Elena's admission of defeat came in the form of a single word.
"How?"
The question carried the weight of complete strategic surrender.
For the first time since the trial began, the eldest Amethyst sister was acknowledging that her analytical framework had not just failed—it had become actively counterproductive.
Ren materialized fully from his stealth concealment, his enhanced Disruptor abilities allowing him to appear in the center of their defensive formation without compromising their already-weakened barriers.
"The arena isn't just learning our strategies," he began, his voice cutting through the chaos of ongoing combat.
"It's using a bigger strategy designed to eliminate teams that rely on the same approach over and over."
Vera grunted acknowledgment while deflecting another barrage of enemy spells. "What does that mean exactly?"
