CHAPTER 136: LYRA VS SELENE

Two Veylor attackers fell back, groaning, barely saved by the golden boundary.

But while Tina struck, Lyra seized her moment.

She dashed—**jumped—**and landed gracefully in the third column.

And came face-to-face with the Cheeky Brat.

His grin stretched the moment he saw her.

He stood, and with exaggerated flair, bowed deeply.

"Please accept this bow, O warrior goddess," he declared dramatically,

"who tamed the Space Devil himself!"

The crowd roared.

Laughter erupted like a wave crashing over the arena.

Some spectators even fell from their seats, unable to breathe from laughing.

Lyra’s cheeks turned pink. She stumbled back, stunned by the audacity.

The Cheeky Brat sat down, legs folded respectfully like a student before a master.

Looking up innocently, he asked,

"Can you teach Miss Duskthorn the ways... to tame the untamable?"

Lyra’s face flushed scarlet.

"Ahem! Y-You’re not a girl," she stammered.

The boy tilted his head like a confused student.

Then his eyes lit up with fake realization.

He slapped his fist into his palm.

"Ohh! So if I became a girl, I’d be able to do it?"

"NO— I mean, yes— I mean—NO! No, no, scratch everything!"

Lyra gasped, finally screaming the last part.

Then... her face fell.

Her eyes sharpened with realization.

She froze, like a puzzle had just clicked in her mind.

The Cheeky Brat stood, brushing off his pants.

He muttered softly,

"She’s clever... figured it out already."

Lyra, still red in the face, pointed an accusing finger at him.

But before she could speak—

The boy sighed and said casually,

"Just cross the column, please."

Still fuming and flustered, Lyra huffed, turned, and stormed into the fourth column.

He scratched his head and muttered under his breath,

"Why are there so many intelligent people around here...?"

On the other hand, Riven stood in the fifth column, his gaze fixed on Selene with a smile that made his intentions clear.

Lust simmered openly in his violet eyes as he drank in her figure from head to toe.

Her face was soft like a petal, her eyes cold and delicate like snowflakes—and her body, clad in tight blue leather armor, was sinfully seductive.

She was the perfect contradiction: an innocent face and a body sculpted like a seductress.

The animal inside Riven stirred.

Just looking at her awakened urges buried beneath his skin.

A hand gripped his shoulder.

Riven turned, slightly startled, only to find Lyra behind him, her cold blue eyes burning into his like sharpened ice.

He forced a nervous smile. "Hello... Lyra... how are you today?"

She didn’t answer. Her stare hardened.

Then, without a word, she stepped in front of him, blocking his line of sight to Selene.

Looking ahead at the fifth column, Lyra hissed,

"We’ll talk about this later. Jump the column. I’ll handle her."

Riven nodded like an obedient child and stepped forward.

Lyra lunged toward Selene, her daggers cloaked in swirling water elemental energy.

With a flick, she hurled one of them forward.

Swoosh!

Selene tilted with the platform’s slope, sliding sideways as the dagger whistled past her.

She rose quickly, balancing on the shifting surface that moved like a restless sea.

She raised her hand.

In a burst of ice, a crystal tiger and a wolf materialized at her side—both sculpted from gleaming blue frost, their eyes glowing with elemental ferocity.

With no hesitation, they charged straight at Lyra.

While the beasts lunged, Riven took the opportunity to leap into the fifth column behind her.

Lyra’s glare sharpened.

She lowered her stance and slid across the slick platform.

Thud! Thud!

The ice tiger and wolf snapped at the air, missing her by inches.

Lyra reached Selene in a blink. Her dagger slashed downward, aiming for Selene’s face.

Selene crouched again—but the platform tilted suddenly beneath her. She slipped, crashing to her knees.

Lyra nearly stumbled too, but the water energy around her boots kept her anchored just enough.

Her second dagger flashed—arcing downward like a falling star.

Slash! Srrrrk! Squelch!

Fabric tore. Skin followed.

Blood bloomed from Selene’s abdomen.

She hissed, backing away, hand clutched to her side.

Her frosty eyes narrowed.

Lyra smirked.

"Only pretty face and curves. No skills to show?"

Selene’s reply was silence—and a raised hand.

Dozens of ice lances shimmered into existence above them, multiplying rapidly into hundreds, each glowing with deadly intent.

The air dropped several degrees.

Even the crowd felt the chill.

Her summoned beasts circled in again—this time their eyes blazed red.

Selene’s voice was a venomous whisper.

"Bitch, I’ll show you skill."

The sky cracked as the lances rained down.

Lyra raised a water shield overhead.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The ice lances struck, one after another—relentless, pounding.

Crack!

The shield shattered.

Then—

Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!

Dozens pierced Lyra’s limbs and torso.

Blood sprayed. Her scream ripped through the arena.

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The crowd gasped.

Some covered their mouths.

Others stood frozen.

A beautiful warrior maiden lay impaled, her arms and legs turning a sickly blue from the frostbite.

Blood pooled beneath her like melted rubies in snow.

Selene stood tall, arms crossed, her breath misting in the air.

She didn’t flinch.

The umpire raised his hand, voice echoing through the stadium.

"1 - Attacker OUT!"

Healers rushed in immediately, lifting Lyra’s broken body from the arena.

In the VIP room, the Principal sat in a grand chair, eyes fixed on the battle below.

Behind him, several Academy teachers occupied their designated seats.

Vice Principal Jasper sat directly behind the Principal, his expression unreadable.

Something vibrated in his pocket.

A faint smile crept across his face as he stood up.

He leaned in, whispering into the Principal’s ear, then turned and quietly exited the booth.

He descended the stairs, following a dim, quiet passage—the sounds of the stadium still echoing faintly behind him.

Once outside, he made his way through a small patch of trees on the Academy grounds.

There, hidden beneath the shade, waited a monstrous trio.

A gorilla with golden fur stood upright like a man.

Beside him crouched a hyena, baring its human-like fanged smile, its eyes gleaming with madness.

And behind them loomed a crimson wyvern, its clawed limbs digging deep into the earth.

Several figures cloaked in black stood near the beasts—silent, unmoving.

Jasper stepped forward, his boots crunching the dry grass.

As he neared, the hyena let out a cackling screech.

"Oh! Jaspy Jaspy! We meet again!"

Jasper glanced at the hyena and smirked.

"I told you before, Crazy—you won’t break through to S-rank just by learning how to talk."

The hyena snarled.

With a growl, it lunged at Jasper, its abyss-black eyes burning with primal hunger.

But Jasper didn’t flinch.

He sidestepped casually, leaving the hyena snarling behind him as he walked calmly toward the group.

A deeper growl rumbled across the clearing.

The crimson wyvern raised its head, and at the sound, the hyena immediately backed down, grumbling under its breath.

Jasper nodded at the wyvern and stopped in front of them.

He turned to Bhola—the golden-furred gorilla—and sighed, then looked at the crimson monster.

"Why did you bring Bhola here? You should have sent another S-rank."

The wyvern growled, its reptilian voice slithering through the air.

"Don’t... talk... Human. Work. Mission. Tell... us."

Jasper exhaled sharply, then turned to the dark-cloaked figures.

"You there. Step forward."

One man stepped out.

Jasper’s tone was clipped, cold.

"How many are you? How many Saints, Pseudo-Saints... do you have a Sage?"

The man hesitated.

"Sir... We have two Saints, five Pseudo-Saints. But no Sage."

Jasper sighed again, frustration plain on his face.

He glanced toward the wyvern, whose eyes glimmered like burning rubies.

The wyvern grinned with jagged fangs and leaned forward.

From its jaws, it spat out a small, golden-yellow orb that shimmered faintly in the gloom.