Randolph slammed his fist against the enchanted glass panel blocking him from his students. As much as he didn't want to lose, he still cared about his students' lives more than winning this competition. "End it," he said quietly. "End the tournament."
"We can't. It's against Interschool rules," the first judge said.
"My students might die. Stop the competition," Randolph snarled.
"Stop it," Headmistress Silvia said. "This is enough. Interschool is supposed to be fun. End the tournament."
"We can't."
"My students are being sent to the hospital in critical condition as we speak," snapped Randolph. "End the competition! Now!"
"End it," the fourteen other Headmasters and Headmistresses agreed.
"We can't," the judges replied. "We would if we could, but it's an Imperial Decree, from the King himself."
"He's not an Emperor," snapped Headmaster Ikari.
"But he'll become one very soon. And we cannot afford to offend even a King," Judge Henry said.
"We have to get in there. While we've been needlessly arguing, another two of my students were nearly killed," Randolph growled. "I only have two more before my roster is out. They can forfeit. Please, let me take them out."
"What about that monster of yours? The girl?" the judge asked, trying to give them a bit of hope. "Where is she?"
"She vanished after the second task. I don't know whether or not she'll make it in time," Randolph replied.
"Vanished? Where could she have gone?" Headmistress Lunalite asked.
Randolph shrugged. "She's always been like that. She's by far the most mysterious person in this school. Her, and the Snow Owl friend of hers."
"Really? How much do you know about her?" inquired Headmaster Trey.
"Very little, though I know more than most. She showed up about three to two years ago, filthy, like an animal. Just showed up at the gates one day. I let her in, and she quickly climbed the hierarchy. Even before she revealed her Amora, she was already seen as strong. And once she did, she challenged the God-tier students I'd trained... and won, one after another. After she grew used to everything, she started taking the steps as Queen. She would vanish, then reappear. Nobody knows where she goes. Well, maybe the Snow Owl, but he vanishes just as often as she does."
"So, she could win against Arin?" asked Headmaster Capuel.
"Maybe. I'm not sure."
"Well, she's our only hope," Headmistress Silvia said. "For all our sakes."
~
Blyke walked onto the stage, shivering slightly as a large, cold gust of wind blow over his body. If he didn't already know Asha wasn't there, he would have thought she was standing right behind him. He just hoped he could buy enough time for Asha to arrive.
Because if Daniel couldn't beat Arin, Blyke wouldn't be able to, either.
So Blyke stood in the cold wind, shuddering from it's cold, silken touch, like a young woman with her frigid personality and sharp bite. Wrapped in her cold-yet-warm embrace, Blyke prepared himself.
He knew he wouldn't win.
She would be their only hope.
~
Headmaster Randolph couldn't watch as the arena floor became even more painted in scarlet. As the medical team rushed out of the arena. He dragged his nails down the glass, his power threatening to slip his controlled leash and shatter the glass.
"I am so sorry," Headmistress Silvia said. "I'm sure you noticed before, but I have no control over that young man."
"It's not your fault," Randolph said, voice cracking. He could barely keep from tearing the walls down. "It's not your fault," he repeated. 'It's mine,' he thought.
"Last student on the roster, Asha Phantomhive, please make your way to the arena."
"Will she come?"
"Maybe not. She didn't come last year for the second trial. But that was because she had full confidence in the others to win," Randolph said. "Now... I'm not sure if I want her to even try."
"Why? Don't you like winning?"
"At the risk of my students' lives? No! And that girl... that poor girl went through enough as it is. Any more would just be too cruel."
The others looked at him, interested, but didn't pry.
"Please, don't come," Headmaster Randolph whispered. "Please, be selfish for once in your life and stay away from here. Please."
"Asha Phantomhive, please come to the arena."
"Don't come. Whatever you do, don't come. Please, stay were you are."
"Last call. Asha Phantomhive, come to the arena. Thirty seconds until disqualification."
"Don't come. Don't come. Save your own life. Please, stay away. Please, live your life like you should be able to."
"Ten seconds."
"Please, stay away."
"Five seconds."
"Stay far, far away. Please."
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
Zero.
A thick mist rolled onto the arena, turning Arin's waiting figure into a dark blur.
The Headmasters and Headmistresses squinted, trying to make out what was happening though the thick fog.
A cold wind blew a bank into the arena, obscuring everything. And when it thinned out, Arin was smiling at another blurred figure. "Glad you could make it," he purred.
"No," Randolph whispered.
The figure pointed a finger at the box holding the judges and teachers. "Asha of Luminine, here."
~
Asha barely made it. As soon as she was done, she'd flown as fast as she could. She would have just left the cadre to fight on their own, had she not recognized the owner of the Evolution Dragon.
"Good to see you haven't died," Arin said from across the arena.
"I'd never pass up the chance to pulverize your ass," replied Asha. She silently thanked the cadre for putting up such a fight and buying her enough time to arrive.
"Battle begin," the judges said.
Asha glanced over to the box, her sapphire eyes meeting the Headmaster's. She looked back in front of her, bending her spine almost in a ninety degree angle back, a leg passing out of the fog, aimed to take her in the neck. She flipped all the way around, putting up her arms to block another kick. Her arms burned from the blow, but she stood her ground.
Asha moved fast, arms snapping from a defensive position to snag his ankle. She turned and heaved, tossing the figure onto the floor in front of her.
Arin coughed, rubbing his back. "You've improved."
"Years on the run do that to you," Asha replied.
Their eyes met.
"Icicle Crash!"
"Torrent Spear!"
They shouted at the same time, huge icicles appearing overhead, already falling at an alarming speed.
A spear of water formed in Asha's hand, and since she'd added the ice element as well, the spear froze, only a small casing of water remaining, covering the spear. Asha grinned as she vanished.
As the icicles started to crash against the arena floor, they shattered into small chunks and snow, as if the arena floor had proven tough enough to withstand the attack.
But down in the stands, the teachers watched in awe as the icicles shattered only six feet from the ground, a figure appearing before darting away, another icicle disintegrating.
Asha ran, flipped, and twirled across the arena, standing under each icicle and using her spear to pierce through the hard tips. She ran to the last one, turning last second and jumping backward, flipping in a graceful, neat circle, the spear finding its mark.
Asha landed on her feet, planting the butt of the spear as the icicle splintered into fireworks of snow. She tossed hair out of her way. "You're going to have to try harder than some sneak attack transcendental."
Arin's lips twitched up, as if he was both amused and slightly proud. "Very good. But I'm not quite done yet."
Asha raised her spear. "Of course not."
"Seed," Arin said, that huge dragon appearing behind him, spreading its huge wings and all six heads roaring.
"Quetzico. Tezcatlipoca." Asha smiled slightly as the two flying serpents appeared on either side of her. She turned her eyes back on Arin.
"Now," they said together.
Their Amora charged each other, even as they did the same. Arin sent tongues of flame at her, which Asha quenched with a swing of her water-covered ice spear. She sent blades of sharp, cold wind at Arin, that he deflected with two swords of ice.
Asha jabbed with her spear, using the extra reach to attack before Arin could. She changed the strike of her attack as he jumped, turning a stab into an arching slash, managing to scrape him on the side of his body, just below his ribs.
He returned the favor, dropping both swords as he sailed over her head, points down.
Asha growled. That bastard. She easily dodged the first, but the second clipped her on the ear. Asha carefully felt where the cut was bleeding, fingers coming away dripping with crimson blood. She sighed. At least it hadn't hit her in the forehead of something. Fighting with blood dripping into your eye was a pain in the ass.
Arin was standing there, feeling where the blood was leaking from the three to four inch scratch along the underside of his rib. Not bad. She'd improved speed-wise. 'Not so much defense-wise,' he thought, watching the blood drip from her ear.
Asha and Arin both unfurled huge black feathered wings, launching into the sky. The battle turned aerial.