Past the tunnel mouth, the arena opened up. Seven statues of the Yun lined the top of the walls, looking down.
I stepped out onto the sand. Smooth.
The arena curved wide around me.
"Are you both ready?" The referee scanned us, already tightening his armband. "Now chant your bets!"
The slicked-back hair kid smirked.
"I want you to bend your knees and leave Ixaocan." A pause. "Forever."
I stood with my arms resting on my hips.
"Sure. Then I want every contribution point you have."
He laughed.
"But are you sure you want to do this alone? Bring the other two. It won't change anything."
'I want more points.'
He looked annoyed.
"Shut your damn mouth!"
The collar on his ankle sparkled as he stomped the ground hard.
'Dumb. But I'll give him courageous.'
THUMP! A rock the size of a coconut tore up from the ground, and with a "Haayaa!" he drove both fists into the air.
"..."
The thing crawled through the air. I sidestepped without breaking my stance.
"What! Impossible!"
"..."
I stared at him for a moment.
"Are you messing with me?"
He gritted his teeth.
"You're just lucky!"
Sigh.
I slid my feet and zapped a small pebble at his head. SMACK!
"AHH!" His head snapped back hard, and the rest of him followed, skidding across the floor.
Before he could get his bearings I was already on top of him with [Flash].
"I thought you'd at least put up a fight."
WHACK!
The crack rang out across the arena. For a second, nobody made a sound.
"H-Hey—did he just use an Araktis?"
"Must have. How could he control element without it?"
"He's not master...is he?"
The referee took his sweet time, but eventually stepped up.
"That's it! The points shall be delivered!"
I couldn't help but smile. But dropped fast when the number came in.
"Not even a thousand?"
"This isn't enough. Not nearly enough."
These people trained here. Lived here. And this is all they have to show?
'Are you serious.'
My eyes moved across the benches.
'Fine.'
'Even garbage adds up when gathered.'
"You're all a disgrace." My voice loud. "Is this really what Ixaocan produces? Disciples who can't scrape together a thousand points worth of skill?"
The atmosphere thickened.
"I challenge everyone here! Call your friends, call your family—I'll send them back to their mother's cunt!"
Oh boy,
they were mad.
"YOU ----"
"FUCK Y–"
.
//3rd Pov.
On the streets a few blocks from the arena,
A girl passes through, walking with the confident steps of royalty.
Her teal tunic wrapped to her hourglass figure, and white hair that seemed to wrestle for luminance against the golden crown of emerald-hued stones.
She was leading the way, and to her side: The Spirit Yun.
"Through time and space, the spirit realm holds truths of our entire reality, young empress." The goat-like vastaya preached, gesturing broadly at nothing in particular. "It's the most powerful of all elements. In fact, it can't even be considered—"
"You can stop now, Sheep." She didn't look at him.
"S-Sheep?!" He stepped ahead of her, turning so she had no choice but to face him. "Young Yunalai. I've told you many times. I. Am. A goat." His hand pressed flat against his chest.
She had already walked past him.
People made way for her, and never left without lowering their heads. No one dared to speak to her or meet her eyes. Even the air around her seemed to know better.
Between the lowered heads, she noticed a different movement. A wave of anger dense enough to blur her. Pulling eyes elsewhere. They were funneling toward the arena.
"Let's kill that mother fucker!"
She caught pieces of what they were saying.
"That tong-eater can't get away with this!"
"Hey guys, how is he even holding on after insulting everyone?"
Her eyes sharpened.
'Insulting?' she thought. 'And people heading toward the arena. Is someone using that method?'
Her lips curled. Then dragged one foot across the ground—CREENK—the earth shuddered. Circular and clean, a crack opened beneath every pair of feet in the crowd.
THUD!
The stone disk spun, and each of them were wrenched around to face her, stumbling, graceless.
People observed.
Staring at a girl who hadn't even put an ounce of effort to do that.
"...Tell me everything."
.