Reyna and I crashed together one last time.

The lightning from my counter-strike still danced through the air, static making my hair stand on end. Her fist connected with my jaw while my bat glanced off her shoulder. We both staggered, off-balance but refusing to fall. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Blood dripped down my chin. My ribs screamed. Each breath felt like swallowing glass.

But I was smiling.

So was she.

"Had enough?" Reyna’s emerald eyes burned with challenge.

"I could do this all day."

"Liar. You’re barely standing."

She wasn’t wrong. My legs shook beneath me, muscles quivering from exhaustion. The stat buffs from Kinetic Absorption were fading, leaving behind nothing but pain and the copper taste of blood in my mouth.

"Still gonna kick your ass," I spat.

Reyna laughed, a genuine sound of delight. "I like you, Stray Dog. You’re completely fucking insane."

She raised her hand, and lightning crackled between her fingers. Not a full-powered attack—she was running on fumes too—but enough to hurt. I gripped my bat tighter, ready for one last exchange.

That’s when Professor Takamura appeared between us.

One second the space was empty; the next he materialized like he’d always been there. Six feet of solid muscle and killing intent, his hand catching Reyna’s wrist with casual strength.

"That’s enough." His voice rumbled like distant thunder.

Professor Petrova materialized at my side in the same instant. I hadn’t even seen her move. One moment she was up in the faculty stands; the next she stood beside me, the tip of her crystal stiletto pressing against my chest. Just enough pressure to dimple my already torn combat suit.

"Agreed." Her voice cut through the arena like a frozen knife. "This exhibition has concluded."

Exhibition? This wasn’t a fucking exhibition. This was war.

"With respect, Professor," Reyna said, not sounding respectful at all, "we haven’t finished."

"You most certainly have." Petrova’s blue eyes were glacial. Her stiletto pressed harder against my sternum. "Unless you both wish to be disqualified from the tournament."

Wait, what?

"That would be unfortunate," Takamura added, releasing Reyna’s wrist but keeping his massive body between us. "Especially since you two are the frontrunners to lead your respective guilds."

The crowd murmured, disappointed at the interruption. They’d been loving the bloodsport, the savages.

"But Professor—" I started.

"Enough, Mr. Nakano." Petrova’s stiletto tapped my chest with each syllable. "Your performance today was impressive. Surprising, even. But the tournament requires our star pupils intact, not broken from childish grudge matches."

Star pupil? Me?

The fuck was she talking about?

Petrova’s eyes narrowed slightly, reading my confusion. "Did you think this was about you personally? This was a test, Mr. Nakano. One you passed, despite your... unorthodox methods."

I looked past her to Reyna, who seemed equally confused.

"Both of you will report to the medical bay immediately," Takamura ordered. "Then, once you’re stable, President Vance wishes to speak with you."

The president? Celeste’s sister? Oh shit.

"This duel is officially declared a draw," announced the referee, her voice amplified throughout the arena.

The crowd erupted in protest. Money had changed hands. Bets had been placed. A draw satisfied no one.

Petrova’s stiletto finally retreated from my chest. "Walk, Mr. Nakano. With dignity. You’ve made quite enough of a spectacle today."

I managed three steps before my knees buckled. Only Petrova’s lightning-quick reflexes kept me from faceplanting, her slender arm suddenly supporting my weight.

"Pathetic," she whispered, but without real malice. "You pushed far beyond your limits."

"Worth it," I muttered back.

She almost smiled. Almost.

Across the arena, Takamura was practically carrying Reyna, who looked even worse off than I felt. Blood soaked one side of her combat suit where my bat had connected with her ribs.

We locked eyes as the professors escorted us toward opposite exits.

Reyna mouthed something at me.

Next time.

I nodded.

Count on it.

The medical bay was a blur of blue light and antiseptic smells. Emi waited for me, already prepared with her healing Aspect activated. The moment the door closed behind us, she rushed forward.

"You absolute idiot! Look at you! Your ribs are shattered, you’re bleeding internally, and your left arm has a hairline fracture!"

Her hands glowed with soft blue light as she pressed them against my chest. Warmth flowed into me, knitting bone and mending torn muscle.

"Hello to you too, sunshine," I coughed.

"Don’t you ’sunshine’ me! What were you thinking?"

"That I needed to win."

"It was a draw!"

"Technicality."

Emi’s eyes narrowed. The healing light intensified, almost painfully hot. "Hold still."

"Yes, ma’am."

Her fingers pressed harder against my ribs. Blue light seeped through my torn combat suit, illuminating the bruises and cuts beneath. Her closeness made my head swim—or maybe that was the blood loss. Either way, her scent filled my senses: strawberry shampoo and the faintest hint of vanilla.

"You scared me," she said softly, not meeting my eyes. "When she hit you with that lightning... I thought..."

"I’m fine." I reached up, brushing a strand of blue hair from her face. "Lightning Rod, remember? She couldn’t hurt me with electricity."

"So you let her beat you to a pulp with her fists instead? Smart."

I chuckled, then winced as something in my chest popped back into place. "Strategy."

Emi’s healing light reached deeper, finding the worst of the damage. The bleeding in my lung stopped. The fractures in my ribs began to seal. The torn muscles in my shoulder knit themselves back together.

"Some strategy. Natalia nearly froze the entire section when you went down."

Speaking of Natalia... I reached out through Sovereign’s Mandate, feeling for her. She was close. Very close. And absolutely furious.

The door slammed open.

"You. Fucking. Moron."

Natalia stormed in, violet eyes blazing, frost trailing behind her like a comet’s tail. The temperature in the room plummeted twenty degrees in seconds.

"Nice to see you too, Nat," I said weakly. "How’d I look out there?"

"Like an idiot with a death wish." She stopped beside the examination table, arms crossed, frost creeping up the metal legs. "You let her hit you. Repeatedly."

"It’s called Kinetic Absorption. The more she hit me, the stronger—"

"I know how your stupid ability works!" Ice crystals formed on her eyelashes. "That doesn’t make it any less moronic to let an A-Rank fighter use you as a punching bag!"

Emi’s healing light flickered. "Natalia, please. I need to concentrate."

"Fix him so I can kill him myself."

Despite the pain, I laughed. "Missed you too."