Elaris was lying on the arena floor, covered in injuries. Almost the entire structure had been destroyed by the overwhelming power unleashed during the battle. Meanwhile, Victoria was leaving the area without a single scratch, wearing a bored expression. That could hardly even be called a fight. On both occasions they had faced each other, Elaris had been completely humiliated, even after obtaining a rematch for having finished in second place.
'She didn't even use all her power... Is this really the difference between us? It's enormous.'
When she opened her eyes, Elaris realized that she was lying in her bedroom. Both defeats against Victoria had been nothing more than a dream, but the memory remained fresh in her mind, leaving her deeply dissatisfied. She had achieved a perfect score against the other four participants in her group, but Victoria was on another level. It was disappointing to realize that, despite all her efforts, such a huge gap still existed between them.
Elaris got up and opened the door to leave her room and have breakfast. As she walked, she ended up letting the thoughts tormenting her slip out.
"How am I supposed to reclaim my kingdom if I'm this weak?"
"You're not weak. You're simply comparing yourself to Victoria."
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Elaris nearly bumped into Enrico, who had unexpectedly appeared in front of her. Her surprise grew even greater when she noticed his condition. His arm was bandaged, and he seemed to be in worse shape than she was.
Elaris held Enrico's healthy arm to help him walk, although he didn't seem particularly pleased to be treated that way.
"How did your arm end up like that?"
"That's right, you were humiliated by Victoria on that occasion, so you couldn't see it."
"Hey, that was cruel! If you're still angry with me, just say so."
"Serenya has already forgiven you. I simply enjoy teasing you. But don't worry, because I also lost twice to the same person."
Both of them wore dejected expressions as they remembered their defeats once again. Neither was satisfied with their own performance, and the memories of those confrontations still bothered them.
"Anyway, my arm ended up like this because it was the one that took the most damage during the fights. Besides, since I used it for a new magic spell, I ended up damaging it even more."
"You're an idiot. If I were in your place, I would wait until I recovered before fighting someone who was already among the top fifteen."
"That's exactly why I surpassed you. Hahaha!"
"What do you mean by that?"
Elaris was confused. In truth, Enrico was a difficult person to understand, especially because she suspected he was hiding much more than he let on, both regarding his feelings and what he actually knew.
"If you look at it properly, I almost tied with the second-ranked student. That means I'm stronger than you."
Elaris's face immediately took on a slightly sulky expression.
"No, you're not! I could also tie with her and lose in the same way."
An arrogant smile appeared on Enrico's face.
"So you admit that you would lose to her? That means I won this little contest between us, because she only managed to defeat me for a certain reason that you know very well."
As the two continued their little argument, they both let discreet smiles slip onto their faces. Despite the teasing, they seemed to be enjoying the conversation.
However, the tranquility didn't last long.
Serenya, who had been watching them from a distance, clenched her hand so tightly that she ended up breaking the wall beside her.
Emerging from behind the wall, Serenya quickly approached and carefully held Enrico from the other side, taking Elaris's place. Her challenging smile made it clear that she had no intention of backing down in front of her rival.
"I'm his leader, so I'm the one who's going to carry him!"
Elaris simply snorted and pulled Enrico's arm a little closer to herself.
"I'm also his leader. Have you forgotten our agreement?"
The two stared at each other, with what looked like lightning crackling between them. Elaris glared at the noblewoman with obvious irritation.
'What an annoying girl! Why did she have to interrupt such an enjoyable moment?'
Serenya, on the other hand, displayed even more obvious contempt on her face.
'Tsk! Why did another bitch have to show up? And this one of all people, the one who wants to steal my title as his leader? I'll never allow that!'
'I'll have to calm Serenya down later.'
With the two girls discreetly competing over who would stay by Enrico's side, the group finally headed toward the arena.
When they arrived, they discovered that the participant who would take fourteenth place had already been chosen. It was Bruno Ícaro, the third-ranked student from Floravita Academy, who had finished with the same 33 points. Since the match was only meant to determine who would occupy the remaining spot, his score had not increased.
"It seems the contest for the last spot among the top fifteen is about to end."
The final two competitors were still fighting to decide who would take fifteenth place.
On one side was Yue Qianlan, the fourth-ranked student from Shengtian Academy, who had participated in the aquatic dungeon. On the other was Leonardo Davide, the fourth-ranked student from Vesparello Academy.
Both were extremely tired and were gathering their last reserves of energy to unleash a decisive spell.
"It looks like Yue is going to win."
"What do you mean? From what I can see, Leonardo is the one releasing more magic."
"That's exactly why he's going to lose. It seems this is the first time he's tried something like this, so he isn't used to it yet."
In the original story, Leonardo was someone who wasted his own potential and never truly made an effort. This was the first time he had tried to surpass his limits during a fight, but there was an obvious problem with his approach.
'He's wasting too much magic instead of concentrating it at the right point. Where is all the energy he should be accumulating?'
Leonardo's second magic was Spiritual Flame, a green flame capable of burning his opponents' souls. That was precisely why Enrico considered him a wasted talent. He was looking for people capable of affecting the soul of a certain evil god, and Leonardo possessed an ability that could be extremely useful for that purpose.
'Just as I thought.'
Taking advantage of Leonardo's inexperience in managing his energy reserves during a prolonged fight, Yue created a magical thread that wrapped around his arm. With a precise movement, she redirected the limb's trajectory and controlled its position, causing Leonardo's own left arm to strike the lower part of his thigh.
The blow damaged his own soul, further compromising his ability to continue fighting.
Before Leonardo could recover, Yue made the magical thread rise to his neck and tightened it, restricting his movements and causing him to begin losing consciousness. He still tried to free himself, but it was already too late. Yue Qianlan delivered the final blow to the boy's face.
"Winner of the battle: Yue Qianlan! With this, she becomes the fifteenth participant in the Thrones of Runes!"
In the stands, many people applauded enthusiastically. Some spectators commented on the young talents who might surprise everyone in the coming months, while others pointed out that it was still impossible to guarantee that the fifteen qualifiers would maintain their positions until the official competition. After all, anyone who managed to defeat one of the selected participants could take their place.
"Everyone who passed the qualifiers may come to the arena!"
Responding to one of the guards' requests, Enrico and Elaris headed toward the arena, accompanied by the other qualifiers. Serenya, on the other hand, remained dissatisfied and sat down in the chair where her subordinates and Enrico's companions were gathered.
Once all the selected participants had assembled, Queen Sofia spoke to officially announce the end of the qualifiers.
"With that, all the qualifiers have been completed. But don't forget: if you want to maintain your positions, keep improving."
That was precisely why they allowed anyone capable of defeating one of the fifteen qualifiers to take their place in the Thrones of Runes. The organizers wanted to create a rivalry that would encourage the young people to reach ever greater levels of power. After all, the stronger the students became, the greater the possibilities of strengthening their own territories.
"I hope to see you again in a few months. Keep growing stronger, and don't set limits on your own growth. I thank everyone who came to watch the qualifiers, and I hope you have a good rest when you return to your homes."
After the queen's final words, the fifteen participants exchanged determined glances. Everyone was prepared to defend their positions and defeat the opponents they would encounter in the next stage.
Among them, Lira Xuefeng kept her eyes fixed on Enrico. To her, he wasn't merely someone she wanted to defeat, but the rival she had been searching for all this time.
Enrico noticed her gaze and returned it with a smile, showing no intention of backing down.
'Next time, I'll win.'