""I think you're being too harsh here!" You said!"

"I'm sorry!"

""But there are times when orders can be wrong!" You said!"

"I'm sorry!"

""Go ahead and expel me, I'd love to see you try!" You said!"

"I get it Artorian, I'm sorry!"

"I don't think you do Emile! Otherwise you wouldn't have gotten us in this situation in the first place!"

"I wasn't thinking when it happened!"

"Clearly!"

After accepting the duel against Claire, Artorian was sent to meet the chief technical specialist on Little Garden to receive his Hundred. Emile had offered to go with him, as the route wasn't put on the map at all. They took a complicated path down under the main deck before getting onto the current elevator that they were on now. And with the time it was going to take to get down, Artorian decided it was the prime time to drill into Emile's head not to try and start shit with the student council.

"Artorian, I promise I'm sorry what happened! But please let me go it really hurts!" Emile begged, holding onto Artorian's wrists and trying to pry his hands apart. As soon as they were in the elevator, the boy leaned his sword against the wall to free up both his hands, pushing his knuckles hard onto the sides of Emile's head and holding him up nearly eye to eye.

"That's the point of the punishment you idiot!" Artorian glared as he grinded his knuckles into his scalp a bit. "You act like a knucklehead, you're gonna get knuckles introduced to your head! There was hundreds of better ways to handle that situation, and you chose the absolute worst one that I hadn't even thought of! The fuck were you thinking daring the student council president to expel you!?"

"I'm s-o-o-o-rry!" Emile cried out, his attempts to pry apart Artorian's hands making no ground.

"I just don't get what could have been running through your head." Artorian sighed as he stopped grinding his knuckles against Emile's head, just holding him up in the painful way. "For fucks sake, it was the first day even and you go and put so much trouble on my table for your arrogance on the situation." Looking at Emile's pained expression, he would sigh once more before releasing him, letting him land on his feet as he instantly started to rub where his knuckles were.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow." Emile groaned as he tried to rub away the pain, a single tear in his eye as he recollected himself.

"If our time here ends up me correcting all of your mistakes, we're going to have to rethink this whole "friends" thing you have set for us." Artorian warned, grabbing his sword and placing it back on his shoulder as he waited for the elevator to reach their destination.

"Sorry…" Emile groaned as he looked down. "It just didn't feel right to sit back and watch two innocent students getting punished so severely for just being late."

"You're virtuous, I'll give you that." Artorian admitted, shrugging as he stared at the door. "Just try to think before you speak out against someone with as much authority as the captain of a battleship. Because now I have to fight against the current top Slayer in this academy."

"Maybe, but you can totally beat her!" Emile stated, smiling up to Artorian as he pumped his fist. "I know you're way stronger than her, there's no way someone like her could even hold a candle to you."

"An interesting assessment when I haven't even used a Hundred before." Artorian commented, looking down to Emile. "Where exactly do you get the idea that I have a chance in a fight against the blonde bimbo?"

"Just call it a hunch." Emile winked back, smirking as he returned Artorian's stare. "That sword's more than just for show, and I know you're as tough as they come. I'm not even worried about you going up against the president."

"Guess we'll only have a clue after I get my Hundred." Artorian said, noting that the elevator stopped.

"Ah, we're here!" Emile grinned as the door opened. "Come on, Char's waiting for us!"

"Char?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you again Artorian." When Artorian and Emile entered the main lab, none other than Charlotte Dimandias; the lead developer of the Hundred and overseer of both Slayer Generations greeted them. She was very short, only coming up to around 4'5 making her a dwarf in comparison to Artorian. She had long lavender hair and dark golden eyes, her overall appearance making her seem much younger than how old she actually was. She had on a pair of glasses, likely to help after all her time within a laboratory and had a lollipop currently in her mouth, something most people would note as strange.

However, that didn't bother Artorian or Emile as the former reached out and shook the scientist's hand, his lips curling up into a small smile. "Charlotte, you're looking as busy as ever."

"Come now Artorian, you already know that you can just call me Char." She responded, the two separating after their brief handshake.

"Hold up, you two know each other as well?" Emile questioned, looking between the two. "I know why I know her, but how do you?"

"I've known Charlotte ever since I was little." Artorian explained, motioning down to around his hip. "She visited from time to time to check up on my dad's implants during his Slayer days."

"He was our most successful First Generation Slayer, Warslran spared no expense in having him treated correctly." Charlotte continued, taking her lollipop out to speak more clearly. "I was the one who put his implants into him in the first place, so I was the ideal pick. Of course eventually I showed up one day and there was this big guy crawling around."

"My father didn't let a lot of people into our house, so growing up with her visiting every other week made it clear she was someone I could trust."

"Apparently not enough to help look after you though." Charlotte reminded, pointing her lollipop at him.

"I was not going to burden you with my issues. I made it this far so clearly I was doing something right." Artorian responded. Before he continued, he had looked past Charlotte, realizing there was a fourth person in the room. A young woman with flawless pale skin, long ashen brown hair and vibrant violet eyes. She was wearing a strange maid outfit, several mechanical attachments connected to her covering her ears while also giving her cat ears and a tail even. "Hey Charlotte, who's the cyber cat maid?"

Before she answered, the woman approached Artorian calmly and leaned close to him, confusing him as she began to sniff around him. "Sniff, sniff, sniff." She'd go around him several times before going back to in front of him, looking at him with interest. "You're from the Empire of Yamato, but you don't smell like soy sauce at all."

"Is that what people think we smell like, or is this more of a you question?"

Charlotte would laugh in response, noting Artorian's slight confusion. "This is my assistant Meimei, and to be honest this place wouldn't run nearly as smoothly is she wasn't by my side."

"It's nice to meet you." Meimei smiled, holding her hand out to Artorian.

"Yeah, same here." Artorian shook back. "Any friend of Charlotte's is a friend of mine." As they released each other's hands, Artorian noted that out of the girl's that he's seen thus far, Meimei stood the tallest. She went up to his chin, setting her at around 5'10.

"You know, I'm a little surprised at you." Charlotte spoke as she sat down on her chair. "You were always so against ever using a Hundred before, but out of nowhere suddenly picked up all the paperwork and signed to be a Slayer. And the first thing you do when you get here is accept a duel against Claire Harvey of all people."

"Blame Emile here, he wouldn't shut his mouth." Artorian said, tapping the end of his hilt against Emile's head.

Emile rubbed where the metal hit him, looking over to Charlotte as he did. "News sure does travel fast around here."

"Well it's no surprise since LiZa told me." Charlotte responded.

"LiZa?"

"This autonomous computer that controls everything in Little Garden." Charlotte explained, motioning the two to look behind them. Artorian noted that the system appeared to be a bunch of cables and wires contained in a pillar of glass attached from the ceiling to the floor. "She can even express herself and communicate with people."

"This stuff is LiZa?"

"Correct" Across the screens the word popped up, the voice sending a small chill down Artorian's back.

Before he could inquire on the fact how the AI breaks over a dozen UN laws, Charlotte tapped a combination onto her computer, a capsule popping out in response. Grabbing it, she'd open the container and pull out a blue crystal prism, the edges of the center contained by silver metal. "Artorian, this will be your Hundred. Since you're new to what they are, I suppose an explanation is in order."

Turning back to her computer, she'd type into her keyboard for a second before a video of a Savage popped up. "After the cancelation of the first Slayer project, the Hundred became the only effective weapons against the Savage." A chain then shot out from the edge of the screen, wrapping around the Savage and holding it still in place. When the video readjusted, Artorian was able to see that it was Erica who used the giant metal chain, wearing a strange purple skintight suit along with what he assumed was her Hundred. "However, only humans who respond to variable stones can use them."

Following the Savage getting bind, Liddy came running into frame right at the beast. She had a large lance and shield in hand, the lance glowing purple within the groves as she jumped up and aimed for the head of the Savage. When the tip of her blade touched the glass of the Savage, it began to spin rapidly like a drill, piercing through it and stabbing right into the core. The green blood shot out and stained parts of the girl's face, but she wasn't even fazed as she pulled it out and jumped away.

"As you know, these individuals are known as Slayers." Charlotte continued as Claire appeared on the screen, holding a uniquely carved variable stone before throwing it into the air. "The Hundred change into a vast amount of forms based on who uses them. That is where the Century Armaments, or Hundred, get their name from."

The green crystal then shattered as it glowed, the light shifting around Claire's arms and the space around her. Slowly, smooth red gauntlets formed on her and six advanced cannons floated around her, the energy within both and her variable suit glowing bright green. "Claire's Hundred is a dragoon type, where the floating canons around her follow her every will."

The blonde didn't even blink as the canons fired out green beams of energy, rocketing towards the Savage. The natural armor didn't even stand a chance against the energy as it blasted right through it, leaving six massive holes in the Savage before it exploded from the built up energy.

"She's strong, unsurprisingly." Emile noted, getting a side-glance from Artorian before he looked back to the screen, seeing several different types of Hundred being shown.

"The Hundred take different forms and vary in their ways of fighting." Charlotte detailed, Artorian seeing the countless potential Hundred their were; from dual lance arms to massive hammer fists to even a greatshield canon. "But there's only one ultimate goal: to protect humanity." Charlotte turned back to the three behind her, specifically looking toward Artorian. "Artorian, when you take hold of your Hundred, you will be entrusted with the responsibility of protecting those who cannot protect themselves." She then held the variable stone out to him, the blue crystal glowing faintly as it slowly reacted to him. "Are you ready for that responsibility?"

Artorian would look down in response, weighing over the question for a solid ten seconds before looking back up to her. "If I'm being perfectly honest, I don't feel that I'm able to think of protecting humanity." The response surprised both Emile and Meimei, however Charlotte didn't even react. "The safeguard of humanity was never of any interest to me, even now I don't really feel that much knowing others could die to Savage at any second." He then tightened his free hand into a fist, his eyes narrowing in determination. "However, Karen's life is dependent that I become a Slayer. So if it means keeping her safe, I'll take on the burden of all of humanity on my shoulders. The all of the creatures that would dare to harm them will be held at the end of my sword, as my father had done before me."

That response caused Charlotte to smile, the scientist handing the crystal over to him as he held his palm out to her. "That's the answer I was expecting. It might not be the most noble of motives, however when it comes to fighting for your life you'll want to fight for what you believe in. I have no doubt you'll be an effective Slayer."

Artorian would look down to his variable stone with a somber expression, feeling the weight of what he had now accepted. 'Hayato… I promise I'll do everything to protect Karen. I just hope you and your parents are patient, she won't be joining you three any time soon. And dad, I'll hold it back for as long as I can.'

Seeing Artorian's expression, Charlotte would smile over to Meimei and Emile. "Hey, would you two mind waiting out in the hall for a minute? There's some personal data I have to go through with Artorian before he can practice with his Hundred."

"Oh, sure thing." Emile nodded, Meimei smiling for her response before the two walked out.

Charlotte then turned to her computer and tapped down on the speaker, cutting off all the connection to the outside. "How bad has the Abyss gotten for you?"

Artorian didn't even need to ask if they were private, knowing that the scientist wouldn't dare bring up the Abyss if she weren't sure of secrecy. "It's getting worse, the visions are becoming more intense every time I sleep. Based on the data you had for my dad, I'm pretty sure I'm at the same point he was when I was born."

"How long have you been awake for?" Charlotte asked, pointing out the bags around his eyes.

"About 507 hours now." Artorian answered, looking to Charlotte with a tired stare. "The longest I've gone without sleep was 25 days, so I'm getting close to that limit."

"Have you found a way of how to calm yourself after the vision's start?" She questioned, needing to know all of the information Artorian had on his own condition. She was well aware of how damaging the Abyss was on the mind alone, and even though going almost a whole month without sleep is bad for the mind as well, the influence of the Abyss was much more damaging. Artorian had his father's will, so the lack of sleep wasn't anything of a risk to him, however ever time he did sleep would start to impact him more, and potentially worsen his condition further.

"If Karen's there when I wake up I should be fine, but don't wake her up to treat me." Artorian responded. "Worse case if she isn't there I have to be restrained for about three hours, and have four Slayers that specialize in close quarters guarding the room I'm kept in. I'm at my weakest when I wake up, so with Hundreds they shouldn't have a problem containing me if I break my restraints."

"You'd rather be stuck with the Abyss manipulating you for three hours than wake this Karen up?" Charlotte herself never met Karen, however she knew from the last time she met Artorian that the girl meant a lot to him. So much he refused the idea of Karen even getting close to anything related to the Slayers.

"She needs as much sleep as she can get." Artorian smiled, putting his variable stone into his pocket. "She doesn't have nearly as much stamina as I do, the less sleep she has the weaker she gets. And while I'm sure the technology here can more than accommodate for her condition, I'd rather not give the Severance a chance to impact her more. So with all do respect, please don't wake her up for me, I can handle what the Abyss throws at me for a while longer."

"Need I remind you of just how dangerous the Abyss truly is?" Charlotte said back, giving a concerned glance to the boy. "We aren't talking about chronic nightmares, the Abyss is twisting your mind to use the visions you see to manipulate you. We still aren't aware of the full details or even what the Abyss truly is. Your father left us with very little to work off other than a rampant, uncontrollable soul."

"That's because that's all it is." Artorian stated. "What my father helped you tap into was the impure power that is broadcasted from the soul of a creature that was discovered by Gwyn. We still don't fully understand what it is, but we know that humanity and all creatures are affected by it. And to be honest what I do know is extremely limited to what my dad told me. Even he didn't know everything about what it is, he was just the guy that could handle it better than anyone else. Sorry Charlotte, but I don't have any other way of approaching the problem."

"Very well, I understand." Charlotte closed her eyes, feeling a wave of guilt over the boy's fate. "I'll be sure to set up the conditions you need for when you wake up." She then hid her sorrow under a smile, looking up to Artorian while waving him off. "Now you should go and test out your Hundred. I cleared out a training hall so that you can get used to the process of activating and controlling it. All you'll need before it is your variable suit."

"Variable suit?"

"What the hell is this crap?" Artorian groaned as he stood across from Emile in the training hall, a simple 20-by-20 meter circle arena with dirt and an energy barrier roof. Artorian was referring to his attire, which was a skintight suit similar to the one he saw the student council wearing in the video outside of a few differences. Unlike the girls, the male variable suits lacked sleeves to give their shoulders more freedom, and since he didn't have feminine hips he didn't require the opening on the upper inner thighs that the female slayers would need. Although he still had on similarly skintight gloves. His suit was silver at the center of his body, going from his neck down to his waist. The rest of it was all dark blue, matching his variable stone in almost every way.

"I know it's uncomfortable the first time you put it on, but the variable suit is essential to letting us Slayers use our full power." Emile responded as he motioned to his neck. His variable suit was of the same design as Artorian's albeit with a white interior and a black exterior. His fingers then tapped onto the glass screen at the base of his neck, matching the several other smaller sections around the neck, wrists, ankles and chests of both boys. "These right here are energy conduits, they allow us to transfer our energy better across our body. The main one at our necks also serve as our communicators so that we can stay connected on the battlefield."

"Do they now?" Artorian hummed as he tapped onto his own communicator. His was a dark blue that matched his suit, whereas Emile's was a light teal that resembled close to his green eyes. When he first put the suit on it was clear, so he could only guess that the conduits reflected the color of his energy.

After inspecting his conduits, Artorian would humor his curiosity and look to Emile's chest, humming as he crossed his arms. 'How did you manage to do that?'

"H-Hey, watch where you're looking!" Emile responded, slightly flustered as he put his arms over his chest and turned away.

Artorian would chuckle in response, shaking his head before speaking. "What's the matter Emile, we're both guys here. I was just checking to see how built you were, your arms don't exactly bode the best of strength but you appear to have surprisingly developed pecks."

"What do you mean by surprisingly?"

"Nothing." Artorian dropped the subject right away, confusing Emile for a second.

"Okay… well, I guess we should start your training. You're going to need a lot if you're going to fight against the president." Emile picked up, reaching into his variable suit's pocket and pulling out his variable stone. "Calling out your Hundred is really easy. All you have to do is go "Hundred on!" and throw your variable stone. The and since you're compatible the rest will all work on it's own." As Artorian reached into his pocket for his variable stone, Emile chuckled a bit and rubbed the back of his head. "You might want to put your sword down for this, we have no idea what your Hundred will be and it could cause a problem in the transformation."

"No." Artorian simply responded, pulling out his variable stone. "This sword will not leave my side if I have any say in it. I even got special permission to carry it with me wherever I go, even in classes."

"It means that much to you, huh?"

"It's one of the last thing's I have of my father." Artorian said as he looked at his variable stone, looking at his reflection for a second before tilting his hand and letting the stone drop. "Hundred on." Although it was with little enthusiasm, Artorian's variable stone glowed before transforming, his Hundred slowly forming around him. Blue gauntlets and greaves formed on him, the smooth surface shining as they formed first. Soon after, a second greatsword of similar design to his father's sword formed in his left hand; and with it a pointed greatshield, reminding him of his father's old shield he used in the early days of the Savage invasions.

'You've got to be fucking kidding me.' Artorian swore in his head as he looked down to his newly acquired weapon and shield. The shield was hovering just over his arm, remaining connected by an energy link that had the shield parallel to his forearm; the shield's size causing it to go all the way up to his shoulder and past his hand. His new greatsword appeared to be just like his father's back in its prime, only the back end was glowing with blue energy, causing it to vibrate so quickly that it couldn't be felt. Both were bright silver, shining like they were freshly waxed.

"Whoa, no way." Emile stared in amazement before grinning widely, recognizing what Artorian's Hundred was. "You got the Hundred Wolf Knight! That's a rare chevalier type that has the best power-to-energy balance!"

"Is it really that special?" Artorian asked, looking at his new greatsword.

'It's lighter than dad's, but it still has a good amount of weight to it. And it even has the same full length that his was. Do Hundreds actually have set types or does it completely bend to what the user thinks?' He would cringe slightly at the futuristic and special appearance of his new sword and shield, the sight hurting his eyes in comparison to his old fashioned sword. 'Could've held back on all the bright lights and colors though.'

"Like you wouldn't believe!" Emile grinned as he readied his variable stone. "The president's going to be in a whole lot of trouble now. And now that we know what you're Hundred is, I guess its only fair I show you mine! Hundred go!" Unlike Artorian, Emile was burning with excitement as he threw his variable stone up into the air, activating his Hundred. The first part of the hundred to appear were his thin plated gauntlets, the white armor matching his hair perfectly. And a second later, 20 strange plated objects formed behind him, all floating perfectly around him as teal energy glistened off of them. Taking a better look, Artorian could've sworn the Hundred resembled that of feathers, the 20 together taking the appearance of a pair of wings.

"And you say my Wolf Knight Hundred is a big deal, but I don't even know how to sense energy and I can feel the power coming off of yours." Artorian commented, smirking at Emile as he stood calmly in front of all the plated feathers, although the actual shapes didn't match the feeling they gave.

"Well, my innocence type Hundred is a little more special than other types. This one is known as Arms Shroud, and it has a lot of neat tricks that I can use." Emile explained, looking over to Artorian. "Now then, since you'll be up against the president, we gotta put you through the wringer for this training. So I say…" Four of Emile's feathers transformed into smaller versions of Claire's Hundred. "Let's do a trial by fire!"

"Ah shit, he can copy Hundreds." Artorian groaned as Emile's canons fired, the teal energy blasting right at him at high speed. When the beams reached him, he blocked three of them with his shield while using his father's sword to deflect the final, sending it into the wall. "Okay first, wow I barely felt the impact of those. Second, what the fuck Emile!"

"What?"

"Don't you "what" me you snow-haired prick!" Artorian shouted as he pointed his Hundred sword at the boy. "You fucking shot at me with lasers without so much as a warning! What, are you trying to kill me before Harvey has the opportunity to!?"

"Well I mean, you react best in the heat of the moment don't you?" Emile questioned, although based on his smirk he seemed to have known the answer. "Now come on, you gotta start using your energy if you're going to have a chance against the president!"

"Emile don't you dare fire another volley of-!" Before he could finish, Emile had already fired another series of blasts at Artorian, forcing him to start running to his side to avoid all the shots. "Damn it Emile! You better hope I don't get my hands around your throat!"

"Gotta get past my Hundred first!" Emile laughed as he continued to fire blast after blast at Artorian, forcing him closer to a wall. However, just as he was about to reach the edge of the arena, Artorian stomped his lead foot into the dirt and turn directly towards Emile, cutting two blasts away with a single swing from his father's sword. In that single second Artorian took to block, Emile could see the conduits around his variable suit glow for a brief second, getting a grin from him.

'Looks like he's showing signs of using his energy already.' Emile smiled as he continued his volley, Artorian now running towards him while cutting at each shot with his swords. Thanks to his variable suit, he was able to move almost flawlessly even with all the extra weight, meaning that his energy was doing it's job at boosting him normally. But Emile knew this boost alone wasn't enough, and that he had to teach Artorian to transfer the energy to specific conduit points to get the maximum effectiveness of his power.

"Come on Artorian!" Emile said as Artorian reached him, prepping his Hundred sword to slash at him. But as he was about to, the conduits at Emile's ankles brightened and he jumped back, the energy escaping from the conduit and boosting him back like thrusters before landing a few meters away. "You gotta start thinking on your feet. You won't be able to keep up with the other Slayers if all you do is use the default energy transfer."

"Easier said than done." Artorian grunted as he deflected several more beams from Emile, advancing towards him again in an attempt to strike him. As he was about to get close enough, Emile would simply boost away again, forcing Artorian to repeat the process of blocking and running. As the time went on, Artorian would begin to feel a few stray shots from Emile's Hundred hit across his body, showing that he was starting to amp up the pressure.

"You gotta try and increase you're speed Artorian!" Emile stated as he summoned two more canons from his feathers, causing Artorian's eyes to widen. "You can't win if you can't hit your opponent!"

"Well maybe if you'd explain how to manipulate energy instead of just shooting at me maybe I'd get somewhere!" Artorian shouted as he raised his shield up, tanking the shots as Emile began to barrage him. He wasn't able to protect his whole body, but luckily enough his "teacher" wasn't insane and was aiming purely for body shots, so he was able to block the shots despite their rapid speed. However, the force behind the blasts was proving to be powerful, as Artorian was slowly getting pushed back.

'Can't just teach me normally, can you? Gotta make a special show about it?' Artorian gritted his teeth as he tried to push back against the blasts, losing ground despite his efforts. 'How the hell can I even transfer energy when no one explained to me even how I generate it!?' During his thoughts, Artorian was pushed to just before the wall, the threat of being pinned growing apparent. 'How does Emile expect me to think on my feet when I don't have anything to even think!?'

The moment his thought was finished, Artorian felt a swell of energy build up before he stopped himself, his back just an inch from the wall. "The hell?" Looking down, he stared in surprise as he saw his energy glowing around his feet from his ankle conduits.

'You're fucking kidding me.' Artorian thought as he realized what Emile meant by thinking on his feet. 'I had to fucking actually think on my feet, clever bitch!' Planting his feet firmly into the dirt, Artorian felt his power build up as he prepared to lunge out at Emile.

"Get ready you snow-haired prick!" Artorian shouted as the ground at his feet cracked, the power reaching a boiling point as he continued to think about his feet. "This is where the counter attack begi-SHIT!" As he pushed his feet out, the energy at his feet suddenly became volatile, the build up too much and sent him flying towards Emile at a speed he couldn't control.

Emile visibly flinched as he saw Artorian go from several meters away to right in front of him, the two staring face to face before colliding against each other in an explosion of dust.

As the dust began to settle, the two were visibly lying on the floor spread-eagled and covered in dirt. Their heads were right across each other's, Emile staring up with a grin while Artorian had a tired expression.

"That was awesome Artorian!" Emile grinned as he sat up, turning over to look at the still downed Artorian. "You learned how to manipulate your energy like it was second nature! And you were able to clear the gap between us in no time at all!"

"That was purely by accident and I had no control over it." Artorian responded as he sat up, spitting dirt out of his mouth. "Of course this wouldn't be a problem if you'd actually stop and take the time to explain how to control my energy like a normal person."

"Well teaching's never really been my thing, so I figured it'd be better to just work you over until you figured it out." Emile admitted, already standing up. "And it looks like I was right, you've already started getting your energy transfer down."

"I put too much thought into it." Artorian admitted, rubbing the dirt out of his hair as he let his guard down. "I need time to figure out how much I can handle before anything else. My fighting seems to be fine thanks to my personal training, but this Hundred is going to take time to figure out."

"Well then…" Artorian's whole body stiffened as he heard Emile's canons charging, turning around to see the white haired boy grinning in excitement. "I'm just going to have to work you twice as hard then!"

"Emile you son of a bitch!"

"Was a duel really necessary?" Matthew asked as he stood in Claire's office, the president sitting behind her desk.

"I've looked at the extensive history of Abyssal, he's a delinquent who's been in so many fights he shouldn't have been allowed to stay in school." Claire responded, not looking away from her computer as she talked. "All of the methods his teachers attempted to use to discipline him had proven to be inefficient. This will be the only way to show him that I am in charge and that he will follow orders."

"You know I saw the reports as well." Matthew stated as he looked to his captain. "Most of them were provoked fights, he was usually the one defending himself rather than attacking the other students. Putting him up against you in a duel just seemed… unexpected, since the challenge came from you."

"Is there something you're aiming at Ornisium?" Claire asked, looking away from her reports to look to the Slayer. "I'm aware you spoke to Abyssal on a personal level, you're not thinking of trying to convince me to reconsider the terms are you?"

"Oh no, he accepted your challenge and that was the moment he lost." Matthew said. "If he's in such a hurry to get himself beaten and responsible for three expulsions that's on him. You however confused me since you didn't give him any punishment for when he loses."

"I believe a humiliating defeat will be punishment enough for him. Outside of that, he had done nothing to break a rule or implicate he would fail as a Slayer." Claire explained. "I saw no reason to provide further punishment to him and that will remain."

"I'm not telling you how to do your job Claire, I'm just trying top figure out what you have planned." Matthew sighed as he shook his head. "You're the top Slayer on Little Garden, yet you agreed to withdraw an expulsion should a first year Slayer manage to beat you. Hell, even Erica and Liddy were confused at your decision."

"There is something I must find out for myself in regards to Abyssal." Claire spoke, turning her attention back to her computer to continue her work. "A duel with him is the best method for me to discover what exactly the son of the Abysswalker is capable of. And if there's a benefit to allowing him access to Little Garden despite his status."

"Just be careful not to kill him." Matthew said as he turned away, walking towards the door. "He has no experience with a Hundred and an afternoon's training isn't going to change the scale. I'd say avoid using your Full Armament if you want the fight to last more than ten seconds."

"Duly noted." Claire waved Matthew off as he reached the door, folding her hands together as she looked at her computer. On the screen was dozens of files of Hundred registrations, mission reports, supplies requisites and many others. But the one at the top was the report of Artorian's father Artorias. His file had virtually no data on him at all, his last name wasn't even in it. The amount of classified data behind him boggled the blonde's mind, not even her brother had so much digital black ink on him.

Slayers were usually supposed to be extremely public about who they were, especially someone who went on over 200 missions a year for the first 20 years of his service. His mission reports took a noticeable dip at 18 years ago, the president aware of that being when Artorian was born. But even then, not a single thing could be discovered on whom the former Slayer could have been.

Pulling up a file on Artorian, Claire had also noticed that data on his family was almost complete wiped, nothing outside of his father being recorded. Aside from the missing data however, Artorian was practically an open book. Everything from his education, to his relationship with the Kisaragi family, to even how he went through personal training to wield his father's greatsword. And looking at the purchase history of Artorian, she could conclude that he appeared to have problems with sleeping, but not to the extent of how bad the problems were.

'Just who are you, Artorian Abyssal?' She thought, hating the idea that there was something about the future Slayer that she didn't know about.

"I am really sorry for being late." Artorian apologized as he sat down next to Karen's new hospital bed, placing his sword against the wall as he did. For the past five hours he had been training with Emile, and while he made some progress with his Hundred it was nothing more than the basics, nothing that would be a game changer in the duel coming up. When they were finally done training he realized just how late he was to meet Karen like he promised, and wasn't able to do anything more than change back into his uniform.

In response to his apology, Karen would turn away, her lips curled into a frown as she closed her eyes. "Oh come on Karen, don't be like that. I had a long day and I wasn't able to come until just five minutes ago. I ran over a kilometer just so that I could make it here before visiting hours were over. You gotta forgive me here."

"Only if…" Karen responded, turning her head towards him but keeping her eyes closed.

That got a tired smile from Artorian, who shook his head before leaning forward and kissing her forehead. "You can really drive a hard bargain, can't you?"

Karen would smile as he pulled away, looking to him with a small blush. "I was worried when you didn't come after the ceremony. Did something happen?"

"Oh like you wouldn't believe." He groaned as he slumped his shoulders and neck down, visibly recovering from his training with Emile. "I got barraged by people trying to ask a million questions about how I look like my dad, why I have a giant sword on my shoulder, why am I so tall, and then I got challenged to a duel to avoid three students from getting expelled."

"Why are you so dirty?" She asked, noting the dirt on his face before taking a sniff and recoiling, pinching her nose. "And why do you smell so bad? Gross~"

"Since I never used a Hundred before, I had to quickly learn as much as I could." Artorian explained, looking up to her with a weak smile. "Let's just say my teacher was less than ideal and I spent most of my time dodging, blocking beams of energy and working myself to the bone. I didn't even have time to wash up."

"Awww, poor Artorian." Karen said while patting his head, trying to be supportive while keeping her nose blocked. "I'm sorry so much happened to you today, I know how much you don't like being in the spotlight."

"Thanks Karen. I need that after today."

A knocking was then heard at the door, getting the two's attention. "Come in." Karen called out. The door then opened and in came Karen's personal nurse Miharu Kashiwagi. Miharu was a young woman who was likely in her mid twenties, and at just first glance it was easy to tell. As far as Artorian was aware of, she was easily the most endowed woman he's met, while her uniform did cover her body in a more than modest way, it left little to the imagination. Her pink eyes and purple hair also provided a unique appearance to her, overall giving her the beauty of a fair maiden.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Karen, but it's almost the end of visiting hours." Miharu's voice was gentle and considerate, that alone letting Artorian know that Karen was in more than good hands.

"Aw, but he had just got here." Karen whined. "Is he able to stay for at least a few more minutes?"

"I wish he could, but unfortunately the staff is rather strict about our working hours." Miharu informed, appearing disappointed at the news.

"It isn't fair…" Karen looked down, sad that she barely got any time to see Artorian for the day.

Seeing her disappointment, Artorian would smile in encouragement as he stood up. Feeling him pat her head, Karen would look up to see Artorian's smile. "Don't worry Karen, we'll hang out once I have enough free time. We knew this would be a rough start, but we'll find a good routine for my visits."

When Karen finally smiled back, he'd ruffle her hair for a second before grabbing his sword, turning over to Miharu and rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry if me showing up so suddenly caused you any trouble, I just wanted to see Karen and I sort of… you know…"

"You perv." Karen called out, getting a side-glance from Artorian. "Don't think I don't know you're looking at Miharu's torpedo boobs. I can see you're eyes wandering."

"Hey, I'm a guy. It's perfectly normal to glimpse at a girl's chest every once in awhile." He responded, chuckling before looking back over to Miharu. "Sorry about that, guess I was caught red handed."

To her credit, Miharu took the implication well, shaking her head and smiling. "No it's okay. Just try to avoid doing that from now on, okay?"

"I promise." Artorian said as he walked past the nurse, stopping for a second to whisper to her. "Please take good care of Karen."

Miharu would be caught off guard by his request, but nodded and smiled as she turned to watch him leave. "I promise I'll do my best to treat her."

"Thank you."

"Artorian, you're eyes wandered again!" Karen called out to him as he left, getting a chuckle from him and a giggle from Miharu as he left.

"I am forever doomed to be caught by you're omniscient gaze."

"Hmph!"

"Ugh, today's been too long." Artorian groaned as he held his keycard in to his room's scanner, unlocking it. "Sleep's out of the question, but nothing like a bath will help… me…" As he opened the door, Artorian's words slowed down as he saw inside. Or rather, who was inside.

Emile was currently standing by his bed, likely having gotten out of the shower based on the towel wrapped around his torso. Artorian had caught him in the midst of putting on his underwear, his towel just blocking any sight of his lower anatomy. However, without his uniform on it was easier for Artorian to notice the curves of his body, leaving him to think to himself.

'Seriously, how does Emile hide those when he has his variable suit on?'

The two remained in total silence for what felt like eternity, neither knowing what to say in the awkward air. Eventually though, Artorian would speak up, holding his hand up as he did. "Hey Emile, neat seeing you in my room right now."

"Art…orian…" Emile muttered out, his cheeks getting redder and redder as the weight of everything was starting to click with him. "Artorian!" He shouted as he reacted and began to throw whatever solid object he could at the mentioned boy. Artorian however just stood there, feeling most of the stuff just hit against him and fall to the ground.

When Emile then went to something heavier and grabbed his suitcase is when Artorian put his left hand forward and caught it, placing it down when he noticed Emile had nothing left to throw. "You done?"

"Am I done? Why did you just barge in here! As a matter of fact, get out!" Emile shouted back in response, pointing at Artorian who barely reacted.

"What's the matter Emile?" He grinned, stepping in and closing the door behind him. "We're both guys here, nothing to be embarrassed about." He then leaned his sword against the wall and stretched his back, fighting off the urge to laugh when he saw Emile's glare. "Ah what's the big deal man, you got out of the shower just now and decided to change outside of the bathroom, what did you think was going to happen?"

"That someone wasn't going to just barge in without so much as knocking!"

"Um, I didn't barge in, I used my card." Artorian countered, holding his keycard up before putting it in his pocket. "So what's the bathroom situation like because I feel like utter filth right now."

"You're trying to change the… whatever." Emile eventually gave in, looking away while his cheeks were still beet red. "There's a shower and a bathtub, although the tub isn't in the same style as Yamato's. It's more like Liberia."

"Good, I prefer those kinds anyway." Artorian commented, unbuttoning his blazer and taking it off. "Judging by how you were changing by it, I'm guessing you called dibs on the bed closer to the door." Walking past the towel-clad student, Artorian put his blazer down next to his bed, bringing his suitcase with him and placing it on the floor. "I'm going to take a bath, so unless you have anything left to do in the bathroom I'll hope in."

"N-No, I'm good." Emile responded, trying to calm himself while looking away.

"Awesome." Artorian said simply before he started to unbutton his shirt. When the last button came undone, Emile looked back over and jumped in shock at seeing Artorian take his shirt off.

"W-What are you doing now!?" Emile demanded as he blushed, trying hard to avoid looking at Artorian's chest and abs. It was at that moment Emile realized that the uniform did absolutely no justice to Artorian, his muscular chest and abs not even visible under the clothes.

"Taking my clothes off." Artorian answered nonchalantly, tossing his shirt by his blazer. "It's kind of something you have to do when you take a bath. Otherwise you don't get all the dirt and sweat off. Plus the shirt's uncomfortable to wear so getting that off was a blessing."

When Artorian moved down to his belt, Emile screamed internally before shouting at him. "No, absolutely not!"

"Huh?"

"You are not taking your pants off while in this room!" Emile shouted as he crossed his arms in an X over his head, repeatedly shaking his head no as he did. "There is going to be a ground rule with that, absolutely none of that now!"

"Why, you clearly didn't have a problem stripping yourself in the room." Artorian countered, smirking as he saw Emile's eyes widen. He then chuckled, shaking his head as he walked to the bathroom. "All right, I've pulled your leg enough. I'll leave my pants when I'm out in this room since you're clearly that insecure." As he opened the door, he looked back to give Emile one last smirk, adding a wink before speaking up. "If you were planning on sleeping, don't worry about leaving the lights on. I'll probably be soaking up for awhile." He then closed the door, leaving Emile to release the breath he didn't realize he was holding in.

'What the heck was that!? I was planning on trying to get closer to him while we're here, but he's been way too forward!' Emile thought as he looked at his hands. 'He was like that too when we first put on our variable suits. Don't tell me he's… actually into guys after all this time!'

'Way too easy.' Artorian thought as he grinned, having enjoyed messing with Emile. As he walked over to start the water, he stopped to look in the mirror. Seeing the several scars littered across his torso and back, he took the time to lift the hair covering his forehead, revealing the scar he got from ten years ago. A bitter taste entered his mouth as he thought back to the day, and everything that had transpired since it.

'This is how you would've acted… right?' Artorian thought as he looked down, letting his hair back down as he let his mind wander while waiting for his bath to be ready. It hurt him more when he looked back up to his reflection, seeing a flash of his dad rather than his own face. A common hallucination he had when he was nearing his limit of days without sleep. He was just counting himself lucky he had a few more days before he'd collapse, meaning he could at least fight in the duel tomorrow.

"One headache at a time." Artorian told himself, reminding himself to limit himself before he made himself collapse. He could worry about the fight once he was done taking his bath.