--- [Luna’s perspective]

  “And we have a winner!! Kuro claims yet another victory!” – Bob

  The healers rush over to Vincent’s seemingly lifeless body.

  I doubt he’s actually dead; Kuro doesn’t seem like the type of guy who’d make a silly mistake like that.

  He’s probably not waking up for a while though…

  But I’m curious, why is Kuro even competing with us?

  He seems way too strong; he could easily be in the C-rank category instead.

  Has he held back on getting promoted just to secure the prize money?

  It’s scummy, but I guess it’s possible.

  He seems so prideful though; would someone like him really do that…?

  In the end though, it doesn’t matter.

  Whatever his motivations may be, it doesn’t change anything.

  I will still try my best to beat him after I beat Alex!

  “Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for the penultimate match?!” – Bob

  The crowd yells out in excitement.

  “Whoever wins this will get to face the mighty Kuro in the finals!” – Barbara

  “Our first contestant is the greatest all-rounder! She’s strong, she’s fast, she’s durable, she’s smart, and her specialty is versatile enough to let her deal with any kind of opponent! Time and time again, she has proved her superiority! When faced with a master of speed, she persevered. When faced with the most wanted specialty, she yet again persevered. No matter what kind of niche her opponent exceeds in, she will always find a way to push through! Her name is Luna Luna!” – Barbara

  “Our second contestant is no pushover either! All his opponents were defeated with ease, regardless of how strong they were. Nobody seems to be able to put him down, and that very well might continue to be the case! With his unique ability to absorb and negate specialties, he can reduce almost any match into a hand-to-hand combat scenario… Exactly where he shines! He won’t let his opponent fight on their terms; he’s the one who decides, he’s the one who rules! His name is Alexander Minima!” – Bob

  “Give a round of applause to them both!” – Barbara

  The audience listens and welcomes us both as we get on stage.

  I reach my hand out for a handshake, and he accepts.

  “Good luck.” – Luna

  “You too.” – Alex

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  “Seems like the fighters are ready. Let the match begin! Luna vs Alexander!” – Bob

  Back when he started training for the D-rank exam, I could easily beat him without much trouble.

  Toward the end, he had improved a lot, but I could still beat him 10 out of 10 times if I put my back into it.

  I know times have changed, and he won’t be such an easy opponent anymore.

  If I don’t go all out right from the get-go, I will without a doubt lose.

  Even then, I know my chances are slim…

  Anyhow, I’ll still give it my all.

  I transform both arms into a singular large hammer.

  I spin around to build up some speed, then smash it into him at max strength.

  “Heavy hammer!” – Luna

  He reaches out his hand, and with the palm of his hand alone, he stops the attack.

  Wow…

  I knew he was strong, but…

  That’s unreal!

  If I tried doing that, my arm would shatter into 1000 pieces…

  Whatever, I need to keep going!

  I quickly pull back before he can follow up, then transform my arms into a huge pair of scissors.

  It’s large and sharp enough to cut through almost anything!

  His arm is still extended, yet he doesn’t every try pulling it back…

  With his arm now between the scissor blades, I force the blades together with all my might.

  “Slicing scissors!” – Luna

  …

  Nothing.

  Not even a cut.

  “Do you get it now? Do you get how big the difference between us truly is?” – Alex

  “…” – Luna

  “I know your intentions were good, and I do truly appreciate that you’re here for me, but no amount of talking can make things right. My brother was murdered, and the man who did must be punished for it. It’s as simple as that.” – Alex

  He grabs both blades and shortly after activating the void in his hands, the transformation is undone.

  But not only that…

  That transformation is undone too…

  Shit!

  I quickly pull my arms back, and hide them as I transform them again.

  It all happened so quickly, and it was just my arms…

  I don’t think anyone noticed.

  Or at least I hope so…

  I can’t risk him undoing it again, especially not in front of the whole world…

  He’s also right, the gap between us is simply too big for me to overcome.

  I get that now.

  I had no winning chances to begin with.

  “I understand, but as your friend, it’s my job to make sure you don’t go down a path you’ll end up regretting. You’re all but saying you’re going to murder someone. A year ago, that would be unthinkable to you.” – Luna

  “I’m not ‘all but saying’ I’m going to murder someone; I am saying it. I will find and kill Seth.” – Alex

  “I understand, but-” – Luna

  “Luna, you’re not going to change my mind.” – Alex

  “Fine… But, I have a question. If you’re so determined to kill that guy, why are you even here? Shouldn’t you be out there looking for him?” – Luna

  Instead of giving a direct answer, he just responds with another question.

  “Do you know why he killed my brother?” – Alex

  “I… No…” – Luna

  “He was part of some psycho group dedicated to killing the Emperor, and was scared he might one day join his side. With a reason like that, I sure as hell need to know the Emperor’s side of the story too.” – Alex

  And one of the prizes for winning is getting to meet the Emperor…

  I get it.

  He’s not an easy man to get in contact with; this is pretty much his only chance.

  Before we get to continue our conversation, the announcers interrupt us.

  “Hey! We can’t hear what you guys are talking about down there, so either speak up or get back to fighting!” – Bob

  “If he wasn’t clear enough, emphasis was on the fighting part. Less talking, more fighting.” – Barbara

  There’s no point in continuing.

  No matter how hard I try, I won’t beat him.

  On top of that, every time he touches me, I risk exposing myself.

  His mind seems pretty set in stone too.

  Even if I could somehow beat him, and I got to have that conversation with him, I doubt I’d be able to change his mind that easily.

  He’s on the path of revenge, and that’s not something you can get talked out of.

  Honestly, it’s not even my place to try to talk him out of it in the first place.

  His brother was murdered, and he’s well within his right to be angry about that.

  Whatever he goes on to do is his choice, and his choice alone.

  I just need him to know that no matter what path he decides to go down, he’ll always have friends who care for him…

  “I surrender.” – Luna