Chapter 13

  At the heart of the battlefield, where the air felt heavy with charged tension and danger lurked in every corner, Jan stood beside Baysal. Both of them stared in stunned silence at the barrier that had suddenly sealed the entire area.

  Baysal turned slowly, disbelief clear in her voice.

  “Another barrier?!”

  Jan narrowed his eyes, studying the invisible wall.

  “I was about to say the master and Sbyam were back, but…” He shook his head. “This is completely different.”

  A cold unease crept into Baysal’s chest. Her voice dropped to a whisper, as if speaking the thought aloud might make it real.

  “Then… there’s an intruder.”

  Without warning, a body was hurled through the air like an arrow, crashing violently into the trunk of a nearby tree. The impact echoed through the clearing.

  Jan and Baysal spun around in horror.

  There, at the base of the tree, lay Alia. Her body was soaked in blood, sprawled on the ground like a lifeless doll.

  Jan’s eyes widened, his mind going blank for a heartbeat. The world around him seemed to slow, his pulse pounding painfully in his ears. Then instinct took over. He rushed forward, as if trying to catch her soul before it slipped away.

  Baysal stood frozen for a second, shock stabbing through her entire body. Her gaze stayed locked on Alia’s broken form as a frantic thought echoed in her mind.

  What happened to her? Who could do this?!

  She forced herself to move and ran after Jan, her legs carrying her forward while her thoughts spiraled in chaos.

  When Jan reached the tree, he stopped short. Alia’s face was pale, smeared with blood, her eyes closed as if she had surrendered to the darkness. He dropped to his knees and gently lifted her head, searching desperately for any sign of life.

  His voice trembled as he brushed her cheek.

  “Alia… wake up… please.”

  Baysal arrived beside him, staring down at Alia, unable to process the sight. Her voice came out unsteady.

  “Is she okay?! What happened to her?”

  Long, suffocating seconds passed.

  Then, slowly, Alia’s eyelids fluttered.

  She opened her eyes with visible effort, her gaze unfocused, as though the world refused to come into view.

  Jan leaned closer, urgency flooding his voice.

  “Alia! What happened? Are you alright?!”

  Alia tried to speak, but her voice broke apart, each sound torn and fragile. The words seemed to weigh heavily on her chest, as if forcing them out caused her pain.

  Baysal knelt closer, straining to hear.

  “Alia… tell us. What happened?”

  With a hoarse, barely audible whisper, Alia managed a single word.

  “V… Veb…”

  Baysal looked at Jan, confused, then turned back to Alia.

  “Veb? What about him?”

  Alia closed her eyes for a moment, gathering what little strength she had left. When she spoke again, her voice was faint—but the words cut through the air like a blade.

  “Veb… he’s… he’s dead.”

  The words hit Jan and Baysal like a thunderclap.

  Baysal stared at Alia, her mind refusing to accept what she had just heard. The battlefield seemed to fall silent around them.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Alia shut her eyes again, a single hot tear slipping down her cheek. Her voice cracked as she whispered,

  “I’m sorry… He was trying to protect me.”

  Jan froze, those words piercing his heart slowly and mercilessly. Baysal stood motionless, eyes wide, repeating the same thought over and over in disbelief.

  That can’t be true…

  Alia struggled to breathe. Her exhaustion was unmistakable, her frail body sinking deeper into the blood that refused to stop flowing.

  ---

  Flashback — Moments Earlier

  Darwin struggled to his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes burned with a mix of fury and caution as he stared at Veb, who stood before him with unsettling composure.

  Damn it… these students… every single one of them is a monster.

  Students of Sbyam aren’t human.

  Veb began walking toward him—slow, steady steps wrapped in a killing calm, cold as frozen silence. He stopped just a few paces away, his gaze sharp and emotionless.

  “Who are you?” he asked quietly. “And what do you want?”

  Darwin laughed through bloodstained teeth, meeting Veb’s eyes without flinching.

  “And if I don’t tell you?” he sneered. “What then?”

  Veb said nothing.

  His stare alone felt like it pierced straight through Darwin’s core.

  That indifference only fueled Darwin’s rage. With a sudden burst of speed, he lunged forward, fist cutting through the air toward Veb’s face.

  Veb tilted his head slightly.

  The punch missed.

  Darwin’s eyes widened—but he had no time to react. Veb’s fist slammed into his abdomen.

  The impact was catastrophic. The shockwave ripped through the air, snapping tree branches and hurling leaves and grass skyward. Darwin doubled over, blood spraying from his mouth. Before he could recover, Veb followed with a brutal kick to his side, sending him flying across the ground like a broken doll.

  As Darwin rolled helplessly, Alia stepped closer to Veb, her curiosity outweighing her fear.

  “Who is he?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” Veb replied flatly, his eyes never leaving Darwin’s motionless body.

  Alia glanced down and frowned.

  “Then why did the ice under my feet melt?”

  “Because he failed to control his technique,” Veb answered, as if stating an obvious fact.

  Alia looked back at Darwin, who lay groaning on the ground. As she watched him, Veb suddenly extended an arm in front of her, pushing her back with quiet authority.

  “Stay here.”

  She glared at him.

  “What? I want to fight too!”

  Veb turned his head slightly toward her, his tone unchanged.

  “As long as I am here, if any lady is harmed, it would be a disgrace to me.”

  Alia stared at him, stunned—yet no words came.

  Veb walked toward Darwin once more, every step deliberate, his senses fully alert. He stood over Darwin’s battered body, which lay unnaturally still. Bending slightly, Veb spoke in a low voice.

  “Get up. Tell me who you are.”

  No response.

  Veb’s eyes narrowed.

  “Is he dead?...”

  He crouched beside him—and froze.

  Water was leaking from Darwin’s body. Not blood. Water. His form was dissolving, fading away.

  Veb’s breath caught.

  “Water…? No. That’s impossible.”

  He spun around.

  His eyes widened in pure horror.

  Behind Alia stood another Darwin—whole, uninjured, his presence masked perfectly.

  Oh no…

  Veb watched as Darwin’s arm transformed into a razor-sharp blade of ice, rising slowly, silently—aimed straight at Alia’s back.

  Veb lunged forward with everything he had.

  Too late.

  The ice blade struck—but not fully.

  When Alia turned in confusion, she saw something she could never have imagined.

  Veb had placed himself between her and the attack.

  The blade was buried deep in his abdomen.

  Blood poured from his mouth as he looked at her in silence.

  Alia gasped, terror flooding her eyes as she saw Veb standing behind her, impaled.

  “W-What… what did you do?!”

  Veb’s body trembled with each breath. Despite the pain, his expression remained calm as he looked at her.

  His voice was weak, breaking apart.

  “I told you… to be more careful… you idiot.”

  With those final words, Veb’s body collapsed slowly to the ground, the ice blade slipping free as he fell.

  Alia stood frozen in place, unable to move.

  ---

  Present Time

  Alia collapsed beside Jan, sobbing uncontrollably. Her tears fell freely as her voice shook apart.

  Her words broke under the weight of guilt. Jan approached slowly, his face stripped of all expression, drowned in shock. He knelt beside her and gently pulled her trembling head against his chest, holding her as if his silence alone could bear the pain she couldn’t.

  Not far from them, Baysal stood still.

  Her expression was calm—too calm—but her eyes betrayed the storm raging inside her. They were locked onto Darwin, who had reappeared at a distance behind them. His gaze met hers, filled with hostility and unyielding intent. The air between them tightened, heavy with the sense that an inevitable clash was drawing near.

  ---

  Elsewhere in the arena

  Suero charged forward with overwhelming force, blue sparks spiraling violently around his hand, reacting to his rising tension. Across from him, Beth advanced with equal confidence, his arm wrapped in pulsing black lightning that throbbed with rage.

  A wide grin spread across Beth’s face as he shouted,

  “You won’t survive this time!”

  He raised his fist high. The black sparks condensed into a dark, blazing mass before he hurled it straight at Suero’s face, certain the blow would tear the air apart.

  In the blink of an eye, Suero ducked.

  The attack slammed into the ground behind him, shaking the earth. Shards of rock burst outward in every direction.

  Suero countered immediately, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He drove his fist toward Beth’s abdomen with immense force—then, just before impact, his movement slowed.

  The blue sparks shifted.

  They ignited into a glowing red flame that wrapped around his hand.

  Suero roared, his voice echoing across the battlefield.

  “Shrine Punch!”

  The moment his fist connected, the world seemed to explode.

  A violent shockwave tore through the ground like a raging cyclone. Ferocious winds ripped trees from the earth, shredding soil and hurling debris high into the air. Beth’s body was launched like a bullet, smashing through one tree after another before finally crashing to the ground.

  He lay motionless, his face drenched in blood, his body trembling weakly.

  Suero staggered back, breathing heavily. He wiped the sweat from his brow and laughed with pride.

  “I did it!”

  Moryo appeared calmly at his side, his gaze fixed on Beth’s broken form.

  “Yes… that was it,” he said coldly. “The Shrine Punch.”

  Suero stared at his own hand in disbelief.

  “It’s incredible!”

  Then Moryo’s next words struck him like lightning.

  “Yes. You’ve mastered it,” Moryo continued. “But… you won’t be able to use it again.”

  Suero’s expression shifted instantly.

  “What? Why?”

  Moryo answered with quiet seriousness.

  “This technique depends on both energy and chance. No one can use it more than twice a day. And you…” His eyes narrowed slightly. “You’ve already used it twice.”

  Suero fell silent, frowning deeply. Then, with almost childlike frustration, he protested,

  “But I want to use it! It makes me feel confident in my power!”

  Moryo remained calm, as always—but his tone sharpened.

  “Don’t worry.”

  Suero looked at him in shock.

  “What do you mean?”

  A confident smile formed on Moryo’s face.

  “We’ll break that rule today.”

  Suero stared at him.

  “What?...”

  “We’ll break the rule,” Moryo repeated. “And you’ll be able to use it more than twice.”

  At that moment, Suero’s attention snapped back to Beth.

  Despite his injuries, Beth was struggling to rise. His face was torn and bloodied, yet he stood firm, his eyes burning with pure fury.

  Suero smiled—wide and confident—his eyes alight with excitement.

  Blue sparks began dancing around his hand once more, as if announcing the start of another round.

  End of Chapter.