In only the span of a few seconds, the entire arena had been flattened and took on the appearance of a natural disaster. Shao was floating in the air now, her hair dancing wildly as miasma continued to flood across the city like a mist. Where ever it touched started to decay and fester. Areas where it was especially thick suddenly coalesced, and a monster appeared in its place. The creatures didn’t hesitate to start attacking citizens. Since the miasma was weak, so were the monsters, but that didn’t matter to most citizens, who couldn’t even handle weak monsters.

“Ahhh!” I heard a scream, turning to see Faeyna.

Once we had crashed, it had been Faeyna who had received the least damage, since she was being held by me. When I had struck the cushion, she had ended up flying out and landing a bit away from me. She had stood back up only to find herself in front of a ravenous beast that looked like a cross between a goblin and a wolf. It charged at her. Pulling my sword, I leaped forward.

This time, my natural speed far exceeded the wolves, and just as it reached Faeyna I grabbed her and sliced off its head. “Faeyna, you must go.”

I looked around the arena. There were people fleeing and screaming everywhere. More and more monsters were being created every second. The demon lord herself seemed content saturating the Capitol city in her miasma, not making a move to attack anyone who didn’t provoke her. The few brave guards who did attempt to attack her were instantly destroyed by a wave of her hand.

My eyes finally locked on a familiar couple. Without even thinking about it, I picked up Faeyna in my arms and ran across the field. I ended up kicking a bunny-like creature that had no fur away as I ran. Only when I reached in front of the fleeing couple did I stop. They were none other than the Esmere friends I had helped cleanse their mansion, Pait and his servant Dav. I hadn’t known the two had shown up to watch the competition until now. They had been lost in the crowd, it seemed.

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“Boy, we must flee immediately. This is work for the royal guard.” Pait said.

I put Faeyna down and shook my head. “I can’t just leave.”

I didn’t know where my bravery came from, but I felt like I had to see this through to the end.

“You… saved my life twice now.” Faeyna spoke breathily, looking up at me before turning away. “Even though I tried to run.”

“You’re not a fighter,” I responded simply, looking at my girls as they quickly donned their armor and cast protective spells on themselves before attacking the spawning monsters. “We all must do what we do best. My girls can fight. All I can do is support them. However, I will continue to support them with everything I have.”

“W-will you support me as well?” She asked nervously, looking uncertain.

I looked down at her and smiled. “I will support those that are a part of my life with everything I have, always. That’s simply the kind of person I am.”

“Hmph! Sweet talker…” Pait crossed his arms and chided, although his words seemed affectionate.

I glanced at Pait. “I have to support this city right now. Can you take her safely back to your mansion?”

“I can manage that,” Pait said. “Despite my size, I’m actually quite the warrior. These low-level bastards won’t touch her while I’m around.”

“Thank you…” I looked down at Faeyna, “Please, go with… Mmmm!”

Suddenly, Faeyna threw her arms around me and kissed me. It wasn’t even a light kiss either. Her tongue shot right into my mouth quite aggressively, as if she was determined to share saliva. When she pulled away, a stream of spit even connected out mouths. She suddenly licked her lips, and a strange look was in her eyes.

“Come back to me. You have to now.” She responded.

I put her back down, not sure how to deal with the situation. “Ah… right. I’ll be going then.”

Pait had his mouth wide open, and his eyes looked like they were about to pop out. As for me, I could only turn and run toward the girls, getting my jobs ready to support them the best I could. Thus, I didn’t hear what Pait said next.

“Girl… I’ve read about elves. They say that an elf only kisses one person their entire life. Some claimed it was bedding an elf, but how could that lead to the extinction of an entire race? A single exchange of fluids is all that is required to mark her forever.”

Faeyna gave him a slight smile, still enjoying the taste on her lips.