The Colosseum, filled with tension and murmurs of doubt, suddenly erupted into a mix of cheers and hushed anticipation.

It wasn’t without reason, as a new challenger had stepped onto the battlefield—a figure whose presence alone demanded attention.

Fenna Hearthhop.

The Bunnary student council president, known for her boundless energy and battle-thirsty nature, walked forward without her usual excitement.

To others, she was one of the strongest, as she was a fourth-year student and was qualified enough to take the position of the student council present, maintaining it even now, but these days, she had been out of herself.

Fenna had stayed cooped up in the training hall these days, not meeting anyone or accepting requests.

Instead of her usual battle-ready expression, a deep frown marred her face today. Her long ears twitched slightly as she approached the silver-haired boy at the arena’s center.

Vaelith turned his golden eyes towards her, a lazy smirk tugging at his lips. “Oh? New one already? You guys sure don’t waste time.”

Fenna barely registered his words as her mind was somewhere else entirely.

Somewhere beyond the Colosseum. Beyond this academy.

Her thoughts swirled with frustration as she recalled the latest message from her kingdom.

‘The elders have agreed. The proposal from the Aegisfolk will be accepted. You will marry into Theron’s family.’

Her fingers clenched into fists.

The tone was clear. It wasn’t a request, nor was it a suggestion. It was a decision. A statement of fact. Whether she liked it or not, her fate was already sealed in the eyes of her people.

‘When I rose to this strength, defying every limit set on our race, they all said that I was someone who would bring about a change. I was someone they would stand beside until death.’ She thought to herself, her eyes closing as those words now sounded like nothing but a joke.

‘What now? Where did all of your determination go?’ She scoffed under her breath, her boots grinding against the stone floor of the Colosseum as she came to a stop.

Vaelith tilted his head. “You don’t seem very focused. Got something else on your mind, bunny girl?”

Fenna ignored him. Another memory crept into her thoughts. This time, it was Theron’s voice.

“Fenna, I love you. I’ve always loved you. And I know you have feelings for me too.”

Her scowl deepened.

‘Since when? When did I ever make him think that? I thought we were just friends.’ She was helpless.

For days, she thought of her actions, wondering what had made him feel that way, but she couldn’t recall any of it. ‘Why does everyone else get to decide what I want and what I feel?’

A deep breath.

Her frown wavered for a moment as another face surfaced in her mind.

Alex.

Her expression softened, just slightly. Unlike the others, he had never tried to put her in a box. He had never treated her like a tool for alliances or a prize to be claimed.

He had just… been there.

Unlike Theron, who jumped to conclusions and thought she liked him, Alex had many reasons to feel that way. But he didn’t.

Not because he was dense, but because he knew she wasn’t aware of her feelings. He wanted her to realize her feelings, maybe.

She had now realized it—what she felt for Alex was something more than friendship.

But what did it matter? He only saw her as a friend.

She wasn’t one to just stay down because of such reasons, but still, the situation surrounding her was complicated right now.

So even if she wanted to reach out to him and ask him for help, she couldn’t. Because if she did, he would help her. She was somehow sure that he would.

But she wasn’t someone who would put Alex in this situation. For now, she was his friend, and Theron, the one she wanted to be saved from, was his friend too.

She didn’t want to be the reason for that change.

‘I should just handle it myself. Like I always have.’

Her gaze sharpened. The frustration, the helplessness, the suffocating pressure—it all needed an outlet. And right now, that outlet stood in front of her with a smirk on his face.

Vaelith noticed the shift in her aura and finally seemed intrigued. “Ah. There it is. That’s more like it.”

Fenna rolled her shoulders, letting out a slow exhale. “Enough talking. Let’s get this over with.”

Vaelith’s smirk widened. “Gladly.”

The battle was about to begin, but for Fenna, this was more than a fight.

It was an escape—a moment where, for once, she didn’t have to think about the chains waiting for her outside this battlefield.

For now, she would fight and make sure that every ounce of frustration weighing down her heart was unleashed upon the one standing in her way.

Fenna’s red eyes locked onto Vaelith’s smirking face as she cracked her fingers.

The murmurs of the crowd had dimmed into an expectant hush, as if everyone sensed the weight behind this battle.

Vaelith’s smirk deepened as he lazily tilted his head. “So, bunny girl, how are we doing this? Would you lunge at me and hope your muscles do the trick?”

Fenna rolled her neck, her ears twitching. A faint, red aura flickered around her as her feet dug into the ground.

She was neither a mage nor a knight. She was what people call a martial artist, and unlike knights who coat their swords with mana, martial artists coat their bodies.

Nine illusory stars swirled on her chest, a clear sign of her power level—a peak nine-star, star formation realm warrior.

‘Someone who’s almost at the star connection realm?!’ Vaelith’s eyes flickered with mild surprise before amusement returned. “Oh? Nine stars, huh? No wonder you’ve got a bit of a reputation. Still…”

His golden eyes gleamed with something unreadable. “That won’t be enough.”

Fenna didn’t respond since she didn’t come here to talk. The only reason she came here was because she had enough of this guy beating students around and wanted to let out her frustration.

Boom!

The stone beneath her shattered as she launched forward with a burst of speed. Her fist, backed by raw physical power, shot straight for Vaelith’s smirking face.

A shimmer in the air.

At the last second, space twisted around him, and he simply wasn’t there anymore. Fenna felt her fist getting in contact with something, but it wasn’t that guy’s face.

In the audience’s eyes, however, her fist met empty air, and she landed, skidding to a stop as her sharp instincts screamed at her.

She whirled around just in time to see Vaelith lounging a few feet away, one hand casually resting in his pocket.

“Fast,” he mused, inspecting his other hand. “And strong. My arm tingled for a second.”

Fenna clenched her teeth.

Her instincts warned her—this wasn’t a normal fight. He wasn’t dodging in the traditional sense.

He was using space itself to shift around, slipping through reality like an eel through water.

Still, she wasn’t about to back down.

Thump.

The ground cracked again as she lunged once more, her movements sharper and more unpredictable. This time, she twisted mid-air, feinting before driving her knee towards his ribs.

Vaelith’s hand flicked up lazily, and a ripple of space surged outward, a force pressing down on her.

Fenna gritted her teeth as her body froze mid-air for a fraction of a second—just long enough for Vaelith to sidestep with a chuckle.

She landed, sliding backward as frustration gnawed at her.

“Come on now, student council president,” Vaelith drawled, inspecting his nails. “You’re famous, aren’t you? Show me something worth remembering.”

By now, Vaelith knew who she was, as the audience had made it easier for him to get information about his opponents without doing anything.

Now, knowing that Fenna was someone important, Vaelith had decided not to end this fight too early.

Fenna, on the other hand, exhaled sharply. She could tell Vaelith wasn’t taking her seriously. He was toying with her.

She shifted her stance, her aura flaring again as she launched a rapid series of attacks.

Each strike cracked the air, the sheer force shaking the arena floor. Vaelith weaved through them, never fully dodging—just shifting his position at the last moment.

A punch grazed his shoulder, making him click his tongue in mild surprise. “Oho? That one almost got me.”

Fenna growled. “Stop running, coward.”

Vaelith’s smirk finally faltered. A slow, chilling chuckle escaped his lips. “Coward?”

For the first time, his relaxed posture straightened, and his golden eyes glowed with an eerie light.

Then, something shifted in the air.

The space around him rippled, distorting as a faint glow appeared on his chest.

An illusionary image of nine stars swirled into existence—but unlike Fenna’s, three of his stars were connected by a thin, glowing line.

The connected stars pulsed with a deep gray light.

Gray light most likely denoted his space affinity, and since all three stars were gray, it meant that he had imbued space elements in all three of his stars, giving a three-star boost to his spatial attacks.

His space powers had elevated so much that the space twisted violently around him, and suddenly, the weight of the battlefield changed.

Fenna’s body tensed as an invisible force pressed down on her shoulders, the sheer gravity of his presence warping the space around her.

The pressure was suffocating, as if the world had turned against her, causing her hair to stand to the end.

Her instincts told her that she wouldn’t be able to win, but the situation just reminded her of her real-life situation where she couldn’t do anything.

‘Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!’ She gritted her teeth hard enough that she could taste her blood, but she didn’t care.

What she cared about was surviving and winning this fight, as she didn’t want to be helpless at least on the battlefield. She wanted to be the ruler of her battles.

Her eyes burned with battle spirit as she glared at Vaelith, who flexed his fingers.

“Alright, bunny girl. You wanted me to stop running?” His smirk returned, but this time, it carried a darker edge, as the air around him cracked with energy. “Then let’s see how long you can last.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep