On the ground, Elaris was injured atop the arena, which had almost been completely destroyed by an enormous power, while Victoria, without a single scratch, walked out of the place with a bored expression. There hadn't even been a real fight — it was pure humiliation in both matches they had, as Elaris had earned a rematch for finishing in second place.
'She didn't even use all her power... Is this really the difference between us? It's so huge.'
Opening her eyes, she woke up in her bedroom. She had dreamt of those two defeats, so she was quite frustrated. She had achieved perfect points against the other four in her group, but Victoria was on another level, and that was disappointing. Opening the door to go have breakfast, she muttered her thoughts.
"How am I supposed to take back my kingdom if I'm this weak?"
"You're not weak, it's just that you're comparing yourself to Victoria."
Hearing the familiar voice, she almost bumped into him from surprise. Seeing that he looked even worse than she did, Elaris grabbed his arm to help him walk, even though he didn't seem happy about being treated that way.
"How did your arm end up like that?"
"Oh right, you were being humiliated by Victoria at that time."
"Hey, that's cruel! If you're still mad at me, just say it."
"Serenya, I already forgave you. I just wanted to tease you a bit. But don't worry — I also lost twice to the same person."
Both of them made a gloomy face as they remembered their losses once again, still unsatisfied with their performances in those fights.
"Anyway, I got this injury because that arm took the most damage, and since I used it for a new spell, I ended up making it worse."
"You're such an idiot. If I were you, I'd wait until I recovered before fighting someone already in the top fifteen."
"That's exactly why I surpassed you, hahaha."
"What do you mean by that?"
Now she was confused — honestly, Enrico was a difficult person for her to understand, especially because of the feelings she had about how he never showed everything he knew or could do.
"If you look closely, I almost tied with rank 2, which means I'm stronger."
"No, you're not. I would've tied with her too — and lost."
"So you admit you'd lose? That means I won, because she only beat me for a certain reason you already know."
While the two had a lighthearted argument with faint smiles, Serenya, who had been watching from afar, broke the wall with her hand as she clenched it tightly.
"I'm the leader, so I'll be the one to carry him."
Coming out from behind the wall, she quickly approached and held Enrico carefully from the other side, flashing a challenging smile at Elaris, who simply huffed and moved Enrico's arm closer to her.
'What an annoying girl. Why did she have to interrupt such a fun moment?'
'Tsk, why does another bitch have to show up? And it's the one who wants to steal my leader title? I'll never let that happen.'
'I'll have to calm Serenya down later.'
Entering the arena, they saw that number 14 had been chosen — from Floravita Academy, Rank 3 Bruno Ícaro, who had the usual 33 points without any increase, since this was merely a match to determine who would enter.
"It looks like the final match for the fifteenth spot is about to end."
The last two fighters were Yue Qianlan, Rank 4 of Shengtian, who had helped in the aquatic dungeon, and Leonardo Davide, Rank 4 of Vesparello Academy. Both were utterly exhausted as they prepared their final spells.
"Looks like Yue's going to win."
"What do you mean? From what I see, Leonardo is releasing more magic."
"Exactly, that's why he'll lose. Looks like it's his first time doing this, so he's not used to it."
Leonardo, in the story, was someone who wasted his potential and never tried in life. This was his first time pushing himself in a fight — but there was a problem.
'He's wasting too much mana instead of focusing it where his energy is gathering.'
Leonardo's magic was spiritual flame — a green fire capable of burning an opponent's soul. That's why Enrico thought of him as wasted potential; he was searching for people who could affect the soul of a certain Evil God.
'Just as I thought.'
Taking advantage of Leonardo's inexperience with effort, Yue created a magic thread that wrapped around his arm, redirecting and controlling it so his left arm struck the lower part of his thigh, damaging his own soul. Tying the thread around his neck, she tightened it until he began to lose consciousness. Even though he struggled, it was too late.
"Winner of the battle: Yue Qianlan. With this, she becomes the fifteenth participant in the Thrones of Runes."
In the stands, many people clapped excitedly. Some started talking about the most interesting competitors who could surprise them in the coming months, while others commented that it wasn't yet certain these fifteen would participate if they were defeated later.
"All those who passed the eliminations may come to the arena."
At a guard's request, both Enrico and Elaris followed him to the arena, while Serenya, dissatisfied, sat down in the stands where Enrico's subordinates and companions were.
"With that, all eliminations are complete. But don't forget — if you want to keep your spot, keep evolving."
That was exactly why they allowed anyone who defeated a top 15 member to take their place — they wanted to create rivalry that would push the participants to grow stronger, thus strengthening their territories by producing more powerful students.
"I hope to see you all again in a few months. Continue growing without limits. Thank you all for coming, and I wish you a good rest when you return."
With the queen's final words, each of the fifteen looked at one another, determined to maintain their positions and defeat their opponents — especially Lira, who saw Enrico as her rival. Enrico looked back at her with an identical smile, refusing to take even a single step back.
'Next time, I'll win.'