"Hnnnnng." Emile would groan as he woke up, feeling the light leak through the curtains of the room. Sitting up, he'd rub the sleep from his eyes and look over to Artorian's bed, expecting him to either be just waking up or to still be asleep. But what he saw was an empty and vacant bed, neatly tucked as if it hadn't even been touched.

'Did he wake up earlier than me?' Emile wondered as he looked at he reached to his keycard. Grabbing it, he'd turn it over and tap on the black metal, a screen appearing to reveal the device as a PDA as well. The card was basically an all in one tool, almost reflecting the use of the Hundred the Slayers used.

Looking at the time, Emile was surprised when he saw that it was only seven o'clock. 'It's still early? But then when did Artorian wake up?'

"Oh, you're awake." Hearing the door open, Emile looked over and saw Artorian walk in, wearing his casual clothes with his sword and a bag in hand.

"Artorian?" Emile questioned, seeming confused at his appearance.

"Who else could open the door with his keycard?" He asked as he walked in, placing his sword against the wall before sitting on the edge of Emile's bed. "Considering how uncontrolled your hair is, I assume you slept well?" Emile would feel the top of his head in response, realizing just how unkempt his hair was. After the embarrassment of Artorian walking in on him, Emile had forgotten to tie his hair back, leading to the chaos of his bed hair.

"Aw man, that's going to take so long to fix." Emile groaned as he looked down.

"Ah it won't take that long, I'll help fix it up." Artorian offered as he reached into his bag.

"Do you know how to style hair?"

"Yeah, I'd help Karen with her hair every day when I'd visit her in the hospital." Artorian chuckled as he pulled out a juice pouch, handing it to Emile. "Here, consider it a small gift for the training yesterday."

"Oh, thanks." Emile responded as he took the pouch, taking the cap off before taking a sip from it.

'Blackberry?' Emile thought as he tasted the flavor, watching as Artorian took out a second pouch and started to drink it as well.

"I gotta say, the bath here was a little lack luster." Artorian commented, sparking a conversation as he finished drinking. "It wasn't really that bad, but it's way too small for someone like me to relax in."

"I guess it was kind of made for people smaller than you." Emile chuckled as he paused drinking. "Although if that's the case, there's a guy's public bath you can use. I hear it has all sorts of minerals and herbs that promote recovery, so I assume most people use it after a mission or intense training."

"That so? I guess I'll have to take a look and test it out later after my duel."

"Do you feel more confident in the fight now?"

"Absolutely not, I feel like I'm going to be slaughtered." Artorian grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "But don't worry, I'm going to put everything I have into fighting the so called "Queen" of Little Garden. Can't have my new buddy getting kicked out can I?"

"You seem… different." Emile commented. "Don't take it the wrong way, but you acted a lot different yesterday than you are right now. What happened?"

"Nothing really." Artorian shrugged. "I was in a bit of a tight spot yesterday because I felt completely on edge going on a battleship. Not gonna lie, I have a bit of a problem with water and normally would do whatever I could to avoid being smack down in the middle of the ocean. But I spent most of the morning walking around so I feel more like I'm on land so my mood's gone up a bit. Plus, I'm more of a morning person if I'm honest."

"Oh, well that's good at least." Emile smiled, getting a pat on the head from Artorian.

"Don't think you're out of the doghouse yet, I still need to think of a good punishment for dragging me into a fight with the student council president." He smirked, lightly hitting his knuckles against Emile's head. "But it's best for me to focus on the fight to come rather than that. We can talk about what the punishment will be after."

"But I thought you think you're going to lose?"

"I'm going in with the lowest expectation, that way I can surprise myself when I do better." Artorian stated, standing up off Emile's bed. He then grinned, a competitive aura covering him as his teeth were visible. "This is the first time I'm going into a fight without knowing if I'm going to win, my blood's starting to pump and I don't want to disappoint myself with overthinking everything."

"Do you enjoy fighting?" Emile questioned, tilting his head.

"Normally, not really." Artorian admitted. "But all my fights back then were against punks who thought they could get away with badmouthing Karen or making fun of her condition."

'That name again…' Emile thought, looking over to Artorian as he got out on the other side of the bed. Artorian quickly noted his loose shirt and baggy pants, making him hum.

"Who is Karen exactly?" Emile asked. "Is she your sister or a friend? Or is she… something more?"

"Pfft!" Artorian could barely contain himself at Emile's question, having to put his hand over his mouth to avoid spitting out in laughter. "No, hell no it isn't like that! Oh my god, where did that something more come from!?" He then let his laughter go down a bit before shaking his head, grinning widely at Emile. "You were closer with the friend assumption. I've known Karen for her entire life and we used to hang out almost every day along with her brother. Things changed ten years ago and we've been living together ever since. Although she would spend more time in the hospital each year until she eventually had to stay there."

"Oh, was she who you visited after training?"

"Yeah, she's being treated for a severe case of Severance. She first contracted it during the Savage attack in Yamato and it evolved into it's second stage eight years ago."

That caused Emile to look down, knowing full well that if Severance went to stage two, it meant the disease would be permanently in the person and continue to develop. "How far is she in it?"

"About stage three, in the process of going stage four. Although…" He then chuckled as he walked over to his sword, picking it back up and placing it on his shoulder. "If I'm being honest, you almost couldn't tell she's been fighting the life threatening disease if you met her. She always manages to smile and look at the brighter side of things, something I can't."

"Well she's here now, so that means she won't suffer through stage four at all." Emile responded, trying to sound positive as he did. "The technology here is beyond state of the art, Char and all the technicians are experts when it comes to Savage and can keep Severance down like it isn't even there."

"I know." He nodded, sounding disappointed as he did. "I know that well." An uncomfortable silence then went over the two, neither knowing what to say after what was brought up.

.

.

.

"Want to get something to eat?"

"You're late." Liddy stated as Artorian and Emile approached the entrance to the coliseum. The vice president then raised an eyebrow at seeing Artorian's attire, noting that he was in casual clothing. "And you're out of uniform."

"Not like I'm here to fight in it." Artorian rolled his eyes, not caring much for the idea of wearing the uniform for everything. "Plus I just washed it last night and I'd rather not waste the time it takes to put it on and take it off when I'm going to be putting on my Variable Suit."

"It is still informal to come out of uniform, however I suppose that isn't important right now." Liddy sighed before motioning to the door behind her. "I will escort you to the room your Variable Suit is being kept. I can assume you have your Hundred with you?"

"Right in the safe containment of my pocket." Artorian responded, pulling his Variable Stone out to show he had the weapon given to him.

"Good, follow me." Liddy ordered, heading through the doors. Artorian and Emile shared a look, before the former shrugged and they followed through. It was a rather silent trip, as the three didn't say a word as they moved through the building, each corridor matching the last.

When Liddy eventually stopped at a large door, she'd turn to face the two. "The duel will begin in thirty minutes, you'll be expected to be ready within twenty."

"Easy enough." Artorian said as he took a step to enter the room, stopping when Liddy held her hand out to stop him. "What now?"

"You will either have to leave your sword in this room or with Emile." Liddy informed, surprising the two on the news.

"Hold up, you can't just go and make a rule like that up!" Emile protested. "We spent hours with him training with both his Hundred and his sword, taking that away puts a handicap on him!"

"It is not a new rule." Liddy responded, perfectly calm in face of Emile's anger. "In duels, nothing except the Slayer's Hundred can be used. As it isn't a part of his Hundred, Artorian would be breaking the rules by bringing in a foreign weapon to battle the president."

"It's all right." Artorian spoke up before Emile could protest further, stepping into the locker room. "I'm better at fighting with a single sword anyways, so it'll be for the better. Although I'll leave this as a warning." Stopping inside, Artorian turned back to stare at Liddy with a wide-eyed glare, his malice being felt by both the vice president and Emile. "If anyone I don't allow touches this sword, I will personally send them to the bottom of the sea. Are we clear on that?"

"Crystal." Liddy responded, nodding once before the door closed.

When he was alone, Artorian sighed and placed a hand on his head, walking over to where his Variable Suit was hung. "This is going to be a bigger pain than I thought it would." Putting his sword down, he'd shake his head before reaching for his suit, putting it on as he mentally prepared himself. "Though I guess that's what happens when you basically enroll in a military academy. Rules will do nothing but make things more complicated for you."

It didn't take long for Artorian to change into his Variable Suit, leaving him to sit in the room thinking up of any strategy that could work outside of the one he came up with Emile. Considering the range difference between the two, he knew that getting in close to Claire would be vital if he were to have a chance, but that didn't guarantee anything in the long run. He didn't know the extent of her training, but he could tell by the physic he saw from her in the video Charlotte showed him that she wasn't close to being petite.

'How would you handle this?' Artorian thought to himself as he laid back, looking up to his Variable Stone as he held it between his finger and thumb. Even now he felt the stone appeared to be nothing more than a novelty, but he couldn't deny the power he felt when he activated it. It also gave him a completely new view on his father, who was leagues above any Slayer currently alive and yet never even touched a Variable Stone. It just showed how much of a gap was between him and his father even more.

Before he could think further on that, he heard a knocking at the door and sat up, flicking his stone up before catching it in his hand. "You can enter if you want to." At his words, the door opened to Emile, Noa and Liu, Liddy standing at the side like a guard as they walked in. "Oh, well if it isn't Reasons 1, 2 and 3 I'm about to fight against the top Slayer at Little Garden. What a generous surprise."

"We're very sorry!" Both Noa and Liu responded immediately, getting Artorian to lean back in discomfort from their response.

"You don't have to worry about us, so please don't force yourself any more than you have to!"

"Although we're the ones at fault, you're the one that's having a hard time. We feel bad and… we don't think it's too late for you to forget about the duel!"

"That's where you're wrong." Artorian stated, standing up as he regarded the two. "I'm too far deep into this mess to pull out less I decide my pride isn't worth it. And besides, it's not like this is a life or death situation or anything. We're just talking about you three getting expelled."

"And there's nothing you need to worry about, cause Artorian's going to win." Emile smirked, having total faith in his friend.

"But we're… putting so much on the son of Artorias. It isn't fair to you." Noa said in shame, a small groan coming from Artorian before Liddy spoke up.

"It's been twenty minutes, you'll be expected in the arena."

Sighing, Artorian grabbed his sword and stood to his full height, looking down to the three in the room. "Look, you feel bad for all this? Do me a favor and cut this "son of Artorias" shit, that's the very reason this all started." He stated before looking over to Emile specifically. "As for you, can you do me a favor and keep an eye on my sword? If I can't carry it with me I'd rather someone I can trust keep a hold of it."

"No problem Artorian! I swear I-"

"And since Karen isn't here and can't possibly lift this, that leaves you."

"Oh." Emile responded, not expecting the last minute comment from Artorian. When he was handed the sword, Emile nearly fell to the ground from the weight, the sword being significantly heavier than what he was expecting, even from a greatsword. "So heavy…"

"Be careful not to throw your back out." Artorian warned before walking up to Liddy. Before the two would head out, he looked back to the three and give a two-finger salute. "Be sure to cheer me on out there, start making up for all the trouble you've caused."

"Right!" All three exclaimed, Emile's more struggled as he tried to lift the sword up.

Shaking his head, Artorian smirked before turning back to Liddy, who began to walk towards where the duel would be. "I can assume you're fully prepared?"

"Yep, I've done my stretches, drank my milk and counted to a hundred." Artorian stated, crossing his arms behind his head as he walked next to the vice president. After his comment, the sound of excited roars could be heard, getting a tilt of confusion from him. "What was that?"

"Most likely Claire has made her entrance." Liddy informed, getting a drawn out whistle from Artorian.

"Wow, I figured she'd be popular, but that sounds like quite the crowd then."

"More than just the Slayers in training are coming to watch the match, the average high schooler, middle schooler and even shop keepers are here to watch the president's duel. And as I expect, a few are also interested in seeing the return of the Abyssal family to the rank of the Slayers."

"And what about you? Ready to see your president lay the smack down on a freshman or interested in what the infamous Abyssal family is capable of?"

"Personally, I'm interested in neither." Liddy admitted, getting an interested hum from Artorian for her to continue. "As most who are watching are expecting, I don't believe this fight will change the outcome. Claire has far more experience and will likely end the fight in a few minutes. If the fate of the three students were really that important, they'd either be expelled now or forgiven for their transaction. On the other hand, I'm aware that your father had a habit of denying the outcomes, fighting against odds that couldn't be won. So as far as I'm concerned, this is simply a matter of luck and skill."

"So you're neutral in this whole thing? I'm shocked."

"I have to be, both Erica and I will be judges in your duel." Liddy explained. "And you needn't worry about Erica's standings either, she will not allow any favoritism towards Claire get in the way of determining the fight in a fair manner."

"Guess that's good, best I'll get going in this."

'Now this is really over the top.' Artorian thought as he stood in the arena across from Claire, looking around to see the thousands of spectators. Aside from the much larger area and complete lack of a roof, it was practically identical to the training ground he and Emile were at yesterday. He's never seen so many people in one place, and he had to admit it was messing with his focus a bit. And even without the constant cheering he could tell the fans were enthusiastic, dozens having made their own signs and banners; all in their support of their Queen.

He saw a few of the freshmen class in the stands as well, including Reitia and Matthew who sat next to each other. "Give it you're all, Artorian!" Reitia cheered, grinning before looking over to Matthew. "So, who do you think is going to win?"

"Claire, it's not even a contest." Matthew answered, getting a small look of disapproval from her.

"You could at least pretend to have some hope for Artorian. He's doing a really nice thing taking on the Pres for the others."

"Whether he's doing something "nice" or not is irrelevant to the question of if he'll win." He responded. "In almost every category, Claire has him outmatched. The only one I can imagine him having an advantage in is his strength, but that won't do him any good if he can't touch her."

"Well I'm betting he'll win." Reitia grinned, seeing this as a contest between them. "Can't ever ignore that unknown factor, especially when someone's blood like Artorias' is running through him."

"Natural talent won't get you anywhere. His lack of training is the reason he'll fail."

"Well then, I guess we'll just have to see then."

Taking his attention off the crowd, Artorian put his focus back on Claire, the blonde standing five meters away from him in her Variable Suit. Much like in the video, it was a matching red to her uniform. However, in person he noted how much less it covered than it did on film. Whether it was a new suit or not, her shoulders and most of her arms were visible, similarly in design to the male suits. It also clung to her body rather nicely, making it impossible to ignore her developed and womanly curves.

"Were you able to prepare yourself?" Claire asked as she pulled on her right glove, making sure it was properly in place.

"Crowd's a little annoying, but other than that I feel ready for this." Artorian answered, rolling his shoulders to loosen himself up more.

"You'd be smart to lose that habit." Claire stated with a wry smile, taking note of Artorian's posture and build. "In the middle of a battle, thinking like that could get you killed."

"Yeah well, a lot of things can." He groaned as he stretched his arms one last time, his suit feeling even tighter as he stood ready.

Much like how Artorian took note of her appearance, Claire took in each detail she could on him. Without even seeing him in a Variable Suit, his size alone made it clear he was built for direct combat. And thanks to the tight material of his suit, the details of his muscles were all the more clear, letting her know to avoid letting him get too close. However, she was able to take her measurements of him further, noting that despite the fact they were about to fight, he stood perfectly calm. In fact, he appeared to almost be in a relaxed posture, given he didn't have his back straightened or even his feet in the right stance.

"You're looking at me rather intently, gotta say I'm flattered." Artorian chuckled as he noted her stares, although she didn't react in any way as she looked back up to his eyes. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, I understand I'm an above average example of the male sex. And with a suit like this, I might as well be wearing nothing but my shorts, they both hide the same amount."

"Oh? And are you thinking you're innocent of staring either?" Claire asked back. "Don't think I didn't notice your glances at me, with those lewd eyes no less."

Artorian would let a single laugh out as he shrugged, not the least bit bothered by her assumption. "Well what can I say, you put a girl with as well of a developed body as yours in a skintight suit, a boy's no doubt going to look. If it makes you feel any better, I'd say you're at least a 8/10." He added in, winking as he grinned widely. "Probably would be higher if you had a better personality. Although that joke you threw in might raise you to a 8.4 if you're lucky."

"You have no shame, do you?"

"No point in being ashamed in situations like this, is there?" Artorian asked back, tapping his forehead. "There's no shame in admitting when you think someone is attractive, same with if someone finds you attractive either. So why should I feel shame at all?"

That caused Claire to shake her head in disappointment before sighing. "I feel that even bothering won't be worth it." Pulling out her Variable Stone, Claire would stare in determination as she flipped it into the air. "Hundred on!" In a flash of light, the six canon pods that made up her Hundred Alystherion came to life, along with a pair of red gauntlets. "Now it's your turn to deploy you're Hundred."

"Act like I need my hand held why don't you." Artorian muttered as he pulled out his own stone, dropping it in the same fashion he had before. "Hundred on." In a similar flash his Hundred formed, the sword and shield both on his left arm like before. Noting the obvious lack of mobility, Artorian would concentrate hard on the energy bond his shield had and slowly moved it to his back, locking it in place.

'He's not going to use his shield?' Claire wondered, thinking on what he could be thinking about.

"The duel between student council president Clair Harvey and freshman Artorian Abyssal will now commence." Erica pronounced, her and Liddy sitting behind a desk elevated from the battleground. "However, before we begin, I ask you for your patience so we may explain the rules to the freshmen present. The time limit will be 15 minutes. A knockout, surrender, or the depletion of either vitality or energy will result in a victory or defeat."

At her explanation, the giant scoreboard installed above the spectator stands came to life, showing the time limit, amount of energy both combatants had and their vitality readings. "The data for the vitality and energy will be drawn from the energy conduits at their hands and feet. This will allow both us and the audience to determine the values at all times, do you have any further questions Artorian?"

"Nah, I think I got it down." Artorian responded, waving his free left hand to the vice president as he stared Claire down. "Basically I just gotta knock you out or make you waste your energy shooting at me."

Before they continued, Claire would raise her hand. "To make things fair, I would like to add in a condition."

"Huh?" Artorian questioned, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

"What would that condition be Claire?" Erica asked.

"I had pondered the thought yesterday. Artorian has no relatively impressive Hundred score and barely any experience using his Hundred. If I were to fight him at full power, then this wouldn't even be considered a match. So I believe that a handicap is necessary."

'She's looking down on me.' Artorian gritted his teeth at the thought, his left hand tightening around his sword.

"And what would the handicap be?"

"I will avoid using my Full-Body Armament for the entirety of this fight." Claire stated, the glare from Artorian becoming more apparent as he stared her down. "Is something the matter?"

"You're foregoing using your full power on the account you think I wouldn't stand a chance against you."

"No one in their Bare Armament form can take on a Full-Body Armament." Claire informed, stating it as fact without hesitation. "Using it in a fight against you would make the victory be completely meaningless."

"The handicap is recognized and an understandable addition." Erica stated, Artorian's eye twitching in irritation as he felt a fire spark in him. "Both of you, please place some distance between each other and face one another." Both Artorian and Claire followed the orders without question, backing up to make the distance between them ten meters. "Now, let the duel commence!"

When the 10 appeared on the scoreboard, Artorian spread both his legs out and began to focus on his energy. As he shifted his feet, Artorian would grip his sword with both hands, his left serving as the dominant and confusing some of the spectators.

'Strange, he holds his personal sword with his right as the dominant.' Liddy thought as the timer went to 7 and Artorian shifted the weight of his blade onto his shoulder.

'So you're ambidextrous like you're father.' Claire noted, recalling the limited information she could scrounge on Artorias. There wasn't much on how he fought, but from what she gathered he was a powerhouse that could pierce through any Savage with a single swing of his sword. And if Artorian trained himself, the only variable style he could attempt would be his father's, making his approach being the most direct possible.

The two both narrowed their eyes as they prepared themselves, the timer reaching to 5. The crowd's cheering then became nothing but a distant memory, the sound in the arena silencing to nothing as the final countdown began. It was shocking how quickly everyone went silent when the match edged closer to beginning, the few routing for Artorian appearing still excited despite remaining quiet.

3… 2… 1…

"Show me what you can do, Artorian Abyssal!" Claire announced when the timer hit 0, all six of her canons aiming and firing at her opponent in the blink of an eye. Artorian's eyes were still narrowed as the beams approached, his hands clenched tight to his sword as he transferred energy into his feet. The beams then collided as he swung out, causing a cloud of dust to explode around him from the impact.

Claire would prepare herself and fire another series of blasts at his position, expecting him to move forward the moment after his block. But as she fired the green energy at the cloud it dispersed suddenly, getting pushed outward to reveal he wasn't at the center.

"Where did he go?" Retia thought out loud as she looked at the last spot Artorian was seen, her eyes wide in shock at the sudden disappearance.

"Damn, he's faster than I was expecting." Matthew stated as he was looking up, confusing everyone until they saw what he was looking up to.

"Where are you aiming president?" Artorian announced as he reached the peak of his jump, twisting his blade down and boosting himself quickly back to the ground with force.

Using her own energy, Claire managed to dodge his sword impaling her, but was sent back further by the shockwave of his attack. Stopping herself, she looked up in time to see Artorian pull his sword out of the ground and rush her, forcing her to dodge a downward slash aimed right at her.

Seeing an opening in his recovery, Claire sent out a quick kick to Artorian's head, snapping it to the side and stunning him. She reared her fist to punch him in his side, but quickly jumped back when he slashed out in a quick burst of speed, spinning around before stopping in her direction.

'He swung wide with just a single hand on his grip!' Erica thought in shock as Artorian stood ready with his sword, wielding the full weight with one hand as he charged the energy in his feet.

In a burst of power, Artorian blasted forward with his sword thrusted forward. Claire would dodge to the side, avoiding the heavy blow and firing with her canons simultaneously. Just as the beams were about to hit, Artorian turned on his heels and blocked them with his shield, continuing the turn to face Claire and slash at her horizontally.

Ducking under the attack, Claire fired another blast at him, forcing him to position his blade across him to block it the best he could. The blast knocked him a few meters back, however he caught himself and flipped over his back, landing firmly on the dirt and readying another attack.

As Claire would begin to fire multiple shots at him, he'd easily run forward and dodge the majority of the beams, slashing out as one was about to hit him. The freshman's speed was surprising, but Claire was still able to keep up and form her canons together, creating a shield that hovered in front of her and blocks the swing.

'He's faster than I expected!' Claire thought as he quickly maneuvered around the shield, attempting to slash at her from her side. Her shield was able to move quickly enough to block, sparks going off before he jumped over her. Separating her canons, Claire took the opportunity to blast at him as he was open.

Swinging his sword in a massive arc, Artorian managed to cut apart each of the beams before landing, using his sword to block the next volley while getting pushed back. He was only pushed back for a second before his feet dug into the ground and he stopped, slashing out and rushing at Claire again.

"Clever bastard, that's what you're doing." Matthew commented as he watched Artorian attempt to hit Claire, the president dodging each of his slashes as she retreated back.

"Matthew?" Reitia questioned, looking away from the battle to her friend.

"Most people would focus on an all around training to best familiarize themselves with a Hundred, maximizing their ability to control the weapons." Matthew would continue with his thought, not responding to Reitia but answering the coming question. "It looks like he put all of his time training yesterday into manipulating the energy in his feet. He focused on becoming adept at just his movement since he already had the strength advantage."

After she had gotten enough distance from Artorian, Claire would have all of her canons aim at his chest, firing a combined blast that sent him crashing back into the dirt. Amidst his landing, Artorian grunted before flipping over his shoulder, digging his fingers into the ground and stopping himself just short of hitting the wall. As he stood up, he saw Claire's canons prepare another series of beams, leaving him little time to react.

"Shield up, now!"

Hearing Emile's voice, Artorian moved without thinking, putting his right arm behind him so that the energy link would connect quickly before moving it to bloc the incoming attacks.

"That you Emile?" Artorian asked, looking down to his communication conduit.

"Yeah, remember how I told you we could communicate?" Emile responded, sitting at the closest row of spectator rows with an earpiece on.

"Emile Crossfode, what on Earth do you think you're doing!?" Erica proclaimed, looking over to the white-haired student.

"Artorian's an amateur with his Hundred, he can barely do any more energy manipulation that what he does with his feet. I'm not fighting his battle for him, just giving a little advice so that he isn't completely outmatched."

"That was not established in the rules, there is no way we'd allow this. After this a punishment will be-"

"I'll allow it." Claire interrupted.

"But Claire…"

"If it allows Artorian to preform at his best, I will allow such a condition."

'She's still looking down on me.' Artorian growled as he got into his stance, his shield arm in front while keeping his sword up.

"Emile, do me a favor and only speak up if I look dazed. Otherwise, stay out of this and let me make my own mistakes."

"But Artorian-"

"I don't need every handicap under the sun to participate in this fight!" Artorian shouted as he rushed at Claire, holding his shield up to tank the beams that were fired from her Hundred. Seeing Claire shift her aim to his lower body, Artorian would quickly act and jump into the air, preforming a somersault and bringing his sword down right at the president.

Claire was able to narrowly dodge to the side, preparing to fire again at Artorian before he suddenly turned and preformed a second somersault, surprising her and managing to land a blow across her body. Her Variable Suit was able to take the attack, but she was still sent skidding back from the force.

'He's more aggressive and nimble than before.' Claire realized as he lunged forward, bringing his sword down to slam down in front of her. Using her canons to shield her, the impact did little to injure her but still forced her back more. Before she could even stop herself, Artorian ran up and punched out, the end of his shield striking hers and knocking her back against the wall.

The moment her back hit the wall, Artorian prepared his sword and lunged and thrusted his sword at her with surprising speed. However, Claire predicted the attack and jumped right over it, using his shoulder to propel herself further and twist in the air before landing, her canons separating and preparing another volley for him.

Due to her dodge, Artorian's sword was buried deep into the wall, forcing him to release it if he were to have the chance to dodge. Jumping up into the air, he avoided the first set of beams and put his shield out in front of him to block the next, sending him higher into the air.

Claire had expected him to slam against the barrier above them, planning on his focus on her to distract him from the incoming collision. However, she was surprised when he flipped backwards and landed feet first on the barrier. Despite the lack of knowing where the barrier was, Artorian was able to feel just enough energy from it to predict the timing, and in doing so landed with a vantage point against his opponent.

'If this doesn't get her defense, I'll be wide open to her next attack.' Artorian thought as he charged energy into his feet, lunging out with a massive amount of force right towards Claire.

"If you think a direct assault will work, you're thoroughly mistaken!" Claire announced as she aimed her canons at him, firing another volley as he quickly approached her.

Expecting the beams, Artorian placed his shield forward and used both arms to power through the first five before parrying the final. During the midst of his parry, Artorian's foot was caught by the last beam, surprising him and knocking him off balance. Due to his speed, he was incapable of recovering and before either could react, both him and Claire were face to face, an inch away from impact.

'Fuck not again!'

In a resounding crash that spread dirt into the air, Artorian and Claire collapsed onto the ground in a massive heap. While the landing itself hadn't caused much damage to either, the sudden impact had stunned them temporarily, the positions they were in causing a resounding laughter to spread across the arena.

"Well that's… certainly not an ideal position." Matthew commented, seeing Artorian laying on top of Claire as the two attempted to correct their semblance of position.

"Ah man, that didn't feel good." Artorian groaned as he was in the process of getting up, moving his hand to push himself up.

"Hnnn!" However the moment his hand connected to something soft, he heard the sound of Claire taking a sharp intake of air, confusing him as he was still partial experiencing vertigo.

"The hell is this?" Artorian shook his head, feeling out what was in his hand as he was regaining his senses. "Something… not ground…"

"Artorian Abyssal! Wh-where do you think you're touching!?"

"Huh?" As he finally got his senses on his surrounding, he became aware of the fact he was currently mounted on top of Claire, the blonde glaring heatedly at him as he felt the warmth in his hand. Looking further down, he had found that he was holding onto the girl's voluptuous breasts.

'Oh… that makes more sense.' On instinct at the discovery, Artorian's hand groped at the soft mound, causing the Queen to moan at the feeling.

"What on Earth do you think you're…" Claire spoke as she stared up to him with a bright red face, the embarrassment of a boy groping her.

"Honestly? I don't even think I know the answer to that." Artorian responded, looking back to the president's blue eyes. "On one hand, this started purely by accident and I had no intention of doing this. But on the hand currently on your breast, I was confused at the fact it felt like the Variable Suit wasn't even there. This thing cushioned the impact of my sword but it feels so thin." At the end of his words, Artorian groped the girl for a third time as his mind seemed to wonder at the thought of the Variable Suit's material, almost forgetting that he was actively groping his opponent.

The grope resulted in another moan from Claire, the sensation causing her body to lose strength for a second. But the moment it came back, she glared heatedly at Artorian and her energy flashed for a second, bringing him back to reality as he jumped back several meters, his instincts expecting an attack from the stare alone.

As she would begin to stand back up, Artorian would look down to his right hand and curled his fingers in a groping fashion several times, recalling the feeling of the girl's breast. 'They're pretty big and even felt like the perfect mix of soft and firm. Talk about a score.'

When he looked back up to Claire, Artorian couldn't help but sweatdrop at the glare she was giving him, suddenly feeling a lot more conscious about his chances of surviving this duel.

"What the hell are you doing touching the president's boobs!?" Emile shouted over the comms, getting Artorian to recoil before responding.

"Oh like you're one to talk right now!" Artorian shouted back, actually turning to Emile in the stands as he pointed to him. "You are in no position to complain with everything that's going on!"

"Hrrrrrrrng!" Emile grumbled as he hid half his face behind the boundary, his eyes narrowed at Artorian.

"T-To think you… of all people taking my first time." Claire said shakily as she stood up, getting Artorian's attention again.

"O-ho-kay, kinda making it a bigger deal than it is with that "first time" comment blondie." Artorian chuckled, finding her flustered face funnier than her glare threatening. "I mean, the first two times were just an accidental grope, I was still reeling in from the crash and was confused."

"Y-You groped me three times!"

"Yeah not gonna lie, third time was kinda intentional." Artorian admitted, shrugging as he grinned. "Just a quick cop to really feel it out. You know, before you kill me and I'm turned into dust."

"You… you have some nerve on you Artorian." Claire glared as she had tears in her eyes, completely embarrassed at what had happened. "Don't expect any more mercy from me!"

'Welp, it was nice life. Not really, but at least I got to cop a feel before kicking the bucket.' Artorian thought as Claire's canons prepared to fire, the energy charging as she prepared her attack.

When she fired the blasts, he protected himself with his shield, the impact pushing him back a bit but otherwise washing across his protection. The moment he looked out from his shield, however, Claire was instantly in front of him with her fist already in the motion of punching him, striking him solid in the gut. Before he could even finish reeling from the impact, Claire twisted her body and struck him with a roundhouse kick, sending him crashing into the wall next to his sword.

The Queen didn't pursuit him, readying her canons as he pulled himself out of the wall. The moment he did though he instantly fell to his hands and knees, heaving as the contents of his breakfast came out. A round of disgust and winces came from the entire crowd, even Emile feeling the punch in his gut from watching Artorian puke his stomach out.

"Ah man… I really liked that breakfast too." He groaned as he stared down to his vomit, spitting to get as much taste out of his mouth as possible before slowly standing up. He didn't even bother to clean his face, the small drips of bile going down his chin as he breathed heavily. "And now my mouth's going to taste like bile for the next couple of minutes, just great."

"Consider that just a taste of what's to come to you." Claire announced as she aimed her canons at him, watching as Artorian reached for his sword and pulled it out of the wall.

"You're gonna make me puke again? Cause if I'm being honest, that's easily the worst feeling I've had in terms of physical pain." He commented, tapping his hand on his stomach as he did. "Cause if you do, I feel like it'll go unjustified. I'd say a second gut punch would be fair if I groped you like four or five times… not just three."

"He really doesn't have an off switch, does he?" Matthew said as he kept an eye on the two fighters, Reitia laughing sheepishly as she rubbed the back of his head.

"It at least means he still has some spirit left in him though. SO at least he isn't completely out of the fight yet."

"He's going to be wishing he was in a minute."

Shaking her head, Claire would stare at her opponent as he visibly struggling to keep his composure, the strike to his gut providing enough damage to keep him from moving effectively for a minute. And with a simple wave of her hand, her Hundred completely surrounded Artorian and firing at him.

In a single burst of strength, Artorian was able to cut two of the beams before being unable to keep up with the ensuing volley of beams, causing him to collapse to from the damage. He would use his sword to keep him from falling to his knees however, panting heavily as he stared down the Queen.

"So after all of that, are you done?" Claire asked, standing perfectly composed after recovering from the earlier embarrassment.

"Not on your life." Artorian breathed out as he gritted his teeth and pushed against his exhaustion, pulling his sword up and putting it on his shoulder as he'd stand on his own. "I'm not giving up, not until you've shown me the same level respect I've shown you."

"Respect? After what you did to me, you're expecting respect?"

"You don't come from a family of warriors, so I guess you wouldn't understand." Artorian grunted, planting his feet down as he recovered. "I'm not going down, not when you're just using the power you're using."

"If that's how you feel, then I'll end this in a more proper way." Making her claim, Claire would recall her canons, the six flashing in a bright light before turning into one massive rifle that the president would hold.

'Oh… she can transform her weapons too.' Artorian thought with a sigh.

"This is my Buster Canon. It has enough firepower to incapacitate Savage with a single shot if it hits directly." She said with a cocky smile. "It's unfortunate, but with this, the match is decided." A light then began to gather within the muzzle of the barrel, all of the experienced Slayers detecting the energy beginning to build up.

"Artorian, you don't have to continue!" Emile shouted over the earpiece. "You aren't in any condition to take a blast of that caliber! It could cause permanent damage if it hits you!"

"That all?" Artorian asked back as he was able to fully regain his breath, his strength slowly coming back to him as Claire readied her Hundred. "And here I thought the size meant something." Crouching down, Artorian prepped himself as he waited for Claire's attack to finish charging, the energy in his feet building up again as he narrowed his eyes.

'This much intensity… I can feel my body heating up…' He thought as he felt his heart begin to beat stronger, the adrenaline causing him to slowly ignore his pain. Even the voice of Emile was starting to sound silent as his body began to shake.

When the light finished gathering, Artorian's eyes widened in shock as he felt his body freeze before he took a step. 'Why… why can't I move?' He thought as he began to feel the heat swell in him, circling his chest before spreading across his body. 'This isn't adrenaline… what… what is it…'

"This is the end, Artorian Abyssal!" Claire proclaimed as she fired the canon, a massive beam of green energy shooting out and flying right towards Artorian.

"Artorian move!" Emile called out, appearing scared as the boy's body refused to move.

"Get out of the way!" Reitia added in, standing up as she watched in shock over the president's move.

'It's over.' Matthew thought as he closed his eyes, knowing that Artorian's fight would end in a humiliating defeat.

Just as the beam was about to hit him, Artorian felt his conscious nearly blink out as he looked at the energy. And in the second he blinked when it reached him, his eyes turned gold, his pupil thinning like a predator's.

In what was deemed impossible, Artorian's whole body lunged into the air just over the beam. The speed and power in the action drawing in shocked expressions from both Claire and Matthew, the latter opening his eyes to see the spectacle just as Artorian went over the blast.

In the next fraction of a second, Artorian was right in front of Claire, having preformed a somersault and about to bring his sword down right on top of her. Claire was barely able to react in time and released her canon, dodging back and watching as he cleaved the canon in half.

When he landed on the ground, Artorian looked up and glared at her with ferocity, his eyes wide in rage as he rushed at her. The president would focus all her energy to her feet just to avoid his wild and intense swings, his speed drastically superior to just moments ago.

'Impossible! Where did this speed come from!?' Claire thought as she ducked under a thrust of his blade, striking Artorian's chin in an uppercut before kicking his chest. The force pushed him back, but he showed no signs of damage as he instantly locked eyes with her, the traces of his energy leaking out of his conduits.

"If you're going to give it your all, then allow me a better taste of my own power!" Lunging back, Claire would watch and follow Artorian's movements as he lunged from one side to another, jumping high into the air and preparing another somersault attack.

As he used his energy to push him down and fly right at her, Claire summoned her Buster Canon and aimed the muzzle up, the energy charging instantly with him just right in front of her. "I won't miss you this time!"

"Claire! At this range you'll risk killing him!" Liddy shouted from her desk.

'Most likely. But if this current state Artorian is in is any different than he was a minute ago, then I can't hold anything back to take him down!'

"Eat this, Artorian!" Just as his sword was about to hit her, Claire fired her canon at full power, the beam even larger than the first and sending him flying back.

Artorian would growl as his sword fought against the energy, him losing ground rapidly as he was pushed further into the air. Eventually his back struck against the energy barrier, the instant being all it took for Artorian to shift his body and cut out vertically.

In that single swing, a slash of energy escaped from his sword and began to cut right through Claire's beam, the attack getting closer to her as the seconds went by. She was just able to dissipate the attack before it had cut her, but she was caught in a state of shock when he appeared in front of her again, his sword in mid swing right towards her.

'H-How is this possible?' Even Matthew was staring in shock as time seemed to slow, Artorian's swing slowly approaching the Queen. 'He didn't have nearly this much energy control a second ago, and he was struggling to stand up after her beams managed to swarm him!'

'This is… how could I possibly get pushed back by him?' Claire would question, her eyes narrowing as started to overtake her. 'No, I am the Queen of Little Garden! I will not be defeated by someone who has just received their Hundred!'

Just before Artorian's blade would strike her, the light exploded out and covered the area around them. When it dimmed, Claire was revealed with red armor covering the entirety of her arms and legs, a set of thrusters appearing on her back as well. Claire had forgone the handicap placed for Artorian, activating her Full-Body Armament to battle against him.

With her full power now on display, Claire was able to boost into the air, completely avoiding Artorian's swing. "Come forth, my Petals!" She'd say as the top of her thrusters opened up. A dozen small gun pods, her Petals, then came flying out from the thrusters and began to surround Artorian.

The Slayer growled as his eyes tried to follow the Petals, swinging out and blocking the incoming beams from each one as best he could. The small pods however were able to swarm him completely, eventually getting dozens of shots in that he was unable to block.

'The hell…' As the beams began to hit him more and more, Artorian's eyes slowly transferred back to his natural blue from the gold, the pain of the attacks snapping him out of the crazed daze he was in. When he was fully aware of his surroundings, his eyes widened considerable and he used what power he could muster to boost himself into the sky, seeing his opponent flying over him and preparing his sword to strike her.

At this point he was relying on his instincts, a mistake on his part as the Petals followed him and shot at his left hand. With the swarm following, he was unable to protect himself and his sword was lost from his grip, falling to the ground and impaling into the dirt.

'This is my opening!' Claire thought as she cut the power to her thrusters and landed on the ground, the armor on her legs extending out to act as stabilizers as she summoned her Buster Canon. With her Full-Body Armament activated, the canon was easily twice the size as it was before, charging higher levels of energy at a quicker rate.

With him in the air, Artorian would be unable to even dodge away from the attack. And with his sword now out of his possession, a counterattack like before would be impossible to occur again.

"This is the end!" She shouted as she aimed her Buster canon up and fired the full power, the beam double that of what she had fired at Artorian previously.

Without the chance to dodge, Artorian did the only thing he could and placed the shield out in front of him, crossing his arms in an attempt to protect himself. And while the shield did block the initial impact, it could do nothing to survive the beam of energy and was destroyed in seconds. Artorian would feel the full brunt of the attack begin to burn at his skin, his armor shattering and leaving him without any defense.

The beam lasted for several seconds, having overtook Artorian and shattered the energy barrier above them completely. And when it was finally over, Artorian fell to the ground, collapsing next to where his sword had landed.

Seeing him remain motionless on the ground for several seconds, Claire would take a breath, deactivating her Full-Body Armament as the scoreboard showed Artorian's Vitality was at the critical level. And with that result brought, Claire was declared the winner.

"Artorian!" Emile shouted as he jumped out of the stands and into the arena, running after his downed friend. Erica and Liddy were both quick to join him, a medical team running out to aid the downed student.

"Not yet…" Claire and everyone else were then shocked as Artorian suddenly spoke up, struggling to move as he began to push himself up. "I'm not… done… yet…" In the process of getting up, blood could be seen where Artorian had placed his hands down, drawing everyone's attention to see his injuries. At first there appeared to be no damage, but taking a second look everyone realized in shock that his gloves were destroyed, and his arms from his elbows down were burned to the extent his skin blackened and cracked. The blood was most likely from the skin on his palms ripping off, showing just how severe the burns were.

"Artorian, stand down." Erica tried to reason, taking a few steps toward the boy. From the way he was shaking, she could tell he was experiencing a severe rush of adrenaline, the intense battle and injuries he suffered making him unable to be aware of what was going on. "The battle is over, you don't need to continue fighting."

"Like hell it… is." Artorian grunted as he reached for his sword, wincing in pain as he tried to grab the hilt as it resulted in his hand ripping more skin. "I won't… let it end here." He'd continue, preparing himself as he reached down to the blade of his sword, angling his pal with the edge. Before anyone could reach and stop him, Artorian cut the burnt skin off, the pain almost making him collapse.

"Artorian please stop!" Emile begged as he got close to Artorian, grabbing his arm to stop him from picking up the sword. "You've done enough! There's no need to keep pushing yourself!"

"She finally recognizes my strength." Artorian was able to mutter out, confusing Emile as he looked up to Artorian's face. "I can't… won't let it end… here. Not while I still have to… fight."

"No, you don't." Claire spoke up, getting everyone's attention as she disabled her Hundred. "This match is my loss. I broke the rule I placed on myself and activated my Full-Body Armament. I cannot accept a victory when I had violated the restrictions set for the match."

"She's right Artorian." Liddy responded. "Under the stipulations of the duel, she was disqualified the moment she activated her full power. You won and the students expulsion will be revoked."

"I didn't agree to that damn rule!" Artorian shouted, pushing Emile away while pulling the sword out of the ground to point it at Claire. "I refuse to accept a victory on the grounds of a damn disqualification! So turn on that Hundred back on, and fight me!"

"You're delusional." Claire stated. "The pain you're in right now is messing with your thinking, you must stand down if we're to treat you properly."

"Actually, he's fully aware of his surroundings." Everyone's attention then turned to Charlotte, who was walking over to the group casually. "His body's just more capable of dealing with intense pain that he doesn't know when exactly he should stop moving."

"If I can move, I can fight." Artorian responded.

"Artorian, if you try to fight her, you're going to lose." Charlotte said, reaching into her lab coat as she approached him.

"I'd rather lose with both of us going at our all than win on accountability!" Looking back over to the Queen, Artorian narrowed his eyes as he attempted to spread his legs, barely moving them as he couldn't risk falling over. "It took that whole fight to get you to recognize me as an actual opponent, I won't let either of us have victory until one of us is completely unconscious."

"I see you're not going to let this go." Charlotte sighed, shaking her head once she was at Artorian's side. "Since you're both refusing to accept victory, how about we have this officially end as a draw? That way, the duel doesn't have an actual winner, and we can avoid a potential fatality."

"I'm willing to accept that." Claire would state, looking over to Artorian. "And what about you? Would you settle with this being a draw?"

"A rematch." Artorian spoke, confusing everyone as his Hundred was deactivated and the Variable Stone fell to the ground. "Not now, but one day… when I've gotten stronger and recognized as your equal. We have a rematch to decide which of us is actually stronger."

Hearing him give a sensible response, Claire would smile and nod, the two sharing a determined glance. "Should you prove yourself able to match my skill and strength, I will accept any challenge you have."

"Good." Artorian completely relented as he looked over to the medical team. "All right then, I'll stand down and leave here willingly."

"We'll bring you to the hospital right away." The lead on the team said, pulling up a holo pad as he approached Artorian. "We'll need to apply proper treatment before we reach there however, so we'll need to render you unconscious so that the injections to prolong your arms' cell decay can take affect."

"Excuse me, did you say you needed me unconscious?" Artorian questioned, taking a step back as if to defend himself. "Sorry, but there's no way that's going to happen."

Expecting his defensiveness, Charlotte looked over to Liddy and Erica, the two picking up on it and preparing themselves to move at a moments notice.

"Sir, it'll be a simple sedative, you'll be unconscious and receiving treatment before you even realize it." The medical chief said, pulling out a syringe as he did. The sight of the needle was all Artorian needed to attempt to jump back in an attempt to get away.

"Restrain him!" Charlotte ordered, and in that moment Liddy and Erica tackled him from behind, attempting to hold him down while the medic tried to administer the sedative.

"Fucking let go of me!" Artorian screamed as he fought against the vice presidents, getting an arm free and swinging it at the medic. "Keep that shit away from me! You're not putting me to sleep!" While he didn't hit the man, he knocked the syringe out of his hand and onto the ground, shattering it.

"Emile, hold his shoulders down." Charlotte responded, confusing him until he saw the scientist pull out her own syringe. Knowing that she was aware of this happening, Emile did what he was told and knelt down next to the downed boy, pushing down on his shoulders with his right forearm and grabbing his free arm with his left.

"Calm down Abyssal!" Liddy ordered as she and Erica managed to get a knee each on his back, managing to contain him easier with the vantage.

"Fuck that!" He barked back as he desperately fought against them. "You don't understand what you're doing! I can handle the pain of the injections, this whole thing is shit!"

"It'll be over quicker if you stop fighting." Erica stated as the three were able to hold him in place, giving Charlotte the opening to kneel down and aim the needle for a vein.

"Emile, you can't let them do this!" Artorian shouted as he looked up to the white haired student. "Please, I'm not ready yet. I can't face them…"

"I promise it'll all be over in a second, just please calm down and…" Emile started to respond before he looked down, seeing the fear and desperation in Artorian's eyes. It was then he realized that Artorian wasn't sounding like demands, but rather begging.

"Keep him still Emile." Charlotte said as she pierced into Artorian's arm, noting Emile's confusion. "Don't worry Artorian, I promise it won't last for long. Just a few hours is all it will take."

"It's never a few hours." Artorian said in a quiet voice, his eyes closing as he embraced himself for what was to come. It was then that Emile was able to feel his fearful shaking, his eyes widening as he saw a tear escape from Artorian's eyes.

It didn't take long for the sedative to take effect, and with it the boy was unconscious in a few seconds. And with him now under, the medical team was able to take him away from the arena and head to the hospital.

The whole sight had shocked the entire audience and almost everyone on the ground. Artorian's struggle against the sedative came out of nowhere and resulted in a display none were expecting.

Out of everyone who saw it, the display surprised Claire the most, who stared at the exit where the boy was taken off by a stretcher. She had fought against him and in the entire fight he had never displayed an instant of fear. But the mere idea of being sedated terrified him to retaliate and struggle when he had no strength left. It left a bad taste in her mouth as another unknown was shown by him.

And until he woke up, she wouldn't be able to get a single answer from him.