The Anomaly's Path

The freezing air in the lower ruins did not just feel cold — it buzzed with anger.

At the dead end of the central plaza, the path up to the main castle was completely blocked by a sixty-foot wall of corrupted blue ice.

It was a frozen trap, a tight spot where the dark alleys and broken stone paths of the lower area all came together. The thick fog hung heavy, swallowing the light, until the sudden, fast sound of running boots broke the frozen silence.

From opposite sides of the frozen arena, Team Riven and Team Marius slammed into the clearing at the exact same moment.

Riven did not even look at the big ice wall blocking the stairs. He did not look at the old buildings around them. The moment his eyes cut through the mist and saw Marius standing across the frost-covered stone, his pupils narrowed with pure hate.

”Marius...,” Riven hissed.

He did not wait. He did not wait for a command. His Shadow power burst from his boots like liquid dark, wrapping around his dual daggers as his body moved forward in a fast, deadly sprint. He was not trying to score points. He was going for a kill strike straight at Marius’s throat.

Before his dark blades could cut through the mist, a thick root of World Tree wood shot out from the cracked stone, wrapping around Riven’s ankle and pulling him back with hard force.

Riven slid across the blue ice, his daggers scraping against the stone, sending up dark sparks as he glared back. ”Lyssaria, let me go!”

”Are you crazy?!” Lyssaria snapped, her hands glowing with a bright green aura as she held the spell tight, her roots straining against his pull. She stepped into his path, her face red with anger. ”Every time you see someone else’s team members, you try to kill them! Control yourself, Riven! Look around us — we are stuck!”

Across the yard, Marius did not even pull out his sword. He just stood there, his face blank and empty, stripped of his old pride as he watched Riven’s anger. Behind him, Roland and Gareth kept their weapons raised, their eyes locked on the area.

”She is right, shadow-boy,” Roland said, his spear on his shoulder as his eyes scanned the shifting fog. ”Save your energy. We are not alone.”

Crack!

The sixty-foot ice wall did not just crack — it exploded outward, sending huge chunks of ancient ice raining down on the yard.

The ground shook hard as a heavy pressure hit the area, forcing every student to drop low just to stay steady. From the frozen depths of the broken ice, a big horde of monsters flooded the yard. These were not the weak ones from the outer rings.

Five big Frost Titans, Expert High rank threats, moved heavily into the light, their big bodies made of jagged blue stone pulsing with a sick purple glow.

And behind them, the mist moved with motion.

Over twenty Expert Mid ice wolves bounded over the broken rubble, their jaws snapping, their glowing blue eyes locked on the ten students. Within seconds, the beasts spread out with smart hunting skill, surrounding both teams in a big, tight circle of teeth and ice.

”Expert High... and over twenty strong mobs,” Riven said through his teeth, his daggers crackling with dark energy as the horde rushed the line. ”Fine! We clear the small ones first!”

”Do not give them an inch!” Marius finally ordered, his voice cold and clear as he pulled out his blade.

With the threat of a full team wipe in front of them, personal hate had to wait. The two rival teams moved fast, shifting with the trained skill of high-ranking students. Instead of fighting each other, they locked their formations together.

Gareth and Caster stepped to the front, combining their defensive magic to make a big wall of earth and stone that absorbed the crushing weight of the first charging Frost Titan.

Boom!

”Now! Hit the cores!” Roland yelled, his spear flashing forward in a fast blur, piercing an oncoming ice wolf through its skull.

Riven did not say a word, but his moves were deadly. He melted into the shadows, appearing right under a titan’s heavy, swinging fist.

With a hard, twisting slash of his daggers, he cut through the monster’s icy joints, dropping it to its knees just in time for Marius to step in from the side, delivering a clean, mana-filled cut that shattered the beast’s glowing core into dust.

They were working together smoothly, a scary mix of shadow and steel born from pure survival.

_

Meanwhile, on the high west bridge looking over the broken valley, a different fight had already run its course.

The stone pillars holding up the big bridge were burned, cracked, and covered in frozen blood. On the broken stone floor, Viktor lay slumped against a broken wall, his heavy armor dented and smoking.

Beside him, Lila, Roran, and Tessa were down, their mana pools empty. Viktor was slumped against a broken wall, his heavy armor dented and smoking. The second-year watchers had already stepped out of the shadows, tapping their badges to show their team was out.

Alice’s whole team was done.

But across from them, Julia and Conas stood with the rest of the vampire group, breathing hard but keeping their weapons low as they stepped back, leaving the final stage to their leaders.

Conas was a tall, lean human with short black hair and a scar down his left cheek. He wore dark fitted armor and carried a thin rapier, his cold eyes locked on the battlefield, waiting for the right moment.

Now, only Princess Elisabeth von Noctis and Alice Scarlet stood face-to-face.

Boom!

A big wave of crimson blood mana crashed against a blinding, heavy force of pure Reave power. The hit was so strong that the old blue ice on the stone bridge turned to thick steam in an instant.

Elisabeth slid back across the broken ledge, her red eyes glowing with a sharp, calculating light. Her sword was out, her blood mana pulsing around her robes to shield her from the heavy weight.

Standing on the opposite side of the bridge was Alice.

Alice’s long red hair flew wild in the strong wind. Her eyes burned with the raw, scary power of her Reave power. It was not normal fire. It was a hungry, hunting force. Her heavy longsword was covered in a violent, dark red glow that seemed to eat the power in the air.

With every monster her team had killed in the transit paths, and with every drop of blood spilled on this bridge, Alice’s power had grown. The Reave power fed on the fight itself, making her faster, heavier, and much more dangerous the longer the battle went on.

”...I have to admit, Princess,” Alice said, a cold, mocking smile on her lips as she lifted her heavy longsword with one hand, the heavy glow flaring out. ”For a vampire who hides behind her team, your speed is not bad. But you are blocking my path.”

”You move forward when I say so, Alice,” Elisabeth replied, her voice cutting through the wind. Under her calm face, her mind was racing. She knew what Alice could become, and she had no plan to let that hungry power upset things this early. ”Not a second before.”

”Then I’ll just break you!” Alice roared.

Alice lunged, her boots breaking the stone bridge under her. She brought her longsword down in a hard, crushing arc. A big wave of dark red Reave energy burst from her blade, tearing through the bridge like a falling rock.

Elisabeth did not dodge. Her eyes narrowed as she pushed her sword forward, her blood mana forming into a sharp, piercing twist of red energy.

Crimson Art: Piercing Drill

The two big forces hit in the middle of the bridge. The hot, hungry heat of Alice’s Reave power clashed against the heavy, sharp weight of Elisabeth’s blood mana, creating a violent expanding shockwave.

The remaining stone pillars holding up the bridge started to break one by one, dropping chunks of stone into the dark hole below.

They traded blows in a blinding blur of silver and red.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Alice swung with heavy, tireless strength, her Reave power always feeding on the hits to push her physical limits. Elisabeth parried with perfect skill, her precise style deflecting the heavy weight, but the force was shaking her bones.

Both girls were reaching their limits.

Their breathing was hard, their uniforms torn, their faces pale from pure tiredness as they poured the last bits of their power into one final stance. Alice’s muscles ached from the strain of her own strong power, while Elisabeth’s blood mana was running low.

Boom!

Before they could throw themselves forward for the final strike, a sudden, loud laugh echoed from the lower valley below the bridge.

”HAHAHA! Look at this mess! Come on, keep moving!”

The loud voice of Roan carried up through the valley, along with the sounds of heavy fighting and breaking ice from a nearby area.

The sudden noise broke the perfect tension. The ground under them groaned hard as the middle joint of the bridge gave way. The stone bridge cracked into two big, moving slabs, tilting over the deep, foggy valley.

Alice grit her teeth, her Reave power flaring one last time as she looked across the growing gap at Elisabeth. Inside, a wave of bitter shame washed over her. She hated this. She hated that she had to run, hated feeling too weak to just beat the princess right here.

But with her team down and her body screaming in tiredness, she had no choice. She had to make sure she won the tournament, no matter what it took.

Grinding her teeth, Alice pushed the anger down. The sudden, loud echo of Roan’s voice from the valley below was the opening she needed. Taking quick advantage of the split-second distraction that made Elisabeth brace herself against the shake, Alice’s lips curled into a wild, reckless smile.

”See you later, blood-sucker!” Alice laughed, her voice cutting through the rushing wind.

She coiled her legs, sending the last burst of her Reave power into her boots, and jumped off the falling stone. As she flew over the growing gap toward the lower valley path, she twisted her body in the air, looking back at the princess.

With a mocking smile, she raised her hand and flipped her off.

”If we meet again, I am breaking that toothpick of yours and killing you for real!” she yelled, her voice fading as she fell into the dark fog below, chasing the sound of the real fight and leaving the outcome of their duel hanging in the air.

Elisabeth stood still on the broken bridge, the wind whipping her dark hair across her face. Her crimson eyes stayed on Alice as the girl dropped into the mist, her raised middle finger disappearing into the gray haze.

She didn’t look angry. Instead, a cold, unreadable expression settled over her pale face. She slowly lowered her sword, her thumb tracing the guard of the hilt. Alice was reckless, dangerous, and unpredictable — a wild card that could ruin everything if left unchecked.

She’s still the same crazy bitch as ever, Elisabeth thought.

She turned her back to her team, her robes fluttering as she stepped onto solid ground toward Julia and the others. The fight on the bridge was over for now, but the real war for the Gate’s core had only just begun.