Xander''s entire body screamed in agony, his muscles seizing with every shallow breath. His skin was charred and burned, blood seeped from countless wounds, and his legs felt like they no longer existed. The arena blurred before his eyes, but his mind was aflame with a single thought:

    ''I can''t lose. I can''t lose to a commoner... Not after everything they''ve done. I can''t lose...''

    With a guttural groan, he raised his head, his blood-streaked face pale and haggard. His eyes, barely open, fixated on his opponent.

    The commoner—no, Damon Grey—stood a short distance away, his body a bloody mess. A black blindfold obscured his eyes, but his expression remained unnervingly calm. Even now, Xander could feel the quiet determination radiating from the man he once considered beneath notice.

    ''He''s just a bug,'' Xander thought, though the words rang hollow in his mind. Damon wasn''t supposed to have come this far. He was an insignificant insect, not even worth acknowledging among commoners.

    But now, Damon stood tall despite his injuries, his left arm red and raw, burned almost beyond recognition. In his right hand, he held the Falsity Dagger, its edge slick with his own blood.

    Xander gritted his teeth, anger bubbling through his pain.

    ''I can''t move... but even so, I won''t lose. I refuse to lose.''

    Above them, the magic artillery began to stir again, the hum of light magic growing louder as it prepared another barrage.

    Damon shifted slightly, sensing the change with his Shadow Perception, but his movements were sluggish.

    Xander roared, his voice raw and filled with desperation, "I won''t lose to the likes of you—a lowly commoner!"

    His blood-soaked hands trembled as he did the unthinkable. He reversed the flow of his gravity magic.

    The arena seemed to tremble as Xander''s magic warped. Instead of pulling down, his gravity spell pushed upward, creating an opposing force that reflected the incoming light magic. The orbs of searing energy, once aimed to obliterate him, now reversed course, streaking back toward Damon with deadly precision.

    From the stands, Professor Keal''s eyes narrowed in astonishment.

    "He created a new spell mid-battle... Just to counter the light magic attacks."

    Damon''s body tensed. His Shadow Perception allowed him to sense the incoming attack, but his battered frame was far too damaged and sluggish to react in time. The reflected light magic struck him head-on.

    The blast sent Damon flying, his body engulfed in flames of radiant energy. His skin burned, and he coughed violently as the impact seared his lungs. He hit the ground hard, skidding to a stop as his blood soaked the dirt beneath him.

    Xander huffed, barely standing, one eye closed while the other fluttered open just enough to glare at his opponent. He forced a twisted smile, his teeth stained crimson.

    "I won''t lose to a lowly commoner... Your kind are disgusting... ungrateful... mongrels. I could never be beaten by someone like you," he spat, though every word seemed to drain him further.

    Damon lay sprawled on the ground, his chest heaving as he tried to suck in air. His hands twitched, fumbling for the dagger that had fallen from his grip, its hilt slick with his own blood.

    ''I... I can''t move...'' Damon''s thoughts were hazy, his body screaming in protest. His vision blurred, and every breath felt like shards of glass ripping through his chest. Above him, the glowing orbs of light magic hovered ominously, primed to end his life.

    Then, a sharp notification cut through the haze.

    Ding!

    [HP: 19/50]

    "Shut up!" they roared in unison, their voices raw and filled with unrelenting determination.

    Damon thrust his dagger into the orb, but the weapon shattered on impact. Shards of the blade flew toward his face, slicing deep into his skin and painting his cheeks with fresh streaks of blood. He gritted his teeth, his disabled arm trembling as he raised it to press against the ball of light. Both hands burned as he pushed with all his might.

    Xander, unable to raise his arms, leaned his entire weight against the orb, his gravity magic in reverse acting as his only counterforce.

    The searing pain burned through both boys, but neither relented.

    Damon''s vision swam, his strength fading. He bit down on his lip until it bled, refusing to let the orb consume him.

    ''Using my arms alone won''t be enough... They''ll break before this thing even moves.''

    He closed his eyes, summoning the little amounts of his mana. Shadows flickered and coalesced in his palms, forming a dense ball of shadow magic.

    "It''s true I have a small mana pool... and I can''t cast spells like the rest of you. But I refuse to lose to anyone in battle. With this tiny power of mine... I will bring down a giant!"

    With a defiant roar, Damon poured all his remaining mana—every ounce of energy he had—into the orb of shadow magic. The collision of light and shadow triggered a chain reaction. Magic attributes exploded, sending waves of destruction cascading through the arena.

    Blinding light rained down, ripping through the air with deafening force. The shockwave hurled both boys across the arena, their bodies slamming into the walls with sickening splatters of blood.

    Ding!

    [HP: 2/50]

    As the light dimmed, the arena fell into eerie silence. The two boys lay motionless, twitching faintly as blood pooled around them.

    Xander''s body shuddered once before falling still, his energy completely spent.

    Damon couldn''t see; his eyes were flooded with blood. But through the veil of darkness, his Shadow Perception picked up faint sounds—the hurried footsteps of healers rushing toward the arena.

    He let out a low, guttural grunt, forcing his battered body to move.

    One agonizing step.

    He stumbled and fell, but his shattered arms clawed at the ground, dragging his broken body forward, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

    When he finally reached Xander, Damon forced himself to stand, his legs trembling as if they might give out at any moment. Darkness encroached on his vision, and his entire body screamed for him to stop. Death''s cold embrace was mere inches away.

    But he stood tall, his silhouette ragged and bloodied. He looked down at Xander, whose bloodshot eyes barely fluttered open.

    "I... I... win..." Damon whispered, his voice hoarse but resolute.

    Xander''s eyes filled with tears of rage and despair before they closed, his consciousness slipping away.

    Damon heard the distant shouts of the healers growing closer, but the world around him faded into nothingness. The shadows of his perception went silent as his own senses dulled.

    Yet, even as everything went dark, Damon remained standing—broken, bloodied, and triumphant.