Chapter 888: The Inevitable [4]

Drip! Drip...!

Warmth continued to trail down Julien’s cheeks as he kept his gaze fixed ahead. Behind them, the cheers of the crowd resounded throughout the surroundings, almost painfully loud against the silence between the two brothers.

Noel’s lips parted, but eventually, he said nothing.

Instead, he pressed himself a little closer against Julien’s back, feeling a warmth he had almost forgotten existed.

"...So... you knew."

He almost laughed, but the sound never made it past his throat.

"R-right... of course..."

This was his brother they were talking about.

Even without his memories, there was no way Julien would have acted this recklessly without knowing something. There was no way he would have kept moving forward while carrying all of this alone unless he had already understood the truth.

In the end...

He had simply known the entire time.

’...That makes me relieved.’

Noel lowered his head for a moment, his fingers tightening faintly against Julien’s clothes before he slowly lifted it again.

He looked at Julien, whose gaze remained fixed on the screen ahead, watching Leon’s fight with an expression so tense that it almost hurt to look at.

And despite everything, a small smile slowly graced Noel’s lips.

It was faint. Almost tired.

But it was there.

His gaze eventually shifted towards the fight as well, while he remained pressed against his brother’s back.

For a moment, he wondered what they would have been like if being brothers had been all the world ever asked of them. Perhaps... they would have argued over small things, forgotten whose fault it was, and sat beside each other afterwards without needing an apology.

He would have liked having so little to forgive.

Noel lowered his head until his forehead rested lightly against Julien’s shoulder.

"Let’s go."

Julien adjusted his hold almost immediately, lifting him a little higher and taking his eyes away from the fight before continuing his walk.

"...I’ll bring you out of here."

Around them, the cheers continued to rise through the heat of Karah Togg, but Noel barely heard them anymore.

He had spent so long learning to endure the fire that he had almost forgotten warmth was not supposed to hurt.

***

Heat permeated the air as the crowd’s fervor filled the entire arena.

Evelyn’s fingers tightened around the stone railing.

Her gaze remained fixed on the arena below, following Leon as he struggled to push himself upright for what felt like the tenth time.

Blood covered most of the lower half of his face. One of his arms hung awkwardly beside him, barely moving whenever he moved his weight, while several dark patches had already appeared across his clothes.

And yet...

He was still standing.

"H-haa."

Her grip tightened further, her knuckles turning pale beneath the pressure.

’He’s... going to die at this rate.’

There was no other way of looking at it.

It pained Evelyn to say this, but the difference between the two was far too large, and anyone with eyes could see it. Tharvek hadn’t even been pushed properly yet, while Leon looked as though he had already reached the end of what his body could handle.

Beside her, Aoife remained unusually quiet.

Her expression was tense as she watched the arena, one hand pressed against the railing while her eyes followed every movement below.

"We should’ve stopped him."

Evelyn’s voice came out softer than she expected.

Aoife didn’t answer immediately.

Eventually, a bitter smile formed on her lips.

"...You think?"

Evelyn looked at her.

Aoife’s lips pressed together.

"He didn’t even give us the time to process the situation. It... all happened so fast. Even if we wanted to stop him, you know best it would’ve been useless."

Evelyn bit her lower lip.

She was right.

Everything had happened too quickly.

One moment Leon had returned from his previous fight, and the next, a messenger from the Elder had appeared.

Then Leon left.

By the time they found out what the meeting had been about, the challenge had already been issued.

It was all so fast that none of them had even gotten a proper opportunity to speak to him.

Evelyn lowered her gaze.

Still...

’Part of this is my fault.’

Her stomach tightened.

She remembered the conversation she’d had with Leon.

How she’d told him that he mattered too.

That he couldn’t spend his entire life living according to Julien.

That there had to eventually come a point where he chose something because he wanted it rather than because someone else expected it from him.

At the time, she meant every word.

She still did.

But watching him stand inside the arena now, barely able to raise one of his arms as Tharvek walked towards him, she felt... regret.

Deep regret.

Was the reason he was doing all of this because of what she said?

"..."

Evelyn slowly inhaled.

No.

She couldn’t think like that.

Leon had made his own decision.

That was the entire point.

Even then, knowing that didn’t stop the guilt from sitting heavily inside her chest.

BANG!

The sound of another impact echoed throughout the arena.

Evelyn flinched as Leon rolled across the sand, a trail forming behind him before he finally came to a stop.

Around them, the crowd erupted.

"Get up!"

"Fight!"

"Kill him!"

Evelyn’s fingers dug harder against the railing.

"Idiots..."

She barely managed to get the word out as a series of footsteps suddenly approached from behind.

Aoife turned first.

An’as and Anne appeared from between the crowded rows, both of them breathing heavily as they moved towards them. Anne’s hair was slightly dishevelled, while dust covered the lower part of An’as’s clothes.

One look at their expressions was enough for Aoife’s face to change.

"...Kiera?"

Anne shook her head.

"We couldn’t find her."

Evelyn immediately turned away from the arena.

"What do you mean you couldn’t find her?"

"We checked the streets near the residence, Tharvek’s side of the district, and even some of the lower paths."

An’as leaned forward slightly, catching his breath.

"Nothing. We... can’t see her at all. It’s as if she’s disappeared. Just like... Julien."

Aoife’s expression darkened.

"Did anyone see her?"

"...No, not even that."

Anne glanced towards the arena before continuing.

"I... don’t know where she could be. The best we can hope is that she’s with Julien."

"..."

A strange feeling settled over Evelyn.

Her gaze slowly moved towards the pale sky. It glowed softly from above, overlooking everything.

Kiera and Julien had gone missing.

Leon had taken a fight he couldn’t possibly win...

The more Evelyn thought about it, the more her chest tightened as she brought her hand to her face.

"Where the hell are they...?"

Aoife muttered beside her.

A strange silence followed as another roar from the crowd pulled their attention back towards the arena. As they did, Evelyn’s grip over the handrail tightened.

"It... looks like he’s finally started to fight more seriously."

But despite the words, she felt no relief.

***

"Haa... Haa..."

Leon was standing again.

Barely.

But he was standing.

Tharvek stopped several meters away.

For a moment, he simply watched as Leon slowly pushed himself upright.

His breathing was rough now.

Blood dripped steadily from his chin, falling into the sand beneath him as his knees trembled beneath his weight.

Tharvek tilted his head.

"You really are stubborn."

Leon wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"...I’ve been told."

"Mm."

A faint smile appeared across Tharvek’s face.

"And what exactly are you trying to prove?"

Leon raised his head.

Tharvek gestured towards him.

"Look at yourself."

His gaze travelled across Leon’s body.

"You can barely stand. One of your arms is almost useless, your breathing is getting worse, and you’ve yet to land anything meaningful. Surely this isn’t everything that you’ve got, right?"

The crowd continued roaring around them.

"Fight!"

"Kill!"

Tharvek’s smile widened slightly.

"You know... we’re not that much different. I can see it from your eyes. You’re searching for freedom. But... this isn’t the way you go about it."

Leon remained quiet as Tharvek spoke.

He was using the chance to recover his breath.

"Throwing yourself into something you cannot win isn’t freedom. Even if it’s out of your own choice."

"..."

"That sounds a lot like escapism."

Leon’s fingers slowly curled.

Sand gathered inside his palm.

Perhaps Tharvek was right about one thing.

He wasn’t winning.

Not like this.

He’d known the difference between them was large, but knowing something and feeling it were entirely different things.

Every exchange made that clearer.

Tharvek was stronger.

Faster.

More experienced.

And worst of all...

He wasn’t even trying.

Leon lowered his gaze towards the sand trapped between his fingers.

’I can’t keep doing this.’

If he continued fighting the same way, the result wouldn’t change.

He would fall.

Stand.

Fall again.

And eventually—

He wouldn’t stand anymore.

His jaw tightened.

’Then stop holding back.’

Leon closed his eyes.

Truthfully, he had been holding back. He understood Julien’s warning about his identity being exposed, but that no longer mattered.

For several seconds, the noise of the arena became strangely distant.

From the screaming to the chanting. All of it faded behind the sound of his own breathing.

Then came the beating of his heart.

Ba... Thump.

Something faint stirred inside of his chest. It was faint, but it was present.

Leon slowly straightened.

Tharvek’s expression changed.

"...Hm?"

A strange pressure spread throughout the arena.

It wasn’t particularly large. In fact, compared to what Tharvek had felt from other Domains, it was almost insignificant.

But there was something interesting about it.

Leon’s eyes opened, revealing a part of dark eyes.

But within that darkness—

Stars appeared.

Tiny white points scattered across his eyes, glowing faintly against the black.

The crowd slowly quieted.

Tharvek’s smile faded.

"...Interesting."

One of the stars disappeared.

Leon vanished.

Tharvek’s pupils constricted slightly.

BANG!

A fist slammed against his raised forearm.For the first time since the fight began, Tharvek’s body moved as sand scattered in all directions.

His foot slid backwards through the sand.

It was only slightly, but it moved.

Leon didn’t stop.

He twisted immediately, bringing his elbow towards Tharvek’s jaw before following with a kick aimed at the side of his knee.

Tharvek avoided the elbow, but he wasn’t able to avoid the kick.

Thump!

His leg bent faintly.

Another star faded from Leon’s eyes.

His body accelerated again.

The next fist came faster.

Tharvek caught it, but before his fingers could close properly, Leon twisted away and struck from the opposite side.

BANG!

Tharvek’s head moved.

A thin line appeared across his cheek.

"..."

The arena went silent.

For just the briefest of moments, nobody made a single sound.

Leon stared at him.

Tharvek slowly raised a hand towards his face.

His fingers brushed against the shallow cut before pulling away.

Blood.

For several seconds, he simply stared at it.

Then—

"Haha..."

A laugh escaped his lips.

Leon moved again.

Another star vanished. His muscles tightened visibly beneath his skin as he crossed the distance between them.

Tharvek raised both arms.

BOOM!

The collision sent sand exploding outward. This time, Tharvek moved several steps back.

The crowd erupted.

"What the hell!?"

"He pushed him!"

"Rhizen!"

"RHIZEN!"

Leon barely heard the noise around him. His breathing had already become heavier. The darkness in his eyes remained, but the number of stars within them was slowly decreasing.

Each time one disappeared, he grew stronger.

It didn’t come without a cost. For every star he lost, the burn in his muscles grew, the strain on his bones grew, and his heartbeat—

Ba... Thump.

—grew fainter.

Tharvek rolled his shoulder, letting Leon’s fist move past him.

His lips pulled upwards gently.

"So that’s what you were hiding."

Leon said nothing.

He lunged again.

Their fists met.

BANG!

This time, Leon didn’t fly backwards.

His foot dug into the sand as he held his ground, teeth clenched while the muscles around his arm trembled violently.

Tharvek stared at him from the opposite side.

For the first time, Leon could feel a change in Tharvek’s usually indifferent eyes. A strange flickered appeared in Tharvek’s eyes.

"Better."

Leon pushed harder.

Another star disappeared.

For a brief moment, Tharvek’s arm moved backwards before his expression changed and his body twisted. Leon barely saw the movement before a foot buried itself into his stomach.

"⎯Kh!"

Everything inside him compressed.

The air left his lungs as his body folded around the kick.

Then the world moved.

BOOOM!

Leon crashed into the sand several meters away, rolling repeatedly before finally coming to a stop.

Blood sprayed from his mouth.

For several seconds, he couldn’t breathe, the noise around him dropping.

His eyes flickered between black and their normal colour as he pressed one hand against his stomach.

"Uk! ....ukh!"

Tharvek approached slowly.

There was no boredom or casual amusement in his expression, his eyes remaining fixed on Leon with genuine interest.

"...Looks like you still have surprises for me."

Leon coughed.

Blood spilled between his fingers.

"I..."

His voice came out hoarse, but he barely managed to get them out.

Tharvek stopped.

Leon slowly pushed himself onto one knee.

His arm trembled as he reached towards his waist.

Tharvek’s gaze followed the movement.

A metallic sound rang through the arena.

Shing—

Leon pulled out his sword from out of thin air, surprising everyone present.

Using the sword to help himself up, the body of the sword caught the pale glow of the sun above. Blood continued running from Leon’s nose and mouth, staining the front of his clothes, while the darkness gradually returned to his eyes.

Tharvek’s smile widened.

"A sword?"

Leon tightened his grip around the handle.

"...A lot more."

For a moment, neither moved.

Then—

Ba... Thump!

Leon’s eyes widened slightly.

His heartbeat sounded louder than before.

Much louder.

Ba... Thump!

His fingers tightened around the sword.

Something inside his chest stirred.

Ba...

Leon inhaled.

THUMP!

He exploded forward.