Fingers flexing, Rachel stared across the destroyed field from the stadium’s concrete hallway entrance, Scarlet by her side; it wouldn’t be long until Ohan and Vasishtha showed up to referee the match, and every second was agonizing.
The crowd already chanted for their Lion King, which wasn’t surprising, considering she was practically a nobody to these Cubans; they might even wonder why this was a big deal.
In a way, Rachel felt a little bad; the people had lost so much and had placed their hopes in the one measure of stability that had risen up in their community; she didn’t want to crush that. Still, she had her pride on the line and a job to do in paving the way for the country's future.
Tom had made a compelling argument to President Capell, not wanting to repeat the mistakes of past administrations; a devastated country needed sound leadership and support, which also had to be voted in.
Just liberating Cuba from its warlords wasn’t going to solve anything when they didn’t have a framework to rebuild, security, or know the direction of their country; the survey and vote provided them with something to look forward to.
It had to be Cuba’s choice, and the U.S. was never going to have a positive impact in restoring the nation in the current world climate—the government’s hands were tied in many ways unless Cuba became a part of the Union—resources didn’t come from nowhere, and many areas in the U.S. required a lot of attention.
The political powers wouldn’t be too happy, and it was justifiable that each side would be concerned with how it would change the political landscape, yet if they genuinely wanted to help this nation, there wasn’t any other option in the current state of the world.
Of course, none of that was possible with someone like Nemesis standing in direct opposition and a figure that could divide Havana’s population; he was good in the short term—without a doubt, instilling order that had been lost—but it was tyrannical order, and the Lion King would do whatever he wanted.
Rachel didn’t think Nemesis was a bad guy; in fact, in her opinion, people like him were necessary in a society that had utterly broken down. However, Nemesis had faults that could easily lead to a terrible future for the people of Cuba.
Nemesis didn’t care too much about governance—he was a king, but his only desire was to be at the top—and that was brutally apparent in how he conducted Havana. All of the decisions that didn’t involve him forcing peace as a one-man military went to Mara and his lieutenants, which had also abused their powers in many regards.
Not that those directly under him had terrible intentions, such as Ana or Jaume, but it simply gave room for bad actors to use Nemesis’ disinterest to harm the population, and with the Legend of Juana Inés de la Cruz’s death, things were bound to change in the regime.
In the end, Rachel could respect the direction Tom was going, and that was all she needed to participate in this show; she had her opponent to test how far she’d come in Cuba.
If Rachel was being honest, she didn’t particularly have that much interest in Cuba; sure, it was a sad circumstance, but unfortunate things happened all the time, and she couldn’t cry about everyone.
Countries rose and fell—life wasn’t fair; there would always be suffering—yet it still continued. There were a million injustices in the world, yet all she could do was focus on her small life and circle—to ease things for those she loved—and she felt this path was more than acceptable.
Rolling around her neck, Rachel threw back her shoulders to stretch out her chest and lower back, moving to other positions to keep limber while checking her current condition.
Each of her Lunar Pools were full, excluding her Lunar Hell Pool since it was cleansed by Sir Robert’s attack, yet she’d managed to get it back up to 40% by sacrificing the Rabbit Gang, who had advanced to Level Four since their time at Camagüey.
It gave them a new attack and quite a few increased Stats, but Rachel didn’t want anyone’s involvement in this fight—she had to know how far she’d come on her own—without Nia, Yseress, or the rest of the crew.
“You are outclassed at your current level, Mistress. I suggest using the many available Skill Points and Stats you’ve gained throughout your stay in Cuba.”
Hmm… Thanks for the advice, Yseress, but we’ll see once I stand before him. Hehe. He has a tradition that will give me an accurate assessment of what I need to do.
“Oh? You have me curious, but I am a patient woman.”
Haha! I can practically smell you cooking popcorn. Nia would be right next to you if she could.
“I am quite happy without the girl’s incessant commentary.”
Probably a good thing she is sleeping, to be honest. She can look at the recording when she wakes up—I bet Scarlet will be keen to watch it again with our… Maybe we can make a movie night out of it with my family! Hmm… Although I don’t know if Mom would like to see such an intense fight that this will probably be. Mmh.
“Look at you, all cute and cheery, ready to bloody someone’s face!”
Hehe. Sure. I haven’t had an actual match in a ring since The Oscillation changed me—well, other than Anthony and me sparing—oh, I wonder if he’d like to watch the match with me, too. A battle where it’s just to see who comes out on top… and where I know I am currently the underdog without Nia. I’m getting excited!
Scarlet was giving her a partial scowl, and Rachel could tell her new little sister was concerned about her; the Vespertine Reaper had only recently started to accept her place in their family, and naturally, she didn’t want to lose an important connection like that again.
Nemesis was extremely powerful, having killed thousands of people—mostly Demi, which Rachel was sure made an enormous difference in Exp—and the Mythickin was the last thing keeping them from returning home to see their mother’s face.
Rachel couldn’t make her precious mother worry about her safety much longer and had no doubt there would be a kitchen full of baked goodies for them when they returned; her mother’s stress cooking was likely in full swing at the moment.
Her vision shifted to her sister as the eighteen-year-old girl took a deep breath while staring across the muddy field. “I can feel your emotions… I know you can win, Rachel, but just…”
“Hehe.” Leaning forward in her splits on the floor, Rachel brought herself into a sitting handstand to do a front walkover and hug the vampy girl. “Thanks, Sis. Ohan and Vasishtha are just about here.”
“Hmm… Sis… Why am I so stressed out! Gah!”
Watching the smaller girl shift a little in her arms, Rachel snickered. “I think it’s less about this fight and more about Nemesis returning to Miami with us.”
“Yeah! Humph! He’s totally not normal. You heard what he said… Like, who says that kind of stuff? It’s not funny to me—him just butting in—saying all that!”
“I know. I know. Haaa…” Pulling away, Rachel’s tone turned thoughtful. “I can’t say if Nemesis really does like me. Honestly, I thought that entire conversation was ridiculous, but looking at it from his perspective… What does he have when I win?”
Scarlet blinked, blue irises drifting to the opposite side of the bright field where the Lion King waited. “I uh… didn’t look at it like that. Mmgm… I guess he doesn’t really have anything. Right? At least, that’s what I’ve heard. He was a slave… killed the dude enslaving him… and took over the city. If he doesn’t have this, then… then what does he have… Grgmgm… He wants you.”
Rachel flashed her teeth in a forced smile. “See? It’s not too hard to understand where he’s coming from.”
“Still unacceptable! He wants to turn you into a slave—which, sure, okay, is like normal for his kind of life or whatever—still not okay! Oh, and what about Mara?”
“Mmh…” Rachel leaned against the wall, turning her head to follow the woman’s musical voice, trying to convince Nemesis to not be so hasty or give her the same opportunities he typically did to his opponents. “I think she almost sees herself as his big sister or something—wanting to look out for him.”
Scarlet lifted a black eyebrow, arms crossed under her bust. “Uh-huh… she’s just as weird as him—she had s-sex with him… Sister, huh?”
“Mmhm… Not wrong,” Rachel forced a smile. “Definitely not your… typical foster sister-like relationship.”
“You can say that again,” Scarlet mumbled. “They should just get together and leave you alone.”
“Hehe. Aww, you’re so adorable, Scarlet!”
“Hey! I’m serious! I’m worried about you… I don’t want to have this crazy, super-strong, stalker lion-dude that’s always following us around… That—that just says he’s down to have s-sex like—like it’s nothing… He and Mara should just go elope somewhere or something!”
Pondering her train of thought, Rachel slowly shook her head, cupping her chin. “Mmh… I don’t think Mara gives Nemesis the same feelings as he gets from me—heh, not that I’m trying to sound cocky—but he clearly wants someone who will challenge him, and I’m that someone—Mara can’t give him that.”
“Gah! Rachel, you look at things too logically!”
“Eh—do I?”
“Yes! Yes, you do!” Scarlet glared. “Humph. You can just detach yourself from stuff—he seriously said he would follow you, and it was cool if—if he was a boy toy on the side! Like, really?”
“Haha! I don’t think he quite added that boy toy part!”
“He totally said it! He’s all—oh, yeah, I’m cool with just being the dude on the side—like you’re some—some girl that can just use him like a tampon or something! I—I don’t think your mom would be cool with him… is all I’m saying,” she mumbled, cheeks bright red.
“Our mom, and heh, I don’t know… Eh, after looking into the things my mom’s been reading… Ehm-heh, I… didn’t know my mom as well as I thought I did.”
“Wait, huh? What do you mean—what else does she read besides her K-Drama stuff?”
“Eh-heh, you wouldn’t understand—it’s a Korean thing…”
“What?! C’mon, tell me! Mmgm! Worst timing ever!”
From down the hall, they turned to see Ohan and Vasishtha making their way toward them; both wore replacement clothes, mainly black shorts and a T-shirt.
“I really do want to know, Rachel,” Scarlet huffed. “I want to know everything about my second mom…”
“See. You’re so cute; our mom would be all over you!”
“S-She’s amazing…”
Laughing, she winked, leaning in closer to whisper, “Mom has a secret library stash in her room behind a few books on the shelf; I grew curious when I heard her moving things around to get to them, and she only reads them in the tub. Hmm? What do you think?”
“You really are a Devil!” Scarlet hissed, and Rachel knew her mind was on fire with the possibilities.
“Hmm-hmm-hmm.”
She’ll be thinking about that until we get back. Heh. What is innocent, pure, motherly Molly reading in the bath, hmm? I wonder what she’ll think once she discovers our mother’s dirty secret?
Vasishtha chuckled as they came into earshot, interrupting their conversation. “How long did it take you to figure that one, Scarlet? Haha! Rachel is quite the charming Devil; I’m a bit jealous of Anthony, having you all to himself.”
“Oh, but for how long?”
Shut up, Yseress…
“He-he-he.”
Ohan shrugged. “Not surprising; she literally has a Devil inside of her.”
“Present,” Yseress mused. “Ah, but back to the original topic, quite a fascinating fetish regarding your mother; women can have the most tantalizingly obscure fantasies.”
Shh! Don’t bring it up to Nia.
“Oh, the girl couldn’t handle it. Still, she must be exposed to such things eventually… hehehe.”
Shifting her attention to Ohan as the pair made it to them, Rachel tried to keep her thumping heart in check; it was almost time. “I heard you two wanted to talk to me, but it can wait until after… right?”
“It can. Heh-eh.” Ohan rolled around his neck, giving her a quizzical stare. “So far as Fiona told us, you want to go until one of you can’t stand. Anything goes except death?”
Scarlet’s lips tightened, but Rachel nodded. “This has to be satisfying for everyone in the stadium to recognize Nemesis lost.”
“Tall order,” Vasishtha grunted, arms folded across his chest. “Noah told me he wasn’t sure if he could take this guy in a straight fight, and the dude’s no joke himself. How are ya gonna beat him when he’s practically invulnerable?”
“You’ll have to find out!”
“Hmm-hmm. Alright, Boss. Whenever you’re ready.”
Promptly turning to Scarlet, she let her heart still with the prospect of battle drawing near. “One last thing, Sis, how is my braid?”
The Vespertine Reaper sighed, stepping around her to check the security of the weave. “Mmh… It’s tight, and I used a few bands to ensure it stayed that way. Rachel… Please, be careful.”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Giving her one last hug, Rachel kissed her forehead and set her sights on the stadium's center. “No interfering, Scarlet… Even if it looks bad, have faith in me. Ohan and Vasishtha are refereeing.”
The Indian Legendkin gave her a thumbs up. “I’ll be watchin’ carefully to every twitch her little tail makes!”
“Okay… Eh, but did you have to phrase it like that?”
“Haha!”
Shaking her head with a smirk, Rachel muttered, “Let’s go.”
Taking slow, even breaths, she moved into the bright lights for shouts and cheers; Nemesis saw her and made his own appearance, causing all other noise besides the throng to be drowned out as it assaulted her.
Ears twitching a bit as they adjusted, she only barely heard the two announcers speak from the box as Ohan and Vasishtha took up positions on opposite sides of the stadium, where two women were waiting with earpieces so they could interrupt if needed.
Scarlet stayed by the Samurai, determination on her face while watching Mara join Vasishtha; the woman appeared nervous, attention wholly centered on the Nemean Lion.
Moonlight filled her with strength from the full lunar sphere in the heavens, shining onto the field, illuminating her opponent.
It’s finally time.
“Break a leg, Mistress.”
Mine or his?
“Hmm-hmm-hmm.”
Ears standing up, Rachel came to a halt three meters from Nemesis, rolling around her neck with the casters speaking in the background. She could care less what they said; her concentration was taken by the man in front of her.
Probably around 240 centimeters tall compared to her 175, he was a giant, and a big grin on the Lion King’s face; a golden aura surrounded him, long claws easing out and in with Nemesis’ flexing fingers, and his pink tongue slid across his black lips in anticipation.
I knew it; he’s way stronger after going to rescue Mara… Miora’s slaves he killed were far more powerful than I thought. Haha. I can’t beat him in a typical brawl without Nia… My stamina won’t outlast his, which… will make this a shorter match than I wanted, but I don’t think I can win by holding back or giving him time to recover.
“Prepare for combat, Ladies and Gentlemen! I’m told this will be a match to decide the fate of Havana—Rachel Sung Park represents Noah’s faction, and if she wins, there will be great change ahead.”
“Booo!”
“Glory to the Lion King!”
“Stomp her out!”
“Mmh. Quite the crowd, Mistress. What are you going to do?”
Nemesis’ yellow, glowing feline irises drifted from her to the throng. “My heart hasn’t beat like this for… I can’t even recall. My skin is hot… the saliva in my mouth thick… and my blood is on fire. Do you feel the same?”
“Aww, you two are adorable.”
“Hmm-hmm. Don’t tell me you’re going to give me the same shot as all your other opponents?”
“If I didn’t, it would only disgrace every other victory I’ve had in this arena. Show me what my instincts tell me!”
“Combatants! Engage when ready!”
Nemesis opened his arms, and Rachel darted forward, a lunar disk appearing under her grounded foot to offer suitable resistance as she twisted, foot landing square against his sternum; a gale exploded around them as the lion left the ground to promptly flip back in his momentum to dig his claws into the blood-soaked soil—it didn’t even force the air from his lungs.
A smile curled his lips. “Are you sure that’s the best—”
Strategically funneling points into critical skills, Rachel ran several centimeters off the ground on lunar platforms as the beast came to a stop and rose to look at her, wind resistance pushing heavily against her acceleration.
Becoming a streak, Rachel twirled for her bare, white luminous heel to strike Nemesis in the jaw, sending him flying to the left—it still wasn’t enough. Grinning, she funneled more points into her skills.
Barrel rolling to create more lunar disks, having had the cost reduced to nothing by Eostre, and increasing the time and number by levels and use, she shot after her opponent; the bewildered crowd fell silent as she continued her blinding assault, leaving a trail of lunar light in her wake that only grew.
Increasing Lunar Reserve and Lunar Surge to increase her base Power and Toughness while funneling more Stats into Toughness and Dexterity to give her body the resilience to handle the pressure of her ever-rising power and speed, Rachel sprinted after the lion.
With the higher base pool, mitigation, and full moon, Lunar Burst IV was practically free and allowed Overpowered III to remain in effect, bolstering her Power and Toughness further by 35%.
The world was practically at a stand-still, eyes wide and following Nemesis’s trajectory; Mental Acceleration IV had been increased to VII to compensate for her boost in speed; if Maria hadn’t healed her the previous night, movement like this would have been impossible, and she disregarded curses all-together, knowing it would be a waste against his resistances.
Faster…
Circling around Nemesis, her foot connected with his stomach as he tried to recover, throwing the man high into the sky for Rachel to rocket after him using her platforms—Lunar Grace I; her newly enhanced and upgrade Lunar Dash Skill—now without a price, she could keep it up indefinitely while under moonlight, and with Eostre or Chang’e’s influence, it was her first skill to have reached the Adept Grade, showing how many levels it took to achieve no cost under the lunar sphere.
Keeping the Flush Moon as her Active Effect to further increase her skill levels, she stopped above the Lion King and launched for his face, spinning for her shin to connect.
Nemesis struck soil, causing an eruption of dirt to fly in all directions as Rachel landed on her feet, chest pumping with her breathing a little heavy; that had been the fastest she’d ever run, and she needed a little time for Lunar Recovery IV to catch up.
Silence filled the stands as they tried to grasp what just happened; the high-speed cameras were now taking a wider shot to follow her actions, dramatically slowing the pace.
“U-Unbelievable, folks… All I saw was a white blur… Is that… Yes!”
A smile lifted Rachel’s full lips as a golden glow filtered through the falling dust and dirt, Nemesis standing in the small crater she’d made with his body. Tough bastard; I might have only bruised his jaw.
Nemesis stepped forward, rolling around his neck and brushing off his fur. “Hehe… I felt that last one, Rachel. Is it just me, or were you getting stronger with every hit? Still testing to see how much I can take… I gave you that one for free. Let’s begin!”
Taking a deep breath—a Fear Aura washed over her—and she added points to Lunar Pride for it and the White Moon overhead to bolster her resistance against such tactics; it didn’t affect her.
She allowed him to be the first to attack this time, giving Lunar Recovery as much time as possible while debating if she needed to add more levels to it; speed was better than her defensive abilities since not getting hit was better than the opposite.
He shot forward, golden hues mixing with crimson; it didn’t take him five seconds to reach her.
Cartwheeling out of the way to aim for his feet, Rachel was forced to pivot away as his tail lashed out—he was faster than she anticipated—and it nearly looped around her ankle.
Obsidian claws lashing out, five streaks of red cut through the air to eviscerate her, and Rachel took to the sky for him to follow; in her rise, she saw his attack rake the earth and rip it to shreds, leaving a glowing imprint that told her there was an effect to it.
“Mistress, you don’t seem to be faring well.”
Hehe. I’m having fun! I guess I can’t win without going all out… I’m confident he has some kind of State like Fiona if he is in actual danger or takes substantial damage.
“Oh… bold. Mmh, but being attuned through me and your recent exposure in the 7th Circle, it is now possible…”
Nemesis’ movements were instinctual rather than thought, showing his automatic System placement was naturally using his rarely used points to try and counter her speed with a 6th sense, similar to her Misfortune affinity; even if she was far faster, he would likely close the gap by reaction speed—he was adapting to her fighting style.
Dodging the wide aerial crimson slashes, Rachel held out her hand for a shimmering spark to illuminate her palm, 40% becoming 22% as she threw the sphere of ruby light to tint the heavens—a miniature Hell Moon came into view—Wenet’s Light III.
Her hair highlighted black, rather than completely changing; the catalyst was far weaker than the real thing, but the solidified and charged energy activated her Lunar Hell Hare abilities, her left horn sliding down the left side of her head from the demonic force.
How long?
“Mmh… Hard to say, but I’d give your safe use at… around a minute.”
It will have to do…
Hellfire embraced her; luckily, her clothes were excluded from being affected due to her desires. With both the White and Hell Moons feeding her with the atmospheric resistance a non-issue and the active Flush Moon energy increasing her levels, she darted through the air to meet Nemesis, feeding points to both Lunar Surge and Overpowered until it went to the next stage.
Lesser Hell Shift I swapped her position to the Nemean Lion’s back, foot connecting with his neck to plow him into the ground, creating another crater.
Hmm-hmm-hmm… He actually took that!
Kicking off her Hellfire platform, black lightning sparking over her skin and hair, Rachel’s eyes widened as she cut through to rising earth for her foot to meet a glowing hand—Nemesis’ fur was now white—combatting the Hellfire seeking to sear and paralyze his soul.
Interesting.
Instantly retracting her foot moments before his clawed fingers could close around it, Rachel used another platform to reposition and strike his head, yet it only caused the Nemean Lion’s right foot to sink into the ground a tad, a counterforce suddenly repelling her foot.
As Nemesis’ face became clear—her blitz and cloak dispersing the haze—she saw the liquid gold running down his mouth and burned mane; she’d finally caused him damage, beyond all of his increased defenses—this was it—yet she still had more to spend.
His hand closed around her ankle—Lesser Hell Shift teleporting her a short distance away—she launched back, not having too much time remaining to bring this fight to a close.
Nemesis pulled his arms in defensively, trying to weather her blows as she launched a flurry of attacks against him, and with her Soul Sight, she could see precisely which areas were most vulnerable.
Kidney—Hell Shift—back kidney, jaw as he struggled to turn; now stunned, Rachel could feel the stress eating at her own soul from channeling the Hell Energies—it was time to end it.
Hell Shift took her slightly above Nemesis’ unprotected face while stumbling back from her supersonic punch—fist tight and the recoiling pain blocked by Lunar Deadening—Rachel funneled a healthy amount of her remaining stats into Power and Toughness for her abilities to enhance them further.
Hellfire broke past part of his resistances with all of her multipliers and targeted the weakest point that Rachel’s soul-penetrating vision highlighted; she brought her knuckles down on the man’s temple—Nemesis’ body sagged, and he collapsed.
Hellfire cloak dispersing as she ceased channeling the force, Rachel took a shuddering breath while landing on the ground next to him, chest pumping to fill with air that had escaped her in the frenzy of blows.
Nemesis landed on one knee, arm resting against the ground, a stream of air passing through his black lips.
No way…
“Haaa… Hmm-hmm-hmm…”
He swayed for a second, catching himself before struggling to his feet, and Rachel stumbled forward to punch him again before he drew to his full height and out of reach—she missed—body not responding as it should, despite not feeling the pain she should.
“Dammit…”
Catching herself and locking her jaw while trying to defend herself from the blow that was about to come, she waited—it didn’t come—ears twitching with her tail, Rachel had to catch herself while shifting to see why Nemesis wasn’t attacking.
She blinked, seeing Nemesis standing in a locked position—he no longer had his white aura—the lion’s fur back to his golden hue. Mane partially burned, nasty scorch marks eating past his fur from the areas she’d struck with Hellfire and eyes vacant of life; it took a moment for her to realize what had happened.
“Heh… Hehehe… Did you really pass out from a concussion while standing? Unbelievable.”
Lurching forward, she placed a hand on his chest to push him over—which still took far more effort than she would have thought—and as his back struck the ground, Ohan appeared by their side, smacking the mud as Vasishtha enthusiastically counted.
“One! Two! Three! We have a—oh?”
Nemesis’ entire body flinched as his vision returned, coughing as he pushed himself to get up, likely still suffering a concussion. “Mmgm… I…”
Stopping at his hands and knees, his eyes rolled to look around, possibly not seeing too clearly by the squint he gave the tinted light from the miniature Hell Moon overhead.
“I… What…”
Mara came running over to put his arm around her neck and force him up with a strained grunt; the lion’s arm looked like it was draped over a child. “It’s okay, Nemesis… Just rest a bit…”
“No, but… I just…”
As Rachel watched, his vision focused, and he seemed to somehow recover. “Did I…”
“Passed out, Bud!” Vasishtha said with a forced laugh, taking his other side to help ease Mara’s load. “Rachel clocked ya good at the right time, and the lights were gone!”
“It’s lights out,” Ohan corrected, giving him an impressed grin. “You’re tough, Nemesis. I can honestly say… well, I don’t know anyone who could have taken a beating like that. It looked like Rachel was trying to kill you.”
Rachel forced herself to remain standing, even if she wanted to collapse, her horn and black highlights remaining so long as the miniature Hell Moon stayed overhead.
“Hehe… If I didn’t give it my all, I don’t know if I would be the one standing—heh, well, not that you were down long—and I did hit you with everything I had… Nemesis, you’re the first person to not only survive but remain standing after I gave it my all. Respect.”
Holding out her hand, Nemesis stared at it before grinning and taking it to the crowd’s unsure mutters and a minority of cheers. “So… I hear you’re from Miami… Is it nice there?”
“Nemesis…” Mara hissed, tears in her eyes.
“Haha! I guess you’ll find out. Eh… Where’s Maria?”
Scarlet soon appeared out of the shadows with the woman.
“Damn, Girl—ya were a bullet of light just flyin’ everywhere! Shit—the hell, you always gotta ruin yourself every fight… Dammit, you’re a mess…”
Scarlet glared at her, hands on her hips in a way that made her think of their mother. “Rachel!”
“Sorry! Heh, sorry…”
“No you're not! Maria?”
“Yeah, a lie.”
“C’mon,” Rachel groaned, glaring at the Unicorn as her horn illuminated.
“Is what it is, Girl; you’re the most reckless chick I know—and you know my lifestyle!”
It was a little strange not hearing Maria’s curses or partially mixed Spanish after her translation ability; she might need to see if she could make an exception because it was a little off-putting.
“Nemesis?” Mara pleaded as the Unicorn’s horn illuminated.
“Shit, talkin’ like I ain’t gonna heal a man that’s been soul scarred… I ain’t Lil’ Miss Devil over there,” she joked, giving Rachel a wink. “By the way, horn looks good on ya, girl—that hair is badass, too. Damn, you get all the cool looks.”
“Haha. Thanks. Well… I guess that’s that. Heh, I just woke up, and I want to collapse again. So… Want to get something to eat, guys?”
“Think you’re forgetting something.” Ohan handed her the mic as the crowd went dead silent, trepidation almost palpable with the announcer’s words.
“Nemesis… lost. What does that mean for Southwest Havana?”
Clearing her throat, Rachel forced a smile at the cameras before directing them to the bronze-skinned giant of a man jumping down from the stands. “Don’t look at me—I’m going to grab some breakfast with Nemesis and my friends—Noah, I guess I’m done here… All you.”
Maria healed a lot of the fatigue and internal damage the Lunar Hare had done to herself, giving Rachel the coordination to toss the device to the man.
“Thank you, Rachel. People of Cuba… You know who I am, and I stand for a free Cuba, yet we have a long road ahead of us. Every one of your voices counts, and in a month, we will decide, as a nation and proud people, to where our futures will lead.
“Do not fear; you are safe, and I, Noah Bolea, will make sure every person’s concerns are abated. If you have questions, I will answer them; please, let your voices be heard—a microphone will be passed around…”
Letting him do his thing, Rachel motioned to Scarlet. “Mind taking us back to Cahira’s to grab a bite? I’m starving, hehe—even though I don’t have to eat—it’s just kind of a tradition after my matches.”
Her foster-sister gave Nemesis a side-long look. “You mean… All of us?”
Maria snickered, slapping the Vespertine Reaper on the back. “C’mon, Scarlet, no need to hate; the guy put up a good fight. If ya can, best to resolve things and be friends than stay enemies. Am I right, or am I right?”
Fiona swooped down shortly after with a big grin and sparkling eyes. “That. Was. Amazing! You were all over the sky—and is that the Hell Moon? It’s so crazy, look!”
“Haha. I’ll tell you about it as we eat. Scarlet?”
“Fine… I hate wanting to tell Mom you’re so reckless but also not wanting to worry her. You’re the worst sometimes, Rachel…”
“Hehe. Sorry!”
Nemesis laughed at their antics, checking his healing wounds and rotating his jaw. “I… rather enjoy the atmosphere you bring, Rachel. I will be joining you in Miami.”
“Then I will, too!” Mara huffed, throwing Fiona and Maria for a loop.
The Fairy held up her hands. “Hold up! What’s going on?”
“Yeah, the hell?”
“Breakfast, then story!” Rachel demanded with a grin, forcing Scarlet to sigh and open up a Blood Portal; naturally, Maria flinched at the prospect but was getting used to the feeling.
Finally, their work in Cuba was done.