As he fell toward the ravine, his two awakening skills flared simultaneously. Abundant！Explosive Energy！

Quincy prepared to revel in her imminent failure. Then he froze.

Yara, once bloodied and dazed, now looked transformed. Wounds closed visibly, her cheeks flushed with renewed vitality. Force surged into her from every direction, exceeding her normal absorption rate.

"Impossible!" Quincy whispered, stepping back.

At Level Two, a person's Force intake is capped. The only explanation: the state Axel had just conferred on Yara was extraordinary.

"Not only has she recovered… she's getting stronger?!"

Not only was Quincy stunned, but Yara herself felt the changes coursing through her, disbelief mixing with exhilaration.

First, her superficial wounds were vanishing at an alarming rate, and the damage to her internal organs was rapidly mending.

Even more terrifying, her physical strength, Force power, and mental acuity surged beyond their previous limits. She was now far stronger than she had been before the battle.

As her complexion brightened and her aura intensified, Quincy's face paled in response. Finally, Yara allowed herself a small, confident smile.

She swung her spear, sending a volley of bullets at Quincy, stepping forward with ice in her voice. "You were right, teammate. There is a gap!"

Quincy, who had kept his composure even when exhausted, finally faltered. "How… how is this possible? How could you even have a contestant like this?!"

Axel's two Awakened skills—one healing, the other enhancing—had completely shattered all expected limitations. How could someone so powerful remain absent from the Intelligence Bureau's rankings?

Seeing Quincy's pale, agitated face, Yara's smile grew faint but cold. She gave him no more chances and didn't reply.

Her spear flickered with unprecedented energy. With a muffled thud, Quincy's vine armor shattered.

A second shot struck, grazing him in the thigh. He stumbled back, blood gushing.

Quincy's face turned an ashen white. His fighting ability was slipping from his grasp.

"You win," he admitted, collapsing against a rock. He shook his head, looking at Yara, still unscathed and resolute.

Yara withdrew her spear, ignoring the injured Quincy, and turned her gaze toward the summit. Only minutes remained, and she wouldn't reach the flag in time—but some of their men had already fallen.

"No," she said softly, her voice carrying weight, "Bloodstone Warfare wins."

Quincy's usual smile was replaced by a hint of bitterness. He knew that Yara had truly moved past their old grudge. She was no longer the girl whose anger flared at his every word.

"I know you still resent me," Quincy said quietly. "But we both came from humble beginnings. To reach greater heights, we needed resources. I failed you and Bloodstone Warfare by choosing Hollow Fortress, which benefited me more—but was I wrong?"

He stared up at the dark sky. Severely wounded, he'd given up the fight. Now, his tone was that of someone speaking to an old friend. He had never doubted his choice.

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Both had been ordinary kids, valued by Bloodstone Warfare for their talent, and given high hopes alongside the resources they received. But Quincy, raised by a single mother, had matured quickly, thinking beyond his years. When Hollow Fortress offered better resources, he'd chosen without hesitation.

Years later, the choice had forged him into the powerhouse he was today. He had long wanted to explain this to Yara, but she had never listened. Now, finally opening his heart, but he saw her standing victorious before him.

Yara studied him briefly, then settled on her rock, spear across her shoulders, like a general surveying the battlefield. "Thinking about all this is exhausting."

She removed her hairpin, letting her long black hair fall in messy waves. Faint streaks of blood marred her fair face, giving her an ethereal beauty, like a white flower blooming amid crimson.

"Right or wrong, good or bad, pros or cons—I couldn't figure it out before, and I still can't. If I'm not strong enough, I'll train. If I lack resources, I'll kill mutants. If I die, it's my bad luck. After all, we're not from aristocratic families." Her tone was light, unaffected.

"You…" Quincy tensed. He had imagined countless reactions—anger, disdain, cold dismissal. Yet Yara's calm, clear-eyed response left him speechless.

"You…" he began, trailing off. She knew what he meant. In the past, their interactions always felt like conflict. If she didn't think he was wrong, why would she ever be angry?

Yara rose and glanced at the countdown in the sky. A smile tugged at her lips. "I just can't stand your smug act. You feel insecure when you see me, yet you pretend to be confident. It makes me mad, and I just want to beat you up."

Now that she had actually defeated Quincy, the tension that had shadowed her chest lifted. Her long-lost smile returned, and Quincy glimpsed the past: countless hot, dull afternoons spent talking, laughing, relaxing.

"We…" Quincy started, but Yara's expression shifted, and she interrupted softly.

"No way."

Quincy stiffened, his expression hardening.

Yara's voice grew serious. "Haven't you noticed? Being single helps you cultivate faster. I'm not thinking about that right now. If it's meant to be, we'll meet at the summit."

As the countdown ended, everyone faded into white light. Bradley's solemn voice rang out: "Semifinals, Bloodstone Warfare vs. Hollow Fortress: Bloodstone Warfare wins!"

On the lone peak, Quincy reflected on her words. "See you at the summit?"

"We won?!"

"We actually won!" Yakov and the others were still in disbelief as they returned to the lone peak.

The muscular Richard grabbed Umar in a bear hug. "Umar! We're in the finals!"

Umar's face twisted with frustration as he struggled to free himself, his strength no match for Richard's. "I know, I know! Let go already! I'm not into men!" he said with a scowl—and then, reluctantly, a grin.

Making it to the finals had been completely unexpected. Before the tournament, their instructors had warned them to keep a low profile. With the prize money so high, children from wealthy families were all competing, and the teachers had advised them not to take any loss too seriously. Reaching the semifinals had been their only hope—but somehow, they'd made it all the way to the finals.

Their attention inevitably turned to the quiet, low-profile Axel.

"Junior… are you the illegitimate child of one of the Five Great Families?" Yakov adjusted his glasses and approached, notebook in hand, half-joking.

The group burst out laughing, but the thought wasn't entirely absurd. Cloud Chasing Boots, Energy Cannons—Axel had already revealed two Original Instruments, both at least C-rank, far beyond what normal students could hope to achieve.

Even Umar, previously the second-fastest on the team, had been slower than Axel. And this junior, a first-year, was already Level 4, Upper Grade!

Marcus, the academy's top talent, had just reached Level 3—and even he came from the prestigious Kensington family of Ebonreach. If Marcus couldn't match Axel's feats, how had Axel trained?

"It's mainly thanks to Yara," Axel said cheerfully.

He'd considered firing another energy cannon to take out a few more Hollow Fortress players, but their suicide tactics weren't bad either, so he'd adapted. He'd never used his advanced awakening skill, "Explosive Energy," before. Experiencing it now, he realized just how insane it truly was.

Yara deserved her place among the top five of the Intelligence Bureau. Ignoring her incredible resilience and immense Force power, Axel admitted, he'd stand no chance in a close-quarters fight. But factoring in all his hidden abilities… the scale tipped differently.

"Thanks, Axel," Yara said with a small nod and smile before returning to her room. Her injuries, greatly healed by Axel's Abundant, still needed some recovery time.

"Aren't we going to discuss strategy for tomorrow?" Axel asked, noting how much lighter her mood had become.

"What strategy?" Yakov shrugged helplessly. "Haven't you seen the Stormwatch lineup?" Then he went back to rest.

The lone peak fell quiet. Most of the eliminated teams were still buzzing over the match between Stormwatch and Eagle's Crest Command.

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