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Lightning coursed through Valencia\'s blade as she dashed towards Jan.

This was it.

This was the end.

In her mind, Jan had thrown everything at her, his body was exhausted, and his mana reserves were depleted.

huuu...

Jan who stood still in the moment saw it all... Everything that had led up to this moment, made him realise the beauty of things.

...

...

...

As time passed by, Jan could feel everything around him slow down.

He knew deep down that this tournament meant nothing to him, even if he won.

He watched Valencia, seeing not just her skill, but the woman she had become since their first meeting all those years ago.

He\'d always felt the weight of this second life, an unfair gift compared to those lost in the calamity that destroyed his homeworld.

But Valencia, somehow, eased that burden with her unwavering support and friendship.

After all this time, after everything she\'d done for him, this would finally be his first act of true reciprocation.

In the final fraction of a second, Jan had hesitated.

SWOOSH!

Her blade struck faster than he could react.

"...!"

As blood streaked out of his chest, the movements of her swing, mirrored the same way she had once slashed him before.

SHING!

"Well played, Valencia…"

THUD!

Jan\'s words trailed off as he slumped to his knees, succumbing to exhaustion.

"... guess this win... is yours..."

slam...

Silence washed over the arena as Valencia caught her breath.

"NO WAY!"

"OH MY GOD..."

"She did it."

The crowd erupted.

The announcer\'s voice exploded through the stadium,

"History has been made! Our newest immortal has arrived, everyone give it up for... VALENCIA FREYA!"

Valencia stood tall, bathed in the roar.

She gazed upwards at the vastness of the arena.

It felt unreal, this fulfilment of years of effort and sacrifice.

"My first win," Valencia smiled as she lifted her sword towards the audience.

***

{Rel\'s POV}

[Pinnacle Academy, Stadium 1 - Arena A: Medical Bay]

[Time: 6:00 PM]

[after the fight...]

zzzzzz....

zzzz...

zzz...

"...Mr. Laurence?" A voice pulled me from my restless sleep.

Jolting upright, I met the doctor\'s gaze.

"Yes, Doctor?"

He gestured towards a blinking device on the bedside table.

"You\'ve received a notification to head back to the main stage. The conduction for the ceremony will begin very soon."

"Why?" I croaked, still hazy.

right... I was top 4 regardless of my forfeit... haah... The thought of it left a sour taste.

My next question tumbled out before I could stop it.

"Who won the finals?"

Jan shouldn\'t have lost... well unless the forfeit messed things up.

If Valencia won, did awakening DC (Divine Conqueror) weaken him too much?

Because if he had all six elemental attributes victory was almost guaranteed.

But with only the light attribute... It might have been a mistake, There were just too many variables to account for.

What I needed were answers.

"Valencia Freya," the doctor stated flatly.

"...!"

So, having him awaken caused Jan the win huh?

"Really?" I managed, followed by a weak smile.

The doctor merely nodded, his face betraying nothing.

Well that answers things... but do I really have to attend the ceremony? I mean... It was just a formality anyway, and these hospital sheets were more comfortable than being outside.

"Good for her," I muttered.

"Just tell me, Doctor, how am I supposed to walk on my own when you said moving was a no-go?"

The doctor adjusted his glasses, his gaze fixed on his clipboard.

"A fortunate coincidence. I have just the solution." He slipped out, returning a few moments later with a small vial.

"This contains an adrenaline compound tailored specifically for cases like yours. It will temporarily relieve the pain and exhaustion, and also support some recovery process for your mana flow."

I eyed the vial in suspicion, there was no way a thing like this existed...

"System, analyze this, please."

[Sure Mr. Axel! :D]

[Analyzing vial… Analysis complete!]

[Potion: AMR (Adrenaline Mana Relief) – Safe to drink]

[Duration: 2 Hours]

[Contents: This drug introduces a chemical that aids the structural recovery of mana flow.]

[Side effects: Immediate and severe rebound of pain upon expiry. Potential for fainting.]

Of course.

I should have known better than to hope for an easy fix.

With a resigned sigh, I downed the potion, frowning at the taste.

A strange tingling sensation washed over me.

Testing my legs slowly, I felt the throbbing ache reduce to a dull background hum.

The doctor, ever efficient, broke into my thoughts.

"Since you are technically well enough to move... consider this your discharge. Your things are by your bed. Leave after the ceremony, and I recommend a full week of rest before returning to classes."

He nodded curtly and left.

I pulled on my clothes, a frown tugging at my lips as I checked the time.

The award ceremony would need setup time, which might buy me the chance to receive whatever they had for me and then slip away unnoticed.

My main priority as of now is Morwen.

He was the bigger threat, and I needed to formulate a plan to keep him far away from her before he could even act.

...

...

...

[Pinnacle Academy, Stadium 1 - Arena A: Main Tunnel]

"Stupid... so stupid..."

Louise muttered, malding out of his mind.

He\'d chosen the furthest seat possible from Jan.

It was the one act of misguided nobility against his rival, and it had cost him everything.

"...?"

"Should\'ve ended it, should\'ve ended it..."

The endless, muttered insults sent a chill down Jan\'s spine.

Valencia, radiating the usual post-victory confidence, glanced at Louise\'s anger, then chose to ignore it.

She leaned towards Jan.

"Are you okay? Does the wound still hurt?"

Jan who tapped his chest whispered,

"It\'s fine. Got it healed, anyway."

A sigh of relief escaped Valencia.

"Honestly, I…" The words caught in her throat, a frown replacing the relief, made her question the entirety of the match.

Did Jan even take the fight seriously? Yet, he was smiling, and to ruin the moment seemed petty.

"...?"

Jan tilted his head. He sensed her hesitation but didn\'t ask.

tap...

tap...

tap...

The rhythmic tap of footsteps echoed through the tunnel.

Rel, walking with a forced stiffness, emerged.

Seeing Valencia, Louise, and Jan, he felt a wave of intimidation wash over him.

This place… these people… they were a world away from his own.

If only he hadn\'t agreed to that cursed quest, he wouldn\'t be here...

Rel, after a swift check with the security, sat at the very end avoiding Louise and Valencia.

But right next to him was someone even more annoying than the 2 combined.

Jan... who was delighted to see him up and about, gave him a hearty nudge with a mischievous grin.

He tilted his head towards Valencia, and he teased, "Oh, hey Rel!"

"...?"

"...!"

The sudden outburst startled both Valencia and Louise.

Valencia blinked, her focus snapping back to the present, while Louise whipped his head around.

Their eyes landed on Rel, who froze at the attention, desperately avoiding eye contact.

He couldn\'t face either of them, let alone muster a reply to Jan\'s enthusiastic greeting.

"tch..."

Valencia clicked her tongue and Louise frowned, a scowl of disgust twisting his features as he turned away in a clear dismissal of Rel.

"..."

The silence was suffocating. Louise, muttering barely audible threats, rocked with barely contained fury.

Valencia in disapproval had her arms crossed tight against her chest.

Jan, seemingly oblivious to the tension, tapped his foot and glanced impatiently at his watch.

And Rel, utterly miserable, kept his gaze fixed on the ground.

...

...

...

A few minutes later a sudden echo of footsteps cut through the tense silence.

"...!"

An imposing figure emerged from the tunnel, and everyone seemed to recognise this familiar person.

"Well, it seems we\'re all assembled,"

[Milio Idris President Of The International Heroes Association.]

"Shall we begin the ceremony?"

Valencia turned a hint of surprise in her eyes. "Mr. Idris," she acknowledged,

"I wasn\'t aware you were leading the ceremony."

The president smiled, a touch of warmth softening his stern demeanour.

"A last-minute request from your principal, Ms. Freya. Urgent matters, I\'m afraid. He asked if I would take the honour in his stead."

"Of course," Valencia replied, though her tone held a slight hesitation.

With a curt nod, the president shifted his focus, his gaze sweeping over the gathered students.

His eyes lingered on Louise, a slight frown creasing his brow.

He then looked at Rel, his expression unreadable.

Finally, he settled on Jan, who stood with unnerving calmness. The tension, the president\'s scrutiny… none of it seemed to reach him.

BZZZT!...BZZZZT!

The president\'s watch buzzed a discrete signal that pierced the charged silence.

After checking the notification, he gestured towards the tunnel exit with a slight tilt of his head.

"Positions, students, if you will. Time to begin the ceremony."

"...?"

As they rose, the usual sense of order felt wrong.

No instructions, just an awkward line – Louise moving to the left, Valencia and Jan in the middle, and Rel schooching to the end.

The roar as the tunnel gates swung open hit them with the force of a wave.

The crowd was in a frenzy, the energy felt the same as the World Cup final.

They trailed behind the president, their footsteps echoed in the sudden hush as they emerged onto the platform once more.

From this vantage point, the sheer scale of the arena was overwhelming.

"Mr. Idris... here you go."

Milio accepted a microphone from a waiting staff member, his gaze sweeping across the sea of faces as he broke the noise with a cough...

_________________

Authors Notes:

- The fight between Jan and Valencia lasted for 7 minutes and 25 seconds.

- Milio Idris is the head of operations across all national associations.