Lucien watched Faye intensely as her hands trembled over Corin, the once steady light shaking in uneven patterns.
Corin didn't move.
For a brief moment, everything else faded — the crowd, the noise, even Regis. All he could see was Corin on the ground, bent at an angle that shouldn't be possible, the smell of blood and sweat mixing in the air.
Corin's chest rose, shallow and restrained but his eyes stayed shut.
'He's alive'
Regis let out a mocking laugh while relaxing his shoulders.
"That's one done," he said casually.
Lucien exhaled slowly through his nose.
Faye looked up at him, panic breaking through her composure. "I can slow it down," she said. "But I can't fix this fast enough."
Regis took another step forward.
The pressure around him strengthened again, heavier than before. The longer this dragged on, the worse it would get. Regis wasn't hiding it — he was daring them to keep going.
"You're out of pieces," Regis said, tilting his head. "Stone girl's barely standing. Speed boy's broken. Healer's shaking."
His eyes flicked back to Lucien.
"You're the only one left."
"You're enjoying this," Lucien replied.
Regis snorted. "Obviously."
He stepped in again. Not hesitating as his fist aimed directly for Lucien's face.
"Dont." Lucien said.
The word landed heavier than the blow ever could have.
His arm twisted mid-swing — not slowing, not deflecting — just stopping. His muscles locked as if they'd been clenched by someone else's hand. The crimson aura around him flared violently.
His punch never reached Lucien.
Regis' eyes widened.
"…What did you just do?"
Lucien didn't raise his voice.
"You can't hit me."
Regis laughed and forced his body forward.
His arm moved again — just enough to scrape past Lucien's shoulder, missing his head by inches. The strike went wide, smashing into the stone behind him instead and exploding it into fragments.
Regis stumbled half a step, catching himself. He stared at his hand like it no longer belonged to him.
"Move," he growled at his own body.
For the first time since the match began, he was no longer in control — he glanced over his shoulder.
"Do something," he barked toward the rest of his team.
His team reacted instantly, rushing forward like they'd been itching to get involved.
Two of them broke formation and sprinted. The third stayed at the back, pressure building around him as his skill flared.
"Faye, stay with Corin," Lucien said without looking back. "No matter what."
She nodded, hands still glowing as she kept Corin stable.
The first Valmont member snapped open her lighter as she ran. The tiny flame flickered once then stretched, feeding off her skill. She swung her arm and the fire shot forward in sharp bursts that screamed through the air.
Alya reacted on instinct, stone shooting out the ground to form a wall, the fire slammed into it and exploded outward in sparks.
The second Valmont member reached full speed. Once he started running, he couldn't slow down until he collided with something.
His pace increased, each step causing small cracks to form in the ground as the momentum piled up. The pressure around his feet was visible as he turned himself into a straight-line projectile heading toward Lucien and Alya.
"Move!" Lucien said sharply.
Alya twisted her palms outward, using the terrain to throw the runner off his line — but he didn't stop. He tore through it, stumbling once, then correcting, speed still climbing.
The third Valmont member stomped.
The impact rippled outward like a blast. The stone beneath Lucien's feet shook violently, his balance breaking for a split second as the tremor ran through the field.
Lucien caught himself — but Alya didn't.
She dropped to one knee, breath knocked from her lungs as the ground continued to shudder beneath them.
Regis watched it all with a grin creeping back onto his face.
"That's it," he said. "Break them."
Lucien turned toward him.
"Stay where you are."
The words came out rougher this time.
Regis' body froze — just for a moment.
Lucien's nose started bleeding. His vision dimmed, chest tightening as breath came a little too shallow. He couldn't hold back the whole team.
Alya saw it.
She planted both hands into the ground and screamed — not in fear, but out of desperation
Stone answered her call violently.
The ground exploded upward in rough waves, layers of rock piling over each other as if the earth itself was panicking.
The runner hit it head-on.
The impact detonated outward. Stone shattered, dust and debris exploding into the air as his momentum finally broke. He was thrown sideways, slamming into the ground hard enough that he didn't get back up.
The fire-user tried to follow up, hurling another burst — but Alya was already moving. Stone spears ripped up from the ground mid-throw, clipping her shoulder and forcing the flame wide.
Alya staggered backward. Her breathing was wrong now. Too shallow. Blood escaped from her mouth, dark against the dust on her chin.
Lucien glanced over and looked at her sharply.
"Alya—"
"I'm fine," she gasped. "Just — finish it."
Regis' grin was gone.
Lucien stepped forward, forcing his focus back onto him alone. Just him.
"Don't move," Lucien said.
Regis snarled and tried anyway. His body locked for a moment, arms falling stiff to his sides as he struggled to move.
That was enough.
Alya slammed her hands down one last time.
The ground snapped shut around Regis' legs, stone climbing fast, locking him in place up to his waist. Cracks split along the rock as he strained against it, muscles bulging as he tried to tear himself free.
Lucien felt himself sway, the blood now dripping across his mouth. His skill was weakening, pressure blooming behind his eyes like something about to burst.
"This isn't over," Regis spat.
Behind Lucien, stone exploded.
The runner from before was already back on his feet.
He didn't slow.
Momentum screamed through his body, faster than before, boots tearing chunks from the ground as he ran forward in a straight line toward Lucien. There was no angle to dodge, no time to move Alya out of the way.
Lucien turned.
For a split second, Lucien's vision blurred completely.
He spoke once.
"Turn toward your captain."
The runner's body obeyed before his mind could.
His spine twisted violently, legs still driving forward at full speed as his direction snapped sideways. His feet dug in as he fought it — but he couldn't stop.
The runner's scream tore out of him as his body completed the turn.
Regis' eyes widened.
"No—!"
The impact was catastrophic.
The runner slammed into Regis at full speed, the collision cracking like thunder. Stone shattered as both bodies were thrown back.
They hit the ground hard.
The runner didn't move again.
Regis didn't either.
The crimson aura around him flickered once… then went out.
Lucien staggered.
Alya caught him before he could fall, her hands shaking as she held him upright.
The horn screamed.
"Victory to Team Nox."
The words barely registered.
Lucien's knees finally gave up, the world tilting as the pressure vanished all at once. The last thing he saw before he hit the ground was Regis Valmont — unconscious.