One More...

Savage Senki urged his Echo forward at the same moment.

Helios and Darkscale raced to the center of the ring with claws drawn. The darker creature may have had the size and power, but the lighter one had the speed and agility. 

With such a match-up Noble was not sure which would come out on top.

For his part, Savage Senki was focused, the intensity in his soft, dark eyes looking like two hurricanes. 

'Is he augmenting Darkscale with an Ability?' Noble studied the man for a moment. 

A drip of sweat trickled from his brow as he balled his fists.

He was doing everything he could to win this match short of being in the ring himself.

Bee respected his commitment. 

Should she be doing more to help her golden companion? For now, she would wait and watch.

Between the two humans, Helios sank low while Savage leapt high.

So when the prowling panther pounced to catch Helios in her grasp, he had already dodged and was prepared with an attack of his own. His tail reached out and grabbed one of her back paws before she could land, jerking it to one side.

By pulling her foot out from under her, Darkscale's trajectory suddenly shifted. The powerful panther roared as she landed on her side with a crash. The ground beneath her dented, sending clods of dirt in every direction as she slid.

Had the graceful panther landed on her feet, she could have turned on her heels with the full force of her might. She would have been able to pin Helios to the ground and sink her teeth and claws into his flesh.

The clash would have ended in a titanic brawl of fangs and fur.

But it wasn't meant to be.

For Darkscale was indeed incredibly powerful, but speed was not on her side. As soon as she hit the dirt, Helios was immediately upon her, razor-sharp nails digging deep into her velvety hide.

Bee heard the sound of cracking ribs and then saw a spray of blood. 

Darkscale gave an unearthly wail.

Suddenly, Helios had something red in his mouth.

'Did he just…steal her heart?'

The thought might have sounded romantic, but the sight was sickening. The Queen furrowed her brow.

'No, Helios! Don't eat it! It's bad manners. And also maybe cannibalism…'

Helios heeded her warning and spat the heart back into the open chest.

But the damage, of course, had been done.

Darkscale's silky body went still.

"Savage Senki and Darkscale have been eliminated. Queen Bee and Helios have won!"

The panther dissipated in a shimmery display.

With a final smile, Savage Senki looked at Queen Bee with a tip of his chin. "Until next time."

Then he, too, was gone. Like that, the second match was over.

Bee was certainly impressed by his back-to-back near-instant victories.

Kosi would have been proud too. 

'Good work, Helios. Now, let's get out of…'

"Iwannabefamous and Spotlight have challenged Queen Bee and Helios,"

Bee screamed internally. 'YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!'

———

"Randomgirl23 and Myne have been eliminated. Queen Bee and Helios have won!"

The fair-haired challenger and her gopherlike echo disappeared from view.

'There goes another one.'

The Queen had mixed feelings about the turn of events. One battle turned into five and five had too quickly become ten.

Her initial intentions had been good. Bee only wanted to put on a decent show for her children.

But each result was the same. Helios took out his opponent in a matter of seconds without gaining a scratch.

Queen Bee had originally been worried about Helios getting hurt, but now she realized her logic was flawed. 

It was everyone else who was in danger.

Opponent after opponent was ripped, slashed, or torn in a gruesome display of power. None were knocked out by the sleeping poppies. That would have been a more merciful end. 

Other than giving her Echo some preliminary advice, Queen Bee did not have to do much. Helios seemed to instinctively know how to exploit the weakness of his rival. 

Was that something woven into the nature of her Echo or was it simply because he was an extension of a battle master like Bee? 

That was something the professor would have to study at a later date. For now, Queen Bee would just watch and help when she could. 

The Queen was not the only one watching. With each of their victories, more attention was gathered from the other participants around her until their battle was the only one occurring in the Field of Flowers. 

That was not to say the place was empty.

On the contrary, the holding area was full of combatants chomping at the bit to get a chance to go against Helios and his famous master.

As much fun as Bee was having fun learning the capabilities of her new Echo, she felt that the circus of carnage had gone on long enough. It was time to return to her family.

Even if the next battle gave the Symncus no trouble, she would still leave the second the Dreamscape had announced victory.

It was only her vanity keeping her here at this point anyway.

So when the poppies shifted to allow the champion to return to the center ring, Queen Bee held up a single finger and looked at all of the competitors with a fierce gaze.

They understood the message. One More.

The mood of hopeful combatants shifted as a single challenger pushed his way through the crowd. Above him loomed a black cloud threatening to strike out at anyone who dared to impede his path. Some grumbled, but none dared to question his claim.

When the young man reached the closest point to Queen Bee, the Dreamscape boomed enthusiastically, "Illiterate Twin and Hollow Whisper have challenged Queen Bee and Helios."

A hush fell over the others, any hint of dissension now gone.

'What kind of name is Illiterate Twin? Wait! I have heard of him!'

Brock and Blaze had mentioned the duelist in passing because he had twin in his name and had a rather unique Echo.

The Queen tried to remember what the boys had said as she moved her eyes toward the cloud over Illiterate Twin's head. She had assumed at first that the cloud was some manifestation of the man's Aspect, but now she realized the cloud WAS the Echo.

Or at the very least, the Echo was in the cloud.

Inside the inky mist, arms swayed and coiled in every direction.

'It's....it's a flying octopus!' 

This was an abomination from the Stormsea. The creature could fight on land, in the ocean, or even fly in the air. Its versatility was unparalleled. 

What had the young fighter done to get such a powerful Echo? Was it a gift or was the young man a prodigy fighter? 

Queen Bee could not ask. Even if she could, she would not insult the other challenger with a question like that.

Anyway, there were more important things to worry about. 

Helios growled softly at the creature coming toward them. He could feel something strange happening in the overhead cloud as the hair of his mane stood on end. It was the first time Bee had seen her Echo remotely nervous. 

That is not to say the Symncus was scared. He was simply cautious.

As the flowers parted to make a guiding path for the challenger, a smile found its way onto Queen Bee's lips. 

'This should be interesting.'