My Soul card is a Reaper-Chapter 1032: Dreams of the Past: The World Tournament (Part-10)

Chapter 1032: Dreams of the Past: The World Tournament (Part-10)

Then Catherine glanced at Beowulf, her tone shifting slightly.

"However—"

Beowulf stepped forward, arms crossed, his golden braid brushing his shoulder, "No need to sugarcoat it, Instructor."

"Hmm?" Everyone’s attention moved to him.

His gaze settled firmly on one person.

"Arjuna."

Arjuna didn’t look up. His fists rested on his knees, knuckles slightly pale. He could guess what the captain would say.

Beowulf didn’t soften his voice. "You lost two matches in a row. I’m not going to pretend it didn’t happen. The first? Understandable. Karna’s a monster. He had two celestial-grade Arcana Spirits. He is good at range combat and close combat. Not even I have the confidence that I can beat him swiftly. No shame there."

He took a breath.

"But the second? You couldn’t even bring out 10% of your potential at all. From the start, you were just toyed around. That match could’ve been easily yours, but you were overwhelmed. And in the further rounds, we will see stronger solo participants."

Arjuna’s jaw tightened.

"That’s why Instructor Catherine and I agree. For the knockout rounds... we think you should move to the group team rotation."

The room went tense. Everyone turned to look at Arjuna.

"What did you say?" Bheema growled from his corner.

He stood halfway, eyes flashing. "You’re blaming Arjuna? That’s rich, coming from someone who fights solo all the damn time. Named yourself the captain but didn’t see you lead in working out with us as a team at all..."

"Bheema, no." Yudhisthira’s hand caught Bheema’s arm before he could rise. His tone was firm. "Sit down."

Bheema looked like he might explode. But he listened. Slowly, he dropped back, still glaring daggers.

Yudhisthira turned to Beowulf calmly. "I apologize. He can sometimes get angry. Don’t pay attention to my brother’s words. Who do you propose takes his place in solo category, Captain?"

Beowulf didn’t hesitate. "Rael and Eon are untouchable as a duo. Anyone who tries to split them is a fool."

He looked across the room at the remaining faces—Nuada, Qin Shi Huang, Yudhisthira, and Bheema.

"So it has to be one of us five. One of us trades places with Arjuna."

There was a quiet pause, and then:

"Well?" Qin Shi Huang asked, voice like a blade. "Say it, then."

Catherine spoke in his place. "Even if your teamwork is a bit of a mess, the fact that none of you managed to jeopardize others’ battles itself says that you have teamwork going on unknowingly. I expect you all to learn how to work together as the competition goes on. The knockouts will have more time limit and you were all geniuses among geniuses. You will figure it out on the battlefield." Taking a brief pause, she continued. "Anyways, Student Bheema is our vanguard. We are keeping Qin Shi Huang as our trump card and we keep it that way until finals. Sorry to stay this but Yudhisthira is not strong for a solo combat. And Nuada’s Arcana spirit can raise ally’s strength. So, in this case, we have only one option. Beowulf."

As eyes turned to him, Beowulf said, "The question now is, if I move to solo combat, who will replace my position as the leader. One of you has to lead the team." His eyes wandered from one to the other, who exchanged glances. "Arjuna, you are too young and inexperienced to lead. Bheema, you are clearly not a good leader. Nuada, you don’t want too much spotlight. So, in this case, only one of you, Yudhisthira, and Qin Shi Huang, must replace me."

Qin SHi Huang readily raised his hand.

Beowulf’s eyes widened. "You are willing to lead, Qin Shi Huang?"

The Prince looked away as he said. "No, I just want to say that Yudhisthira is better than me."

"Eh?" "Huh?"

Amid surprised gazes from a few, including Yudhisthira’s own, Qin Shi Huang explained. "He is the calmest of us all. His mentality is the highest and his two brothers will listen to him unconditionally. It’s clear that we will have a better shot if he leads the team."

"Yes, my eldest brother is the most suitable candidate indeed," Bheema crossed his arms and nodded.

As Yudhisthira himself looked a bit unsure and looked at others. "I don’t know if I..."

"Oh, nothing to worry about," Rael interrupted his demotivational speech. "If you plan on becoming the King one day and lead a kingdom, it shouldn’t pose a problem to you to lead 4 members."

"Well..." Yudhisthira looked at everyone. They all nodded as if they agreed. Taking a deep breath, Yudhisthira said. "Alright."

"Okay, let’s talk about our next opponents..." Catherina clapped, proceeding to change the topic.

After a while, the room gradually emptied. Only a few murmured voices and soft footsteps remained. Arjuna had already left with Bheema beside him. Yudhisthira stayed behind briefly, exchanging a quiet nod with Beowulf before slipping out.

Only three people remained now—Beowulf, Instructor Catherine, and Qin Shi Huang.

The eleven-year-old emperor-in-making stood near the window, hands clasped behind his back, posture perfectly straight.

"I want to talk," Qin Shi Huang said flatly.

Beowulf raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

Prince Qin turned, his amber eyes unusually sharp. "Why did you lie?"

Beowulf’s lips pressed together. "Lie?"

Catherine looked startled. "What are you saying, Qin Shi Huang?"

"I wasn’t wearing a blindfold," he replied. "I might be young, but I can see through illusions. Words, tones, facial expressions—they all tell me something."

He took a step forward, still eerily calm. "When you said Arjuna was dropped because of performance, it wasn’t the truth. Not completely."

Beowulf exhaled, his face relaxing into a wry expression. "Tch... I guess I should’ve expected you to notice."

Catherine looked at Beowulf. She gave a small nod.

He turned toward her and gave a small shrug. "He’s right. Arjuna was never going to be solo again. That was decided before this match even started."

Beowulf looked him in the eye and spoke quietly. "The instructor wasn’t confident in anyone else leading the team. Not Rael. Not Nuada. Not even Qin."

"That’s not fair to say," she muttered, though her tone lacked strength, as if she felt guilty about her actions.

"No," Prince Qin said flatly. "It’s accurate."

Beowulf nodded. "So I took the position. It was the only way to maintain balance. You and I both knew leadership was the real concern. And I had to make that decision... even if it meant throwing Arjuna under the chariot."

Catherine lowered her gaze, lips pressed tight. "I’m sorry. I never wanted to doubt you. But..."

Prince Qin raised a hand, interrupting her. "It doesn’t matter. I understand."

He walked over to the center of the room again, facing the two of them.

"But if it was me," he said, "I wouldn’t have done it like this."

Beowulf tilted his head. "Oh? And what would you have done?"

Qin Shi Huang’s expression was unreadable. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"I’d put Azrael and Eon into the team battle. Let Arjuna and Bheema take the duo slot."

Catherine blinked. "Why?"

Beowulf folded his arms, curious now.

"Because," Qin began, "Rael and Eon’s teamwork is flawless. But more than that, they trust each other too much. However, they had one massive weakness. One is the support and the other is the muscle. What would happen to the support if the muscle is taken out? If the opponents take out Eon, it might not change much but increase their chances of win but if they take out Azrael, they are guaranted to lose the battle. But if they are in a team, that weakness will disappear and using eon’s time freeze, Azrael can just leave his battle and just go on a 2vs1 with others or help his teammates who were battling multiple opponents."

He continued. "Arjuna and Bheema are wild, yes. But they also know each other deeply. One can hold off the enemies, and the other can strike them from far."

Beowulf stayed quiet, considering the logic.

There was a long pause.

Finally, Beowulf gave a small grin. "So that’s how the future Emperor thinks, huh?"

Catherine sighed softly. "I suppose I really did underestimate you."

Qin simply turned, walking toward the door.

"No," he said, voice cold. "You overestimated your own certainty."

The morning sun rose over the vast coliseum grounds, casting long shadows over the marble domes and fluttering banners of the World Arcana Tournament.

The crowd had already begun gathering. The announcement of the Knockout Stage was just moments away.

Murmurs passed from student to student, instructor to instructor—each eagerly awaiting the matchups.

But before the proctor’s voice could boom across the arena, a whisper spread like wildfire:

"Heavenly Academy is withdrawing."

At first, many dismissed it. Impossible. They had just dominated the group stages. Team Celestials were practically fan-favorites.

But then the official announcement came.

"Due to unforeseen health concerns and the inability to field the minimum number of participants, Heavenly Academy will be withdrawing from the quarterfinals. We thank them for their exemplary performance and hope for their swift recovery."

A stunned silence swept across the stadium. No battle? No send-off match? Just... gone?

Just like that?