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"Isn't that... Ereshkigal ?"
"Why is Ereshkigal here?"
Whispers rippled through the crowd, gradually swelling into an uproar. Fear— even outright terror— was laced in every voice.
She was known for her ability: Vicious," a Strega who commanded lethal, toxic miasma. The most formidable of them all. Unmatched. Invincible.
For such a person to suddenly appear before them was more than enough to send panic through the gathering.
As the dread surrounding her name spread, the crowd instinctively pulled away, leaving an ever-widening empty space around Orphelia.
Among the bystanders, Fang Li silently observed. He could see it— within Orphelia's ominous, crimson eyes lay a deep sorrow.
It was cruelly ironic. A girl who once cherished life had become a being feared by all. Even so, she did not avert her gaze. She looked forward, unwavering.
Fang Li followed her line of sight.
There, standing directly across from Orphelia, was a young woman with fiery hair. Her eyes burned with intensity, fixed solely on Orphelia.
Fang Li's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I see..."
That girl was none other than Julis.
"Julis!"
At that moment, Amagiri Ayato, Claudia Enfield, Toudou Kirin, and Saya Sasamiya arrived, rushing toward the scene.
It seemed that after their match had concluded, Team Enfield had left the stage, but Julis had suddenly broken away from them, ignoring her teammates' calls, and ran here.
The reason was obvious— she had seen Orphelia.
"You...!" Ayato and the others finally registered Orphelia's presence and audibly gasped.
Yet, Orphelia's gaze remained locked on Julis, meeting her fiery stare head-on while the sorrow in her eyes deepened.
"Orphelia..."
Something about that sorrowful look seemed to shake Julis. Her fervent expression softened, giving way to a more composed calmness as she spoke in a quiet voice.
"It's been a long time..."
With just that one sentence, it became clear to everyone— Julis and Orphelia knew each other.
But instead of acknowledging the sentiment, Orphelia's expression turned colder than ever.
"There's no need for pleasantries. You should already understand... for me, the past holds no meaning anymore."
Her detached words struck Julis like a blade.
"Are you really going to erase everything?" Julis demanded. "Is this truly the life you want?"
Orphelia's gaze dropped slightly.
Her expression wavered.
"...Don't say any more, Julis."
A tremor of sorrow crept into her voice.
"This is fate."
The weight of her words pressed down on everyone, making the air thick with suffocating gravity.
But Julis refused to be crushed by it.
"If that's your so-called fate... then I'll be the one to break it!"
As Julis spoke these impassioned words, flames flickered to life around her.
————「Blaze Strega」.
The Strega who wielded the power of fire.
In that moment, her Prana surged, stirring the ambient Mana and igniting a cascade of sparks in the air.
"Julis!" Amagiri Ayato instinctively called out.
"Julis-senpai!" Toudou Kirin followed, unable to hold back.
Only Claudia and Saya Sasamiya exchanged a glance and chose to remain silent.
Yet, their concern did not reach Julis.
"Stay out of this!" Julis declared, her voice firm and resolute. "This is between me and Orphelia!"
But in contrast to Julis's intensity, Orphelia seemed strangely indifferent.
"Give up, Julis," Orphelia murmured. "With your power, you will never change my fate."
As she spoke, Orphelia placed a hand over her chest.
There— where the emblem of Rewolf Black Academy should have been— was nothing.
"You…" Julis gasped. "Your emblem…"
"It was destroyed," Orphelia replied without hesitation. "Three weeks ago, someone who shares my fate shattered it effortlessly."
"What…?" Julis's breath hitched.
Not only her, but Ayato, Kirin, Claudia, and Saya were also left speechless, while the surrounding crowd erupted into a frenzy.
Amidst the chaos, Orphelia fixed her gaze on Julis and uttered a chilling truth.
"You never had the strength to shatter my emblem. But someone who could has already appeared."
Her tone was laced with sorrow, despite the weight of her words.
"Yet, in the end, that too is merely fate."
"Tell me— who can truly defy fate?"
Leaving those words hanging in the air, Orphelia turned away, seemingly losing all interest in Julis. She prepared to leave.
"Wait!"
Julis's voice rang out, and in response, the flames around her body flared, fueled by emotion.
At this rate, an attack was imminent.
Realizing this, the commotion in the crowd intensified.
Even Orphelia hesitated, glancing back— her expression now devoid of all emotion.
That was a sign.
She was about to act.
Team Enfield could no longer afford to stand by. Instinctively, their hands moved toward their activation bodies.
The air grew thick with tension— until a voice cut through the standoff.
"Alright, that's enough."
The sudden statement stunned everyone.
As the crowd turned toward the source, murmurs of astonishment rippled through them.
"It's you?" Julis, too, was caught off guard.
Even Orphelia, in that brief instant, wavered. The oppressive aura around her subtly receded.
The speaker, of course, was Fang Li.
"Calm down, Princess," he said casually.
Standing at the back of the crowd, he didn't move forward— only shrugged.
"This is the 'Gryph Festa.' Private battles between competitors are strictly forbidden. If you fight here, who do you think will suffer the consequences?"
Julis trembled, biting her lip at his words.
Then, Fang Li turned his gaze toward Orphelia.
He said nothing.
And then, he turned and walked away.
Almost reflexively, Orphelia followed, stepping in line behind him.
The crowd erupted into chaos once more.
"Wait!" Julis's voice rang out again.
And this time, when she looked at Fang Li, her gaze was filled with hostility.
(End of Chapter)