Avryn was slumped down in the training room. His sweat turned his once white shirt into a nearly transparent, thin fabric laid over his body. His labored breaths didn’t help either.

  “Shower,” he muttered to himself.

  He went to the bathrooms and continued his personal way of meditating. Water seemed to wash away his anxieties and worries. The steam provided a small comfort as it hid what he was thinking. He let his mind wander around.

  Pain was his first thoughts. He remembered each beating. He clutched near his gut. It had been punched fifty eight times., kicked a hundred and two times. He held the right side of his face. It had been slapped twenty four times, and punched forty seven times. He needed to process this all. He could not discern whether it was the shower’s water or it was his own tears was running down his face.

  He next remembered warmth, smiling throughout that pain. The reason was pain always passes. It must. He remembered his father figure that guided his morals, and all his laughs. He always stood for justice.

  “For his sake too,” Avryn engrained it into himself.

  He turned off the shower and returned to the dorms after a change of clothes. He was awfully quiet. He did not exchange any words for the rest of the day. The next day came, a real pivotal one at that. People were making rounds that Avryn versus Leandros was akin to a fight between lions. Leandros as the older lion, while Avryn was the younger.

  “They’ve started to call you Young Lion, by the way,” Harver teased.

  “They really think so?” he was trying but everyone noticed he took a glance at Rinna who was indifferent.

  “If they think so, then sure,” she gave him her blessing.

  Avryn asked his friends for a huddle, then coyly asked if he could have their strength. They all agreed and told Avryn they believed in him.

  “Thanks, everyone, I’ll do you proud. That’s a promise,” he made his way down.

  The announcer was in person this time for the semifinals. Bracket A had Leandros vs Avryn, while Bracket B had Harver vs Agilla. He readied his mouth next to the microphone. This first match was going to be a fight of massive proportions. It would be the Young Lion Avryn Starbright, set to face Leandros Solus.

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  The two made their way through the tunnel for the third time, and met at the arena’s center. Leandros readied his sword.

  “You ready, kid? This is the big stage, now,” he gave his assurances.

  “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here,” confidence was on Avryn’s face.

  “Good, I wouldn’t want for anything else.”

  Avryn took off his academy coat. He was sporting a sleeveless version of his usual shirt and two shoulder holsters where his guns were laid resting, and then both Lerosa and Luther were sheathed on his back. He decided to bare all his weapons for this fight. He pulled out his sabre first. Leandros looked pleased.

  “Begin!”

  Avryn took off running, he clashed against Leandros’s greatsword. The two were in a scuffle and worked hard in being the first to gain control. Experience was the winner as Leandros won the initiative. He battered Avryn quickly with a few glancing strikes. The match still continued.

  Avryn surprised Leandros with a new technique, he quickly dropped the sabre in favor of dual wielding pistols. The technique was different as the reinforced pistols were used to block Leandros’s strikes while they can shoot in compromised positions without jamming the shooting mechanisms.

  “I’ve never seen the like,” Leandros praised his opponent. “But you’ve never faced someone like me!”

  Leandros easily disarmed Avryn of his pistols with a quick martial technique utilizing his greatsword’s hilt. Avryn countered with another trick and unleashed Lerosa from behind. Avryn remembered in that instant, it was the same technique he used during training with Sir Iver’s hologram.

  “Seemed like Sir Iver chose well, huh?” Leandros noticed.

  “Got to be, after like two hundred fights against his hologram,” Avryn bickered back.

  “Good, then,”

  They engaged once again. The rest of the fight was a stalement. They covered the entire arena’s ground, as they circled around five times. One was bound to slip, and it was Leandros in that moment. Avryn gained the upper hand but land only one glancing blow to the side of Leandros’s face.

  Leandros went back to his fundamental sword skills and outperformed Avryn again. He went back to battering him with overhead attacks to both sides, hoping to land with one, and he did. Avryn was hobbling from the injuries but he was not out just yet.

  Avryn used the gunblade’s power to shoot through Leandros’s defenses quickly. Its concussive force deafened him for a moment. It was enough for Avryn to land first blood. He drop kicked Leandros to the other side.

  Semifinal rules were in effect. The only way to win was through satisfaction or referee stoppage, whichever happened first.

  Leandros was on one bended knee. He clutched his greatsword. He stood up to look at Avryn and pointed at him with it.

  “You’re pretty good kid,” he gave him his praise. “But not today.”

  “The hell you mean?” Avryn huffed.

  Leandros uttered a prayer and his greatsword glowed a white yellow color, like the sun. Avryn could feel its warmth even from such a great distance. The crowd were awestruck by this development and erupted into cheers.

  “Let’s go, Leandros! Chosen by god himself!” a member cheered.

  “That’s something major, but I can handle it,” Avryn convinced himself.

  Lerosa, in response shone an extremely faint blue. The two charged at it eacher knowing this would be the final attack in this match. Leandros’s sword went through Avryn’s and landed an incapacitating blow on the young man. Avryn screamed from such searing heat.

  He flew out and into the small ditch on the arena’s edge.

  “Feel the Fire of Solus, great opponent of mine,” Leandros finished his monologue.

  “Agh, fuck! I’m on fire!” Avryn tried putting it out.

  The referee had called the match and announced Leandros as the winner. Medics were on the scene and immediately treated Avryn for burns. Avryn’s historic run had come to an end.