The Opening Bout

Unlike most duels, which usually fanned out quickly, the four combatants stayed in a compact group. Instead of two separate matches, it was one titanic brawl. 

Queen Bee and Fireshing found themselves on the inner ring with Unorganized Laundry and Izayoi_Nii circling. The Librarians had little defense against Fire's long-range ability, so they worked hard to keep her wrangled into a tight ball. 

Noble had contemplated asking Nickel or Ren to spar with her before the competition just to see how she would fare. However, since she had never offered before, the professor was afraid that it might make her friends suspicious, especially considering her close friendship with Sarai in the waking world. 

So this was the first chance Bee had to experience the Librarians firsthand. A smile formed under her [Fraudulent Facade]. 

'They are trying to herd us like sheep!' Fire sent the message through [The Other's Voice].

'Then let's not give them the pleasure of slaughtering us.' The floating duelist chuckled before adding. 'They are good but not going full strength. Either they are feeling us out or they are wanting this to last because that will be more fun.'

Or both...which is what the Queen suspected. She couldn't blame them. 

Now that the nerves were gone and she was in the action, Bee was determined to have a good time. 

A few harrowing exchanges occurred between four combatants. Well, they looked harrowing from the outside. 

For the seasoned duelists, the bouts were barely worth mentioning. Each was merely a test to see how much the other was willing to show off their Ability.

The four fighters were calm and collected as they moved about the crystal floor. With all the skill involved, no one had gotten hurt or even begun to sweat. The finals looked more like a waltz than a deadly melee. 

'Enough chit-chat,' Queen Bee kept her face neutral. She did not want to give Unorganized Laundry any opportunity to perceive what would come next. 'On my mark.'

Fire swung her spear to avoid the cutlass as it lengthened in Izayoi_Nii's hands. 'Ready!'

The floating Awakened checked to make sure her charm was in place. It was. 

'Now!'

The Blazing Bees moved in unison to repel their opponents.

Queen Bee threw essence into the enchantment of the [Unlikely End] as she struck out at Laundry. The tip of the sword buzzed, ready to sting.

Simultaneously Fireshing called forth a hurricane of fire. The sudden inferno repelled both of the Librarians, who wished to avoid being roasted by the sweltering flames.

The heat of the battle suddenly shifted. Iza dashed off with Fireshing in pursuit, leaving Laundry and Bee to face each other unhindered.

 Even though the Queen had tried to obscure her intentions, her opponent had been able to read her movement.

 He circled around as she came through the flames and avoided the tip of her blade.

'Why does Nic have to be so perceptive?!' Bee repositioned herself to take another stab at the man's torso, this time without activating the [Unlikely End]'s enchantment.

 The man blocked the stroke and shot forth one of his own with the scimitar.

Taking the easy hit on his tunic, Laundry used his lightning-fast reflexes to test the woman's gilded armor.

But Bee's attack had been a trap. When the deadly scimitar slipped under her guard, she shifted her torso to make the move a glancing blow.

 The Queen did not stop there. Before Nickel could adjust his momentum, Bee slammed the hilt of her estoc in the space between his outstretched arms and pulled.

The sudden action wrested the scimitar from Laundry's grasp, sending it skating until it fell off the edge of the crystal floor.

Thane peeked over the edge of his ship to watch it clatter into the sea before being dismissed in a rain of sparks.

Bee did not have that luxury. After ripping the blade from her opponent's grasp, she attempted to follow it up with a deadly swipe to the side.

The camouflaged Awakened darted, receiving the edge of estoc alongside his stomach rather than in it. The blade cut at the fabric of his tunic, making a small scratch on the stealthy duelist.

The Queen succeeded in drawing first blood, but it came at a cost. 

'Ah!' Unable to move away fast enough, Bee felt Laundry's sharp elbow slam into her cheek. It didn't have as much power as if he had punched her, but the force of the blow sent her head reeling backward. 

The floating duelist barely pulled it back before getting a kick to her armored chest. Laundry's weapon was gone, but that did not mean he was defenseless. 

His body was incredibly powerful as well. 

Flying backward, Bee did all she could to stop herself before reaching the edge of the transparent floor. The Queen was heading straight for the Saint and his illustrious guests. There was no way she was going to let herself be thrown into the side of their ship. 

While all of this was an illusion, she didn't want to imagine what would happen if the Saint's boat suddenly got a human-sized hole in the hull. Hopefully, it would self-heal and be fine, but it was better for that to never be an issue in the first place. 

Her levitation skills were good, but they were still subject to the forces of nature, and since she lacked the advantage of friction with the ground, counteracting the powerful hit required extra effort. 

Bee had just enough strength. Her heel came to the platform's edge and stopped just short of hovering over the sea. 

'Whew!' 

Thankfully, Laundry had not pursued her. He was using the precious seconds to call forth his scimitar. 

Or so Bee thought at first.

The man was proficient in dozens of weapons. With Bee currently at a distance, it seemed he was done with the sword and had switched tactics. 

In the librarian's hand, a jade shuriken formed. Its six points were laced with something purple and ominous. One side of Laundry's mouth tipped upward, and his eyes flashed with mischief. 

Bee narrowed her gaze. 'Those blades are poisonous. I would bet my life on it.' 

The professor inside Bee wanted to analyze the Memory from an educational standpoint. Would the poison harm the body, the mind, or both? 

'Better you ask him later and not find out right now!' The mental tangent distracted the floating duelist from what was coming. 

Laundry flicked his wrist, sending the murderous star straight for Bee's injured cheek. 

There was no time to move out of the way, so she bent her knees and ducked instead. Hopefully, the Memory couldn't curve and would continue on its straight path over her head. 

Bee wanted to kick herself for not being better prepared for the attack. The woman was having too much fun, and that kind of foolishness would cause her to lose the match. If she survived this moment, the Queen was determined not to be caught off-guard again. 

Bee balled herself as tightly to the ground as she could while the shining shuriken streaked across the sky. 

It flew past the Queen and out of the stadium...

...right into the silken garment of Thane's arm.