BOOM!?
"Ugh!" Hugo let out a strained grunt as his body was launched through the air, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Before he could recover, I was already descending like a comet, another hammer raised above my head. The weight of it, laced with mana and purpose, came crashing down toward his right shoulder.
BOOM!?
The impact shook the stone beneath us, a sharp echo ringing through the arena.
"Man, almost cracked that thick skull of yours," I said with a cocky grin, landing several meters away. "I don't want to end this too quickly, am I right?"
"You... bitch," Hugo muttered, pushing himself up on shaky hands. His glare tried to pierce me, but it looked more like a pouty kitten trying to act like a lion.
"Hm? Did you say something?" I asked innocently, and before he could answer, I was beside him again. My hammer surged upward into his gut like a piston.
CRACK—BOOM!
The weapon snapped in half, but not before launching Hugo toward the arena wall like a living cannonball.
"Aaaah!?"
Before he could even bounce, I appeared ahead of him and brought down my other hammer in a perfect arc—smashing him into the dirt and shattering the second weapon in the process.
"Two hits, not bad," I said, examining the broken stubs in my hands. "Especially against that overhyped defense of yours."
Dismissing the remnants, I strolled toward the two hammers I'd tossed earlier. They lay on the ground among a scattered circle of others—my little graveyard of blunt surprises.
"Now then," I said, glancing back at Hugo as he staggered upright again. "That's two down. Twenty-eight more to go."
From above, the camera crystal zoomed out, revealing the full picture: Hugo and I, standing at the center of the coliseum, surrounded by thirty identical war hammers, laid in a deliberate pattern.
They weren't normal hammers either—each one had shortened handles, reinforced heads, and chains dangling from the base like trailing serpents. Earlier, most people hadn't noticed my hammer tosses, attributing them to mere flair. But now—
'That wasn't just random throwing,' Mom thought, watching from her seat with a nod of approval. 'As expected from her.'
With a flick of my wrist, I summoned two more into my hands and began spinning them like windmills. The hum of mana around them was tangible. Then, I vanished—only to reappear directly in front of Hugo, crouched low with both hammers aimed at his knees.
"You won't be needing these anymore," I quipped, grinning like a fox.
Clang! KABOOM!!
A surprising burst of agility saved him, and he dodged just in time. The two hammers collided mid-swing, causing a fiery explosion that swallowed both of us in smoke and sparks.
From the stands, a few nobles gasped.
"What was that!?"
"Did they both just—?!"
But as the dust cleared, I emerged completely untouched, while Hugo...
His mane was singed, his fur smoldering at the edges, and several black scorch marks painted his face like ash tattoos.
"Oh, you dodged it. Impressive." I stepped through the smoke toward him, my grin sharp. "But... probably not a good idea."
His jaw clenched as he stared at me, rage barely held in check.
"I mean, I have fire resistance," I added, "but you? Heh. You smell like a burnt dog biscuit."
"YOU—!?"
He lunged but froze mid-motion. Another hammer was coming. Again. For the same spot.
"Not this time!" He growled, side-stepping right—straight into my second hammer, which cracked against his left shoulder.
"Ugh! My shoulder—!"
I paused, squinting at the dent in his armor. "Huh. Who the hell made this garbage? That's cracking already?"
Before he could answer, I reached out and touched the damaged spot. Frost rippled along the dent, sealing it temporarily.
"I can't have you falling apart just yet," I said, right before he tried to punch me. I sidestepped casually.
"Don't touch me, you filth," he spat.
"Oh? Sorry, I couldn't hear you. I have ice in my ears." I wiggled both ears, revealing tiny icicles sticking out.
"I freaking said don't touch me!"
With a roar, Hugo rushed me again.
"But I didn't touch you. I touched your armor," I said mockingly, tilting my head with a bright smile.
As he closed in, I sidestepped once more and slammed both hammers into his torso—one from the front, the other from behind.
WHAM!!
"You know what?" Hugo growled, vanishing in a blur of speed. "I'm done holding back!"
"Ohhh?" I blinked. "You've got Flash Step?"
"Of course. It's one of the easiest things to learn!" he barked proudly.
"Hah. If you say so," I replied, amused. It took me a year to control it. But sure, let the lion boy have his moment.
I ran at him, vanishing in a blur of my own.
Reappearing at his flank, I swung both hammers at his right knee.
CRACK!
He dropped with a snarl of pain. I retreated, tossing aside the broken weapons and grabbing fresh ones from my stash.
As he tried to stand, I came for the other knee.
BOOM!
He barely dodged, but the explosion from the missed attack engulfed him again.
"HOW are you that fast?!" Hugo barked in frustration, blinking around, trying to spot me. "Even with Flash Step, I can barely react—!"
"Yo. Behind you."
He turned—
BOOM!!
My hammer connected squarely with his groin.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH—!!"
"Oh shit," I muttered with a mischievous grin. "I missed. That wasn't the plan... but hey, it's not like you'll be needing that tonight."
"You... will... pay for this," he groaned, clutching himself and glaring up at me.
I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Who's going to make me pay? This is a fair duel, remember?"
"You lied—about your class. You have one, don't you?!"
"Lied? Never told you a damn thing about my skills." I shrugged. "And no, I don't have a character class. I'm using base stats, and they're not even maxed out yet."
He stared at me, eyes wide in disbelief. "No... way..."
I stepped closer, letting my voice drop just for him. "Didn't you say your race was the best? Want to rethink that?"
His mouth opened. "That's not possib—!"
"Then answer me, Hugo. Whose race is better?" I asked before appearing before him and slamming my hammer upward.
BOOM! BOOM!
For the next five minutes, the crowd could barely keep up. It was a flurry of speed, explosions, and hammer blows.
Each time Hugo tried to rise, I sent him flying again—like a ragdoll trapped in a game of pinball. His once-proud mane was all but gone, fur singed down to his skin.
"I... sure—ughh..."
He collapsed, wheezing, barely conscious.
"Nope!" I said cheerfully, stepping on his face. "No surrender now."
I sighed, examining the empty chains in my hand. "Hmph. All thirty were used. Shame."
With one last glance at his ruined armor, I released the ice holding it together. The metal crumbled off him like brittle bark, exposing his hairy chest.
"Ew. Not even a shirt?" I winced. "You really went full 'feral barbarian,' huh?"
I lifted my foot off his face and immediately brought it down again. —
CRACK!
"AGGGGGHHHH—!!"
"There we go. No more talking for you~" I sang, stepping back as he flailed, jaw clearly broken.
"Kitsuna Draig," Kayda called out from her seat. "Reminder: no killing."
"Yeah, yeah," I said, waving her off.
I created two long, sharp ice spikes—a meter long and 4 cm thick—and twirled them like batons.
"I hope you don't pass out."
"Mmm-nuhhh, don't—please—I beg you—don't do it!" Hugo tried to speak, but it came out as a garbled mess.
"It's too late," I said coldly, stepping behind him. "You lost everything the moment you decided you were the best."
THUNK!
One spike rammed into his abdomen, pinning him to the floor.
He screamed again.
Flipping the second spike, I aimed down between his legs. "Congratulations, Hugo Boei. You're about to become the world's first transsexual."
BANG!
A gunshot rang out.
Pain burst across my right shoulder. Blood sprayed.
"You dumb fucking furry," Kayda growled, her wing pierced by the same bullet.
She stood beside me, fury radiating off her in waves.
I followed her gaze to the stands—and locked eyes with the Duke, pistol still smoking in his hands.
My rage ignited instantly.
"You stupid piece of shit," I hissed. I clapped my hand, detonating a miniature explosion that drove the spike straight into Hugo's groin.
BOOM!
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
He writhed, voice cracking with agony.
BANG!
Another shot. I dodged mid-jump.
Just as I prepared to Flash Step straight into the Duke's throat, arms wrapped around my waist.
"Calm down," Kayda whispered. "You're about to go berserk. Stacy will handle it."
Right on cue—Mom appeared beside the Duke, her heel raised.
BOOM!
He flew like a ragdoll into the arena.
She was above him instantly, slamming him into the ground again and again.
Even from a distance, I could hear the wet cracks.
'Mental note: Never piss Mom off this bad,' I thought, shivering slightly.
"Are you okay?" I asked Kayda, eyes still on the blur of violence.
"What do you think?" She growled. "He shot me with a magic bullet. It pierced my wing."
"Yeah, that has to hurt," I muttered. "But his defense is holding, oddly."
"I don't think Stacy's aiming to bleed him," Kayda said dryly.
"True. At this point, his insides must be soup."
CLAP. CLAP.
"Enough!" the King finally spoke from the royal balcony. "We don't want anyone to die tonight."
I turned toward him, still holding my bloodied ice spike. "We have Sirone. My mom can go for a bit longer."
The king looked baffled. "Umm... can she even heal him?"
"Yeah," I said with a confident smile. "I taught her, after all."
"...Okay," he muttered, slowly sitting back down.
As the crowd roared, I looked at the Duke sobbing in the dirt and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Justice served."