Little Esdeath?

Time flew by, and on the fourth day of the Royal Fist Temple Martial Arts Tournament, at noon in the Imperial Arena, the atmosphere was electric.

Seated on the central podium, the Emperor of the Empire was deeply focused on the matches below, reclining in a soft chair made from the skin of a danger beast. Due to the impact of a certain contestant, the tournament's pace had accelerated significantly, cutting the originally week-long schedule nearly in half, and now the competition had reached the finals.

Today, in addition to the Emperor, important figures such as Minister Chouri, General Budo, and even officials like Honest were present.

"Why is this tournament progressing so quickly?"

"I heard it's because of a terrifyingly strong competitor. No one can withstand even a single move from her."

"Hiss... That strong?"

"Sigh... Such a pity for all those promising fighters. I hope their confidence isn't shattered."

...

"The finals of the Royal Fist Temple Martial Arts Tournament are about to begin!"

"Now, let's welcome Contestant Number 648 to the stage..."

As the referee's voice echoed through the arena, Selene's radiant figure appeared on the stage, clad in a dark blue undersuit and silver-white light armor.

With one hand on her hip, her tall and slender figure, coupled with her waist-length white hair fluttering in the wind, made Selene shine like a Valkyrie under the noon sun. Her silver hair and crimson eyes were dazzling and awe-inspiring.

"How beautiful! A talent like this should be used by our Empire!" The Emperor, seated on the central podium, couldn't help but marvel.

"Your Majesty, I offer my congratulations on gaining such a great general!" Minister Chouri said, bowing in respect.

Even the referee on the stage was momentarily stunned, taking a while to regain his composure. "Uh... now, let's welcome Contestant Number 444 to the stage..."

Finally, as the referee's voice trailed off, Selene's last opponent stepped forward.

Hmm? My final opponent is her?!

Approaching Selene was a girl wearing a black headscarf. She had long, ice-blue hair that reached down to her calves and ice-blue eyes. Although she was only about thirteen or fourteen years old, her development was already quite remarkable, especially the noticeable curve of her chest, which was quite eye-catching.

Misaka Mikoto would likely be completely self-conscious if she saw this.

"Hmm? Another girl?" The Emperor, seated in his chair, looked at the two girls in the arena with some surprise and couldn't help but shake his head.

Since the Emperor's attention was entirely focused on Selene, he hadn't paid much attention to the other matches. He only vaguely remembered the blue-haired girl. "Honest, if I'm not mistaken, you recommended this girl, correct?"

Hearing this, Honest—a large, once-muscular man who had grown fat, his face covered in a thick white beard—answered humbly, "Heaven bless the Empire, Your Majesty. I discovered this talent by chance in the northern frontier of the Empire. Since the Martial Arts Tournament was underway, I brought her here to test her abilities."

"Your Majesty, do not underestimate this girl because of her beauty and youth. Her strength is no trifling matter. A few months ago, in the northern frontier, some foolish human traffickers tried to abduct her because of her looks, but she killed them on the spot."

"She is the daughter of the chief of the Balutis tribe, a tribe specialized in hunting danger beasts in the northern borderlands, and she is the sole survivor of her clan."

"Oh... with such a background, what is her name?"

"Esdeath."

...

On the arena stage.

Selene and Esdeath stood facing each other from a distance.

"She should be about my age, right?" Selene thought, surprised as she looked at Esdeath. "But she looks so much younger than me... What's with that? I didn't use Honkai energy to speed up my growth, so this must be natural?"

As she closely observed the younger Esdeath, Selene couldn't help but find it amusing. "Well, let's play for a bit. After all, she'll become the super sadistic general."

Esdeath was born in the northern frontier, in a tribe known for hunting danger beasts. She was the daughter of the Balutis tribe's chief. From a young age, her father instilled in her the belief that only the strong survive. She often hunted danger beasts alone, and after returning from one hunt, she discovered that her entire tribe had been wiped out by invading northern tribes. From then on, she became even more convinced that survival required becoming stronger.

"The match begins!"

With the referee's announcement, Selene, unusually, didn't immediately rush in to finish the fight but waited for Esdeath to make the first move.

Seeing that Selene wasn't attacking, Esdeath didn't hesitate. She quickly gathered strength in her legs, and with a crack, the marble beneath her feet shattered as she charged at Selene with incredible speed, her dagger aimed straight at Selene's chest.

Faced with the still-developing Esdeath, Selene toyed with her as if she were a child, raising a single finger to stop the dagger's tip, instantly shattering it with a flick, sending Esdeath flying several meters.

By now, Esdeath's forehead was flushed red. Though she knew she couldn't defeat Selene, she didn't give up. In the Balutis tribe, there was no such thing as giving up halfway; there was only fighting to the death!

Ignoring the pain, Esdeath charged forward again, her next punch even fiercer and faster, aimed directly at Selene's face. The powerful force behind it created a small sonic boom.

Selene subtly shifted her body, effortlessly dodging Esdeath's punch.

Missing her target, Esdeath's momentum carried her forward. Stopping required time, but in battle, even a small opening was enough for the opponent to exploit.

"It's over..." Selene was already at Esdeath's side. She raised her leg for a high kick aimed at Esdeath's abdomen, intending to send her flying.

But Esdeath wasn't an ordinary fighter.

Bang!

A loud sound rang out as Esdeath used her other hand to block Selene's knee strike.

Though Selene managed to kick Esdeath into the air, it didn't inflict any significant damage.

Using her temporarily smaller frame, Esdeath quickly locked her legs around Selene's knee as she retracted it, flipping her body 180 degrees. She slammed her hand into the ground, causing the once-sturdy terrazzo floor of the arena to crack, sending dust and debris flying.

Using the momentum, Esdeath flipped back onto her feet, attempting to throw Selene to the ground. A wicked smile appeared on her lips. "It's not over yet!"

"Tsk, as expected of Esdeath."

Just as Esdeath was about to flip her over, Selene's waist muscles tensed, and with a movement that defied normal biomechanics, she forced Esdeath back.

Realizing that she would lose in a contest of strength, Esdeath subtly shifted her left foot and prepared to strike with a knee.

Using Selene as leverage, Esdeath sprang into the air, her knee crashing toward Selene's chest like a sledgehammer.

Thud!

A dull thud echoed as Esdeath's knee strike landed squarely on Selene's chest, but it was Esdeath who collapsed.

Esdeath knelt on one knee, clutching her knee in pain.

"Surrender," Selene said.

Indeed, after this brief exchange, Selene admitted that Esdeath's combat awareness and technique surpassed her own. If they had equal physical abilities and no special powers, Selene might not have been able to win.

But the world is unfair. With her superior physical strength, Selene could easily overpower the current Esdeath with just a finger. Even if she let Esdeath attack, she likely couldn't even break Selene's skin.

"..."

"Oh, not willing to surrender?" Seeing the stubborn expression on Esdeath's face, her fierce yet youthful determination, Selene felt a sudden urge to train her, perhaps even... no, no, focus.

"I've played enough... You people of the Balutis tribe worship strength, right? Then let me show you what true strength is!"

Boom!

In an instant, an indescribable and terrifying aura exploded on the arena stage.

A flash of violet-red light illuminated the entire stage, and the overwhelming presence of cold, cruelty, slaughter, and madness erupted from Selene. The entire arena shook as if an earthquake had struck, with Selene at the center.

In a flash, the entire arena cracked like a spiderweb, crumbling and collapsing as dust and debris filled the air.

Esdeath was thrown back by the sheer force, crashing into the arena's inner wall, losing consciousness instantly.

As the protective walls around the arena cracked, the audience's shocked gasps erupted like a tidal wave from the stands.

The deafening sound of the explosion was so powerful and terrifying that it shook everyone to their core.

On the central podium, the Emperor, Minister Chouri, General Budo, and Honest, along with many other officials, all stood up in shock.

"What kind of power is this?!"

The match ended in an instant, leaving everyone inside and outside the arena stunned, staring at Selene as if she were a monster.

Could this abyss-like power really belong to a human? She seemed more like a danger beast wearing human skin!

"Well, aren't you going to announce the result? The match is over," Selene said, reining in her beast-like aura and extending her right hand.

"Simulated—Gravity!"

Immediately, the referee, who had been blown off the stage by the shockwave, was pulled back onto the platform.

The referee, still dazed, looked at Selene—still as graceful as ever, as if she had just returned from a leisurely stroll. His voice was hoarse as he stammered, "A-at once."

After a few moments, the referee finally stammered out the announcement.

"...T-the match is over..."