The arena of Asper had never been so still. Even the banners along its marble rim forgot to move, as if the air itself held its breath.
The crowd was louder than thunder. People stood shoulder to shoulder in the giant coliseum of Asper, waving banners and shouting names. The whole kingdom had gathered for this one match. The final fight between Amelia of No House and Ragnorok, the Steel of Will.
Amelia walked into the arena first. Her silver hair brushed the wind, and the sword on her back pulsed faintly with light. She had fought so many battles to reach this point, but this one felt different. The air was heavy. Even the ground seemed to know what was coming.
The other gate opened. Ragnorok stepped out, tall and calm, wearing dark armor covered with scars from old fights. His greatsword looked like a piece of mountain steel, rough and massive. The crowd screamed his name.
For a moment, they just stood there, two warriors, two hearts. The King raised his hand and shouted, "Let the final match begin!"
The bell rang. Ragnorok moved first, swinging his sword down with enough force to shake the arena. Amelia jumped aside, the blade cutting deep into the ground. Dust and stone burst into the air.
She countered quickly, her own sword flashing with light. Ragnorok blocked it like it was nothing, his strength almost impossible to believe. Every hit she landed was met with an equal or stronger one.
He didn't rush. Every step he took pushed her back. Every swing felt heavier than the last. The crowd cheered louder with each strike, their roars echoing like a storm.
Amelia grinned her teeth and activated Divine Vision. The eye on her sword opened, glowing gold. Suddenly, she could see every angle of the fight, the wind, the cracks in the ground, the way his shoulders moved before each attack. It was like she was watching from a hundred different places at once.
She dashed in again, faster this time, aiming for the gaps in his armor. But Ragnorok blocked each one perfectly."How…?" she gasped. He smiled faintly. "I don't need eyes to see your moves. I can feel your heart."
Ragnorok's mana flared like a storm. The ground cracked under him. His aura felt like a mountain pressing down. Amelia could barely breathe.
She used Ghost Step, vanishing and reappearing around him, slashing from all sides. To the crowd, she was a blur of light. But every time she appeared, his sword was already waiting. The sound of their blades meeting echoed through the arena.
Finally, she leapt high into the air and shouted, "Dragon Slash!"Her sword glowed bright silver and black, releasing a huge crescent of light that tore across the arena.
The explosion blinded everyone for a moment. When the dust cleared, Ragnorok was still standing. His armor was cracked, blood running down his arm, but he didn't fall.
He planted his sword into the ground. "That's the power I wanted to see," he said. Then he pulled his sword free, flames flickering along its runes. "Now, face mine."
He charged. Amelia barely blocked the first hit. The second one knocked her off her feet. The third slammed her into the wall. Pain spread through her body, but she refused to stay down.
He stopped and said quietly, "You've already proven yourself. You can yield."
Amelia spat blood and stood, shaking. "Not yet. If I stop now, then everything I've fought for means nothing."
Her aura exploded around her, light and darkness spinning together. She dashed forward again, using every skill she had: Divine Vision, Ghost Step, and everything in between. The two of them became streaks of color, moving faster than the eye could follow.
Each strike sent shockwaves across the arena. Ragnorok's defense began to crack, but his will never did. Even when her sword grazed his chest, he didn't stop. He fought not with anger, but pure strength, the kind built from years of standing up again and again.
Their blades met one last time. The shock burst through the barrier, sending a gust of wind so strong that it knocked people back in the stands.
Then, finally, her knees gave out. Her sword dropped from her hand. Ragnorok's blade stopped just above her neck.
The bell rang.
"The victor is Ragnorok, the Steel of Will!"
The crowd roared so loud it felt like the arena itself was shaking. Amelia stayed on her knees, chest heaving. Ragnorok lowered his sword and offered her his hand.
"You're the strongest fighter I've ever met," he said. Amelia took his hand, weakly smiling. "And you're the wall I couldn't break."
The crowd cheered for both of them. Even the King stood and clapped.
For a moment, it felt perfect.
Then something changed.
The Dragon Divine Eye Sword, lying nearby, began to glow. The golden eye opened again, but this time, its color was red. A single tear of blood rolled down the blade and hit the ground.
Amelia froze. "What…?"
Ragnorok turned, confusion flashing across his face. His hand went to his chest. Then he stumbled. His sword slipped from his fingers.
"Ragnorok!" Amelia shouted, rushing to him. He collapsed before she reached him.
Healers stormed the arena, chanting spells, trying to restart his mana flow. But nothing worked. Within moments, their voices fell silent.
Ragnorok, the Steel of Will, was gone.
The crowd's cheers turned into screams. Panic swept through the stands. People pointed at Amelia.
"She cursed him!"She killed him!"Witch!"
Amelia just stood there, staring at him, her body numb. "No… he was fine… he won…" Her voice cracked as tears filled her eyes.
The King finally spoke, his voice heavy. "By the laws of the Tournament, victory passes to the surviving warrior. Amelia of No House is the Champion of Asper."
His words hit her like a blade. She didn't even move when a servant placed a glowing crystal necklace around her neck, the symbol of the kingdom's strongest warrior.
The crowd didn't cheer this time. They shouted. Booed. Cursed her name.
She turned toward them, eyes wide and empty. "I didn't mean for this to happen…"
The King only said softly, "Sometimes strength takes more than it gives."
Guards led her away as the chaos grew louder.
Her room was quiet. The cheers and screams from the city below were distant now. The necklace sat on her table, glowing faintly in the dark.
Amelia sat by the window with the sword on her lap. The tear of blood was still there, refusing to dry.
"Why did you kill him?" she whispered.
A faint voice echoed in her mind, the same one that had guided her years ago.
"The Dragon Sword remembers every defeat. Those who overcome it are taken, so it may never bow."
She stared at the blade, tears rolling down her face. "Then it's my fault…"
No answer came, only silence.
She gripped the sword tightly. "I'll find a way to tame it. No one else will die because of me."
Outside, the city was still awake, some mourning, some hating her. Amelia looked up at the moon and whispered, "Even if the whole world hates me, I won't stop."
The sword's eye slowly closed, as if listening.