The clash between Jibril and Artoria Pendragon (Lancer) had finally reached its conclusion.
And the result?
A complete defeat.
Now reduced to a small, childlike form, Jibril—"Little Jibril," as some had begun calling her—collapsed onto the ground and burst into tears.
"Uwaaaah!! That's so unfair!!"
Her tiny hands clutched her card as tears streamed down her face.
"You even took my points!!"
The balance displayed on her card had dropped drastically—nearly wiped out in a single match.
Her heart shattered along with it.
Artoria, however, showed no sympathy whatsoever.
"You were the one who challenged me," she said calmly, turning her spear slightly before resting it on her shoulder.
"If you lose, you bear the consequences."
She glanced at her own card briefly.
"Those 20,000 points… I'll be taking them."
With that, she turned and walked away without hesitation.
To her, it had merely been another battle.
Nothing more.
...
Meanwhile, Jibril's body was instantly restored as the arena's system activated. Her injuries vanished, and she was gently transported out of the battlefield.
Watching all of this unfold, Esdeath widened her eyes in astonishment.
"So that's how it works…"
Her gaze sharpened.
"A betting system… winner takes the points."
Understanding dawned—and with it, excitement.
At that moment, a new challenger leapt into the arena.
A man with blue hair and a crimson spear spun his weapon with a flourish, grinning wildly.
"Come on! Who's next?! Who wants to fight me?!"
His voice echoed across the arena.
Esdeath narrowed her eyes.
Without hesitation, she stood up.
"I'll fight you."
She leapt down gracefully into the battlefield.
The man—Cu Chulainn—raised an eyebrow.
"Huh? Never seen you before."
He twirled his spear again, a feral grin spreading across his face.
"From another world, huh?"
Then he asked bluntly:
"How much are you betting? I don't fight for free."
Esdeath calmly lifted her card.
"I have 1,000 points."
Cu Chulainn's eyes lit up instantly.
"Only 1,000?"
Jackpot.
Someone from a lower-tier world, probably.
Easy win.
"Alright! Sounds good!"
He pulled out his own card and placed his bet.
The system activated.
3… 2… 1…
Start.
The moment the countdown ended, Cu Chulainn dashed forward like a beast unleashed.
But Esdeath moved first.
Her lips parted slightly.
"—Mahapadma."
A chilling aura exploded outward.
In an instant—
Time froze.
Everything stopped.
Movement ceased.
Even the flow of the world itself came to a halt.
The spectators stirred in interest.
"Oh?"
"That's a fascinating ability…"
"She froze time?"
Within the frozen world, Esdeath moved freely.
Drawing her blade, she stepped forward calmly.
One strike.
Clean.
Precise.
And—
the battle ended instantly.
"Winner: Esdeath."
Her card flashed.
+2000 points.
Cu Chulainn's body disappeared from the arena, teleported out immediately.
Outside the battlefield, Cu Chulainn stood frozen in disbelief.
"…What just happened?"
"I lost?! Just like that?!"
His brain hadn't even caught up yet.
Then—
A crimson spear shot toward him from behind.
"Too disgraceful."
A cold voice followed.
"You still require more training."
Scáthach stood there, arms crossed, clearly irritated.
Cu Chulainn broke into a cold sweat.
"G-Guru…"
He immediately tried to jump back into the arena.
"This time I won't lose—!"
But Esdeath had already returned to the stands.
"I'm done."
She sat down calmly, ignoring him.
She wasn't foolish.
Her eyes had caught something important.
When she used Mahapadma, several powerful spectators had shown interest.
That meant one thing—
They could counter it.
Using it again would be dangerous.
She had already won.
There was no reason to risk losing everything.
"Hey! Don't run away! Fight me again!!"
Cu Chulainn shouted from below.
But she didn't even glance at him.
...
His yelling quickly annoyed others.
A golden figure stood up from the audience.
"Pathetic."
A voice filled with arrogance rang out.
"Lost once and already whining?"
"Shall this King entertain you instead?"
Gilgamesh stepped forward.
Cu Chulainn froze.
Then—without hesitation—
"I'm out!!"
He jumped away immediately.
"I'm not stupid enough to fight you!!"
He knew better.
Fighting Gilgamesh was practically suicide.
Gilgamesh clicked his tongue in annoyance before stepping into the arena anyway.
Arms crossed, golden eyes gleaming, he declared:
"Who dares challenge the King?"
That overwhelming arrogance instantly irritated the crowd.
A man stood up.
Golden ornaments.
Royal aura.
A blazing presence.
"I shall."
Ozymandias (Rider) leapt down into the arena.
"Let me face you, King of Heroes."
Gilgamesh smirked.
"Have you prepared yourself for defeat?"
Ozymandias laughed loudly.
"Defeat?"
"Such a concept does not apply to me."
The arena buzzed with excitement.
This—
was a match worth watching.
The clash of kings.
The golden duo.
From the audience, another figure watched silently.
Karna, the "Sun Hero," sat quietly, his gaze shifting between the two.
His expression…
was strangely complicated.
And so—
another legendary battle began.