Light flared, then the world folded and spat us out into open air. My boots hit the dirt just as the arena shimmered behind us, enormous, glowing like it was forged out of a sun.
The air buzzed with tension, thunder, and the faint sound of hundreds of spectators screaming our names.
"Congratulations to our Top 8!" a booming voice announced from nowhere. "Prepare for the semifinals, one-on-one matches! Only the best will advance!"
My heart was trying to crawl up my throat.
Top eight. Out of thousands.
Oh god. Oh no. Oh yes.
I looked around, Kael, Zeref, Keiji, Yukon, Riven, Bull, Manaya… and me.
Eight idiots who apparently forgot what fear feels like.
We were teleported outside the main stage first. The arena itself glowed like a coliseum of gods, massive, carved in gold, sand swirling with arcane energy. Each round, two names lit up on the sky itself.
First round: Manaya vs Yukon.
The two blinked into the center. Manaya's rifle shimmered with runes; Yukon spun his spear like he was about to conduct an orchestra of death.
The fight was insane. Bullets cut through air faster than sound, Yukon blocking them mid-spin, striking back with gusts of wind. I found myself screaming like a fangirl at a concert.
"LEFT! LEFT! OH MY GOD, SHE'S...oh never mind, she dodged."
Kael glanced at me, smirking. "You realize they can't hear you, right?"
"LET ME ENJOY THIS, KAEL!"
Manaya tried a trick shot, Yukon countered with a thunder thrust that shattered her footing, and, boom, match over.
Winner: Yukon.
He gave a polite bow. Showoff.
Second match: Keiji vs Zeref.
I felt the ground rumble just from that announcement. Keiji, our guild leader, was all calm precision; Zeref looked like he just woke up from hell and wanted to drag everyone back with him.
The sky literally darkened when he stepped in. Keiji summoned runes and light shields; Zeref just laughed and unleashed an inferno. It wasn't even a fight, it was an elemental opera.
When the smoke cleared, Keiji was flat on the ground, half his robe burned off, smiling like a proud dad.
Winner: Zeref.
"Called it," Kael murmured beside me.
Third match: Kael vs Riven.
"Oh boy," I whispered.
Riven was a smug archer with too much confidence and too little shirt. Kael, meanwhile, looked like someone carved him out of control issues and calm murder.
They didn't even talk. The moment the signal flared, shing!, Kael vanished. A blink later, Riven was disarmed, tripped, and staring at the edge of Kael's blade pressed to his neck.
"Winner: Kael!"
I clapped like an idiot. "WOO! THAT'S MY KA...."
He shot me a look.
"....uh, Kael. That's my friend Kael."
Smooth. Totally subtle.
Then the fourth match appeared on the board.
Leonhart vs Bull.
Oh.
Oh no.
Bull was built like someone stacked three mountains on top of each other and gave it sentience. His armor gleamed; his hammer was big enough to qualify as architecture.
We teleported to the center.
He grinned, cracking his neck. "Rank 2, huh? Let's see if you're all talk."
I smiled nervously. "...You'll regret that."
Signal.
GO.
He moved first, faster than I expected. The hammer slammed down, shattering the ground. I rolled, barely dodging, the shockwave flinging dust in my face.
"Holy...." I swung upward, but he blocked it with his gauntlet and sent me flying.
Pain. Real, sharp, gut-punching pain.
It didn't feel like a game anymore.
And that's what snapped me.
My hands stopped trembling. I gritted my teeth, heart hammering, and roared, "STRENGTH UP! DEFENSE UP! CELESTIAL BURST!"
Light flared around me. My sword hummed, and when Bull charged again, I met him head-on. Sparks flew. Metal screamed.
We clashed, again and again, his brute force versus my speed. I parried, rolled, cut, blocked, pain burned through my arms, but something was different.
I was syncing with Leonhart's body.
Every muscle felt mine now.
I ducked, sidestepped, countered. Then I jumped, twisting midair.
"HEAVEN'S STRIKE!"
The explosion lit the arena. Bull roared, slamming his hammer to absorb the blow, but I followed it up..."SUN BEAM! DIVINE CUT! LUNAR SLICE!"
It was chaos, gold and white light everywhere. I didn't even know what combo I was doing anymore.
Just instinct, desperation, and spite.
Bull fell to one knee.
I didn't stop.
I screamed, "STAY! DOWN!" and drove my blade into the ground, releasing everything I had left.
The dust settled.
Bull was flat on his back, laughing between gasps. "Damn... you hit like a god."
The announcement echoed:
Winner: Leonhart.
I collapsed to my knees, panting, trembling, eyes wide.
Every muscle screamed, but I was smiling.
I did it.
Not Leonhart.
Me.
The arena faded, and we were teleported back out. Kael was waiting, grinning, arms crossed.
"Not bad, Eunji."
I glared weakly. "You could've..."
He smirked. "Nope. You needed this one."
I wanted to be mad. I really did.
But damn if he wasn't right.
The screen above glowed with the names of the finalists.
Final Four:
Zeref. Kael. Yukon. Leonhart.
The crowd roared. My heart raced.
Next round? It's not survival anymore.
It's destiny.
And I wasn't planning to lose.