The sand-covered arena opened up to the sky. At the peak of noon, the sun bore down mercilessly, offering one last chance to the fallen. The air around Aurora shimmered with a faint golden glow, while Gale stood close to the ground, his hair swaying gently with the breeze.
"Fighting you won't be easy," Gale said, stretching his fingers as they waited to be called into the arena. "You must be pissed after that match with Lucy. I've never heard of you losing before."
Aurora smiled faintly. "You're fast, but you can't keep up with my light. Also, for someone who's about to lose, you sure talk a lot."
"Ah, I see. Your ego comes before your defeat. I lost before because I fought someone who had the advantage over me. Now, by defeating you, I'll take the small steps I need to reach where I belong."
As Gale finished speaking, the referee raised his hand, signaling for them to step forward. The scorching heat hung heavy in the air as they prepared to fight.
"LAST CHANCE FOR THE ELIMINATED! AURORA VERSUS GALE!"
With the announcement, the referee lowered his hand. The battle had begun.
Both fighters instinctively stepped back without making a move, carefully observing each other.
"You're staring at me too? This will get boring if we keep this up. Storm Step!"
Gale's body blurred. He seemed to merge with the wind, moving as if he were flying. His rapid movements left afterimages all over the stage. Every step he took stirred up the ground, turning the wind into a storm. Even his own shadow struggled to keep up with his speed. It was impossible to track him with the eyes—only the faint howls of the wind marked his trail. Moving at an incredible pace, he launched a flurry of strikes at Aurora.
Aurora narrowed her eyes for a moment, but before she could fully analyze his movements, Gale's attacks came like lightning.
"Wind Cutter!"
From Gale's hands, razor-sharp blades of wind shot forth like whispered death. The slicing air let out a sharp whistle, silencing everything for a brief moment. The arena floor cracked under the force of the invisible blades. As Gale seemingly teleported across the stage, attacks rained down on Aurora from every direction. She soared into the air, forming a glowing barrier in response.
"Celestial Shield!"
A radiant circle of light suddenly appeared around Aurora. The glow was so intense that it looked like armor enveloping her. The incoming attacks melted upon contact with the barrier, dissipating like wax under heat.
"I've indulged you long enough. Let me show you how a true noble fights!" Aurora's expression changed. She swept her golden hair back, taking firm steps forward.
Aurora's silhouette flickered at a speed even Gale couldn't perceive. Then, like scattered stars in the night sky, golden streaks of light filled the arena.
As Aurora moved, a golden aura surrounded her, leaving behind shimmering trails like stardust. Her speed was overwhelming—so much so that it seemed as though multiple Auroras existed at once.
Aurora spread her light throughout the battlefield. The air trembled for an instant before a powerful explosion shook the arena. Gale instantly leaped back, preparing for another attack.
"WIND CUTTER!"
"Hahaha! You're using the same attack against me again? How rude… That's the greatest insult you could give someone like me."
At the speed of light, Aurora appeared as a streak of brilliance right beside Gale's right side.
"Which one do you think is the real me? Light Flare!"
A blinding flash burst forth, and Gale lost his vision for a moment. He tried to retreat, but Aurora's shadow loomed over him no matter where he went.
He ran across the stage with all his might. He had always been the fastest, but now, in the midst of this overwhelming chaos, he felt completely out of place.
"I can't catch her. She's too fast. Where is she? Which one is real? Her attacks are too quick—where are they coming from?"
When Gale reopened his eyes, Aurora's hands radiated with energy that shimmered like star dust. The power she gathered was overwhelming—so bright that looking at it with the naked eye could blind someone.
"The roles have changed, rookie. Now you try catching me. Meteor Drive!"
Aurora's fist crashed into Gale's chest!
The air split apart as Gale was launched skyward before crashing back down. For a moment, it felt as if his entire body had aged and then rejuvenated in an instant. The heat of her energy burned through his veins, as if they were being torn apart.
But it wasn't over!
Gale struggled to his feet, gasping for breath, but the fire in his eyes hadn't faded. His lungs burned with every inhale, but he refused to give up.
"This won't end here. I may be weaker than all of you, but I won't stop. I will carry my father's name. YOU CAN'T STOP ME! STORM REQUIEM!"
The air suddenly changed. A gentle breeze turned into a howling storm. Dust and sand swirled into a violent vortex. The wind around Gale became so dense that even breathing became difficult. The arena transformed into the eye of a raging tempest. The wind pressure surged to such an extreme level that even Aurora found it hard to breathe.
But this was exactly what she had planned for.
"You're pushing yourself too hard, kid. Don't lose yourself in the fight—I'm just playing with you. SUPERNOVA BURST!"
Aurora's palms trembled with condensed light. In the next instant, a cataclysmic explosion erupted with the radiance of a dying star. White and gold energy surged like a solar storm, consuming the battlefield. Spectators squinted, barely able to keep their eyes open. The sheer force of the blast extinguished the last flicker of hope in Gale's eyes.
The impact hurled Gale across the arena, and he collapsed to his knees.
As he looked up, he saw eight Auroras in the sky, each holding concentrated light ready to strike.
"Give up, rookie. A piece of trash like you will never stand against me."
Gale no longer had the strength to speak. His head dropped, and he blacked out.
"She… was faster than me. I'm sorry, Father. I couldn't win. I won't become the next Wind Reaper. Can you hear me? Maybe in the afterlife, I'll beg for your forgiveness. How foolish of me…"
"AND THAT CONCLUDES THE MATCH! THE WINNER IS PRINCESS AURORA!"
"I thought this would be more difficult," Aurora muttered, stretching. "After my fight with Lucy, this wasn't even enough to relieve my stress. Oh well, at least I advanced through the qualifiers."
As Aurora moved on to the main tournament, Gale had lost both his second chance and his dreams.
Walking toward the stands, she glanced at Max, noticing someone was missing.
"Where's Lucy? Didn't she watch my match?" Aurora wanted to prove herself to Lucy.
"She went to the infirmary," Max replied, his voice eerily calm. "Summoning a spirit as massive as Susanoo has a price. Right now, she's paying that price in agony."
Max spoke with such cold indifference, despite how much Lucy cared for him.