When the challenge ended, all the targets vanished in synchronized flashes of light. The two A-rank students looked relieved. But Aurelius remained focused.

  He ignored the Director's announcement of the next challenge location. Ignored his teammates trying to get his attention. Just started walking toward me, slowly, keeping a few steps of distance between us.

  The safe zone would last for fifteen more minutes. After that, I was certain I had no way to escape.

  I'd already undone my rule about never missing. Now I was debating whether I should write a new one just to survive whatever was about to happen.

  The two A-ranks tried approaching their prince, probably wanting guidance for the next challenge. One look from Aurelius made them freeze mid-step.

  They had no realistic way of winning the next challenge regardless. He knew it. They knew it. So he was dedicating his full attention to me instead.

  The minutes crawled by, each one making my heart beat faster.

  As the timer approached zero, I started feeling genuinely abandoned. Was Nico at least watching from somewhere? Would he try to help, or just observe from the shadows like always? Had Aurora really just used me as bait and moved on?

  I tried pushing those thoughts away. The Prince's expression had shifted from rage to something colder and more analytical. He was looking at me the way a hunter studies prey before the kill.

  I remembered what Lina had told me a few days ago.

  S-ranks are above the law.

  Would he face any real penalty if he just killed me right here? Or would everyone look the other way to avoid conflict with a prince?

  Should I treat this as a life or death situation?

  The timer hit thirty seconds.

  I considered my options carefully. The Prince didn't seem like the kind of person who'd commit murder in a moment of rage, especially not during an official academy competition. It would destroy his carefully cultivated image as the honorable warrior prince.

  But that didn't mean he wouldn't hurt me. Badly.

  I took a deep breath. No point writing a panic rule. Better to see what happens and react.

  The Prince's grip shifted on his spear. A small adjustment, barely noticeable, but it told me everything. He was preparing to strike the moment the barrier fell.

  Three.

  Two.

  One.

  Zero.

  The barrier dissolved, and the Prince moved.

  He raised his spear and launched himself forward at a speed I couldn't even hope to track. I saw his face, sharp with focus and something that might have been satisfaction. Then a flash of light erupted between us.

  The metallic clang of weapons meeting rang across the field.

  Aurora stood in front of me, her sword intercepting the Prince's spear mid-thrust. She'd appeared so fast I hadn't even seen her move. One moment I was alone, the next she was there, blade raised, completely calm.

  How did she get here so fast? She'd been nowhere close to the challenge area.

  The Prince didn't seem surprised. In fact, he looked satisfied, as if this was exactly what he'd been waiting for. His spear remained locked against her sword, neither giving ground.

  "So you still retain enough honor to save your subordinate," he said, and there was a note of genuine approval in his voice. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd just let him fall."

  Aurora's free hand pressed gently against my shoulder, pushing me back a step.

  "You can go now," she said to me, her tone leaving no room for argument. She didn't even glance in my direction, her eyes were locked on Aurelius.

  “DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK TO ME.”

  The Prince's spear shot forward again, but Aurora's blade flicked up, catching it with another sharp ring of steel on steel. She deflected the thrust effortlessly, barely seeming to move.

  I took the hint and started backing away slowly, keeping both of them in view. No way was I stupid enough to actually turn my back on an S-rank mid-fight.

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  "I have no words for you, Prince," she said, her tone perfectly polite. Almost cordial.

  "Always hiding behind that attitude." Aurelius pulled back and reset his stance, spear point aimed at her chest. "Pretending you don't care about anything. But you cared enough about winning to throw away every principle in search of victory."

  Aurora's expression didn't change. "I see no dishonor in fulfilling my duty as a leader."

  "Duty?" Aurelius actually laughed, though there was no humor in it. "Is that what you call running from confrontation? Using bait and tricks to avoid facing me directly?"

  "I did what was necessary to secure victory for my team." Aurora's voice remained level, almost gentle. "Whatever shame that brings, I bear it."

  "That's pathetic." The Prince stepped closer, his spear pressing harder against her blade. "You speak as though strength is some burden forced upon you. You should wear your power proudly, not treat it like a punishment."

  Aurora didn't shift. Her stance held steady, perfectly balanced despite the pressure. "I don't take pride in doing my duty."

  "There it is!" Aurelius gestured with his free hand, animated now. "You hide behind duty like it absolves you of cowardice. 'I had no choice, it was my responsibility' as if that makes it honorable."

  "If my choices determine the outcome for many, then they must be the correct ones," Aurora replied simply. "Whatever that requires of me."

  "Listen to yourself!" The Prince's voice rose slightly. "Acting like you're carrying the entire world on your shoulders. Like you're some tragic figure forced to make hard choices."

  "I carry what I must."

  "You make it sound like martyrdom," he said, and for the first time there was genuine frustration rather than just anger. "You have the strength to face any challenge head-on. You could have met me in direct combat and won with honor. Instead, you chose deception."

  "It wasn't about what I could do," Aurora said quietly. "It was about what would guarantee success."

  "Guarantee?" Aurelius stared at her like she'd said something absurd. "You have enough power to decide any outcome through strength alone. That's what it means to be S-rank."

  "That is exactly why I cannot rely solely on my own power." Something shifted in Aurora's tone—still restrained, but with an edge of something deeper underneath. "When others depend on me, I cannot gamble their success on my pride."

  The Prince shook his head slowly. "You don't understand what strength means. Power demands we rise to meet challenges worthy of it, not dodge them with tricks."

  "My power exists to protect those under my command," Aurora answered. "Even if that means using methods you consider beneath us."

  "Beneath us?" Aurelius lowered his spear slightly, and his voice dropped too—less aggressive now, more intense. "When you use tactics like that, you imply you're not strong enough to win fairly. You diminish yourself. You diminish all S-ranks."

  "I do not fight to prove myself, Prince."

  "That's not what I'm talking about!" His grip tightened on the spear shaft. "This isn't about proving anything to others."

  "Then what is it about?" Aurora asked, and there was genuine curiosity in the question.

  Aurelius took a breath, and when he spoke again his voice was controlled but unwavering. "Your choice was an insult to your own strength. By hiding, by using tricks, you acted as though direct confrontation was beyond you. As though you weren't confident in your power."

  "My personal strength was irrelevant to the plan."

  "That's the entire problem!" The words came out sharp. "You treated your strength as irrelevant. You pretended to be weaker than you are. You used tactics meant for those who need them."

  "They were the correct tactics," Aurora replied. "The ones with the highest probability of success."

  "Exactly!" Aurelius pointed at her with his spear. "You chose certainty over honor. You chose the guaranteed path over the worthy one. That's what I cannot accept."

  Aurora met his gaze without hesitation. "Certainty was my responsibility to my team."

  "Your team?" His expression hardened. "You speak as if their purpose equals yours. As if you exist on the same level."

  "It is my duty to ensure their success."

  "No." Aurelius's voice went cold. "When you're the strongest, you lead from the front. You set the standard. Their purpose aligns with yours, not the reverse. That is the natural order of strength."

  "That is not how I lead."

  "I know." He stepped forward, and despite Aurora's sword between them, it felt like he was closing in. "And that is why your choice offends me more than mere defeat ever could. You caged your own strength to accommodate weakness. You should have used your power with pride and faced me as an equal!"

  Aurora didn't blink. "A direct confrontation with you was never certain. The outcome could have gone either way, and I had no right to gamble my team's victory on my personal pride."

  "Pride?" Aurelius's voice rose again. "This has nothing to do with pride! This is about what you owe to your own strength! When you possess power like ours, you have a responsibility to wield it properly, to honor what you are!"

  "What I am," Aurora said quietly, "is a leader. And my first responsibility is to those who follow me."

  "And that," Aurelius said, raising his spear, "is where we differ."

  His stance shifted, feet sliding into a combat position. The casual conversation was over—his entire posture radiated lethal intent now.

  "As the future leader of the empire, my first responsibility is to myself. To my strength. To what I represent." His voice was calm, but there was absolute conviction in every word. "Because if I diminish myself for others, I diminish the empire itself. My power is my duty."

  He took two measured steps back, creating proper dueling distance.

  "You've performed your duty by choosing tactics that guaranteed your team's victory." His spear came up, the enchanted blade catching the light. "Now I will perform mine. I will show you—and everyone watching—what happens when strength meets strength directly. No schemes. No safe zones. Just power."

  His blue eyes locked onto Aurora with unwavering focus.

  "So prepare yourself, Aurora. Because I'm done talking."

  I finally reached what felt like a safe distance, far enough that I hopefully wouldn't get caught in the crossfire, close enough that I could still see what was happening.

  This was it. They were about to fight for real.

  And all I could do was watch.