Shameless One

"Silver Iricson, King of SIGMA Academy."

"Vina Bird, King of Wonderland Academy," Vina's voice trembled, a reflection of the pain endured in past matches, yet her eyes still blazed with determination.

This was the first match in the elimination phase of the Interacademy Ethereal Combat Tournament, a battle SIGMA Academy needed to win to stay in the competition.

Considering SIGMA academy's prowess and the presence of a complete ethereal warrior, Wonderland Academy detested the pairing even more. However, due to Principal Arlun Kianam's "gentle" threats, they had no choice but to win.

"Commence!" King Eldran announced, and the brilliance of ethereal arms illuminated the arenas.

As Queen Senna Elsie unleashed her ethereal arm, the students of Wonderland Academy rallied around their king, their weapons glowing with resolute ferocity. But before their attacks could land, Shun waved his staff, and a heavy mist emerged, enveloping the arena in an instant.

The sudden change in environment hindered the students' movements. They were soon met with a barrage of tentacles.

The audience frowned as the mist obscured their view, making it impossible to see the battlefield clearly.

A red shadow darted through the tentacles, moving faster than the eye could follow. Within seconds, the floor was covered in Rin's hair and Oswald's thorns.

As the mist began to dissipate, the Wonderland Academy students found no trace of their opponents. The battlefield was eerily empty, save for the ominous crimson moon overhead, casting a bloody glow.

"Watch out!" One of the girls screamed, but it was too late. Some of her teammates were already ensnared in a golden web.

Their ethereal arms turned against them, one muscular boy smashing his hammer into his own body with such force that his insides spilled out. Fortunately, the students of Wonderland Academy had faced worse. The death of teammates was a grim reality they had become accustomed to.

Despite their resilience, fear began to creep into their hearts, only to be replaced by bloodlust when Senna Elsie waved her talisman, turning their eyes a murderous red.

"Underground!" Vina commanded. "Alan, use your ability now!"

Alan struck the arena floor with his staff, causing the ground to quake and collapse. Ten shadows leapt from the debris, propelling themselves toward Senna.

Seizing the opportunity, Vina stabbed a dagger into her own heart. The shadows froze mid-air, then fell lifelessly to the ground.

Healed by her teammate, Vina panted in relief, but a voice behind her shattered her composure.

"Sunset Slash."

The strongest ability of the 99th complete ethereal warrior, Silver Iricson. 

With her teammate's ethereal arm, Vina teleported in front of Silver, taking the hit head-on. Her eyes shone with confidence, in stark contrast to Silver's horrified expression.

Silver fell, signaling the King's defeat.

"We claim victory," Vina smiled.

"The winner is..." The judge began to announce, but his voice trailed off as disbelief crossed his face. Silver's body, along with the defeated SIGMA Academy students, shattered into pieces of broken glass.

Fiana's mirror did more than clone opponents.

A rain of swords, missiles, and elements fell from the sky.

"Those are fakes! They're above us!" Senna shouted.

Alan waved his staff, a visible wave of vibration deflecting the projectiles. But behind the barrage was a flaming figure, trailing scorching flames with his sword.

"Haven't you learned your lesson?" Vina shouted, her voice a mix of fury and exhaustion. She stabbed the dagger into her heart once more. Rayden fell, causing a massive explosion of flames.

"This one is real," said a nearby student, touching Rayden's lifeless body. The smirk on his face gave her a bad feeling.

"Caitlin, heal me quickly," Vina demanded, barely able to stand.

But nobody was there.

"Sorry, captain," Caitlin whispered, a black sword piercing through her body. "An... ambush..."

She fell, and Vito Fool, standing over her, cleaned the blood from his sword and smiled at Vina.

Where had he come from?

The person most heavily guarded was not the king or queen but the healer, Caitlin Marshall. The moment SIGMA Academy students vanished, ethereal warriors with protective abilities surrounded her. Those warriors never left her side, always watching for potential threats.

So how?

"An insane tactic, not a single step wrong," Principal Arlun Kianam murmured.

"Losing to these monsters, not a shame, not a shame..."

He walked away, leaving his final words behind.

"That's good enough. Let's go back."

"Instructor..." Vina whispered before collapsing, tears and regret filling her eyes.

"The winner is SIGMA Academy," the judge announced, disbelief and shock evident in his voice.

...

"Must feel horrible to stab yourself in the heart," Shun shrugged.

"I almost feel sorry for her," Jaylen shrugged back.

"For her? Why not feel sorry for me?" Rayden snapped. "Why was I the sacrifice anyway?"

"That really changed my viewpoint of you, Rayden. You sure have what it takes to be a successful cannon fodder," Oswald replied.

"That's enough, Rayden. Thank you. We couldn't have done it without your sacrifice," Silver bowed to Rayden, her expression sincere.

"Not only you, everyone executed the plan perfectly, a surprising feat for you all," Leon Ermy said, shaking his head. "That sneak attack was clean, Vito."

How could they forget? Leon's voice still echoed in their heads, a remnant of yesterday's speech.

"The goal of the plan was to use Vito's immortality to trick their opponents into believing he was dead, then deliver a fatal blow when they were focused elsewhere."

They all had to admit, Leon's plans were always reliable. It had never failed them, not even once.

...

A pair of eyes watched the jubilant students from the shadows, filled with acknowledgement and appreciation, until an arm pulled the figure out of the darkness.

"Enjoying the show?"

Kael Franklin glared at Sora Tiamat, his voice filled with displeasure.

"Not like you're any different," Sora turned away, embarrassed.

Ignoring her reply, Kael continued with a merciless tone, "Princess Alfreya sent you, didn't she?"

"Considering we were once comrades, I'll let you go this time."

"But if you dare lay a hand on Prince Albert..." Kael's golden spear sliced the ground, a radiant crack forming instantly.

Sora shrieked quietly, her terror illuminated by the brilliance.

"I don't mind getting acquainted with another 23rd complete ethereal warrior."