Hana looked at Maxi with that devilish grin of hers—lips curled, fangs gleaming, the kind of smile that made you wonder whether she wanted to kill you or hug you… or both.
Maxi, now fully swept up in the thrill of battle, grinned back with a look almost equal in madness. There was fear, yes—but there was also something deeper: clarity. A fire not born of rage or recklessness, but of purpose.
Hana swung her wrecking ball with a wild laugh, and Maxi barely dodged, sliding low, then weaving to the side. Her first wrecking ball came like thunder, and Maxi leapt—not over it, but onto it due to its sheer size, unable to casually jump over it.
The sheer weight of it should have thrown him off. But instead, he used the momentum. He sword up high as a second wrecking ball came Maxi, twisting midair, letting his legs take the brunt of the blow to launch himself even higher.
He soared—higher than he'd ever gone before. And from up there, he could see everything.
The battlefield.
The arena's glowing dome.
The crowds beyond the glass, safe and distant.
Maxi's eyes scanned across the rows until he spotted her—his mother, jumping, cheering with wild abandon. And next to her… a woman as regal and beautiful as the first time he saw her: Techxin's mother, also clapping, also jumping, also proud. Whether for Hana or for him, Maxi didn't care.
His eyes swept further—siblings, stepmothers.
And then—
Those eyes.
Bright crimson. Bleeding red.
That crown
Golden. Basking in the lights.praise.gory and aw
His figer a lingering shadow of grace
His presence
His Highness
His father.
Watching.
Maxi smirked faintly and whispered to himself,
"I'll surpass all your expectations… even yours."
(You so-called 'Father.')
Still airborne, Maxi pulled out an arrow and knocked it into his bow. He twisted into a perfect flip—eyes locked onto Hana's position, even as she raised her wrecking balls again.
"Let's see if you can burn this," Maxi whispered.
With a crack, Hana smashed her wrecking balls together. The heat surged like a pulse through her chains—orange and red, rippling like molten veins. Then came the wall of fire, blooming outward like a dragon's breath.
Maxi narrowed his eyes, predicting the center of it all—and released the arrow.
It cut through flame.
It found its mark.
A sharp, short cry from Hana as the arrow buried itself in her shoulder again. The flame shimmered, faltered—but held strong. Still, she stumbled.
Maxi landed hard, rolling on the ground. His leather armor smoked, parts scorched. His arms burned from grazing the blast. His hair smelled like ash.
He stood and adjusted his somehow intact glasses.
"How was that, sis?"
Hana laughed with delighted madness. The blood from her wond turned to a bight silver as it healed itself.
"Wow! Looks like the rumors about your brain weren't an exaggeration after all."
Maxi smirked. "Who's been saying things like that about little ol' me?"
"Auntie Ray," Hana replied, swinging her wrecking balls once more.
Maxi's grin deepened.
(Of course, it was her. Who else?)
The battle escalated. Maxi dodged again and again, but not without cost—bruises bloomed across his ribs and thighs, and his armor cracked in places. Still, his mind raced faster than the pain could slow him.
Then—an idea.
A crazy idea.
He dashed toward the wall.
Hana, grinning, clashed her wrecking balls again. Another fiery blast exploded behind Maxi, but he was ready. He leapt over the flames and kept running along the outer wall's edge.
He watched Hana's rhythm, timed it.
Another wrecking ball came. He rolled forward, just beneath it, and it crashed into the wall. That was his chance.
He leapt up, grabbing the chain.
(Let's see how she likes being outplayed.)
He ran along the chain itself, racing toward its source—Hana. She laughed in wild amusement, swinging her second wrecking ball toward him.
Maxi dodged, twisting around it like a dancer, then jumped again, barely avoiding the red-hot ripples surging through the chain beneath his feet.
He was getting closer. Closer.
Hana began retracting the chain—but it was too late.
Maxi was already airborne, bow drawn again, aiming at her unguarded chest.
But just as he loosed his arrow—a metallic object cracked against his forehead. His vision blurred. His head snapped sideways, and his shot went wide.
From her arrow wound, a new chain burst out, coiling midair.
As Maxi plummeted behind her, barely conscious, Hana heard his voice—weak, but clear.
"Nice trick, sis…
As Hana's smile was about to grow wider, her eyes and ears where too quick as her eyes went wide as she heard
—Too bad, it was already noted."
His eyes flashed green—the same hue as the illusionary books from his test.
With his last bit of strength, Maxi pulled his final dagger from his belt and slashed across her back.
Instead of blood—more chains erupted.
They grabbed his limbs midair and flung him violently across the battlefield. Maxi hit the ground with a bone-rattling thud, bouncing once, then sliding across the dirt—leaving a carved trail of dust, blood, and shredded armor in his wake.
His limbs were a mess. His arms hung like limp sleeves. One eye swelled shut. One part of his glasses eyepiece cracked. The leather armor was barely holding together.
But still—
He stood.
Using only his legs, knees wobbling.
Arms useless from taking the brunt of all the damage of Hana's throw.
Breathing ragged.
And through it all, he smiled. Wide. Radiant. Mad.
The echo of his mother's voice still burned in his chest.
And he was not done.
If he was going down, he was going down fighting
Till the bitter end