Chapter 41

Prove Your Worth

The Bushin festival. A tournament filled with players within the Red Light District. Strong warriors of any gender are able to compete. Among them is none other than the Champion, the Goddess of War, Beatrix. She has beaten each and every opponent in every match. Not even the big men with giant battle axes could defeat her. Beatrix could beat them with ease.

The lovely platinum haired elf is facing yet another opponent today. Another big muscular man with a large sword and shield and heavy armor appears before her. Beatrix gives a cold stare, scoffing. He may be big and strong, probably have beaten strong opponents before him, but can he withstand the speed and agility of Beatrix? The audience are anxious to see this unfold.

The big man charges with his sword raised high. Beatrix flips to the right to evade and she kicks the shield back, making him stumble backward. It leaves him wide open. She draws her katana slicing the helmet in half and then kicking him hard in the face. He falls to the ground hard and she lands on her feet with her long platinum hair waving gracefully.

The man growls as he gets to his feet, both hands on the hilt of his sword. He charges again and starts to do a big swing. Beatrix ducks and then jumps over it while zipping behind him. She slashes the back of his legs to make him go on his knees and then hop in the air to kick him to the ground, face first. She lands on her feet and swiftly turns around to kick him, making him face up. She draws her katana and points her tip at him with a cold stare. The audience applauds as she has claimed her victory.

Beatrix looks up at the audience, who are applauding for her while some others are not amused. Sure, she has won many matches non-stop and people would WANT her to lose. But does she care? Of course not. She looks around the bleachers until she finds some familiar faces in the front row. Beta, who is dressed as Natsume, Gamma, the head of Mitsugoshi, and then Alpha, who is beside Gamma. Beatrix squints her eyes to see Alpha and Gamma intertwine hands, come close with smiles on their faces as they watch Beatrix claim her victory.

It may just be her, but something doesn't seem right. Gamma is the head of Mitsugoshi and she has also heard from the Shadow Garden Members that she's called "Gamma the Weak" and she has literally no athletic ability. If that is so, then how is she able to fight along side Shadow Garden? She may be the brains, but she doesn't have the brawn.

Beatrix closes her eyes and whips out her black cloak over her sexy attire. She turns to the exit and leaves with the fans still applauding. Alpha, Gamma and Beta decide to go meet her down there to give her their sincere congratulations.

In the dark hall, Beatrix casually walks along until she looks up to see Alpha, Beta and Gamma waiting for her with warm smiles on their faces.

"That was wonderful, Beatrix-sama~!" Beta claps her hands.

"You are indeed the champion, Aunt Beatrix," Alpha adds with a beautiful smile.

"Do you want to celebrate~?" Gamma asks.

Beatrix shakes her head with a polite smile. "No thanks. In fact, I would like to have a word with Gamma, if you please."

"Huh? What for?" Alpha asks. "Do you need something from Mitsugoshi? Gamma would be happy to recommend the latest products-"

"No, it's not that," Beatrix says. "Alpha, take Beta with you and I'll meet you two later."

"Of course I do," Gamma frowns, gesturing a hand to her chest. "She's one of my lovers. Why do you doubt me?"

"My niece is strong, but even she can be beaten," Beatrix says, closing her eyes. "Your lack of fighting spirit makes you vulnerable and she will be unable to protect you if things go wrong."

Gamma bites her lip. On one hand, Beatrix is right. But on the other hand, she shouldn't really judge Gamma that way just because she lacks something big. She's part of Shadow Garden for a reason and if she wasn't worthy of joining, then she wouldn't have been here today.

"Beatrix-sama," Gamma says. "I can prove to you that I CAN fight. Let me into the tournament tomorrow and face me."

"Showing some courage, huh?" Beatrix says. "And what if you lose to me? You have seen my potential."

"Yes, I have," Gamma says. "But I'm still part of Shadow Garden. I still have what it takes to protect the innocents."

Beatrix hesitates for a moment before she nods. "Very well, then. Show me what you can do. And if you succeed, I will allow you to continue your relationship with my niece."

Gamma gives a happy gasp and nods while bowing. "I will make sure this will be worth the fight. You can count on it!"

Beatrix puts her hood on and casually walks past Gamma. "I will remember those words."

Gamma clenches a fist to her half-exposed chest. "Do not worry. I will have everyone watch me take you on, Beatrix-sama."

*Later*

"Are you insane!?" Nu shouts after Gamma gives her the news. "She's not called the 'Goddess of War' for nothing! She will obliterate you! And you cannot fight with your current weapon!"

"Exactly," Gamma says. "Not even my slime sword will be a match for her. However, one weapon should. I want you to tell the employees to craft two fans for me and I'll do the rest."

Nu bows. "As you wish, Gamma-sama. I hope you know what you're doing...with all due respect."

"Do not worry," Gamma says with a wink. "I promised to make this match worthy and I am not willing to break that promise."

Nu nods and turns around to tell the employees.

*2 Hours Later*

Nu comes back to the main office where Gamma is doing some documents and hands her two black and gold fans on the desk.

"Our employees came up with this," the brunette says. "I hope it suits you well."

Gamma picks up the fans and opens them and gives a nod of satisfaction. "Very good. Now then, I shall input a little magic into them to give them some power." She gently waves her hand over the two fans. Small pink magic dust sprinkles onto the fans and then she grabs a small hammer to lightly tap the fans to complete the spell. The glow fades and Gamma picks up the fans again. "There. They should be able to help me fight properly."

"Best of luck, Gamma-sama," Nu says. "You will need it for tomorrow."

Gamma turns to her bodyguard. "Are you coming to watch as well?"

"Oh certainly," Nu nods. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"That's good," Gamma says with a smile. "I will need everyone's support because this battle will not be easy."

Nu nods again. Gamma will have to strategize and read Beatrix's moves in order to land a hit on her. It's a good thing she has until tomorrow to come up with a good plan.

*Next Day*

And the day of the next tournament begins. All of Shadow Garden are at the front row, wearing their casual outfits. The doors slide upward to open and the two contestants enter the colosseum. On the right enters Beatrix, who takes a couple steps forward and then removes her cloak with a spin. She tosses it aside and grips her katana while taking steps forward again. The crowd applauds for their champion.

The next one that enters from the left is Gamma, who is wearing her slime bodysuit. She is carrying her usual giant sword with her, which confuses Nu. Didn't she bring those fans with her? Gamma may be up to something.

Beatrix draws her katana and swings it to the side. "The time has come, Gamma."

Gamma grips onto the hilt of her giant sword. "Let's make this a fight to remember."

"I could say the same," Beatrix says.

The two charge and Beatrix makes the first hit. She elbows Gamma and then roundhouse kicks her to create distance. Gamma rolls to her feet and charges. She swings her giant sword, but because of its weight, she's too slow, making it an advantage for Beatrix. With a burst of speed, Beatrix charges and draws her katana. She slashes Gamma with a blue trail following, causing Gamma to groan in pain and drop down on one knee. The crowd goes wild as Beatrix straightens up and turns around to see if the bluenette can still fight.

"This isn't a great start," Zeta says, crossing her arms

"Gamma has a plan," Alpha says. "I know it."

"How can you tell?" Beta asks.

"She's the smart one of the group, remember~?" Alpha winks at the author.

The two clash blades, glare at each other before pushing away to create distance. Beatrix charges again, swinging her sword to hit Gamma and then kick her away about 10 feet. Gamma slides on her feet, dust following and she grips her giant sword while she grits her teeth. The bluenette jumps away to evade Beatrix's next kick attack and then tries to take a swing. But Beatrix easily dodges it and lunges forward to shoulder tackle her.

"What's a pathetic weapon like that going to do for you?" Beatrix taunts. "You can barely swing it to hit someone. What a joke." She charges again to punch Gamma and then slash her arm, making the bluenette drop her sword. "I'm at a total advantage here. What will my niece think of you now?" She looks up at the bleachers to look at the blonde haired elf, who is watching.

Gamma uses this distraction to pick up her sword again and stab the ground to grab a piece of rock. She swings it and successfully hits Beatrix in the back to get her off balance and topple to the ground. Gamma then tosses her sword aside and summons her slime sword.

The two clash blades again. Since her sword is much lighter, she can use her athletic abilities to dodge attacks more easily. She does a back flip and dive rolls to evade Beatrix's swings and then stand up again to slash her back and forth and then spin 360 for good measure. Beatrix stumbles back a bit, but manages to hold her ground.

After Beatrix recovers, she charges forward and gives a good slash while zipping past Gamma, a blue trail following and hitting the bluenette once again like a ton of bricks. Gamma goes down on one knee again, but she looks back to see Beatrix raising her sword for another hit.

Gamma rolls away and gives an upward slash. Beatrix gets hit but she charges forward to shoulder tackle her and kick her away.

"That's all you have?" Beatrix taunts. "You think you have what it takes to beat me? The Goddess of War?"

"Guh...!" Gamma groans as she lifts up her head to face the plantinum haired elf who looks at her with a cold stare.

"Gamma doesn't look too good-nanodesu!" Delta says.

"They aren't kidding when they say Beatrix-sama is the champion," Epsilon says. "What I don't understand is why Alpha-sama is so calm about all this."

The blonde elf closes her eyes, smiling. "Like I said, Gamma's got a plan."

Back in the fight, Gamma gets hit once again from a strong sword attack and sent plummeting to the ground and losing her sword in the process. Her slime suit is torn from the arms, some of the legs, and part of her chest. She has been hit a lot more than Beatrix and she is getting close to losing. Beatrix takes a few steps forward and lashes the katana to the side while giving a cold stare.

"Now you know how it feels to go against a strong opponent on your own," Beatrix says. "You truly don't have what it takes to have a fighting spirit like my niece. We made a deal, have we not?"

But all Gamma can do is giggle, which confuses the platinum haired elf.

"What is so funny?" Beatrix raises an eyebrow.

"Ufufu. I find it funny that you always fight with strength, not strategy," Gamma raises her head with a grin. "You may be very powerful, but all you ever do is rely on your sword to do the talking. You really never faced somebody who has the brains, have you?"

"Wh-what are you saying!? I won!" Beatrix backs away, gripping her sword as Gamma slowly gets to her feet.

"You haven't won...yet~" Gamma gets rid of her slime sword and pulls out two closed fans from behind her. "I can still keep going. Now let's fight...with style!" She opens her fans and crosses her arms while doing a battle pose.

"Whoa!" Delta gasps. "Where did she get those!?"

"I have never seen anything like them before," Zeta adds.

"Since when can Gamma wield such fans?" Epsilon says.

"She hasn't until now," Alpha says. "She had her assistants create them. All the rest was her own power."

Beatrix grits her teeth, gripping her sword. "It matters not. HAAAAAH!"

She charges at full speed, ready to strike down Gamma. But the bluenette closes her eyes and spins around like a tornado. Red light appears on the fans and they trail, making a whirlwind and it makes Beatrix stop in her tracks, using her arm to shield herself from the huge dust coming at her. When the spinning stops, Gamma is now wearing her iconic blue dress and she spreads out her arms with her open fans in the front and back.

"What the!? You're fighting wearing that!?" Beatrix shouts.

"There's no rule against that, is there~?" Gamma says. "We're here just to fight and win. And I plan to win with style~"

She raises her fans and summons a gust of wind to send a whirlwind from below Beatrix and make her fly helplessly in the air. She rushes in and chucks one of the fans to hit Beatrix, making her topple over. Gamma quickly retrieves that fan and blocks the sword with two of her steel fans. She pushes Beatrix away and starts to literally dance in order to evade Beatrix's swings. Left, right, up and down and Gamma spins around, making her skirt flutter to avoid a downward slash.

Gamma then throws one of her fans, but Beatrix deflects it and charges forward to strike her down. Gamma parries the attack, ducks down and does a round house to push her sword back, leaving Beatrix open. Gamma shoulder tackles her as hard as she can and then spins around to perform an upward back kick. Beatrix staggers back and while she's distracted, Gamma quickly retrieves her other fan and charges at her. She swings both fans, but gets parried by Beatrix and the platinum haired elf head butts her. Gamma staggers back this time, clutching her head to shake off the dizziness before jumping away from a downward slash.

Gamma hops away a few more times before closing her eyes and forms an X with her arms, her fans open. A red glow appears on the fans and she then opens her eyes, grinning. Beatrix gasps, backing away a step. With full power, Gamma swings her fans downward and a giant red vortex shoots at the Goddess of War, hitting her with great force. Beatrix screams in pain as she is sent flying and then falling on her back, losing her katana in the process. A big cloud of dust appears, making everyone shield their eyes. When dust settles, there lies Beatrix, defeated

Gamma pants a little, waiting a bit longer for Beatrix to recover, but she doesn't. With that, Gamma relaxes her stance and she opens both fans. She then bends down, one open fan to her knees while the other behind her back. The crowd applauds for Gamma's victory against one of the strongest fighters of the Bushin Festival. Alpha smiles and nods.

"You did good, Gamma," she says softly. "I knew you could do it."

The rest of Shadow Garden cheer loudly. Gamma walks toward Beatrix. The platinum haired elf's eyes flutter open and sees Gamma smiling, holding her hand out. Beatrix slowly grips it and Gamma helps pull her up.

"Gamma...I..." Beatrix starts, but Gamma politely cuts her off.

"No need to say anything," the Head of Mitsugoshi says. "We had a good fight. We really did. But a deal is a deal. I have the right to stand by Alpha-sama's side, no matter what. I can protect her in other ways."

Beatrix nods. "You're right. I can see that you DO have potential. I'm sorry...I have misjudged you."

"Ufufu! Apology accepted~" Gamma smiles and holds out her hand. "Good fight, Beatrix-sama~"

"Yes...it was a good fight," Beatrix returns the smile and shakes Gamma's hand, making the crowd applaud for their good sportsmanship.

**Next Day**

Beatrix sits alone at a small round table, with at least 5 wrapped burgers on it and eating one of them. She then pops a french fry in her mouth, chews and swallows. She then hears some high heels clacking toward her. When she looks up, she sees none other than her niece, dressed in her iconic, sexy, but lovely black dress. Alpha just gives a beautiful smile and a nod as a greeting. Beatrix nods and gestures her hand toward an empty chair for Alpha to sit in.

"Aunt Beatrix," Alpha says after breaking the silence. "I'm not a child, you know?"

"I cannot help it," the platinum haired elf says. "I've heard things about Gamma and I get worried."

"I said this before," Alpha says as she leans forward, gently putting her hand on top of her aunt's. "I'm the leader of Shadow Garden. And my friends, no, my lovers will protect me and I will protect them in return."

Beatrix smiles. "You're right. I have misjudged Gamma and I apologize for that, my dear niece."

"Apology accepted," Alpha says. "Thank you…for looking out for me."

Beatrix nods and then offers a wrapped burger to her. "Want one?"

"I most certainly will~" Alpha happily accepts it and both of the elves eat together.

**Mitsugoshi**

Gamma, dressed in her own iconic, lovely blue dress, jots down on some documents when there are a couple knocks on the door.

"Come in!" the bluenette calls.

The door opens and in comes Nu, bringing in some tea and some snacks on a silver tray. She brings it to the billionaire, pouring some and then handing it to her.

"Here you are," Nu says.

"Thank you very much," Gamma sips on her tea and hums at the taste. "Mmm…good as always, Nu."

Nu giggles, cradling the tray to her chest. "Glad you like it~" She then looks at the billionaire. "I wanted to…congratulate you on that intense fight there. That power you unleashed…I didn't know you had it in you."

"Let's just say…my desire to prove myself is what awakened that power," Gamma closes her eyes as she tips the pen to her own chin. "I only just used a bit of power to power up my fans. The power alone was all up to me."

Nu swoons at Gamma's wisdom. "Gamma-sama…you're so incredible…~"

The bluenette giggles and looks to her personal bodyguard. "Hey, Nu?"

"Yes, Gamma-sama," the brunette stands straight.

"After I am done here, let's have the two of us go out tonight," Gamma says. "I'm feeling a special treat for the both of us~"

"But…Gamma-sama, you did all the work here," Nu says.

"You supported me along with the rest of Shadow Garden~" Gamma says. "Therefore, you deserve a reward with me. Sound good~?"

Nu blushes, but nods happily. "I-I would be honored, Gamma-sama~!"

Gamma giggles and gets back to her documents. Nu then takes her leave.

A/N: Those fans Gamma has were inspired by the mobile game itself when Gamma in her iconic dress came out. She's just super beautiful it's really hard to resist her. How can anyone resist THIS much beauty?

A-anyways, speaking of Gamma, I WAS gonna save this piece for Gamma's arc, but then I thought why not post it as a one-shot? Her arc will come soon, don't worry. Like I said earlier, I'm trying to space things out before going to the next arc.

Thanks for enjoying this series.

Have a nice day!