The gate finishes opening, and Freya moves to the fourth position on the enemy team.
The suspended screens clear the images from the previous fight. The event emblem appears for a few seconds, followed by a run of lights that travels the rim of the arena. When the announcer speaks again, the war names come up one after another, each followed by a portrait.
[UNCLE DEN]
My image fills the central screen before giving way to Rhayne.
[BALLERINA]
[SOLINE BANDIT]
[BONE CRUSHER]
Oliver lifts Motorhead when his name is announced, pulling an immediate response from the stands. Veric only tilts his face to hide it, still without the mask, while Rhayne stays close to us, tucking the delicate strands of her silver-purple hair behind her ear in a shy gesture.
The opposing team comes next.
[SPLIT FANG]
The man with the two blades appears with his arms crossed over his chest.
[WHITE WAKE]
The white-haired spearwoman draws applause from an entire section of the stands.
[DEEP ECHO]
The third Diver, covered in light plates and the sensory runes around his neck, keeps his eyes closed through his own portrait.
The last screen goes dark.
The announcer waits for the crowd’s noise to drop before continuing.
"And closing out the formation chosen to face Uncle Den’s squad, we present the great surprise of this main attraction. For several years, the Azure Prime Academy has not seen a prodigy of this level. A fighter who earned the respect of instructors, cadets, and veterans before even reaching the peak of her own potential."
Freya’s image rises.
[FROST VALKYRIE]
"Welcome the Ice Valkyrie of the Azure Prime Academy!"
The crowd answers hard enough to make the barrier vibrate.
Freya raises a hand and waves, restrained. The gesture doesn’t look like it comes from shyness. From the stiffness in her shoulders and the speed with which she takes hold of the scythe again, I’d say she only wants to finish the obligation and get out of the center of attention.
She finds my eyes for an instant.
There’s no room to talk across an arena.
I turn back to my squad.
"We fight the way we planned. Veric picks the first target and starts the chain attack. Once the sequence begins, nobody abandons the target just because another opponent stepped into the path. Force the correction, hand off the opening, and keep the pressure until Veric changes the order or the position becomes impossible."
I point discreetly at Rahul’s three fighters.
"They were picked to split us apart. Split Fang will try to get in between the transitions. White Wake has the reach to hit whoever takes the second answer, and Deep Echo can probably read our positions without seeing us. If each of us chases his own problem, our formation dies in the first minute."
Veric watches the opponents while I talk. The easy confidence he carried through training is gone.
"Is this what you meant when you said the plaza wouldn’t prove anything? There I only had to recognize the opening the others made."
"Now you’ll have to recognize it while you block, cover the flank, and decide whether the target is still worth the risk. You thought it was simple when nobody was trying to open your throat. Let’s see you hold the same rhythm when all four start answering."
Veric’s expression closes. Then he pulls the black mask from his inventory and fits it over his face, covering everything above the lips.
"You know you don’t have to hide who you are anymore," I say.
He checks that the mask is seated before looking at me. "You wanted a spectacle. The mask has been part of the costume from the start."
The smile shows in his eyes first, then reaches his lips. There’s more mischief in it than in any ambush.
Oliver rests Motorhead against the ground and flexes his fingers around the haft. "After the Red Tide in Lost Ark, boss, it’s going to be hard to find anything in this arena that can scare me."
I hold out my fist. Oliver knocks his against it, and for a moment we are back on that stone in Lost Ark, holding a line over the abyss while everything else tried to kill us.
I open the guild forum.
[ADMINISTRATIVE NOTICE — RICHARD BOULEVARD]
When you see my light signal, tell Leona. That’s the moment. Keep the panels shut until then.
The reply lands before I can close the window.
Understood. Signal first, then Leona starts the presentation. Zhang Xi already has everything set.
I close the forum and turn to Rhayne.
"You cover Veric’s flank through the whole attack chain. Even when you take the second entry, the protection stays with him."
She measures the distance between our positions and frowns. "If I come in mid-sequence, I won’t be able to stay beside you and beside him. The Battle Ribbon can close a hundred and eighty degrees of defense, but White Wake will still have room to come from the other side."
I touch one of the violet earrings lightly. The stone rests against my fingertip and answers with a faint glow.
"Assign one of the barriers to Veric before that happens. It’ll follow his signature while you move. Use the second one in the formation when someone’s about to break the chain. Don’t spend a charge on me."
Rhayne lifts her eyes. "Dryden, if you’re left exposed—"
"I’ll be fine. Your job is to keep Veric standing and stop the sequence from dying before it reaches the third attack. Trust the equipment we picked, because I trust you."
The uncertainty in her face fades. She touches the other earring and confirms with a firm nod.
I step away to take my position.
Rhayne catches my arm before I finish the second step.
When I look back, she’s already pulling off one of her leather gloves, biting it at the fingertips. Her bare hand closes for an instant, maybe to beat down her own hesitation, before her palm settles against my face.
Her skin is warm.
The energy reacts at once.
The void beneath my aura opens for a fraction of a second, deep and silent. There’s no pain. Only the sense that something that always existed between us has just found a shorter path.
[System Alert: Link Established.]
[Void Catalyst tuned to Linked Soul.]
[Void Resonance: 65%.]
A new line appears below the others.
[Secondary Pathway Detected.]
[Soul Link Available.]
[Enable Soul Link?]
I look at Rhayne.
Her hand is still on my face. Her storm-blue eyes reflect messages I don’t know whether she can see too.
Then she smiles.
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