How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game Chapter 667: Light Interlude

True irritation was a rare thing for Rose to experience.

However, once she was provoked... the consequences were always severe.

Riley... is actually questioning me?

And it's because of this girl?

Her golden gaze grew cold as it landed on Stacia’s shivering form.

The younger girl was still gasping for air, desperately trying to remain conscious while being crushed by the weight of Rose’s mana.

Me?

The person he trusts above all others?

The atmospheric pressure surrounding Stacia intensified, becoming more suffocating with every passing moment.

Riley had never voiced his faith in her out loud.

He didn't have to.

For Rose—immature, reckless, and deeply in love—his silent assurance had always been plenty.

The way he stood at her side.

The way he chose not to interfere.

The way he watched her as if the victory were already a foregone conclusion.

It’s Rose. Everything is fine.

Rose is capable of handling this.

There is no one but Rose.

That was the established order of their world.

Never once had Riley shown a hint of doubt toward her.

Not in the heat of combat.

Not regarding her choices.

Not regarding her strength.

He believed in her.

So why now?

Why did his tone falter?

Why did he utter those things... because of her?

Rose’s mana surged violently once more, an invisible force grinding down on Stacia’s frame.

The floor of the stage let out a faint groan under the sheer weight.

This girl is making him lose faith in me.

The realization settled in her heart—sharp, bitter, and jagged.

Along with it came a darker sensation.

Annoyance.

Not a passing whim. Not the minor pique she felt when Riley gave others his time.

Not even the envy she had trained herself to bury deep within.

This was something else.

It was a slow, quiet burn... one that refused to be extinguished.

Her fingers tightened, light condensing even more fiercely at her tips.

She kept her eyes locked on Stacia.

For the first time since this duel began, Rose wasn't merely testing her opponent.

She was genuinely angry.

"Stacia Alger Del Luna..."

Rose spoke her full name.

"Call forth your wolf."

The order was frigid. It brooked no argument.

Stacia remained on one knee, her blade buried in the stage just to keep from falling flat.

The force pressing against her felt less like mana and more like the world's gravity itself—merciless, heavy, and impossible to escape.

Her ears were ringing.

Her sight began to blur.

The arena seemed to tilt and spin at the edges of her vision.

Logic failed her.

Focus was impossible.

Even the act of breathing felt wrong, as if her lungs were being squeezed shut by invisible hands.

If I don’t act this instant...

She felt it in her soul.

This wasn't just about a simple loss anymore.

She would be maimed.

Shattered.

Or perhaps something worse.

"I don’t understand what changed, but..."

She peered through the haze, her eyes searching.

Among the sea of faces in the stands, she found him.

Riley.

He was observing the scene in silence.

That sight stung more than the crushing pressure.

I have to prove it to him...

That I am also worthy of standing by his side.

Her grip on the sword's hilt tightened until her knuckles turned white.

Despite her body’s screams for relief, she forced her mana to circulate, pulling it back into her heart.

Thump.

The mana heart gave a powerful pulse.

Crimson and gold fire erupted around her once more, flickering weakly at first before roaring to life.

For that future to become real—

I cannot surrender.

With a desperate will, Stacia forced herself to stand.

The moment she regained her feet, the sensation of pain transformed.

A wave of warmth washed over her.

It wasn't a burning heat.

It was a gentle, heavy warmth that felt almost like a comfort.

It was like being pulled into a protective embrace.

An ancient presence anchored itself to her soul.

[This can only be sustained for a moment, child...]

Stacia’s eyes widened in shock.

"Wolf...?"

[There is a price to pay.]

[A heavy, painful one.]

[But if you desire a chance at victory... this is your only path.]

She did not hesitate to answer.

Her mana detonated outward.

A geyser of fire shot into the sky, howling as it coiled around her. The flames were no longer simple crimson and gold—they had become deeper, more ancient, and far more feral.

Even Rose, who had been standing nonchalantly, was forced to retreat a step as the sudden heat and force swept across the stage.

The wolf had granted its strength.

What appeared was not just fire—it was flame condensed to such an impossible density that even behind the reinforced magical shields, the spectators began to feel the burn.

Heat flooded the arena like a drowning tide.

The very air began to warp and distort.

The protective runes on the barrier flickered wildly as if in agony, their light bending under a load they were never meant to carry.

"Strengthen the barriers—immediately!"

"Deploy the emergency containment array!"

"Lock down the outer seals—do not let the heat escape!"

Chaos broke out among the instructors, regulators, and officials as they fought to keep the arena stable.

Sweat dripped from their brows as they poured mana into the collapsing enchantments.

But anyone with a shred of mana sensitivity could see the truth—

The defensive spells weren't just failing.

They weren't cracking.

They were burning away.

Soon, the protection would dissolve completely.

At the heart of the storm, Rose remained motionless.

The sphere of compressed light stayed in her palm, its radiance steady—though it was fading faster than before.

Her golden eyes stared straight ahead, calm and focused.

What stood before her was no simple familiar.

This was the zenith of flame.

No—

It was the very concept of fire made manifest.

A being whose very essence was defined by incineration, purification, ruin, and rebirth.

These were flames that did not just burn physical matter—

They burned concepts.

Even Rose, a master who had reached the Eighth Circle of her mana heart, sensed the danger immediately.

Her own mana was being scorched into nothingness.

It wasn't being drained away.

It was being incinerated.

Every second the wolf existed, her mana reserves evaporated at a terrifying speed, vanishing under a pressure no shield could stop.

Then—

GROOOOWWWLLLLL—

The sound vibrated through the entire arena.

A primal, ancient growl that sent shivers down every spine and instantly hushed the crowd.

From the massive inferno behind Stacia, a shape took form.

A colossal wolf, crafted from pure, living fire—its body rippling like liquid sunlight, its eyes glowing with a primordial wisdom.

And standing beneath it—

Stacia remained.

She looked tiny in comparison, but she did not flinch.

The flames didn't surround her as a weapon, but as a sign of recognition.

"Senior..."

Her voice shook, yet her gaze was firm.

"...Please don’t die."

For the first time—

Rose’s eyebrow twitched.

She understood the gravity of the situation.

They both did.

This was no longer a mere evaluation.

They were both prepared to unleash everything they had.

Stacia raised her blade high towards the sky.

Runes flared to life across the metal and over her skin, shining with an authority far older than the academy itself.

[Spirit Authority of the Fire King]

[Blessing: Sol Fal]

The fire reacted instantly.

The colors deepened and sharpened, the roar of the flames growing louder as the wolf’s power surged.

[Your fire shall now consume all things.]

[Even abstract concepts will not be spared.]

The power coursing through Stacia was no longer human.

It was divine.

As the stage splintered beneath her and the arena shook—

Stacia dropped into her combat stance.

Her feet dug into the shattered stone, her grip so tight her fingers burned.

The surrounding flames howled, rising higher as her determination reached its peak.

Then, she struck.

SWOOOOOOOSHHHHHH—!!!!

A titanic arc of searing energy blasted forward, cutting through the air like a falling sun.

The beam was immense, violent, and total—fire so concentrated it warped the very fabric of space as it raced toward Rose.

With a flame that could incinerate concepts, victory seemed within reach.

And yet...

For a fleeting second—

FOOOOSHH.

Just like that.

As easily as snuffing out a candle between two fingers, the attack disappeared.

There was no explosion.

No collision.

No struggle.

The beam simply... ceased to be.

Stacia froze, her breath catching in her throat.

The arena fell into a deathly silence.

Only a few stray embers fell through the air, glowing for a moment before turning to ash on the ground.

Slowly, she raised her head.

Rose was standing in the exact same spot, completely untouched, her face devoid of emotion.

I put every ounce of my soul into that strike...

Her mind spiraled, shock and disbelief filling her chest.

And yet—it did nothing?

"So, flames that can interfere with the concepts of reality..."

Rose spoke softly, as if analyzing a puzzle.

"...That is quite impressive."

Her gold eyes locked onto Stacia’s crimson ones.

"But it is not enough, junior. Simple problems usually have simple answers."

"W-What did you do...?"

Stacia’s voice was a raspy whisper.

"I performed a reverse-calculation on the magic you utilized."

The explanation hit Stacia like a physical blow.

Her eyes went wide.

Around them, the crowd began to whisper—judges leaned in closer, and teachers stared in utter shock.

"But—that wasn't a spell...!" Stacia cried out.

Rose tilted her head to the side.

"Spells. Blessings. Authorities."

She raised her hand with an air of indifference.

"To me, they are all the same. The only variable is the complexity of the calculation required."

Then—

Rose opened her left palm.

Fire ignited within it.

It wasn't just similar.

It was identical.

The same crimson-gold hue.

The same density of power.

The same overwhelming heat.

A flawless imitation of Stacia’s power flickered calmly in Rose’s hand.

"See?" Rose remarked quietly. "I can do it too."

"...W—What...?"

Stacia’s entire body began to shake.

Her legs felt like lead. Her mind couldn't process the reality before her.

This wasn't just talent.

This wasn't mere genius.

This was something entirely beyond comprehension.

Her mana was spent, her body was broken, but the thing that truly crushed her was the realization.

Is this... the distance between us?

Between a person with talent—

And someone like Rose?

No.

Even geniuses weren't supposed to be capable of this.

Rose’s eyes drifted past the girl.

Behind Stacia, the giant silhouette of the fire wolf was already dissolving, its form becoming unstable as its flames turned to smoke in the wind.

Even that ancient entity seemed stunned—its presence wavered, as if it had never expected its authority to be dismantled so effortlessly.

Rose saw it.

She simply didn't feel like explaining herself.

Explaining was a chore.

Besides, no one here had the capacity to understand it anyway.

"Well," Rose said, her voice tinged with boredom,

"If that is the extent of your strength, junior... then this is where we part ways."

The light at her fingertip sharpened, condensing into a lethal point. The sheer pressure made the air vibrate.

But then—

"Stop."

A steady hand caught Rose’s right arm.

Her eyes widened in genuine shock.

"Riley?" she asked, turning her head.

He had appeared beside her, his face calm but his expression serious.

"She has already lost, Rose," Riley stated firmly. "So, calm yourself."

"But she—"

"Look around you."

Rose paused.

"Huh... oh."

Only then did she notice the state of the stadium.

The barriers were fractured and flickering, the layers of protective magic barely holding on.

Academy staff were barking orders, and professors were desperately pouring mana into emergency spells, their faces covered in sweat and fear.

If Rose fired that spell now—

There would be victims.

People who didn't need to get hurt.

"...Fine."

With a small click of her tongue, Rose allowed the light to fade from her hand.

The crushing pressure vanished instantly.

She looked quite displeased.

Giving Stacia one last cold, indifferent look, Rose turned and wrapped her arms around Riley’s, clinging to him.

Like a cat protecting its territory, her golden eyes narrowed—sharp and warning, a clear message for Stacia to stay away from what belonged to her.

Riley, however, looked past her.

His eyes settled on Stacia.

Neutral.

Steady.

Impossible to read.

There was no praise.

There was no disappointment.

Just a simple, quiet acknowledgment.

That was the final thing Stacia saw.

Her remaining strength evaporated.

Her legs gave out.

The world went black as she collapsed onto the ruined stage.