VIP Room – Post-Fight
"Well done," I said, turning toward Amari as she entered the VIP room, her footsteps still light with adrenaline.
"Thanks," she replied, wiping a bead of sweat from her temple. "That guy was super weak."
"Or," I said with a smirk, "you're just way too strong for this tournament."
Amari flopped onto the seat next to me with a dramatic huff. "Pah. As if."
I glanced down at the arena feed. "Well, it's Katie's turn now. She's up against that Logan guy."
Amari nodded, folding her arms. "Yeah… and after that, it'll be me again."
I raised a brow. "Hey, already assuming Katie's gonna lose?"
"What? No!" Amari turned quickly, frowning. "That's not what I meant! I just meant—uh, hey, Kitsuna… are you still angry at Kayda?"
My smirk faded. "Huh?"
She looked hesitant now, choosing her words. "Mom told me you two had a fight. Or… disagreement?"
"Oh, that." I leaned back in my seat, arms behind my head. "You mean the egg thing. Yeah, I'm still mad. But don't worry about it—I already got back at her for it."
Amari frowned. "And you two haven't actually talked about why you were arguing?"
I shrugged. "Nah. We don't need to. We're just… like that."
"If it works for you," she said, still unconvinced. Then she gave me a look. "Also—how many warnings are you on now?"
I winced. "Uh… do I have to say?"
Amari grinned mischievously. "Don't worry, I won't take advantage of it."
"You totally will."
She didn't deny it.
Just then, I leaned forward slightly, nodding toward the arena projection. "Ah. Here they come."
Katie walked onto the field, calm and collected, her claymore resting lazily on one shoulder.
Amari leaned forward beside me. "You gonna intervene again?"
"No," I said, shaking my head. "They got my warning yesterday."
I reached into my coat and pulled out a folded parchment—stamped with a seal.
"Besides, I got this this morning. One more rule-break, and I'm out. No more fighting."
I exhaled. 'Even if I wanted to, I can't afford to interrupt again.'
"You think Katie'll do better than Zagan?" Amari asked.
I shook my head immediately. "No."
"Seriously?" Her brows shot up.
"He won't be playing around this time," I said, eyes still locked on the field. "Not after yesterday. That caretaker of his should still be out cold."
Amari nodded slowly. "Right."
Arena – Katie vs. Logan
"Let the match begin!" the announcer's voice thundered.
Without hesitation, Logan raised his hand and conjured a dozen glowing holy lances midair, launching them in a tight volley.
Katie raised a curved dome of water instantly. The lances slammed into it—stopped cold but not dispelled. Instead, they hovered inside the dome, suspended like needles in gelatin.
"She didn't dispel them," I muttered, leaning forward in my seat.
Amari frowned beside me. "What do you mean?"
"She's letting them stay. Using the water as containment, not destruction." I narrowed my eyes. "Smart."
Another volley came—this one wider, faster—but Katie dodged without effort. She twisted past one, ducked under another, all while weaving her hands through fluid motions. Each movement formed another shield of water. Soon there were five, then eight, then ten or more floating barriers around the arena.
"Damn rat!!" Logan bellowed, summoning even more lances. "Stop moving and die already!"
Katie landed lightly, her claymore glowing softly in her hand. "Glaring and yelling won't help you," she replied coolly.
Her water lance shot out, slicing forward with precision.
Logan responded with a flash of light—his golden shield deflected the projectile easily. Then he jumped, wings of holy light flaring behind him as he closed the distance.
"You think you can bait me?!" he growled, golden light pooling in his palm.
He forged it into a long holy sword mid-air and dove downward.
I laughed immediately. "That blade is so unstable, it's vibrating like a dying fly."
"Hah!" Amari smirked. "It's gonna break before he even lands!"
Katie didn't flinch. As Logan swung at her, she looked up—completely calm.
Then she burst into water.
His blade passed straight through the mist she became.
Katie reformed behind him a heartbeat later, claymore raised overhead. "You reincarnated types might be older in theory," she said, swinging downward, "but you're still full of flaws."
We both grinned from the VIP room. "She's not wrong."
CLANG!
His golden shield flared to life just in time. The blade slammed against it, forcing Logan back—but not breaking the defense.
He laughed. "See? I told you—"
He stopped.
Because he finally noticed what I had noticed earlier.
All of Katie's water shields—twelve in total—had slowly rotated while they were fighting. And now, every one of them had the embedded holy lances pointed directly at him.
"…She baited you after all," I said, grinning wide.
Logan tried to leap back, but Katie was still pressing against him with her claymore. He was trapped—her blade keeping the shield locked in place, her stance anchoring him.
"FUCK YOU, DEMON ASS!!" he screamed.
BOOM!!
Twelve lances fired simultaneously from every angle. A cyclone of force and holy light erupted around the two of them, swallowing them in an explosion that rocked the entire arena. A thick wall of smoke and mist blanketed the stage.
The crowd screamed.
Gasps echoed from every tier of the coliseum.
I didn't move.
Amari leaned forward. "Can you still see?"
"Yeah." I nodded slowly, focusing past the smoke. "She didn't kill him. But she messed him up good."
As the smoke thinned, I could see the damage clearly.
Logan was on the ground, barely conscious. His right arm was gone, torn off at the shoulder. Cuts and burns riddled his body—his legs barely twitched.
Katie… Katie was worse off, in a way. She stood, but barely. Her hands were mangled, fingers bent the wrong way from the force of the claymore swing. A gaping wound punctured her abdomen, and blood trailed down one leg—but she stood her ground, shifting her weight with discipline.
She limped away from the blast zone, regaining distance, her chest heaving.
"This is going to be interesting," I muttered, grinning again.
"Hey!" Amari swatted my arm. "No spoilers for us normal folks!"
I raised both hands. "I didn't say anything!"
"She's in trouble though…" Amari added, watching intently. "She can't use her hands anymore."
"Oh ladies and gentlemen! It seems Logan is down!" the announcer called with excitement.
I raised an eyebrow. "Huh. That's… optimistic."
As we watched, Logan slowly, painfully pushed himself to one knee. His remaining hand was pressed against his chest as golden light pulsed around it, slowly healing him.
"Man… that was close," he muttered, breathing heavily.
Katie didn't waver. "You should surrender," she said, voice strained but steady. "You've got no mana left."
I frowned.
'She's bluffing.'
Logan's healing was fueled by residual holy energy—not mana—and Katie was clearly on her last legs. Her breathing was shallow. Her fingers weren't moving. She could barely lift her weapon.
But Logan just laughed.
"Hah! As if I'd ever surrender to filthy demons!!"
Then light exploded from his body—a divine flare that made the entire crowd wince and cover their eyes.
"And the winner is… Logan!" the announcer declared with sudden finality.
The whole arena froze.
Even Amari fell silent beside me.
"…What the hell?" I whispered.
My aura flared, shattering the glass in the VIP room with a burst of dark mana.
"Kitsuna—!" Amari stood too late.
I vanished in a blink.
Commentary Booth – Divine Interference
I didn't land in the arena.
I landed on the commentary booth—hard.
The floor cracked beneath me, the sound of shattering glass echoing through the stadium as I stood over the trembling announcer.
"You want to try that again?" I asked, my voice soft, dangerous.
The announcer tried to stammer a response, but then—
"Kitsuna~," a singsong voice called from behind him.
I went still.
Then slowly turned my head.
There he was.
A man with golden hair, a casual smile, and radiant skin that practically hummed with divine light.
I didn't need a name.
I knew who he was.
Not from meeting him—but from the memories passed down by my mother.
"So… you really are here," I said quietly, eyes locked on his.
"Oh?" The God of Light tilted his head. "You know me?"
I took a step forward, my lips curling into a sharp grin. "Of course I do. You're a god."
His smile didn't waver. "No need to be so tense. I'm not here to trouble you. But I couldn't let my 'son' lose before fighting you."
I narrowed my eyes. "Why does he want to fight me so badly?"
"Because he hates you, Shiro."
"…Huh?"
He chuckled. "Don't ask me. I don't know either."
"Ugh," I muttered. "Drama. Rawr."
He laughed again. "How cute."
I turned, voice steady. "I'll make sure we meet in the ring."
"Looking forward to it," he said brightly. "Say hello to Stacy for me."
"I won't," I shot back, and jumped—shattering the booth window and landing cleanly in the arena.
Arena – Aftermath
Katie stood, swaying slightly, her claymore dug into the dirt for support. Her eyes were wide with confusion.
"Hey," she asked as I landed beside her. "What's going on?"
"You lost," I said softly. "Sorry, Katie. We can't do anything about it."
"What? Why?" Her voice cracked with disbelief.
"It's complicated," I said, forcing a smile.
She stared at me, shoulders rising… then falling.
"…Alright. Fine."
"Let's get you healed." I moved to her side and helped her toward the changing rooms, wrapping one arm around her waist.
As we walked, she asked quietly, "So… what really happened?"
I looked ahead.
"…Something not even Stacy can control."
Katie went silent.
And so did I.