The arena moved me and Alanus to the coliseum grounds, though no one was watching from the stands. The Legate who gave us a tour did say that coliseum fighting predated arenas, so it makes sense that the coliseum itself was in the location pool.

“Whatever your quarrel with me is, making an enemy of me was a mistake.” Alanus said.

“I am not going to sit and wait for a low-born, foreign barbarian to attack first – and I’ll start by teaching you some manners!”

Alanus raised his hand, summoning a large, rank A monster from a glowing tattoo on his chest.

[Abyssal Reptilian Terror Lv. 93]

Rank A creature. Enslaved. Forcibly evolved from a lowly, rank F Abyssal Lizard, this beast has suffered greatly beneath the hands of its ambitious and callous master. Beware the bottomless wrath that lurks within its heart.

My eyes widened at the forbidden rarity monster – what in the name of the Abyss did Alanus do to that Lizard…?

Instead of a monster the size of a house cat, a wingless drake twice the size of a horse stood before me foaming at the mouth. Unlike other abyssal creatures of the first layer, the reptilian terror had blood-red stripes on its body to match its charcoal-colored form.

“Furialis, attack her!” Alanus yelled.

A red circle emerged on the beast’s forehead and glowed, making the beast howl in agony. The mark sizzled on its skin for a few moments before fading, and the beast turned its head towards me. In the next moments, the sand beneath its feet exploded, and the terror was already swinging its claws at my face.

“[Almighty Push]!”

A sphere of pure force emerged from my body, pushing away the terror and the sand beneath my feet alike. Despite being tossed like a ragdoll, the monster landed back on its feet and lunged towards me once more, closing dozens of meters within less than a second!”

Just as the monster was about to strike me, I stomped with my foot on the floor, and a pillar of stone struck beneath the monster’s jaw, closing its maw shut. The monster’s body was strong enough that the pillar shattered, and the monster’s body was still flying towards me, but that suited me just fine.

“[Fist of Justice]!” I yelled, striking the beast head on.

The monster was sent flying from my end of the arena back to Alanus’s, barely missing the young man as it slammed into the coliseum’s walls and shattered them.

“Wha-?” he gasped.

“What’s wrong, Alanus? Weren’t you going to teach me some manners?” I asked.

That taunt was enough for him to pick his jaw up from the floor.

“Stop messing around, Furialis! Destroy her, [I Command You]!” he screamed.

The monster flew out from the broken walls in a rabid rage, with a red mist seeping from its skin. Before the monster could even roar, I withdrew the air from its lungs and used [Force Lord] to send it flying in mid-air. Silent and helpless, the beast kept clawing at nothing as it slowly floated above.

“Is that all you’ve got? I assumed a scion of a noble house would be more capable than that.” I scoffed.

Alanus looked at me incredulously before his eyes widened.

“You’re that girl from the Tameryian team.” He whispered in shock.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Right you are!” I said, casting [Mana Commandeering] on Alanus’s body.

Alanus staggered and went to one knee, as all the mana in his body rushed to escape it at my command – giving him the typical symptoms of mana deficiency.

“You know Alanus,” I said, flicking my wrist to activate [Destined Collision] on the monster overhead and the top of the coliseum, sending it flying away, “I’ve been looking forward to paying you back for trampling on my pride for a long, long time.”

I then activated [Force Lord] on Alanus and the ground, slamming him into the sand and denying him the strength to move. He tried to glare at me, but I stepped on his face with my boot.

“Trampling on yours today is just paying you back a small portion of what you owe. Forget the principal payment, this isn’t even close to covering the interest.”

Alanus tried to groan, but my heel dug into his cheek as I pushed his head deeper into the sand. I leaned down until my face was half a foot from his own, then I slowly whispered words that drove him mad.

“I am your ruin, Alanus. I will destroy your standing in your House, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.”

I lifted my boot and released my [Force Lord]. Alanus tried to stand up, only to get kicked in the face. He skidded off the sand like a rock across a pond before I raised my voice for the referee to hear.

“I forfeit this match.” I said loudly to the air.

The world shuddered, as the coliseum grounds and walls faded, and the arena I fought in came back to view. All the people around us, including the referee, stared at us in shock. I guess it wasn’t every day that they got to see a noble get humbled.

“Do your best to stay in the top 64, Alypius. I can’t give you the humiliating beating you deserve during the knockout stage if you fail to qualify or get kicked out.” I sneered.

“You can also just run away, though I wonder what that says about House Alypius. But fortunately for me, they didn’t raise cowards, did they?”

People around us began to mumble to each other quietly – just as expected. Alanus slowly stood up and grit his teeth to glare at me.

“I’ll make you regr-” he tried to say, only for me to just turn around and walk away without letting him finish.

A few people failed to muffle their laughter, only stopping short when Alanus glared at them. As I stepped out of the arena, a satisfied smile crossed my face.

“That was satisfying.” I thought to myself.

“I didn’t expect an early opportunity to present itself for me. The first part of the plan is complete. I should strike while the iron is hot – I can finish the second part now.”

I looked around and saw a patrolling guard close by.

“Hey! A moment, please?” I asked.

The guard turned around to face me.

“Need something?” she said.

“Sorry, but I am not from here and need some directions. Do you know where I can find the Alypius estate?”

***

Nicotris Sept

It’s nearly an hour before midnight, and Kiara still isn’t back. The individual matches ended two hours ago, and curfew started an hour after that.

“Where the abyss is she…? If the Major finds out, she’ll have both our hides.” I complained out loud.

“I am here, I am here, sheesh.” Kiara said, opening the door and closing it behind her.

“Where have you been this whole time?” I asked.

“I just got lost. Sorry if I worried you.” She said nonchalantly, flopping into her bed.

She got lost on the third day, but managed to find the way back on time during the first two? Before I could ask about that, Kiara had already fallen asleep.

I sighed.

Well, whatever it was, she clearly doesn’t want to talk about it. As long as it doesn’t concern me, it’s none of my business.

***

“Ladies and gentlemen! Nobles and common folk! Citizens, provinciales, and foreigners! It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the knockout stage of the Iron Fist Team Tournament!” the commentator yelled at the top of his voice.

Mages on the edges of the coliseum fired all manners of spells into the sky, creating an incredible magic show to go along with the marching band’s music.

“One chance! From here on out, every team will be risking elimination on every single one of their matches! None can afford to lose a match if they hope to achieve victory in the name of those they represent today!”

The Major then called for our attention. Tuning out the events outside, I turned to see what she had to say.

“Now, more than ever, is the time to observe the enemy teams.” The Major said.

“Our opponents will be forced to reveal much more of their abilities than they showed previously now that they can’t afford to lose. This is your chance to prepare countermeasures. Do not get distracted for so much as a single moment – they will be watching you just as closely, and you mustn’t fall behind.”

She turned around to face the coliseum grounds.

“Commoners, you in particular ought to focus on this match. The team that beat you once before will face you in your next match, should you win today.”

The commoners’ team tensed at the Major’s words, and the bitter sting of yesterday’s loss was still visible in them.

“Yes, Ma’am!” We said.

It wasn’t long before the first match began, pitting the Kengir Unbroken from Erdu against the Romellus Legionnaires.