The crowd was murmuring as Tyrion reveled in the attention. His "Gunpla" was causing quite a stir.

The Meijin and Lady Kawaguchi stared at the television in their press box, scowls on their faces. Something about that modified Evangalion felt off. The intricate and near-seamless adaptation of the prehensile tail of the Ghirarga, the hands seemed to have been swapped out with the Garazzo's, and the backpack, which seemed to house some kind of additional function beyond the standard Geara Ghirarga pack, were just a few of the details to note here.

The Lady looked at the Meijin. "Is this even legal?"

The Meijin nodded stiffly. "With the new requirements put in place by the PPSE that the models only need to have as little as twenty-five percent of an officially licensed Gunpla's parts to allow kits like the Pacific Rim, Full Metal Panic, and 30 Minute Missions to participate in Gunpla Battle, yes. And the Evangelion Real Grades are officially licensed and made by Bandai."

"Yes, but…" the Lady removed her sunglasses. "It's one thing to just use most of the parts from a kit. But to basically use a full non-Gunpla kit and add onto it, that seems unusually lax."

She made a fair point. This new rule wasn't very well defined. And, to make matters worse, it seemed almost like it was meant to be abused.

The feeling in his gut told him to protest, but the curiosity he had kept him from making any move. He stared hard at the Evangelion, his mind flipping from one extreme to the next as he tried to figure out the best course of action.

"Gunpla is freedom," the Meijin reminded her, reservation layered in his tone. "Transforming an EVA unit into a Ghirarga is no different from doing the opposite, except the former is done using parts of a Gunpla on a non-Gunpla kit."

His eyebrows drew together. "Still, it's one thing to do this for a model-building competition. It's a completely different thing to actually enter it into the fighting tournament. But as long as they won't get disqualified, there's not much to be done. I suppose we will just have to view this as Tyrion Calloway using the EVA unit as additional parts to a Gunpla until we get an official ruling."

The Meijin's tone had a hint of concern in it. He couldn't help but think back to the meeting yesterday, and the suspicion Ozpin had about Salem Autry and Team Godslayer. Clearly, they weren't above bending the rules, as long as there was the flexibility to be had.

"We should probably consider what Ozpin told us," he said after a long pause.

The Lady looked up at him, an angry look on her face. "Excuse me?"

"Catherine, I know how you feel about this supposedly far-fetched story we heard, but if it is true, then this Evangelion may be a sign of things to come." He glanced over at her. "We should at the very least be open to the possibility."

She didn't respond. He turned back to the television, thinking. "If Reiji were here, he could tell us for certain. But for now, we need to make up our own minds. And if Team Godslayer is willing to pull out this kind of trick, what else are they willing to do?"


Ruby sat backstage with her friends, a similar look of confusion and concern etched on her features. "Real Grades tend to be more fragile than a standard High Grade," she explained to her friends. "They have greater flexibility but their internal frame is weaker, making it easy to break. The EVA units are even more likely, because of their long limbs. Why Tyrion would use a kit that fragile in a tournament is weird."

She could see that the machine was finely crafted, but the fact that it was not a Gunpla confused her. And the more she looked at it, the more confused she became. "I guess it does barely fit the twenty-five percent rule they have now," she added, "but it's really got me stumped. What is the rule, exactly? Is it that the kit needs at least twenty-five percent of its parts to be Gunpla, or can it be a completely separate kit with extra parts put on it?"

Weiss looked at her. "Probably some combination of both. Didn't Hathaway use a hybrid GM/Gypsy Avenger kit in the US Nationals against Coco? I think that kit was mostly a Pacific Rim kit."

"Tyrion himself seems weird, too," Jaune commented. "Do you see that grin on his face? Creepy."

Penny cocked her head. "Structural integrity aside, I believe that the Real Grade Evangalion's overall performance is significantly higher than that of a standard High-Grade Gunpla. The craftsmanship of his machine is remarkably high."

Pyrrha eyed the machine's weapons. "It appears to use Garazzo hands, meaning it probably can use finger beam sabers. The tail also looks to have a beam emitter in the tip and a physical blade. Its long reach and flexible frame means it could lash out at a surprising distance while keeping itself safe."

Jaune waved off all of their concerns. He had confidence in his friends. "Guys, it'll be fine! One solid whack from Nora and it'll fall to pieces! And that big, bulky Gundam can't hope to compete with Ren's speed."

Weiss glared at the blonde. "That's not the point, Jaune. The point is, introducing an unknown element into this fight changes everything. If this is allowed, who knows what else they could come up with?"

Penny frowned. "In addition, we cannot assume that Hazel Rainart is inexperienced in fighting faster opponents. He IS the German National Champion."

Jaune's heart sank. "Oh…right."

"Don't worry, Jaune," Pyrrha said soothingly. She pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek. "Win or lose, we will be right here for Ren and Nora when they get back. And until then, we will cheer them on with all our heart!"


Salem's smile as she watched the live feed was small but clearly pleased. The commotion and reactions around the stadium created by this new kit had been exactly as she had hoped.

She listened to the crowd. It seemed they were still processing what they were seeing, which only amplified her amusement.

"You've outdone yourself, Watts," she complimented him, turning with hands clasped in front of her. "I do say that the reaction to your design was even greater than I anticipated."

Watts nodded slightly. "It was a trifling matter to create Tyrion's machine," he responded. "It was more about the mounts and connections than any major overhaul. A simple thing, for a graduate of the Shingyo School of Gunpla Building."

Emerald glanced at Cinder. "If that is the kit that Watts made for him, what are mine and Mercury's going to look like?"

Cinder glanced at her with a confident smile. She had grown fond of this particular henchman of Torchwick's. Her earnest question didn't seem to phase her, though she was curious herself.

"Patience, Emerald," she cooed. "I'm positive it will be absolutely fabulous, and perfect for your abilities."

"Hmph, naturally," Watts interjected. "The data I gathered from your exhibition against the Qubeley Damned Empress was more than enough for me to both adapt Cinder's future designs to her fighting style and finish the adjustments on the two of yours. Rest assured, they will perform beyond expectations."

Emerald nodded, but Mercury raised an eyebrow. "Well, let's see what Tyrion can do. Maybe we can get an idea of what you got planned for us."

"You should be fairly impressed," Watts assured him. "Just you wait."


The sentiments of the fighters were shared throughout the stadium, and Tyrion grinned at each passing moment of confusion and awe. Clearly, Watts had managed to create this machine with just enough intricacies and Gunpla parts that they were safe from being disqualified.

Salem had entrusted him with this noblest of tasks. These children were but stepping stones to the ascension of her grand design.

He looked at Hazel's window on the cockpit HUD. "You appear frustrated," he noted. "Still having second thoughts?"

Hazel merely grunted, which made Tyrion raise his eyebrows and grin wider, something Hazel didn't think was possible. "Relax," he said soothingly, though it had a sinister edge to it. "You are more than free to hang back and let me do the dirty work."

His eyes shifted forward. "Just remember what your deal is with My Lady. I'm certain the answer will come, in time."

"I don't need a pep talk coming from you," Hazel shot back curtly. "I'll do my job, regardless of my feelings."

Tyrion let out a slightly unnerving chuckle. "Good. I think that'll be for the best."

On the other side of the table, Ren and Nora were already set up to launch. Nora in particular was buzzing with excitement, barely able to sit still as she shifted from one foot to the other, control orbs in her palms. "Hey, Ren, you think after this, we'll be able to go find a cute diner to stuff our faces with?"

Ren gave her a look that bordered between annoyance and disbelief. "Perhaps we should focus on the battle first. I don't think this will be an easy fight."

"Oh c'mon, spoilsport!" Nora replied. "All we gotta do is wallop these guys and then we can go eat! Easy peasy!"

Ren looked at the canyon before them, and a sudden sense of dread crossed his mind. "Somehow, I doubt that."

"BATTLE START!"

"Hazel Rainart, Gundam Bolt Titanus, launch!"

Tyrion let his partner shoot off first, the twisted smile on his face never wavering. "It's time to show Ozpin and his little rugrats that this isn't just a simple game. "Tyrion Callows, Ghirarga Scorpius EVA, go!"

Nora and Ren shot off their catapult as well, soaring through the air before both landed on the ground below. Nora's Gundam Gusion Rebake Magnhild Kai landed hard but immediately began skating across the ground, with Ren's Lotus Dragon Gundam Gãi Xing flying beside her over the surface of the rocky gorge leading to the deep canyon in the center of the map.

Despite knowing that the enemy team had deployed, Ren noted they were mysteriously absent. He gripped his hardlight orbs tightly and scanned the area, the grip on the twin pistols he held tightening.

After a few moments, he landed. "Nora, hold up."

The Gusion Magnhild skidded to a halt. "What's up, Ren?"

Ren looked around the canyon. The gorge they were in was dotted with tall spires of rock, with a cliff directly behind them, and the canyon to their left. Rushing headlong into danger was something Nora was fairly good at, primarily because she was just strong enough to do it. However, in this situation, a more cautious approach was needed.

He raised both pistols up near his head and glanced around. "Something's not right. We should have found them by now."

"Could they be in the canyon?" She asked, sliding over to the edge of the cliffside and deploying her grenade launchers and machine guns from her back pods, and gripping her hammer. Her Gundam's face slid beneath the tactical hood to let her scan below with enhanced visuals. The canyon was deep. It reminded her of the Grand Canyon, though this one was titled "Great Canyon" in the battle system.

After a moment, she stood up. "Nope. Nothi-"

Ren cocked his head as she stopped mid-word. "Nora?"

"Move!" She cried out, as a dark shadow suddenly and rapidly closed in on Ren. The Lotus Dragon jumped to the side as the massive frame of the Titanus Bolt Gundam crashed down and pulverized the thick rock of the ground Ren had been inhabiting moments earlier. Ren ignited the beam daggers on his pistols as Hazel rose and turned to face him, the Titanus Bolt's massive fists balled and ready for a fight.

Nora growled and rushed forward, swinging her hammer at the brute. Hazel rose his arms up and turned, taking the blow and getting knocked backward through one of the pillars, but landing on his feet and digging his heels into the ground to come to a halt.

"I'm sorry, young ones," he said solemnly. "Personally, I had hoped you would not be our opponents."

Ren took aim with his pistols, but before he could open fire, a beam shot lanced out from their left side, slamming into Nora's head and staggering the Gusion Magnhild. The closed-up head was perfectly protected with its nanolaminate armor, but the blow still took her by surprise enough that she turned right as Hazel burst forth.

Torn between identifying her attacker and defending against Hazel, she was caught off guard and took a powerful shoulder block that slammed her over the edge and into the canyon below. Ren called out in shock and concern, but Hazel simply turned and faced him.

"Concern yourself with me," he responded. The Titanus Bolt's fists began to hum with power, and electrical currents arched over the reinforced knuckles on them.

Nora fell down the deep pit of the canyon, swinging the back end of her hammer and catching the wall to slow her descent with the bladed rear of the head of the weapon. She left a large gouge carved into the side of the rocky surface but successfully landed in the river below, which barely went up to her ankles.

"Ren?!" She called out, panic overtaking her. Ren was good, but Hazel had taken the Gusion off its feet with a simple shoulder block. The Lotus Dragon might get devastated if faced with that kind of power.

However, Nora also knew the limitations of her machine. Even with the upgrades, the Gusion Magnhild was simply too heavy to boost back up to the top of the canyon. The only way for her to fight Hazel at this point was for Ren to lure him down to her.

An alert sounded, catching her attention. She spun around, clutching her hammer, as she spotted the bizarre Evangalion kitbash on the side of the canyon wall, staring down at her from above as it clung to the rock surface.

"There you are!" Nora hollered, deploying her machine guns and grenade launchers and opening fire on Tyrion. The Ghirarga EVA lept from one side of the canyon to the other, before rearing its tail up and firing a beam that immediately disabled the right machine gun on the back pod of the Gusion Magnhild.

Tyrion cackled gleefully. "Oh, you think it'll be that easy?" He asked, pushing forward on his control orbs. The Ghirarga EVA scuttled along the side of the canyon in an unnerving fashion, rapidly closing the distance between himself and Nora.

Tyrion lept from the wall and ignited five small beam blades from the tip of his fingers. He brought down wide, broad, sweeping slashes upon Nora, who managed to dodge the first attack but was struck by the second.

The beam blades glided across her armor, leaving visible carbon scoring but otherwise no damage thanks to her nanolaminate paint. Nora responded by raising her forearm and firing one of the cannons in it at Tyrion, who leaped backward and elegantly spun like a contortionist to avoid the shots, taking full advantage of the Evangelion frame to avoid the shots.

Lurching forward, Tyrion lashed out again at Nora, who skidded across the shallow River bottom and dodged the strike. Tyrion's beam blades cut through the stone of the canyon wall, and he jumped and twisted to hang upside down on the wall as Nora retaliated with a powerful blow with her hammer.

The hammer impacted the wall, cracking it up past where Tyrion hung. He dropped down onto all fours, his tail striking out to pierce the midsection of the Gusion, where the armor didn't protect her. A physical blade extended as Nora backed up to avoid the stab, narrowly missing the midsection pistons.

Tyrion grinned as the Ghirarga EVA stood, hunched over with its arms dangling in front of it. Its head was cocked disturbingly to the side. He chuckled a little, amused and excited to be fighting in this battle.

Nora scoffed and gave him an unimpressed glare. "Pretending to be crazy? Come on! That's so cliché! That's such an overused trope!"

Tyrion merely grinned. "Who's pretending?" he asked, before lunging again at her.

The sounds in the canyon concerned Ren, who glanced behind him for a second before immediately ducking a powerful clothesline from the Bolt Titanus. He spun and raised his pistols, releasing a torrent of green beams at the bulky Gunpla.

Hazel rose his forearms and shielded his head and core from the blasts, which were topped by the thick armor and dense coating of black anti-beam paint on them. "Give up," he said as Ren ceased fire. "This is not the battle you should be seeking, young one."

Ren raised both pistols up by his head. "That sounds like something you should be saying to yourself," he replied.

Hazel grunted. Ren was right, but he was also ignorant to Hazel's situation. And this wasn't the place to discuss it. Not on the world stage. "Perhaps, but I can't afford to stop."

His boosters charged up, and he pushed off the ground with such force that the hard stone cratered under his foot as he launched. The speed that Hazel built up was incredible, and Ren raised his massive Altron Gundam forearms to stop the blow, which slammed into them and sent him flying backward into one of the stone pillars.

Alarms flared immediately as Ren was rocked by the blow. His HUD was still blue, meaning he hadn't taken much damage, but his platform had jolted so hard he had to plant one foot backward to avoid getting knocked over.

He opened his eyes in time to see Hazel charge at him, a ring of energy surrounding his left forearm as he came in for a clothesline. He ducked, and the Bolt Titanus carved its way through the giant pillar behind him, melting rock with the beam ring and cutting through the stone clear to the other side.

The pillar fell on him, but Hazel raised one hand and caught what was the simulated weight of several dozen tons, before tossing it aside like it was nothing.

Another explosion from the canyon caught Ren's attention. "Nora! Are you alright?!"

"Why! Won't! You! Die already!" Nora screamed over the intercom, clearly too engrossed in her own fight to acknowledge Ren's query.

"You should be more focused on your opponent!" Hazel declared, lurching forward with a powerful haymaker.

Ren ducked and immediately turned, using the Altron wrist guards to slam a backhanded chop across Hazel's midsection, causing the Bolt to bend over slightly. Ren responded with a twisting heel kick to the temple, staggering Hazel long enough for the Lotus Dragon to spin back around and again backhand the Bolt Titanus, this time nailing the Gundam in the cheek.

Hazel took two steps backward, his systems partially scrambled from the jarring blows. As he regained his footing, he saw Ren leap into the air and cartwheel into a downward ax kick.

The Bolt Titanus grabbed the ankle of the Lotus Dragon and spun around, slamming Ren back first into another pillar. As the Lotus Dragon fell, it took a big boot to the face, breaking it through the pillar and sending it tumbling across the rocky plateau.

Ren struggled to stand, but as he lashed out with a fire blast, Hazel ducked under his extended left arm and wrapped his arms around his waist, before lifting him up into a German suplex that went through the base of the broken pillar and bounced Ren backward, leaving him sprawled on the ground, dazed.

"This isn't your fight, boy," Hazel warned. "Stay down."

The Bolt Titanus began slowly making its way over to the canyon edge, leaving a critically damaged Lotus Dragon struggling to return to its feet.

Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha gasped upon seeing Ren crumple from the suplex. The way that his Gunpla bent, the stress of the impact, and the damage that he probably suffered, all ran through their minds. The plastic toys were never meant to bend like that, and although Ren managed to increase the mobility of his machine's midsection and joints, the damage would still be severe.

"Ren! Get up!" Jaune shouted, thumping the armrest of the couch, knowing his friend couldn't hear him.

Penny frowned. "I predict a three to one chance that Ren will be at least partially debilitated, even if he recovers from that."

"C'mon, Ren, Nora!" Ruby whispered. "You can do this!"

The concern on Weiss's face made it clear that she wasn't as optimistic. She knew Ren; if Nora falls because he couldn't help her, he'd take it personally as his own failing. She bit her lip anxiously, waiting to see if he could get back up.

In the box above the arena, Cinder and Salem watched the events unfold. "Don't you think he's making a mistake?" Cinder asked, arms crossed and an unimpressed look on her face. "If I were him, I'd have used those beam emitters on his knees to kneel on his opponent and take them out for good."

Salem smirked. "Yes, as would I. But let's let Hazel decide when enough is enough. He knows what's at stake, and so far, he hasn't disappointed."

"There's still more than enough time for that," Cinder remarked snidely. "I don't have high hopes for this."

Hazel peered down the long drop. Below, he could see Nora, slamming her hammer into the river she and Tyrion stood in. Water and debris flew into the air as the Ghirarga EVA dodged the Gusion Magnhild's attack by jumping onto the wall, then bouncing to the other side like a spider monkey, before launching himself downward back at Nora.

Nora swung her hammer up and to the side, catching the modified Evangelion in the torso with the side of her weapon. She spun and flung Tyrion away and behind her, but the modified kit outstretched its arms and then tucked and rolled back into a standing position, before again lashing out at his opponent.

Inside the canyon, mobility was severely limited. She panicked as the bladed tail shot past her, then backed up to avoid a follow-up slash from the beam sabers. However, she hit the wall to her left and had to duck down, allowing a wild stab from Tyrion's Gunpla to burrow deep into the stone. She charged forward and shoulder tackled the Ghirarga EVA into the opposite wall, stunning it as she backed away.

Hazel frowned. "He's playing around too much. He could have ended this ages ago," he muttered. It looked like he was going to have to deal with the girl himself. A shame; he rather enjoyed her enthusiasm.

He took a step toward the ledge, deciding to engage Nora. However, before he could drop, a sharp force slammed into his back, causing him to tumble down into the canyon. He hit the opposite wall, pinballing off of it and turning as his right shoulder bounced off the side he had been standing on.

Looking up, he saw the Lotus Dragon back on its feet, its right leg retracting from a superkick to the back of Hazel's head. The German Champion growled as his platform shook from landing back first into the river, startling Nora.

Ren extended his right arm as far as it would go, reaching the halfway point of the canyon. "Nora! Take my hand!"

Nora grinned and jumped, her boosters carrying her heavy machine up to Ren's hand, who helped drag her the rest of the way back to the top of the canyon, where they both collapsed.

"Are you okay?" He asked, looking over the pink and white Gusion Rebake.

Nora panted hard but nodded. "I'm fine!" She replied happily. "Thanks for getting me out of there, Ren."

Her genuine smile made Ren's heart thump in his chest, but he only nodded. He stood and helped her to her feet, grabbing his pistols from his hip as he heard boosters ignite below him.

Both the Ghirarga EVA and the Bolt Titanus rocketed up from the canyon, landing on either side of the pair. Tyrion's unsettling cackle filled their intercoms, as did the annoying huffing coming from Hazel.

"Well well, what a remarkable surprise!" The seemingly unhinged member of Godslayer tilted his head to the side. "I must say, this has proven to be even more entertaining than I originally had hoped for."

"I told you to stay down," Hazel warned. "What happens next is on you."

Nora scowled. "You can't talk to my man like that! I'm gonna break you like Humpty Dumpty!"

Ren blushed, sinking a bit in embarrassment at her comments. "Nora…"

"Hahahahaha! How cute!" Tyrion grinned. "The couple that flails together fails together!"

His tail raised over his shoulder and fired a beam shot at Ren, which Nora intercepted just as Hazel ignited the beam saber blades on his shoulder and tackled the Gusion Rebake Magnhild.

Nora skidded to a halt, the nanolaminate paint refracting the beam blades, and retaliated with an uppercut with her hammer that knocked the Bolt Titanus off its feet. Hazel ignited his thrusters to catch himself in the air, but Nora brought the broad spike on the back of her war hammer down and caught him where his Gundam's waist met his midsection, hooking him and pulling him back to the ground hard.

Hazel landed, staggered, and barely managed to raise his arm to block a point-blank cannon shot from Nora's forearm gun. He backhanded her hand away after the first blow and struck her with his right fist, returning the blow she just gave him in spades.

Ren glanced back in worry as Nora cried out, but the moment he looked away from Tyrion, the Ghirarga EVA blitzed him. His platform shook violently as Tyrion tackled him to the ground, grinning as he pinned the Lotus Dragon. His tail raised up, angled to pierce the chest of Ren's Gunpla.

"I can't say this wasn't amusing," Tyrion whispered, "but now, it's time to die."

"Hey!" Nora cried out, dashing to the side with her hammer raised. Tyrion leaped off as she swung at his machine's head, landing in a crouch like a cat while Ren sat up.

Ren smiled at her and got to his feet. "Thank you, Nora." The look on her face was almost feral with rage. Tyrion almost eliminating him had really angered her; he'd only ever seen that look on her once before when Ruby almost KO'd him in a practice match a while back.

Tyrion cackled. "What devotion! It's no wonder you two are partners!"

Ren scowled but turned as an alert blared behind him. He and Nora both turned in time to receive a pair of giant fists, knocking both of them down on impact.

The Bolt Titanus walked over to both of the teens, who were struggling to stand. "Surrender. Forfeit this fight."

Tyrion, scoffed, before slowly devolving into a maniacal laugh. "You can't be serious?!" He glared at Hazel. "Do you really think Lady Autry will be content with their surrender?! She gave us explicit orders to make an example of our first opponents, to show the technological and physical superiority of Team Godslayer. Surrender is hardly the display she would wish!"

He pointed at the screen Hazel's face was being displayed on his HUD. "You wanted this. You agreed to this. But, if you are unable to actually follow through with your agreement, I'll happily end this fight here."

Hazel gritted his teeth. The only mercy Tyrion offered was he wasn't specific on any details when he spoke; his words, however, still cut deep. He was correct. As much as he wanted to end this with the display they had already shown, he knew Salem would not accept anything but complete devastation, or close to it.

Ren got back to his feet, Nora still kneeling but slowly recovering. Ren saw hesitation but didn't capitalize on it. "You don't want to do this," he said softly, realizing that Hazel wasn't fighting out of joy. Something else was going on.

Hazel grunted. He looked at his opponent. The small glint of reservation in his eyes faded as if the ice was melting, replaced with a stone-faced fury.

"No," Hazel replied, "but I need to. Children like you don't understand how the world works. Sometimes, you must do what is necessary."

He planted his feet solidly on the ground and inhaled slowly, steadying his nerves. Nora and Ren looked at each other and the Bolt Titanus balled its fists and glared at them.

Ren sighed. "Very well." The Lotus Dragon began to radiate a golden glow as Ren entered Hyper Mode. "I will meet your resolution with my own."

The beam daggers on his pistols ignited, and he launched himself at Hazel, his speed increased substantially. He brought the daggers down on the Bolt Titanus, but the attack was telegraphed and blocked easily by Hazel's massive forearm.

Hazel stared up at Ren, before opening the emitter up near his wrist and activating the beam ring there.

Ren kicked off of Hazel's chest, avoiding the ring carving his Gundam's face off. Hazel took a single step back as Ren backflipped and Nora swooped in low, skittering across the ground and slamming her hammer into Hazel's side, knocking him off balance and forcing him to take another step as he skidded to a halt.

Rage built inside the German champion, and he slammed the knuckles of his right hand into the ground, causing a massive shift in the rocky floor.

Ren landed on the ground, eyes wide. "Nora! That's the Gaia Crusher! Move!" He cried out, before turning rapidly and immediately ducking a swipe from Tyrion's beam sabers.

Nora grinned fiendishly. "Is that all ya got?!" She asked defiantly, before slamming her hammer onto the ground with such force that it created another Gaia Crusher that traveled and cut off Hazel's. The massive upheaval of stone collided and formed a massive, jagged pillar where the two forces slammed together.

Hazel stared in surprise at what had just happened. This girl matched his strength with little effort. He had underestimated her raw ability. "I see," he muttered. "This is what you're capable of."

Something twinkled in his heart. Something he hadn't felt in a long time, not since his wrestling days. A feeling of…excitement. It was just a spark, barely clinging to life in his soul, but it was there, it was prominent, and it was unmistakable.

It wasn't enough to cancel out the dread he felt about his assignment or his position in Team Godslayer, but for a brief moment, that didn't matter.

He finally looked at Ren and Nora not as kids, but as opponents. And Nora, in particular, had become a worthy foe just for matching his Gaia Crusher. Even if that was the only time she could do it, the fact was she was capable of more with time.

"I see your resolve," he told her. "I have been doing you a disservice by not taking you seriously. That ends now."

Nora's grin grew. "It better! I'll be breaking bones otherwise!"

Tyrion raised an eyebrow as he dodged a flying kick from the Lotus Dragon. "Heh, well, whatever gets him invested." He twirled backward as Ren launched one of his massive dragon heads at him, before extending his tail, causing it to elongate on a cable and latch onto the pillar near him, pulling him away from a burst of flames that Ren unleashed on his position. He comically let his arms and legs flailing in the air before planting his claws and feet onto the rock face and scurrying backward in a crab walk up its surface.

Ren aimed his pistols and fired, pink beams soaring toward Tyrion, who jumped off the rock and rolled into a ball, landing in the ground and rolling into a crouch on all fours before striking out with his tail. Ren kicked the tail tip out of the way, before pivoting into an ax kick that would have taken the Ghirarga EVA's head off if Tyrion hadn't jumped backward at the last moment.

Ren flowed into a twisting slash with his pistol-mounted daggers, combining his attack with beam shots that kept Tyrion on a fluid series of defensive dodges.

He cackled. "You are a lot more fun than I expected. Yes! Give me more!"

Ren frowned. He was beginning to feel frustrated, which was uncommon for him. Tyrion was moving around too erratically to predict. Every motion was too flexible, too slight, too mobile, too hard to pin down. This machine had so many flexing pieces and moving joints in its torso and limbs that it made him able to contort in ways Ren had never faced before.

Still, he wasn't done. He again shot his arms out, forcing Tyrion to back up. His left arm slammed into the ground while his right launched fire. He retracted the arms, using the left dragon head now anchored into the ground to pull him rapidly to Tyrion while the flames acted as a screen to block his movement.

If he could just-

Suddenly, Ren's cockpit shut down. The HUD disappeared around him, the holographic cockpit going dark. Only his main camera was still on which had cycled to a third-person view.

And he saw it. Tyrion's right hand, beam sabers combined into a massive energy blade by closing all of them together, was stuck through his chest, Tyrion's arm actually driven through the intense flames and buried deep into his torso, emerging from the other side.

Ren had miscalculated. His own flames had blocked him from seeing Tyrion duck and stab upwards just as he reeled himself in. Ren had impaled himself.

Nora slammed her hammer onto Hazel's shoulder and staggered him again, before unloading several grenades directly into the Bolt Titanus's face. She smirked, before seeing Ren's screen go dark.

In a panic, she turned and watched as the golden glow of his hyper mode faded, and Tyrion withdrew his arm from the hole in the Lotus Dragon's torso. The Gunpla dropped to its knees, where it was decapitated with a single swing of the large blade Tyrion created with his finger beam sabers.

"Ren!" Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched the beam saber die down.

"Fun as that was, I'm afraid playtime is over," Tyrion lamented. "Hazel, finish the girl and be done with it."

The left side of Hazel's Gundam's face sparked, but he nodded and planted his foot down. "I suppose there's not much left to do."

He looked at Nora. The Gusion Rebake Magnhild began to shake violently. Its closed faceplate opened up, revealing the hidden Gundam face underneath the protective sensors. Its green eyes shifted to brilliant pink, with an electrical effect Hazel recognized as the unlimited mode he had seen in Iron-Blooded Orphans that Barbatos had access to.

The smile on Tyrion's face faded slightly as he watched Nora. The Gusion Magnhild began to spark with pink electricity, and a quiet roar gradually erupted from Nora in pure, unhinged rage.

Knowing he had to finish her quickly, Hazel boosted at her, fist poised to demolish her. But as he closed the gap, she skidded backward with her leg boosters, dodging his dash, and swung her hammer with such force that she caught him while he was off the ground and sent him a dozen meters backward into the rock pillar they had formed earlier.

He crashed through it and planted his feet onto the ground, digging in to stop, stunned at the sudden speed and strength of the machine he had been fighting. What incredible power…

She rushed him, pushing her machine to its top speed to close in. He went to grapple her, but she ducked, and his arms soared over her. He looked down as she jumped up and head-butted his chin, crunching his damaged face even more.

She used the momentum to leap up and drive her hammer directly into his face, flooring the Bolt Titanus. Hazel grunted as the platform shook and rattled violently.

Tyrion crossed his arms, watching the scene. This berserker rage was interesting. Very interesting.

But he didn't have time to enjoy the sight. Nora spun around and roared again, heading straight for him. He sidestepped the first swing of her hammer but was slammed in the face with a physical shot from her left forearm cannon. Seeing him finally take a shot, Nora unloaded on him, firing her machine guns, cannons, and grenades while crying in pure fury.

Tyrion raised his arms, trying to protect his core from the attacks. He felt like he had let his guard down, letting her take that shot. His anger rose and he lashed out with his tail, the physical blade cutting deep into the joint that held her left back pod onto her Gunpla, cutting it off and costing her both the machine gun and sub arm with the grenade launcher there.

He stabbed out with his right beam saber, catching her left cannon on her arm right in the barrel, destroying it. She backed up, freeing herself from his tail and losing her back pod in the process. She growled as an alert sounded to her right.

Turning and ducking, she narrowly avoided a big boot from the Bolt Titanus. She spun across the ground as Hazel's foot landed on the ground, driving her hammerhead into the side of his right knee. The joint buckled and again dropped Hazel, whose HUD switched instantly to a solid red. The damage just in the last few blows had stacked up fast.

Nora turned her right pod weapons at Tyrion to keep him at bay, before raising her hammer and slamming it into the backpack of the Bolt Titanus, once again laying him out.

Tyrion leaped onto the side of one of the last remaining natural pillars on the plateau overlooking the canyon, crawling up it and running to the back of it to avoid the incoming fire. It was clear Hazel was no longer useful. Oh well. This new development required a tactical approach.

He got to the top of the pillar and jumped, intending to silently attack Nora from behind.

Nora, however, anticipated this, bringing her hammer up and colliding it with the Ghirarga EVA mid-air, sending him back into the same pillar he jumped from. The softer internal structure of the Real Grade kit was immediately jolted, and alerts flew all over the place as the computer calculated the damage.

Nora was about to dash at Tyrion to take revenge on Ren's defeat, but she found herself stuck. Looking down, she saw Hazel, massive hand on her left ankle, holding her in place.

"Just freaking die!" She cried out, swinging her hammer in an underhanded fashion and catching the Bolt Titanus in the damaged left cheek, caving in that side of the face. Despite the blow, though, Hazel did not let go of her foot, so she flipped her hammer around to smash the entire Gunpla to pieces.

"I'm sorry," Hazel somberly stated, gripping her ankle harder as she swung.

She was stopped mid-swing by a new alert. The left Ahab Reactor that powered her machine suddenly exploded. Power levels dropped immediately, and, in a panic, she turned her Gunpla's rear camera on.

Tyrion's now battered Ghirarga EVA was crumpled in the rubble, but its tail had shot out and extended, piercing the reactor that was now exposed from her losing the rear pod on that side. The Evangelion hybrid slowly stood up as the berserker mode died down and Nora's machine shuddered, struggling to maintain itself.

"I'm impressed," Tyrion admitted. "Very well done. Nora Valkyrie, was it? You and your boyfriend have certainly made an impression. Your talent and abilities are nothing to scoff at."

Hazel let go of her ankle and got to a kneeling stance, looking up as Nora gripped her hammer and tried to turn, but found the movement difficult. He could hear her crying in frustration and rage, cursing her bad luck in Norwegian. He looked away from the monitor as Tyrion slowly moved towards her, his machine unsteady but still functional.

"I'm sorry to say, however," Tyrion continued, reaching her and raising her chin up to look at him. The Evangelion was much larger than the Gusion Rebake. He grinned before finishing, his fingers uncurling under her chin and straightening. "Your time is up."

Hazel inhaled sharply, before standing and grabbing Tyrion's hand. "Let me do it."

His Gunpla's right knee barely could hold his massive frame-up, but he grabbed Nora by the head and slammed her face-first into the ground. Convinced, Tyrion withdrew the blade from her back, so that Hazel could lift his right foot and slam it directly into the Gusion Magnhild's head, pancaking it in a curb stomp.

His right knee buckled and he collapsed, dropping down to a kneeling position as the battle ended. The holo-table and display dropped, the fans roaring in excitement over what they had just seen. Tyrion laughed, hands on his hips, ignoring his opponents, reaching over and retrieving his Gunpla.

"What a refreshing battle!" He happily leaned back, stretching. "I haven't had that much fun in ages."

Hazel remained quiet. He watched Ren and Nora. Ren, clearly accepting defeat with a bitter grace, was consoling Nora, who was struggling to keep her emotions in check.

He walked past Tyrion, ignoring the man, and walked past the Gunpla and to his opponents. "Thank you."

He extended his hand, which Nora stared at, and Ren took. Nora took a deep breath, shuddering from crying and trying to stop. Ren shook the larger man's hand awkwardly.

"You two are wonderful opponents," Hazel continued. "I don't think I've actually had fun at Gunpla Battle before. But today? You changed that a little bit."

Ren smiled slightly. "A loss is a loss. You were a worthy opponent. We concede."

Nora inhaled aggressively, wiping her tears away on her white jacket sleeves. "I WANT A REMATCH!" She declared. "'I'LL WIPE THE FLOOR WITH YOU NEXT TIME!"

Hazel was taken aback by her declaration but laughed slightly. "Then I look forward to it."

With the fight over, the teams exited the stage, bringing an end to the first round of fights for the tournament. Ren and Nora returned to the back lobby, where their friends waited for them, all saddened.

"Ren, Nora…I…" Ruby struggled to find her words but was reassured by a pat on the shoulder by Ren.

"It's okay," he replied quietly. "We lost knowing we did our absolute best. We have no regrets."

"Hazel…he really was something else," Jaune commented. "I can't believe how powerful that Gunpla of his was."

"It makes me wonder what else Team Godslayer has in store," Pyrrha mused. "Tyrion and Hazel are not the only participants on that team."

"Grrrrr! I am going to build a new, stronger, better Gunpla that'll smash his machine in a single blow!" Nora shouted. Her sadness was replaced with a renewed vigor. "I wanna knock him to the moon! I wanna knock his head off like a croquet ball!"

The lobby erupted in laughter as the tension and fear that their loss would be taken too hard. Clearly, Nora already had her next plan of attack formulated. For now, though, it was time to rest and repair and to check on Yang and Blake.

However, as the group got up, Weiss stopped. She remembered what Winter had mentioned before. "Hey Ruby, did you finish repairs on Destiny Scythe?"

"Huh?" She looked at her partner. "Almost. I just have to put it together. Why?"

"Remember what my sister had said yesterday when Pyrrha and Jaune fought her team? She asked us to call her. Maybe we should talk to her after seeing how Yang is doing."

Ruby's silver eyes lit up. "That's right! I completely forgot! Alright, sure. I'll go back to the room and put Destiny Scythe together and grab your Gyan. If she wanted to know when we were done fixing them, I feel like she wants to battle."

Weiss nodded. "Probably. Alright, let's go check in on your sister and Blake."


Hazel had expected Salem to be disappointed, but the opposite was true. She was smiling. She was beyond pleased. "Hazel, Tyrion, you exceeded my expectations for that fight."

She glanced at Hazel. "I admit, I was worried that our talk was not going to be enough, but it was clear at the end that you understood the stakes."

The feeling of excitement he felt during the battle was replaced with a disgusting pit of despair and guilt. He couldn't look Salem in the eye, which seemed to initially annoy her, but she eventually chose to ignore it. Turning to Tyrion, she placed her hand on his cheek.

"Your performance and that new machine were both marvelous," she commended him. "Well done."

"Thank you, my lady," he replied happily. "I look forward to the next fight."

"The next fight…" Salem mused. After a moment of thought, she turned to Watts. "Arthur, what do you have in store for the second round?"

Watts looked up at her and turned his computer toward her. "See for yourself."

She looked over the computer program that he used to control the randomization of the matches. This wasn't something they could use during the world tournament, but here? Here it was perfect.

and he had, again, chosen very interesting pairings, which brought a smile to her face.

"Very good." She gave him an approving nod. "Now, proceed with phase two."


HAZEL'S GUNPLA

Gundam Bolt Titanus

A heavily armored, immensely powerful custom machine that combines the styles of the Bolt Gundam and Gundam AGE-1 Titus into a walking Gunpla of sheer destruction, the Gundam Bolt Titanus may very well be physically the most powerful machine presently in the tournament. While the machine lacks any ranged weapons to speak of, its anti-beam coating, sheer power, and numerous thrusters make it capable of closing in on any machine with little fear.

It uses the beam ring emitters, shoulder beam emitters, and knee beam emitters of the AGE-1 Titus, and, though he rarely uses them, he can release the round shoulder armor pieces and their short beam saber emitters and grab a chain that launches from them to create giant Gundam Hammers similar to the Bolt Gundam's Graviton Hammer. He can also use Bolt Gundam's trademark Gaia Crusher special move, which can bury opponents under tons of rock or disrupt the battlefield to limit mobility for him to close in on them.


TYRION'S GUNPLA

Ghirarga Scorpius EVA

Technically, Tyrion's machine is not truly a Gunpla. Incorporating parts of the Ghirarga for style and using the hands of the Garazzo for exceptional piercing and slashing attacks, the Ghirarga EVA is actually the Evangelion Unit 1 Real Grade kit that has been redesigned to appear to be a tall, flexible, lanky machine of death.

Tyrion has a single beam cannon in the tip of his tail, alongside a physical blade sharp enough to pierce armor with little trouble. Besides that, he relies on the beam sabers in his fingers, which can combine into a thick beam blade, to destroy enemies. Though these beam sabers cannot cut through nanolaminate armor, they are easily capable of burning through many materials, including melting anti-beam coating off of treated parts.

The advantage of using a Real Grade kit grants the Ghirarga EVA remarkable, impossible to predict levels of flexibility at the cost of internal durability. While the armor pieces are just as durable as a normal High-Grade kit, the internal structure is vulnerable to high-impact shots and can be crippled simply by a single blow if it lands hard enough in the right spot. Despite this trade-off, the flexibility and mobility match the chaotic nature of Tyrion's fighting style to a T, so he gladly takes the lowered defense for the ability to outmaneuver his foes.