"Guh... Graugh..."
Rhodos, who had been lying sprawled on the stage, groaned as he began to push himself up. The next instant, he realized his left arm was gone and collapsed back onto the stone.
Blood continued to seep from his left arm, now missing from the elbow down, though the flow was surprisingly light.
Reiji picked up the severed limb from where it had rolled across the stage. He found the lack of blood strange for a moment until he remembered the potion Rhodos had consumed during their bout.
"I see. That must have been an exceptionally high-level potion."
He concluded that the bleeding was minimal thanks to the medicine's effects. Carrying the retrieved arm, Reiji walked back toward Rhodos.
The referee was already there, offering a shoulder to help the young warrior to his feet.
"I'll help, too," Reiji offered. "He'll need this arm reattached as soon as possible."
"My thanks. I appreciate it," the referee replied.
"...Hmph."
While the official was grateful, Rhodos merely snorted. He looked sullen, or more accurately, he pointedly averted his eyes from Reiji's face.
There was no immediate malice in his aura, however. While he was clearly frustrated by his loss, his attitude seemed like that of someone who had given his absolute all and simply had nothing left.
Understanding this, Reiji kept his grip on the Death Scythe and the severed arm—which was now barely bleeding at all—and walked toward the edge of the stage.
He pressed the severed limb against the wound as they stepped off the platform.
"...Oh?"
The moment they left the stage, Rhodos's body was enveloped in a brief flash of light. Before Reiji’s eyes, the arm that had been cleanly severed by the Death Scythe was perfectly restored. It was as if the injury had been nothing but a fever dream.
While the arena's magic could recreate a limb from scratch if it had been vaporized, having the actual part present allowed for an instantaneous, seamless bond.
"This is... impressive," Reiji muttered.
Reiji knew, of course, that injuries were healed the moment a participant left the stage—or more accurately, the damage was completely nullified.
However, fortunately or unfortunately, Reiji had never actually severed an opponent's limb during this fighting tournament until now. He usually broke bones or inflicted minor cuts. Consequently, this was the first time he had seen a major amputation vanish so thoroughly. It was one thing to hear about it, but quite another to witness the bone and flesh knit together in a heartbeat.
"Impressive, isn't it? It's precisely because of this magic that almost no one dies in this fighting tournament, despite the intensity of the battles. It is the keystone of the fighting tournament," the referee said, his voice brimming with pride.
Should you really be the one acting so smug? Reiji wondered. But then he reconsidered. The staff managed a legacy capable of such miracles; perhaps a bit of pride was warranted.
"No, this really is incredible. The pain... everything's just gone," Rhodos muttered, clenching and unclenching the hand that had just been reattached.
As someone who had fought his way through the brackets, Rhodos had certainly injured others and been injured in turn. But those had mostly been grazes or shallow lacerations. He had likely never experienced losing an arm before, nor had he ever inflicted such a wound on another.
"Well, I'm just glad you're in one piece," Reiji said, letting out a sigh of relief. "If you'd stayed mangled like that, there's no telling what Elk or Min would have done to me."
Rhodos nodded at those words and offered a weak, bitter smile. But as he looked up at Reiji’s face again, the reality of his defeat seemed to crash down on him.
Perhaps the shock of the amputation had shielded him from the emotional weight of the loss until now. Now that his body was whole, his mind was forced to confront the truth.
He had spent his own pocket money on an incredibly expensive potion. He had treated it as his ultimate trump card and challenged Reiji with suicidal resolve, yet Reiji had overwhelmed him without using any method of attack other than counters.
It was a total, undeniable defeat.
(I... lost? I couldn't even manage a single blow against him?)
He whispered the thought to himself. As the realization took root, a hollow void opened in his chest.
(What was all that talk about beating Reiji... or showing Vihera-san my strength? I lost so easily. I couldn't even force Rei to use his full power...)
The more he spiraled, the more Rhodos sank into a pit of self-loathing and misery.
From Reiji's perspective, Rhodos had suddenly gone from talking normally to being dangerously depressed. Becoming genuinely concerned, Reiji reached out a hand toward his shoulder.
"Hey, Rhodos."
The moment Reiji's fingers brushed his shoulder...
"Don't touch me!"
His voice was sharp enough to echo all the way to the back of the spectator seats. Rhodos slapped Reiji's hand away with a resounding smack.
"...Rhodos?"
Reiji stood frozen. He couldn't fathom why Rhodos had suddenly turned so hostile. Just moments ago, they had been conversing like usual.
Not understanding the storm raging inside the younger man, Reiji tried to offer what he thought was a kind word. To Rhodos, however, it was the ultimate cruelty.
"Don't sweat it. It's not like you've hit your ceiling yet. You're only going to get stronger from here."
These words came from the man who had effortlessly crushed him. The man who held the heart of his first love.
To Rhodos, being consoled by Reiji was a humiliating, pathetic experience. It was only natural that his gaze turned murderous.
"Don't... me..."
"Rhodos?"
"Don't mock me!"
With a roar, Rhodos drew his longsword and thrust the tip toward Reiji's face.
The murderous intent he radiated was no longer that of a rival; it was the raw malice one directed at a hated enemy.
Reiji hesitated for a split second, confused by the shift, but he couldn't simply stand there with a blade at his throat. He began to ready his Death Scythe.
"That's enough!"
A sharp command cut through the tension.
Reiji looked toward the source and saw the referee. The official was glaring at them both with a look of stern authority.
"Physical altercations between players outside of a match are grounds for immediate disqualification. I trust you were briefed on that when you entered the tournament? Those rules do not change, regardless of who recommended you for the main tournament."
"..."
At the official's warning, Rhodos and Reiji stared each other down in silence before slowly lowering their weapons. Even then, the air between them remained electric with tension.
Judging the situation to be a powder keg, the referee spoke again.
"The match is over. We have other bouts scheduled, so both of you leave the arena floor immediately."
Rhodos cast one final, hate-filled glance at Reiji before turning on his heel and storming away.
Reiji watched him go, tilting his head in confusion. Realizing there was no point in lingering, he turned and left in the opposite direction.
The referee let out a quiet sigh of relief that he didn't allow to reach his face.
On the stage, violence was expected. But for such a murderous exchange to happen off the platform... if a fight had broken out here, the fallout would have been disastrous in every sense of the word.
He wondered for a moment if the match itself had been the problem, but based on the snippets of conversation he'd heard, he concluded that the post-fight "encouragement" had been the true catalyst.
The referee wasn't the only one chilled by the interaction. The spectators in the stands had felt the shift in the air, and in the VIP boxes, Elk and Min were likely more shaken than anyone.
However, there were those who watched the scene with triumphant smiles.
"That boy... he's a fascinating mess of resentment, admiration, hatred, and friendship toward Crimson," the Polite Conspirator said. "The balance was holding, but this match has tipped the scales heavily into the dark. He’ll make an excellent pawn."
"Is that so?" the Loathing Conspirator replied with a shrug. "I won't deny it if your plan is to lure him over to our side. But is a brat of that level really going to be of any use to His Highness Cabajid?"
The Polite Conspirator nodded as if the answer were self-evident. "He will be."
"With that level of strength? He looked like a typical C-Rank to me."
"It's true his raw power is only that of a C-Rank. But you're missing the point. To the general public, a C-Rank is already among the strong. Besides... his utility isn't in his pure combat prowess. He is a weapon against the Axe of the Thunder God and against Crimson. Because he’s an insider, he will be an peerless tool when the time comes to oppose them."
"Oh, so he's not actual muscle? Then I've lost interest."
The Loathing Conspirator dismissed Rhodos like a child bored with a broken toy. His partner could only offer a bitter smile.
The Loathing Conspirator was pure in his own way—purely impulsive, purely a warrior. He was difficult to manage, but he was a companion the Polite Conspirator could truly trust.
"Come, let's go. I need to report this development regarding Rhodos to His Highness. If I get the green light, I'll make my move."
"Hmm... well, if you're moving, I suppose I am too. Though I'd much rather try my hand at fighting that Crimson fellow."
Reiji had won without revealing even a fraction of his true depth. That untapped power had clearly piqued the warrior's interest. The Polite Conspirator lightly tapped his partner's head.
"Simmer down. If you cut loose, the entire arena would collapse. I trust your strength, but Crimson's power is equally irregular. At the very least, you won't have your chance to fight him today."
"Aww... not even a little?"
"No."
"...Are you sure?"
The Polite Conspirator was about to repeat himself, but he caught the look in his partner's eyes and stopped. It was the gaze of a predator that had just seen a prime cut of meat.
If he gave a half-hearted answer, his partner might charge straight for Crimson right now just to test the waters. Fortunately, he had a set of magic words that never failed to bring his partner to heel.
"If you're selfish here, His Highness Cabajid will be furious with you."
The effect was instantaneous. The aggressive aura vanished in a heartbeat.
"I-I get it. It's not like I'm just going to charge in without thinking. Don't go telling His Highness I'm being reckless, okay? Promise?"
"I suppose. As long as you behave and listen to me, there will be no need for such reports."
"Hmph!"
Offended, the warrior snorted and slumped back into his chair.
Knowing the threat had passed, the Polite Conspirator let out a quiet breath.
(First... I'll need to arrange a meeting with Rhodos. I can't afford to lower my guard around the other noble factions or even the Emperor. And then there's the Third Prince Faction... we need to bolster our forces more than ever.)
He began mapping out the next steps, deciding which tasks to delegate and how to pitch the strategy to his master. Though his words were a complaint about the upcoming workload, his expression was undeniably satisfied.
"I wonder why he suddenly snapped like that."
Back in the waiting room, Reiji muttered to himself as he replayed the encounter. He was alone; apparently, once you reached the third round of the main tournament, players were allocated their own private space. He was glad for the solitude.
Reiji couldn't grasp the reason for Rhodos's sudden murderous turn, and it left a sour taste in his mouth. He knew that in this mood, if someone tried to provoke him, he’d likely overreact.
"Well, I'll just have to leave Rhodos to Elk. If Min gets involved, I'm sure things will be settled in no time."
Since Rhodos clearly held his parents in high—if perhaps excessive—regard, Reiji naively assumed they would sort him out.
Recalling their history together, he convinced himself it was just a temporary flare-up.
He had no idea how wrong he was. The depth of his miscalculation would only become clear that night, when Rhodos failed to return to the Eternal Sky Inn.