——As the cheers of the audience in the colosseum become loud, their sword becomes stronger as well.“Hmph! Parry this you filthy imbecile!”Using the thin yet long, serrated blade, Poppo started to attack the offensive, pushing Magi back as his distance to the side of the arena closes. “——!”He was being pushed back somehow, he wouldn't win a match of sword fighting. However, he had an idea.“Glazier. Ground Zero.”Unholsting his Grant, he would aim Glazier at Poppo as he parried the next attack. Poppo wasn't as surprised as before as he tried to break away, however, due to the serrated nature of his blade, it was stuck as Magi turned his blade nature. He fires away, creating a sudden rumble across the arena, creating a huge floor of ice as everything around it freezes around his area. Yet, Poppo was able to save himself from it at the last second.“Geh. Ice. You never learn, do you?”Poppo only had a disgusted face. Elemental Magic was just as pitiful and weak as he thought it w
With almost everyone preoccupied, Sabrine was done with the masks. All she had to do was to deliver them to everyone and call the signal in to have the others run in. Yet, it was where the problem began to show. “——Ngh?! The door's stuck?!”As she tried to push the glass door open, it was stuck and won't move.There was a metal screw that got loose after Baji shot it, locking the door altogether.She tried to shoot through the door with a point-blank shotgun, but it would only launch the shotgun back, creating only shallow craters from the pellets. The front door was unusable but it wasn't the only way out of the building.“——Tch!”As she sees Violet and Vincent get pinned on by three of their enemies who had the advantage, she quickly had to make a decision. She grabbed all of the makeshift masks she made, and went upstairs. Vincent would see Sabrine do so, confused as to why she came back up when he expected her to be done by now. However, he wasn't at the right time to think
“Where's Sabrine!? She's taking longer——!”“Where are you looking? Lose focus and you'll lose your head.”Pinned back by Baji, Vincent would lean his head to the side to dodge the gun's barrel. Baji fired only to miss, barely scratching Vincent's neck with it. It was a close call.Vincent would swirl his blade around, attempting to stab Baji by his leg yet he had also been able to avoid it by stepping back.“Tch. For someone your age, you move pretty quickly.”Vincent would click his tongue in frustration, complimenting Baji's agility despite his age.“I've been doing this job since I was young. If I can say so myself, I'm not in my prime anymore.”With those words that gave Vincent a sign of inferiority before him, he couldn't let such a remark slide. However, Vincent was at a disadvantage. Although he kept closing the distance between him to avoid getting shot, Baji's quick thinking and movement were far superior. Vincent was only able to keep up due to his tricks used with the
“——A win for Kira! That match was already decided since the matchups were announced! How I pity that random contestant!”By afternoon, the tournament would proceed as winners accumulate in the mezzanine. Kira would win her match easily with her power that ended the match in just 30 seconds, walking back to the mezzanine where Magi and Cian had waited. “Well, well, well, looks like we have the obvious runner-ups waiting on their lady.”Trying to walk with glamour, Kira arrived in style. She didn't have her usual uniform, instead, she had a red-military outfit lined with golden threads and chains. It was an appearance that screamed the name of the Red Trackers.“——Hmm. What's wrong?”Although, as she arrived, both Magi and Cian had a grim expressions plastered all over their face. In moments, they would take a corner of the mezzanine to keep their conversation more discreet as people began to arrive.“Violet called just now. The headquarters was attacked.”Magi would silently announ
After the siege on the headquarters ended, Vincent, Bahamut, and Saeko were left inside to care for Violet's body had been reconnected to the console. Several stab wounds prevented the synthetic skin from regenerating, and the hull of the exoskeleton torso was exposed.“Your body... is it——?”[It's useless now. All you can use it for is scrap metal. You can throw it away.]“——!?”Bahamut had been worried that her physical, yet artificial body would become unusable anymore, yet it would become a reality when Violet herself had said it. “But——?!”[The gasoline container was stabbed through, the temperature regulator had short-circuited, and the pressure fibers had been cut. I cannot use this body anymore, Bahamut. I have no use for it.]Bahamut somehow stubbornly wanted to keep the body. He had grown attached to it, seeing Violet's face on it as he brought it back.“———”He would make a small gasp, looking at Violet who had decisively spoken through the monitor of the console. Despit
——In a small private room that had been reserved by the daughter of the mayor, Cian was dragged along as he was requested by her.“Tell me, do you have some secret ability?”“Look, I have nothing to tell you. Your dad might be that one big shot, but I'm not obliged to tell you anything.”Cian casually sat on the luxurious sofa as he held that single pebble he had been holding before, avoiding eye contact with the young woman who tried to inquire him of his abilities.He wasn't quite sure of her intentions, but with the others telling him to be wary of even the mayor, she was someone he couldn't just trust as well.“Come on! Tell me already!”“Ngaah! I told you, I won't! Aren't you being stubborn for no reason?! Why are you even asking me that? Like hell, anyone would just reveal their abilities like that. I'll be leaving.”Annoyed by her nagging, Cian exclaimed as he stood, attempting to exit the room.However, the door would be just locked, unhinged even by his greatest attempt to ya
“...”“...”Trapped in a cycle of silence, Mia only stared at Cian who cooped himself up in the corner of the room.He fidgeted with a random marble that he found earlier.Ruriko was also in the room. She entered as soon as she thought it was enough humiliation for Mia to feel.Despite her presence, the awkwardness in the air was too thick to be ignored.“Cian. What are you doing——?”Ruriko would break the ice, referring to his habit.He was flipping the stone back and forth, catching it with the same hand as he faced the wall. “Waiting until you guys let me go——Don't tell me that she's one of the missions.”“No. That's not it.”Shaking her head, Ruriko slightly chuckled as Cian replied to her, who lifted his head only slightly.Mia wasn't anyone remotely important to the mission, for now, however, she was someone that will be a bridge for one.“I made a deal with her, and now I owe her some answers regarding what you can do if you can even truly win the tournament this time.”“——You
——At the next day, Kira, Magi, and Cian were once again called to the tournament for holding.Vincent, Saeko, Sabrine, and Violet were left once more in the headquarters as they anticipated Evan and Kurumi to join them later on. The attack wouldn't possibly happen today as the Sentient Guards were still patrolling the area, however, spies could still lurk everywhere and attack discreetly to weaken their defenses.Reinforcements from Violet Hex were to be expected also soon after the discord with Bahamut. It was an awkward personal problem that Vincent and the others couldn't put their hands on.Even with the said plan in effect, Violet and Sabrine continued to work on the defenses while Vincent was arranging documents regarding the damage report beside them.[Vincent. I'll be having a private conversation with Sabrine.]“——Huh? Oh, alright.”Taking the documents with him, Vincent would leave the room and slowly closes the door, leaving but a tiny crack as he took a peek back inside.