Yurei stood in the center of the arena, Longinus in hand. Her expression was calm, unreadable—a mask of porcelain over steel.
Beatrice stood across from her, rolling her shoulders, cracking her neck. She wasn't wearing her brass knuckles—at least, not visibly.
"Ready to lose, Princess?"
"Ready to teach you a lesson."
Beatrice charged forward.
She was fast—faster than someone her size should be. Her first punch came in low, aimed at Yurei's ribs. Yurei sidestepped, but the shockwave from the punch still sent her stumbling.
What was that?! Yurei wondered.
Her eyes flicked to Beatrice's hands. The brass knuckles glinted in the fading light—tucked under her sleeves, hidden from view.
The crowd roared.
"She's improved since last time," Yurei muttered, dodging a barrage of punches. Each fist whistled past her ear, close enough to stir her hair.
But her fists shouldn't have this much power. Even with her blessing. Probably the enhancers.
From the sidelines, Marian watched with narrowed eyes.
Beatrice's blessing, "Brute," allows her to increase her physical stats by a certain degree, she thought. But not by much. Not enough for this.
Her gaze drifted to the hidden brass knuckles.
Those don't look normal.
---
Beatrice didn't let up. She swung again—wild, aggressive, each punch sending shockwaves through the air. Dust exploded from the ground with every impact.
"As the one who took Big Sis Mari away from us," Beatrice snarled, "I expected more since our last duel."
Yurei dodged. Weaved. Backstepped.
But she wasn't counterattacking.
"Why aren't you fighting back?" Beatrice grinned, sweat dripping down her temple. "Scott is going to beat your slave any moment now."
A clear provocation. Meant to make her lose focus.
But Yurei had faith in Hiro.
Through their bond, she could feel him—still fighting, still standing, still trying. His determination was a warm ember in the back of her mind.
Her concentration didn't break.
Good boy, she thought. Keep fighting.
---
Beatrice's pattern was chaotic. She wasn't a trained soldier. She was a brawler—a street fighter who had learned to survive through sheer aggression. There was no rhythm to her attacks. No predictability.
Just violence.
I should probably end this, Yurei thought, gripping Longinus, readying for a counterattack.
But before she could move—
Beatrice's brass knuckles flared with power.
A small shockwave erupted from her fists, invisible but forceful, taking Yurei by surprise.
What the—!
Yurei's eyes widened. Her stance broke. Her guard dropped.
I got you now, bitch.
That small moment was all Beatrice needed.
With a precise strike, she hit Yurei's shoulder—a cracking impact that sent pain shooting down the princess's arm. Yurei stumbled, her balance gone.
Then Beatrice followed up with a punch to the stomach.
Oof—
Yurei flew backward, skidding across the dirt. She rolled once, twice, before coming to a stop. Dust clouded around her. Blood dripped from her lip.
"What was that?!" Marian's voice was sharp, shocked. She had never seen Yurei pushed back like this.
---
From the sidelines, Sally watched with her gleaming green eyes.
"You're really doing it, Captain," she whispered. "Show these royal bitches what you're capable of."
Her fists clenched.
This is our chance. Our only chance.
---
Yurei pushed herself up. Her shoulder throbbed. Her stomach ached. But she didn't cry out. Didn't show pain.
Her blessing shouldn't be able to do that, she thought, unless—
She looked at Beatrice's hands.
She's using an illegal Imperial gear.
Illegal in the sense that as a two and half star soldier, Beatrice didn't have the right or the clearance to use an Imperial gear. Only mid to high tier soldiers had that clearance.
"Careful, Captain!" Marian called from the sidelines. "Those knuckles—they're not normal!"
"I noticed."
Yurei clenched her shoulder, rolling it to test the damage. Nothing broken. But bruised. Definitely bruised.
The gear something which she didn't account for was going to cause some issues as in duel she wasn't allowed to use any of her Imperial gear's advanced abilities against a low tier soldier putting her at a disadvantage.
Beatrice sauntered forward, smug. "What's wrong, Princess? Can't handle a little hit?"
Yurei's eyes hardened.
She raised Longinus, planting the butt of the spear against the ground. Her aura flickered—pink and steady—and she settled into her defensive stance.
This is going to be harder than I thought.
But harder didn't mean impossible.
She had faced worse.
She had survived worse.
And she had Hiro.
---
Across the arena, the sounds of the other fight echoed—claws against metal, grunts of pain, the crash of bodies hitting dirt.
Hold on, Hiro, Yurei thought. I'm ending this fast.
She raised her spear.
"Come on, Beatrice. Show me what those illegal knuckles can really do."
Beatrice's grin widened.
"With pleasure."