Before he could throw another punch, Lina’s sword slipped between them, and the flat side of the blade lightly struck his wrist, shifting his balance.

His next step landed slightly farther than intended, his own momentum carried him forward.

Lina pivoted behind him.

The pommel of her sword tapped gently against the center of his back.

To the spectators, it looked almost harmless.

But to Gideon, it felt as though the entire force of his own charge had suddenly reversed direction.

His eyes widened and his feet left the ground.

THUD!

His body slammed heavily onto the arena floor before sliding several meters across the broken stone.

Silence.

The referee stared for several long seconds before rushing toward him.

"Gideon!"

No response.

The young noble’s eyes had rolled back as unconsciousness claimed him.

The referee immediately checked the Obsidian Bear.

The beast had already dissolved into streams of mana, returning to its contracted space to recover.

He slowly stood, and his amplified voice echoed throughout the entire stadium.

"...Winner..."

"...Lina Woods of Class A!"

For a moment, nothing happened.

The crowd seemed unable to process what they had witnessed, and then the applause erupted from the commoner stands.

One person.

Then another.

Within seconds, tens of thousands of voices thundered across the Great Colosseum.

The noble seating remained unusually quiet.

Many of them still wore expressions of disbelief.

A Class C student and a noble...

Defeated without a summoned beast.

Above them all, the Emperor slowly rose from his golden throne.

He had remained seated throughout every previous match.

Now...

He stood, his sharp eyes never leaving the young swordswoman below.

"Magnificent."

His deep voice carried naturally across the royal platform.

"Not overwhelming strength, just an absolute confidence in her blade."

A smile spread across the Emperor’s face.

"It has been a long time since I’ve seen a first-year student fight with such discipline."

Beside him, Duke Kenneth’s expression darkened.

Elizabeth’s cheerful smile remained in place, but her fingers unconsciously tightened around the armrest.

Valerius folded his arms, silently replaying every movement Lina had made.

Only Alistair remained perfectly still.

His ageless gaze lingered on Lina for another quiet moment before shifting, almost imperceptibly, toward the small carry-bag resting against her side.

Inside it, Qhuin let out the faintest chuckle.

Not because Lina had won, he had expected that.

His amusement came from something else entirely.

Every pair of eyes in the stadium had been captivated by Lina’s sword.

Not one of them had looked toward the tiny white rabbit hidden inside the bag.

A king who remained unseen...

...was always the most dangerous piece on the board.

The applause continued to roll across the Great Colosseum like distant thunder.

Lina stood alone in the center of the ruined arena, her chest rising and falling in controlled breaths. Sweat clung to the ends of her silver-blonde hair, and the sleeves of her academy uniform were coated with fine gray dust.

Her fingers still gripped the sword tightly, not because another enemy remained, but because Qhuin had drilled one lesson into her until it became instinct.

’A battle is never over until you declare it.’

Only when the referee raised his hand and officially announced the result did Lina slowly lower her blade.

Across from her, several academy healers hurried onto the field. Pale green mana flowed from their hands as they examined Gideon before transferring him onto a floating stretcher.

His Obsidian Bear had already returned to its beast space, leaving only shattered stone armor scattered across the arena.

Lina watched silently before giving the unconscious boy a small bow.

"You fought well."

She meant it sincerely.

Gideon had been arrogant, but he had also been strong. Had she not spent weeks enduring Qhuin’s relentless training every single night, she knew she would never have survived that battle.

The crowd noticed the gesture.

Some of the spectators who had mocked her moments earlier exchanged awkward glances.

"...She bowed?"

"After she won?"

"That’s, unexpected."

Even several nobles frowned thoughtfully.

High above, the Emperor gave a low chuckle.

"Victory without arrogance, I like that."

Kenneth remained silent, his gaze never leaving Lina.

The girl herself wasn’t the problem, it was the rate at which she was improving. No ordinary commoner should progress this quickly.

Something about her felt... abnormal.

Beside him, Elizabeth rested her chin against one hand, smiling as sweetly as ever.

"My, my..."

"What an adorable little swordswoman."

Her words sounded harmless, but her eyes did not.

Those bright blue pupils followed Lina all the way back toward the staging tunnel.

’The compass reacted before, and now this strange growth...’

She chuckled ’Interesting.’

Meanwhile, Principal Alistair closed his eyes for a brief moment.

He replayed the match inside his mind and he reached only one conclusion.

’That sword style...does not belong to Solaria.’

His eyes opened again.

For the first time since the tournament had begun, genuine curiosity flickered across his otherwise tranquil face.

Back beneath the royal platform, Lina finally turned toward the exit.

The moment she crossed into the tunnel leading back to the rookie waiting area, the deafening cheers of the stadium became distant echoes.

Only then did she allow herself to exhale completely.

"My arms..." she muttered softly.

"They’re numb."

Inside the carry-bag came a familiar scoff.

"They’re supposed to be."

Qhuin’s deep voice echoed calmly inside her mind.

"You redirected enough force to collapse a hill."

"If your arms didn’t hurt, I’d assume you weren’t trying."

Despite the soreness, Lina couldn’t help smiling.

"...Did I do okay?"

There was a brief silence, long enough that she almost thought he wouldn’t answer.

Finally—

"You were adequate."

Lina rolled her eyes.

"That’s your way of saying I did well."

"I never said that."

"You don’t have to."

She laughed quietly to herself.

"I know."

Inside the bag, Qhuin pretended to ignore her.

The corner of his tiny mouth, however, lifted.

As they entered the waiting area, Chloe shot to her feet.

"Lina!"

Before Lina could react, Chloe wrapped both arms around her.

"You idiot!"

"I thought that bear was going to crush you!"

Lina laughed awkwardly.

"It almost did."

"No!"

Chloe pulled back, looking genuinely upset.

"Don’t joke about things like that!, I was terrified watching from here."

Mei hurried over moments later, her face full of relief.

"I knew you’d win..."

"...but not like that."

"You actually broke his weapon."

Lina scratched the back of her head.

"I honestly wasn’t trying to."

That answer only made Chloe and Mei stare at her.

Inside the carry-bag, Qhuin quietly listened to the conversation; however, his attention was elsewhere.

His ears rotated almost imperceptibly.

The sounds of the audience, he sorted through them one by one.

Then—

A familiar metallic click, and his crimson eyes narrowed.

’A compass...’

It lasted only a second before disappearing again.

Elizabeth.

She wasn’t watching the arena anymore, she was moving and judging from the direction of those footsteps...

She was heading toward the rookie preparation corridors.

Qhuin slowly closed his eyes.

’Persistent.’

His instincts, honed over centuries in another life, whispered the same warning they always had.

Those who smiled were infinitely more dangerous than those who bared their teeth.