[Book 2] That time I got reincarnated as a slime,no, a DRAGON?

CH-17 Finals?

Ciel's POV

"What do you mean forfeit?" I ask, a bit surprised at what her just said.
"It is exactly what it means, your majesty. I would like to retire from this competition."

Huh? Why now? I can understand that you might give up thinking that it is impossible for you to defeat either of them. But still. Shouldn't you wait for their match to end.

"Are you sure? If you forfeit now, you will be ranked third, not second, as their match is still ongoing. If you wait for their match to end, then-"

"No, your majesty. I am completely aware of what forfeiting right now entails. I have no desire to take the second place. In reality, i don't have the skills to come second. No matter what I do, ria-sama and Liscia-sama are on a whole another level. It's true that I want to rank as high as possible, but I want to do it with my own skill. Not my luck."

"Are you sure? Luck is also an important part of your arsenal." I say as I recall a certain hero.

"It may be so, your highness. But right now, I believe I am not worthy to stand on the same stage as them."

"Very well, you will automatically be ranked third. And Alicia fourth." I say. Alicia did not voice any discontent.

"This effectively makes this match the finals." I say as I point to the fight between Ria and Liscia.

As soon as everyone heard this, there was an uproar. The finals were to take place tomorrow, but everyone here knew, that the true finals were happening today. After all, whoever amongst the two sisters won today, would effectively win the competition. But now, it no longer the finals in feeling. It was finals in name.

The tides had turned severely after the major mistake that Liscia had made. Without giving a single chance for Liscia to regain her holding, Ria went on offensive, as if taking revenge for what Liscia had done to her. Ria started to attack more aggressively. Without a moment's rest, she would Chase after Liscia. If Liscia tried to block her with magic, Ria would strike back with magic, if she used sword, she would attack her without mercy. But that didn't mean she could continue like this forever.

Maybe because Ria was over excited, she overstepped. It was a minor mistake, but it was enough for Liscia to take advantage of. She jumped back, creating a gap between the two.

*Bam*

Before Liscia could realise anything, there was a bullet hole in her stomach. She was surprised to see that her sister was holding a gun pointing at her. But I have to say, she did quite well, hiding that gun under her armour. In the match, only one weapon is allowed, if it isn't something like throwing knives. But the fact that Alicia had asked for a gun, meant that everyone was allowed to carry one extra weapon. A gun. Seeing Liscia's and Ria's fighting style, it wouldn't be a surprise of they don't take the gun to the battle, after all, it didn't suit their battle style and would only hold them back.

Taking advantage of this thought, Ria brought the gun with her and managed to skillfully hide the fact. She brought out the gun at the best time, when Liscia least expected it, and finished the battle once and for all.

.....

Or so I thought. It seems like Liscia won't let it end like this without a fight. Realising what had happened, she gave up completely on defense and healing. With their abilities that wound wouldn't be a big problem, but their real capabilities are suppressed. That wound wouldn't heal, not till the time she is on the arena, at least.

Liscia dashed straight at Ria, without a care for her own condition. She had decided in a split second that if she wanted to win, there is only one thing to do, give up on healing, and attack Ria and defeat her before she dies herself. This was the best move to make. But that is exactly why, Ria had expected it. Ria had expected Liscia to dash straight at her.

For Liscia, it was a race against time. The longer the fight goes on, the weaker she gets, and lower are the chances of her winning. Ria, on the other hand, was completely on the defensive, not giving anything to Liscia to take advantage of. Ria continuously created space between the two, making it more painful for Liscia to close the distance repeatedly.

Liscia continued to to slash at Ria, while coughing out blood. I glance a peek at Benimaru. He was just as emotionless as always when looking at his daughters fight. When the two are fighting, he becomes like a general, looking over two cadets fighting it out. His doting parent figure just completely disappears. This might be quite cruel for humans, but in monsters, it is quite common, to see your children beaten up like that and on the verge of death. I guess it comes from the instinct that right makes might.

Liscia tried to keep up her pace, but it was starting to show down. The fatigue and injury were catching up to her, until...

*Thud*

Liscia feel face first into the floor, unable to even stand. Seeing this, the referee crowned Ria the victor. Ria raised her hands in the air in joy and the crowd went nuts. Many people had placed bets, and Ria's supporters were more getting their pockets filled. This might be just be the first time that Ria has defeated Liscia in a fight. Well, I do believe it is because they were in the arena. There were rules to abide by and the one who manages to find out how to abuse them is the victor. Ria could never defeat her in a one on one fight without any restrictions, but here, with all the restrictions? Yes. And she proved it.

Liscia, who had been revived, congratulated her and shared laughter with each other. I am glad that they are not fighting each other. Looks like there were no hard feelings. Both Liscia and Ria started heading towards the exit. Usually the winner of the single tournament is to give a speech, but that only occurs when all the other matches have ended. There are still a few matches lined up tonight and tomorrow, so I guess there will be no speech.

"Why don't you go and congratulate Ria." I say.
"Then, I'll take my leave." Benimaru tried to say it formally, but it was impossible to hide the pride in his face. Both Ria and Liscia had grown a lot.

"Oh right. I believe they have grown enough. We should remove their restrictions." I say to Benimaru as he was leaving.

He stopped and just stood there for a second, pondering over what I had just said.

"I believe so." Benimaru said, after a moment of thought and agreed with me. As Benimaru left me, I like up at the sky, which had now become red. The sun was setting and the sky was a beautiful red, as if it had been set on fire. I decided to make my way towards the castle. Just outside the castle, I saw Rimuru.

"Rimuru." I call out to him.
"Ciel. How was the match for you? I saw it from the TV. It was quite amazing. They had quite a fair bit of restrictions in them, didn't they?"

And so, we continued to talk as we entered the castle.

-----------------------------

I hope you guys like it.