"Curse... you... trees..."


    Bazz''s final words echoed in my ears, fading into the simted breeze that brushed against my cheek.


    The forest was silent now, save for the rustling leaves and the distant sounds of battle.


    But I knew I wasn''t truly alone.


    A prickling sensation at the back of my neck told me I was being watched.


    Truth be told, I had been harassed relentlessly by Jae''s arrows during our chase.


    I had no choice but to keep running towards the central apartmentplex, hoping to reach the scene of the fight between Jan and Louise.


    But for Bazz to have chased me this far...


    Well, his tenacity is surely unrivalledpared to anyone else.


    Luckily for me, a stroke of fortune (or perhaps a conveniently ced branch) intervened.


    Bazz, in his pursuit of trying to eliminate me, had smacked his head against a massive branch, and following an explosion that happened before him chasing me a massive boulder of debris mmed into him with enough force to knock out even a superhuman.


    It was clear that the fight between Louise and Jan had started earlier than expected, but it was the oue of the battle that truly worried me.


    If Jan had already faced multiple opponents on his way to the top floor, he would be either exhausted or injured, putting him at a significant disadvantage against Louise.


    Then again, a healthy Jan, or even a slightly injured one, was still a force to be reckoned with. He was stronger than Louise, even in a rage-fueled state.


    But if the building ahead of me was indeed split in half by Louise''s polearm, as I suspected, then the final fight for the g would likely take ce underground, in the bunker.


    The bunker... the location of the final g.


    I needed to confirm this.


    If the fight wasn''t happening there, then... well, I''d figure something out.


    That''s what I do best, after all.


    **


    [Pinnacle Academy,Dysotpic Simtion - Team A Base]


    Back at Team A''s base, a sense of unease hung in the air.


    They had sessfully captured one g during Louise''s initial charge, but theirmunication and coordination had since faltered.


    Five minutes had passed with no further progress, and the realization that both teams were struggling to im a second g was starting to sink in.


    "Where''s Louise?"


    Bazz asked, appearing from a shimmer of blue pixels, having finally respawned.


    "He went after Jan,"


    Valencia replied, her gaze fixed on the holographic map of the simtion.


    "After Jan?" Jae echoed, her eyebrows furrowing.


    "Is he crazy? Jan just took out Miya and Noah with a single move!"


    Valencia shrugged, not particrly invested in their rivalry.


    "Louise has his own reasons. But we need to focus on securing more gs. We still have a chance to win this."


    The team nodded, agreeing with Valencia''s assessment.


    "A g has been captured. The score is tied 1-1..."


    The AI announcer''s voice boomed through the base, confirming their fears.


    The game was at a stalemate, and the location of the final g remained a mystery.


    "Everyone has most likely returned to the battlefield," Valencia said, her voice taking on amanding tone.


    "Let''s create smaller groups and spread out to find the g. We''ll use a pincer maneuver to corner any opponents we encounter."


    With a nod of agreement, the remaining members of Team A dispersed, each group taking a different route through the simted city.


    The hunt for the final g was on.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    [Meanwhile Back At The Apartment Complex...]


    Alice blinked, her eyes snapping open as the echoes of the past faded.


    She realized she had fallen through the floor during the explosion,nding amidst the rubble on the second floor.


    Luckily, she was mostly unharmed, save for a few scrapes and bruises.


    But the scene before her was far from reassuring.


    The main lobby of the first floor was engulfed in mes, the fire spreading rapidly through the building.


    She knew instinctively who was responsible for this chaos.


    "Come out, Jan!" a familiar voice screamed. "I know you''re hiding!"


    A blonde-haired student emerged from the smoke-filled doorway, his face contorted in a mask of anger.


    It was Louise.


    He stalked towards the gaping hole in the ceiling checking for his weapon and smiled at the destructive power of his previous attack.


    Alice could see a dark tunnel leading down to another level that was lower than the first floor...


    She tried to move closer to get a better view, but her body refused to obey hermands.


    tremble...tremble...tremble...


    Her hands trembled uncontrobly, and she felt a cold fear gripping her heart.


    I need to get up... she thought, reaching for her sword.


    But her fingers refused to close around the hilt.


    An overwhelming sense of dread paralyzed her, urging her to stay hidden.


    "...why?"


    As she watched Louise carefully navigate the rubble, it seemed he hadn''t noticed her concealed as she was in the debris.


    "Oh my... I am lucky after all!"


    Louise eximed as he leapt from the hole and came back out with his polearm strapped to his back and a blue g clutched in his hand, signifying its capture for Team A.


    "Valencia will surely like this," he muttered to himself.


    "Now I just need to bring it back to base."


    Alice, seeing him with the g, realized she couldn''t allow her team to lose like this.


    The thought of losing without putting up a fight made her feel useless.


    If she didn''t take this chance now, she could at least stall him until someone arrived.


    "You can''t..."


    Alice whispered and raised her arm, feeling the mana in her body surge into her hand, forming a sharp ice shard.


    As she closed an eye to aim carefully, she released the shot to stall Louise...


    STAK!


    CRASHH...


    Louise moved his head to the side, watching the ice shard miss its mark, shattering into tiny fragments against the wall.


    His face shifted from triumph to anger in an instant.


    "Who did that?" He snarled and turned his head around.


    Louise walked towards the source of the ice shard and his eyes began scanning the debris-strewn floor.


    As he rounded a pile of rubble his lips curled into a sinister smile.


    He found Alice huddled against the wall her face pale and her body trembling.


    She clutched her Rapier tightly, but her eyes were wide with fear.


    "Well, well, well," Louise sneered. "Who would have thought the Ice Princess would be in such a state?" He chuckled darkly, enjoying her obvious distress.


    "Not me," he continued, his voice dripping with mockery.


    Alice red at him, her expression clearing showing she wasn''t afraid.


    But her trembling hands betrayed her fear.


    Louise''s eyes narrowed.


    He hadn''t been able to finish off the student with the g earlier, but perhaps he could eliminate Alice instead. It would be even sweeter, considering she had consistently outperformed him in the theory exams.


    He advanced slowly, relishing the terror in her eyes.


    "Well, I''ll be seeing you in the lobby after this," he said, raising the blue g triumphantly.


    "We''re the winners!"


    Alice squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the sight of his impending attack.


    "Somebody... please... help..." she whispered, her voice barely a whimper.


    Louise raised his polearm, ready to strike. But just as he swung downwards...


    BAM!!!


    A powerful force mmed into his side, sending him flying across the room and crashing into the opposite wall.


    The g slipped from his grasp,nding at Alice''s feet.


    "Sorry, was Ite?"


    A breathless voice echoed through the room.


    Alice opened her eyes to see a figure standing before her, a bow strapped to their back and their eyes glowing with a brilliant blue light.


    As the figure stepped out of the shadows, Alice recognized her saviour.


    It was Rel Laurence.


    "Don''t worry, I''m here."