One of the guards gripped the Queen by her neck, his sword raised high, ready to strike. She twisted sharply, jerking her head back to smash into his nose with a sickening crack. The blow made him stumble, giving her just enough time to break free and stagger forward. Another guard’s blade whistled through the air, narrowly missing her and slicing through her royal garments. She stumbled two more steps, her gaze locking with mine as we met in the middle of the arena.

At first, I saw fear etched into her features. But in an instant, it morphed into fury—a blistering rage that made the anger she'd shown during dinner seem tame by comparison. Her glare shifted back to her attackers, her face a mask of pure hatred. It was the kind of look that promised slow and brutal vengeance.

She clapped her hands together, a surge of mana crackling between them. As she opened them, a sword shimmered into existence, hovering briefly in the air before she snatched it by the hilt. She dropped into an aggressive stance, her weapon raised, while I stood frozen, my hands awkwardly stretched out in some meaningless gesture.

“You treacherous bastards!” she roared. “How dare you!”

“Shut up, whore,” one of them sneered. His lips curled into a vile grin. “I’ll kill you first, then have my fun with that royal body.”

Her knuckles whitened as she tightened her grip on the sword. “You’ll regret this,” she spat through clenched teeth. “I’ll make sure of it!”

“Yeah?” The guard chuckled darkly, his blade glinting. “We’ll see.”

Desperately, I hurled a fireball toward the guard on the right, but it sputtered weakly, barely singeing his armour. He didn’t flinch, didn’t even blink. A cold wave of realisation washed over me—we were completely outmatched.

“Let this boy go.” she shouted, her eyes not leaving her enemies. “He doesn't need to die here!”

“Oh, so he can fetch help?” the guard snapped, his gaze flicking toward me. “You’re both dead. Just make it easy on yourselves.”

The first guard lunged, his sword meeting the Queen’s in a clash of sparks and steel. The second guard turned his attention to me, his swords gleaming with dark intent. My chest tightened as he advanced.

I had no choice but to move. When his blades swept toward me, glowing with a sinister red hue, I barely managed to sidestep and duck. The air crackled with energy where the swords had passed, and I could feel the heat radiating from them. Before I could recover, he kicked me hard in the side of the head. Pain exploded across my skull as I hit the ground, my vision spinning.

He loomed over me, his swords raised for the killing blow. Panic seized me. With no time to think, I grabbed a fistful of gravel from the ground and hurled it into his face. He stumbled back, cursing loudly as he wiped at his eyes.

The Queen, meanwhile, unleashed a gust of wind, knocking her opponent off balance. She followed up with a quick strike aimed at his midsection, but he recovered just in time to block with one of his swords. The other blade lashed out, catching her across the cheek and drawing a thin line of blood. She hissed, more out of anger than pain.

“You’ll pay for that,” she snarled, adjusting her stance.

The guard pursuing me wiped the gravel from his face, his expression twisted with fury. “You little pest,” he growled, his voice dripping with venom. “I’ll make you regret that!”

“Let us go!” I shouted, my voice cracking. “Just stop!”

I scrambled to my feet, my breath ragged, and launched another fireball at the advancing guard. He deflected it effortlessly with his sword, the spell ricocheting back and slamming into my chest. The impact hurled me several metres backward, the wind knocked out of me.

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Before I could recover, he charged, ramming his shoulder into me. The force sent me sprawling onto the ground once more, my back stinging from the rough landing.

“Stay down, you little rat!” he barked, spinning around and dropping to one knee. His swords came down in a deadly arc, aiming to finish me. With a desperate roll, I avoided the strike—but not entirely. One blade grazed my stomach, the shallow cut instantly searing with pain.

“Ahh, damn it!” I hissed, clutching my side as blood began to soak through my shirt.

Across the battlefield, the Queen faced her own dire situation. Her opponent, with a twisted smirk, muttered an incantation. The ground beneath her stirred, and two wooden hands, rough and strong like tree bark, erupted from the soil. They clamped around her ankles, pinning her in place. She swung her sword at the restraints, but the enchanted wood resisted every strike without so much as a splinter.

The guard seized the opening, slashing at her with brutal precision. His blade caught her left arm, slicing through the royal fabric and drawing blood. The Queen cried out, and with a fierce second strike, she managed to shatter the wooden binds. As the guard prepared his next attack, she ducked low, rising sharply to drive the crown of her head into his chin. The satisfying crack of bone was followed by a gush of blood from his bitten tongue. He snarled, hatred burning in his eyes.

Meanwhile, my opponent glared at me, his teeth bared like a predator closing in on prey. “Don’t even think about running!” he growled. “It’ll only make this worse for you.”

His words were punctuated by a sharp kick aimed at me, but I caught his knee with a desperate kick of my own, buying myself just enough time to scramble to my feet. He was on me again in an instant, his twin swords flashing like fangs. For a fleeting moment, I caught my reflection in his blade: hollow eyes rimmed with dark circles, sweat dripping from my face. My body trembled with fear, but I had no choice but to fight.

I raised my arms in defence, and his swords bit into them, carving twin lines of fire up my forearms. I gritted my teeth against the pain, shoving him back with what little strength I had. Desperation fueled me as I began casting fireballs one after another, the air crackling with heat as I hurled them. He blocked each one with a shimmering barrier, his swords discarded for the moment as he focused on maintaining his defence.

"How the hell is he casting so fast?!" the guard snarled, dropping to one knee as he struggled to keep the barrier intact. His frustration only spurred me on. I kept throwing fireballs, refusing to let up, hoping to wear him down.

“Damn it, just die already!” his comrade bellowed at the Queen, their swords clashing in a vicious exchange. The Queen, panting but resolute, flung an ice shard at him, forcing him to retreat a step. Taking advantage of the reprieve, she tore at the lower half of her gown, ripping it for easier movement. Her crown clattered to the ground as she tossed it aside, her expression grim and focused.

“We’re running out of options here!” I shouted, barely sparing her a glance as I continued my barrage.

As if to answer my desperation, the guard I was facing dropped his barrier and reached for his swords. Before he could grab them, I rushed forward, slamming my knee into his face. The sickening crunch of cartilage breaking was followed by a spray of blood from his nose. He staggered back, his lips split and his expression wild with rage. But even that wasn’t enough to stop him. He pushed himself back to his feet almost instantly, blood dripping from his face as he growled.

“You were chosen by me! My personal bodyguards,” the Queen spat, her voice filled with rage as she parried another strike. “And yet you betray me? Traitors!”

“Where are the rest of the guards?” I shouted to her, ducking another swing. “You didn’t come here with just these three, right?”

Her lips tightened, but before she could respond, one of the guards laughed darkly. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? Your precious Queen ordered them all out of the school grounds to sweep the district.” His grin was mocking, his eyes gleaming with malice.

“I did no such thing, you tricked them!” the Queen snapped, her voice dripping with fury. “You’ll pay for this treachery! Why side with the elves? They are the enemy!”

“You’re the enemy!” he roared back, his sword carving through the air. “You’ll be the ruin of Nu’tar! We’re saving this country from you, you racist bitch!”

Her eyes burned with rage as she lunged at him, their blades locking in a deadly embrace. “Nu’tar needs me! You’ll regret this betrayal! Do you hear me? Regret it!”

I gritted my teeth and steeled myself. We were running out of time. This wasn’t a fight we could win alone.