From the stands, Akari Tsukikage stood frozen, her hand clenched to her chest. Her lips trembled, and she didn't even notice the tear rolling down her cheek until it touched her chin.
Why am I crying?
Below her, the battlefield was no longer just stone and sweat—it was a storm of dust, craters, and chaos.
The massive worm—Big Georgia, as Kai had once jokingly called it when they were eating burnt canned beans in the ruins—twisted around the arena like a living fortress.
Its armored plates glinted beneath the sun filtering through the broken dome. Its every movement cracked the ground beneath it.
Students were screaming. Professors had stood from their seats. The arena trembled.
But Akari only stared at him—at Ottokai, who stood in the eye of the storm, bleeding, broken, still smiling.
That smile... that's the same one Kai Alaric Vogel had.
Seren gripped the railing so tightly her knuckles were white.
"That idiot..." Seren's voice cracked. "He's really doing it."
She remembered last night. That trembling voice trying so hard to sound confident.
"I'll beat Alric. No matter what it takes."
Now he stood there with a summoned monstrosity rumbling behind him, eyes focused like iron.
The parasite squirmed, coiled, waited. And the plan—the insane plan that no one thought he could possibly have—was working.
Behind Seren, Reno was slack-jawed. "He actually... He actually bought that big guy here? Who the hell is this guy?!"
From the Midnight Band's corner, Marin blinked slowly. "He called that monster. That's beyond our parasite class, isn't it?"
"Yes," whispered Vance, who never spoke unless forced. "That's at least D Tier. That's... That's the kind of thing they deploy in emergencies."
"What kind of low-rank kid raises a D Tier parasite in secret?"
"...Someone acting weak," Marin said, remembering something.
In the VIP box, Siegfried Krämer finally leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "He's not a fluke."
Julian Richter scoffed. "No. That's not something you fake."
Elena crossed her arms, frowning. "And he's still smiling."
Professor Faulkenrath tapped his cane nervously, muttering to himself, "This breaks regulation... but gods, the execution is flawless..."
Commander Schwarzklinge grinned. "This is a battlefield now."
Only Headmaster Eisenwulf remained silent. But his gaze—sharp, weighing, calculating—never left Ottokai for a second.
In the arena, Alric looked around in rage, his eyes flicking from the worm to the broken ground to the stands that now cheered for someone else.
"You son of a bitch...!"
Now, time to finish this!
Kai didn't say anything.
He just raised his hand again, blood dripping from his fingers, as Big Georgia slammed her tail into the arena floor with a monstrous BOOM.
Akari whispered, almost inaudibly.
"Win this, Kai..."
Kai leapt onto Big Georgia's armored back just as she barreled forward like a battering ram wrapped in muscle and plated bone. Dust exploded from beneath her coils. The ground shattered beneath every undulation of her body. Alric tried to stand, tried to steady his stance, but the worm's massive body slammed across the arena and sent shockwaves through the stone floor.
"YOU BASTARD!!" Alric roared, bracing his stone-armored body. "I'LL KILL YOU!! I'LL—!"
Kai pointed forward. "Now, Georgia!"
The massive worm obeyed. She lunged, tail whipping with terrifying speed. Kai jumped off mid-air, letting Georgia's bulk crash into Alric and knock him clean off his feet. Kai landed hard, bones creaking, but rolled straight into a sprint.
Alric roared again, part fury, part panic. He launched himself at Kai with both arms hardened like granite, fists slamming down in a hammer blow. Kai side-stepped and fired a silk-thread shot directly at Alric's eyes. It didn't blind him, but it gave Kai just enough space.
Georgia rose behind him.
"NO YOU DON'T—!"
Boom.
Her massive body slammed down on Alric again, cratering the arena. The boy coughed blood and screamed, "I'LL BITE YOUR THROAT OFF YOU FREAK!"
Kai landed on his chest. "You'll bite nothing."
He raised his bone-clawed hand, hesitated just long enough to show restraint, then slammed it into the ground beside Alric's head. Alric flinched.
The crowd exploded.
In the stands, Seren covered her mouth. Her eyes were trembling. Her throat tightened. "He's… he's going to win..."
Reno stared, silent for once.
Freya exhaled slowly, hand to her heart.
All of them watched as Ottokai—bloodied, bruised, reckless and grinning like a madman—stood tall with a parasite the size of a war train rearing behind him.
And Seren, who had always thought she'd seen the worst in people, who had believed that survival was all humans could hope for in this world, felt something break inside her. The tears came freely now.
"…So this is what humans from Earth are like."
They weren't broken.
They were beautiful.
Meanwhile, high in the shade of a dark corridor above the arena, Nocturne Van Louis leaned against the railing, arms folded, lips curled in amusement.
"Wow," he said casually. "He's pretty strong."
Beside him, a silent classmate gave him a sideways glance. "Could you beat him?"
Nocturne raised an eyebrow, considered, then chuckled. "Hmmm… I don't know."
He looked down at Ottokai riding the monstrous Georgia, the crowd roaring, the boy standing like a king in the rubble of a collapsing arena.
"I was defeated in seconds today, after all."
He sighed.
"…Guess I'll need to try harder next time."
Kai grabbed Alric by the collar, knuckles bloodied, arms trembling. He hauled him up with sheer stubborn will, then drove his fist straight into Alric's jaw.
Thud.
"You think… you're stronger?!" Kai shouted.
Another punch.
"You think I didn't prepare?!"
Thud.
"You think I'll just lose again?!"
Alric's stone-covered hands tried to resist, but Kai slammed his elbow into his ribs, then his fist into his mouth. The granite cracked. Blood flew. Alric grunted, shouted, spat.
"FUCK YOU! FUCK YOUR WORM! YOUR ILLUSIONS—!"
Smash.
Kai's knee hit him square in the face. Alric's curses were growing softer.
"—YOUR TRICKS—YOUR STU—"
Another punch. His head snapped sideways.
Kai's vision blurred, but he kept swinging, his parasite roaring inside him, his body screaming for rest, but his heart louder.
I'm not losing again. I'm not going to fall behind. I'm Ottokai Von Seraphis—no—Kai Alaric Vogel. I've already died once. I won't crawl ever again.
"You lost, Alric! You LOST—!"
Crack.
The last punch finally broke the stone armor around Alric's jaw. His body sagged, weightless.
Then silence.
Alric dropped like a sack of meat. Face-first into the crater.
"Winner: Ottokai Von Seraphis."
The arena erupted.
"HE DID IT!!" Reno yelled, leaping from his seat.
Seren stood frozen. Then she clapped—slow at first, then faster, then with tears running down her cheeks.
Freya stared, stunned. "He… actually did it."
Professor Dietrich Faulkenrath stood up, hand on his chest. "That was... incredible."
Even the stoic GCC commander, Erhardt Schwarzklinge, raised an eyebrow and gave the faintest nod of approval.
And the Direktor, Klaus Eisenwulf, leaned forward on his cane, watching the broken boy with a rare gleam in his eyes. "That name… Ottokai Von Seraphis… we will remember that."
The Midnight Band clapped too. Akari bit his lip and whispered, "He actually won..."
Down below, Kai stood over Alric's broken form. The last shred of strength slipped out of his bones.
He wobbled. Then he smiled faintly.
Akari...
He collapsed backwards into the dust, unconscious. The medics rushed in. The crowd screamed his name.
Ottokai Von Seraphis had won.