"i'm sorry kid 'highness', you'll have to forgive me for what comes next." Caesar's opponent said.
–
The sight of a prince from the mainline in the army was unheard of, the crowd ruptured with rumours.
–
He attacked Caesar, going for a punch straight to the head, Caesar dodged it quite easily.
His opponent's eyes became a bit widened.
The next was a kick to Caesar's stomach, Caesar caught it in-between his elbow and body.
One commander stepped forward to speak to Heimer, his face looked old, although not as old as Heimer.
He was nearly the same height as Ren, with long brown hair, and grey eyes.
"How's your heart doing old man, what overcame you.
Pitting veterans against kids wasn't enough, now even a prince?." The man's tone was very conceited.
"What, was your name again, Milsted?
The one down there is your assigned lieutenant, isn't he?" Heimer asked with his eyes locked on the exchange.
"Of course, but that's besides the point isn't it?
So what do you have to say from this exchange." Milsted asked.
Heimer stayed focused on the battle.
"Watch." He said with certainty.
Milsted squinted his eyes, it was as a result of Heimer's strange behaviour, looking at the exchange he was still confused at Heimer's certainty.
Milsted thought perhaps it was delusion or an old man's inability to see his mistakes, whichever it was, in the end all he had to do was watch.
[Ohhhh?] The crowd screamed in shock as Caesar kept dodging everything thrown at him.
Minutes passed now, the lieutenant he fought against was getting a bit out of breath.
"What an outlandish technique, seeking to tire me out." The lieutenant thought.
He walked round Caesar slowly, Caesar started moving counter clockwise of him.
This however didn't last long, as the lieutenant launched himself in for a grab.
"A grab on a nimble opponent?
What is he thinking." Caesar thought in the midst of battle.
Caesar stepped aside in an attempt to dodge it.
?!
His leg wouldn't bulge.
"Cut the bullshit, why won't my leg move…" He groaned as he looked at his leg.
By the time he looked up, his opponent had swiveled around him, and locked his head under his elbow.
He walked Caesar slowly to the bottom of the edge of the arena.
Caesar clicked his tongue.
"What would be the worst way to escape this.?" Caesar thought.
He tried pulling his head backwards through the lieutenant's armpits, a technique that was bound to fail, yet his head slipped right through.
He swerved around him and pushed the lieutenant off the platform.
[...
…
Woahhhhh!] The crowd went into a uproar.
"?!" Milsted was perplexed.
He looked at Heimer whom had never turned away from the exchange, who now beared a little smirk on his face.
The commander who was officiating climbed the platform.
"And the winner of this round…" He raised Caesar's arm up.
"Are the cadets!!!" The man sounded energetic but looked shocked, as shocked as the crowd.
Caesar was welcomed back by his teammates.
–
"Ahem!
Now for the next two contestants, climb up." The officiator said.
This one to climb up this time was Cera, her opponent was a young woman.
She was tall, slender, single marked and had cyan coloured hair and slim green eyes.
She bowed to him and said her name;
"Luna"
...
Cera didn't reciprocate, she just shrugged.
"What am I supposed to do with that information?" Cera asked as she entered a battle pose.
"Such a rude little thing." Luna frowned.
The officiator stood between them.
"Ready?" He asked them.
Luna nodded, as did Cera.
"Fight!" His voice echoed as he went to a corner in the platform.
"Let's see how long that attitude of yours lasts" The woman thought.
But simply harbouring that thought was not enough, the inability to enact it would lead to the most brutal showcases that day.
Cera threw a jab.
The moment Luna tried to dodge, she receded her arm.
"A feint?
If you're not going to come for me, then I'll go for you." Luna thought, and she worked towards it.
She went for an uppercut against the shorter opponent.
Cera swayed around the hand, twisting it and locking it, she was now behind Luna.
Luna struggled against her trying to break free, using her other arm's elbow to strike Cera, all to no avail.
[Snap!] Cera twisted the arm till it broke.
Luna groaned from the pain, but that was the least of her worry.
Cera used her knees to poke the back joint of Luna's knees, her knees gave in and embraced the wooden platform.
Cera now grabbed the other hand and started twisting it slowly.
As if one was wringing the water from clothes.
"Huh?
No, no, no" The thought of what was going to happen next brought tears to Luna's eyes.
She closed her eyes and shook her head; "stop!".
?
The twisting stopped, she became a bit relieved, she could now open her eyes.
In front of her distressed face was Cera.
"Thank you, that's enough...
I forf-" Luna was about to forfeit but she couldn't speak for some reason.
[Ahh] The crowd showed displeasement with what had happened;
With a swift hit to the bottom of Luna's jaw by her fist, Cera had broken her jaw.
The jaw dangled.
"Aumogh, auwo-" Her words were jumbled up, she had lost the ability to speak.
Tears rolled out of Luna's eyes as she looked at Cera's face.
A look of uncare was what she wore, Luna had finally understood her situation.
With a hard kick to Luna's right elbow joint, she had dislocated the other arm.
Luna fell unable to do anything but flail her legs.
"Keep flailing them and I'll break them too…" Luna's voice echoed in her ear.
"Ah, ahh" Luna cried as Cera kicked her in the stomach.
"Supreme, won't you stop this!" A commander asked.
He looked young as well, he was muscular tall and had blonde hair, he looked visibly disturbed as he asked Heimer this.
Heimer turned at him with daggers in his eyes.
"And who was it that went behind my back and changed the rules?
Because if I remember correctly, there was a rule for automatic defeat once you had accumulated too much damage.
But lest to my greatest suprise, it's naught.
You all voted behind my back to remove it and now as unkind as it seems this is what your schemes reaped." Heimer turned around to the other commanders.
Most didn't dare look into his eyes, except Ricia, Ren and Lana.
He turned to look at the scene.
"You voted by majority, the council approved, I have nothing to say, that's how things work.
It's a shame…
[Heimer shook his head]
I added that rule for a reason, and now you're bearing witness to it." He didn't look happy saying this.
Luna was all beaten up bleeding from her mouth and nose, she cried; she wailed; all leading to nothing.
Cera now went for her fingers, attempting to break them.
[Muffled No's from Luna could be heard.]
[The opposing mumurs from the crowd.]
The faces of the lieutenants looked disturbed, as well as that of the special cadets.[1]
As Cera attempted to break the finger a hand latched on her head, pushing her aside without burden.
"Huh?!
Who would da-" Cera looked at the eyes of the person, they were scary eyes that instilled fear.
Looking down on her as she laid on the wooden floor trying to stand, even if she stood he would still look down at her.
And now a hand from the person reached her, placing the giant palm on her shoulder.
"Tch, get your hands off me.
What's wrong I thought we were teammates." His hand was digging into her shoulder blades.
It was Rud, he looked discontented but had to attend to the one in need of urgent care.
He removed his hands from her shoulder and went ahead picked up the woman on the floor.
He dropped her outside the platform and handed her to the lieutenant Caesar had fought.
[Clap clap clap] The crowd clapped at his display of care.
"And with that, the battle ends in the victory of the special cadets.
And also, due to breaking the unspoken rule of not climbing up once a battle is in session, the cadet that just climbed up has been disqualified.
Free point to the lieutenants" He raised Cera's hand up.
"The crowd is silent, of course they are.
What has been done to that great young man is unjust.
And this girl's actions are too questionable." The officiator thought as he moved back to the center of the platform.
Cera walked back to the unwelcoming gazes of the special cadets.
"Oh cut it out won't you, I agree I went a little overbo-" She tried brushing it off.
"Shut up, just don't speak…" Laura grabbed Cera by collar, looked her in the eyes for a good second.
Cera's eyes shook at Laura's threatening gaze.
Her grip loosened and she let Cera go.
"And time for the next round!" The officiator announced.
[Bam bam bam] The drums beated fiercely, the mood was ceremonial so the atmosphere had to capture that.
The next to climb up was Karius, and his opponent was a man with a fearsome look.
He had red short hair and light brown eyes, with a slouching posture.
"I'm sorry, from the display earlier, I don't think I can fight you respectfully." The lieutenant said.
"What's this about respect?
I don't condone her actions, but I can only respect those who are above me…
And from the looks of it, that's one thing you aren't." Ren picked his ear with his finger.
The lieutenant grit his teeth in annoyance.
"Fight!" The officiator's voice echoed once more.
"Let's see where your confidence go-" By the time the lieutenant could finish speaking he was already disoriented and on the floor outside the platform.
He looked up to Karius eyes.
"As I said that's not the case.
As you are beneath me." Karius's eyes glowed red as the wind blew against his blue hair.
He used his index and middle fingers to stabilise his glasses.
[Woaaaaah!!!!] The crowd went wild.
[1] As well as mine too