Tatsumi glanced nervously at Noah.
After all, Noah knew that he had joined Night Raid. He had also appeared the last time Tatsumi went out on a mission with Akame.
Since then, Tatsumi had heard stories about him from several different people, and every one of them agreed on the same thing: Noah was absurdly strong!
That was why Tatsumi felt so uneasy.
A moment ago, he had even considered running away before the match began.
However, Akame had told him that Noah was not one of the Empire's loyal dogs and could be trusted.
In the end, Tatsumi chose to believe her and forced himself to enter the arena.
Syura was similarly surprised.
He had not expected someone even his father treated seriously to appear as the referee of a public tournament.
He was curious, but he had never offended Noah and had nothing to hide from him, so he remained calm.
His opponent, however, received none of that courtesy.
"Seriously? My opponent is some little brat?"
Syura began mocking Tatsumi before the match had even properly started.
"What a disappointment. Don't run away, all right? At least do your job as a punching bag until you pass out."
Tatsumi had shifted his attention away from Noah the moment Syura opened his mouth, only to be hit by an entire stream of insults before he could respond.
His temper immediately flared.
"Huh? What's wrong with your mouth? Is there a shit inside it? It stinks!"
"What did you say?"
Syura stared at him in disbelief.
No one had ever dared speak to him that way!
'This short little bastard...'
"Heh. I've decided. I'll tear your mouth apart first."
Syura flexed his fingers, while Tatsumi raised his fists and shouted, "Come and try it!"
With a heavy step, Syura crossed more than ten meters almost instantly and appeared in front of him.
Tatsumi was shocked by his speed and hurriedly crossed both arms in front of his face.
Bang!
The impact hardly sounded like a fist striking flesh.
Tatsumi slid several meters across the ground, smoke rising faintly from his arms.
He gritted his teeth and stared at Syura in shock.
'He's strong!'
His speed was frightening, and the power behind that punch was just as bad.
If Tatsumi had not spent the past several days enduring Bulat's special training, that first strike might already have taken him out.
Leone and Lubbock were watching from the stands.
Neither of them had entered the tournament.
They had only come to support Tatsumi and see whether they could gather any useful information.
Large crowds always produced rumors and intelligence. That was common sense.
At the moment, however, neither of them had any attention to spare for that.
The man named Syura was far stronger than they had expected.
Tatsumi might not be able to beat him.
Standing beside Esdeath, Run watched the match with clear surprise.
"His skill is remarkable."
Esdeath was no longer as bored as she had been during the earlier matches, though she appeared to be thinking about something as she watched.
Inside the arena, Syura looked at Tatsumi with mild surprise.
"Oh? You didn't go down in one hit?"
A cruel smile spread across his face.
He leapt into the air and descended on Tatsumi like a wolf pouncing on its prey.
"What kind of movement is that?"
"He's so fast!"
The audience cried out as Syura landed directly in front of Tatsumi and attacked with both hands and both feet at the same time.
For an instant, it almost looked as though he had four arms.
Tatsumi could not defend against so many attacks at once.
After blocking only two strikes, his guard was broken and a blow landed across the side of his face.
Syura continued attacking without pause.
Tatsumi could only cover his head and retreat under the relentless barrage until Syura laughed and drove a kick into his stomach, sending him stumbling backward.
"Is Tatsumi going to be all right?" Lubbock asked anxiously.
"That last hit definitely hurt," Leone replied, staring at the arena.
Run observed Tatsumi's condition and said, "He's a remarkably persistent young man. Unfortunately, he lacks experience. The result may already be decided."
Tatsumi spat the blood from his mouth.
His expression remained stubborn as he wiped his face and stared coldly at Syura without showing any fear.
That look immediately irritated Syura.
"Tch. You're already half-dead, but you still have some spirit."
He gave a dismissive snort.
"Let me tell you something interesting, country brat. The real purpose of this tournament is to choose a man worthy of the woman sitting up there."
Syura glanced toward the highest part of the stands.
Tatsumi followed his gaze and saw Esdeath seated above the arena, distant and untouchable.
Esdeath?
What nonsense was this man talking about?
"Hehehe. You're still a virgin, aren't you?"
"Huh?"
Tatsumi's face flushed with embarrassment and anger.
Why was this bastard suddenly bringing that up?
"That woman is the proudest person in the Empire. A little kid like you could never satisfy her," Syura continued. "I'm different. Sooner or later, I'll stand at the top of the Empire. Even if she's known as the strongest, she's still a woman. One day, I'll conquer her."
After making that arrogant declaration, Syura took an unusual stance.
It looked awkward and full of openings.
Tatsumi no longer cared what the tournament was really for.
At that moment, all he wanted was to punch the man in front of him.
"Haaah!"
He charged forward and swung his fist with all his strength.
The moment his knuckles seemed to make contact, the world suddenly turned around him. His body was lifted off the ground and sent spinning through the air.
Syura had used a counter to destroy Tatsumi's balance. He drew both hands back as far as possible before thrusting his palms into Tatsumi's chest.
The impact sent Tatsumi flying out of the arena.
He crashed through a wall and disappeared beneath a pile of broken stone.
Leone and Lubbock immediately rose from their seats.
However, with Noah standing beside the arena, neither of them dared rush down to check on Tatsumi.
"It's over," Run said regretfully.
He had found the boy promising, but the difference in experience had been too great.
Noah glanced at the rubble and prepared to announce the result.
Syura had already turned away and was about to leave the arena when a stone suddenly flew toward his head.
Without looking back, he heard it coming and tilted his head aside.
The stone passed him, but before he could turn around and say anything, a fist slammed into his face.
Syura was knocked hard onto the ground and bounced twice before stopping.
Covered in dust and bruises, Tatsumi stood over him after delivering the punch.
The satisfaction on his face made it clear that the blow had been worth everything he had endured.
If he had left without hitting this irritating bastard at least once, he probably would not have been able to sleep that night.
"That felt good!"
Tatsumi gave a bright, innocent smile.
Then his strength finally ran out. His body tipped backward as he lost consciousness.
"The winner is Syura," Noah announced without any change in expression.
Tatsumi's final attack had been a surprise strike after he had already left the arena.
Returning after being knocked out of bounds was also against the rules.
The result had been decided before that punch landed.
Noah was about to call someone over to carry Tatsumi away when a gust of wind passed beside him.
Esdeath had entered the arena herself and gently caught the unconscious boy before he hit the ground.
Noah paused.
Then a thought filled him with sudden excitement.
'Could it really be him?'
He looked at Esdeath's face.
Her cheeks were faintly red, and her usually sharp eyes had softened as she stared at Tatsumi.
For the first time, she resembled an ordinary young woman experiencing the first stirrings of affection.
Tatsumi.
This boy with such an unusual fate had actually made Esdeath fall for him at first sight.
It had really happened.
Fate was moving after all!
"Cough... What the hell is this?" Syura pushed himself up from the ground. "I'm the one who won, aren't I?"
He looked thoroughly disheveled.
One side of his face had swollen, his nose was bleeding, and his clothes were covered in dirt and dust.
Esdeath gave him an impatient glance.
"Yes, you won. Go collect your prize money from the back."
She dismissed him with barely any interest, then lifted Tatsumi into her arms and carried him away.
Syura stared blankly as she left.
The surrounding crowd was cheering for the country boy instead of him, and the noise was loud enough to hurt his ears.
"So irritating..."
Were these commoners blind?
He, Syura, had won.
He had beaten that worthless brat so badly that Tatsumi could barely fight back, yet the crowd was cheering for the loser!
Why?
And Esdeath...
She had dared make a fool of him!
'Just wait. I'll destroy your unit, strip away all that pride, and make you mine.'
Syura left the arena in a rage, most likely to report what had happened to his father.