Time flew by, and by noon on the fourth day of the Imperial Fist Martial Tournament, the grand Imperial Coliseum was filled once again.
At the central dais, the Emperor of the Empire sat upon a plush chair made from the pelt of a Danger Beast, watching the matches with great focus. Thanks to a certain someone's overwhelming influence, the tournament's progress had accelerated dramatically. What was originally scheduled to last an entire week had been cut nearly in half. The competition had already entered its final rounds.
Thus, today's audience was especially distinguished—not only was the Emperor himself present, but also Minister Chouri, General Budo, and even the scheming Prime Minister Honest, along with many other senior officials of the Imperial Court.
"How did the tournament progress so quickly this year?"
"I heard there's a terrifying monster competing—no one has managed to withstand even a single strike from her."
"Hiss... that strong?"
"Such a shame about all those talented fighters. Hopefully, this doesn't crush their spirits."
...
"The finals of the Imperial Fist Martial Tournament are about to begin!"
"Now, let us welcome contestant number 648 to the stage!"
As the referee's voice echoed across the arena, Selene's radiant figure appeared at center stage. She wore a deep-blue short dress beneath her silver-white armored embellishments, her movements as graceful as they were commanding. One hand rested confidently on her hip, her long, white hair fluttering in the midday wind. Under the blazing rainbow hues of the noon sun, the silver-haired, crimson-eyed Selene shone like a Valkyrie descended from the heavens—dazzling, divine, and utterly captivating.
"How magnificent... such beauty and strength combined—someone like her must serve the Empire," the Emperor murmured with admiration from his seat of honor.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on gaining such a warrior," Minister Chouri added respectfully, offering a formal salute.
Even the referee found himself momentarily entranced, staring blankly for several seconds before snapping back to reality. "Ahem... Next, let us welcome contestant number 444 to the stage..."
At last, Selene's final opponent emerged.
Huh? My last opponent is... her?!
Striding across the arena toward Selene was a young girl wearing a black headscarf. She had long, ice-blue hair cascading down to her calves, and eyes of the same piercing shade. Though she appeared to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, her figure was already strikingly developed—particularly the pronounced curve of her chest, which drew more than a few astonished glances from the audience.
If Misaka Mikoto were here to see this, she'd probably have an existential crisis.
"Hmm? Another girl?" The Emperor frowned slightly as he watched the two young women facing off at the center of the arena. He shook his head in mild surprise.
His attention, of course, was already fixed firmly on Selene. He had been too captivated by her presence to pay much attention to the other contestants. Still, the blue-haired girl did ring a faint bell. "Honest, if I recall correctly, wasn't this girl one of your recommendations?"
At that, the bulky, now rather rotund minister—his once-muscular frame softened with age and indulgence, and his thick white beard gleaming under the sunlight—bowed deeply. "Heaven bless the Empire. Your Majesty, this girl is a talent I happened to discover in the northern territories. Since the Martial Tournament was being held, I thought it would be a fine opportunity to test her abilities."
"Your Majesty," Honest added with a cunning smile, "do not be deceived by her youth or beauty. This girl's strength is far from ordinary. Just a few months ago, in the northern frontier, several foolish slave traders attempted to kidnap her for her looks—and were all slain on the spot."
"She is, in fact, the daughter of the Partas clan chieftain—the tribe known for hunting Danger Beasts in the far north. And now... she is their last surviving member."
"Oh? Such a background?" The Emperor's interest was piqued. "And what is her name?"
"Esdeath, Your Majesty."
...
In the arena, Selene and Esdeath faced each other across the stage.
"She should be about my age, right?" Selene mused silently, her crimson eyes narrowing with curiosity. "Though she looks so much younger... How did I end up like this? I don't remember accelerating my growth with Honkai energy—must've been natural then?"
Carefully examining the youthful Esdeath before her, Selene's lips curved slightly. "Well, then... let's have a little fun, shall we? Future Sadist General."
Esdeath had been born in the northern frontier—a land where life and death were separated by the edge of a blade. Her father, the chieftain of the Partas tribe, had raised her with one unshakable creed: Only the strong survive. Even as a child, she hunted Danger Beasts alone. One day, she returned from a hunt to find her tribe slaughtered by northern invaders. From that day onward, she lived by a single truth: To survive, one must become the strongest.
"Begin!"
At the referee's signal, Selene, for once, didn't rush in for an instant victory. Instead, she stood still, waiting for Esdeath to make the first move.
Seeing that Selene wasn't attacking, Esdeath didn't hesitate. Her foot pressed hard into the ground—crack! The marble beneath her split as she shot forward like an arrow, dagger in hand, thrusting straight for Selene's throat.
Selene met her charge with amusement. As if playing with a child, she raised one hand and caught the dagger's tip with a single finger—then crushed it effortlessly. With a light flick, she sent the broken blade flying several meters away.
Esdeath's brow flushed red. Though she knew she couldn't win, she refused to surrender. The Partas tribe didn't believe in retreat—only in fighting to the death.
Ignoring the pain in her hand, Esdeath roared and charged again, her fist hurtling toward Selene's face with explosive speed. The strike was so powerful that it ripped the air, leaving a sharp sonic crack.
Selene tilted her body slightly—just enough for the punch to miss by a hair's breadth.
The force of Esdeath's attack carried her forward uncontrollably. In battle, even the smallest opening could be fatal.
"It's over..." Selene murmured. In the blink of an eye, she was already at Esdeath's flank. With a swift motion, she raised her leg high and drove her knee upward toward the girl's abdomen, aiming to send her flying.
But Esdeath was no ordinary opponent.
Bang!
A heavy impact resounded. Selene's powerful kick met resistance—Esdeath's arm had intercepted the strike, blocking her knee just in time.
Though the blow still launched her upward, she managed to twist her body midair and absorb the worst of the force.
Using her smaller frame to her advantage, Esdeath hooked her arm around Selene's knee the instant it recoiled, twisting her body in a 180-degree spin and slamming a hand against the arena floor like a hammer.
The water-polished stone tiles cracked and splintered under the impact, spraying dust and pebbles everywhere.
Using the momentum, Esdeath righted herself, attempting to flip Selene over. A wild grin curved her lips. "It's not over yet!"
"Tsk... as expected of Esdeath," Selene said with a faint smile.
In the instant before Esdeath could flip her, Selene's core muscles tightened, generating an explosive counterforce completely defying normal human physiology. She reversed the momentum, forcing Esdeath back down with sheer strength.
Sensing the sudden surge of power from Selene, Esdeath immediately realized that in a contest of raw strength, she would be completely overwhelmed. Her left leg twitched almost imperceptibly as she prepared to counter with a knee strike that had already been coiled like a spring.
Using Selene's body as leverage, Esdeath launched herself upward, driving her knee like a hammer toward Selene's chest.
Thud!
The strike landed squarely—yet the one who fell was Esdeath herself.
Kneeling on the ground, she clutched her injured knee, her face twisted in pain. The force of the rebound alone had nearly shattered her own joint.
"Yield," Selene said calmly.
Indeed, after their brief exchange, Selene acknowledged that Esdeath's combat intuition and technique were sharper than her own. If they had equal physical strength—and if Selene didn't possess Herrscher authority—she might actually have lost.
But the world was not fair. In terms of raw physical might, Selene could crush the current Esdeath with a single finger. Even if she stood still and let the girl attack freely, Esdeath wouldn't be able to pierce her skin.
"..."
"Oh? Still not giving up?" Selene looked at the defiant girl with a faintly amused expression. Her stubborn glare and fierce pout made her look almost adorable. For a brief moment, Selene was tempted to raise her—train her, nurture her power... ahem, refine her, so to speak.
"Enough games. Your Partas tribe worships strength, don't they? Then I'll show you what true power means!"
Boom!
A moment later, an indescribable pressure exploded across the arena. Purple-crimson light flared around Selene, swallowing the platform in an instant. The aura radiating from her was cold, cruel, and maddening—an overwhelming blend of slaughter and chaos. The entire coliseum shook violently as her power erupted outward, centered on her alone.
In mere seconds, the stage cracked like shattered glass. The ground split apart, stones flying as the entire platform collapsed under the sheer force.
Esdeath's body was thrown back by the shockwave, slamming hard into the inner wall of the coliseum before falling limp—completely unconscious.
Gasps and screams echoed from the stands like a tidal wave. The entire structure trembled, and the roaring of collapsing stone drowned out all other sound. The sheer intensity of the blast left the audience pale with fear.
At the imperial dais, the Emperor, Minister Chouri, General Budo, Honest, and every other official rose to their feet in shock.
"What... what power is this?!"
The match had ended instantly, leaving everyone—spectators and officials alike—utterly speechless. They stared at Selene as though she were a creature from another world.
That presence—dark, vast, and suffocating—felt less like that of a human and more like that of an abyssal monster wearing human skin.
"Are you not going to announce the result? The match is already over," Selene said, her tone composed as she slowly lowered her hand.
Simulation—Gravity.
At once, the referee—who had been blown clean off the stage by the initial shockwave—was pulled back onto the platform as if by invisible force.
Still dazed, his eyes were vacant as he looked upon Selene, who stood there poised and graceful, as though she had merely gone for a stroll rather than unleashed cataclysmic destruction.
His voice cracked when he finally spoke. "U-understood..."
After a few trembling seconds, he managed to raise his arm and stammer out the official declaration.
"...M-Match... over..."