Ezra’s left hand moved before most people could even register the motion, his thumb and index finger closing around the incoming dagger with precise timing, stopping its path cleanly as if it had simply chosen to rest there rather than pierce through him.

Without pausing, and without even shifting his stance too much, he flicked his wrist and sent the dagger back.

Clank!

The sharp collision of metal echoed across the arena as the dagger he threw struck another dagger midair, one that had been launched immediately after the first. The sound rang clear, cutting through the overlapping murmurs of the crowd.

Another dagger followed, then another.

The air itself seemed to split as multiple blades cut through it, all aimed directly at him.

Ezra didn’t step back to dodge.

Instead, his left hand moved in a smooth arc, as his fingers closed one after another, catching each dagger in a single flowing motion, gathering them together like he had done this countless times before.

Only then did he glance forward.

She’s gone...

His eyes sharpened slightly.

There was no sound of footsteps, no shift in air that a normal person would notice, yet his body reacted first before his thoughts finished forming.

He turned sharply to his right.

At the same time, his arm moved, sending the daggers in his hand flying outward.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

They collided with another incoming set of daggers.

"Tsk."

The girl clicked her tongue, her movement appearing from Ezra’s side as if she had always been there. One hand pressed lightly against the ground for balance while another dagger slipped from her sleeve into her palm with a smooth, practiced motion.

She ran with good speed.

Her body blurred as Cognis flowed through her legs, boosting her speed, and she circled around Ezra, throwing daggers from different angles, each one aimed to restrict his movement and force an opening.

Ezra reached into his space bag calmly and drew out a dagger of his own, then he began to block.

Each incoming blade was met with exact timing, his dagger moving in short arcs, deflecting attacks cleanly. His eyes tracked everything—not only the daggers, but also her shoulders, her wrist angle, the tension in her fingers before each throw.

He could see it all.

The moment before she released the daggers.

He blocked again and again effortlessly.

Then...

In one smooth motion, he flicked his wrist and sent a dagger back at her, hard.

The dagger moved at intense speed, the air path as it moved towards the running girl, with perfect aim.

Her speed changed and the pressure shifted.

She blocked it, but the force forced her to halt her movement. Her feet dug slightly into the platform as she absorbed the impact, then she flipped backward, creating distance.

Her teeth clenched.

"Your defense is incredible..."

Her voice came out low, controlled, though a hint of strain could be heard.

She stabbed the dagger in her hand on the ground.

"Every time I think of getting closer... I feel your eyes already waiting for me."

She narrowed her gaze.

"But..."

Clap!

Her palms came together.

Cognis surged from her star, flowing through her veins and gathering at her hands. The alchemy circle formed between her palms, lines glowing as they locked into shape.

She slammed both hands onto the ground.

"I still have my ways!"

The moment her palms touched the platform, the surface lit up beneath her.

Ezra’s instincts reacted instantly and it immediately made him glance downward.

The daggers that she threw at him, some of them weren’t thrown randomly...

They were placed into a formation.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"This..."

His voice came out low, not shocked, but attentive.

A stream of grey lightning flowed from her circle into the nearest dagger, then spread outward, connecting each blade one after another like veins of energy linking together.

The entire area beneath Ezra lit up.

A large alchemy formation formed under his feet.

Gasps rose from the audience, even the guards leaned forward slightly.

"That’s like joint alchemy... right?"

someone amongst the Ashenlocke children whispered.

"Wow..."

Freed adjusted his glasses slowly, the lenses catching a faint reflection of the glowing formation on the platform as his eyes sharpened with interest.

"That’s a very old method of alchemy ignition... no one really uses that anymore."

His voice carried a quiet excitement as he leaned forward, then rose from his seat without thinking, just like a few other candidates around him whose curiosity had already taken over their restraint.

Their bodies leaned toward the stage, eyes locked on the glowing lines of Cognis spreading across the ground, trying to understand the structure forming beneath Ezra.

"Sit down, Freed."

Felix’s voice cut through that small wave of movement, calm but carrying clear displeasure.

Freed paused mid-step.

Felix didn’t even look at him fully, only shifting his gaze slightly while keeping most of his attention on the stage.

"That alchemy ignition is only possible because she’s a Steel Alchemist, and it’s not some outdated technique."

He lifted one hand lazily, making a small dismissive motion in the air, while his other arm remained folded across his chest, his back resting comfortably against his seat as if nothing on the stage could truly shake him.

"Most Steel Alchemists don’t use it at the early stages of their alchemy rank," he continued, his tone steady, almost bored, "instead, this kind of method is usually seen at Meister rank or higher, and while I don’t know the exact process behind it..."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"...it definitely has something to do with conduction and very precise Cognis control."

He scoffed lightly, as though what the girl was doing, even at that level, wasn’t enough to impress him.

Freed immediately sat back down, nodding quickly.

"I see..."

Then, after a brief pause, his eyes returned to the stage again, more focused this time.

"But even so... doing that at the Novice rank is still very impressive."

Gareth smiled faintly, his gaze fixed on the girl, watching the way she controlled the flow of her Cognis.

"That’s true."

He rested his elbow lightly on his knee.

"Too bad she isn’t my opponent... I would have liked to face her myself."

His smile didn’t change, soft and calm, but his words carried a clear intent.

"And after that, I would have made her my servant."

He turned his head slightly toward Felix.

"Well... she is quite pretty, now that I’m paying attention."

Felix shifted his posture at that, finally turning his full attention toward Lucy.

His tongue brushed lightly against his lips as he leaned forward, resting his chin between his thumb and index finger, his gaze sharpening with interest.

His eyes moved over her slowly.

Her short dark-brown hair rested just above her shoulders, strands moving slightly with each breath she took. Her brown eyes held a steady fire, not wild, not unstable, but focused, like someone who had already decided she would not back down no matter the outcome.

Her skin was pale from years spent under harsh conditions, yet it made the faint flush on her cheeks stand out more clearly, especially as her breathing grew heavier. Her figure, though not as refined or polished as the noble girls of Ashenlocke, still carried a natural shape that drew attention, one that hinted at her nearing maturity.

She looks around fifteen... maybe seventeen and is already looking close to her prime, although, she can’t be comparable to the girls raised within the family, but even so, she stands out amongst the other female orphans...

Felix’s lips curled slightly.

"I want her."

He leaned back again, resting the side of his head against his hand, his legs crossing slowly as his gaze lingered on her with a clear, predatory interest that didn’t even try to hide itself.

Around the orphan side, the mood was completely different with how the cheers broke out.

"Lucy! Show them!"

Voices rose one after another, sharp and loud, carrying hope, pressure, and desperation all mixed together.

Back on the stage...Inside the glowing formation...

Ezra stood quietly.

The light from the alchemy circle reflected faintly against his coat, but his expression did not change.

Then...

"AHHHH!"

Lucy pushed more Cognis into the formation.

The strain showed with a thin line of blood slipping from her nose, trailing slowly down toward her lips as her breathing grew uneven, yet she didn’t stop.

The glow intensified.

The daggers embedded in the ground began to tremble.

Then...

They melted.

The metal softened, lost its shape, and began to stretch upward, forming thin, spiraling threads that twisted and rose into the air, each one connecting, weaving together into a growing structure.

Ezra moved, at the exact same moment...

Boom!

The platform split.

The section where Ezra had been standing was cut cleanly into multiple pieces, the stone breaking apart as if sliced by invisible blades. Dust rose immediately, thick and heavy, spreading across the area and blocking the view for a brief moment.

The crowd fell quiet.

Lucy staggered slightly, her legs shaking under the strain as she lifted her hand to wipe the blood from her nose.

Her breathing came out rough as she forced her body upright, then she focused.

A small flow of Cognis passed into her eyes, sharpening her vision as she scanned through the dust.

Left, Right and Up.

The threads had already extended far beyond where she first formed them, stretching upward toward the upper structure of the arena, connecting into a wide web that covered the platform.

They were thin, almost invisible, only the faint reflection of light gave them away.

"He didn’t get caught..."

Lucy narrowed her eyes, leaning forward slightly as she focused harder, her fingers tightening unconsciously as she tried to pierce through the dust and the faint shimmer of her own steel threads.

Then...

A faint metallic squeak echoed on the platform.

It was subtle, almost drowned by the murmurs of the crowd, but it was enough.

Her gaze snapped upward.

"That’s our monster!"

Tracy suddenly shot up from her seat, her voice cutting sharply through the arena as she pointed toward the upper structure, and the others beside and behind her followed immediately, their cheers rising louder as they finally caught sight of him.

There...

Ezra hung in the air.

A thin wire extended from his hand, hooked onto one of the horizontal threads above, his body suspended calmly as if the chaos below him had nothing to do with him at all.

Lucy’s brows tightened, not from shock, but from frustration.

That was intense...

Ezra looked down at her quietly, his gaze steady, almost detached, as if he had simply stepped out of the danger rather than escaped it.

Then...

He let go and his body dropped.

A faint trail of blood slipped from his palms, small cuts forming where the wire had pressed into his skin, but he didn’t react to it at all.

He moved as he descended, gliding through the network of steel threads, his body twisting just enough to avoid contact, and whenever a tighter cluster blocked his path, his hand moved, drawing out another dagger from his space bag.

Clink.

A quick redirection and shift in angle. He passed through them cleanly.

Lucy stepped back without noticing, her breathing growing heavier.

"Damn it..."

Her voice came out low and strained.

"I still have Cognis left to fight..."

Her grip tightened around her weapon.

"But he doesn’t even look like he’s used any..."

Her thoughts began to tighten around her chest, pressing in and pushing her toward panic.

She forced herself to stop.

"Ahhh..."

A long breath escaped her lips, her shoulders lowered slightly.

"I’m not that weak girl anymore."

Her eyes steadied.

She reached into her space bag and pulled out two stilettos, the thin blades reflecting faint light as she adjusted her grip, her breathing slowly evening out, her expression returning to calm.

Boom!

Ezra landed.

The sound of his feet touching the platform echoed lightly.

He looked up immediately and their eyes met.

Then...

They moved at the same time.

Both of them rushed forward, weaving through the steel threads, their bodies adapting to the tight space with smooth, practiced motion.

Lucy struck first.

Her right-hand stiletto thrust forward sharply, aiming straight for Ezra’s chest.

Ezra tilted his head to the right, letting the blade pass by with only a hair’s distance, then bent his body lower, slipping under a thread that stretched across his side.

His dagger moved.

A rising slash from below moving upward.

Lucy reacted instantly, her second stiletto snapping into position as she blocked the attack firmly, the impact sending a small vibration through both their arms.

Their exchange got faster and more intense as the crowd watched with more excitement building.

Blades clashed; metal rang.

Their movements tightened within the confined space, each step measured, each motion adjusted to avoid the threads that surrounded them.

Lucy pressed forward and Ezra shifted back.

She attacked again and he blocked again.

She twisted, using the threads to anchor her movement, gaining better angles, forcing him into narrower spaces.

As the exchanges continued, Lucy’s breathing grew heavier, her stamina slowly draining with each clash, yet she held on, relying on the web she had created.

The threads worked in her favor because she had trained on fighting in a situation like this and they slowed Ezra, restricting him from attacking properly while allowing her to attack from safer angles.

I can do this...

Her resolve strengthened and her strikes grew sharper and more decisive.

Ezra’s movements seemed to retreat slightly, his steps adjusting backward as more threads limited his space.

But...

His eyes remained calm.

This isn’t difficult to move through...

His thoughts flowed quietly.

I’m just wondering... how efficient using Tai Chi would be in this type of space.

After the sixth trial, Ezra had already begun searching for a way to refine his control over his body, especially his center of gravity, because he had realized something clearly...

His control wasn’t enough, not even close to how he wanted it to be. During the Akai, he realized how hard it was for him to move within a tighter space while dodging and attacking from long range.

So, he had turned to the Book of Memories, searching for methods that could help improve his center of gravity. To be more specific, Ezra looked through the martial arts he could use to increase his Hand-to-hand combat while also improving his body control.

And he found; Judo, Sumo, Kung Fu, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and then...

Tai Chi.

At first, it didn’t seem impressive.

It wasn’t explosive and didn’t focus on speed or overwhelming force, but the more he studied it, the more it made sense.

Alignment, weight distribution, rooting, balance without stiffness and control without tension.

In a tight space like this...It was the perfect time to practice the martial art.

Ezra dropped his dagger on the floor, the sound was soft as it dropped on the ground, then he closed his eyes.

His left foot moved slowly, sliding back, pressing into the ground, his right foot followed, shifting forward, aligning his stance, hands relaxed, shoulders dropped and his breathing slowed.

The noise around him faded.

Lucy noticed the shift.

Her movement paused for just a fraction of a second.

Something changed.

His presence... shifted, for a moment...It felt like he disappeared.

Her instincts screamed at her to stop.

But...

She didn’t, she had already decided that no matter what...

She would continue to fight.

Her Cognis surged to its limit, flowing into her stilettos.

Sharpening them further.

She grabbed onto her own threads, her fingers tightening around them as she used them to stabilize her movement, her body shifting smoothly as she adjusted her footing mid-motion. At the same time, her wrists rotated, the twin stilettos turning in her grip as the steel threads wrapped tightly around the blades, coiling layer after layer until the weapons were no longer just knives, but anchors pulling the entire web with her.

The threads responded.

One by one, they began to move.

They tore free from where they had been anchored above, snapping loose from the upper structure of the arena with sharp metallic sounds, each thread bending toward her command, gathering behind her like a controlled storm.

Then...

She jumped.

Her body rose sharply into the air, her arm thrusting forward with full commitment as the first stiletto led the attack, dragging along a mass of steel threads behind it.

They surged forward.

Dense, sharp and relentless.

Like a storm of needles collapsing toward a single point.

Toward Ezra.

And yet...

He still didn’t move.

His stance remained rooted; his eyes stayed closed.

No surge of Cognis, no visible tension.

Only a faint, gentle flow spreading quietly through his body.

No need for excess...

The Cognis moved like a calm stream, not forcing strength, not pushing power, but guiding his body into alignment.

Increase your focus on the sound...

His hearing sharpened.

The noise of the arena flooded in at once...cheers, shifting feet, distant voices...but he filtered through it, separating what mattered from what didn’t, isolating the faint, precise sounds of the threads cutting through the air toward him.

His breathing slowed further.

Light and steady and his body felt almost weightless.

Then...

He moved.

Not fast, not explosive, but precise, as if time itself had slowed around him.

His hand rose gently and his fingers closed on one thread.

Caught between his thumb and middle finger, then another followed.

His other hand moved, catching a second thread, then a third, his wrists rotating as he gathered them together, not resisting their force directly, but guiding it, redirecting it.

The threads twisted together.

Then...

He stepped.

A slight shift of his foot, his weight transferred and his hands moved downward.

Soft and controlled.

Boom!

The threads slammed into the ground.

Driven by their own momentum, redirected into the platform with sudden force as they pierced into the stone beneath him.

Lucy’s body jerked forward violently.

The connection she maintained with the threads dragged her along with them, her balance breaking instantly as the force pulled her off rhythm.

Her eyes widened.

Before she could react...Before she could adjust...

Ezra had already stepped in.

Close.

His palm moved, placing it lightly against her stomach.

Then...

Everything flipped, Lucy’s vision spun as the ground rushed up and in the next instant...

Boom!

Her body hit the platform hard, the impact knocking the breath out of her as her grip failed completely. The stilettos slipped from her hands, the threads unraveling and falling lifelessly across the ground.

Silence followed.

Lucy lay there, stunned. Her mind was struggling to catch up.

What... just happened...?

There was no clear memory, no clear sign of transition.

One moment she was attacking...

The next...

She was down.

She tried to move, her fingers twitched, her arms trembled as she attempted to push herself up.

But...

Nothing came.

Her strength had left her body completely. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

All she could do was stare upward, her eyes tracing the open sky above the arena before slowly shifting to the figure standing over her.

Ezra.

He looked the same, as if nothing had happened.

Around the arena...

Gasps spread through the orphan side, disbelief filling their faces as they struggled to understand how the fight had ended so suddenly, while on the other side, Veda’s group erupted into cheers, their voices loud, filled with excitement.

Most didn’t understand.

Only a few did.

Those who had been watching closely.

Vera leaned slightly forward with her eyes narrowing.

A faint light of realization flickered within them as she replayed the movement in her mind, analyzing every detail.

Is that... another technique?

Her gaze deepened at Ezra with an intrigued look.

Lucy’s voice came out low and flat.

"I lost."

Even as she said it, confusion still lingered in her eyes.

Ezra looked at her for a moment.

Then...

The guard stepped forward, crouching slightly as he checked her condition, observing her inability to move even a single limb.

"...Winner."

He pointed toward Ezra.

The cheers of his group grew louder as Ezra turned to leave.

"Please..."

Lucy’s voice stopped him.

He paused, then turned his head slightly, looking at her without any change in his expression.

"Please... take me as your servant."

Her voice trembled slightly, though she tried to keep it steady.

"Since you already won... please."

There was more behind those words.

Fear, desperation and a clear call for help.

Ezra looked at her quietly, he could see it.

All of it.

But...

"It’s not my concern." His voice remained flat. "And I don’t have any reason to take you in."

He turned again and walked away.

Lucy remained still.

Her body refused to respond.

Her eyes stayed fixed on the sky as the nurses rushed onto the stage, their footsteps quick as they carefully lifted her onto a stretcher.

Her thoughts churned with a deep frustration settling into her chest.

What does this loss... mean for me...?

The question stayed unanswered as she was carried away.