Yano laughed — angry, sharp.
“You hid like a coward, waiting for the right moment to strike.
But you made one fatal mistake — with that punch, you should’ve put me to sleep.
Because now, I’m going to hurt you badly.”

He forced himself to stay calm.
It wasn’t the surprise attack that enraged him.
It was who had hit him — that useless worm — and the fact that he had felt it.

Since when does that larva hit so damn hard? he thought.

Meanwhile, Finde helped Solus up.
“You good, friend? Or do you need a break?”

Solus shoved him aside.
“I’m fine! You don’t stand a chance against him, though.”
He was barely standing.

Katrin’s chin was bleeding.
They were all in bad shape.

We need to end this fast, Finde thought.

Before he could act, Solus attacked again.
He hurled his staff toward Yano’s face.
Caught off guard, Yano swerved left.

Solus followed through with a punch to his chin.
Yano tilted his head, and the shot grazed his nose.

Katrin seized the moment, traing to hit Yano in the side.

But he drove a knee into Solus’s groin, grabbed his shirt, and pulled him between them — using his body as a shield.
Katrin’s sword struck Solus’s back.

Solus screamed.
She froze.

Yano smashed Solus in the face.
The boy dropped, unconscious.

And before Katrin could react, Yano was already charging her.

Another flicker at the edge of his vision.
He ducked.
Finde’s sword sliced the air above his head.

Finde pressed forward with a flurry of quick, precise strikes.
Yano staggered back, surprised.
Each slash forced him to dodge, block, defend.

I’m slowing down.
Why am I struggling to keep up?

He blocked a strike with his axe, shoving Finde’s blade aside, and punched him with his free hand.

Finde lowered his chin and took the hit on his forehead.
Pain shot through Yano’s wrist, because it bent in an unnatural way.

Finde countered with a hook to the stomach.
Yano tensed and absorbed the blow, exhaling sharply.

Then he swung the axe overhead and brought it down toward Finde’s shoulder.
The boy tilted his sword, letting the blow slide across it, out of his silhouette.
The wooden weapons clashed together — the ground itself vibrated.

Yano panted, coughing.
What’s happening? That punch to the head… it’s messing with me more than I thought.

Anger surged.
Why does this louse strike so hard?

He turned toward Katrin, still kneeling.
She grabbed a stone and threw it at him.

Yano bent backwards, sliding to the ground on his knees.
The stone grazed his nose.

Katrin ran towards him and, taking advantage of the fact that he was kneeling on the ground, attempted to kick him in the neck.
But he raised his elbow, taking the blow under his armpit.
He wrapped her ankle around his arm, pinning it, and hit her knee hard.

Katrin screamed and fell.

Yano rose, spun the axe, and instead of striking her, swung it behind him.

The blade slammed into Finde’s chest as he tried to attack from behind.

“I’ve already fallen for that trick once,” Yano hissed. “It won’t work again.”

Finde tried to crawl away, but Yano kicked him in the stomach.
He grabbed his hair and punched him across the face.

His vision dimmed.
No... I’m about to black out. Stay awake. Finde thought.

“Look at you,” Yano sneered.
“You are a pathetic nobody.”

He headed toward the White flag, grinning, and began untying it from its pole.

From behind a boulder, Jhoanna watched the battle.

She saw Yano strike Finde and head for the flag.
The wind of Castore lifted her hair.
A cold smile curved her lips.

She turned toward the Red team crouched behind her.
“It’s time to step onto the stage.”

Yano was fastening the white flag to his belt, right next to the red one, when something slammed into his right side.
A sharp, violent impact.

The world flipped upside down.
He crashed to the ground, breath torn from his chest.
Finde was on top of him, arms locked around his waist, dragging him down.

The weight pinned him. Air burst from his lungs in a gasp.
He struggled, but Finde held on like iron claws.

That bastard caught me off guard again… twice in a few minutes.
Rage exploded inside him.

Yano struck back with furious elbow blows to Finde’s back.
“Let go! Let go, bastard!”
Each hit came with a shout.

After five, maybe six blows, Finde reacted.
He sank his teeth into Yano’s side—hard.
Yano screamed, his hands darting to Finde’s face, fingers searching for his eyes.
But Finde released him and rolled aside, catching Yano in the face with his elbow mid-motion.

They both got up almost at the same time.
Blood streamed from Yano’s nose.
His eyes burned — no reason, no restraint. Only fury.

“I’ll kill you!” he roared, spitting as he shouted.
“I’ll kill you, filthy scum!”

Finde froze.
That wasn’t the same Yano. That expression... it was pure hate.
He understood then — from then on he would fight for his survival.

But movement flickered on the edge of their sight.
Both turned.

Jhoanna.
And almost the entire red team behind her, closing in, weapons ready.

Finde sprinted toward Katrin, still on the ground clutching her injured knee.
She’d already tied it with a strip torn from her jacket.

“We need to get out of here, Kat.”

“I can’t walk. Go. They won’t hurt me—I’m harmless.
And Yano took our flag. I’ll try to take it back.”

“Forget that damn flag!”
Finde’s voice was sharp with urgency.
“If we’re eliminated now, we can’t take anything back later.
And I’m not leaving you behind.”

Katrin met his gaze in silence, then nodded. Grateful.
Finde crouched down. “Climb on. I’ll carry you.”

“No, that’s stupid. I’ll just slow you down. Leave me.”

“Either you get on, or we both stay—and we’ll both be out.
You’ll be responsible for my defeat too.”

Katrin sighed. “Damn you.”
She climbed on his back, and Finde started running south.

Yano saw them flee.
“Coward!” he yelled, voice raw with rage.
“You think this is over?!”

He turned.
Thirty meters away stood Jhoanna, arms folded.
Six of her teammates lined up behind her like soldiers.

“Damn it,” he hissed.

“Yano!” she called, smirking.

He mocked her tone: “Yano!”

“What’s wrong? Upset because Finde gave you trouble?”
Her tone was calm, mocking.

“Shut your filthy mouth! You don’t know a damn thing!
You showed up and ruined everything—I was about to finish him!”

Jhoanna raised an eyebrow. “If you say so.
Didn’t look that way to me.”

Yano clenched his jaw. “Why don’t you move along and throw your cheap sarcasm somewhere else?”

She smiled. “I could… but funny enough, you have two things we need.
The red flag and the white one.
Hand them over, and we’ll let you go. No elimination for you.”

Yano stood still.
Damn witch.
She’d figured it all out. They had been watching him the whole time.
Now they were seven against one.
Wait… where was the eighth?

“Where’s your last teammate, Jhoanna?”
His tone dripped venom.
“Hiding behind a rock, ready to stab me in the back?
Pathetic cowards.”

Jhoanna laughed. “What’s wrong, Yano? Angry you got played like an idiot?”

Yano lowered his gaze for a heartbeat, then lifted it again—eyes flashing.
“You really want to attack me with only six of yours?
You know how this ends? Maybe you’ll bring me down… but your team will be wiped out.
That’ll be your end in this tournament.
And then there’s Gozen. After you eliminate me, you really think you could beat him too?”

Jhoanna exhaled sharply. “Nice psychological tricks, Yano. Too bad they don’t work on me.
I’ll say this once more — give us the flags, or we’ll take them by force.”

Yano smiled.
But it wasn’t human.
It was the grin of a predator tasting blood.

“Come on then!” he shouted. “Let’s see how many of you are still standing when I’m done!”
He tilted his head back and laughed—a wild, manic laugh that made even the red team shiver.

Jhoanna didn’t move.
“He’s bluffing,” she said. “Let’s take them.”

Her teammates hesitated, but advanced all the same.

“Finde, put me down. You’re killing yourself,” Katrin said, embarrassed.

“Nah. You’re not that heavy. Just a little more—need to find the right spot.”

She was amazed.
He’d been running for over ten minutes, carrying her without slowing, without even panting.
And thinking back—he had held his own against Yano.
With dignity.

Her hands brushed his shoulders.
Solid. Broader than before.
He had changed—and she realized it only now.

Finde slowed, then stopped abruptly.
His eyes fixed on something in the distance.

“What is it?” she asked.

He pointed ahead. “There. See that rock? Looks solid, but from this angle… there’s a hollow inside. Perfect for hiding.”

They hurried over and slipped into the crevice.
Only then did Finde set her down.

“Stay here. I’ll go back. I'll try to retrieve our flag—”

“Don’t be stupid,” Katrin cut him off.
“You saw Jhoanna. She’s got the full team. Seven against one, plus Yano. You can’t win that.”

“I’m not looking for a fight.
I’ll watch from afar, see how things move.
Maybe I can take flag back with stealth.”

“I can’t just sit here hiding!” she snapped.
“I feel useless. I’d rather be eliminated fighting.”

Finde smiled. “You won’t be useless, Katrin. Actually, your role just became even more important.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

He dug into his pockets.
“Take this. Keep it hidden.”

He handed her a piece of red fabric.
Katrin stared, shocked.
“No way! The red flag! How… how did you—?”

Finde was holding the red flag.
A smile of hope on his face.

End of Part IV
(Continues in Chapter 11 — The Tournament, Part V)