Tournament of the Strongest, VII-Vol.1 Finale

"If Selica comes out victorious of that match, you'll confess to her!"

"Eh, but why?" I voiced out prolonged words by Luke's nagging.

"C'mon, she deserves at least that if she wins." He pushed with solid reasoning.

"I mean that's true… but still. It can't be done that easily, you know?" I said as I looked at him.

A grin was stretched out over his face, "Okay, okay, let's do it like this then: if she wins, you'll confess. If she loses, she'll confess after you console her."

"How do you know she'll confess to me?"

"Why are you acting so braindead when it comes to this? I know that Selica has feelings for you, and if she gets weakened mentally, I know her feelings will slip out of her own mouth."

"Ugh," I groaned, "Aren't you like a villain right now? Making me manipulate her and whatever."

"Hmm, now that I think about it, it does seem to be a win-win for you in both ways." He muttered with his hand over his lips.

"You see?" I raised my brow as I shifted my neck forward.

Step, step, step.

I heard steps approaching from the hall on the left side of the staircase where we were sitting.

"Yawn," It was Sean as he stretched out his hands, looking as if he awoke from a delightful sleep.

"What are y'all doing here?" He asked, "Selica ain't here?"

What's with the shortening of words?

"No, she went to get ready for her own match."

"Ah, I see. She was right after me, huh?"

"Yep–" I said gruffly as I stood up, getting Sean in a headlock, "But still, what was that you cheeky disciple of mine?" I asked as I itched his scalp with the knuckles of my fingers.

"Ahaha," He held a hand to my arm, "I told you I had a surprise for you, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you're right, you said you'd cook and I did indeed eat," I said with my chest puffed out.

"Quite the way to say it, but I did indeed cook. Like literally, ahaha." He laughed.

That was true, he used insane flames.

"So, did you decide on the name of the spell?" I asked after letting go of him.

"Hmm, though you say that…" He trailed off, "It's like I didn't even name it myself, the moment where something different appeared on my mind, was the instant when this name also sprung forth in my consciousness."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Luke stood up from the stairs, "Mana is a living organism with insight, as Helis said. Oh, and congratulations on your victory, Sean, you were like an Ice Wyvern."

"Uwah, quite the contradiction there, when he literally uses fire."

"Haha, I know right–"

"The crowd has been loud for quite a while now, haven't they?" I asked, sensing that something was wrong.

"Ah, Selica's match, is it getting started?" I wondered out loud.

We were already walking to where the seats were, although we still had to get out of the inner area of the colosseum.

"Probably, maybe it did a bit earlier– huh?" Someone bumped into Luke.

"Gha," The guy groaned as he fell to the ground, he then picked himself up quickly and continued his run without halt, not even taking the time to say something to Luke.

"Huff, huff!" Someone else, a woman, this time was running at her best.

"Just what is going on?" Several people with terrified looks were leaving the arena altogether.

No… Did something happen at the fight ground? I asked inwardly, picking my pace up.

I could see more and more people from the audience passing by me.

No, no, no.

Hurry, Helis!

I yelled to myself as I began sprinting through the halls, making my way to the outside where I could watch the fight.

"Ah, the door!"

Please, tell me nothing happened.

Why wasn't I more cautious about this? Don't most of the bad things happen when there are such tournaments in most animes and stuff?

Why did I have to go and be so careless– "Huh?" My shoes squeaked as I came to an abrupt stop the moment I stepped foot outside.

"Wha–?" I couldn't even finish my sentence as something I couldn't even dream of happening occurred.

Splash!

The moment I had gotten a clear view, I witnessed Selica getting skewered by the tail of a blue dragon.

Her intestines spilled out as the dragon screeched out.

"What happened?!" Sean and Luke reached my side.

"Huh?"

I was stunned to the ground the moment that image entered my retinas.

I couldn't hear anything as everything became muffled and blurred.

I could see my dark and purple katana glowing powerfully as if exposing my inner emotions.

I don't know what happened.

Everything went black and I was already flying toward the dragon at a speed I never knew I could move with.

I met its dark-blue eyes, my blade already flying in their direction, seeking to destroy them.

But the dragon, a Mythical being acting as it is, managed to act against me.

It quickly waved its scalp covered by scales and tried to use it as a way to attack me.

"Kgh, at least one eye!" I screamed as I struggled to change my posture mid-air, but I did what was declared.

I let go of the katana with one arm and simply reached out further with the other, making a gash over its right eye.

"Krgah!" It screeched out, shaking around after pulling out its tail from Selica's empty, see-through stomach.

The blue dragon then tried to charge up a fire breath of some sort which was interrupted by an ear-deafening crack.

As if, "A gap in the space opened…" I voiced shakily after seeing the dragon disappear as it was eaten by the air itself.

Everything turned eerily quiet, no one was here anymore besides me, Sean, Luke… and Selica.

"Gh…" Selica groaned silently as her feet lost power and she slumped to the ground, I quickly ran, cushioning her fall.

Tears filled my eyes as blood trickled from her lips and nose, my clothes were already showered in her blood.

"I…" I spun the cogs within my mind, "Khic–" I sobbed as I stuttered, "I love you… Selica."

I confessed my love to her as she rested in my arms, feeling the warmness of her blood, and feeling the coldness seeping into her skin.

She blinked, her eyes devoid of life as she tried to stare at me.

She raised her hand to caress my face, "I love you too, Helis…" She broke into a burst of coughs, blood coloring her whole chin crimson, "And I'm sorry… for being gone so soon."

The moment Selica's hand made contact with my face every sort of light was cut off from my vision as she vanished from my hold. I blinked my eyes as I grasped at emptiness that soon after drained any sort of light or color from my eyes and senses.

***

The next instant I could feel myself living and existing, I was standing side-by-side with Sean and Luke in a never-ending desert with two scorching suns up in the sky.

I fell to the ground as I felt the life within me leave my mind.

"Selica…" I called the name of the woman I loved as I hugged the emptiness between my crimson clothes and where she formerly rested in my arms.

"I'm sorry." I voiced with a high-pitched tone as I wailed out her name over and over and over.

For I had now, lost the person I most cherished in the world.

***

Volume 1-End