"Begin!"

The moment the referee's voice fell, Julien and Leon turned serious.

'Fight me fairly. Don't try it with your psychological warfare.'

'The hell...?'

Julien frowned as he looked at Leon. What did he take him as?

Psychological warfare?

What sort of nonsense was he spouting?

He was borderline almost offended. It was a good joke...

Their previous playfulness disappeared as Leon quickly recovered from the damage that he had previously sustained and pressed his foot against the ground, shooting toward Julien like

a comet.

Bang-

A powerful blast swept through the surroundings as Leon's figure blurred.

Staring at the incoming Leon, Julien remained calm. Though he couldn't see him, he didn't need to as an image appeared in his mind.

A green field stretched out before him, a gentle breeze sweeping through. In the distance, mountains loomed, while nearby trees swayed and rustled under the soft wind.

It was a distant memory of his.

...A memory of a time he felt most peaceful in his darkest times.

A time when he felt...

"Jo-"

Julien was never able to fully get his words out as Leon appeared right before him, sword raised in the air.

Swoosh!

In one fluid motion, he slashed down at Julien who pursed his lips.

The vision in his mind shattered and he raised his hand as he stepped forward.

'Step of Suppression.'

Leon instantly felt his sword become heavier. The speed at which he slashed increased, and his muscles popped outwardly.

"Ukeh!"

This sudden change was enough for Julien to avoid the incoming slash by a tiny margin as he felt something sharp graze the tip of his nose.

Not minding the pain his eyes grew red.

Cra Crack-

His entire body convulsed as his muscles swelled to twice their size, radiating an immense, terrifying power. With a roar, he brought his fist crashing down toward Leon, who remained calm, unflinching in the face of the oncoming blow.

Swoosh!

Tearing through the air, the fist reached Leon in a matter of seconds.

A faint glow manifested over Leon's sword as he looked at the approaching sword.

Then...

He thrust his sword toward the incoming fist.

Clank!

A deafening explosion echoed as Julien's fist collided with Leon's glowing sword. Fist and blade entwined, gray eyes locking fiercely with hazel ones, each refusing to give an inch.

Their muscles squirmed and tensed as each side tried to push the other back.

This went on like this for several seconds as neither side budged. It was then that an image appeared in Julien's mind.

The nursery was quiet and dark, filled with people lying silently on the beds.

All of a sudden their bodies raised, exposing their white eyes. Their mouths opened and they screamed.

'Hieeek-'

"Surpr―"

Bang!

Leon slammed his foot into the ground, releasing his grip on the sword for a brief moment as he lowered his center of gravity. In a swift motion, he shot toward Julien's side, his fist clenched tightly as he drove it straight toward Julien's torso.

'Tsk.'

Once again, Julien had no choice but to stop.

Even if he did end up affecting Leon with his Emotive Magic, it wouldn't stop his attack which

would put him at a disadvantage.

A purple orb appeared in his mind.

Julien reached out for it and his body suddenly trembled.

At the exact moment, Leon's fist closed in on Julien's torso, his spine tensed, and he unleashed all his accumulated power in a single explosive surge.

Swoosh-

The air funneled around his fist as he threw the punch.

However...

Swoosh!

It ended up phasing right through Julien's as his body started to fade into the air. Leon's eyes constricted, but he remained calm.

He had already seen this ability before.

...There was nothing surprising about seeing this ability.

What he needed to fear was his 'green' ability. That one, coupled with his touch was Julien's killer combo. He needed to be extremely careful.

Bang!

Stomping his foot against the ground, his sword bounced off the ground and back into the air. Twisting his torso, he reached for the blade, gripping it firmly as he darted to his right,

straight toward Julien's figure

With perfect control of his body, he managed to perform all of this in one fluid motion.

The movements flowed so seamlessly that in the span of a single heartbeat, Leon was already in front of Julien, who had just returned to his usual state.

His expression changed then as his eyes grew red.

Booom-

Leon's sword once again connected with Julien's fist.

"....!"

Leon felt his sword vibrate in the aftermath of the attack, feeling his body shake as a result as

well.

He was still doing better than Julien who took several steps back, his fist bleeding as a long red line appeared.

Though he looked unharmed, this was all Leon needed to take the momentum of the match.

He didn't let it go.

"Ump!"

He pressed forward.

A faint glow manifested over his sword as he aimed for Julien's heart.

Clank!

Narrowly, Julien managed to block the attack by using a combination of [Step of Supression]

and his domain, but Leon was relentless. If one attack failed, he'd try again.

Clank, clank-

Leon held his breath as he continued to slash.

He had no choice but to.

Sweat poured down from the side of his face as he continued to push forward, but this was

necessary in order to not give Julien any breathing space.

His scariest ability was his Emotive Ability.

So long as he could deal with that then he'd be able to have a greater chance at beating him.

"Hm...?!"

The back of Leon's hair tingled as Julien's hand turned purple. Leon's eyes constricted as he

turned his left.

Swoosh!

A purple hand manifested in the air, shooting right where his head used to be.

But that wasn't all.

Looking down, Leon's eyes shook.

'Since when...?!! Dozens of threads sprawled across the ground, nearly invisible until Leon's eyes caught them.

The moment Julien saw his reaction, he raised his hand, and the threads sprang to life,

writhing and rising as if they had a will of their own.

Leon didn't have much time to think.

His eyes turned black, white dots sprinkling all over. With a blink of his eyes, a few of the stars

disappeared from his eyes.

The world around him grew slower and his eyes darted all over the place.

Then...

"Waahh....!"

"Oh!"

For the first time, the crowd erupted in a roar as they watched Leon's body contort in ways never seen before, narrowly dodging the nearly invisible threads suspended in the air. With each twist and turn, he closed the distance between himself and Julien, inching ever closer.

Sweat continuously poured down from the side of his face as his actions required incredible

focus.

But soon, he managed to reach Julien who looked startled.

Leon raised his sword and slashed diagonally.

Swoosh!

Julien's eyes shook as he tried to avoid the attack, but it was too late. The sword came cleaving

down, cutting Julien right in two.

Fuck!

Leon silently cursed in his heart as the air behind him twisted and a hand reached out for him.

The hair at the back of Leon's head stood on end, and he didn't need his intuition to recognize

the imminent danger of the situation.

But just as the hand was about to reach him, Leon frowed.

Wait...

He blinked his eyes, turning to look to his right.

His pupils shrunk then as the hand behind phased right through him. A dummy! He didn't

bother with that hand as another one emerged from his right.

The real one.

Leon didn't think twice. Staring at the outstretched hand, instead of moving back, he ducked

down and moved forward.

The stars in his eyes faded and his speed boosted.

In seconds, he was right in front of Julien. With not much room to use his sword, Leon opted

for a simpler method as he pressed his hand against Julien's abdomen.

"Ukeh!"

Bang!

With a groan, Julien's body shot back, staggering several steps.

'Another chance!'

Leon's eyes flickered at the sight, his heartbeat quickening. Without hesitation, he blinked,

draining the stars from his gaze as his body began to transform. Turbid air flowed from his

mouth, and in an instant, he surged forward at lightning speed.

Boom!

He arrived before Julien in an instant as he slashed down from above.

Julien managed to react, but the force behind Leon's strike was far too much for him to handle

as the ground beneath him shattered.

"Ukh."

He stumbled back further, and just as his eyes were turning green, Leon shot forward.

Spurt!

His sword directly pierced through Julien's defenses, and blood spilled in the air.

"Ah!"

The entire Colosseum fell silently shortly after as several figures stood up one by one to get a better look at the scene.

A pair of gray eyes interlocked with a pair of hazel eyes as Julien's face twitched.

Lowering his head, he looked at the sword impaled on his shoulder and managed a murmur,

"That hurt..."

"It was supposed to-Ukh!"

Leon felt a kick to his abdomen as he lost grip of the sword and stumbled back several steps.

"Ukh."

His stomach hurt but it was nothing to the pain that Julien was currently feeling.

'How troublesome.'

Julien mumbled in his mind, staring at the sword impaled on his shoulder. He didn't think

about taking the sword off. He didn't want to lose quite yet.

Taking the sword away would just make him bleed out.

Yeah...

The situation was really troublesome.

"Kh."

Julien rotated his shoulder blade and felt a sharp pain each time he did so. Though he could

withstand the pain, the sword restricted his movements.

This was something that Leon and the entire audience understood.

"This..."

Karl looked at the scene with his mouth agape while a faint smile traced over Johanna's lips.

"Leon has gotten the upper hand. If Julien doesn't do anything, he'll most likely lose the

match."

her words fell, Leon rushed forward. He still didn't want to give Julien any time to use his Emotive Magic.

Though victory seemed close, Leon knew that things were far from over.

Julien was... Unpredictable.

Hell, for all he knew, Julien could very well have already developed a domain. That monster...

He certainly had the qualities to achieve such a thing in such a short period of time.

It was for that reason that Leon didn't hesitate to attack.

He had no choice but to attack.

"Kh...!"

Though he didn't have his sword with him, Leon was still very adept at close combat.

Thump! Thump!

The ground shattered with each step, the sound of the ground shattering mimicking the beats

of the audience's hearts.

Boom!

The ground exploded and he arrived before Julien who stared at him in silence. Leon's eyes turned ethereal, the star within vanishing once more as he exploded with power.

Julien's clothes and hair fluttered under the immense pressure as the audience held their

breath in anticipation. Julien soon closed his eyes, his entire body being in total peace despite the looming threat.

The audience leaned closer at the sight.

Was he going to show something unique again? Was he going to display some incredibly

powerful move?

A new move perhaps...?

Everyone held their breath upon reaching such thoughts.

And soon...

Julien's eyes opened, revealing a familiar red hue.

Immediately the audience felt their heart sink. While this move was strong, there was no way

he'd be able to defeat the current Leon with it. Especially since he could only use it for a short

burst.

'Anger'

Julien rapidly murmured in his mind, pressing his hand against his chest.

His muscles popped and cracked as his body started to squirm. An oppressive montum burst

forth from out of his body, towering over everything in front. Everything but Leon... who moved with the momentum of a train.

He shattered everything in his path and soon arrived before Julien. The two crossed gazes and

threw a punch at the same time.

Booom-

Silence ensued for a brief moment as neither side budged before a terrifying explosion burst

forth as the fists remained glued together.

A wave of pressurized wind burst forth from their clash, causing their clothes to flutter wildly.

As the dust settled and the aftermath of their battle became clear, everyone could finally see

the result of their confrontation.

"A draw."

Johanna murmured,

"....It was even."

Indeed, both Leon and Julien were standing at the center of the stage with both fists

connected, neither side having budged an inch.

But..

"Julien needs to regather his strength, unlike Leon. I'm afraid..."

And just as she said this, Leon moved his fist back as Julien's eyes returned to normal. The

audience watched this with pale faces as they all looked at Julien who suddenly felt so small. "Hooo." Turbid air escaped from Leon's mouth as his spine tensed and his fist shifted forward. His head felt light, and in such moment he looked at Julien and the corner of his lips curled. He

felt strangely happy.

'I'm going to win.'

Boom!

He threw another fist, aiming for the shoulder his sword was stuck in.

Julien remained calm as the fist approached. Its momentum was terrifying, and knowing that

he couldn't use his domain in rapid succession like Leon, Julien could only throw a regular

punch with his only working hand.

It was just that...

...He couldn't gather as much power in such awkward angle.

Boom!

As expected, he was immediately flung away.

"Uhk."

Like a broken kite, he was hurled backward, skidding over a dozen steps. By the time he came

to a halt, Leon was already standing in front of him.

Bang!

The two clashed fists once more, sending Julien scattering further back.

"Uekh...!"

He didn't Julien any breathing room.

'Yes!'

Leon felt adrenaline rush through his body as he rushed forward.

Bang, bang, bang-

His every movement was filled with more and more power as he pushed Julien further and

further back. Be it him or the audience, everyone could tell that Julien was on his last leg.

Leon was about to pull a victory!

"Ah!"

Leon shouted, his arm tensing as he threw another fist forward.

Bang!

The two clashed once more, and Leon felt his heart jump in joy as Julien staggered back,

almost falling to the ground.

"Hahaha."

He laughed out loud, his laugh reverberating throughout the entire Colosseum and shaking

the audience out of their daze.

"Hahaha."

Leon continued to laugh, no longer rushing toward Julien as he stumbled back up.

Seeing the state Julien was in, Leon felt an undeniable rush of joy reach every part of his body

as his lips pulled into a wide smile. Finally... He was going to beat Julien.

Finall-Uh?

Leon stopped, his eyes blinking slowly. A strange silence befell him as his ears picked up every

sound within the Colosseum.

From the faint murmurs of the crowd, Julien's rough breathing, and...

Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!

His incredibly fast heartbeat.

'What the..'

Leon pressed his chest, realization dawning on him as he raised his head to look at Julien who

looked back at him.

This time, it was his turn to smile as he raised his fist.

Though he didn't say anything, Leon could understand exactly what his gaze was saying,

'Just because I can't speak nor touch you doesn't mean I can't affect you.'

"Ah."

Leon clenched his teeth, a small laugh escaping his lips despite not finding the situation

amusing at all.

"...Fuck."