“Wait, so let me get this straight.” Nico said.

“You were reincarnated as a sapient, rank F Abyssal Lizard, you had to survive in that kind of environment for months, and you almost had a beast bond forced on you?!”

“Yup.”

I sipped from the grape juice mug I ordered while the other three took in the news. Nico looked dumbfounded, Durreg was fuming in silence, and Jezibel looked conflicted. While they stewed in their thoughts, I took a look at the projection, where the announcer was announcing the end of the first match of the second round. My match with Alanus was the third in line, so I should probably make my way to the coliseum soon.

“Although I want to know what happened with your previous life to warrant a special reincarnation like that, and I will hear it from you later on, we’ve got more pressing issues to deal with right now.” Nico said.

“I am supposing that the person who tried to subdue you when you were in the Unfathomable Abyss is your next opponent, right?”

Again, I nodded.

“I’ll kill him.” Durreg said.

“No, you won’t! What the abyss is that supposed to accomplish?! Are you trying to start a diplomatic crisis?!” Nico yelled.

Durreg glared at her.

“No one messes with my family. No one.”

“Technically, this all happened before mom adopted me, and I am already taking steps to deal with him on my own. Neither of you has to-”

““Shut up, Kiara.”” The two of them said in unison.

“Sheesh, my bad…” I said, laying back in my chair while they continued their glaring contest.

“Umm, I am sorry, Kiara, but do you mind if I ask you a question?” Jezibel said.

Nico and Durreg broke off their stare-off momentarily to hear what she had to say.

“Isn’t it likely that Alanus thought you were just a regular monster, and thus fair game to subdue?”

I blinked.

“Huh?” I asked.

Jezibel quickly raised her hand.

“I am not trying to deny that you were the victim of that encounter or to downplay your right to be angry, but shouldn’t having known better be a requirement if you want to blame him for it? Otherwise, any and all monster tamers are equally to blame.” She said.

“Come on, that’s not the same-”

“But it is, Kiara.” Jezibel interjected.

“I am also a monster tamer, and I am bonded with Yasha – a sapient ouroboros. Anything you say about him applies to me in that regard as well, if not more so.”

Jezibel took a moment to pet Yasha’s head before continuing.

“You’re free to be angry at him for any reason – your feelings don’t need justifications. I am just saying you should know why you’re angry at him, because that will inform the rest of your actions. I think the reason you’re angry is because he tried to subdue your mind, not because you have a moral stance against taming monsters.”

Huh.

“That’s… a good point.” I conceded.

Even Durreg looked a little less tense than usual.

“So, tell me. Why do you feel so angry at him, and what do you intend to do about it?” Jezibel asked.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

I put a hand to my chin as I thought about it.

“Well, I still hate his guts, so that hasn’t changed. Alanus is a cruel, cowardly, arrogant little shit. The fact that he dared to try and influence my mind – the thing that makes me, me, drives me crazy. Still, I agree that killing him would be too much – not that I planned to do that. I swore a soul oath to destroy the most valuable thing to him, like he tried to do to me, and I already did the majority of the work needed to do just that.”

“Was that why you stepped away from the first restaurant lunch we had here?” Durreg asked.

“And why you showed up hours past curfew?” Nico added.

I raised my hands in mock surrender.

“Guilty as charged.”

The four of us laughed before the commentator’s voice interrupted us.

“The second match of the second round is concluded! And now, ladies and gentlemen, rumors aplenty have spread like wildfire over the past day, and the grudge from that rumor just might be settled today!”

I stood up, knocking my chair to the floor.

“Oh no, my match’s coming up soon!”

The other three looked at me before Nico yelled back.

“What are you still doing here?! GO!”

***

Mere seconds before my disqualification, I arrived at the coliseum gate. The referee and Alanus were already waiting for me.

Just as I was about to step through the door, a voice from behind me whispered in my ear.

“The Major said she wants you to show the world what you truly are.”

I turned my head back as I entered the field, only to see Aptera smiling and waving at me from behind.

Well, I’ll be damned.

A smile graced my face as I made my way to the center of the field. Alanus noticed it and scowled.

“You repeatedly insulted me, then you dared to humiliate me in front of a crowd and spread rumors around, then you show up so late that you almost got yourself disqualified, and you still have the audacity to walk with an insolent grin on your face? Does your audacity know no bounds?!” he growled at me.

“Why shouldn’t I? Just the thought of beating you to within an inch of your life is enough to make me happy, and I get it to do it again. Are you ready to get spanked in front of the entire Republic?”

“Why you…!” he yelled, only for the referee to interject.

“Keep provoking each other and I’ll disqualify you both!” he yelled.

Alanus bit back the words he had.

“If you think things will go the way they went last time, you’re in for a nasty surprise.” He said.

“Hah, do your worst.” I grinned.

The black lightning of the arena’s pillars crackled, and we were warped into the empty version of the coliseum – much like our earlier battle. The two of us appeared nearly two hundred meters away from each other, but Alanus didn’t waste any time in summoning his beast.

“Come out, Furialis!” he yelled.

***

Akila Amset

“Come in.” I said.

Aptera entered the observation room, where my lieutenants and I watched the projection of the tournament.

“I gave contestant Kiara your orders, as requested.” He said, giving me a lazy salute.

“Good work, Agent Menes.” I answered.

“May I stay here to watch? The match is about to start, and I don’t want to miss anything.” he said.

I nodded, and he wordlessly took a seat at the back of the room.

Kiara and her opponent finally appeared on the arena, and her opponent took immediately raised his hand to summon a monster.

“Come out, Furialis!” he yelled.

A massive, crimson, ten-meter-diameter circle appeared in the sky over his head. Dark clouds formed where open sky once was, lightning and thunder crackling as heavy winds shook the sands beneath both contestants’ feet.

The space where the magic circle lay cracked like a pane of glass as a massive, jet-black claw emerged from the falling shards.

“GROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!”

A bone-chilling, demonic growl emerged from the darkness beneath, as the monstrosity dragged itself out of the dark void and into the reality the two stood in.

A vicious drake emerged and fell to the ground, forming small craters of sand beneath its feet. Scarlet lines glowed and throbbed beneath its skin, the bloody charcoal of its scales gleaming menacingly at all beholding it. The monster opened its maw towards Kiara and growled, revealing an array of razor-sharp, needle-like teeth.

The moment I used [Greater Appraisal] on the beast, my heart leapt from my chest to my throat.

[Horror Drake Lv. 2]

Rank S creature. Demon Lord seed. Enslaved. Forcibly evolved from a lowly, rank F Abyssal Lizard, this beast has suffered greatly beneath the hands of its ambitious and callous master. This beast will become a True Demon Lord upon release or its master’s death.

I moved towards the glass pane separating the observation room from the coliseum to look at the referee. Another man stood next to him – seemingly a noble, judging by his clothing.

“Agent Menes, find all other members of the noble team. Lieutenant Amense, gather all members of the diplomatic mission. Send them all to the inn, and activate all defensive systems put up in place.”

My men stood up in alarm as I prepared to punch through the glass and jump into the arena.

“Major Amset, please wait.” Aptera said.

I turned around and narrowed my eyes at him.

“Agent Menes, I gave you an order.” I said harshly, not dispelling the mana in my arms.

“I understand, Major, and I’ll happily accept your reprimands afterwards. However, I believe your next move is unwise. Kiara will win.” He said, the easy smile on his face not moving so much as an inch.

I turned to look at the projection, and I tuned out the cheers of the crowd and the screams of the commentator to look at Kiara’s expression.

She wore the widest grin I’d ever seen on her face.