As the two teams collide at the summit, Paedyn immediately goes after Ace, pouring her anger into a vicious hand-to-hand fight. She takes satisfaction in hurting him, while recognizing that the king engineered this outcome by first forcing enemies to cooperate and then rewarding them for turning on each other. Ace answers her attack with darkness illusions, but Paedyn breaks through them and keeps pressing the fight.

Ace then gains the advantage by slipping behind Paedyn and using a branch to choke her. As Paedyn begins to black out, she remembers her father’s lesson that wit can be as deadly as any weapon. Instead of continuing to struggle, Paedyn goes limp and pretends to die, luring Ace close enough to finish her. When Ace crouches over her with a rock, intending to crush her skull, Paedyn springs the trap, snaps his arm, throws him off, and pins him to the ground.

While Paedyn holds Ace down and prepares to kill him with the same rock he meant to use on her, Ace’s power surrounds her with ghostly versions of herself. This time, the illusion fails to break her. Paedyn realizes she is no longer afraid of the wounded, desperate parts of herself, and that self-acceptance has made her stronger. With that clarity, she raises the rock and is ready to end Ace.

Before Paedyn strikes, she sees Kai nearby, bloodied and watching without stopping her. Paedyn understands that Ace’s life is tied to Kai’s own need for revenge, because Ace once tried to kill Kai and force Kai into the act as well. Paedyn decides that killing Ace is not her right, tells Ace he is not hers to kill, and silently yields him to Kai. Kai takes Ace and, after quickly checking Paedyn’s injuries, notices the untouched flag and orders Paedyn to go win. Paedyn turns away from Kai’s violence, reaches the flag without interference, and tears it down to claim victory.