Just like Ryo, Cecil went around looking for her own opponents.
After all, she had a feeling...if she stayed with Xue the entire time, he would defeat all their opponents in a brutal manner without her lifting a single finger.
In fact, he probably would not want her to.
“We should split up, Xue,” Cecil stated with a small smile. “I need to test out my skills to see how much I have improved training with you and K’xug.”
“...”
Xue looked at Cecil, and she clearly wasn’t taking “no” for an answer, since she prepared to walk off at any moment.
“...be careful.” Xue said those words after much reluctance.
“You too,” Cecil said, before laughing softly. “But I’m sure no one here is able to match against you.”
Cecil disappeared into the crowd, gripping at her daggers. The opponents quickly found her, and she parried an attack from one of them, before disappearing further into the crowd.
Of course, Xue still kept an eye on her the entire time.
There was no way he was letting her out of his sight, after all. It seems like everytime he did, Cecil would always be injured or in trouble. Despite them not being endangering to her, it still made him nervous and concerned.
Xue followed after her in the crowd, easily kicking away someone sneaking an attack on him.
***
K’xug had placed Hana on the bed, and she wore a serene look on her face despite fainting abruptly earlier. He sighed quietly to himself, observing the beautiful features of the red-haired woman.
He wasn’t used to seeing Hana like this.
The entire time he had been with her, she wore a constant beam on her face.
A strand of hair covered her face, and he felt an itching sensation within him to just move it out of way. He reached out towards her with his hand, his movements hesitant.
All of a sudden, a sudden memory of him chained up in the caves replayed in his mind, before the seals were placed on him. Standing opposite him was Veau, his arms across his chest with a lazy smile on his face.
“K’xug, you don’t realise you are a coward, do you?”
“What?”
“On that day, if you had just chased after her, the situation now would be very different, no?”
“You have done enough to all of us, what do you want to say now? Nothing you say will change the situation.”
“You do not wish to drag her through your own muddy waters. Her world is too bright compared to yours.”
“...nonsense..”
“You know exactly who and what I am exactly referring to.”
“...”
K’xug stopped his hand from touching her, gasping as he withdrew back hastily. He simply moved Hana gently, covering her with the bedsheet quickly and stepped back.
“You felt unworthy and inadequate for someone as...blinding as her.”
K’xug looked down at his hands, an unpleasant memory flashing past his mind and he grimaced. It was a splash of blood, and a demon kneeling down crying over the death of her husband.
The demon gave K’xug a death glare, and charged at him.
K’xug shut his eyes, looking down at his hands again. They were bathed in blood, the crimson red liquid dribbling through the gaps between his fingers. He turned away from that sight, shaking his head to clear the unsettling memories away.
I am different now.
I...am different now.
The copper brown-haired man looked back at Hana lying on the bed, furrowing his eyebrows. Anyone could see the conflict apparent in his heterochromia eyes, and another memory flashed past his eyes.
“K’xug, you are so nice!”
“You are always helping everyone just like Xue, but unlike him, you never lose your temper!”
“You are...just like a saint.”
K’xug glanced down at his hands again, exhaling.
Hana, I am no saint.
At that moment, K’xug shot his head up as he noticed something and he narrowed his eyes at the door of the inn. He pushed the door open, a cobalt-blue haired man standing before him, smiling lazily.
“Hello, K’xug.”
K’xug did not understand the reason for Veau appearing here, but it was right after Hana had fainted.
He wasn’t taking any chance, wielding his dual swords.
However, Veau reacted even faster and K’xug realised the person in front of him had become a black silhouette.
K’xug felt a presence behind him and he spun around, the door slamming close in his face. He rushed to destroy the door, only for him to be struck back by an unknown force. Soon enough, a seal made of black magic displayed itself on the door.
“Oh relax, if I was here to kill you and Hana, I would have done it earlier,” Veau rolled his eyes, standing at the door, his voice slightly muffled. “I am simply here to check on something, and I need some peace and quiet.”
Of course, K’xug did not listen to Veau.
He dashed off, finding another way into the room.
***
Veau stood inside the room, staring at the unconscious Hana on the bed. His iconic lazy smile was completely wiped from his face, and he wore a troubled look on his face.
He knew of the tournament Xue and his group were participating, and he decided to act as the role of a captivated audience. At that moment, he saw Hana fainting without warning and he felt a change within her.
A change that he certainly did not welcome.
Veau walked towards Hana, waving his hand over her and it revealed a circular seal hovering over her face. It was made of black magic, its strange symbols pure black. However, instead of seeing a seal covered with strange black symbols, he realised almost half of the symbols were blurred out.
A part of them was completely erased as well.
The rare moment of bewilderment hit Veau, and he hid the seals before stepping back, his fingers on his chin. A few seconds later, something dawned on him.
“Valoel, that old man,” he clicked his tongue in annoyance. “I told him to seal away Hana Katae’s angelic powers, not to help break the seal!”
Veau flipped his robes as he spun around, sighing in frustration.
“Now my dearest brother would be even more unwilling to see me,” he muttered to himself. “Damn old geezer.”
At that moment, K’xug leaped in through the window leading to the room. He rushed to Hana on the bed, checking for any injuries and any changes on her face.
She still looked as serene as ever.
Veau had already summoned up his own portal, and he was back to smiling self.
“Hana Katae, safe and sound,” Veau gestured to Hana on the bed. “I wouldn’t dare hurt the brightest light in your world.”
K’xug’s face twisted in anger and he stormed towards Veau.
“What the hell are you--”
K’xug was surprised he could speak, his hand flying to his throat as he widened his eyes. Hearing his voice again after almost a month of complete silence, it was mystifying.
He narrowed his eyes at Veau, knowing he was responsible for this.
“A small parting gift.” Veau waved nonchalantly at K’xug, before disappearing into the portal.
K’xug tried to call out to Veau, realising his voice was gone once again.
Just like that, the room returned back to its silent state previously.
“K’xug…” Hana called out softly, frowning.
The man himself was in the middle of ruffling his hair in irritation, pausing in his movements when he heard Hana calling out to him.
“K’xug…”
Hana extended her arm out from the under the blanket, seemingly beckoning him to hold her hands.
It worked.
K’xug unconsciously moved towards her before he caught himself. He shook himself awake, resting his forehead on his hand.
***
Veau stood at the entrance of a trail that led up to the mountains, it was apparent that this trail was used regularly due to the well-maintained praying statue placed along the path. There was a frown on Veau’s face that made his exotic features more prominent, and the demon waved his hand in the air.
In an instant, a thin layer of barrier revealed itself, stretching across the trail all the way up to the mountains.
“That damn old geezer,” Veau sighed out, his arms across his chest. “He went on a pilgrimage again.”
Just then, Veau noticed a fox with exquisite red-orange fur ambling towards him. It was holding a cylindrical object in its mouth, and he stopped in front of Veau, staring at him with its beady eyes.
Veau raised his eyebrows, crouching down.
“Valoel left you with that?”
The fox wagged its tail, spitting out the cylindrical object and nudged it towards Veau.
Veau noticed its saliva staining the object, but he simply shrugged. He picked it up, not touching the part stained with the fox’s saliva and unscrewed the cap of the object. A scroll dropped out and Veau unfurled it, skimming through the scroll.
“For those not concerning the rascal, I am on a pilgrimage. If it’s you, the same rascal I know, find me at the place you dread to visit. If you aren’t coming, I’ll be seeing you in fifty years time.”
Veau smiled lazily. “He is clearly leaving me with no choice.”
The fox was still staring at Veau, wagging its tail. It was as if it was waiting for Veau to reward him with something delicious, mewling once at him.
“Say, little fella,” Veau crouched down, still smiling as he rested his chin on top of his hand. “How about I throw you into a tub of blue dye? Specially made by me?”
The fox seemed horrified.
“Blue foxes are nonexistent, you’ll be the first in existence. You can flaunt it to every fox you meet,” Veau bargained. “The dye will never come off. It will be fun, I can assure you that.”
If anyone saw the lord of the demon realm bargaining with foxes, they would not be surprised at all.
The fox hissed, spinning around and smacking its tail right into Veau’s face.
“...”
The fox further displayed its anger by flinging the cylindrical object onto Veau, the parts stained with saliva hitting Veau on the cheek.
“...”
Once it was done, the little fox harrumphed, holding its head high and marching away.
Veau stood up, using his sleeve to wipe at his cheek and he stared down at the scroll in his hands. It was gobbled up by black flames soon enough, and there was a shadow hanging over his eyes.
***
“We really have to thank lord Kiba for this,” Kiyae grunted out, stretching her arms and neck. “It’s expected that the coliseum wasn’t well-maintained if it is under Ephert’s supervision.”
Yun nodded, adjusting his glasses. “We are fortunate no one discovered the mark.”
“We go in, find a chance to steal Shin,” Haru grinned, huffing. “And if it all goes wrong, just beat them all up. Like Kiyae said.”
“I thought you didn't want me beating people up.”
“Hmm, it's different now,” Haru nodded to himself, grinning. “Remember what I said before?”
The three of them were standing in front of the wall, Kiyae in the middle with Haru and Yun beside her.
“There we go again, captain changing his mind,” Kiyae grinned, extending her arms out as lifted her hands up. “Yes, yes, let's go beat some people up.”
“Haha! This is what it means to go in with a--”
Kiyae made a swift movement with her arms, the stone wall flipping swiftly and the three of them found themselves in the dark.
Haru’s words were cut off, and he stumbled forward in the dark. “Woah!”
Yun had his ears covered, he did not enjoy the sound of the walls scraping against one another. He eventually put his hands down, sighing in relief.
“That really takes too much energy from my end,” Kiyae groaned out. “Even after I trained so hard for it.”
“Captain, your turn.” Yun spoke calmly in the dark.
“Oh, gotcha!” Haru exclaimed.
The dark room was suddenly lit up by the flames hovering over Haru’s hand. It was an old storage room that was clearly abandoned for quite a while. There were wooden crates littered everywhere and the numerous cobwebs scattered around was enough to make one feel uncomfortable.
“Damn,” Haru whistled softly. “How long have they left this place unchecked?”
“A few years at least,” Yun adjusted his glasses, gesturing to his comrades. “Let’s hurry and move along.”
Kiyae grimaced at the cobwebs, not daring to take one step closer to them.
Haru on the other hand, reached out to one of the crates, sweeping the dust carelessly. Alas, there was more dust than he had expected and the victim who received the most damage was Yun.
Yun coughed harshly, narrowing his eyes at Haru.
“Captain, stop touching the stuff around here!”
“Sorry, sorry!” Haru laughed it off, swinging his hand with the flames the other way. “I was just curious--”
At that moment, Haru felt a ticklish feeling on his arm and he glanced down. A creature with eight legs and beady eyes greeted him warmly.
“Oh fuck, a spider!”
Haru swung his hand around in a panic, swiping the spider off his arm and Kiyae gasped.
“You idiot! Put out your fire first--”
Yun was still coughing, the tears blurring his vision as he pointed. “The wooden crates--”
One of the wooden crates was suddenly set on fire, along with the cobweb connected to it.
“Ah,” Haru grinned sheepishly, rubbing at his head. “Sorry, sorry. We gotta put out the flames now.”
Kiyae was speechless.
Yun cleared his throat, still recovering from his cough.
“What? We can’t put it out?”
“Captain, I’m an earth element,” Kiyae deadpanned. “Crashing it into the ground or wall will do nothing, and it makes too much of a noise.”
“Yun--”
“Air spreads the fire faster.”
“Ah…” Haru nodded his head in understanding. “Then Kiyae, crush the fire with the entire floor, that should do it! Ryo isn’t here after all!”
Haru did not care about the amount of noises he made, after all, he was set on going in with a “bang”.
Kiyae smacked her face with her hand.
Yun adjusted his glasses, nodding to himself.
He had already expected something like this to occur, according to his captain’s tendencies to land into trouble.
“Kiyae, go in with a--” Yun started to say.
“--bang,” Kiyae groaned out. “I got it, I got it.”
Meanwhile, Haru just stood in the centre of the fire, laughing proudly to himself. “Go in with a bang!”
***
The fighting tournament has reached the point where only the strong participants remained. Everyone was engaged in their own battle.
On the other hand, Cecil was impressed with the yukata that Kiyae and Hana picked out and gave to her. It wasn't just a yukata designed to look pretty. True to Kiyae's words, the yukata they wore were clearly designed for people to fight in.
Cecil did not feel restricted, and neither did she feel the clothes weighing down on her.
I guess the second continent is really not known for the Four Cities of Arts for nothing.
Along with how this coliseum is designed, and the clothing...and the breathtaking architecture.
The second continent really is something.
Cecil heard a loud cry headed her way, and she glanced up. It was a woman dressed in a gladiator outfit, wielding a claymore and swinging it at her.
Cecil gasped quietly, dodging the clay more smoothly.
...does this not count as killing intent?
[ This fighting tournament is the one responsible for the increasing body count in the continent. ]
[ The tournament is disguised with good intentions, but it brings out the bloodlust in everyone. ]
"You actually know something like that?"
"Just how much do you know about this world?"
[ Our system is extremely advanced and efficient. ]
[ So we know about everything~ ]
"...now you are just bragging."
[ (; ]
"..."
Cecil used the rock to distract her opponent, causing her opponent to stagger back and the grip on her claymore faltered. Alas, since Cecil had traded out most of her earth element for a different variation of the element, she could no longer control the rock freely.
Cecil spun around expertly, gathering momentum and kicking at claymore. That attack caused the claymore to weigh down on the opponent further, making her drop claymore. Without waiting, Cecil transformed the blade of her dagger into vines, pulling the woman close with the vines and landing a spinning kick on her this time.
The woman flew back, crashing into other opponents.
At that moment, the ground trembled and there was a huge gust of wind that swept throughout the arena.
The woman, the unfortunate souls who were pulled into the fight of Cecil and her opponent were blown away. Eventually, the arena was in complete chaos with unprepared participants being blown away.
"What the--"
"Where's this wind coming from?!"
"Ahhhh!"
Cecil was caught off guard by the wind as well, letting out a small shriek as she was blown away.
***
Pt. 1
《 start 》
Is Cecil okay?
She's okay…
How is she doing?
She's okay…
Where is she?
She's okay…
I...must look like an idiot turning my head every five seconds.
That's fine.
I would rather look like an idiot than allow her to her hurt again.
《 stop 》
***
Pt. 2
《 start 》
In the past, I had a reason to deny it.
...but now the reason is nullified.
What should I…
No.
I cannot waver now.
I cannot waver now.
Not now.
Not...now.
I cannot...waver.
《 stop 》