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"What!?"

Latching onto the sides of the pristine sill, Ren looked up towards the distant, but watching announcer.

"Aiko…? Is this a joke or something!?"

Showing his frustration from the other side of the arena, Macheo roared out as he stuck his head out from the window, the same as Ren.

"Valerie, did you know about this…?"

Looking at the draconic maiden, Iris\' glistening, azure eyes fell on her as the news of the next bout hung over the Weltwanderers somberly.

"Of course I didn\'t! I was just as late as the rest of you!"

Paying no mind to the two companions of his speaking behind him, Macheo looked directly at Asmodeus, who was far above the ground floor of the arena.

"There\'s no way in hell I\'m fighting her…You hear me!?"

Yelling up at the high-placed announcer, Macheo\'s voice traveled through the vast space of the grandiose arena. As his crimson eyes full of fiery emotions locked onto Asmodeus--the young man\'s skin crawled as he was greeted with direct eye contact from the vast distance, finding himself under the gaze of the demon\'s constantly shifting eyes, his triangular irises switching between many shades.

"If you wish to forfeit--so to should your life be."

Losing the usual eccentricity to the tone of his voice, the words from the founder of the Champion\'s Culling, and the host of the illustrious event, brought Macheo to silence.

"Now, please make your way to the arena."

Squeezing both his fist made of flesh and his other of wood, the golden-haired prince knew there was no other choice but to participate.

"Macheo, it\'ll be alright…"

Trying to console the perturbed young man, Iris attempted to place her hand on his shoulder--only for him to quickly storm off through the tunnel on his own.

"Well, I guess he\'s made up his mind."

"How are you so calm about this?"

"Huh? Well, we knew this was going to happen at some point. No point in getting all twisted up about it."

Valerie explained as she twiddled her crimson locks around her gauntlet-covered finger, keeping her eyes on the arena.

Having to face this battle with no other choice, the young girl wasn\'t any happier than Macheo, who held her chest as her breathing ran ragged. However--she found her composure on her own before Ren could reassure her, drawing in a relaxing breath slowly.

Slapping her own cheeks, the surprising action left her pale cheeks with a red tint as her eyes glistened with a thousand-volt stare.

"...I can do this...I can beat him!"

"That\'s, uh, the spirit?"

Ren didn\'t know how to feel about this change in resolve from the short-haired girl, watching as her beige fringes bounced with each step she took forward as she marched towards the battlefield.

"Wow, I totally misjudged her--little lady has some fire after all."

Leaning his elbow on Ren\'s shoulder, Jae-Seong spoke to the young man as they both watched the girl make her way to the arena.

"That girl, Aiko, was it? That young man she\'s fighting is one from your group?"

Asking from his seated position on the bench, Fedrin looked at Ren for an answer, holding his stomach as he was still left in some pain from his earlier battle.

"Yeah."

I don\'t like this at all. If this bracket was planned out by those demons, then they might\'ve pitted me against Iris...I hope not, he thought.

"Hah! Talk about a quarrel between lovers! Finally, this might be a match worthy to seize my boredom."

Moving from the spot he had stayed at for the previous matches, the loud-mouthed, arrogant elite from Mastorn stood at the window with his hands tucked into the pockets of his pale white, spotless coat.

"It\'s not like that...they\'re just friends."

Attempting to correct Andraste\'s false notion, Iris had to force her eyes to look upon the man who held a suffocating aura about him.

"Oh? I was mistaken, you say? Hah! Any man can recognize the look that gold brat had in his eyes--that was the pain saved for one\'s own mate. This is a fine opportunity for him; if his woman should dare raise a hand to him, he will have every right to put her in her place. Face down in the dirt with a bloodied nose, and maybe a twisted finger or two might do it."

Listening to the twisted words spoken so casually from the man\'s glossy, wicked lips, Iris felt her blood boil as she shook her head. Having to hear these repulsive words as well, Valerie stepped up besides Iris--standing tall enough to meet eye-to-eye with the white-haired, big-mouthed knight.

"A knight is supposed to have manners; that\'s the bare minimum."

"And who are you, exactly? I stand at the pinnacle of knighthood--I am one of the Victorious Seven; I could have your pretty, little head on a whim. Your life only continues by my own graciousness, dragon."

Closing the distance between them, Andraste\'s words became personal whispers as his silver eyes befell on the maiden\'s form.

"Woah there, big guy, I think it\'s best you take a step back."

From seemingly thin air, the voice of Arsya returned to the room as the man\'s hand was placed on the shoulder of Andraste\' coat, looking at the knight with a soft smile--though his eyes held a different tone altogether.

When did he get here? I didn\'t hear anything, Iris thought.

Clicking his tongue, Andraste tugged his shoulder away as he moved to the other side of the room to spectate the match, "Touch me again and you\'ll lose that hand."

"Whatever you say."

Arsya waved at Andraste playfully before directing his attention back to the two women as he smiled cheerfully, "What\'d I miss?"

"...Where do I begin?"

Valerie let out an exasperated breath as she shook her head.

"THEY MAY BE QUITE YOUNG, BUT DON\'T LET THAT DECEIVE YOU! THESE TWO ARE CERTIFIED WARRIORS IN EVERY REGARD! NOW THEN, LET THE MATCH BEGIN!"

As he spread his arms like a soaring eagle, Asmodeus\' call began the match as a roar from the crows signified the start.

Just as it began, Aiko was the only one to make a move, dashing forward with her body low to the ground before spinning around to launch a swift, fearsome kick against the head of the golden-haired boy.

An inch before the tip of her gray boot could connect with Macheo\'s head, she came to a complete halt. The golden-haired Lucrauvian didn\'t so much as bat an eye or twitch a finger--not moving a single step from the spot he started in.

"...Why aren\'t you fighting back?"

Staying silent for a moment in response to the choked up words from Aiko as her amethyst irises trembled with mixed, bubbling emotions, Macheo\'s crimson eyes watched her.

"I won\'t fight you."

Looking into his eyes, his words were confirmed by the pained look present in those crimson jewels as they trembled.

"Why?..."

"..."

"Why!? Do you really think I\'m that weak!? I\'m that useless!? Why won\'t any of you treat me like a comrade…? I can fight! I can handle myself! I\'m not a child that needs to be coddled!"

Yelling so fervently at the young man who was hardly older than herself, her visceral words fell upon his ears as she clenched her fists tightly shut.

"I\'m sorry, Aiko...I just can\'t. I can\'t say why--so if you\'re angry, then hit me...hit me until victory is yours."

Surprisingly to the person who asked for this, Macheo found the cold steel of the girl\'s gauntlet pressed against his cheek the very moment the words rolled off of his tongue--feeling all of Aiko\'s frustration transmit right against his cheekbone.

"What the hell!? I wasn\'t ready yet!"

Holding his reddened cheek, Macheo winced as it throbbed from the abrasive slugging he received.

"Well, too bad! I won\'t play nice with...with a coward! That\'s right--you\'re a coward! Coward, coward, coward---!"

Saying this as she shut her eyes tightly, Aiko\'s sharp words caused the hot-headed prince to grit his teeth as a vein pressed against his forehead. There wasn\'t a single thing that could get under the skin more than a proud, Lucrauvian noble.

Having his pride tested after resolving to put it aside, Macheo couldn\'t help himself.

"...Oh, yeah? Is that so?"

Now she\'s done it, Ren chuckled wryly, at the end of the day--Macheo is still Macheo.

Cracking the knuckles on his good hand, he then cracked his neck as well before reopening his eyes--holding a honed, intentful look in his irises as they fell upon Aiko, taking a stance ready for combat.

"If you\'re so impatient to get hurt, I guess I\'ll have to teach you a lesson."

Holding a small smile himself, this expression was shared by a nervous smile from Aiko as she also raised her guard, taking a different stance from her foe as the placement of her hands resembled a tiger.

"Oh...oh, yeah? If you think you can!"

It was starting to become obvious to those who knew the girl what she was doing; holding that confident, albeit trembling, smile as she egged the young man on.

Don\'t tell me she\'s...Ren thought.

"Aiko is...copying Macheo. But why…?"

Iris muttered as she watched the two square off, watching the unusual brazen come from the normally meek girl.

Rekindling the battle, Aiko used her flexible combat style to spin around, standing on her hands as she rapidly kicked at the golden-haired boy. Raising his guard to block the kicks, Macheo continued to hold his smile as one eyed closed naturally under the force of the continuous kicks.

"...I get it. To her, Macheo is the embodiment of what she wants to be: confident and strong. She might not even be doing it intentionally--the very idea of being proud, yet powerful might be that intertwined with her image of Macheo."

Valerie spoke without her usual abrasive remarks, holding a calm outlook on the two as her eyes mostly focused on the young, beige-haired girl.

Is this my fault?...I regret being so harsh to her that day, but if it really did set her off...it might\'ve been worth it if she improves, Valerie thought.

"She thinks that highly of him, doesn\'t she…?"

It was right there in front of my eyes, but I didn\'t realize it; they both value each other so much. After all, they\'re both kids--struggling through such an unfair trial together, just the mere existence of one another must be inspiring to the other, Iris thought, but if it goes both ways...then what is it from her that Macheo connects her with?

Attempting to catch the nimble girl by her ankle, Macheo\'s attempt was evaded as Aiko flipped backwards, continuing to flip back with complete agility until enough space was put between them.

Clicking his tongue, Macheo watched the girl, "I knew it from fighting alongside you all this time, but damn your agility is annoying as hell…"

"Too much for you?"

"Not even close!"

As her words spurred his blood to rush through his veins with a certain heat, Macheo smiled wide before kicking off one of his manifested footholds, propelling towards the girl at a speed that blinded her.

In the wake of his speedy pathway, the sand raised and parted, scattering behind him.

Rearing his good arm back for a punch, the audience remained still in anticipation of the clash; closing her eyes tightly out of fear of the incoming, inevitable fist--nothing met against her skin as Aiko confusingly parted her eyelids.

In front of her, Macheo\'s knuckles sat still, halted in their path.

"Why…? You\'re still not taking me seriously!"

Unable to respond, Macheo knew he couldn\'t argue against the words that came out so painfully from the girl\'s throat as he closed his eyes, feeling his fist still shaking.

I couldn\'t do it. When I saw you close your eyes like that....I couldn\'t do it! Macheo thought.