Here we are at Chapter 25. Time for Fuyumi to shine on the tournament battlefield. I do not own Code Vein or Skeleton Knight. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 25. Enjoy.

Chapter 25: Tournament Takedown

The crowd cheers as Fuyumi prepares to face off against her first opponent in the tournament. Her opponent smirks as he grazes his clawed gauntlets against one another. Her friends watch up in the stands, confident of her impending victory, while Iris is still in shock at her true identity.

"Fuyumi... you were a knight all along? I can't believe I didn't recognize you," Iris mutters.

"3, 2, 1... BEGIN!" the announcer yells and the match begins.

Silver makes the first charge at Fuyumi, his claws out and ready to strike. Fuyumi waits, a smile on her face, until he gets right up in her face. He makes a right swing at her face, but she leans back to dodge it. He makes a few more swipes with his claws, but Fuyumi moves back to avoid each strike. Soon enough, she draws her sword, making a quick swing to knock back his right arm. Fuyumi follows it up with a lightning charge to his body, sending him flying back with the electric shock. Silver rolls across the ground before getting back onto his feet. He loses his smile from before, but charges back into it. Fuyumi could easily end this now, but she wants to play with him a bit. Each time he makes a strike at her, she parries or deflects it while barely moving back. Up in the stands, Iris watches Fuyumi's form. It almost looks like she's dancing around her opponent.

"...Beautiful," Iris mutters in awe.

Fuyumi eventually decides to end it, once she sees her opponent starting to get tired. He makes a double claw strike, but Fuyumi ducks under the strike and then performs a Circular Cleaver. She spins into the air, slamming her opponent with the spinning slash. The strike knocks him far until he hits the ground, passed out.

"And it's all over. The winner is Fuyumi Kusanagi!" the announcer calls out, prompting the crowd to cheer for her.

Anelia and Elane clap for her, and Fuyumi offers an elegant bow to the audience before exiting the arena. As she's making her way back to the others, she bumps into Iris.

"Iris, did you enjoy the match?" Fuyumi greets her.

"You're a knight. But, why didn't you tell me?" Iris asks.

"You didn't ask," Fuyumi replies.

That stopped Iris's momentum, "Oh, uh, I guess you have a point there,"

"Are you uncomfortable around knights? I mean, I am technically a knight of Anatolia, but it's more of a formality than an actual position. The same with the Sword Maiden title. I'm really just a lucky mercenary," Fuyumi shrugs her shoulders.

"No, no, it's not that," Iris looks around to make sure they're alone. "The truth is... I want to become a knight myself," Iris confesses.

"Wait, you're not a knight already? I mean, you certainly look the part, sound the part, and act the part," Fuyumi cocks her head.

"In Anatolia, it's rare, but not unheard of for a woman to become a knight. But, it is very difficult due to some people not liking the idea of a lady wielding a blade. It's different for mercenaries, but most of them start out as commoners, so those in high society don't care much about that," Iris says.

"But... you're not a commoner, are you," Fuyumi puts a few pieces together.

Iris sighs, "Yes, I only came here saying my first name. My true name is Iris von Mirage. I am the first daughter and third child of Count Lyle von Mirage,"

"Okay, so you're the daughter of a count, but that's not what's going on, is it," Fuyumi notes.

Iris shakes her head, "My eldest brother, Albert, is my father's successor, while my second eldest brother, Cyan, is a knight of the kingdom. My father served as a knight before he became a count, but should the need arise, he still goes to battle, and his skills have not dulled. I grew up listening to his stories, and others. I was in love with the idea of being a knight, to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. I was not some dreamer. I truly believed in that ideal. When I learned I could use light magic, my father trained me with a sword, so that I could defend myself. However..." she trails off.

"But, when you told him that you wanted to be a knight, he said no," Fuyumi finishes.

"He was very adamant. Said I shouldn't bother with such violence, and focus on becoming a proper lady for the family. He thinks that I can bring honor to the family by being married off to some other noble like a brood mare. Seen as a trophy who's only purpose it to birth sons and tend to the wellbeing of the house. I want to be more than some ornament. Believe me when I say that the family is all I've thought about. I will bring honor to our house as a knight. I refuse to be bound in chains in an arranged marriage to some man I do not love. That's why I'm here," Iris explains.

"To win the prize of the tournament," Fuyumi says.

"Yes. If I win, I can petition Duke Androma to grant me the right to become an official knight of the kingdom. Doing so would be well within his power as a duke, and because his noble rank is higher than my father's my father would have no choice but to agree. I know it's a little underhanded, but I have no other options right now, and my time is short," Iris says.

"Your family has no idea that you're here," Fuyumi says.

Iris nods, "They think that I'm in another city, visiting friends for a special art gala a few days away from home. I just barely managed to convince them to let me go. I practically had to bribe my servants to cover for me, but I don't expect them to last long, or for my father to be fooled for long. The preliminaries should be fine, but more people will talk when the main matches in the main arena begin. I need to win before he figures it out and comes for me,"

"Your father sounds like a real piece of work," Fuyumi crosses his arms.

"Yes. He was so proud of my brothers when they became knights, but he was angry when he found out I wanted to become one. I asked him multiple times to tell me why, but he would always say the same thing: it's not something a lady like me should pursue. Honestly, I'm sick of it," Iris clenches her fists in anger. "I heard about you, how you became a knight. You're someone I admire, Fuyumi Kusanagi. I know it's a little different, but you're living my dream,"

"You won't ask me to forfeit the match should we fight one another?" Fuyumi cocks her head.

"No, I won't dishonor you like that. And I want to win through my own merits, not have an easy win handed to me. That's not the kind of knight I want to become," Iris shakes her head.

Fuyumi is impressed by her determination, "That's admirable too. I would've done the same, had our roles been reversed. I have my own reasons for wanting to win this tournament, so should we face off, I won't hold back,"

"I'd expect nothing less. I will win, but even if I do lose, I won't stop. I WILL become a knight, one way or another," Iris holds out her hand. "Let's leave no regrets behind in that arena,"

Fuyumi shakes her hand, "Agreed. Though, there's one more thing,"

"Huh? What's that?" Iris asks.

Fuyumi suddenly pulls her in close by her arm, bringing their faces closer together, "You've really piqued my interest, Iris von Mirage. If you manage to beat me, I'll help you become a knight. And, if you manage to win the tournament and become a knight, I'll offer one extra reward,"

"W-What kind of reward?" Iris blushes at their close proximity.

"Hmm, I have a few ideas, but I'll leave that to your imagination for now. Consider it an extra piece of motivation to achieve your goals," Fuyumi finally stands back from Iris. "Well, until then, good luck in your future matches," she waves goodbye and takes her leave.

Iris stumbles a bit, taking a moment to recollect herself. Her heart is beating loudly within her chest and it takes a moment for the blush on her face to disappear. Meanwhile, Fuyumi giggles, having a little too much fun with Iris. Though, she doesn't regret one shred of it.

…

The next few days go by pretty quickly for Fuyumi and her friends. Fuyumi easily trounces all her opponents in the preliminaries, as does Iris. Meanwhile, Anelia and Elane continue their scouting mission to find any leads linked to the slave trade, but unfortunately, they come up with nothing. However, things begin to pick up once the preliminaries are over and the main tournament begins in the large arena. Meanwhile, in the duke's mansion, Duke Androma looks over the results and the final contestants. The duke is a middle-aged man with a lean build and eyes that look like a cross between someone who is overworked and who doesn't care about a lot of things around him.

"Hmm, Fuyumi Kusanagi, huh? The famous mercenary who became a knight and is engaged to Duke Crystalglove's daughter," the duke goes over the information.

"It would appear so, sir," a servant in a butler outfit replies.

"Now why would someone like that participate in this tournament? Being connected to another duke means she's already got resources and as a knight, she has a noble ranking, even if it's not the highest. What's more, the royal family has taken a shine to her. I highly doubt she's here for fun. The reward for this tournament is a request granted by me if it is within my power. What could she hope to gain from that?"

"Could she be here by orders of Duke Crystalglove, or even the royal family perhaps sir?" the servant asks.

"The duke is one thing, but if it's the royal family, that is something entirely mor troubling. However, we can't do something like disqualify her from the tournament, even with a legitimate reason. She's rolled through all her opponents so far with ease. People will ask questions if she suddenly disappears. We need to find out why she's here. See about putting some eyes on her, but make it discreet. I doubt any amateur will fool her," Androma says while looking over the other names.

"At once sir," the servant goes to leave.

Androma stops on another name in the list, "Wait, hold on!" he stops his servant. "It seems this tournament will be full of trouble, but perhaps I can use this to my advantage. Send a letter to Count Mirage. It seems his daughter is somewhere she's not supposed to be. I don't want this to become a problem later down the road,"

…

The next day, the tournament finals begin and everyone is watching in the main arena. Fuyumi prepares for her first opponent in the arena, after having sent off Anelia and Elane. They won't be watching this match, but checking out the outskirts of the arena as part of their mission. She waits for the call to enter the arena until it comes.

"And now, it's time! For the combat tournament finals to begin! Ladies and gentlemen, these fighters have proven themselves to be skilled warriors by making it this far. We have just a small number of competitors left compared to what we started with. Only one will make it on to the top and claim the prize. And now, without further ado, let's welcome our first contestant. She has defeated her opponents with ease and elegance. Her beauty slays hearts as quickly as her blade takes down opponents. We give to you the Sword Maiden, Fuyumi Kusanagi!" the announcer gestures to one entrance where Fuyumi walks from.

The crowd cheers, including some men and women whistling for her attention. Fuyumi waves at them, earning new cheers from the stand.

"And her opponent; a spearman with a history of successful quest completion as a mercenary. Sometimes, his techniques are so fast, he might as well be wielding lightning. Give it up for Luko!" and from the other entrance, her opponent comes.

A man with spikey hair, wearing leather armor on his body, shoulders, and limbs, over black clothing. The man doesn't show a cocky smile, but rather an aura of confidence built from experience. On his back is a spear with a pronged arrowhead design.

"I was hoping to go up against you, Sword Maiden," Luko says.

"Oh, that's a change. Not trying to get beneath my skirt now, or underestimating me?" Fuyumi asks.

"I don't care for that stuff, and I know you're strong. I want to know which of us is stronger," Luko draws his spear.

Fuyumi smirks, "Well, we have ourselves an actual warrior now. A pleasant change from the usual garbage, to say the least. Okay, let's see what you got," Fuyumi draws her sword.

"Okay, 3, 2, 1, and begin!" the match begins.

Both fighters charge at each other, their weapons ready. Luko makes a series of quick thrusts with his spear. Fuyumi weaves her head between the thrusts, some closer than others. This guy is making sure to keep Fuyumi away at a distance. However, Fuyumi has other plans for him. She deflects one strike away and then unleashes a flame barrage in front of him. Luko barely jumps back in time, though his armor takes a few burn marks.

"So, you really can cast magic without chanting. That just makes this more interesting," Luko notes.

Fuyumi fires off some ice shards, but Luko bats them all away with his spear. However, Fuyumi only used that to get closer. Luko makes a wide swing at her legs, but Fuyumi flips over it and then swings her blade down on his head. Luko blocks the strike and pushes Fuyumi back,

"Hmm, you are good. Shame there aren't more mercenaries like you... but, I'll have to end this," Fuyumi smirks.

"Whatever you throw at me, I'll knock it aside," Luko accepts the challenge.

"Well, I haven't been able to use this type of ability before due to past environments, but this area makes it easy," Fuyumi says... and then casts Arm of Set.

Suddenly, a giant hand of sand erupts from the surface beneath Luko's feet. The technique takes him completely by surprise and ensnares his body in its sandy grip. He tries to break free, but its grip is too strong, and with his spear trapped as well, he's completely stuck. Fuyumi walks up and has the tip of her sword aimed at his throat.

"So, care to surrender now? If not, this will start to crush you," Fuyumi nods to the hand of sand.

Luko sees no other options before him and sighs, "Alright, I surrender,"

"And it's all over! The winner is Fuyumi Kusanagi!" the crowd cheers at another win for the Sword Maiden.

Fuyumi releases her gift and frees Luko, "Better luck next time. Just be sure to watch the ground under your feet. Anything can be used as a weapon, even the environment,"

Luko shrugs his shoulders, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind,"

The two fighters exit the arena. Up in the stands, Iris lightly claps for Fuyumi's victory. Her match is coming up next. She goes down to prepare for her fight and meets up with Fuyumi along the way. The two only smile at one another and give each other a high-five, a silent message of good luck. They go their own ways, but as they do, a figure steps out of the shadows, draped in a black cloak after watching the two girls leave. The figure remains silent before disappearing back into the shadows. Out in the arena, Iris takes the stage, having already been introduced. She waits for her opponent until they finally come.

"And her opponent is a lady with a mean streak. Lashing her way into the finals of the tournament. Her hair matches her fiery personality. Give it up for Natalia!" Iris sees her opponent appear.

A woman a little older than her, with fiery red hair tied in a ponytail, wearing white pants and black boots, a red jacket over a gray shirt, and yellow eyes. She unfurls a long, black whip with a red gemstone on the pommel.

"Don't go down too fast on me, okay," Natalia shows her canines in a hungry smile.

Iris makes no comment and just draws her sword.

"3, 2, 1... Begin!" and the match begins.

"Spirits of fire, engulf my weapon and reduce my enemies to ash. Flare whip!" Natalia casts her magic, lightning her whip ablaze.

She lashes out wildly, swinging her hip all around towards Iris. Iris dodges the lashes well enough but can't find an opening to get closer.

"Personality aside, she's good. With that whip going all over the place, I can't get close enough for a good strike," Iris grits her teeth as she tries to find an opening.

"Come on, is that the best you can do?! Don't tell me you're too scared to try and get close to fight me. Afraid of getting burned?" Natalia taunts her.

"Keep your calm, Iris, she's just trying to bait you... Wait, is that how she does it?" Iris wonders.

Taking a closer look, Iris notices how wild her attacks are. There's no real technique, no area where the attacks focus on. It's just a wild, general area of attacks matched by her energy. The whip is still on fire, but magic can only go on for so long.

"I thought you were some kind of warrior, but are you just a scared girl playing dress-up?" Natalia keeps the taunts going.

Iris doesn't let it get to her and focuses on evading the attacks. As the seconds go by, she sees her opponent starting to sweat. She's been keeping that spell going on for a while now. As the mana in the gemstone runs dry, the flames begin to wither. As for her, she's been swinging her whip around, using up her own energy. Soon enough, her opponent starts to run out of steam. It is only when her flames die down and her attacks slow, that Iris finally makes her move. She races around the lashes until she gets close and makes a quick strike at her whip arm. She knocks the whip out of her opponent's hand, and then throws a spinning kick to her stomach to knock her to the ground. Just as her opponent starts to get up, she freezes when Iris has her blade at her throat.

"Yield," Iris commands.

Natalia clicks her tongue, "Tch... fine, I yield,"

"And it is all over! Iris defeats her opponent and puts out her fire! A splendid performance!" the announcer calls the match.

"You were trying to get me to attack out of rage from your taunts, weren't you," Iris asks, already knowing the answer.

"Damn, I was hoping you'd fall for it. My previous opponents all fell for the same trick. Maybe because they were all men that couldn't stand the idea of losing to a woman," Natalia replies.

"Maybe focus more on control with your techniques than just swinging around wildly, and the match might've gone differently. That kind of tactic might work on some, but it won't work on those that are disciplined," Iris sheathes her sword and takes her leave amidst cheering spectators.

…

Back in Duke Androma's manor, the duke is reading over a report from his spies.

"So, Lady Iris and Lady Fuyumi know each other. Perhaps, I can use this to my advantage..." the duke mutters.

...

"So, Fuyumi Kusanagi, is here in Calipso. That could pose a problem for us," one voice says from the shadows.

"What should we do?" a female voice asks.

"We'll need to move up our timeline. We won't be able to gain any more products, so we'll have to move the products that we already have. It's far less than we'd like to collect, but we have no choice. After what happened back in the northeast, a complete failure would be far worse than a partial success. We may need to cause quite the disturbance to mask our exit, though," the male voice replies.

"I have an idea for that..." the woman replies.

And that's the chapter. Fuyumi and Iris get further into the tournament, but now several eyes are on them from the shadows. Meanwhile, Fuyumi's friends continue their investigation into the city and the slave trade. Will Fuyumi complete her mission before things get complicated? Will Iris accomplish her dream of becoming a knight? Until then, please Read and Review.