After Claudia's match ended, Group 8 returned to their seats.
Three consecutive victories.
Merida. Cindy. Claudia.
Now, only one remained.
Knox.
"…It's your turn," Cindy said, looking at him.
Knox stood up from his seat.
"Looks like it~"
"…Win," Merida said shortly.
Claudia added with a small smile,
"Good luck, Knox."
Rick grinned. "Don't hold back, alright?"
Meilyn crossed her arms. "…Just don't drag it out."
Cami nodded quickly. "Be careful!"
Knox waved his hand lightly.
"Got it, got it~"
Then, zhe started walking toward the waiting room.
***
While Knox and Chatel were still in the waiting room, the atmosphere outside had already begun to shift in a way that could be felt even without seeing it directly, as the low murmur that had initially spread among the audience slowly grew louder and denser, layering into a restless wave of anticipation that refused to settle.
It was not difficult to understand why.
Among all the matches scheduled for today, this one stood out to an overwhelming degree, to the point that it could easily be called the most anticipated duel of the entire day, drawing not only the attention of almost the entire 329th batch—including nearly all of the special entries—but also a considerable number of professors who had taken the time to personally attend.
Figures such as Jane, Hong Feng, Aaron, Bahil, Eric, Silage, and many others could be seen scattered across the stands, their presence alone enough to make it clear that this was no ordinary match, but rather a confrontation that carried weight beyond a simple evaluation.
After all, this was a clash between two names that had already begun to circulate widely throughout Kizen.
The so-called White Devil—Special Entry No.1, Knox Aznable.
And standing opposite him, Special Entry No.4, the half-giant, Chatel Mayer.
Given that, it would not have been surprising if any other matches scheduled at the same time had noticeably fewer spectators, as the majority of attention had naturally converged here, drawn by the expectation of something worth witnessing.
Meanwhile, as Group 7 and Group 8 waited for Knox to be called to the arena, their attention, which had initially been directed toward the bustling crowd and the atmosphere of the stadium, gradually shifted forward when they began to notice something unusual about the seating arrangement in front of them.
"…Huh?"
Cindy blinked, her gaze shifting forward.
"…Wait."
Rick leaned slightly, squinting as if trying to confirm what he was seeing.
"…No way."
Merida's eyes narrowed, her posture stiffening almost imperceptibly.
And then they realized.
Sitting directly in front of them—
was Lorain.
That alone would not have been strange.
But what truly made them freeze—
was the person seated right beside her.
Serene Aidark.
For a moment, no one spoke, not because there was nothing to say, but because their minds were trying to process a scene that felt fundamentally out of place, as if two elements that should never naturally coexist had somehow been placed side by side without conflict.
The two of them, who were widely known for their relationship that could only be described as cat and mouse, were now sitting closely together in complete stillness, giving off an impression so absurd that it felt almost symbolic, like witnessing a saintess calmly sitting next to a legion commander without either of them drawing their weapon.
Only after a few seconds did the realization settle.
"…So that's why the seats around here were empty," Rick muttered under his breath, his expression turning oddly complicated.
"…Those two disasters…" Cindy added, her voice noticeably quieter than usual, as if even speaking too loudly might draw unnecessary attention.
Even Claudia, who was typically composed, found herself staring a moment longer than she should have, while Merida's gaze sharpened slightly, quietly observing the situation without saying anything.
It was at that moment that Serene, who had been casually resting her cheek against her hand, seemed to sense the presence of a particularly sharp gaze directed toward her, prompting her to slowly turn her head with a faint, almost indifferent smile already forming, only for that expression to shift instantly the moment her eyes landed on Meilyn.
"Meilyn!"
Her voice brightened without hesitation, the sudden change in tone almost jarring compared to the earlier atmosphere.
"You guys are here? Come, come—Meilyn, sit with me~"
The reaction she received was immediate and absolute.
"Absolutely not!!"
Meilyn's response came out loud and sharp, filled with unfiltered rejection as she glared at Serene with clear hostility, making no attempt to hide the sheer amount of dislike she felt.
Serene, however, only seemed more amused by that reaction, letting out a soft laugh as if she had expected nothing less.
At the same time, Lorain, who had also turned slightly at the exchange, shifted her gaze toward Group 7 and Group 8, and after briefly taking in their presence, greeted them with a small, composed smile that contrasted sharply with the tension just moments earlier.
"Hello."
Her tone was calm, almost casual, yet the moment she noticed the way they were looking at her and Serene—with expressions that hovered somewhere between disbelief and silent questioning—her expression flattened slightly, as if she had already anticipated the kind of thoughts running through their heads.
"Don't ask," she said, her voice steady but carrying a hint of irritation.
She tilted her head just slightly toward Serene, though she didn't bother looking directly at her.
"This woman came over and sat next to me with that kind of face, completely uninvited."
Serene hummed softly, offering no denial.
"If this weren't Knox's match, I would have moved away immediately," Lorain continued, her gaze shifting forward toward the arena.
There was a brief pause, just long enough to emphasize what came next.
"But doing that would waste time."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"And if I miss even a few seconds of Knox—"
Her voice lowered, firm and without hesitation.
"That would be unacceptable."
For a moment, both groups simply stared at her, not because they didn't understand what she meant, but because the reasoning itself felt strangely excessive while still being undeniably consistent with who she was.
Rick exhaled quietly. "…I don't even know how to respond to that."
Cindy nodded slowly. "…Same."
Without warning, Lorain's expression shifted again as her gaze moved toward Serene, the air around her subtly tightening as a faint red aura began to seep out, not violently but with a density that made it immediately noticeable to anyone nearby.
"So," she said, her voice dropping slightly.
"You'd better not do anything unnecessary."
The words were calm, but the implication behind them was not.
"If you do…"
She didn't finish the sentence, yet the intent was already clear enough that the surrounding students instinctively tensed, some of them even shrinking back slightly as a chill ran down their spines.
Group 7 and Group 8, seated just behind them, were no exception.
However, Serene, who was the direct recipient of that pressure, showed no sign of discomfort, instead tilting her head slightly with a small smile that carried both innocence and something faintly mocking.
"Hmm? Do something unnecessary?" she repeated lightly, as if genuinely confused.
"I don't know what you're talking about~"
Then, her eyes curved just a little.
"Besides… isn't it you who's doing something unnecessary right now?"
Her gaze flicked briefly toward the faint red aura.
"Letting your bloodlust leak out like that~"
The tone remained soft. But the meaning behind it was unmistakably sharp.
For a brief moment, the space between them felt as if it had tightened, their gazes locking in a silent clash that needed no further words to convey its intensity.
Fortunately, before the tension could escalate any further, the sound of an announcement rang out clearly across the stadium, cutting through the atmosphere like a blade and drawing everyone's attention at once.
—Student Knox Aznable of Class A, and Student Chatel Mayer of Class I, please proceed to the arena.
At those words, both Lorain and Serene fell silent at the same time, their attention shifting naturally toward the arena, as the moment everyone had been waiting for finally arrived.
As soon as the announcement ended, the attention of the entire stadium shifted at once toward the arena, and without making the crowd wait any longer, the two figures who had been called began to appear from opposite sides.
Knox Aznable.
Chatel Mayer.
One walked in with a relaxed, almost casual pace, as if he had simply been called out for a stroll rather than a duel that had drawn the attention of nearly the entire academy. The other stepped forward with a heavy, grounded presence, each movement carrying a weight that seemed to press down on the air itself.
They advanced toward the center of the arena.
And as the distance between them closed, the contrast became unmistakable.
Chatel's towering frame, broad and imposing, cast a presence that made Knox appear almost small in comparison, and it was precisely that overwhelming difference in physique that caused a ripple of whispers to spread through parts of the audience.
Some murmured that this would be one-sided.
Some quietly questioned whether Knox could handle such a gap in raw physicality.
And a few—
went further than that.
"…He's too small."
"…There's no way he wins that head-on."
"…Special Entry No.1? Doesn't look like it."
They spoke in low voices, thinking themselves safe within the crowd.
They didn't realize how close they were sitting to Lorain.
For a brief moment, she stayed still.
Then her gaze shifted, cold, sharp, and silent.
She didn't say a word, nor did she need to, because the moment her eyes landed on them, the atmosphere around those few students seemed to freeze instantly, their spines stiffening as if an invisible blade had been pressed against their necks.
Their voices died out mid-sentence. Their bodies shrank almost instinctively.
And just like that—
silence.
Behind that scene, Serene let out a soft chuckle, her lips curling slightly as she watched the reaction.
"Hehe… just a bunch of apes with mouths," she remarked in a light, sarcastic tone, as if the entire situation was nothing more than mild entertainment.
Despite that, the overall atmosphere did not shift against Knox.
If anything, it leaned toward him.
Because his name had already spread.
Stories of his strength, his actions, and the way he carried himself had reached far more people than Chatel's reputation, and as a result, a much larger portion of the audience watched him with expectation rather than doubt.
Only a minority, those who still refused to believe, or those who simply enjoyed provoking others continued to hold onto their skepticism.
"Both participants, step forward and shake hands."
At the referee's instruction, Knox and Chatel closed the remaining distance and stopped at the center.
When they extended their hands, the difference became even more apparent.
Chatel's hand was massive, large enough that when Knox's hand met his, the scene resembled an adult shaking the hand of a child, the size disparity so clear that even from the stands, it drew subtle reactions.
Lorain, watching from her seat, allowed a faint smirk to form at the corner of her lips.
Knox, however, showed no sign of concern.
Instead, he smiled lightly as he held Chatel's hand.
"Hello," he said in a relaxed tone, as if greeting someone he had just met casually. "Let's have a good fight without regrets, okay~?"
Chatel looked down at him, his expression steady, his voice low and firm when he responded.
"…You are strong."
There was a brief pause.
"But… I will win."
They released their hands.
Stepping back, both took their positions, creating distance between them as the arena seemed to settle into a brief, tense quiet.
At the same time, the mana projector flickered to life above them.
[Knox Aznable: 100%]
[Chatel Mayer: 100%]