The pressure in the arena kept rising.
Emily's attacks were overwhelming Mike completely now. Each strike pushed him further back, his footing breaking, his defense cracking under the relentless force. He had stepped forward to hold her—
But now—
He was barely surviving.
Across the field, May was still under pressure from the other two. Their speed hadn't dropped, their coordination still sharp, but their attention was starting to split.
Because Emily had taken control of the battlefield.
In the middle of her assault, Emily's eyes shifted for just a moment.
She glanced at May.
A small movement.
A signal.
May understood instantly.
Her stance changed.
Her breathing steadied.
She stopped reacting—
And prepared.
Mike tried to regain control, trying to create even the smallest opening to escape Emily's attacks, but he couldn't.
He was already pushed too far.
Too damaged.
Too slow now.
Then—
May moved.
In a single instant, her body surged forward, cutting across the battlefield with explosive speed. The two opponents tried to intercept her, but they were just a moment too late.
She reached Mike.
And activated her skill.
May: "Blade Frenzy."
Her movements exploded into a storm of strikes. Not one, not two—
A continuous barrage.
Fast.
Sharp.
Unstoppable.
Each attack landed before the previous one could even settle. Mike tried to defend, but his body couldn't keep up anymore. Emily had already broken him down.
This—
Was the finishing blow.
The final strike landed clean.
And Mike fell.
Defeated.
The moment he dropped, the entire flow of the battle shifted again.
The crowd roared.
Igna's eyes widened.
(They took him down… that fast…)
But the fight wasn't over.
Emily was already facing the other two.
Alone.
They didn't hesitate.
The moment Mike fell, they attacked together again, their speed pushing to the limit, their movements sharper, more desperate now.
But this time—
Emily didn't hold back.
May moved to support, but before she could fully engage—
Emily spoke.
Emily: "Stay back."
Her voice was calm.
Confident.
May stopped.
Then—
Emily stepped forward.
And activated her skill.
Emily: "Mist of Heaven."
In the next moment—
The battlefield changed.
A thin, almost invisible mist spread around her. It wasn't thick, it wasn't blinding, but it distorted everything. Movements blurred. Distance shifted. Direction felt wrong.
The two opponents attacked.
Fast.
Precise.
But—
They missed.
Emily moved through them like they weren't even there. Their strikes passed through empty space as if she had already moved before they even acted.
Then she countered.
Clean.
Effortless.
One strike.
Then another.
They couldn't touch her.
Couldn't read her.
Couldn't react.
Igna stared in disbelief.
(They can't even hit her…)
To them—
It felt like she was everywhere.
And nowhere.
Every time they tried to attack, she was already gone.
Every time they tried to defend, she was already behind them.
The fight ended quickly after that.
One of them fell first.
The second followed soon after.
Silence—
Then the roar of the crowd exploded across the stadium.
The match was over.
Victory.
Emily stood calmly in the fading mist, completely untouched.
May stepped forward.
Sele, already recovered enough to stand, looked toward them.
Igna stood frozen for a moment.
Then slowly exhaled.
(This… is our team…)
For the first time—
He didn't just feel the gap.
He felt something else.
Confidence.
Because now—
He knew exactly what he was part of.