The transition was abrupt.
One moment, the Crimson males stood in the waiting chamber.
The next, the ground beneath them vanished—and the arena rose around them like an ancient coliseum carved from broken stone and old wars.
Across the battlefield stood the Sovereignty Class males.
They weren't tense.
They weren't even cautious.
They looked… prepared.
Thane's voice echoed once.
"The male test begins."
No signal followed.
Instead—
A figure stepped forward from the Sovereignties.
The Crimsons stiffened.
Flames flickered around his boots as he walked calmly into the open space between both sides.
"…Chris?" someone whispered.
Ignis burned steadily around him—not wild, not restrained.
Controlled.
But the emblem on his shoulder was no longer Crimson.
Kira's eyes narrowed.
Chris stopped at the center of the arena and turned, facing them fully.
"I'm not here as your enemy," he said evenly.
"But I'm not standing with you either."
The murmurs started immediately.
"What do you mean—"
"You switched sides?!"
Chris exhaled slowly.
"I was taken in by the Sovereignties," he said. "Not by force. By choice."
Chris's gaze shifted—locking directly onto Kira.
"But before anything else," he continued, voice lowering,
"I need to know something."
The air grew heavier.
"Kira," Chris said, Ignis flaring brighter.
"Are you strong enough to bring me back?"
Silence.
Kira took a slow step forward.
"…That's your condition?" he asked calmly.
Chris clenched his fist.
"I made a promise," he said.
"To Raya."
The name hit like a blow.
"I promised her," Chris continued, voice tightening despite his control,
"that I wouldn't walk a path I couldn't return from."
Ignis surged.
"If you can't stop me here," he said, eyes burning,
"then you're not strong enough to pull me back later."
Kira didn't answer immediately.
Aqua's presence stirred.
Then—
"I see," Kira said quietly.
Behind Chris, the Sovereignties moved.
Not toward Kira—
Toward the rest of the Crimson Class.
The assault began instantly.
A Sovereignty fighter struck first, sending one Crimson student crashing into the ground before he could even react.
Another followed—precise, overwhelming, brutal.
The Crimsons were forced back almost immediately.
"This strength—!" someone shouted. "It's on a different level!"
They weren't being tested.
They were being overrun.
And then—
Kira felt it again.
That familiar, twisted presence.
His eyes shifted to the right.
Standing among the Sovereignties, watching with thinly veiled satisfaction—
Korran.
"…You," Kira muttered.
Korran stepped forward slowly, clapping once.
"So you noticed after all," he said. "Guess I couldn't hide forever."
"You planned this," one of the Crimsons yelled. "You sold us out!"
Korran shrugged.
"I chose survival."
Chris's head snapped toward him.
Ignis flared violently.
"So it was you," Chris said coldly.
Korran smirked. "Careful. You're not exactly in a position to judge."
In a flash—
Chris vanished.
KRAAASH—
Korran was slammed into the arena wall, stone exploding outward as blood sprayed from his mouth.
"I don't care who pulled the strings," Chris said, standing over him.
"You don't get to touch my people."
Korran coughed—and laughed.
"You're already standing with us," he spat.
"Whether you like it or not."
Korran's gaze slid past Chris.
Locked onto Kira.
"But you," he said, rising shakily. "You're the one I want."
"I'll kill you," Korran whispered,
"and prove this whole system wrong."
Kira stepped forward fully now.
Aqua surfaced—cold, focused.
"Try," Kira said.
Around them, the battle worsened.
Crimson students were being overwhelmed—forced back by raw power and coordination they couldn't match yet.
And still—
Yuujin didn't move.
Jayze didn't either.
They stood apart from the chaos, eyes sharp, watching everything.
Chris noticed them—but said nothing.
Because he understood.
This wasn't just a test.
This was a crossroads.
Chris turned back to Kira, Ignis roaring around him.
"Show me," he said quietly.
"Show me you're strong enough to pull me back."
The arena trembled.
And the male test crossed the point of no return.