The Dumbassador

Everything was going fine until Ling informed that someone enjoying diplomatic immunity was looking for her. She met the ambassador of the Legion who was trying to capture her.

"You know what, Mr. Dumbassador, I'm enjoying immunity here too," Red bluffed. "And how stupid of you trying to 'force' me alone."

The girl beat the hell out of that guy with shiny red armor. In the tournament, she couldn't lose her shit. But she shed the grudge for Legion on him.

"You'll… pay for what you did!" The ambassador coughed blood. "Your city is celebrating instead of being brunt. The Dynasty broke the truce! Soon the Emperor of the Nine Seas will fall and the shadow power source will be ours!"

Red kicked his stomach causing him to roll on the ground.

"Red, DON'T," June yelled. "If you kill him, it will only cause more trouble to the Emperor." June turned to him. "Listen, the Emperor has nothing to do with that attack on your outpost. Deng Rao acted on his own."

'This will hurt: a rookie will defeat you, Deng Rao…' Serge's voice flashed in her mind. She didn't know how fierce warrior Deng Rao was while dueling with him.

And June? How brave and reckless she was to sneak into their camp to inform them about the surprise attack. She wanted to prevent war even at the cost of her head.

"We don't care who ordered whom. The war is unavoidable." The ambassador's words echoed in the air.

The Legion was ruled by some Elders as they heard about it. The Legion prohibited using shadow energy a long time ago when shadow beasts and shadow diseases spread in their land. But why all of a sudden, the Elders decided to make a Shadow Squad and size the Sphere? The Dynasty didn't break any peace treaty either.

Well, the Dynasty had its own power struggle. June explained how Deng Rao conspired with some Dynastian bandits who planned firebombing in the capital to put an end to the peaceful coexistence with the Legion. June and Kibo almost got killed in that mission in the bandit camp. Deng Rao kept June and Kibo busy in their own quarrel about whether the Dynasty should or shouldn't attack the Legion and plotted a surprise attack on the Legion's Shadow Squad camp.

Poor June. She got captured by the very hand of the girl. All she wanted was to gain the support of the Legion against Deng Rao. Instead of hospitality, Serge ordered to execute her right in the camp. Red couldn't bear injustice. So, she saved June's life and fled.

June also told her that the big guy she beat up, came to rescue June not to beat her to death with iron gloves. He was called Ironclad. Poor guy.

She wondered about how the temptation of power could change people…. Even the people like Serge. If he ever got the Sphere, would he give it to the Elders? 

***

"So, you make it to the quarter-finals…" She heard a familiar voice. The voice was as beautiful as the person.

"I can't believe you made it till this, Fei Yu," Red said.

Destiny had brought them together not in a bench of an empty park but in a battle ring. Her next opponent was Fei Yu.