Emerald looked around the vast, hostile arena and murmured to himself, "I'm done."
Before he could process the thought, Clinton landed a devastating blow to his chest. Emerald was slammed violently against the concrete gallery wall, his eyes turning bloodshot as he coughed up crimson. He pulled himself out, walking without balance as the crowd roared for Clinton.
"Why do you fight? Why does a girl who can live beyond your coming generations matter that much?" Clinton demanded.
"I don't know, you should ask her yourself. You really think I signed up for this shit?" Emerald retorted.
"Then quit. I'm not going to do anything. You can walk away, there will be compensation from me."
"What makes a man, a man, Krasinski?"
"You're not going to take the deal?"
With an evil smile, Emerald spat, "You don't seem to understand anything. Let me brief it very quickly: A girl only yields when she knows he is stronger than her, and a man will be born when she disposes of him. Still, it depends upon the individual. As for my understanding, a man can only be a man if he's got guts. Doing what my believers have entrusted me to do is what it takes for me to show it."
Emerald dashed toward Clinton, trying to snap his neck. Clinton swiftly crushed Emerald's right hand. Emerald backed off and swung his left leg, managing to land a solid hit that pushed Clinton back a significant distance. Emerald was visibly out of breath, panting aggressively.
"You're the first one among the three times who managed to hit me. Stand proud, you're going to die by the hands of the strongest vampire who lives," Clinton declared, moving swiftly toward him. Emerald smiled, welcoming the attack.
In a blur, Clinton didn't collide with Emerald, but with someone else entirely. The entire gallery stood, straining to see who had interfered. As the dust and smoke cleared, the Original Family members gaped: it was Genna.
The Elite Guards moved to stop the match, but Clinton waved them off. "I am good with it." He looked at Genna. "Why would you go so far for a human? Is he that much precious?"
"He is," Genna replied simply.
"Where did I go wrong?"
"You're just not for me, that's all."
"That's all? You really think I would believe you?" Clinton attacked. Genna parried desperately but was quickly cornered. On the ground, Emerald lay nearly dead.
"Deals off," the First Emperor Zinan suddenly appeared before Emerald.
"Why?" Emerald mumbled.
"Here's a new deal."
"What's it?"
"You need to accept it before I say."
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"
"You said a man needs guts more than strength."
"Yeah."
"Show me some." Emerald looked up, his gaze suddenly sharp.
Before anyone could fully realize what happened, Genna was sitting back in her seat in the gallery. She instantly clutched her head, shocked by the sensory overload of the arena. Emerald was now standing in the arena with a bright, unsettling smile.
King Zedic glanced at the sweating Genna, his face darkening with a serious aura. Unaware of the change, Clinton charged at Emerald. Emerald's eyes turned a sharp blue, and the black cloak he wore suddenly turned white and burst into flames, burning without consuming itself.
Emerald grabbed Clinton by the wrist and hurled him against the barrier wall. A profound, ringing silence fell over the massive crowd. The Original Family's worry was now stark on their faces. King Zedic called one of the Elite Five and gave rapid instructions. The five elites immediately encircled the arena, preparing for intervention.
Clinton got up and started walking toward Emerald. "You can stay there, brat. Why bother coming here?" Emerald taunted.
"I got the same thing for you," Clinton replied.
"It's not a good thing to talk back, milua."
"Such a lowly act, I guess you watched every single fight."
"Indeed I did. But when I said that phrase, I meant it completely."
"Completely, how so?"
"In the midst of a winter, where you turned 11, someone walked on you and your mother. He knows something that nobody else knows: the secret to your strength and growth."
Clinton began to sweat profusely, screaming like a rabid dog. Without hesitation, he closed his eyes and summoned his ability: "Gate of Hell." The air around him began to turn into shimmering magma.
The five surrounding elites quickly cast a collective barrier over the Coliseum grounds to protect the spectators. Genna looked around, confused about how she had returned to her seat. Her attention was drawn to the special guests. Erome, the eldest among the Original Family, was staring intently at Genna.
"What do you think, brother?" Celia Krasinski asked him.
"I don't know, but Clinton hasn't used his Gate technique for centuries! Without me even saying it, I think you can understand that guy isn't some ordinary human."
"It's been a great journey, boy. Why won't we call it a day?" Clinton said, dashing toward Emerald.
Emerald grabbed his wrist again. This time, Clinton had a final, desperate move. He murmured, "Divine Hell." The entire barrier filled with blinding, molten lava. It took minutes to vanish. When it finally did, Clinton was dragging himself back, falling to his knees.
Emerald stood, completely unscathed, looking at Clinton with pity. His white, burning cloak refused to stop combusting. Emerald walked toward the defeated vampire, giving a grim smile to Erome in the stands.
Erome started shouting, "Clint, cast the barrier back now!"
"What are you doing? It's a duel!" Celia snapped.
"You don't understand! Look at his teeth! He only has a vampire tooth!" Erome screamed.
"Why does that matter? Are you losing it?"
"The only one who had something like that is the First Emperor, and that's why it matters!".
(To be continued)