The arena was already deafening before the tournament had even started.
Nathaniel stood with Squad 4 inside one of the preparation chambers, listening to the roar beyond the walls.
The sound wasn't coming from one direction.
It was everywhere.
Crowds filled the capital.
Broadcast arrays carried the event across the Empire.
Large projection screens had been erected in cities, towns, military bases, academies, and public squares.
The entire Empire was watching, whether from the stands, a bar, or even the corner of some ramen stand.
George looked toward the screens in the prep room.
"That's a lot of people."
Alucard grinned.
"Good. More people to see us wreck their shit."
Ria glanced at him.
"You enjoy this far too much."
"I enjoy fighting."
Oliver's voice came from the shadows.
"You enjoy causing property damage."
"That too."
Nathaniel said nothing.
Then the stadium went silent.
Not gradually.
Instantly.
A voice thundered through the arena.
"GOOD MORNING, AZERAN!"
The crowd erupted.
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow.
George stared toward the entrance.
"What the hell was that?"
A figure stepped onto a floating central platform.
He was tall but gaunt, with a narrow frame that looked almost fragile beneath his oversized ceremonial coat.
His name was Ryker Waithiera.
Six eyes stared across the stadium, each moving independently as they tracked different parts of the arena.
Two watched the Imperial balcony.
Two followed the competitors.
The final pair tracked the broadcast arrays and cameras.
None of them seemed to miss anything.
Ryker raised one hand.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen!"
One of his eyes shifted toward a nearby camera.
"To the capital!"
Another moved toward the eastern stands.
"To the western territories!"
A third focused on a projection array.
"And to everyone watching from beyond our borders!"
His voice somehow seemed to come from everywhere at once.
Ryker's augment allowed him to split his attention across multiple targets simultaneously.
For him, an event this complicated was almost effortless.
He could monitor the arena, the broadcast, the officials, his co-hosts, and the competitors all at once.
It was almost unsettling to watch.
Ryker spread his arms.
"THIS GRAND EXHIBITION!"
The crowd exploded.
"THE AZERAN CIRCUIT!"
The response was even louder.
The Empress watched from the highest Imperial balcony beside the Grandmaster.
Neither looked particularly surprised by Ryker's volume.
The Grandmaster simply sighed.
"He hasn't changed."
The Empress smiled.
"I was hoping he had."
Ryker turned toward them.
"AND OF COURSE, WE HAVE THE HONOR OF HAVING HER IMPERIAL MAJESTY WITH US TODAY!"
The Empress stood.
Her long white hair cascaded down from beneath her veil, nearly reaching the floor as her robes flowed behind her.
Rows of advanced Imperial guards stood behind her in sleek, next-generation armor, their weapons secured but ready.
The physical audience erupted.
Ryker waited.
And waited.
Then waited a little longer.
Eventually he leaned toward the microphone.
"All right, all right! Save some of that energy for the competitors!"
The cheering somehow got louder.
Ryker laughed.
"Yeah, I deserved that."
A second voice came through the broadcast system.
"You're going to blow out the speakers before the first match."
A woman walked onto the platform.
She had long blonde hair, sun-kissed tan skin, and a fit, voluptuous figure that made it obvious she still took care of herself.
Despite being well into her late thirties, she carried herself with an effortless youthfulness.
Her outfit was stylish, flashy, and just excessive enough to fit her reputation.
She gave the audience a playful smile.
"Good morning, everyone."
The crowd responded enthusiastically.
Ryker gestured toward her.
"And joining me today is one of the Empire's most recognizable voices!"
Varsia Helden gave him a look.
"That sounds suspiciously like an introduction for an advertisement."
"You host a radio show."
"Exactly."
She turned toward the camera.
"I'm Varsia Helden, and apparently I've been trusted with a live microphone."
The crowd laughed.
Nathaniel watched the screen.
George looked over.
"She's famous."
Ria nodded.
"Very."
Varsia had been a radio host for years.
Her late-night programs had become a staple for people across the Empire.
She was known for being charming, outspoken, and completely incapable of behaving professionally for more than five consecutive minutes.
Ryker turned toward the third member of the commentary desk.
"And joining us from the medical field, Professor Wolfsbane!"
A broad-shouldered older man adjusted his spectacles.
He looked considerably less excited than the other two.
"Good morning."
Varsia leaned toward him.
"Professor, are you nervous?"
"No."
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
"Because you look nervous."
"I'm standing next to Ryker."
Ryker burst out laughing.
The crowd followed.
Even the Grandmaster, Zenith, cracked a smile.
Wolfsbane adjusted his coat.
"I'll be providing medical analysis throughout the event. More importantly, I'll be explaining what happens when these young people inevitably do something stupid."
Ryker pointed at him.
"Excellent!"
Varsia smiled.
"That's what we hired him for."
Wolfsbane sighed.
"I wasn't hired."
"You volunteered."
"I was asked."
"Same thing."
"It isn't."
Ryker suddenly leaned toward the main camera.
"Regardless!"
All six eyes focused forward.
"Ten squads!"
The enormous screens behind him illuminated.
One after another, the squad insignias appeared.
"Fifty-eight competitors!"
The crowd roared.
"One week of preparation!"
Another roar.
"And one arena!"
Ryker slammed his fist against the podium.
"LET'S SEE WHO'S READY!"
The massive gates at the far end of the stadium began to open.
Nathaniel felt the atmosphere change.
The noise wasn't just excitement anymore.
It was anticipation.
George looked toward the opening gates.
"Here we go."
The first squad was called.
"Squad One!"
The gates opened.
A squad of five walked into the arena.
The reaction from the crowd was immediate.
Their insignia appeared across the enormous screens.
Squad One.
Then Squad Two.
Then Squad Three.
Each squad received its own introduction, each met with its own wave of cheers.
Nathaniel watched them carefully from the preparation chamber.
So did everyone else.
When Squad One passed the central platform, their leader briefly turned toward the preparation area.
His eyes met Nathaniel's through the open corridor.
A second passed.
Neither looked away.
Then Squad One continued.
Squad Two followed.
Nathaniel's gaze shifted.
Their leader was already looking directly at him.
Interesting.
Then Squad Three emerged.
Their leader glanced toward Squad 4's waiting area.
Nathaniel noticed.
So did George.
"Three for three," George muttered.
Nathaniel gave a small shrug.
"Guess we're noticeable."
Then Ryker's voice shook the stadium again.
"AND NOW!"
The screens changed.
A large number appeared.
04
Ryker grinned.
"SQUAD FOUR!"
The doors opened.
George stepped forward first.
Alucard followed with a grin.
Ria walked beside them.
Shirou remained quiet.
Oliver emerged from the shadows.
Nathaniel came last.
The six of them entered the arena.
The stadium erupted.
Nathaniel looked toward the other squads.
The first three were already gathered across the arena.
Squad One.
Squad Two.
Squad Three.
All watching.
Nathaniel met their gazes one by one.
Then Squad Five entered from the opposite side.
Their eyes immediately settled on Squad 4.
Nathaniel turned slightly.
Five.
Then six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
The remaining squads entered in succession, filling the enormous arena until every team stood beneath the gaze of the Empire.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The atmosphere had changed.
No more preparation rooms.
No more private discussions.
No more speculation.
They were finally standing across from one another.
Ten squads.
Fifty-eight competitors.
Every one of them had spent the last week preparing for this moment.
Varsia's voice came through the speakers.
"Oh."
She paused.
"Look at that."
Ryker glanced toward her.
"What?"
"Everyone's already sizing each other up."
Professor Wolfsbane looked across the arena.
"That's probably the smartest thing they've done all morning."
Varsia smiled.
"Give them five minutes."
"Why?"
"They'll start hitting each other."
Wolfsbane sighed.
"I hope you're wrong."
Ryker laughed.
Nathaniel looked across the arena.
Then he smiled.
The tournament hadn't even started.
And already, everyone was watching everyone else.
Perfect.
Nathaniel was practically giddy.
Not outwardly.
Outwardly, he looked calm.
But internally, he was having the time of his life.
All that preparation.
All those reports.
All those hours spent watching footage and digging through whatever information Oliver and Ria could get their hands on.
Some of it had been... questionable.
Very questionable.
Nathaniel wasn't going to ask exactly how Ria had gotten certain pieces of information.
He definitely wasn't going to ask Oliver how he had managed to watch some of the squads while they were changing.
Some lines had been crossed.
Several, actually.
But it had been worth it.
Because now Nathaniel could look across the arena and actually recognize people.
There you are.
His eyes moved across the assembled squads.
Inside the depths of his mind, however, Arc was far less impressed.
The former Arc Kodonaki sat in the strange void surrounding the Genesis Core, looking thoroughly unimpressed by the spectacle playing out through Nathaniel's perception.
To him, this was trivial.
A tournament.
A bunch of young fighters showing off.
Nothing particularly special.
Unfortunately, he had no control over the body.
Nathaniel was in the driver's seat.
Arc was stuck in the back.
So instead, he had resorted to entertaining himself.
A miniature Horus floated nearby, flapping its tiny wings as it chased fragments of light around the Genesis Core.
Karthanon sat nearby, watching the miniature birdman with the exhausted expression of someone who had already regretted every decision that had led them here.
Arc sighed.
"This is boring."
Horus chirped.
Karthanon glanced at him.
"You could try paying attention."
"I am paying attention."
"You're playing with a bird."
"It's a very interesting bird."
Horus chirped again.
Arc smiled.
"See?"
Back in the arena, Nathaniel's attention shifted.
His eyes locked onto one member of Squad Six.
Their insignia appeared above them projected by the tech in the arena.
SQUAD ANIMA.
There.
A dark-skinned woman stood among them.
Her complexion was similar to Nathaniel's own, though what immediately caught his attention was the contrast created by her brilliant white hair.
Then there were the other features.
Slightly rounded facial structure.
Distinctive green eyes.
Small external gill-like structures around her neck.
Subtle traits that gave her an unmistakably amphibian appearance.
Axolotl.
Nathaniel's eyes narrowed.
Nicole Santera.
He remembered her file.
Super regeneration.
Not just ordinary accelerated healing.
Her body could recover from catastrophic muscular damage at an absurd rate.
And she had apparently found a way to turn that ability into something much more dangerous.
Nathaniel watched her carefully.
Nicole wasn't particularly large.
That was deceptive.
Her augment allowed her to push her body far beyond its normal physical limits because she could recover almost as quickly as she destroyed herself.
She could deliberately tear her own muscles apart.
Force them beyond their safe operating capacity.
Then recover.
The result was a temporary increase in output.
Five times her normal physical performance.
Hysterical strength, deliberately triggered rather than accidentally occurring.
Nathaniel's grin widened slightly.
"That's nasty."
George glanced at him.
"You know her?"
"Her file."
George followed his gaze.
"Squad Anima?"
"Nicole Santera."
Ria looked over.
"Super regeneration."
Nathaniel nodded.
"She's using it to compensate for the body's natural limits."
Alucard grinned.
"So she breaks herself to hit harder?"
"Pretty much."
"She's crazy."
Oliver's voice came from somewhere behind them.
"She recovers in minutes."
Alucard's grin widened.
"I like her."
Nathaniel kept watching Nicole.
There was something interesting about her.
She wasn't just relying on regeneration.
She had built her entire fighting style around it.
That meant the real question wasn't how strong she was.
It was how much damage she was willing to inflict on herself to get stronger.
Nathaniel smiled.
Now that's worth watching.
Inside the void, Arc finally glanced toward Nathaniel's perception.
He saw Nicole.
Then looked away.
"Five times?"
He shrugged.
"Still trivial."
Karthanon stared at him.
"You say that about everyone."
"Because most people are."
Horus landed on Arc's head.
Arc reached up and gently removed the miniature bird.
"Except him."
Karthanon stared.
"You're talking about Horus?"
"Obviously."
The miniature Horus chirped proudly.
Back in the arena, Nathaniel continued scanning Squad Anima.
He wasn't looking for spectacle.
He was looking for limits.
And Nicole Santera had just given him something interesting to study.
Varsia's voice drifted across the arena.
"And over there, Squad Anima seems to have already caught someone's attention."
Nathaniel looked toward the main screen.
His own face had appeared on it.
Varsia laughed.
"Looks like Squad Four is already scouting."
Ryker's six eyes shifted toward Nathaniel.
"Oh?"
Professor Wolfsbane adjusted his glasses.
"That's generally a good habit."
Varsia smiled.
"Or he's staring."
Ryker laughed.
Nathaniel sighed.
"Great."
George smirked.
"You're on television."
"I noticed."
Alucard laughed.
"Wave."
"No."
"Wave."
"No."
Oliver's shadow shifted.
"Do it."
Nathaniel looked at him.
"You too?"
Oliver laughed.
Nathaniel turned his attention back toward Squad Anima.
Nicole was still watching him.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, neither moved.
Nicole smiled.
Nathaniel smiled back.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The tournament hadn't even begun.
And already, the information was paying off.
Everyone in Squad Four already knew about Nathaniel's photographic memory.
How else was he supposed to keep track of fifty-seven different profiles without confusing anyone?
The guy was a nerd.
There was no getting around it.
Shirou knew that better than most.
She had been to Nathaniel's apartment once, and the place had told her everything she needed to know.
Textbooks.
Technical manuals.
Stacks of notes.
Model kits from some mecha anime she didn't recognize.
More model kits from some old science-fiction television series.
A half-disassembled mechanical component sitting on his kitchen table because apparently that was a perfectly normal place to work on something.
And then there were the gauntlets.
Nathaniel occasionally built his own.
Not just modified them.
Actually built them.
Shirou had watched him spend hours designing and assembling different versions, testing materials and mechanisms until he was satisfied.
If the man ever decided he wanted to build himself an entire suit of armor, she honestly wouldn't have been surprised.
She suspected he could.
Which made what was happening now even funnier.
Nathaniel's eyes were locked onto Nicole Santera.
And the main screen had just put his face up for the entire Empire to see.
Shirou slowly turned toward him.
Her eyes narrowed.
Oh, this is going to be a problem.
She couldn't say it.
She couldn't even whisper it.
But if Nathaniel knew her well enough, he could practically hear her thoughts.
Ginah is going to kill you.
Nathaniel glanced sideways.
Shirou stared at him.
He knew exactly what that look meant.
His expression immediately soured.
"Don't."
Shirou's eyebrows rose.
Nathaniel sighed.
"Seriously."
She pointed toward the screen.
His own face was still displayed beside footage of Nicole.
Nathaniel looked up at it.
Then back at Shirou.
"...Okay, maybe a little."
Shirou's shoulders shook silently.
She was laughing.
Nathaniel rubbed his forehead.
This was bad.
His roommate.
His assistant.
His unofficial not-girlfriend.
His unofficial 'mom'.
Whatever Ginah actually was to him, she was absolutely not going to be happy if she was watching this.
Especially after the tournament's broadcast had just caught Nathaniel openly scouting a rather attractive member of the competition.
Hot, Shirou mentally amended.
That was probably what Nathaniel was thinking too.
She couldn't exactly accuse him of it out loud.
But she could certainly give him the look.
Nathaniel caught it.
"That's not why I was looking."
Shirou stared.
Nathaniel hesitated.
"...Mostly."
Her shoulders shook again.
Across the arena, Varsia was still talking.
"And Squad Four's Nathaniel Alderman appears to have taken a particular interest in Squad Anima!"
The giant screen followed his gaze.
Nicole appeared again.
The crowd reacted immediately.
Nathaniel closed his eyes.
"Oh, come on."
George was trying not to laugh.
Alucard wasn't even trying.
"You're fucked."
"Thank you, Alucard."
"Anytime."
Ria covered her mouth, though Nathaniel could see the amusement in her eyes.
Oliver's shadow shifted beside them.
"I give Ginah three minutes."
Nathaniel looked at him.
"Why are you timing it?"
"Because I know her."
Nathaniel sighed.
Shirou raised both hands and mimed typing.
Nathaniel stared at her.
"You think she's going to message me?"
Shirou nodded.
Then she made a small gesture across her throat.
Nathaniel's expression flattened.
"...You think she's going to threaten me."
Shirou nodded again.
Alucard burst out laughing.
Even George cracked.
Nathaniel looked toward the arena ceiling.
"Fantastic."
Inside the void of his mind, Arc watched the entire exchange with complete indifference.
He leaned back against the Genesis Core.
"He's worried about his roommate."
Karthanon looked over.
"Seems reasonable."
Arc shrugged.
"She can't actually hurt him."
"That's not the point."
Arc glanced toward Nathaniel's perception again.
Nicole was still there.
Still watching him.
Arc looked away.
"This tournament is still boring."
Miniature Horus chirped from his shoulder.
Arc nodded solemnly.
"Exactly."
Karthanon stared at him.
"You don't even know what it just said."
"I understand him."
Horus chirped again.
Arc smiled.
"See?"
Back in the arena, Nathaniel caught Nicole's gaze again.
This time, she smiled first.
Nathaniel's mouth curved into a small grin.
Shirou saw it.
Her eyes widened.
Nathaniel immediately looked at her.
"Don't."
Shirou pointed at him.
Then pointed at Nicole.
Then made a dramatic slicing motion across her own throat.
Nathaniel stared at her.
"You're enjoying this way too much."
Shirou's shoulders shook with silent laughter.
For someone who couldn't say a word, she was remarkably good at making her opinions known.
Nathaniel sighed.
The tournament hadn't even started yet.
And somehow, he was already in trouble.
Nathaniel wisely took a step back behind Alucard.
If the cameras wanted to keep watching him, they could watch the seven-foot hemomancer instead.
He leaned slightly toward George.
"Forget me for a second. Squad Eight."
George followed his gaze.
Nathaniel subtly pointed toward them.
"There."
A woman with long purple hair stood near the center of the squad.
She had an almost permanently irritated expression, though that irritation seemed to sharpen whenever attention shifted away from her.
Right now, her eyes were fixed on Nicole.
The crowd's reaction to Squad Anima had clearly gotten under her skin.
"Why does she get all the attention?" the woman whined, folding her arms. "Seriously, what does she even have that I don't?"
George raised an eyebrow.
"That one?"
"Lyra."
Nathaniel watched as Lyra's eyes wandered away from Nicole.
They immediately landed on Ethan Azeroth.
Then Rayln.
Her expression changed.
Not admiration.
Not curiosity.
Something closer to envy mixed with frustration.
Nathaniel narrowed his eyes.
"She's dangerous."
George glanced at him.
"What's her augment?"
"Envy."
Alucard looked over his shoulder.
"That's the name?"
"That's what she calls it."
Nathaniel watched Lyra continue staring at Ethan and Rayln.
"She can expend her own energy to temporarily duplicate certain characteristics of another person."
George frowned.
"Augments?"
"Sometimes. Physical traits too."
Nathaniel nodded toward the red-haired member standing beside her.
"She once copied that guy. Put on a few pounds of muscle, changed her hair to match his, even altered some of her physical characteristics."
Alucard snorted.
"She copied his hairstyle?"
"She wanted to be like him."
"That's pathetic."
"It's also useful."
Nathaniel's eyes remained fixed on Lyra.
"Her ability doesn't give her a perfect copy. It scales to her own energy reserves. And she can't just copy whatever she wants."
George understood immediately.
"She has to actually envy the trait."
"Exactly."
Nathaniel folded his arms.
"That's why I call it Mirror Match."
George looked at him.
"Because Envy isn't descriptive enough?"
"Because she's basically fighting with whatever she wishes she had."
Lyra suddenly noticed Ethan again.
Her expression soured.
"Why does he get to stand up there looking like that?"
She glanced toward Rayln.
"And her too."
Nathaniel gave a quiet laugh.
"See?"
George nodded.
"Insecure."
"Very."
Nathaniel's eyes narrowed.
"Which makes her predictable."
Alucard cracked his knuckles.
"Predictable doesn't mean weak."
"No."
Nathaniel smiled.
"It means we know what she's going to want."
His gaze returned to Lyra.
"And that's usually more important."
A few meters away, Lyra suddenly looked back toward Nicole.
The spotlight was still following Squad Anima.
Her lips curled into a pout.
Nathaniel shook his head.
"She's going to be trouble."
George glanced at him.
"You're keeping track of everyone, aren't you?"
Nathaniel gave him an innocent look.
"Obviously."
George sighed.
"Of course you are."
Behind them, Shirou silently pointed toward the giant screen.
Nathaniel looked up.
His face was still there.
He immediately stepped farther behind Alucard.
"Not again."
Alucard grinned.
"Should've thought about that before staring at the pretty girl."
Nathaniel stared at him.
"I was analyzing her combat profile."
"Sure."
George laughed.
Nathaniel ignored both of them and returned his attention to the assembled squads.
Nicole.
Lyra.
Ethan.
Rayln.
Fifty-seven opponents.
And now he had faces to match the names.
The week of preparation had been worth it.
Even if Ria and Oliver had apparently decided that "intelligence gathering" meant occasionally violating several basic principles of privacy.
Nathaniel smiled.
There were going to be some very interesting fights.