"Haa... Haa..."

My surroundings were quiet.

Was it because no one was speaking, or was it because I couldn't hear at all?

I wasn't sure.

My vision was blurry and my muscles were cramping. I could tell that both of my arms were in a terrible state. While they weren't completely broken, it was hard for me to use them.

All that I knew was that I was in the middle of a fight.

In the last moments, the world slowed down. Seeing the numerous magic circles that surrounded me and the fist that was headed for my face, I managed to get behind Kaelioln and touch him.

I visualized my deepest sorrows before pouring them down on him.

It was a perfect visualization.

The deeper I visualized an emotion in my mind, the stronger the effect. My chest ached as I poured everything into him.

A muffled 'thump' met my ears shortly after as the world grew quiet.

The referee seemed to have muttered something, but I wasn't too sure.

It was quiet.

So quiet...

But then, the noise returned.

Boom-!

As if a bomb had detonated, the world around me erupted.

"....!"

"!"

I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I could tell that they were cheering for me.

"That's good...'

This meant that I had won.

I lowered my head to stare at the blurry figure that lay on the floor. His body was trembling, seemingly trying to get up, but each time he tried, his arms would give out, sending him falling face down against the ruined ground beneath.

"Hooo."

Letting out a long breath, I finally closed my eyes and relaxed.

I was exhausted but at the same time thrilled. This was probably one of the hardest fights I had gone through, and the aftermath left me exhausted.

But I won.

'I've won against one of the big four.'

... I, who had only been in this world for less than a year, had actually won against one of the best talents around.

All the pain and suffering I had subjected myself to wasn't for nothing.

This was the result of all the pain.

'Right, this is what I deserve.'

Blinking slowly, I raised my head and looked forward. Toward the blurry image of the tunnel that led back to the changing rooms.

"Huu."

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, I stepped forward.

Toward the tunnel.

Despite my legs cramping up and stumbling a couple of times, I kept my back firm and only looked forward.

Gradually, the tunnel grew near. Stepping into it, my vision grew dark.

In the darkness, I continued to move forward.

I never once looked back.

***

The thunderous roars of the crowd and applause continued for several minutes before finally dying down. It was only then that Karl started to speak.

"Wow."

He was unable to hide his shock.

With his mouth open in an 'O' shape, he turned to look at Johanna.

".....I've got no words, to be honest. It all happened so fast that I'm still shaken by what happened. Did you manage to catch what happened?"

"I did."

Johanna said seriously, her tone extremely grim.

"And...?"

"It's..."

Johanna paused, her mind running through the scenes from before over and over again. From the moment Kaelion revealed his concept, to when Julien magically revealed his. She was at a loss for words on what to say.

She honestly didn't expect two candidates to already be able to form a 'Concept'.

It made her question whether the other remaining prospects had a 'Concept' of their own.

The thought terrified her.

Especially when she thought about how much she struggled to comprehend her very own concept. She had been much older than them when she comprehended it.

For them to comprehend it at such an age...

'Monstruous.'

"Hooo."

Johanna let out a long breath, cooling down her thoughts and facing the recording device that

was pointed directly at her face.

Sorting through everything that she had observed, she started to speak.

"Kaelion's Concept is the Concept of 'Blood'. The more he bleeds the more powerful he becomes. He's also capable of washing away exhaustion and replenishing his stamina. I don't think I have to replay to show everyone how his Concept works."

Johanna shuddered lightly as she thought of his Concept.

The only weakness of Kaelion's 'Concept' was that it didn't replenish mental exhaustion.

As fights occur, one must think extremely fast and react to the slightest changes that an

opponent makes. Reacting and adjusting takes a massive toll on a person's mental capacity

and clarity.

The longer a fight lasts, the more the mind would be exhausted.

Kaelion's weakness was that while his body continued to heal, his mind didn't.

"There's still a lot of refining to do, but once Kaelion manages to fully refine his Concept,

then he'll be someone to fear for."

There was still a lot of room for Kaelion to improve on.

So long as he worked hard then there was a real possibility of him being capable of

replenishing his mental exhaustion as well. If that were to happen...

"What about Julien...?"

Karl's voice suddenly broke her off her thoughts.

"Julien?"

Johanna blinked her eyes, her thoughts drifting toward Julien. She replayed the fight in her

mind over and over again until she found herself shrugging her shoulders.

"I have no idea."

"Uh...?"

Seeing the confused and flabbergasted look on Karl's face, Johnna could only helplessly shake

her head.

"From what I've observed, his Domain consists of 'boosts'. Depending on several factors, he's capable of increasing his physical strength dramatically. Enough to rival Kaelion's. He also seems to be capable of increasing his speed, as shown by the last movement when he

disappeared from sight."

Johanna replayed the video and showed the two different changes.

She then pointed out something that she observed.

"If you look at his eyes, there's a change in color whenever a change occurs. Red signifies an increase in strength while I assume green indicates an increase in speed."

Most of those observations were things that Karl and the audience had managed to pick up after the broadcast slowed down to display to the viewers what was happening. Given the speed at which Kaelion and Julien moved, this was necessary.

"....I can't tell how the color changes are related to his 'Concept' nor do I know if this is the

full extent of it, but if there's one thing that I am sure about is that the thing that people

should be afraid of is not his 'Concept'."

"Oh?"

Karl looked up at Johanna with genuine surprise.

What could she mean by what she said...?

From what he had seen, Julien's concept was extremely powerful. And yet, Johanna was insinuating that there was something else that was more impressive.

Karl wasn't the only one who was curious about what she was insinuating.

Those who were watching were also extremely curious. Fresh from the experience of having

watched such a fight, they all wanted to know more about Julien, the winner who had dazzled

them with his abilities.

His 'Concept' was already so incredible... What else could be even better?

"I wasn't sure before, but now I'm sure."

Johanna thought back to Julien's first fight. The one that he had fought with Carmen and how

he had managed to win in the end.

The way the fight ended didn't quite make sense to her.

While Julien's superiority was clear to see, it was the way that he had won that threw her off a little. It was quite well-hidden so she wasn't able to notice it, but now that she had witnessed

this fight, she was sure of it.

"Julien..."

She mumbled softly, raising her head to look at the recording devices.

"....The scariest thing about him is his Emotive Magic. And I'm not just talking about what we

already know. No."

She shook her head, her expression turning rather grim.

"I'm afraid his Emotive Magic is a lot more powerful than I previously imagined. I dare say...

even better than Caius's."

Her proof...?

Johanna lowered her head to stare at the broken shards and pieces of what appeared to be a

broken necklace.

***

The stands where the four main delegates sat were extremely quiet. Neither Theron, Gael, Elysia, or Lucian spoke. They all stared at the platform beneath in silence.

Lucian was the first one to show signs of changes as his sturdy body lifted slowly from out of

the seat.

"Where are you going...?"

Elysia questioned, snapping out of her shock.

When she raised her head up to look at Lucian, all she saw was a deep and unfathomable rage

that threatened to spill at any second.

It was understandable.

Now that Kaelion had been eliminated, the Aurora Empire no longer had any candidates left

for the top spot.

They were fully eliminated from the Summit.

This was a humiliating situation for an Empire fully dedicated to strength.

11

But it had to be noted that Lucian's self-control was quite remarkable as he merely glanced in

Elysia's direction, his deep eyes bearing deeply into hers. Then, tearing his eyes away from her, he looked toward Gael.

That's when his mouth opened, and his deep voice rumbled out.

"Not bad."

He left shortly after that.

Gael and the other sat in silence without saying a word.

The stand remained quiet, only Elysia's soft voice breaking through the silence,

"..... Maybe, we should've had him eliminated."

***

Leon looked at the recording of the match between Kaelion and Julien in silence.

His forehead was filled with light droplets of sweat, a result of his warmup for the upcoming

match. Taking a towel to wipe the sweat away, Leon closed his eyes and put the tablet aside.

The muffled cheers of the crowd were still thunderously echoing from within the Colosseum,

reaching the area where he was.

'Julien!'

'Julien...!'

'Julien.'

A single name was repeatedly chanted by the audience outside.

Leaning his head back and basked in the cheer.

Slowly, his lips pulled up into a smirk.

"I'm sure he hates this."

***

"Julien!"

"Julien...!"

"Julien!"

The entire stands boomed with a single name. The fervor from the fight was still high, the

minds of all those present still relishing the fight that had happened.

All but one person.

Caius sat with his eyes fixed on the platform.

His expression was stoic and indifferent. One couldn't quite tell what he was thinking about,

but even if they were curious, none would have the courage to approach the current him.

"I saw it."

He mumbled, his eyes turning a deeper shade of yellow.

"....But I can do it too."

He gradually stood up.

Turning around, amidst the cheers of the audience, he walked out of the Colosseum.

'I'm better.'

***

Another chap today.

I finally came back home after a few days of travel. I tried making it work but I couldn't. Now

that I'm back I can write to the normal schedule again.