THUD

Norbert half opened his eyes, wondering why his room was banging, hoping his dad wasn’t doing some house maintenance he would need to help out with.

THUD

His arm still hurt him as his eyes danced open, a weird shadow over his head. Remembering the arena battle, his being in the hospital after his fight, and still alive, meaning that his plan worked, his safe card coming in clutch once again.

THUD

The shadow moved above him, and an impossibly large figure, once towering over him, now leaning right on top of him. The doctor or nurse must be checking his head for a concussion.

“You take quite a beating” the voice growled out to Norbert.

The sound traveling to his brain sparks flying, shocked Norbert into action, a voice that he hoped never to hear again after the battle had been over.

THUD

Something came down into Norbert’s vision, a ringing filling his ears. Blinking away the tears, finally his vision coming into focus.

Lifting his head slightly, he looked down at his body as he groaned as the pain flooded back, the energy within him picking up as it instantly stopped any more discomfort. Arzlan had one foot on his chest, stopping him from moving; his head in a slight crater from the punches the helmet had been taking, thankful that it was still together.

“Done playing with your food?” Norbert asked Arzlan, feeling the dried blood cacking his throat, swirling some saliva around before swallowing it, still feeling the crusty dried liquid on his cheeks.

"I'm trying to open that helmet to watch the light disappear from your eyes. Thankfully for you, it's made surprisingly well." Arzlan spoke to Norbert, his fist flying down again and smashing into his face. Tensing his body by instinct, Norbert's head slammed into the ground, the THUD once more coming back to him, ears ringing inside.

As Arzlan pulled his fist back up, Norbert tried to wiggle out. The giant just pushed harder on his chest, and Norbert stopped as he looked up at him.

"Are you going to finish me off?" Norbert asked, no longer caring about his opponent, looking up limply at the sky. The clouds overhead not obscured by the barrier, remembering when he fell so far, before getting caught in the trees.

"So this is what you meant by needing to outrun luck?" Norbert asked the heavens.

As he stared, the fist once more coming down, in the darkness it produced, Norbert saw two light motes appear before.

THUD

The first was pulled up again, and Norbert couldn't believe Lady Luck's response.

"Well, if the Lady thinks it's possible," Norbert groaned, getting a headache from all the banging his head had endured.

"You've finally lost it," Arzlan said to Norbert, having heard the scout talk to himself. “Well, it's time for you to meet this Lady of yours."

With the fist coming down once more, Norbert lifted his body up as much as possible and twisted his head to the side.

THUD

His fist collided with the earth next to him. Grabbing onto it as Norbert was lifted, feeling his body start to stretch wiggling his torso as much as possible in an attempt to escape.

A light appeared behind Norbert, showing the damage that Arzlan had taken to him. The giant was no longer hiding in shadows. The once shadowy figure to Norbert seemed completely fine, possibly even better than when Arzlan first started fighting from the chipper mood the beast-man was talking about.

However, with a proper look under the limelight, Norbert thought, " Maybe you're right?" about Lucks comment to him. He didn't see the tremendous standing lion, the king of the jungle with pristine fur and a main that radiated the sun. The being in front of him was of an entirely different breed. The splotchy mane, tufts of hair missing, what remained mattered in black blood. Norbert saw the hair itself greyed and darkened with age or the blood that was caked onto it. But the most alarming thing was the scarring, unlike when he first met the lion, even in the torchlight with few scars, unlike what he saw now. Not a single piece of fur was on the giant's body, just a smattering of silver scars.

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Norbert looked down at himself, the damage that was done to him during this fight, having lost his leg, arm now both re-healed, the amount of energy it cost him. His mana pool dangerously low, silently bubbling away as it held onto what little remained. All just to be standing here, with both of them having put all their cards on the table, now time to see who had the winning hand.

As Arzlan came to, seeing Norbert standing there, no longer dizzy from the blood loss, the white bone glistening in the sunlight, only several faint lines of purple visible, caked on from how it was repaired to allow the energy to fill Norbert’s body when required.

"The worst thing about being at the top is being king. Is there is only one to go?" Norbert shouted out as loudly and clearly as he could, not knowing if those outside could hear him but hoping they could read his lips.

"To be standing here, you've climbed the ranks yourself high. But from one king to a lowly subject," Arzlan whispered out to Norbert, tilting his face down so nobody could read his lips, the interaction hidden from the prying eyes watching the fight for their entertainment or for revenge. "Think for yourself, and don't get yourself roped into other people's business, it will never be in your favour."

With a shudder, Arzlan leapt towards Norbert, the giant's body fighting itself, not wanting to make such a significant movement. Norbert came forward and punched straight into Arzlan, the giant's chest exploding behind him. Toppling down for a moment, Norbert stood there, looking down at the crumpled figure before him. Removing his left hand, Norbert flicked the gore off it as he looked towards the barrier, seeing if it had come down.

The slight distortion was still in the air as Norbert sighed, half his body almost falling down, a shadow coming up as Norbert looked at the old form of Arzlan. Norbert shaking his head, punching forward once more, the giant toppling to the ground. Not looking away, Norbert saw the giant still for a moment before shuddering and coming back again, slowly regaining his feet, looking down at Norbert as a grin bore down on him.

Punching again, Arzlan once more toppled to the ground, shuddering before coming back up again. Norbert looked at the giant's stomach, the body not looking much different than the first time, as Norbert punched higher into the giant's chest. Hearing the bones snap of the rib cage, the indestructible nature now leaves the material brittle and old.

Arzlan once more dropping as Norbert stared down at the wound, seeing the pieces of bone and flesh roll themselves back together, Arzlan taking a deep breath before coming to his feet again, looking down at Norbert.

Norbert closed his eyes as he punched again, not wanting to look at Arzlan in the face anymore—the giant dropped to the ground with a rattle and a shiver before slowly returning to his feet.

Downing the giant once more, watching as Arzlan died before him. “Luck, can you show me how to put this cat down?” Norbert asked

Seeing a single mote of light appear before a line trailed off, going from his left fist and following Arzlan’s chest on the left side, where Norbert assumed the heart would be.

Arzlan came to still, grinning once more, now moving forward ever so slowly as Norbert stared down, watching the line he had to move on become chaotic, moving from side to side, up and down and back on itself before finally finishing at Arzlan’s heart.

Norbert rushed forward, letting his body twist around as Arzlan tried to keep up, always missing by a hair's breadth until Norbert finally made contact.

The giant toppled to the ground once more, but unlike the other times, Norbert joined in as well, clawing away at the flesh until Norbert could see the bones.

Taking one, Norbert wrenched it free. This section of the rib cage being more resilient than the other bones he had removed from the lion, hoping it to be a fortunate sign. Norbert stomped his foot on the connecting pieces and wiggled it back and forth until it finally broke.

Norbert flew back from the effort before even stopping, quickly jumping back onto Arzlan, not wanting the lion to recover again and his efforts lost.

Looking into the beast man’s eyes, seeing them start to move about, Norbert took the broken rib, holding his thumb over one end, before smashing it into those eyes, the entire thing up to his hand disappearing inside the lion’s head. Instantly, Arzlan stopped moving, Norbert removing the bone before getting back to work, knowing that would not be enough to end the fight.

Making his way through the body, Norbert stopped as he reached the heart. Instead of finding old grey meat, the red flesh thumping around and inscribed on it, Norbert saw a white rune dripping with black liquid.

He stopped in his tracks as he stared down, analysing it and trying to remember, knowing someone would have purposefully done this, having never seen or heard mention of runes appearing on people's hearts.

Shivering at the possibility, Norbert felt Arzlan start to stir underneath him. He grabbed the bone again, marking down each of the lion's arms, and smacked the jaw, causing the head to roll back and the eyes to close again.

Holding the bone, Norbert shoved it into the heart, quickly cutting it out before grabbing onto it and ripping the flesh away.

Smiling in triumph, Norbert held it up before it twisted in his face, seeing the blood still come out, flowing through the air and back into the body.

Stomping down on the wound, the blood trail to the heart stopped for a moment before continuing again.

Shouting up at the heavens, Norbert exclaimed his annoyance, “AND WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?”