“——Would you like to explain yourself...? Aspiring Champion?”With both hands on his back, Michael Hudson had inquired Cian. He had a smile that was hard to discern if fake or not, but he had done it so to show courtesy.His staff was grouped at the sides of the corridor as Cian and Michael faced each other.“Mr. Mayor! We meet again!”As Cian instantly recognized him, he rubbed the back of his head as he leaned and bowed, greeting the Mayor who appeared before him. It was a display of courtesy and gratitude, yet it was something unwarranted for someone who was causing the Mayor trouble. “Why aren't you following the staff's instructions? It was strictly advised for your stay in the mezzanine after winning. You are in luck that I like you a lot and I don't want you to get disqualified by something like this.”Michael confronted Cian, maintaining a smile of an affectionate mayor. Michael had seen how the staff were barely able to hold Cian back, but that was because he abstained fr
WHOOSH! The doors in Magi's room would slide open, finally letting him out. The tournament was continuing its course as he was the next one to fight, and this will be the revelation that his death was but a false rumor. “Stand up. Don't attempt to do anything funny. We've had enough trouble for one day.”A staff guide would enter the room and lead Magi out with the least courtesy. This kind of attitude words him was unwarranted and annoying for the Magi. “You don't have to worry about that unless your attitude changes.”Swiftly walking past them, his simple notion made them feel cold. Their hands shivered at the sudden drop in temperature. That alone distracted them all as they tried to lead Magi who had walked through the corridor alone, proceeding to the lift that would bring him to the arena. There was no need for them to tell him what to do. From the deep halls of the colosseum, the lift would rise as he saw light from above spilling out.The floor above slowly opened up as
——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