Chapter 332: Facing Team Lucy 8

Then came the end.

Jae Hyun, from the side, swung his axe. Ai Lin tried to turn her body, but it was too slow. The axe struck Ai Lin's left arm—blood gushed out.

At the same time, Oliv's blade slashed Ai Lin's neck.

Ai Lin's body fell, like a flower losing its petals in winter.

Rinka witnessed it. Rinka's eyes ignited. But Rinka couldn't move. William and Harl surrounded Rinka in a tight circle. Every step Rinka took was met with feints from Harl's spear. The reach was too long. Even fire couldn't penetrate that far without risk.

Lucy watched everything. Her eyes didn't blink. Lucy's heartbeat thundered, but her body... was exhausted. So exhausted.

Lucy tried to move. But Annie was already waiting.

The fight between the two leaders.

Lucy knew Annie was not an easy opponent. Lucy knew her strength was almost depleted. But Lucy kept stepping forward. Where Lucy quickly created a spear. One. No more. Lucy's imagination began to wane. Each creation felt like it was pulling from her own life energy.

Annie smiled. Not a cynical smile—a confident one. Where Annie didn't use a weapon. Then Annie simply stepped forward, her fists clenched, her body low, ready to attack.

They fought.

Lucy's spear struggled to match Annie's speed and strength, but it was still insufficient. Annie attacked like an experienced street fighter—fast, brutal, and precise. Punches struck Lucy's ribs, kicks battered Lucy's stomach. Blood dripped from Lucy's lips.

Lucy fell to one knee, gasping for breath, but she still held on.

Annie swung a final punch, aimed at Lucy's temple.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The sound of various gunshots echoed—Mirae shot from a distance, her bullets flying, trying to save Lucy from that blow. But before the bullets could divert the attack, Cynthia unleashed a rain of arrows—fast and without hesitation.

One arrow, among the others, pierced through Mirae's defense.

And just as Lucy's body collapsed to the ground—

THWACK!

An arrow struck Lucy's chest, embedding itself deep.

Lucy’s body lay still. Motionless. Silent.

While Mirae's bullets only struck the ground, too late to save Lucy.

Finally...

Lucy lost.

"Because Team Lucy's Leader has been defeated, Team Lucy is declared defeated!!" The announcer's voice echoed, slicing through the air like a death knell. Cheers, applause, and sounds of victory flooded the arena—but amidst it all, only one feeling remained in the hearts of the defeated.

The emptiness of overconfidence.

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Haruto heard the news from a hurried customer, bringing a story like the wind disturbing the calm of the afternoon. The first-year kids he had once trained, awkward boys who couldn't even balance a sword properly—they won.

Haruto wore a thin smile, almost undetectable if not observed closely.

Haruto's hands moved swiftly, almost automatically—turning meat over the sizzling coals, letting the enticing burnt aroma fill the air, then deftly wrapping the food in clear plastic bags.

One package was handed to the customer with a small, polite nod, even without interrupting the flow of Haruto's trained movements.

But from Haruto's slightly lighter movements, his gaze briefly drifting into the stadium was clear: Haruto was proud. Quietly, in a simple silence.

However, behind the hustle and bustle of ordinary life, there was a place far from the light.

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In the middle of the city stood an old building made of gray stone, looking worn and forgotten. There was no sign, no open windows, just high walls and a locked iron door.

Inside, a large room concealed darkness deeper than the night. An old chandelier hung askew, its light dim and pulsing slowly, as if breathing along with the tension in the air.