Chapter 7 The strength of the found princess

I hear the maniacal sound of cheering as each empire's royal family steps in. I stand among the Shadow Empire royalty. They're the hosts for this year's coliseum, so they are expected to enter last.

As the announcer calls the Shadow royalty, the king enters first, followed by the princes in order of seniority. Then I entered.

I quickly notice the mocking looks I get from my brothers seated in the Dragonian sector, but I pay them no mind. Coliseum Day is just like all the others. Though I know this one will be far more interesting I still don't know whether I'm happy or terrified about that.

The Shadow King stands and makes his speech, and the crowd erupts in cheers. I'm barely paying attention to the warriors as they enter the arena. I already know what's going to happen.

Tarin nudges me with his elbow.

"Ryden, aren't you going to look at the arena? I know you're attracted to and love looking at pretty things, but still you should at least pretend to pay attention, for the sake of keeping up appearances."

He's right, but I still grumble. "I already know how it's going to play out. Is there really any need to watch?"

Tarin looks at me with amusement. "Really? Then educate me. How's it going to go?"

I sigh. "Alright, then. Firstly, the warriors will enter and showcase themselves to the jeering crowd. The Demon and Dragonian Empires will send their best in an attempt to claim the crown, but the Shadow Empire will only send out middle-class warriors. It's just a power play and an insult. They'll win almost every match, except for a few. Any match involving raw physical confrontation will be taken by Dragonian warriors, and manipulation magic matches may be taken by the Demons. The overall winner, of course, will be Gigan Shadow, still undefeated for ten years. And then..."

I pause.

"...Then comes the king's little surprise."

I narrate it all with a blank expression, and Tarin chuckles but he still tells me to watch. So I do. But rather than watching the fights, I watch the people.

My eyes wander. I observe the Demons, the people of the Shadow Empire, and the Dragonian crowd, my so-called people.

And then I see her.

Silver hair.

I look more closely. It's her. The girl from the border. My dream girl.

I thought I no longer felt emotions... but here I am, heart racing as I watch her whisper something to the red-haired girl beside her. They laugh. She looks so beautiful when her gaze isn't murderous.

Damn it, even when she looks like she wants to kill someone, she's radiant.

I force myself to look away, afraid others might notice. But my eyes keep drifting back to her.

And then I start praying. To some higher power, or even the ancestors, I don't care. Please, I beg. Let her not be involved in the mess that's about to happen.

Not because she'd get hurt physically she can clearly take care of herself but what if she gets scarred emotionally? What if she loses that spark, that fire?

Oh, heavenly Supreme... What is this feeling?

It might be an obsession.

No. I can't be obsessed with a human.

And then I hear the words I've been dreading:

"The humans will fight the champion in something of a mock war, to demonstrate that the battle of our ancestors can never happen again. It is a reassurance that peace shall remain among all empires for eternity."

The entire coliseum erupts in applause.

I look quickly towards her, relief flooding me when I see she hasn't fallen in. Only the red-haired girl beside her. I can't explain the relief. But then, as if the heavens are laughing at me,

She jumps in.

She actually jumps into the arena.

Well. I guess brains have never been a point of attraction for me, I think, laughing bitterly at myself.

Tarin speaks up, chuckling. "Damn, if not for the fact that I know no one will die, I'd say the silver-haired one who just jumped in deserves to. Seems she's got a death wish."

Tarin is my closest friend here, the only one who treated me like a brother from the get go without resentment but at this moment, I want to strangle him.

Then the announcer's voice booms:

"If any, and I mean any, of the humans last for 10 minutes. Yes, you heard me, ten minutes, then the Human Realm will take the win! And my advice to the humans here? Try not to die, okay?"

Everyone laughs.

I glance at the arena. Most humans cower in a corner. But the red-haired girl stands protectively in front of them, holding out one arm as if to shield them from Gigan Shadow.

Ah, so they're both stupid. That makes sense. Friends like that tend to find each other.

And then, to everyone's shock, the redhead dashes toward Gigan Shadow at an incredible speed. She snatches a discarded mace probably left behind by some Dragonian warrior and attacks in a flurry. Small but fast, she strikes with relentless precision, forcing him back step by step.

"She has potential," Tarin mutters, "but she's stupid. Instead of prioritizing her life, she's pushing him away from the other humans."

"She's stalling," I say. "It's a time-based match. I think she's trying to endure, not win. But how long can one human last against him when even other empires couldn't survive five minutes?"

As we speak, Gigan regains his footing and strikes. She flies back, slamming into the ground and coughing blood.

But she gets up.

Again.

And again.

Until my silver goddess, yes, mine runs to her. She whispers something in her ear. The redhead's face lights up.

Then, like lightning, she sprints across the arena, dropping to her knees at the last second. My silver goddess uses her friend's back as a springboard and launches herself at Gigan.

She punches him hard.

And Gigan Shadow, undefeated for ten years, goes flying.

Gasps echo through the coliseum. Even the royal families are on their feet.

"This is the first time someone has ever made Gigan Shadow fall."

"Impossible," Tarin mutters.

But I just smirk.

That's my girl.

The two fight him together with perfect synchronicity, attacking high and low, never giving him a moment to recover. By now, Gigan is a bloodied mess.

Eight minutes.

Just two more.

Now the only ones cheering are the humans both those in the arena and those in the stands.

But the king he's not going to let his plan fail.

And I see it before anyone else does: a subtle surge of energy. He channels his power to Gigan.

Gigan lets out a deep growl.

Then, just as the redhead leaps into the air for another strike, Gigan manifests a mace of pure energia and slams her into the wall.

If this were a normal match... that move could kill even a high-level Shadow.

My silver goddess runs to her.

She shakes her.

Screams at her to wake up.

"You're all I have left, You can't leave me..."

But the redhead's breath has stopped.

And then the ground shakes.

Energy pulses out like a tsunami.

Her brown eyes turn unnatural black, her silver hair begins to glow, and she floats, suspended in the air by the force of her power.

Then she speaks her voice everywhere and nowhere:

"ON. YOUR. KNEES."

And everyone obeys.

Even the King.

It's not a request. It's a compulsion. No one can resist.

She turns to Gigan Shadow, lifts him effortlessly into the air... and kills him.

With one move.

Then, like a switch, the power vanishes. She drops to the ground beside her friend's body, weeping. No one moves. No one speaks.

Then the Shadow King steps forward and yells:

"All bow in respect, for the princess has been found!"

And the coliseum erupts:

"ALL HAIL THE FOUND PRINCESS! ALL HAIL THE FOUND PRINCESS!"

But she doesn't move.

Still crying at her friend's body.

We approach the Shadow Royal Family and I but she pays us no mind.

The king speaks softly.

"My dear daughter, please... look at me."

And her voice is like thunder.

"Unless you are resurrecting my Ali, the only reason I shall look at you is to end your life."

And that... that's when I knew.

I'd fallen in love with the lost princess of the Shadow empire.

The heavens must really think my life is a fine source of amusement and entertainment.