The capital still pulsed with energy long after the arena's gates had closed. For recovery and updates.
Fireworks exploded above the towers. Drones zipped through the skyline, projecting replays and slow-motion highlights of the earlier matches. The cheers had begun to fade, replaced by murmurs of anticipation.
Because tomorrow...
Rio Ryunn would fight.
But for now—
---
Ryunn Estate, 10:41 PM
The heavy gate hissed open as Rio and Xanthia stepped through the marble-tiled foyer. The estate's elegant smart system auto-adjusted the lighting, casting soft golden hues over the hall.
Rio tossed his hoodie on the stair railing. His muscles ached, not from combat—but from restraint. Watching Theo, Sam, Erame—it had only stoked the embers inside him.
He needed release. Of power, of tension, of control.
Xanthia noticed it too. The way his back tensed. His jaw tightened.
"I'm heading to the training room," he said.
"You already trained two hours this morning," she replied, folding her arms.
"I didn't say you had to join."
Before she could argue, a voice chimed sweetly from across the corridor.
"You're late, Master Rio."
Ana stood at the archway to the main lounge, dressed casually—too casually.
Her silky maid uniform had been replaced with something more... playful: a black tank top hugging her frame, paired with loose home shorts barely reaching mid-thigh. Her hair was pinned up lazily, a few strands falling around her cheek.while others were really busy with their own business....
Xanthia noticed how Rio's expression shifted. Something mischievous sparked behind his tired gaze.
Ana stepped closer, arms behind her back, swaying just enough to be noticed.
"You look... rough," she said teasingly, eyeing the sweat still clinging to Rio's collarbone.
"Need a massage, or just someone to flirt with for a bit before you pretend to meditate?"
Rio chuckled, rubbing his neck. "Can't I have both?"
"Depends," she whispered. "Do I get to tease you if you lose tomorrow?"
"I don't lose."
She stepped even closer, fingers grazing his chest lightly.
"You better not."
There was something unspoken between them. Something that hovered just outside the physical—something spicy, magnetic. His hand instinctively brushed against her waist, lingering for a second too long.
Xanthia pretended to scroll through a holo-notepad on the couch nearby. But she was watching. Every movement. Every breath Ana took.
(Xanthia:She's enjoying this...
And Rio... isn't stopping her.)
Something in her chest fluttered—not anger. But curiosity. And maybe, a very quiet unease.
---
Moments Later – Rooftop Balcony
Rio sat shirtless on the cool metal rail of the rooftop, sipping a cold synth-drink. Ana had disappeared after their moment—leaving the room with that smirk she always wore after she'd unsettled him.
Xanthia joined him, sitting cross-legged near the balcony edge, the capital glowing beneath them.
"You're not what I expected, something that is out of my understanding..." she said finally.
[D.M.Voice: This is surely heading to fate ...
A crack begin to reach at heart....]
(What are you mumbling about.... Tell me clearly.
[She will lose that image of yours;a fool with royalty...]
I want her to see real me so she doesn't think I cheated....)
[I'm not going to save you ...]
"Not sure if that's a compliment."
"It is. But you confuse people."
Rio turned his head slightly, eyebrow raised.
"You pretend to be playful," she continued, "but there's a storm in your eyes when you fight. And that Maid Ana … she clearly gets under your skin."
He smirked. "She gets under everyone's skin."
"That's not what I meant."
He took another sip and stared at the stars.
"I have to be a storm tomorrow," he said quietly.
"Because everyone who fought today—Theo, Sam, Erame—they gave the crowd a spectacle."
[D.M.Voice: Your that life skill will make your heart even weaker.... But you have to get some points to buy that fluid from Lyuii Kingdom.. See if it's helpful...]
(That's what I was thinking and two months... will decreased to one month but I'll show everyone that TIER-2 doesn't mean , that I can't defeat State levels.... It's been years since I used that skill .... The Ryunn Lineage's ultimate power.... Grace of ultimateness and I'm chosen for that with a cost)
"And you?"
"I'll give them something to remember."
The night wind carried the scent of steel and ozone. Xanthia felt it too—that tension in the air. The calm before detonation.
---
Somewhere in the Arena District – Midnight
Back in the Obsidian Vault Arena, the battlefield was being recalibrated.
The AI-guided ground was shifting, prepping for tomorrow's featured match.
Projected on the central screen:
> MATCH CONFIRMED – City level TIER- EXHIBITION
RIO RYUNN (???, Obsidian TIERCRAFT-Dual Swords)
VS ??? (CLASSIFIED)
The opponent wasn't revealed.
And yet the crowd was already awake in every corner of the city. As if he was a Ryunn just like his Grandpa's brother then who once saved everyone with that skill from a powerful monster country level despite being a TIER-6 . And Mavi kingdom's prince didn't participated for some reasons....
The Ryunn name meant danger.
And Rio… was about to show the world why storms never ask for permission.