Seiji had been on the Floating City of Haven for the past thirty days. In that short amount of time, the trajectory of his life had been fundamentally altered. He’d discovered family. Friendship. Love. Just thirty-one days ago he’d been entrenched in a hellscape forced upon him by soulless warmongers. Now, he was on stage standing beside the woman he loved fighting to remain by her side. Part of him waited for everything to just freeze and wake him up from this dream, but that moment never came. As Lirio and Selene materialized across from him and Cora staring daggers through them, Seiji felt emotion tugging at him with considerable force. With practiced effort, he managed to choke it down. He couldn’t stop himself from turning to Cora with an earnest smile, though.

“Thank you for everything, Cora Lambros. You’ve truly changed my life for the better.”

Cora turned to him, her determined facade falling slightly. She ruffled his hair like he was a Felzian. “Don’t speak like we’ve lost!”

“I’m not, I’m just… thankful.”

Her smile softened for just a moment, but she shook herself. Cora’s face twisted into a look of absolute power. She turned away from him and faced her opponents, lowering into a familiar battle stance. She flexed her Dragon Fury and spoke softly.

“Save your words for the Valkyrie Festival. If you truly want me, then you will earn me. I refuse to give myself to a weakling.”

For a moment, Seiji was stunned. Thankfully, he adjusted quickly.

Her Dominion makes her way too bold.

Seiji tapped into his own Dominion, surprise vanishing as his words carried the assured finality of Fate’s Servant.

“Good thing I’m the strongest Servant on this stage. Once I’ve defeated our opponents, I will call for you, and I expect you to answer.”

Cora smiled like a maniac. “And I will await your call.”

Some confession… This hardly counts, does it?

“Fighters, begin!” Sir Lasko called.

Selene and Lirio shrouded themselves in a yellow-white aura, but Seiji recognized the move for what it was – a powerup. He smiled as he cloaked himself in Dragon Fury and activated his Veil Aspect. Both Selene and Lirio’s eyes went wide as they attempted to register Seiji’s disappearance, and Seiji took advantage of the confusion to strike.

Seiji rushed forward, extending his arms behind him as he prepared a Veiled Dragon Claw. He crossed his arms in front of himself the moment he reached them, slashing at their chests with the Tier 7 Dragon Claw. Blood spurted from their bodies, splashing harmlessly off of Seiji’s head. Their heads snapped down to Seiji’s position as they both punted him with a semi-powered kick.

Damn!

During his fights with King Vassilis, Seiji managed to find the single flaw of his Veiled Dragon Fury cloak. While it did make him invisible, that invisibility didn’t apply to things that touched him after it’d been cast. Seiji flew back with their strike, using the momentum to land beside a still-charging Cora.

“I thought we learned not to rush our opponents head-on?” Cora chastised.

“I wasn’t just going to let them charge up. Come on, let’s–”

Cora clapped her hands together and roared. The stage erupted as five pillars of Dragon Fury sprouted from beneath the arena. Selene and Lirio kicked off, dodging through the pillars to trap Cora in a pincer attack, but stopped as the pillars of Dragon Fury began to bend and morph.

The pillars popped like balloons, embers of blue fire dancing around the stage. Where there were once five pillars of Dragon Fury were now five dummies made of deep-blue flame. They were featureless outlines of Cora, as if made to suggest her appearance rather than imitate it entirely.

I knew I was right!

The nearest Dragon Silhouette turned to him and crossed its arms. It gave him a quick once-over then gave its approximation of a scoff, which was just a cough of blue embers. Seiji’s Dominion screamed for him to teach it some respect, but he couldn’t spare the attention.

“Silhouettes! Focus on Selene!” Cora shouted. In unison, the Dragon Silhouettes kicked off and rushed the Cadet who’d currently been lost in a stupor. “Seiji, to me! We will dispatch the Servant!”

“Got it,” Seiji smiled.

He owed Lirio a good beating for their last fight in the Coliseum. Seiji flexed his hand and formed a blade atop his fingers, kicking off beside Cora who’d been gathering Dragon Fury in her fists.

Lirio immediately conjured a Royal Shield, but Cora blasted through it with a single Dragon Burst. In the confusion, Seiji swiped at Lirio’s stomach with a hand blade and side-kicked the wound to send the boy to the ground. Cora followed it with a massive Dragon Shot while Seiji followed her with a pillar of Dragon Fire. The two of them conjured a head-sized Dragon Shot and threw it at Lirio at the same time, the ensuing explosion enough to send them both back a few steps.

“That won’t be enough to kill him,” Seiji said. “But that’ll weaken him.”

“I am well aware,” Cora said. “Right now our priority should be– ah!”

Seiji turned in horror to find Cora impaled by a thin, purple rapier. It dissipated to mist, but it still forced Cora to cough up blood. She panted as she clutched at the wound.

“Royal Plague!” Selene roared, clutching a Dragon Silhouette by the throat behind Cora. “You will fall in mere moments!” She cackled as Cora struggled to remain upright.

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Seiji cloaked himself in Dragon Fury and prepared to Veil himself but was stopped by a powerful punch to the face by Lirio, sending him back to the sandy outskirts of the stage. Lirio followed him, gathering a black and white ball of aura in either hand reminiscent of his own Dragon Shot technique. Seiji Veiled and rolled out of the way, but not soon enough. Lirio’s attack slammed against the wall of the arena, leaving a crack on the barrier. The ensuing explosion sent Seiji flying into the wall with enough speed to leave a dent. Lirio’s head snapped as he prepared another one of those attacks. As the man lunged for Seiji, he began to recognize the familiar bloodlust in Lirio’s eyes.

He’s awakening to his Dominion.

That simply wouldn’t do. Seiji loosened the restraints on his own Dominion, allowing it to guide his steps. Lirio looked like a madman, but Seiji was a madman. He Veiled himself and kicked off, impaling Lirio with a hand-blade of Dragon Fury as slashed the boy relentlessly with Dragon Claws. Lirio’s Exam shirt was ripped to shreds as blood spurted from his entire midsection. Seiji cackled as he struck, treating the boy like the Pit Demon before ending the barrage with a Dragon Burst.

Seiji chased him, calling off his Veil Aspect to conserve energy. Lirio roared as he made his way back onto the stage. Cora had been in the middle of trading blows with Selene, though Cora’s movements were a bit too sluggish for Seiji’s liking.

“Are you a Queen or are you a Cadet? Remember yourself!” Seiji shouted the moment he reached her side.

“Remember who you speak to!” Cora shouted. They glared at one another for a moment but snapped their focus to their opponents just as quickly.

“Lirio is on the way out,” Seiji said. “A few more hits and he’ll be dea–”

All aura vanished from Seiji’s body as a massive rippling hole formed above Lirio’s and Selene’s heads. He watched Cora darken, and it took him only a moment to understand why. This was their ultimate attack, the one that’d doomed Cora to her loss against Selene. As she described it, it sucked the aura out of the atmosphere and used it to power a ferocious energy blast. Seiji darkened as his attempts to Veil or Dragon Stance failed.

“Fall!” Selene roared, pointing at them with an outstretched hand.

Before either of them could respond, Seiji and Cora were hit by two consecutive beams of aura. They struck swiftly like lightning strikes and boomed through the arena like thunder. When they ended, he and Cora both were on their knees and panting.

Seiji remembered the Pit Demon, for some odd reason. After being hit by its most powerful attack, Seiji was disappointed by how easily the creature had fallen afterward. Now, though, he felt the excitement he’d been craving. This was it. Mist Breathing was the only reason he was upright, and he only had enough strength left in his body to withstand just a few more attacks. If they landed an attack like that again, that was it.

He cackled. It was the only sound in the arena, save for Cora’s equally loud cackles. Neither of them looked at each other, nor did they say words. They both focused on their enemies, who looked down at them with exasperation and fear written clear on their faces. They’d obviously expected that attack to work, and against anyone else, it would’ve. But Seiji and Cora had enough Dominion to withstand such attacks. And just like the Pit Demon, Selene and Lirio didn’t have a plan for what to do when their big attack failed.

Seiji focused on Selene’s stupified face. He Veiled a Dragon Shot large enough to injure the Pit Demon in his left hand while he balanced himself with his right. It cost more aura to aim Dragon Shots, and even more to Veil it while he aimed, but he had a 75 Magical Stamina now. He could afford the excess.

With a smile, he whispered. “Fate Has Decided this outcome, Selene Andris.”

He watched as the Dragon Shot visible only to him circled behind Lirio and landed on Selene’s back, the explosion large enough to envelop half of the arena. When the smoke cleared, Selene lay in a heap on the floor, motionless. Lirio looked down at her in horror, but Seiji had no time to think about that. He placed a hand on Cora.

“Don’t do it yourself. Have a Dragon Silhouette do it, I can Veil.”

She nodded. Summoning a Veiled Dragon Silhouette right in front of their crouched positions. It turned to them and winked, forming a sword made of aura and rushing at Lirio. It impaled him, and the boy instinctually slammed an aura-powered fist into the Silhouette’s head, causing the Silhouette and the sword to dissipate into blue sparks.

“You… monsters!” Lirio roared through heavy pants. “How could you do this to a comrade?”

Cora helped Seiji to his feet, ignoring Lirio’s words. The man clapped his hands together as another rippling hole began to form over his head. It was slowly forming, but Seiji still felt it begin to sap his aura away.

“This is it, Seiji!” Cora shouted. “Resonance!”

Seiji clapped Cora on the shoulder and had her summon Dragon Silhouettes. With the rippling hole active, she could only summon three opaque Silhouettes. Seiji Veiled Cora who ran to Lirio’s back while Seiji stood in front of him. Lirio was circled and he didn’t even know it. Or perhaps he did. Seiji couldn’t spare enough attention to care.

He gathered the largest Dragon Shot he could physically muster, though under the circumstances it was just the fist-sized normal Dragon Shot. It was the same story for Cora and the Dragon Silhouettes, who all gathered Dragon Shots in their right hands. Seiji looked into Lirio’s desperate eyes as he blazed his Dragon Fury.

Again, memories of his time in the Valkyrie Exam flashed through his head as he considered the true weight of this final attack. His Dominion vanished, replaced purely by sentiment. He smiled as he kicked off at the same time as Cora and her Silhouettes. The Resonance landed, stopping the rippling ball immediately as five Dragon Shots slammed into Lirio’s exposed midsection. He didn’t even scream. He couldn’t. The attack killed him instantly. Following the explosion that cracked the aura barrier like glass, Lirio fell flat on his face, a bloody mess.

“Victory to Cora Lambros and Seiji Otsuki!” Sir Lasko shouted.

Seiji’s head pounded from the volume of the audience’s cheers and cries. He gave a weak look up to the Royal Balcony. While he couldn’t see up there due to his rapidly fading eyesight, he could only assume they were cheering as well. He turned to Cora, who’d been bombarded with hugs by her Dragon Silhouettes. They rushed over to him the moment they made eye contact, pulling him to his feet and looking him up and down. One of them stood directly in front of Seiji like a statue, shooting him an almost expectant look. Reading its intention, Seiji used the rest of his strength to stand tall. The Silhouette nodded its approval and faded into blue sparks. He turned to Cora, who’d slowly begun to walk to his side.

The moment she reached him, the black ball of the camera formed in front of him, Sir Lasko’s voice booming through its hidden speakers.

“Tell us, Cora and Seiji! How do you two feel?”

Seiji exchanged a look with Cora.

“This was to be expected,” Cora said.

“I agree,” Seiji responded, unable to think of any other response.

The instant the black ball disappeared, Cora fell on her face. Seiji turned to her and laughed. Serves her right for lying about her new technique. He cackled like a madman as he fell right on top of her.