From the VIP room, the elders were watching, both seated in their chairs.
"Impressive, I must say," one of the elders remarked, stroking his beard.
Fukuchi entered through the door and immediately bowed.
"Did you summon me, sir?"
Another elder, seated to the right, gestured with his hand, giving him permission to rise.
"We called you here to congratulate you on your brilliant idea of rebuilding this place for the festival. Thanks to you, no one will be watching from the outside."
"I agree, Uvox," the elder on the right added. "Your efforts will be rewarded."
"I appreciate it, sir," Fukuchi bowed his head. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to take my leave…"
The elders nodded; he then left through the door. Walking down the dark, silent corridor, Fukuchi suddenly stopped, his expression turning serious.
"Are you sure this plan of yours will work?"
The hooded man was right behind him, emerging from the shadows of the hallway.
"The setup is ready. Now, we just wait and see what happens next…"
Fukuchi turned and walked toward him, his steps heavy with authority.
"I hope you didn't make me build this arena for nothing. You said they would die… I want to see results."
"Don't worry… by the end of the festival, your wish will be fulfilled… What I need from you now is to be the key piece for this…"
Fukuchi frowned, confused by his words.
"What do you mean by that?"
"You don't need to know right now. Just trust me…"
"…Very well. You're dismissed."
The hooded man smiled and vanished down the corridor without a trace.
A few hours later, inside Room A, Takamiya was pacing back and forth, his expression serious.
"We've already secured a point from the first match until now… we just need to keep up this pace."
Erick rested his hand on his chin.
"Outside, I could hear a lot of screams from the crowd… the other opponents must be really impressive," he said, leaning against the wall, a little tense.
The group turned toward the door, which slowly opened, revealing Lilith, carrying a handkerchief and water.
"Lilith? What are you doing here?" Louis asked, standing up.
"Well… since I couldn't fight, I thought it would be a good idea to help out as support…" she said, shyly brushing her legs.
Takamiya walked over and handed her a cup of water.
"That's thoughtful of you, thank you," he said, taking a sip.
"Oh, don't worry about it. I just wanted to help. Seriously!" she replied, flustered.
"You're really kind… and you radiate a calm aura, like water. I bet your magic is amazing too."
"Y-yes… I…" She hesitated over her words.
Rose then interjected.
"Don't you think you're talking a bit too much today? Isn't there something better to do?"
"And what are you going to do?"
Takamiya walked over and stopped in front of her, crossing his arms. Their eyes met, tense. Louis quickly stepped between them.
"Please, we're at a festival… it wouldn't be right to fight among ourselves…"
"Hmph."
Rose sat down, crossing her legs. But then the announcement finally came:
Takamiya vs. Ishin!
"Alright, it's my turn."
Takamiya walked through the door and down the stairs. As he walked, he clenched his fists, deep in thought.
"Calm down, breathe… Takamiya. You have to go and win! I… I can do this!"
When he arrived at the arena, his expression turned confused.
"Huh?"
His opponent was a girl, holding a bouquet of flowers, smiling with bright, cheerful eyes.
"Hello!" she said, waving.
Takamiya placed his hand on his face, his expression darkening.
"What's happening with him?" Ryo frowned.
"He's disappointed because his opponent is such a cute girl, and he trained so hard!" Emily laughed.
"Besides, he hates hitting girls," Mei added, crossing her arms.
Inside the arena, Takamiya gripped his sword and stared at the sky.
"Ah… now what…?" he sighed.
Ishin tilted her head slightly.
"Are you okay?"
"Damn… she looks too fragile." He gritted his teeth. "But that doesn't change anything. She's still my opponent."
She then charged toward him. Takamiya braced himself, meeting her gaze firmly.
Ishin leapt, ready to strike.
"Don't dodge, okay?" she said, smiling.
In that instant, Takamiya froze, a strange wave coursing through his body—and then he was hit, thrown backward.
He quickly regained his senses and managed to stand.
"What… w-what just happened to me?" he thought, stunned.
Another strike came at him immediately.
"Damn, I have to defend!"
"Can I hit your face, right?"
The same sensation ran through him… again he was struck, falling onto his back.
Takamiya rose, only to be hit by yet another blow. It was as if his body was obeying his opponent's will.
"But why isn't he dodging? At this rate, he's going to lose!" Wally exclaimed, worry evident.
Cosmo placed his hand on his chin, watching closely.
"His body doesn't seem to be following his mind. She must be controlling it somehow…" he said, eyes fixed on the bouquet.
Ishin continued striking relentlessly. Then she smiled.
"He can't win while the scent of my attraction magic is entwined with this bouquet. My victory will be quick!"
She struck again, nearly knocking Takamiya out of the arena.
"Damn, why won't my body obey me? If this keeps up, she'll win… Focus, Takamiya, there has to be a way…"
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Transparent world… inverse."
The moment he opened his eyes, the world shifted into inverted colors.
The sounds of the arena vanished.
He could sense the flow of mana.
The quickened breathing of his opponent.
The faint pulse from the bouquet in her hands.
"Don't move!"
Ishin was about to push him out of the arena.
"I win!"
But in that moment, Takamiya swiftly cut the bouquet, dodged with incredible speed, tripped her, and sent her out of the arena—securing his victory.
The crowd erupted into cheers once again.
"He really did it!" Louis breathed a sigh of relief. "He was about to lose… how did he win?"
"Transparent world… what kind of ability is that?" Erick asked.
"It's an ability that lets him sense everything around him within a 200-meter radius. He realized the bouquet was directly interfering with his motor impulses, so he waited for the right moment to cut it," Ike explained, sipping his water.
"So that means… he was holding back before?!" Louis thought, a mix of amazement and disbelief.
"I can't believe I lost…" Ishin muttered.
"Cheer up. You fought really well."
Ishin stared at the ground, visibly shaken, but felt a gentle touch on her shoulder.
"Cheer up. Honestly, it was really hard to resist your power. It's an extremely dangerous ability—anyone could fall for it. You handled it with such precision and mana control. I'm very impressed."
Ishin's eyes lit up at his words.
"Well… it was a good match. See you later!"
Takamiya smiled as he began to leave the arena.
Ishin held her chest, watching him go, a soft blush spreading across her face.
"Yes…" she whispered.