Holy shit! I'd like to take another quick moment to thank everybody who's reading this story. I didn't really expect that this community was so active. The first two chapters have both reached over 450 viewers in JUST this month. For someone like me, that's pretty good. And I really appreciate it.
This is the last chapter of the Knight Arc of this story. After this chapter, the Viking Arc will begin, and Emora and Airi will be facing the Norse Heroes of For Honor. Two new characters will be introduced, and a shitty new storyline will unravel.
Remember, this Fic is mostly about realistic fights, not story. So don't expect some well-made storyline. Although people are enjoying the little side-story I have going on, which is good.
Encounter Number 6: Enemy Gladiator
The sun was bright in Emora's eyes. She shielded herself with her arms and squinted to try and see what was happening.
The more and more she breathed, the more time passed, the more her senses returned to her.
"What's happening...?" The confused Warden thought. She shut her eyes tightly and tried to ignore her rocking headache.
Finally, a faint hiss surrounded her. It became more and more clear. It sounded like yelling...Shouting. Cheering. The sounds of the crowd boomed through Emora's ears, their cheers and cries scared the dazed fighter.
"YES! YES, WE HAVE A VICTOR!" A man stood atop a throne of weapons. He held a trident in his hand, and on the other, a small buckler.
He wore animal pelts on his shoulders for armor. He wore nothing on his chest, showing how ripped he was. He wore a battle skirt made of animal pelts and chainmail, and caligae boots that reached up to the top of his calf, and right below his kneecaps, which were protected by steel knee pads.
"A victor...? What is he talking about...W-Where am I?"
Emora looked around, the sun hurt her eyes, but her pupils quickly dilated. Her hazel eyes reflected the light, giving them a bright golden glow. She was standing in an open arena. The ground was dusty, stained with dried and fresh blood.
The stands around the arena were full to the brink. People were standing up, throwing their arms and hands into the air, clapping, and yelling. They all looked down at Emora, cheering, bellowing, and howling their chants.
"RYON! RYON! RYON! RYON!"
Emora took a few steps back, she felt small with the crowd all cheering her on. She then looked down at her sword, which she was holding unconsciously.
"Huh?! W-What the hell?!" She cried out.
It was covered in blood, fresh blood. She looked at her own armor and saw that it was scratched. She was bleeding minimally, with cuts and stabs all over her torso, arms, and sides.
"What...What did I do?!"
The man atop the throne yelled out in power. His cry made the crowd increase their volume. He bathed in the noise, enjoying the sun beating down on his bare chest. The glory and feeling of victory.
"WE HAVE A WINNER LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE WARDEN KNOWN AS..."
The man put his hand to his ear as if listening to a secret.
"RYON! RYON! RYON! RYON!"
The cheer roared out Emora's last name. The confused Warden looked at the man, who was laughing. His two guards stood idle, their spears at their sides.
"YES! YES, YOU ALL KNOW! HER NAME IS RYON! EMORAA...RYOONNN!"
The Warden slammed her hands over her ears as the crowd's deafening shouts and cheers bore into her ears. She slowly opened her eyes and could see a trail of blood in front of her.
At the end of the trail, a dead body lay there. A body of a Samurai. The body of someone Emora knew too well.
The Warden's eyes widened. She dropped her sword and froze.
"No...No it can't be...Not again...A third time...Again..."
Emora threw off her helmet and yelled out in emotional agony. The crowd went silent, and the man atop the throne stared at the Warden with a surprised expression.
She ran over to the Samurai's body and recognized the robes. A Nobushi. Emora already knew who it was, but the tears still came.
"Did...Did I do this?! NO! I COULDN'T HAVE!"
She turned Airi's body over. And saw multiple deep slashed across her waist and sides. Her shoulders and chest were seeping with blood from the deep gauges that littered her torso. Her calves were cut; her gut had a deep hole in it that came out of her back.
Emora was shaking. Her mouth was wide open in shock, spit dripped from her bottom lip as she found herself paralyzed.
"T...These are...M-My techniques...My moves...My...Sword..."
The Warden lunged her neck back. She looked toward the sun and closed her eyes tightly. She flexed her arms at her sides and curled her hands into fists.
"AIRI!"
Emora's voice thundered and shook everyone in the stands. She kept yelling, her voice cracking and breaking. Her throat strained as she yelled, every tendon in her neck popped out. Her veins pulsed and throbbed. Her eyes turned teary and red. Her entire face grew red as she exhausted every bit of oxygen into her earth-shattering scream.
The crowd stood up and roared along with the Warden. The man was cackling and laughing hysterically.
"WHY!? WHY DID I DO THIS TO YOU! AIRI, I'M SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME...PLEASE!"
The man grinned. "You killed her because you wanted to win. The influence of victory, the roar of the crowd, the sun on your skin, and the air in your lungs...It yells for you to win."
Emora stared up at the man and realized he was a Gladiator.
"I...I would never hurt Airi...I would never touch her if she didn't want me to...I would never...Ever...Kill her..."
The Gladiator laughed. "Glory. Fame. Honor. You thirst for it. You love it. You want nothing more."
Emora put her hands on both sides of her head; she pushed and tried to crush her own skull.
"Y-You're wrong! YOU'RE WRONG! I DON'T WANT ANY OF THAT SHIT!"
The Gladiator took a step back, insulted. He angered, his face flushed with rage.
"Your emotions blind you! YOU'RE LYING TO YOURSELF!"
The Gladiator threw his trident forward like a spear. It cut through the air at a blinding speed.
Emora watched as the trident pierced through the air.
"No...My emotions may drive me sometimes...But they definitely don't blind me! I follow them with purpose! I follow them because I want to! I want more than glory, fame, and honor...I want MORE!"
"NO YOU DON'T! You're skilled in the art of war...You're a living weapon...Why do you think you're here?! YOU WANT TO KILL FOR SPORT! YOU THIRST FOR BLOOD...YOU LIVE FOR BATTLE! YOU LIVE TO FIGHT!"
"You're wrong! I'm not like that!"
Emora turned to Airi's body, her teeth chattered, her lips quivered, her eyes twitched.
"I want...I want..."
The trident was mere meters away. The Gladiator laughed crazily.
"I WANT AIRI!" Emora cried out as the trident entered her chest.
"Why are you doing this to me? Why do I feel this way? Why do I keep having these nightmares about you? What have you done? What did you do? Why are you making me suffer? I don't want to dream about our reality...I want it to be real."
Emora yelled out in a cluster of emotions as she woke up. Everyone who sat around her jumped in their seats.
"Emora! What's wrong?!" Commander Cinder grabbed onto Emora's arm as she sat up from her bed.
"Emora!" Rose wrapped her arms around the Warden's neck as she woke up.
"Oh my gosh! You're awake! You're alive!" Daisy cried out, she grabbed Emora's face and kissed her on the cheek.
"No...No...Where is she?! WHERE IS SHE!?"
Emora moved to get up from her position, but Cinder pushed her back down.
"Emora no! You can't get up yet! You were literally driven unconscious because you had a sword through your body! You need to take it easy and rest!" He yelled.
Emora shook her head. "I don't care Cinder you don't understand! I need to find her...Where is she?! WHY IS SHE NOT HERE!?"
"WHO?!" Cinder yelled.
"AIRI!" Emora cried into Cinder's face, making him fall quiet.
The desperate Warden jumped out of bed, pushed Cinder, the servants, her doctors, and medics out of her way, and barged out of her room.
"Where is she...Where is she!? WHERE!?"
Emora ran through the entire fortress in only pants and her silk breast cover. Her bare feet kicked up dirt and dust as she sprinted everywhere in the base.
She checked the tavern, the barracks, the blacksmith, the bakery, the farms, the gates, the barn, her living quarters, and even the slaughterhouse and horse stables.
"DAMN IT! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Emora cried out loud.
She spotted a ladder leading up to where the archers would guard up on the walls.
She climbed up and wearily ran on the walls, stepping over arrows, burnt out torches, and bows. She reached the tower that was on the far left corner of the base.
This tower at a view of the beautiful fields of Ashfeld. It looked out onto grasslands that were covered in flowers and trees. You could see a nearby lake and the cliffs that led to a volcano all the way in the far horizon. The far mountains that separated Ashfeld from the Vikings up north.
Emora stumbled up the stairs when she finally had reached the top; she slumped against the edge of the tower.
There stood Airi, leaning against the railing of the tower, looking out onto the distance. Her black hair flowed in the gentle breeze. Her edges flapped over her eyes, her long hair fluttered to the side.
But...Her body was shaking. Her arms were wrapped around herself. She was crying.
Emora panted like a tired dog, she gulped air in through her mouth and struggled to swallow her own saliva. She wearily reached out with her hand.
"A...A-Airi...I...I'm here Airi!"
The Nobushi turned around in shock, her eyes widened as she ran over to the Warden.
"Emora! What are you doing here?! You're supposed to be in bed!" The Nobushi wiped tears from her eyes and sniveled as she held the Warden up right.
"Airi...I'm fine...W-Why are you crying...?"
The Nobushi went silent. She gazed at Emora's face, observing every beautiful detail. Her eyes darted around, tears edging out of her eyes. She looked into the Warden's eyes and began to cry.
She fell into Emora's arms and wrapped her arms around her neck. She nuzzled her face into the Warden's warm neck.
"Airi...What's wrong?" She said softly.
The Nobushi sobbed passionately, she looked up at Emora.
"I...I just started thinking...About how much you've been through...You've fought more people over the past month than you ever have in all your training! You've saved my life countless times...And I have YET to do something in return! It doesn't feel right...And I feel like I'm just...Like I'm just a BURDEN to you!"
The Nobushi pushed Emora away; she walked to the edge of the tower and dug her face into her hands.
The Warden held her bandaged stomach; a cushion made of soft wool was dug into her stab wound, causing her discomfort.
Emora stepped forward. "Airi...I don't think I've ever met someone more wrong in my entire life..."
The Nobushi stopped crying; she turned around, her eyes sparkling.
"You're not a burden...You're not some sort of weight on me! You're not a liability...Or an obstacle that's holding me back." The Warden nodded her head.
Airi stared at Emora, her expression showed pure sadness...But at the same time, it showed trust.
"Airi...I save you...I protect you because...Because..."
"Yes?" Airi said, she took a few steps forward.
Emora looked deep into Airi's eyes. She felt her heart begin to beat faster the more she looked at her.
"I-It's because..."
Airi took more steps forward. She didn't stop looking at her at all. She maintained eye contact as she stood two feet away from the shaking Warden.
"Airi...I've been...I've been dreaming about you..."
Airi shifted, her cheeks turned red with the thought.
"Huh?! N-No not like that! Airi stop it!"
With the mood ruined, Airi broke out laughing; she wiped her tears away and smiled at the Warden.
Emora smiled back, her hazel eyes shining in the moonlight. A cool breeze caused the air of the two Heroes to flow in the wind. The two couldn't, and wouldn't stop looking at one another. Slowly, the smiles on their faces faded away and turned to looks of...Love.
"A-Airi...I don't...I don't know what to—"
The Nobushi skipped forward, she grabbed the hands of the Warden tightly, the soothing feeling of her touch made Airi shudder a bit.
"Emora...Listen to what your heart is telling you...Tell me what it's saying...Tell me what you feel."
The Warden shut her eyes tightly; she backed up against the stone railings of the tower. Airi followed her, still holding onto her hands.
"That's the problem...I don't know what I feel."
Airi moved a bit closer, Emora noticed, but let it happen.
"What were your dreams about...?" She asked.
"About you...About you dying...I can't take any of them...I don't want to see you dead...I don't want to see you get hurt." Emora replied.
"Why do you feel that way? Tell me." Airi urged.
Emora opened her eyes; she looked at Airi's beautiful dark eyes. She zoned out. She felt enamored in the gaze of the Nobushi. Her heartbeat was fast; her body tensed up, her breathing got uneasy.
"A-Airi...I've had them three times now...I came to look for you because I had one a few minutes ago! I pushed everyone out of my way...Just to come and find you!" The Warden cried.
Airi squeezed Emora's hand. "What happened in them?"
"The first one...Was with Mariah killing you...The second...I was invisible. I saw my own dead body...And Leon crushed your skull under his metal heels! It was like...What would've happened if I hadn't won that fight! I knew in my heart that I had to protect you...I wasn't going to let you die, no matter what Airi!"
"I trust you! I trust you with my life Emora! I...I..."
The Warden's heartbeat accelerated more. It was as if her arms had moved on their own. Her hands were gently placed on Airi's hips, right below her waist.
The Nobushi's face grew red, but she looked up at the Warden anyway. She stepped forward, her face mere inches away from Emora's.
"Airi...Why am I having these dreams about you...The third nightmare...It hasn't happened yet. We were in a colosseum...A man with a trident stood atop a throne, a huge crowd surrounding us in an arena. Airi I...I...I fucking..."
"What is it Emora..?" Airi said gently.
"I...I killed you! I just...Murdered you! Why would I dream that! WHY!? TELL ME!?"
Emora yelled into Airi's face, but the Nobushi seemed unfazed. She put her hands up against Emora's chest and pushed her back sharply, shocking the Warden, and quieting her.
"I can't answer that Emora. The only person who can answer that is you. What do you feel about me that you're having these nightmares?"
The Warden's eyes darted around. She breathed quickly, her breaths short and fast. "I...I don't know...But I do know that I would NEVER hurt you! Never...I couldn't bring myself to touch you in a way that would bring you pain."
"I know that. Yesterday...When I saw you standing there...Bloody, battered, half dead...When I saw you fall onto your knees like that...I...I almost couldn't take it Emora! Why'd you fight him...Why'd you fight that Centurion?!"
"Because...He was a piece of shit that's why. He thinks he owned two of the servants all to himself. He abused them, beat them, raped them, and even killed their damn children. All without Cinder knowing that this was going on!"
Airi smiled. "Emora. You have a golden heart."
The Warden went soft, her eyes rested on the Nobushi's face; nothing could tear them away from their gaze.
"I couldn't let that happen to them...I'm changing their lives. I'm teaching them how to read...How to write. I'm going to change the way they live...The way they see life."
Airi looked down, her hands still firmly resting on Emora's chest.
"So...That's why you didn't come yesterday..."
"What are you talking about?"
Airi looked up, meeting the Warden's gaze again.
"I was waiting for you yesterday. I was sure you'd come to see me after you had settled...But you never came. Emora do...Do you know how I felt after not seeing you for even one day? I...I couldn't think straight...And it took me almost forever to finally fall asleep."
Emora was silent.
"I couldn't stop thinking about you!" Airi finished.
Emora's lips quivered. She couldn't say anything.
"Emora...I can't stand it anymore! My emotions are...They're imprisoned in my soul! They want to come out...They want to! I want to tell you how I truly feel about you Emora! I can't hold it all back anymore...I need to tell you, it'll kill me if I don't!"
The Warden pushed the Nobushi away; she was shaking her head in disbelief.
"No, Airi stop it! Just be quiet alright?! Please just stop!" She yelled.
Airi grit her teeth, she sucked in air and exhaled sharply. Tears ran down her face as she began to sob uncontrollably.
"Emora...I can't just throw away what I feel! You have literally saved my life three times, from three different people! You're saying that you would never hurt me, you're saying that you'd never let anyone hurt me, you're saying that you'd never let me die...You're protecting me for a reason Emora, or else...Or else I'd already be dead!"
"DON'T SAY THAT! SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Emora yelled.
"See?! Even bringing up the idea of me being dead rips your thoughts apart!"
"BECAUSE! I...I start to remember the nightmares, Airi..." Emora said desperately.
"You're my guardian angel Emora...You're the one I want to be next to me in battle...The one I want next to me in time of need...The one I want next to me...When I want you to be. I need you Emora..." Airi leaned back and fell against the railing of the tower.
Behind the Nobushi, the sun began to rise.
Emora walked up to the Nobushi and looked down on her.
"Airi...I don't know what my emotions are telling me...The nightmares about you are playing with my mind. You've saved my life as well, so don't think you owe me for something!"
The Nobushi angered. "I've saved you ONCE damn it! I owe all of my existence to you Emora! But I feel more than friendship towards you! Why can't you see that?! Why can't you...Understand that!? WHY CAN'T YOU ACCEPT THAT!?"
Emora clutched her fists and cried out in despair. Airi pressed against the railing, she looked up at the Warden in fear.
"I...I need to go Airi. Good talk."
Airi watched as the Warden went down the stairs, making her way down the tower. She slid down the ladder to the courtyard and disappeared from the Nobushi's view.
Airi let out a painful, hopeless sob. She covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes releasing endless streaks of tears.
"What have I done..."
A month later...
Emora had recovered from her wounds almost entirely. Medics had removed the stitches from her brutal stab wound, and only a scar that would eventually fade from her body had been left.
The Warden had begun to train again, her strength improved, her fighting techniques became more advanced, and her decision making was much better.
Nightmares about Airi had stopped completely, and she had forgotten of what occurred in them. But something was about to remind her of one of them, the nightmare that hadn't occurred yet.
Her worst fear.
The Warden sat at a table with Cinder, Airi, and a few more of her fellow fighters.
A Warden named Cyrus; he had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a good sense of humor. A Centurion named Apollo, who had light brown hair, dark brown eyes, and massive ego that didn't fit his mediocre fighting skills. And finally, a Berserker named Elea, who had dark brown hair, green eyes, and a crazy personality.
"SO! Then I ripped my axe from his neck, kicked him in the balls, and chopped his goddamn head off! Trust me when I say that blood flew everywhere! But holy shit was it fucking epic!" Elea whooped, making everyone at the table laugh.
"In the balls? Poor guy, I thought Lawbringer's had armor everywhere. I mean seriously why can't they have dick protection am I right? I'd PAY to have a metal penis." Cyrus joked, causing Elea to spit her drink out and bust out in laughter.
"Aw, what the fuck! Come on Elea!" Apollo chuckled as he wiped beer from his shirt.
"Shut up before I spit it into your mouth!" Elea said hastily.
"Kinky." Cinder said out loud, once again breaking the table into a fit of vibrant laughter.
"Hey! I didn't know you had jokes Cinder! I thought you were always serious since you're a commander and all." Cyrus took a sip from his mug of rum and grinned.
"Of course I have jokes! Just cause I'm a Commander doesn't mean I can't have fun." Cinder smirked.
As everyone conversed, Airi came back to the table holding a flyer she had found out in the plaza of the Fort. It had been posted by merchants who come to trade and advertise with the marketmen in the base.
"Hey guys, take a look at this." She said as she placed the flyer on the table.
"Heyyy! Airi's finally back! I thought you got lost in the courtyard." Cyrus snickered.
"Yeah take a look Emora, get your girl!" Apollo teased, making Airi flush red.
"Shut up Apollo, I'll knock your damn block off!" Emora snapped, she brushed hair out of her face and huffed in embarrassment.
"Hm. A fighting tournament being held by Jacques Pierre! Holy shit that's fucking awesome!" Elea hollered.
"Jacques Pierre. Where have I heard that name before?" Cinder rubbed his chin.
"The best-known Gladiator in all of Ashfeld dumbass. He hasn't lost a fight in over 10 years, and no one wants to fuck with him. He's never been denied of something he wants, and he has absolutely no challengers. Shit, even I wouldn't try to fight him." Apollo explained.
"You say that like you're a good fighter!" Cyrus laughed.
"Shut the hell up you little bitch! Like you can beat me in a fight!" Apollo snapped back.
"Oh, guys! It says that it's a full-scale tournament! Fighters from the Myre and Valkenheim are invited! They don't have to belong to a Legion from Ashfeld! That's pretty damn nice of him."
"Yeah, it is. That means that tons of new fighting styles and techniques are going to be used by the fighters there." Emora brought up.
"According to him, it's an event to try and ease up some tension between the factions. No fighters will actually be killed, and there can only be one winner. It'll be held at The Colosseum." Elea finished.
"Sounds like fun. Hey, we should enter!" Cyrus stood up from the table.
"Fuck it, I'll come. I feel like kicking some ass anyway!" Elea clenched her fist and smirked.
"I'll go too I guess, although I'll probably win. All of you amateurs are complete garbage at fighting." Apollo put his hands on his hips and grinned.
"I'll pass. I got stuff to do back here in the Fort. Get some for me alright?" Cinder finished his beer, said his goodbye's and exited the tavern.
Cyrus, Elea, and Apollo turned to Emora and Airi.
"So, are you two gonna come?" Elea asked.
"Yeah you guys should come, it'd be fun!" Apollo encouraged.
"Come on Emora, you're a mighty fine fighter and you know that yourself. Show off your skills! Who knows, you could win!" Cyrus smiled.
"Tsk! She isn't a good fighter! I can push her shit in at any time in any day of the week." Apollo crossed his arms.
Emora scoffed and laughed loudly. "You wish Apollo. You'll be knocked out cold before you can even lay a finger on me!"
Airi shook her head and giggled. "I'll come, why not?"
Emora glanced at the Nobushi, who met her eyes almost instantly. The Warden quickly looked away and bit her lip.
"Alright, I'll go."
As the Heroes mounted horses, each grabbed a flyer with the map to the Colosseum, and rode out of the front gate, Emora grew nervous.
"A colosseum. A Gladiator. No...No it isn't possible."
"EMORA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING YA FUCKING IDIOT!?" Cyrus' voice rang into her ear; he laughed as everyone turned onto a left trail across a field.
"SHIT!" Emora's horse skid to a stop, and kicked up dust as it turned to run onto the other trail.
"My dream...No. It won't happen. No one can die. She probably won't even get to the finals. She'll be fine. She won't get hurt...I won't hurt her..."
At the Colosseum...
The five Heroes arrived at the stadium, and the roar of the crowd could already be heard. They walked through the front entrance and revealed that they weren't spectators, but volunteers to participate.
"Alright! Jacques will meet with you himself in the preparation room. The preliminary rounds will begin shortly." A man at the payment stands smiled.
"Alright. Thank you." Emora said politely. She led the way into a corridor separate from the spectator pathways and arrived at a preparation room that was full of all types of fighters, everyone with different weapons and armor.
"Ah! More contestants! Romeo!"
A guard ran into the room shortly after the call. "Yes, sir?"
"Tell the entry stand to deny any more Heroes! We're all filled up!" Jacques said cheerfully.
"Very well sir."
The guard turned around and walked out of the room. Jacques turned to face the group of fighters.
"Ah! You all seem like fine warriors! What are your names?"
"Cyrus Isola!"
"Apollo Stone."
"Elea Dormor."
"Emora Ryon."
"Airi Hakushi."
Jacques wrote down all the names on a piece of paper with a large plume.
"Perfect! We now have a total of 30 fighters! You guys got lucky; we had exactly five slots left." Jacques smiled.
"Mhm...What do we do now?" Emora asked.
"You will stay here until introductions are over, the rules are announced, and of course...Once I have made my appearance atop my throne!" Jacques said with pride.
Emora felt her chest pulse with pain, she felt a shortage of air in her lungs, and her entire body went stiff.
"Cuh! O-Oh my god...Gh.."
Jacques and the four other Heroes quickly crowded her, all the other fighters in the room looked over in the direction of the sudden event.
"Oh my lord! Are you okay? What's wrong?" Jacques asked.
"Emora you alright? What's up with you?" Cyrus patted Emora on the back.
"Breathe Emora, what's going on?" Apollo assured.
"Calm down Emora, we're all nervous but you need to relax!" Elea said firmly.
"Emora? What's happening to you? Are you feeling sick or anything?" Airi asked, her voice full of concern.
The Warden held her chest as she took in deep breaths.
"I-I'm fine! Everyone give me some space damn it!"
Everyone backed away from the Warden as commanded.
"Uh...Damn it..." She placed her hands on her kneecaps; she shook her head and fixed her hair as she stood up straight.
"S-Sorry about that...I...I just remembered something I—"
Emora's eyes landed on Airi, who had a concerned look on her face. Images of her dead body flashed through the Warden's head, making her gasp and begin to cry.
"Emora what's wrong?!" Cyrus quickly wrapped his arms around his fellow Warden and close friend to comfort her.
"God...Damn it...Fuck! This can't be happening!" Emora cried. By now, all the warriors in the room were unsure about how they would act if they were put up against the Warden.
"Well...We can't be late for the opening ceremony. You four focus on calming her down and getting her ready to fight out there. I need to go. Good luck to everyone!"
With that, Jacques exited the room, leaving only the 30 warriors in the room with their weapons. They all watched as Emora broke free from her friends, slowly walked over to a bench in the corner of the room, and dug her face in her hands.
"What's up with her?" An Orochi said.
"There's something wrong with her." A Shugoki shook his head.
"She shouldn't fight in that state of hers." A Warlord grunted.
"Should we tell a referee to disqualify her?" A Valkyrie asked around.
"I don't even want to fight her anymore." A Peacekeeper scoffed.
Cyrus, Apollo, Elea, and Airi stood idle, all hearing what the other Heroes were mumbling.
"Damn it Emora...Way to make us look bad." Apollo scoffed.
"For real. I like making a good entrance, but crying is not a good first impression." Elea facepalmed.
"Oh well...She's quiet now. Just let her be." Cyrus crossed his arms.
Airi said nothing; she only looked straight at Emora with worried eyes. She clutched her fists, remembering the situation with her up on the tower of home base.
"Emora...Your dream...Is it real? A...Are you going to kill me today?"
A short amount of time later...
The 30 fighters were moved to their own private stands where they could watch the matches. They watched the introductions, the rule explanations, and Jacques' explosive appearance, with catapults being launched over the Colosseum sky at the moment of his arrival.
Finally, the time came for the first fighters. Guards came to call in the two contestants from the private stands, and they were each escorted into fighting chambers on either side of the arena.
After a few minutes of build-up, Jacques finally blew a horn loudly to silence the crowd.
"Our first contestants! Please welcome to the arena...Amari Kyushu...and Bjarke Asmund!"
Emora watched anxiously as an Orochi walked out from the large metal gates at one side of the Arena. She bowed lightly, and the entire crowd roared out in excitement. On the other side, a powerful Raider walked out. He yelled out in power, making the crowd go wild along with him.
The fighters in the stand watched as the fighters were introduced, and the referees started the fight. The stands roared and bellowed when one of the fighters landed a solid hit.
"Ooooh!" They howled.
"Ahhh!" They hissed.
"OHHH!" They hollered.
The match ended in the victory of the swift Orochi. The two shook hands, and the Orochi would move up the brackets and wait for other preliminary fights to take place. The winners of those matches would fight, and the losers of each fight would fight. Winner and Loser brackets would roll out to determine the place of each fighter.
Cyrus was put up against a Lawbringer. He kicked him in the crotch and won the fight with a swift pommel strike.
"HEY! THAT'S MY MOVE!" Elea bellowed, she laughed in amusement.
"THANKS FOR THE IDEA!" Cyrus grinned.
Apollo fought a Kensei. He surprisingly won, bringing out impressment from everyone.
"NOT BAD APOLLO! NOT BAD!" Airi yelled.
"TOLD YA!" Apollo rose a thumbs-up in the air.
Elea was placed up against an Aramusha. After swiftly sending him onto his feet, and stomping on his stomach, she won the match and brushed dust off of her shoulders, she turned to the private stands.
"TOO EASY!" She laughed.
"THAT'S OUR ELEA!" Apollo cheered.
Emora watched anxiously as Airi fought a Shugoki. An opponent much bigger than her, but also a lot slower.
Without taking any damage, Airi kicked the Shugoki in the thigh, making him crouch down, and then delivered a strong kick to his face, sending him on his back swiftly.
"YEAAH!" Cyrus cheered.
"It's all over! Airi Hakushi wins!" The referee waved a red flag in the air.
"Whew...Nice work Airi..."
Emora's heart raced as she walked out of her metal gate and out onto the Arena. She crowd cheered loudly, and the Warden felt hyped and powered up.
She smiled underneath as she twirled around, stopped, spread her arms out, and bowed smoothly.
"Oooh! CLASSY!" Elea whooped.
"HELL YEAH EMORA!" Apollo yelled.
"HOOORAH!" Cyrus cheered.
"Hm..." Airi leaned on her hand, her elbow resting on her knee. She sighed dreamily and smiled lovingly.
"HUAH!"
Emora parried a top heavy from her opponent, who was a Shinobi. He backflipped, dashed to the left, disappeared behind smoke, and appeared behind the Warden with his leg in the air.
"NGH!" Emora stepped to the side and moved her head out of the way, dodging the kick. She grabbed the ninja by the throat, lifted him up into the air, and slammed him down onto the ground.
"HUUURGH!" He grunted out as he crashed down. Emora held him down using her elbow. The Shinobi couldn't get up. The referee's counted to five and ended the match.
"EMORA RYON WINS! GIVE IT UP FOR HER!"
The crowd loved her; they roared out in enthusiasm, they chanted her likable last name.
"RYON! RYON! RYON! RYOONN!"
Emora bathed in the glory of victory. She turned and helped the Shinobi back onto his feet. He shook his hand and nodded her head.
"HUUAAHHH!" She yelled out, raising her sword in the air. The sun struck the clean blade; it shined in the sun, creating a strong white reflection. A white flash sparked in the eyes of every spectator. They all went wild, admiring the glowing blade of the Warden now known as Emora Ryon.
Airi watched closely with slightly wide lips. She gazed at the Warden, proudly raising her sword into the air.
"Wow...You've never shown me this side of you...I guess there's still a lot I don't know about you."
As the hours went by, more matches were played; more rounds were fought, more loses and wins emerged. Apollo lost to a crazy Shaman, who was somehow allowed into the tournament. Cyrus barely lost to a Kensei, whose mix-ups and combo breakers were astonishing and hard to counter.
Elea lost to a Warlord, who was too defensive for her to attack. With his defense being the best offense, he defeated her. Airi and Emora kept going through, making their way up the brackets further and further.
Emora beat a Raider with ease.
"HOORAH!"
Airi beat the Shaman that defeated Apollo.
"GIVE HER WHAT SHE DESERVES!"
Emora barely beat the Kensei who beat Cyrus, although suffering a good amount of damage.
"WOOO! NICE! HARD AIN'T SHE?!"
Airi's light attacks were too fast for the Warlord to block. She won the match after far too much staring.
"BLASTED SHIELD AM I RIGHT?! SERVES HIM RIGHT FOR HIDING BEHIND THAT DAMN THING!"
It was nearing the very final matches. 8 final fighters entered the pre-finals.
"Alva Jarler...Facing...Saito Hashimoto!"
The Valkyrie named Alva managed to sweep the large Shugoki named Saito off of his feet and stab him in his ass, winning the match. 7 fighters left.
"Arnon Baker...Facing...Medina Mosque!"
The swift Peacekeeper named Medina managed to pummel the rough Conqueror known as Arnon with her fast cuts, winning the match. 6 fighters left.
"Emora Ryon...Facing...Matsui Takada!"
The valiant Warden, Emora, sharply countered and punished Matsui's every move, defeating the once legendary Orochi. 5 fighters left.
"Rangvaldr Sjell...Facing...Airi Hakushi!"
The agile and nimble Nobushi, Airi, with her quick and irritating pricks and stabs, managed to debilitate and defeat the formerly powerful Highlander. 4 fighters left.
With only two matches of 2V2's left in the tournament. Emora grew extremely scared.
"Airi...Don't be put up against me...Please..."
"Emora Ryon...Facing..."
The Warden grit her teeth, shut her eyes, and squeezed her fists.
"Alva Jarler!"
"The Valkyrie...Okay then."
"HRGH!"
The Valkyrie violently smashed her shield into Emora's skull, sending her staggering sideways, stunned. Alva jumped up, her spear raised.
Emora got into position; she used her hilt and pommel to parry the lunge attack and then deflected her spear upwards.
"AUUHGH!" Alva gut out as Emora kicked her in the gut. She doubled over, spitting out saliva. The Warden quickly struck her with an attack on her neck, and finally delivered a strong backhand attack with her armored knuckles.
"DAGH!" The Valkyrie cried out as her final conscious words. She fell onto her side, knocked out cold.
The crowd once again roared for Emora. She walked off the battlefield to watch Airi fight.
She watched as the Nobushi kicked, stabbed, pushed, pricked, slashed, and cut Medina repeatedly. Her constant attacks prevented the Peacekeeper from being able to attack with a proper combo; excluding some dash stabs and bleed thrusts.
She won.
"Give it up for Airi Hakushi!"
The crowd roared for the Nobushi, who bowed lightly in humble appreciation.
Emora rushed to the water room and threw up. She felt like she was completely unable to breathe.
"NO! IT CAN'T BE...I'M FIGHTING HER! No...No I have to surrender! I'll forfeit! That's what I'll do!"
Emora rushed to tell one of Jacques' guards.
"Please, sir! I want to forfeit from his last match! You must tell Jacques!"
The guard looked at Emora with a confused face. "As you wish Ms. Ryon."
A few minutes later, the guard returned.
"I am sorry Ms. Ryon, but Jacques said that the fight must take place. The crowd will be severely displeased if the final championship fight does not occur. It will shower him in a negative light, and ruin his good reputation if his tournament does not end with this climactic fight."
Emora clutched her fists in anger.
"TELL HIM I DON'T CARE! I CAN'T DO THIS NEXT FIGHT! YOU HAVE TO TELL HIM THAT I WON'T DO IT!"
"Jacques has given his answer. You must report to the fighting rooms. Your match is about to begin."
Emora staggered back, her head ached, her heart raced, her chest hurt, her throat felt tight, her stomach churned.
"No...No...No...No. No! No! NO! NO! NOO!"
Emora fell to her knees; she tugged on her own hair. She heard as the crowd outside began to chant her name.
"Ryon! Ryon! Ryon! Ryon! Ryon!"
"Tch...Ugh—I...I can just let her win! Yes, that's it! I'll let her win...I'll fight so badly I won't have to lay a finger on her! Yes!"
Emora sprinted into her preparation room and awaited her introduction.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! I'd like to firstly thank you all for coming in today for my tournament! The fights we've seen are fights to remember! The sport of martial arts is truly a special one, and it is good to see it used for other means besides bloodshed and war, and instead use it to provide solid entertainment, and friendly competition!"
The crowd cheered to show their agreement.
"Now. What you've all been waiting for. The FINAL fight of this tournament. At the final championship match, the deciding fight for the VICTOR...Of this tournament..."
The crowd went silent.
"Will now..."
No noise could be heard. Airi took a deep breath. Emora clutched her fist.
"BEGIN!"
The crowd blew up in cheers and yells. The sound so loud that Emora had to cover her ears.
"I welcome our final two contestants! Airi Hakushi...And Emora...RYON!"
The sun shined in Emora's face as let the gates open. She stepped out onto the Arena with her arm over her eyes. She smiled at the crowd and raised her sword in the air. Airi bowed and raised her fist.
The two friends faced each other, both with stern faces.
The crowd was ecstatic for the fight to begin. The mass of people on the stands chanted the names of the fighter they favored.
"AIRI! AIRI! AIRI!"
"RYON! RYON! RYON!"
But this time...Something new happened. Something that didn't happen for any of the fights at all.
Jacques blew his horn, silencing the crowd. Emora, Airi, and all the spectators turned to the Jacques up on this throne.
"I have received notice...That Emora Ryon, and Airi Hakushi; both represent the mighty Azure Legion!"
Everyone remained silent.
"The Azure Legion's dominance over The Elio Legion is known throughout the land! And these two just so happen to be responsible for the recent battles at Citadel Gate!"
The crowd "Ooh'd".
"They also happen to be responsible...For the murder of my beloved sister. Mariah Pierre."
The crowd let out a simultaneous gasp.
"W-What?! Mariah was his sister?!" Emora thought.
"It's a small world..." Airi shuddered.
"Her Legion saw that...One of their best Peacekeeper was missing. They sent out scouts, and they found my dear sister's dead body in the middle of a path, decomposed, rotting, and hideous. Her body was covered in deep wounds, her face broken, her neck...Snapped."
"H-How did you find out?!" Emora shouted.
Jacques looked at the Warden angrily.
"That convoy of supplies you took from Citadel Gate. One of the soldiers you thought was yours was, in reality, a spy for the Elio Legion. They saw my sister's lifeless body, and knew that it was YOU two who killed her!" He yelled, a hurt in his voice.
Emora's lips quivered. She put her head down in shame.
"Jacques I...I'm sorry..."
The Gladiator clutched his fists. He looked away from the Warden and shut his eyes tightly. He began to quietly cry, mourning the loss of his sister.
"D-Damn you, Ryon...Today was a good day. The factions united, a ton of amazing fights, and a good show of our warrior's martial art skills...But..."
Emora took a step back, her heart pumping loudly.
The Gladiator wiped tears from his eyes, his expression changed from one of sadness and sorrow to one of intimidation and exasperation.
"But now you've ruined everything. And killed my mood."
Emora clutched her sword, the crowd bustled with murmurs.
Jacques stood from his throne. He pointed his trident forward.
"You two...I know that you're close. The Elio Legion's spy told me that. You care deeply for one another, correct?"
Airi and Emora exchanged looks, and awkwardly looked away afterward.
"Y-Yes we do! Why do you ask?" Airi shouted.
Jacques chuckled; he nodded his head slowly as he came up with his dramatic finale.
"Very well then. For this final fight, a rule is changed. You two!"
He pointed at both Emora and Airi.
"Must fight...To the death."
The crowd broke out in surprise and shock.
"W-What?! To the death!?" Apollo yelled.
"No way! They won't lay a finger on each other!" Cyrus shouted.
"That's bullshit! You can't just do that!" Elea screeched.
Emora looked at Airi, her eyes full of fear. Airi looked back, horrified.
"YES! TO THE DEATH!"
Emora shook her head. "NO! I WON'T DO IT!"
Airi stayed silent.
Emora opened her visor and looked up at Jacques.
"I WON'T FIGHT HER! NEVER!"
Jacques angered. The crowd went silent.
"What did you just say?"
Emora repeated herself.
"I said...I won't do it! You can't make me!"
Jacques glared at Emora.
"Do it...Or I'll just kill you both." He growled.
Emora took a few steps back, she was shaking. She turned to Airi.
"I won't do it...I won't fight you..."
Airi looked down at the ground, her hat covering her eyes.
She remembered the encounter up at the tower, she remembered how Emora yelled at her, she remembered how she tried to confess her true feelings, and she remembered how Emora left her. Abandoned her atop the tower, left her alone, crying, sobbing...
Heartbroken.
The Nobushi looked up; her eyes were full of tears. She sniffed as she slowly put on her mask.
"No...Airi, please...Please don't...No!"
As Airi's face became a still mask with angry eye holes, no mouth, and a beautiful design painted on it...The Nobushi slowly got into a battle stance.
"She...She'll win...I know she will..." Airi said to herself.
"Airi stop it! STOP!" Emora shouted.
Jacques laughed as he sat back down on his throne, the crowd cheering once again.
"I...I can't live...I don't want to live...Not without her affection...Without her love..."
The Nobushi took a step forward. Emora yelled out more and stepped away.
"I won't allow myself to live with the fact...The fact that she doesn't..."
"AIRI! STOP IT! LISTEN TO ME!" Emora cried.
The Nobushi didn't listen. She stopped and closed her eyes behind her mask, her tears hidden.
"The fact that...That she doesn't...Love me..."
Airi grit her teeth, she released a loud cry as she swung her staff at Emora.
"HUH?!"
The Warden barely moved her sword in the way to block the attack. A loud clang went off that triggered the audience to yell out in excitement.
"Airi!? What are you doing?!" Emora cried. She threw off her helmet entirely so that the Nobushi could see her entire face.
"Fight me Emora!" She yelled back. She swung her staff again, but Emora blocked the attack.
"I won't fight you! I won't hurt you at all do you hear me!? I can't...I just CAN'T!" The Warden cried out.
"I don't care! Shut up and...HIT ME!"
Airi dashed to the right, crouched, and attempted to stab Emora in the ribs, only to get blocked. She then dashed to the left and swung her staff at the same time. Emora blocked again.
"HRAH!" Airi yelled out as she threw a back kick.
"Woah!" Emora yelped as she matrixed the kick.
Airi followed up with another kick, but it missed. She threw a third faster one, which still missed. She swiped the air above Emora's head with her blade, and then came down with a top heavy. Both attacks missed.
"HAH!"
Airi swung her staff upwards, forcing Emora to block the hit with her sword.
The Nobushi stared at Emora's face the entire fight. She repeatedly and tirelessly threw attacks, kicks, punches, cuffs, and slams.
Emora blocked and dodged every move.
"STOP IT! STOP AVOIDING MY ATTACKS!" Airi shrieked. She threw a side heavy, which Emora ducked under. She flew up and air-kicked, which Emora side-stepped. She followed up with a top-heavy, which was also sidestepped. She tried to upper-slash, but it was blocked.
Emora danced around her. Airi threw her fist forward in a fast punch. Emora moved her head out of the way, swiftly dodging the strike. Airi twirled around and poured all her strength into a super-heavy attack.
"Hgh!" Emora grunted as she parried the attack, breaking Airi's stamina.
The Nobushi staggered back, panting.
"S-Stop it! Emora stop! Stop dodging! Stop blocking! Fight me, please! Please KILL ME!"
Airi slowly raised her staff. She wearily brought it down, and Emora easily parried the attack.
"Hrgh!" Emora moved forward, caught Airi's forearm, and pulled her in for a hug.
The crowd roared in excitement.
"Stop it Airi! Stop! For fucks sake, you have to understand that I won't fight you! I WON'T KILL YOU!"
Airi cried loudly, she thrust her fist forward, striking Emora in the ribcage.
"Ggh! S-Stop!" The Warden cried. She held onto Airi tightly.
Again, the Nobushi thrust her fist into Emora's body, trying to get her to let go.
"Hgh! Rgh! Guh! Agh! Grgh! Ngh! Ragh!"
With every punch, Emora cried out in pain. But she still held on.
"Let..."
Airi reeled her fist back.
"GOOOO!"
She plunged it forth, striking Emora in the liver.
"GUUURGHAAAH!" The Warden let go and fell to her knees. She bent down, holding her stomach.
"EMORA!" Airi cried out as she slashed her staff towards her face.
With the swift sound of a knife cutting through flesh, and a streak of blood, and a short yelp, Emora fell on her side.
Airi stood still, sobbing breathlessly. "Emora..."
The Warden's body twitched. She placed her arm underneath herself and pushed up. She looked up at Airi, her face with a bloody cut going from her left cheek, across to her right eyebrow.
"E-Emora..." The Nobushi sobbed.
She stood up straight. She held her longsword tightly, but not offensively.
"I...Won't...Fight...You..."
Emora charged forward, Airi yelled out as she swung her staff. She gasped as Emora blocked the attack using her forearm, smacked the staff out of her hand, and reached for her face.
"AIRI! GH!"
Emora tore off the Nobushi's mask, exposing her crying, downcast face.
"NO!"
Airi began to throw punches. Emora blocked, dodged, and knocked every attack away.
"RAGH!"
"STOP!"
Emora caught Airi's fist and thrust her arm back. The Nobushi staggered back, holding her shoulder.
"Emora...Stop it..."
The Warden looked Airi straight in the eyes.
"I'm sorry."
Airi's heart stopped. Her jaw trembled rapidly. Her entire body was shaking. Her eyes were wide open. Her mouth was agape.
With a long, loud, dejected, desperate sob. Airi fell forward into Emora's arms. She fell to her knees; Emora followed her and kneeled down to hold her.
"Airi...I'm sorry..."
The Nobushi couldn't speak. She only cried.
"I know how you feel about me...I know what you've been wanting to officially confess to me..."
Airi shook her head and tightened her grip around Emora's body.
"But...Now I think...I understand how I feel about you."
Airi stopped crying. Her eyes opened wide, and her lips only quivered slightly. She pulled back and faced Emora face to face. Meeting with her golden eyes.
"Airi...I don't know why it took me so long...The reason why I had those nightmares...Why I care about you so much...Why I can't bring myself to harm you...Why I want to protect you...I realize it now."
Airi felt as Emora slowly grabbed ahold of her hand. Her powerful gauntlet held onto the Nobushi's hand, who only wore fingerless gloves.
"It's because...It's because I—"
"What is this shit?! I TOLD YOU TWO TO FIGHT!" Jacques stood up from his throne and glared down at the scene.
Emora and Airi both turned to the Gladiator, their expressions filled with fury.
"You..." Airi growled.
"You tried to make me hurt her...You actually pit her against me! It's like you're asking to die!" Emora yelled.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Jacques roared.
"I SAID IT'S LIKE YOU'RE ASKING TO DIE!" Emora thundered.
"Why you...I...I'VE HAD ABSOLUTELY ENOUGH!"
The crowd went silent as Jacques put on his helmet, and charged down from his throne.
Emora quickly slid on her helmet and shut the visor over her face. Airi placed her mask on her face and got into position.
"RAAGH!"
Jacques jumped forward and smashed his buckler into Emora's head. He turned to Airi and thrust his trident forward.
Airi parried the attack and kicked his knee back. She landed an upper-slash across his waist and a quick light attack on his collarbones.
"HPHAH!" He yelled out as he recovered. He turned around and blocked an attack from Emora, then plunged his spear into her stomach.
He spun around, smacking Airi with his buckler, and slashed her side with his trident. He quickly launched his trident into her stomach and exerted pressure.
"AAAGHH!" Airi cried out. Jacques spun the Nobushi behind him and ripped his trident out from her body. Airi collided with Emora, giving the Gladiator another chance to attack.
He dove forward, struck Airi with a top smash attack, and turned to Emora to hit her with a slash to her head. He swept his leg behind him, tripping Airi, and making her fall on her back.
"You're done for!" He raised his trident in the air, but before he knew it, he was stumbling forward.
Emora half-sworded her blade into Jacques' stomach, ripped it out, and backhanded him harshly. The Warden tried to cut the Gladiator's legs, but he was too fast. He uppercut her with his buckler and went in for a top heavy.
"UAGH!" Emora parried the attack and returned with two quick slashes to Jacques' torso. She chained a side heavy, faked it, and gut-punched the Gladiator instead.
"GRUUUGLGHH!" He cried out.
"TAKE THIS!"
Emora smashed the back of his with her hilt, causing him to fall onto all fours. She kicked him savagely, sending him rolling onto his side. Emora raised her sword and brought it down in the form of a strong top heavy that connected with his ribcage.
"GAAAHH!" He cried out.
He saw Airi lift her staff into the air as well. He got up, blocked the attack, and swung his trident, striking her in the waist. He jumped up, punched the Nobushi, and stabbed his trident down on her foot.
"AAHH!" Airi cried out. The trident made it through her tough boots and made contact with her foot.
Jacques turned to parry an attack from Emora, he went to stab her foot, but Emora lifted her leg up and kicked the Gladiator in his no-no-square.
"GAHOOOOOHH! GH—AAGHHHHH..."
"Hmph. Thanks, Elea." Emora thought as she sent the Gladiator onto his back with a huge upper-slash.
"You FOOL!"
She brought her sword down on the Gladiator's chest. Bloodshot out of his body, along with a horrible yell of pain.
As he got back up, Emora whipped her sword to the left, striking Jacques' buckler, and sending him staggering to the side from the force. Airi went in to attack, but the Gladiator blocked the attack, and gut-punched the Nobushi.
"GLUUGH!" She cried out. Jacques stabbed Airi with his trident right in her chest. He pushed her back and turned around to see Emora charging forward with a shoulder charge.
"COME HERE!"
He grabbed Emora's arm, thrust it upwards, and kicked her left leg, forcing her onto one knee. With all his strength, he tugged on Emora's arm and threw her upwards.
"GRAAH!" The Warden cried as she lifted up into the air. She tried to catch herself, but she landed awkwardly on her ankle. She fell back and crashed into Airi.
"WEAKLINGS!"
The Gladiator thrust his leg forward. Using his spiked heels, he kicked Emora in the stomach, the shockwave made Airi gut out with saliva. He then leaped forward and struck Emora in the neck with his shaft.
"Get the FUCK out of my way!
Jacques fiercely launched Emora to the side; she staggered back, gasping for breath. The turned to Airi and thrust his trident deep into her abdomen. The Nobushi cried out in pain, blood leaked from her mask.
"DROWN IN YOUR OWN BLOOD!"
Jacques harshly punched Airi in her throat with his buckler. She stumbled back, choking and coughing. The Gladiator swept low and sent the Nobushi on her back.
"AUGH!" She cried as she hit the hard floor.
"DIEE!" The Gladiator brought down his trident. But it got caught when the Nobushi blocked the strike with her staff's shaft.
"GHAAAAAAAHH!" Jacques battle-cried as he pushed down.
"HHNGH—AAHHGGHH!" Airi yelled back as she pushed upwards.
The Nobushi managed to win and pushed Jacques' trident off of her. He stumbled back, panicked.
"Damn it! FUCK!"
He blocked attacks from both Emora and Airi. He kneecapped the Nobushi, punched Emora, backhanded Airi back, and rammed Emora back.
He threw a bola at the Warden's neck.
"GAAH—GLUUGH—AAGHHH—AIRI! I CAN'T—BREATHE!"
The Warden fell onto her knees, the bola wrapped around her neck.
"EMORA! NO!" Airi cried. She ran over to the Warden and tried to release her from the grasp on the bola.
Jacques jumped forward; Airi turned around and yelled out in fear. Emora fiercely tugged on the bola, trying to get free.
Airi and Jacques traded blows; they struck and blocked each other's attacks endlessly.
The Nobushi deflected the Gladiator's trident, got up behind him, and wrapped her arm around his neck. She began to strangle the Gladiator with all her strength.
"GHAH—GRUUHAH! GET OFF!"
Jacques reeled his arm forward and plunged his elbow into Airi's stomach.
"RUUUHAAHH!" Blood erupted and poured out the Nobushi's mouth, knocking her mask off.
The Gladiator grabbed Airi's neck and threw her over his shoulder. He raised his foot and laughed.
Images of Leon shattering Airi's skull with his stomp attack flashed through Emora's head. Her eyes dilated, and her pupils became small as she lost her mind.
"GUURAAHHHGHGH!"
The furious Warden broke the chain bola with pure strength. She charged forward and rammed into the Gladiator, knocking him to the ground. He rolled and quickly recovered. He jumped forth and began to attack Emora, giving Airi time to recover.
"Fuck off, you piece of shit!"
Jacques crashed his head into Emora's. Their two steel helmets vibrated with the impact, stunning both of them. Emora staggered backward, crying as she held her head.
Airi charged forward, she swung her staff at a shocking speed. The Gladiator lashed out in pain as the Nobushi slashed his arm and chest. He angrily delivered a crushing left hook, cocking Airi's head to the right.
He then catapulted his fist deep into Airi's gut, performing a clean kidney jab. Blood flew from Airi's mouth as she coughed in agony. Jacques put his hands together and bashed his combined fists onto Airi's head.
"AAAHHHGHH!" She cried out as she fell onto her knees and dropped her staff.
"GHRAH!"
Jacques then shot his steel kneecap into Airi's face. Blood splattered onto the ground, and Airi's face streamed with her sparkling blood. She fell onto her back, nearly limp.
The furious Gladiator jumped on Airi, he held her down as he began to punch her repeatedly. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven...
Suddenly, Jacques' skin tingled. He felt a presence behind him. A dominating presence.
"GET OFF OF HER!"
Emora dug her heel into the ground, she flexed her entire body, she stomped her foot down in front of her, she crouched down low, and grit her teeth in a deep rage.
"NON-RAPIET TE LANIENT!" The angry Warden ferociously struck the Gladiator's body with a full-fledged, stone shattering shoulder charge.
Jacques' cried out in utter, pure agony. The audience released a loud cheer as he fell onto the ground, groaning. His body was tingling, sparking, shaking with the impact and caliber of the blow.
"GAH—WHAT THE HELL—W-WHY AM I...LOSING?!" Jacques choked; the words came out his mouth with a strained tone.
Emora helped Airi stand up; she wiped blood from her face and picked up her staff.
Jacques slowly stood up; he watched Airi and Emora hold each other, staring into each other's eyes.
"You two...Your public shows of affection at my tournament fill me with unmatched anger..."
Emora and Airi glared angrily at the Gladiator.
Jacques turned around, looking at his guards.
"RELEASE THE CATAPULTS! RELEASE THEM NOW!'
"Wait, what?!" Emora cried out.
"What are you doing?!" Airi squealed.
Jacques's guards nodded their heads. The audience could hear the large catapults be loaded up.
"I'm going to kill both of you...I'll do whatever it takes! I SWEAR IT!"
Jacques leaped forward with renowned strength. He thrust his trident into Emora's arm, and slashed to the left, striking Airi in her side.
He hit the Nobushi with the blunt end of his trident right in the gut. She doubled over as spit fired from her mouth.
Jacques turned to Emora and threw his buckler. It clanged into her head, knocking her head back, and completely disorienting her.
"YES! FIRE THEM NOW!"
Jacques raised his hands in the air. Loud horns rang through the air as three fiery balls of death launched through the air.
"HOLY SHIT!" Cyrus yelled out.
"GET OUT OF THERE, NOW!" Apollo thundered.
"RUN! RUN!" Elea cried out.
The audience screamed in fear as the catapults curved and headed straight towards the ground.
Jacques laughed as he stood with his arms out.
One of the projectiles struck behind him. A large explosion erupted from behind him. He cackled as the heat from the explosion made his armor glow. He bathed in the epicness of the moment.
The projectile aimed to hit Emora plummeted towards the ground.
The Warden looked up, her life flashing before her eyes. Her golden eyes sparkled in the fire from the flaming sphere that would end her life.
"N-NO! I'm...I'M NOT DYING TODAY! NOT NOWW!"
Emora threw off her helmet; she leaped onto her feet and sprinted to the right. She spotted the third and last projectile head straight into the area the Airi was standing in.
"NO! AIRI!"
A loud explosion knocked the Warden off her feet. The impact made the ground shake. She fell onto her stomach, dirt, sand, and debris fell all over Emora. She coughed and wheezed as she looked behind her to see a large hole in the ground.
"Fuck...A-AIRI!"
The used all of her strength to sprint forward, her legs stomped against the ground, she strode forward as fast as her body could move.
"AIRI! MOVE!"
Emora charged into the paralyzed Nobushi. She wrapped her arms around her and used all the power in her calves and legs to launch herself forward.
"EMORA!" Airi cried out.
"GET DOWN!"
The two heroes fell on each other. The projectile landed a few feet away. The fire and heat from the explosion expanded. Hot air lifted both Airi and Emora into the air; fire charred and burned their clothes and armor.
Both of them rolled to a stop. With their bodies completely limp, they lay not too far away from one another, sprawled out onto the ground.
Jacques laughed maniacally. He stomped on the ground and pounded his chest. He yelled out in victory, the crowd around him roaring and bellowing in excitement.
"Emora...Can you hear me...?"
Her voice was faint. The Warden slowly opened her eyes. They stung with ash, her breathing was raspy, and her body ached all over.
Emora looked to her left, where she spotted Airi. Her face was dirty, her clothes torn, her hair messy, and the places on her body where her clothes were torn were red with burns.
The Nobushi reached out with her hand, her gloves were tattered and burned.
Emora moaned as she moved her arm. Her gauntlet was loose, and her shoulder pad was blown off.
She grasped Airi's hand tightly. The two stared at each other, as they slowly moved towards each other.
"Airi..." The Warden whispered as she grabbed onto Airi's arm.
"Emora..." The Nobushi whimpered as she held onto Emora's shoulder.
The two wearily stood up, they picked up their weapons, took deep breaths, and walked into the thick smoke.
Jacques spotted the two battle-torn and tattered heroes. They walked out through the smoke that the catapults created and stood in the center of the arena, the sun shining down on them.
"N-No...How?! How did you survive that!?"
Emora let go of Airi's hand. She clutched her sword and coughed a few times. Her armor was covered in a layer of soot and ash. Her hair was dirty, her face was too. Her chainmail was broken in some places, her shoulder pad was missing, and her brigandines on her legs and torso were burned and charred.
Airi's robes were dusty and burnt as well. Her hat was missing; her pants were shredded, showing a bit of her legs. Her right sleeve was burned off entirely, her arm burned red with the heat in the air.
"You won't kill us, Jacques. You're the only one that's dying today!" Emora yelled.
"HAH!"
Emora did something that no Warden has ever done in history. She threw her sword forward with all her strength. It spliced through the air with the speed of a spear. It struck Jacques right through the chest, making him lash out in pain.
The crowd erupted with noise.
Emora and Airi yelled out in synch as they charged forward. Emora grabbed the Gladiator by the neck and let Airi kick him in the ribs, completely shattering them. The Warden threw his body back, causing him to run into Airi's staff.
"GUUUHAAH!" She gut out as the Nobushi's blade went into his back, and out through his stomach. Airi ripped her staff back; she set two fingers up against the center of his back and relaxed her body.
"Shinu."
Within one second, Airi's entire body was moving in a single motion, boosting the strength of her arm, and giving her fist the ultimate power. Her fist collided with Jacques' back, his spine vibrated and nearly shattered as the Nobushi performed the fabled one-inch-punch.
Blood and spit streaked from Jacques' mouth in the form of long, messy streams.
He staggered forward, right into Emora's hilt. She dug it into the Gladiator's kneecap, making him fall onto one knee. She then swung her sword by the blade like a bludgeon. She brought it down on the side of his neck, savagely cracked it to the side, and used her combined momentum to swing to the left.
A huge metallic bang erupted from the blow. Jacques's body flew to the side, his head releasing endless amounts of blood.
Airi walked over, picked the Gladiator up by the collar, and wrist-thrusted him in the throat. She then struck him twice in the ribs, and finally in the kidney.
"AARGHAAUHH!" Jacques cried out. The audience roared and cheered.
Emora ran forward with a battle cry. She picked up the Gladiator and lifted him up into the air.
"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"KILLING YOU!"
Emora used all her strength to bring Jacques down onto her kneecap, shattering his spine, and cracking his back completely. The Gladiator went seemingly limp as the loud pop of his bones busting rang through the entire Colosseum.
The Warden threw Jacques up into the air, where Airi waited. She folded her hands together, tightly interlocked her fingers, and squeezed her palms together immensely. She slammed her arms down, delivering a horrible blow to the Gladiator's body.
With a loud thud, Pierre's body slammed onto the ground. He lay there, completely still, groaning weakly, his fingers twitching. Emora's sword slowly tipped over and fell out from his chest.
"Please...Please don't kill me..."
Emora and Airi stood side by side. Both looking down on Jacques.
"You're a fucking idiot. You know that?" Emora said sternly.
Airi looked at the Warden, her eyes sparkling.
She slowly grabbed Jacques' arm and lifted him up.
"A-Agh! N-No, stop it, please! I'm begging you...Please don't kill me!"
As Emora stood the Gladiator up straight, she did the worst thing that could possibly happen to a fighter of his kind.
Humiliate him. Defile his pride. Shower him in shame, instead of glory.
Emora ripped his chainmail skirt off, revealing Jacques' embarrassingly small manhood. The audience broke out laughing. The entire colosseum ridiculed and insulted the once admired Jacques.
"Tough luck! That little guy won't get you any women!" Cyrus laughed.
"Holy shit! I've seen pin-needles bigger than that thing!" Elea cackled, she doubled over, holding her stomach.
"Damn! I've seen Asians with bigger junks than you! What are you, queer?!" Apollo ridiculed, bringing out scoffs from Samurai males sitting around him.
Airi covered her mouth and giggled. Emora held a stern face. She grabbed Jacques' helmet, and threw it off of his head, revealing his bloody, broken face.
The audience stopped laughing, but the Gladiator stood in shame, his tiny twig still handing out.
Emora looked at Airi and motioned towards her sword.
The Nobushi nodded and brought Emora her longsword.
The audience watched closely as Emora turned Jacques around, making him face her.
She spit in his face. Making the crowd exclaim out with a loud:
"OOHHH!"
Jacques closed his eyes as Emora's saliva slowly streamed down his face.
"Jacques Pierre, the absolute disgrace of Ashfeld. You won't go down as a legend in history...You'll be known as the once proud and glorious Gladiator...That was humiliated and killed at his own fighting tournament."
The Gladiator said nothing in return. He opened his eyes and glared at Emora.
"Fuck you."
Emora thrust her sword clean through Jacques' stomach. Her blade dug in further and further until his body reached her hilt.
With blood leaking from his mouth, he hung his head over Emora's shoulder. His legs shaking.
The Warden exhaled. She whispered something in his ear as she pushed him back onto the ground:
"Burn in hell."
As Jacques' body sprawled out on the ground, the audience broke out cheering and clapping.
Both Heroes stood proudly, side by side. They looked around, admiring the mass of people cheering and chanting their names.
Jacques' guards came out onto the field and picked up his body. Emora and Airi watched them carry it away.
The two Heroes turned to face each other; they gazed into each other's eyes, the sun beaming down on them.
Emora passed her sleeve over her face a few times, cleaning her face. She chuckled nervously.
"Sorry...I don't look too good right now...Do I?" She smirked.
Airi shook her head. She cleaned her own face with her sleeves and smiled.
"Nonsense. You always look beautiful."
The Warden and Nobushi got closer; the audience watched as they two embraced each other in a long hug.
"Awwww!" The crowd went.
Airi pulled back, she passed her hands across Emora's body, and let them rest on her chest. The Warden's eyes glowed gold; she gently placed her hands on Airi's hips.
The same position that they had while up on the tower.
Airi's face flushed red. She swallowed as she pushed strands of hair out of her face.
"E-Emora...When I cried...When I was fighting you...What were you going to say...?"
Emora paused, she looked down, shaking.
"I...I had realized how I feel about you. And right now, I definitely know what my emotions are telling me."
Airi leaned closer.
"What're they telling you? Can you tell me this time...?" The Nobushi said softly.
The Warden inched her face closer to Airi's. Their eyes concentrated on each other, their breathing slow and steady, their grasp on each other felt natural and comforting.
"Yeah...I'll tell you."
Airi felt herself get tense up, she prepared for whatever Emora was going to say.
"Okay...Whenever you're read—"
Before Airi could finish, she found herself unable to breathe. Her body froze, and her eyes widened with shock. Her lips were feeling a soft, gentle sensation.
Emora closed her eyes as she held Airi's hips gently. Her lips pressed naturally against the Nobushi's. The two heroes caught in a kiss.
The crowd stood up from their seats and clapped. They whooped and cheered at the scene.
"AYYY!" Apollo cheered.
"Finally! It's about damn time!"Elea clapped.
"Hah! Looks like they finally tied the knot!" Cyrus chuckled.
Airi softly moved her lips against Emora's; she savored the arousing feeling, the gentle sensation of the Warden's kiss made her entire body tingle. Her heartbeat slowed, and her mind cleared for the first time in a very long time.
Emora brought Airi in closer. The two heroes wrapped in each other's arms, both begging for their kiss to never end. But it had to; Emora still had something to say.
She pulled away and giggled when she watched Airi still with her eyes closed, her mouth begging for more.
"Tsk...What're you doing?" Emora teased.
Airi's face flushed with a red blush as she squeaked back into reality. She bit her lip as she shyly looked away.
"N-Nothing! I was just...N...Nevermind!"
Airi looked up at Emora, smiling with teary eyes.
"Hey...What's wrong?" Emora said quietly as she gently wiped tears away from Airi's face.
The Nobushi released a few quiet sobs. But she was smiling.
"Emora...I...I can't even begin to say how happy I am right now..."
The Warden grinned. "I think I have an idea of how you feel."
Airi softly placed her hand on Emora's cheek and kissed her again, enjoying the satisfying feeling, and adoring the simple fact of being able to finally show how she felt.
Emora's eyes grew soft. Her gaze made Airi fall silent.
"Airi...?"
The Nobushi smiled. "Yes?"
"I..."
The Warden grit her teeth and pressed her forehead against Airi's. She exhaled and sucked in a sob.
"I love you..."
Airi jumped a bit, but she quickly recovered. She let Emora hug her, and she hugged her back. With the roar of the crowd in the background, she pressed her lips against the Warden's ear and responded.
"I love you too."
If you made it to the end, please leave a review! Because you didn't just read all of that and decide to not tell me what you think! R-Right?
Well, I hope you enjoyed this dictionary—I mean long chapter. This marks the end of the Knight Arc, and in the next chapter, a time-skip will occur, and the Viking Arc will begin!
Stay tuned.
