“Ha…ha…”

“You… you are quite… uff… you are quite tough… aren’t you?” Said Uri.

“Talk…talk less… more fight…” Said Dino.

“I can’t…”

“You know what… neither do I…”

Dino and Uri fell to the ground while taking large breaths between them. On the surrounding, the coliseum was in tatters, all the weapons that Dino brought were destroyed and scattered in the ground.

“How… how many days have we gone like… like this…” Asked Uri.

“I… stopped counting… when we… uff… when we hit ten days…”

“What… what about the… competition…”

“Don’t worry… time… pass different here… it hasn’t been more than… than ten minutes outside…”

“You mean… that… we have been standing looking at each other… for ten minutes… out there?” Asked Uri.

“What… could I do… who knew that you will be able to push me… this far!?”

“Push you? You took the words out of my mouth, my gift grants me infinite regeneration and stamina, I haven’t feel exhausted since I became… a gifted, I almost forgot the feeling” 

“Your welcome”

“Shut up, would you… I want to rest…”

“I also want to… unfortunately, we don’t have time for that” Said Dino.

“What do you mean?”

“My powers force me to fight until one of us die or admit defeat, or else…”

“Or else… what?”

Dino looked up and Uri followed his gaze.

She saw a huge sphere of fire just above them!

“Is a kind of curse, the more we stay still, the more that sphere will descend”

“What would happen if that sphere touch us!?”

“Basically, it would consume our souls”

“What!?”

“You know, great power comes with great risk as well”

“Your regeneration also comes with a price, doesn’t it?” Added Dino.

“Something like that”

She lifted her shirt and showed the bare skin of her stomach.

“Black Skin?” Asked Dino.

“Necrosis, my skin is slowly but surely dying” Said Uri,

“Does it have a cure?”

“It heals, but really, really slowly, there would be a time when my skin can no longer recover and I will die with a putrefied corpse, I guess is a fitting end for anomalies like us” Said Uri,

She lifted the spear and pointed to Dino.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes” Said Dino with determination.

Uri nodded and with a swift move, she pierced the heart of Dino.

“I will protect you , no matter what” Said Uri.

Dino smiled and fainted on the spot.

……………………………………………………….

Back in the real world, Uri opened her eyes and saw that the arena was destroyed, the audience was gone.

She and Dino, who was fainted in his teenage form, were in the center of the arena and someone was showing her back to them.

“Empress?”

“Uri! You finally woke up” Said Cecil.

“What… what is going on?” Asked Uri.

“Miss Uri, I am afraid that I have a favor to ask you” Said Cecil.

“What?”

“Please protect that kid” Said Cecil.

Uri turned to the fainted Dino, who didn’t give any sign of waking up.

“I am afraid that I can’t allow that, miss Uri”

Uri followed the sound of the voice and saw an old man with a tuxedo looking at her.

“Butler…”

“Miss Uri, as you are still an employee of the Lessier house, I will have to ask you to step aside, that kid will go with me” Said the butler.

“What? W-why?” Asked Uri.

“That kid’s power is something that my lord would really appreciate, as such, I will take him with me” Said the butler.

Uri looked at Dino and picked him up.

“No you won’t” Said Uri.

“…I see…” Said the butler.

“RUN!” Shouted Cecil.

Uri run as fast as she could with Dino in her arms.

“You will not go anywhere” Said the butler.

He was about to move when Cecil move her sword until it was at the neck of the butler.

“It seems that people are starting to forget why I am called Empress” Said Cecil.

The butler looked coldly at the blade.

“You really think that you are able to stop me, miss Cecil?” 

“No, but at least I can buy them some time, what’s more… I am sure that you don’t dare to kill me” Said Cecil.

“And where does this confidence comes?”

“I know that you also feel it… miss Alice is another league on her own” Said Cecil.

“…” The butler didn’t answer.

“*Sigh* I am too old to do this hard work” Said the butler.

He took out from his pockets a pair of white gloves and put them slowly.

“I am going to be a bit rude, miss Cecil, I hope you understand” 

Cecil looked at the butler and swung his sword towards his neck!

“As expected of the empress, your sword is too fast…”

“But…”

Cecil felt a voice behind her, she looked closely at the image of the butler whose neck was being cut by her sword.

“Afterimage!” She though.

“Your back is too exposed” Said Calmly the butler.

He made a punch with his right hand and punched the back of Cecil!

“AHH!” Cecil felt some of her bones cracking!

She quickly swift her stand and aimed at the butler’s hand.

The butler evaded once more leaving an afterimage.

“[SERPEN’T DANCE]!” Said the Empress.

Her sword divided into eight, floating around her like snakes.

She launched herself towards the butler.

Her blades moved as fast as the wind, she could easily chop everything on her path in two!

10… 100… 100 slashes in less than 10 seconds.

The butler jumped back and saw that his tuxedo had marks of cuts all over his body.

However…

“I still couldn’t damage him, huh?” Though Cecil.

“It’s my turn now” Said the butler.

The butler’s eyes shined in black while his hands were covered in a black aura.

“[Shady hands]” Said the butler.

In what it seems to be a fraction of a second, the whole body of Cecil was covered in bruises!

“What…” Though Cecil.

She almost fell to the ground, but she managed to use her sword to stay on her feet.

“Amazing, you are still standing, as expected of the empress” Said the butler.

“You have given this old man a good time, unfortunately I can’t stay, so I will finish this soon” Said the butler.

“…” Cecil looked at the black hands of the butler that were about to strike her.

“Miss Alice…” She though.