Silence blanketed the arena.
With only 1 HP left, the rabbit had struck Sereni the unicorn down until its HP hit zero, leaving the Mythic Beast collapsed on the ground.
Geed, the victor, slowly rose—his body battered to the very brink of collapse.
Ray himself could hardly believe his own eyes. Did… did we really just do that?
The audience was so stunned they couldn't even cheer. Their hearts pounded so hard for Ray that it felt like they might burst from their chests.
Up in the arena stands, the professors quietly jotted notes. Grand Professor Witzany chewed on her snacks with a crunch crunch.
Aria looked down at her fallen unicorn, then raised her gaze toward Ray.
"Didn't think you'd break through my checkmate plan. You really tore it all to pieces, Mr. Popular. Impressive."
She uncrossed her arms, speaking in her usual cool tone.
Then she took out her shoulder bag and returned Sereni to rest.
Ray shook his head with a sheepish smile, reluctant to admit he'd outdone her.
"Not really, Aria. Luck was on my side. Your buff ran out right on time. If that lucky timing hadn't happened, Geed would've lost to you a hundred percent."
"But you're the one who said you'd make that one percent a reality. You and Geed refused to give up. You waited patiently for fate to swing your way. I count patience as one of your abilities."
To Ray, when a smart person spoke, it always sounded cool—especially to someone like him, who didn't have Aria's kind of flair.
"Aww, come on, you're flattering me way too much. I've got nothing to give you back, Aria—I'm broke."
His grin stretched wide, cheeks nearly splitting with delight. Praise hit him especially hard in the places he felt least confident.
"Ugh, I shouldn't have said anything. I forgot you're such a blockhead."
She sighed, massaging her temples at the sight of the chestnut-haired boy beaming like sunshine.
"So… was that a compliment or an insult?" Ray asked, mouth agape like a goldfish.
"Figure it out yourself, you dope."
With a flick of her hand, she reopened her bag.
"Come on out, Moon."
Name: Moon
Species: ArtemisDeer
Level: 25
HP: 2000
MP: 4000
Element: Nature, Dark
Rarity: A-rank (Mythic Beast)
Info: The ArtemisDeer is as mysterious as if it carried two opposing souls. Once they mature, they gradually isolate themselves from their herd, unable to fit in. Their power peaks on the night of a full moon, said to draw upon a strange energy from the moon itself.
Skills: Gravity Control, Root Vines, Moonlight Synthesis, Artemis Arrow
A massive stag, its fur speckled like a cosmic starfield, stepped sluggishly out of Aria's bag. Its head drooped, void of majesty.
The silver-haired girl gently stroked the sorrowful creature.
"Help me out, Moon."
The deer walked slowly forward, step by step, toward the nearly lifeless Geed.
"Geed… that's enough. You don't have to fight for me anymore. Go rest," Ray pleaded.
But the rabbit turned back with a defiant squeak—refusing. Even with only 1 HP left, he could still gather information about the opponent's abilities if he couldn't dodge.
So Aria obliged.
"Gravity Control."
Once Moon closed the distance, Geed was suddenly lifted into the air—helpless to resist—and then dropped.
Ray quickly drew his friend back into the bag, recognizing defeat.
The referee declared Geed unable to battle.
The spectators groaned in disappointment, seeing little chance left for the boy they had been cheering for so long.
"That girl's using three beasts. That's just cheating."
"Yeah, how's anyone supposed to win like that? If it were fair, she'd use the same rank as Ray! What a cheat!"
"Totally. Why even bother with the exam if you're just going to win with pure money? And she's going to get the Golden Egg too—ugh, nobles."
The jeers grew louder from the arena stands.
Ray began to sweat at the thought of what Aria had faced her whole life. He knew people like Jason looked down on others, but Aria was different. She'd done nothing wrong—she'd helped him more than once. She didn't deserve this.
If it were him, he'd have crumbled already.
But Aria didn't react at all. She'd grown so used to it she appeared aloof, even cold. To outsiders, it only made her seem more arrogant.
"Look at her—so stuck-up."
"Didn't even glance at us. Not like that polite Ray."
Ray tried to block out the words, but his teeth clenched. They didn't know Aria at all, yet they judged her freely.
Taking a deep breath, Ray sent out Rogue, though the black cat was badly wounded, with only half its HP left.
"Hey, Aria, why didn't you use Moon from the start? If it's this strong?"
"Do you always ask questions so bluntly? Fine—Moon doesn't like fighting unless I ask. And if Sereni buffs to max attack and speed, I can wipe your whole team once Geed's down."
By the rules, both sides could only switch beasts twice, so no more changes were possible.
Ray nodded, learning from her way of thinking.
"I see… letting the unicorn store up starlight was the better move. And if that failed, you'd clean up with Moon. Wait—you told me your plan fell apart. You lied!"
"Didn't lie about Plan A failing. I just always have a Plan B. No matter how confident I am, backup plans beat having just one."
Ray was impressed. He might be better at improvisation, but Aria prepared for failure in advance.
"You're such a nerd. Please tell me there's no Plan C."
"We have different strengths, Ray."
From Geed's earlier fight, Ray had learned that Gravity Control only worked at close range. So he kept Rogue at mid-to-long distance, avoiding the skill entirely. Rogue's sword slashes were fast enough that Moon, being slower, couldn't dodge.
But Moon summoned countless Root Vines to block.
"Quick thinking, Ray. Not closing in, huh?" Aria smiled, surprised he'd adapted after seeing the skill only once.
Rogue's blade sliced through vine after vine. But Moon's element was weak to Rogue's attacks, forcing the deer to burn three times more mana to defend than Rogue spent to attack.
Ray grinned, certain Aria's mana would run out first.
But she crushed his hope with a single sentence
"You're trying to exhaust Moon's mana, aren't you? Too bad—it's night, and tonight's a full moon. With Moonlight Synthesis, Moon's mana will always be full."
Moon absorbed the endless lunar energy and unleashed unending Root Vines.
Eventually, Rogue fell—knocked out by a heavy log. Ray returned his partner to the bag.
Now he had only one beast left.
Ray released his giant spider then recalled it almost immediately. He wouldn't fight with it.
The audience's disappointment deepened. Even Ray knew—without his phoenix, he had no chance. He couldn't get close to Aria at all.
"The Falerian girl's too much of a cheat. Nobles win the Golden Egg Trials again."
"Gross. Winning like that? No thanks."
"Ray's clearly more skilled—he beat an A-rank with a D-rank. If she used the same rank, she'd lose."
"Using three beasts to crush someone? Anyone could win that way."
"Where's the skill in that? Does she even deserve the Golden Egg?"
"Heard she'll be hated by the whole class at school."
"Thought the Falerian family was supposed to be polite."
"She's arrogant. Riding in on a unicorn her first day? Selfish, too."
Ray clenched his fists. He quickly returned the spider to its bag, unwilling to continue.
He knew Aria wasn't arrogant or condescending—unlike Jason. Why should she be attacked for doing her best?
"Everyone, stop insulting my friend!"
Aria's eyes widened in surprise.
"Ray, what are you doing? Don't. I didn't ask you to."
"Why not? I didn't ask you to wake me up for the exam, but you did. I didn't ask you to speak to the professors for me, but you did. Why can't I help you? If you can, so can I!"
"You idiot…"
"If it weren't for Aria, I'd have missed the exam. She's the only one who helped me when everyone else ignored someone like me. She's a good person and my friend. I won't let anyone slander her!"
His voice rang through the arena stands, stunning the audience.
"Aria just wants to do her best in the exam. That's it. It's the professors' policy to test our full potential. I'm the coward—I hid my strongest beast because I was afraid of being judged. Aria's braver than me; she lets people judge her and lives with it. If anyone deserves criticism, it's me, not her."
"Stop, Ray! You'll—"
"What? Be hated too? Fine! If you get hated, I'll be hated with you. You helped me chase my dream. Returning the favor is nothing. We're friends, right?"
"You… complete idiot…"
Her face flushed red—part anger, part joy. For the first time, her eyes welled with tears. She had never felt she truly had a friend… until now.
The warmth between them spread, and the crowd began to understand.
Professor Witzany stood, clapping warmly until the others joined in.
"Mr. Ray, why not show everyone your true strength right now? Don't be afraid just show it."
"I can?"
"Of course. Our academy encourages it."
"All right! Come out, Nixie!"
A crimson light blazed against the night sky—like the sun itself had appeared.
The sight of Ray's final beast silenced every accusation against Aria.
Because they had just found an even bigger cheater.
"That's… a Legendary Beast. A phoenix!?"
And that night, the sun would face the moon.