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Lily took a deep breath before the match began. It was unexpected to face Gilbert, with whom she had a tangled history, in the Round of 16, but she saw it as a good opportunity.

Gilbert’s reputation had soared during this competition. His overwhelming piloting skills had instantly captivated the audience, and his popularity in the tournament had temporarily overshadowed his notorious past.

For Lily, who considered him her sworn enemy, the current situation was far from pleasant. She couldn’t stand seeing him succeed, especially since she genuinely disliked him.

In that sense, knocking him out in the Round of 16 would be the perfect scenario. A top contender like him being eliminated early would carry significant meaning.

But could she do it? Could she really beat him?

Sweat dripped onto the control stick she tightly gripped. Objectively, Lily’s chances of defeating Gilbert were slim.

Having grown up watching her talented sister, Lily could coldly assess Gilbert’s skills. Despite her dislike for him, there was something fundamentally different about the way he piloted his Colossal Mech.

And Lily knew exactly what that difference was.

It was an insurmountable wall.

Talent.

She couldn’t understand why someone as unlikable as him had such talent, but she had seen enough to know he was a natural.

His performance in the competition had far exceeded Lily’s expectations, but she had also learned from her sister.

Geniuses were often like that. They made the impossible seem effortless.

That’s why defeating someone like him seemed nearly impossible.

But giving up was not an option for Lily. To give up because the odds were against her would mean surrendering to him.

If she surrendered to the person who had caused her childhood trauma, the Lily she had become would cease to exist. She was certain of that.

“Get your act together.”

She slapped her cheeks with both hands. Normally, she would have been scolded for such behavior, but this time it snapped her back to focus.

Her cheeks turned bright red, but she managed to steady her mind. She already knew this wouldn’t be an easy fight, so her approach was clear.

She would face the Round of 16 match with the same mindset as when she fought her sister.

That was the only strategy she had against Gilbert.

***

The intense battle between Gilbert, a top contender, and Lily exceeded the audience’s expectations. The way they exchanged blows with their massive Colossal Mechs, as if dancing, showcased a level of skill higher than any other match in the competition.

Even Angelina and Hans’s match paled in comparison to the thrilling duel between the two. The audience cheered and applauded, no longer caring about who would win.

They were simply in awe of the incredible performance.

But the two fighters had different thoughts.

Gilbert was struggling to deal with Lily’s relentless pursuit, while Lily was doing everything she could to bring him down.

From the outside, it looked like they were evenly matched, pouring all their skills into defeating each other, but the reality was different.

Lily, who had initially charged at Gilbert with her Iron Sword, was quickly blocked by his Winter Sword. His swordsmanship, reminiscent of her sister’s, forced her to abandon close combat and create distance.

She knew she couldn’t get caught in his Sword Wrestling, which was his specialty. That’s why she had chosen a medium-armored Colossal Mech.

A light-armored mech would have been too vulnerable, while a heavy-armored one would have been too slow to keep up with Gilbert’s reflexes.

But even with her best efforts, her chances of winning hadn’t increased. Gilbert was skilled enough to dispel even her Magic Armor with just his Iron Sword. It wasn’t a technique she hadn’t seen before, but that didn’t make it any easier.

Gilbert, who could perform high-level knight techniques as easily as breathing, was nothing short of a monster.

Lily unleashed her Magic Armor, targeting areas she had predicted based on his patterns. But Gilbert dodged every attack with precise movements, as if he had seen it all before.

The difference in their skills was staggering. Lily gritted her teeth. She couldn’t lose. Not to him.

Ignoring her dwindling Mana Barrier, she focused solely on attacking Gilbert, driving her Colossal Mech recklessly. She deflected his Iron Sword and closed in for a point-blank shot.

She was certain he couldn’t dodge this time, but he effortlessly flipped away, avoiding the attack and countering with a shoulder charge.

Even in her medium-armored mech, the impact was devastating. Lily struggled to regain control as her head slammed against the cockpit.

In that brief moment, she lost track of Gilbert’s position. And that became the turning point of the match.

Gilbert’s Colossal Mech moved with blinding speed, delivering a horizontal slash. A terrifying gust of wind accompanied the golden Mana that split the air.

*Boom!*

The Mana Barrier blocked the attack, but it was the final blow. The barrier shattered, and the match ended.

“Why…?!”

Lily slammed the control stick, unable to contain her frustration. She had known she would lose. She had analyzed Gilbert thoroughly, more than anyone else, and knew better than anyone how strong he was.

Among the current Academy Cadets, only a handful could defeat him. And Lily wasn’t one of them.

Yet, she had tried so hard to beat him, to overcome her past trauma. Since reuniting with Gilbert, she had occasionally dreamed of that day.

In her dreams, she was as weak and fragile as she had been back then, unable to speak as Gilbert overpowered her. She would wake up drenched in sweat, reliving the nightmare.

She couldn’t understand why, as the victim, she was still suffering years later. She had vowed to defeat Gilbert and break free from that curse, but she had failed.

*Bang!*

Her clenched fist slammed the control stick again. She couldn’t find an outlet for her frustration.

***

Amid the audience’s enthusiastic cheers, the final Round of 16 match for the freshmen ended. The crowd, satisfied with the unexpectedly high level of competition, eagerly awaited the quarterfinals.

Of course, the attention wasn’t solely on the freshmen. The matches of the second and third-year cadets were even more impressive.

But the freshmen drew more attention, largely due to Gilbert’s overwhelming performance. It was rare for a freshman to have such an impact.

The only cadet who had been more impressive was Princess Seraphina, who had defeated upperclassmen and claimed the overall championship. This year, she was steadily advancing to the finals with her dominant skills.

At this point, the audience’s focus shifted from who would win each grade’s competition to whether Gilbert and Princess Seraphina would face each other.

The precondition was that both had to win their respective brackets, but Seraphina’s victory in the third-year division was all but certain. Gilbert, with his overwhelming skills, was also highly likely to win.

People began debating who would win if the two, who shared the same master, Professor Briana, were to face each other.

Some argued Gilbert would win, while others believed Seraphina would come out on top.

Each side had valid arguments, making it a difficult question to answer. Ultimately, the only way to settle it was for the two to actually compete, and the audience wholeheartedly supported their victories.

As if aware of the people’s wishes, both smoothly advanced to the semifinals and eventually secured their spots in the finals. The audience was ecstatic, knowing that the long-awaited match was just one step away.

But there was one person who wasn’t happy about the attention Gilbert was receiving: Ian, who had also reached the finals.

He had defeated Hans in the semifinals with relative ease, but he was filled with resentment.

The reason was simple: Gilbert was hogging all the attention that should have been his.

Ian had thought this competition would be his moment to shine as the world’s protagonist. He had prepared his signature quotes, but contrary to his expectations, people were still focused on Gilbert.

Why? Why was everyone only paying attention to Gilbert?

***

Ian was hurt by the fact that people didn’t even acknowledge him as the protagonist. He had understood why attention shifted to Gilbert when he was hiding his true self, but now it was different.

He had decided to step into the spotlight as the true protagonist, but things weren’t going as planned. This frustration made him more aggressive, and he ended his matches more roughly than usual.

I am here.

The true protagonist is here.

He had proven himself by reaching the finals, but the spotlight remained on Gilbert.

But he consoled himself with the thought that this would be the last time. If he defeated Gilbert in the finals, everything would be resolved. Perhaps he could even become Professor Briana’s disciple, having hidden his true potential all this time.

It wasn’t unreasonable to think that even the great Professor Briana might not have noticed his hidden talent.

*Sigh… Being perfect is exhausting.*

Ian finally smiled, feeling at ease. After all, heroes are born through adversity and hardship.

I should write this down.

As he prepared to sleep early for the next day’s finals, Ian suddenly sat up and opened his book of quotes. A good quote had to be written down quickly, or it would be forgotten as another brilliant thought flashed through his mind.

Satisfied with yet another impressive quote, he lay back down.

Tomorrow would undoubtedly be a historic day for Demia Empire Academy.

It would be the day Ian Tigress Line Barrel stretched out his crouched body and yawned.

*Ah, I should write that down too!*

He closed his eyes, only to think of another brilliant quote, which he diligently recorded in his book.

He repeated this process several times before finally falling asleep.

 

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