Once the fight between Cinder Kushida and Damion Wolfshine had come to an abrupt close, everyone was forced to wait for the upcoming final match of the semifinals. Leopold stood on the battlefield next to Cinder who was just about to leave, adjusting his glove that contained the plasma that formed his right hand.
That battle had surely not at all been what Leopold had expected! Despite its seemingly overmatched appearance, it brought some serious life into the tournament.
"That Damion Wolfshine sure is one hell of a character, huh..." the boy observed, grinning. "He stole the spotlight of this round from me! Guess that's how she goes though... Nothing I can do about it now."
Seeing his cheery expression, Cinder looked at the boy and frowned. "You seem a bit more excited than usual. Happy to see me so beaten up, you lowlife?!" She scoffed, throwing her hair back as she waited for what she knew the answer obviously was.
Shrugging, Leopold looked off to side. "That was an added benefit. You really were pathetic!" He laughed, making fun of the princess and her performance moments ago.
The girl blushed, embarrassed by his words. She punched his arms, protesting his words. "Shut up, low-class bastard! I'll have you killed!" She hit the boy a couple more times over for what she described as "good measures" or whatever.
Leopold looked down at her, still not done. "So, we've gone from idiot to low-class bastard now?" Leopold laughed some more, making even more annoyed.
"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"
Taking no more time to delay, Leopold started to walk over to he starting position in preparation for the fight against Lilia. He waved to Cinder, smiling as he walked away from her and the conversation.
"Anyways, I had better be heading out. Wish me luck, your highness!"
"I won't be!" Cinder yelled back, still furious.
Of course, it wasn't like luck would have done Leopold and good this time around. He had decided long ago how he wanted this battle to end and he was sure that he had all of the power needed to make that happen. Just like the last round, this battle was going to end in a seemingly boring and strange ending.
"Sorry to disappoint, but this battle is already over."
Walking out from the other side of the arena was none other than Leopold's opponent for the round. Her hair flowed in the light breeze, her skin shining in the sun that sat in the sky just overhead.
She narrowed her eyes, looking at the boy. "So, I will fight your ass after all." She scoffed, seeming much more rude than usual. "You know that I hate you, right?"
"I am very aware of that fact."
"Good. Then I hope you'll be ready to take a beating this time around."
The match's official looked at the two fighters as they squared off with one another. He nodded his head, holding his arm up and then letting it drop almost immediately after to signal the start of the second and final match of the semifinal round of the tournament at Academy Five.
"Begin!"
As the match commenced, all of the people around Leopold started to let out cheers of excitement and applause. They all sat on the edge of their seats, ready for what was to happen in front of them.
Now that Leopold had won so many strange and surprising bouts, he was considered to be the "Dark Horse" or "Cinderella" in this year's tournament. Everyone had seen the way that he had fought over the last couple of days and knew that the boy from the Strats household could put on quite the show for them.
Plus, adding in what Leopold had done to Lilia just earlier, there was a lot of anticipation for the match. It was that of both a revenge match as well as the excitement of seeing the student council president and the fan favorite in action.
And it seemed that Lilia was enjoying it.
Lila grinned, taking her weapon and quickly rushing right at Leopold. There was a fire in her eyes, clearly showing that she wanted some payback for what was done to her earlier in the tournament.
Leopold took a step back. "Crap! I haven't even gotten to speak yet!" Quickly, Leopold took a step back. He narrowly was able to avoid the strike from Lila, watching as she ran right past him. He turned to face the matches official, making sure that Lilia didn't have the time to make another move.
He held up his hand. "Um, Mr. Official..." He scratched the back of his head, smiling. "I think that I'm going to go ahead and forfeit the match.
"HUH?! NOT AGAIN!"
Behind him, Lilia quickly stopped all of her advances. She blinked, looking at Leopold with confusion all over her face. "Forfeiting?! Are you being serious!" She stabbed her blade into the ground below her feet, crossing her arms as she waited for some sort of explanation as to what he was trying to do.
Nodding his head, Leopold looked at her. "Yeah. I think that I'm getting bored with this whole event."
"That's your reason?"
"And so, I think that I'm going to go ahead and be done with all of this fighting..." Leopold yawned, then turned around and walked back to the tunnel that he had entered onto the battlefield from.
Around the boy, just as they had before, the boos of the crowd echoed for everyone to hear. They make angered comments about what was happening, annoyed that their entertainment for the day was slowly but surely being thrown away for simple reasons like boredom.
"Are these guys for real?!"
"I'd rather be in class at this point!"
"Why even enter if you're just going to quit on us?!
Lilia continued to look at the boy as he walked away from her. Honestly, it didn't seem that she was as much frustrated with Leopold as much as she was just confused by his decision to quit so soon.
She clenched her fists and narrowed both of her eyes. "What are you trying to pull here, Leopold Stratus? I don't buy that you're forfeiting simply based on a lack of entertainment. There has to be more to this decision, right?" She was not about to let Leopold away with a stupid answer like that!
Leopold looked back at her, scratching his cheek. There was actually more to his decision in reality, but he didn't really think that telling her would do much good. Should he really make such a foolish move.
The boy sighed. "Well, I just don't really want to be the one to defeat you is all." He looked up at Cinder who was sitting in the stands with a glare on her face. "That job is for someone else besides myself. It would be better to have them be the one to take revenge on you in this tournament."
"I see..."
And with that, Leopold walked away from his match.
*********************
After the semifinal's last match had concluded a whole lot sooner than most had been either wanting or expecting, everyone left to find food and hang out before the last round of the tournament would start up later. Most people were enjoying the time with one another, talking amongst themselves about the upcoming rest of the school year as well as the fights they had just watched.
However, some weren't quite as "thrilled" with what the current state of things. Walking down the halls of Academy Five, Lilia gritted her teeth. She could feel her blood starting to boil, frustrated by what she had just been put through.
"That damned bastard..."
Just when she had thought a little bit of revenge might be coming her way, Lilia found that she was shut down yet again. How in the hell could that idiot from Class 1-D just up and quit before even testing put the fight?! It really pissed the girl off that after all of this buildup for the possible revenge in her fight... that damned ass just up and left!
Not only that, but thanks to her not being able to defeat him, Lilia's reputation was dropping little by little. She could hear all of the people around her gossiping with one another, speaking on matters of the way she seemed to present herself nowadays to that of the complete embarrassment she had been put through thanks to Leopold.
The girl narrowed her eyes. "Actually, make that twice he's insulted me so badly..." She growled, clenching her fists as she walked through her school.
Making her way through the school's hallways, Lilia suddenly caught something off to the side that intrigued her. She stopped, looking at the object that seemed to interest her so greatly in that moment.
"The hell..."
She looked at a wooden door that led into a room off to her right. She blinked a few times, reading the name that seemed to be written on the nameplate that had been sticked upon the door's exterior.
LEVIATHAN
Suddenly, the girl could feel a slight smile cross her face. "Oh yeah... I had forgotten how I put my stupid you her brother in the infirmary earlier." She laughed, putting her right hand onto the door and starting to open it. "I should go inside and see just how well he's been doing. A checkup could help me ease my spirits..."
Slowly and steadily, the girl started to walk inside. She looked around, taking in the musty air that seemed to surround the area. She narrowed her eyes once more, thinking to herself about what all she was seeing.
Seeing her walk inside, Leviathan sat up from his bed. He looked at her with some confusion, possibly as to why his older sister was here. "Hey, sis. What is it that you're doing here?" He tried to straighten up so that the setting would seem a bit more professional for his overly aggressive older sister.
Lilia growled, looking at the injured boy. "So, your weak self still has yet to get any better..." She clicked her tongue, sounding a bit disappointed to Leviathan.
Leviathan shrugged. "I guess not..." He laughed, scratching the back of his head. "You did best me quite soundly. It may take some time to completely recover."
His sister again blinked, now more confused than he was. Listening to what he had to say in response to her remarks, she was perturbed. It didn't seem that there was any sort of comeback in what the boy was saying. Usually, he would have yelled back in defiance at Lilia's harsh statements.
"Well that's new..." she observed, crossing her arms. "Did I break him mentally as well?"
Scoffing, she walked over to him. The girl looked down at the boy and breathed out a simple phrase that Leviathan was not expecting to hear, although maybe he should have.
"Get up. Now."
"Huh!"
"I said get up out of that damn bed, stupid!"
Quickly, Leviathan jumped out of his resting position and onto his own feet. He looked up at the ceiling, taking his eyes off of his sister in fear of what she was going to do to him. Just what was it that she was trying to pull in a place like this, that of their school's own infirmary for the injured students of Academy Five?!
And then, Lilia clenched her fists once again. She threw a punch right at her younger brother's torso, something that not even he would have saw coming at a time such as now.
The boy was sent flying, smashing into a couple of the open beds that had been surrounding the room. A loud crashing sound followed him, the boy landing on the floor with pain surging all throughout his body.
He grabbed his forehead, rubbing it in pain."W-What the..." The boy looked up, gritting in teeth as he yelled at his older sister. "What are you..."
Before he could do so much as finish his questions, Lilia picked him up and brought him out of the room. Then, she threw him at a nearby wall as hard as she possibly could, listening as what she thought was that of his rib cage breaking under the sudden pressure from what she had just performed in that hallway.
The girl let an evil grin cross her face, looking down at the injured boy. "That's better." Moments after, she turned around and started to walk away from her brother as if nothing had happened. "Alright... I think that I'm done now."
Slowly, the boy started to get back up to his feet. "What was that for?!" Leviathan looked at his older sibling from afar, more bruises covering his body.
"I don't know." Lilia replied, not helpfully. "Guess you just looked like a good punching bag." She laughed mockingly. It seemed that the girl expected that she would get away from this.
However...
"Miss Lilia, just what was that?"
After all of the shame and embarrassment that Lilia had experienced at this bastard's hands, she could never forget that cold voice that spoke to her. Lilia looked ahead of herself, her body shaking as she stared into the eyes of none other than that man... Of course he would have to be here at now of all times, huh."
Taking a few steps back, Lilia spoke to the boy. "L-Leopold Stratus!" she gasped, surprised. She could feel the strange tension that seemed to surround the boy.
Looking at him, Lilia could feel an evil aura resonating from Leopold. Knowing that he had probably just seen the scene Lilia had performed, the girl expected that he was mad at what had just occurred. It was really bad timing for the student council president who had hoped she may be able to get off scot-free.
As she thought to herself about what was happening, the male from Class 1-D started to slowly approach her. There was an evil grin on his face, one that made even Lilia seem scared.
"W-Wait! I was just..." she tried to protest, but to no avail.
Leopold grabbed Lilia's shoulder with his gloved hand, get up and in her face. "Thats no good, Miss Lilia. You shouldn't go around hurting others." He tightened his grip on her shoulder. "Someone should teach you a lesson. Luckily, it seemed that I arrived at the perfect time to make that happen."
With no further words, Leopold performed roughly the same routine that Lilia had done mere moments ago. He took his free hand and sent his flying into the girl's open stomach.
"BLACH!"
She coughed up a bit of blood, feeling as her body started to fly into the wall behind her. As she hit the wall, she could feel her own bones starting to ache from the sudden pressure. She fell to the ground, feeling the pain that swelled throughout her entire being.
Looking back up at Leopold's the girl narrowed her eyes. This guy who had come to attack her so suddenly... Just what in the hell was this presence that she was getting from him?!
Like some Devil standing before her.
"A monster..."
Quickly, Lilia got back up onto her feet, not taking her eyes off the boy who had attacked her. She held her hands up, trying to stop him from making any more moves that may cause injury to her. She couldn't afford to drag on this fight for too long, not with the final of the tournament upcoming!
"W-Wait!" she pleaded, trying to keep her distance. "I-I surrender!"
Unfortunately, it didn't seem that Leopold cared much for anything that she was to say. He walked back up to the girl, grabbing her by the neck and then hoisting her up into the air. Lilia could feel as the air left her lungs, the boy making sure that she was to go through as much pain as physically possible.
Leopold looked at the girl he was fighting, closed eyes and a tilted head. "So, I would suppose that being beat yourself doesn't feel all that swell..." He laughed, seeming fairly insane from where Lilia was sitting.
"Please... Stop!" The girl again tried to beg for mercy from the angered male. She grabbed onto his hands, hoping maybe she could at least pry them from her neck. "I'm begging you..."
"Aww! Where would be the fun in that?!"
The male then used all his strength to throw Lilia back onto the ground. The girl felt as she landed awkwardly, more blood escaping from her mouth. Just how much longer was this going to have to go on for? It seemed like a little more than revenge...
"Just make it stop..." Lilia thought, scared for her well being.
Thankfully, it seemed that the boy hadn't lost all sense of reason. Once that action had been thoroughly performed, he nodded his head and walked away. Lilia watched him leave, her whole body shaking. Was it finally over? Was she free from that hellish punishment that he had just forced upon her.
Stratus didn't looked back at her, walking over to Leviathan. "I believe that should be enough for now. I'm not going to kill you." He bent down, helping the injured Leviathan up onto his back.
"W-What?"
Leopold glanced over at the girl, sighing. "Be sure that you and I don't have anymore problems like this again, mkay?" He walked back towards the infirmary. "I'd prefer that I don't have to get in a fight like this so often. Make sure that this doesn't become a regular occurrence."
Lilia watched the boy walked away, blinking as he did. What in the actual hell just happened? The girl was so beat up and confused that she could hardly think! It seemed that for at least this time... she would be able to escape with her body in tact. Although, she wasn't exactly mentally sound at the moment.
That guy... He could have easily had her killed in those few moments, and yet he chose to let her leave. Lilia couldn't figure out why it was that he had chosen to stop at such a moment like that.
Feeling as tears started to run down her face, Lilia gritted her teeth. She looked down at the floor beneath her, thinking to herself about what had just occurred only mere moments before this. She was so broken that it was hard to even think, but still...
"I guess that it wouldn't be smart for me to pick anymore fights..." she observed.
"Damn it... This sucks big time."