The Tourney of Champions!!!

There she lay, on the ground defeated. Benkei had emerged the victor of this match. "You are strong monk. Being of the giant race we love the heat of battle. Regrettably, I couldn't unleash my full power here because of this tournament. This was a good warm up. I would like to face you again with my full power but to the death. If you can survive, remember this name... Sata." The giant had said to Benkei. After their small conversation, she gets up and brushes herself off and walks away from the arena.

The defenses were lowered throughout the arena, or at least what remained. At this point the crowd could no longer find it within themselves to cheer. "WELL.....THAT ONE'S OVER!" Some of the spectators began leaving the arena, fearing that their lives were at stake. "OH! WAIT! DON'T GO! WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN THE SEMI-FINALS!" The announcer lowered her head. She didn't know how to rekindle that fire the crowd once had.

The king had risen to his feet for the first time. "My people!!!!! I call to you!!" Every single person who was exiting the arena stopped to listen. "I understand that your lives were just endangered! But I assure you, you are all going to be protected! No harm will come to you! I shall ensure it! These warriors battle to prove themselves!!!!" The Oracle would then stand to her feet, joining the king. "Yes! What King Palidos says is correct! We shall keep all of you safe! We would never allow such harm to come to you all! In fact, we shall create a barrier that will prevent anything from reaching the outside of the platform!" The crowd was convinced! They all returned to their seats and cheered at the joint speeches. "WOW!!! OUR KING, AND THE ORACLE, HAVE SPOKEN PEOPLE! LET'S GET THE SHOW ON THE ROAD WITH THE SEMI-FINALS!!" A small man would quickly hurry to the announcer's side, tugging on her small skirt. He'd whisper something into her ear and then scurry off. "WAIT A MINUTE! I'VE RECEIVED WORD THAT WE WILL BE STARTING IN TEN MINUTES! SO GO AND GET SOME KUKU WINGS, ON US!"

Palidos would return to his seat and motion the guards below. Six of them would move to the edges of the damaged platform and await the start of the semi-finals.

Benkei watched her get up and talk to him about not being able to go all out due to the rules and regulations " You wish for a death March you say but I can not take your life for I do not believe in such actions " benkei walked off the stage and watched as people began to leave in fear for their lives but stopped in his tracks as he heard the oracles voice. His face lit up with joy and he shouted into the stands " my dear goddess did my display of power please you and your audience" he looked in her general direction as people returned to their seats and felt a bit better from the words of the Oracle and king. Benkei shouted once more to the oracle"I'll have you know I've studied and trained my whole life to prove I am worthy to protect and fight by your side but also that I can drive away the evils and darkness of this world " Benkei watched as the announcement was told about the semi-finals beginning soon

Virgil, Remi, Biggs and Anna had been hiding out in an alley. "We can't stay here for much longer. We're gonna have to pull from the tournament." Virgil says with a worried look. "You can't!! We are so close to our goals. We have to keep going!" Remi says with an outburst. "But what about Anna? She is in no condition to be moving around as she is." Virgil says. Anna is continuously breathing heavy. "I know that! But.." Remi says. "It.. it's ok... I can keep going." Anna says with all her might. "Anna!!" Biggs says. He looked ever so worrisome. "Because of your sacred magic, you will be targeting by many people." Virgil tries to reason with Anna. "Your safety is our top priority right now.""I'll be fine. Besides I have Remi and Biggs and Koji by my side." Anna had spoken with confidence in her friends. "She's right you know. You and Shinji aren't the only ones who can fight." Remi says with a smile. "I can promise you that we won't let anyone touch her, Virgil!" Biggs proclaims. Virgil looks at his friends. He smirks, "heh! You guys are something else. Of course you can protect her! Sorry I was feeling uneasy throughout this whole tournament." "It's ok. But more importantly, Shinji should be sleeping still." Biggs says. "Knowing how much he sleeps you'd better go wake him up." "Ohh shoot!! Yeah you're right!! I better go make sure he's ok. He's fighting that guy Nir and he's a strong one." Virgil says. "Is he really that strong?" Remi says with an extremely worried face. "Yeah he really is. Just from marking eye contact you can tell how strong he is." Virgil replies. Remi grew even more worried. "Alright, let me get going. You guys get back to the stands safe ok." Virgil says as he's running off to get Shinji. "Good luck Virgil!" "Don't you dare lose!" Biggs and Remi say.

Virgil had just went down to the infirmary. He had looked for Shinji but he was nowhere to be found. "Huh that's strange, I thought he would've been sleeping still. Maybe his injuries were worse than we thought and he dropped out.... nah that wouldn't be the Shinji I know.... where is he?" Virgil had been muttering to himself. He walked out of the infirmary and headed towards the holding cell. There he saw Shinji standing in the middle of the cell awaiting his next match. "Ahh Shinji!! I thought you would've been sleeping. How're ya fee...." Virgil had stopped talking. He had noticed that Shiniji wasn't the normal Shinji he had always been. There was a different air around him. "Don't push yourself too hard ok." Shinji had looked over at Virgil with a serious look. "Don't forget I'll be seeing you in the finals, Virgil." Shinji says. He walks off to the gates of the stage. "I'll see you there!" Virgil replies.

And so some of the spectators wandered the arena grounds, using up their free kuku wing passes. Some remained in the stands, waiting to see the two contestants arrive. In the holding cell, Nir waited patiently. He could see his opponent, Shinji, far off to the right. There was a look on his face. The look of determination. Like nothing was going to detract him from his goal. It made Nir smile. He'd then turn to the Oracle, who had delivered her speech, wishing that she had looked at him. "Persephony, I will win this for you. I swear it." Only five minutes remained until the match, so Nir was going to make his way there.


Koulro remained in the shadows of the hallway. The two members of the cult growling like feral creatures. Both of them salivated excessively. "Don't worry! Hehe! You'll have your playtime! Haha! They're like dogs!"

Anna was seen feeding Koji a kuku wing, while Biggs and Remi were standing around her eating their kuku wings. They had seemed to be taking it easy even knowing the dangers they could potentially face after Anna's powers were revealed. "These kuku wings are soo good!!" Biggs is ecstatic over these kuku wings. "Yeah they really are." Anna says with a smile while putting her hand on her cheek. "You have to make these for us sometime." "Even if it's the last thing I do, I'll definitely make you guys some!" Biggs smiles back at Anna. "Hey we only have a few more minutes left until Shinji's fight. You guys want to finish eating here or bring this back to the seats?" Remi says. "Uhhh let's bring them up then. I can carry everything, I don't mind." Biggs had replied. "I wish Shinji had even just a little bit of your personality Biggs. He's so.. so extra. And he's rude. And loud. And obnoxious and.." Anna had tried to speak up as Remi kept rambling but Biggs had spoken up for her. "Remi!" He shouts. "Lets go before we lose the good seats." "Oops! Sorry!" Remi says embarrassingly. The leave the concessions and head for the seating.

Shinji is now standing before the gates. He is prepared to face Nir with all his might. "Please hold out for a just a little longer.." Shinji says under his breath. He proceeds to walk out onto the ruined arena. The announcer had not yet introduced the fighters yet but he was anxious to get the fight on. Some of the fans had noticed Shinji walking onto the arena. "THE FIGHT IS GONNA START BACK UP!!" "I THOUGHT WE HAD MORE TIME! GO GET YOUR FATHER QUICK!" "I GOT NIR WINNING THIS FIGHT!" "NO WAY, DID YOU EVEN WATCH SHINJI IN THE FIRST FIGHT?!" The fans had started getting into the fight. Who would come out the victor of this battle?

The Oracle would wave over to Benkai, who had just exited the platform. She'd hope that he'd catch her. "Thank you monk!! May the light forever guide you on your path!" She would blow him a kiss, as a sign of good fortune to come in the future. Many of the spectators who were seated below the observatory were cheering, many were envious of her recognition of Benkai. The king, on the other hand, would grin and turn to her, "I see you've got yourself a loyal follower!" The Oracle would nod in agreement and smile as she watched Nir enter.

The Galatian Sword himself would walk onto the platform and raise his sword. Many supporters would yell and scream. "Nir! Nir!" The announcer herself oogled at how handsome he was, "WOULD YOU LOOK AT HIM! THE GALATIAN SWORD! SUCH A HANDSOME WARRIOR! I COULD JUST-UGH!" Nir would smile and turn to all who were present, stopping at the Oracle. "My Lady! I come to show you that I'm ready to take on anyone! I will become your guardian!" He'd slash the air and keep the sword at his side.

Meanwhile, in the main city square. A hooded figure wandered through the busy market. "They should be somewhere around this area." They stopped in their tracks and looked around. From the shadow within the cloak, two glowing eyes would form, "Hey! Ya think we can get some Kuku wings when we're finished here? 'Cause I'm staaaaaaarvin'!"

Arena

Both fighters had entered the arena. The arena guards had just began to cast their magic simultaneously. They had created a transparent cubicle. Now the fans were safe. They looked in awe as the cubicle was formed. Nothing could get in and nothing could get out.

"I get to take you on just as promised... Nir." Shinji had said to Nir. Although Shinji still has his wounds from the earlier round, he is doing well to compose himself. Not bating an eye or even showing signs of fatigue. He looks as if he's fresh and been waiting to finally fight.

City

There had been men walking all of the city of Galatia. They all looked suspicious. They were in groups of either two or three. "Is it almost ready?" On suspicious man said. "Chill man. Chiiilll. This shit takes time ya know." The other responded. "We don't have all day, we've only got about an hour left." "Hey you guys, what are you doing back there?" One passerby had said. "Is.. is that a b..." as the passerby panicked while trying to finish his sentence was attacked from behind. A femal had impaled him with a dagger from above, killing him almost immediately. "You guys take so damn long! Hurry the hell up before the time limit expires!" "Tch.. shut the hell up and keep watch. I don't see you with the brains to set this up." The guy on the ground had said. "What did you say to me!" The female responds. "Bitch did I stutter!!" He barked back. "I'll fucking kill you right here on the spot!!" She barks back. "SHUT THE HELL UP!! BOTH OF YOU!!" The first suspicious man had said. "Do ya really have to argue now when we are in the middle of an important mission!?" The other man and female had both looked down in shame. "If the Black Mamba get word we failed our mission, what do you think will happen to us!?" "Ok ok I get it..." "alright.." They both said simultaneously. "Just hurry so we can move to the next location." The female said and left. "I'll be done real soon then we can move on." The man had continued what he was doing."

Arena

Nir stood calmly, his sword still at his right side. The left hand gripped the shield handle tightly. "Yes, as promised. You've shown quite some skill Shinji. I'm very impressed...." Nir slowly brought the sword to the front of his face, vertically. "But I cannot afford to lose here. You see, the Oracle....the Oracle and I are childhood friends. She was the only one who supported me, who cared for me, who helped me and my mother after my father died. Persephone was always so full of light. I vowed that once I grew older I'd be at her side to always protect her. I'd never let any harm come to her." In the stands, the Oracle stood up and leaned over the railing. She was brought to tears. "Nir....."

The fans listened to the words of the warrior. They were moved by promise! "Wow! Nir is such a great guy!" Said one of the watchers. Nir would raise his shield and stare Shinji down, becoming more serious. He knew what Shinji was capable of, so he'd remain focused. "I understand that you have something to prove too Shinji. It's just a matter of who wants to achieve their goal more at this point. I'm ready!"

"WOW! I HAVEN'T SEEN NIR THIS SERIOUS THE ENTIRE TOURNEY! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT THESE TWO WILL DO!" The crowd cheered in excitement. They were prepared for the battle they were about to witness! King Palidos would raise his right hand and pull it down, motioning the start of the battle. "Begin!!!"

City

As the hooded figure looked around, ignoring the creature within his cloak, he spotted his target. It was a bald muscular man entering a bar. "That's him." The hooded figure would pursue him, walking through the crowd. As he did, a short man bumped into him, dropping his sack. About six weird balls, filled with some fluid, rolled out. "Watch where you're going you asshole!" The man quickly collected the balls and placed them into the sack, continuing on his path. "What the heck is his problem!? Such a mean guy, ya' know?" The figure watched as the man hurried off, curious to know what those balls were.

It didn't matter, he had his target. He'd turn back and walk over to the bar. "Great!!! We're going drinking! So not only will I get Kuku wings, but I'll get drunk too!" The hooded figure would push the door open, "Please shut up."

Outer Walls

Outside of the Galatian kingdom, two large airships were hidden in the forest. A male voice could be heard singing a song from within one of the airships. "I shall have but the finest women in the city! All of them won't be ugly, but pretty! They'll admire! My looks! My charm!" From within the ship a handsome man, who happened to be well built, would step out. He'd stop singing and look at the walls to Galatia. "What is taking these-these-these...." One of the men stationed outside would call out, "Dorun Serpent Army sir!" The well built man would rub his chin and nod, "Yes! These snakes! What is taking these snakes so long!? I'm not going to be waiting here all day. I have three beautiful maidens waiting for me in Thule."

Benkei watched as the oracle greeted him and blew him a kiss of good faith and fortune "Ah bless thee fair maiden for she is my light " he bowed to her and exited to the stands to watch the first round of the finals but benkei remained concerned of the over impending darkness that loom over this kingdom and this arena. As he peered over the stands to see who had entered the arena , he could see a man being adored by every spectator and the oracle herself claiming to be the one to be by her side "Hmm i like his aura he is giving off but i will be her protector i have what it takes" benkei watched as the man known as shinji entered the arena looking quite composed but still injured from his previous bout in the earlier matches "Is he even in any condition to fight?" Benkei once again began to have a strange feeling coming from the arena as if something was off "After this match i am going to have to take a look around this feeling will not cease and i trust my gut on this one "

Arena

"Unfortunately, I was unable to see your fight. But I already knew you were strong from the start. Fighting someone like you..." Shinji puts his head down and stops talking. Nir had proceed led to talk a little about his past and the reasoning behind his entering the tournament. Shinji raised his head to look up at Nir. "You had a rough past huh?" He says unphased. "That is very admirable but if we had to scale who shoulders the bigger burden then I'm sorry but I win that one." Shinji takes his spear into his hands and readies himself. At that moment he felt pain from his movements. He cringed a little but not enough to slow him down. "I gotta finish this fast." He thought to himself. Shinji realeses his magic, not for speed but for defense. He rushed in towards Nir hoping to make a decisive first blow.

"Look guys!! Hurry look look!!" Anna and Koji had made it to the opening of the seating area where she could view the fight from there. Remi rushed after her while Biggs was still carrying the Kuku wings, moving so he didn't drop a single one. "Shinji." Remi thought to herself. Virgil was seen in the holding cell looking on to see his friend fight against the Galatian Sword.

Outer Walls

"Raphael!! The four commanders have just returned!!" The man that was dancing and singing had just turned over to the one who called out to him. His face quickly changed to one of anger. He lashed his whip like rapier at the man, strangling the man with his thorny whip. "How many times have I told you lot, it's Raphael-sama. You here that! SAMA!! The others surrounding the two where nervously looking away as to try and not see what was about to happen. Raphael had released the man from his strangle hold. "Now speak fool! What is it!" The man gasping for air, "the.. the commanders.. the four commanders have returned Raphael-sama." "Oh so they've returned!?" Raphael had look happy. He pointed over to two guards. "You two!" Simultaneously the both answered. "Go feed Momo!" He says and walks away. The two guards where hesistent. Raphael had noticed that no one had moved right away, he turned to look back at  the two guards, "do not make me repeat myself!" He says in anger. The guards panicking had quickly rushed to the man who Raphael had strangled earlier. They proceed to hold the man up and carry him out. "PLEASE NO RAPHAEL-SAMA!! IT WON'T EVER HAPPEN AGAIN!! I PROMISE PLEASE NOOO!! NOOO, NOOOOOOOO!!" The guard have taken him away. Just then four warriors had entered the room with Raphael. Among the four Sata the female giant was there. "Ah yes you have finally come back. How was the tournament Sata? Is it over?" Raphael had asked. "I lost in my fight to a monk with decent power. Even still the tournament wasn't worth the challenge my lord. If I were to use my full power there it would ruin or plans." Sata had explained to Raphael. "Oh my beautiful Sata, such divine beauty to know loss upon that body of yours." He says in an almost devastating way. "So they have some decent fighters in this kingdom ehh." He says with a sinister smile. "My lord!" The man in the front had stepped forward. He was of the elf race. He had long beautiful blonde hair and looked almost like he was that of royalty. "Evindaal... What is it?" Raphael asks. "During Sata's battle there was someone amongst the crowd. We couldn't pinpoint who exactly but they released an incredible amount of magic power." Evindal says. "And so what do I care?" Raphael responds. "Whoever it was had the same kind of power as the oracle! They used sacred magic!" "Sacred magic!?" Raphael is shocked. "Hmmm now things are getting interesting around here." He smiles again sisterly.

NShinji started speaking about how the troubles of Nir's past paled in comparison to his. It didn't move Nir at all. After hearing what happened in the prison cell, he could only assume that Shinji was a part of that. "You may be right. I cannot say that my past was worse than yours. But-" Nir managed to notice Shinji cringe in pain when he readied himself. That was a sign. Was Shinji truly capable of going another battle?

The warrior would rush in for his attack. Nir would ready himself, bringing his shield to his front-side. Once Shinji was in a close range, he'd quickly move to the right, pushing off the platform and going for a quick sword slash. The crowd would watch and cheer on as the battle commenced! "AND SO IT BEGINS!!!! WHO SHALL WIN!? SHINJI? OR NIR???"

Still unseen by the public, Koulro watched the battle. This one was actually the one he was waiting for. "Oh boy!!! This was the one! Nir against Shinji! Shinji is going to win! He's got magic! What do you guys think? Haha!" The two transformed humans snarled in their feral-like manner. Koulro would nod his head, "Yeah! I thought so!"

City

The hooded figure walked around the bar, searching for the target. He'd spot him at a table playing a game with three others. To avoid causing a commotion early, he'd sit at the bar. "What would you like sir?" The bartender would ask. The figure would shake his head in response. "What!?!? You're not getting a drink!? What about me!?" Whatever was within the cloak of the hooded figure, it was visually angered. Its yelling had alarmed the bartender, who could not make out where the sound was coming from. "Did-Did you say something??" She'd ask. "No. Must have been someone else. It is loud in here."

She nodded and moved onto others at the bar. "Van! I thought we were going to get drunk!? C'mon!!!" Van was his name. He lifted his hood from his head, revealing his white hair. "We don't have time to be drinking Kuro. We're here for a bounty. Perhaps we can get something back at Doku."

Nir was able to fend of Shinji's attack. "Hmmph" Shinji was disappointed that his attack didn't go through. Just then Nir had sent a slash right back at Shinji. He had retaliated with his spear and they had been in a clash. "The past you've gone through is nothing compared to what we've been through. I won't lose." They had just sprung back from each other. As Shinji lands he says, "I can't lose!!" He charges right back at Nir. He releases his magic boost his speed a little to get to Nir before he could fully land. Shinji would release his magic onto his spear and slash down from the sky down into Nir.

Nir and Shinji's attacks would clash! Sending them both back. Upon landing, Shinji would attack again, this time moving faster than before. Nir wouldn't answer Shinji, but he'd keep up with his attacks. Again, he'd ready his shield, quickly moving it over his head. The spear would come striking down onto the shield, pushing Nir's arm down a bit. Using his natural strength, he'd push off, sending the spear's tip to the side. With his sword, he'd slash at Shinji's ribside. "We shall see!"

The crowd would cheer for the two! Already, the battle was beginning to look good. "OH WOW! LOOK AT THAT COMBAT!"

Nir had parried Shinji's attack and now was defenseless. Nir sent a sword slash at Shinj's ribside. With the remnants of his magic, Shinji had targeted the area where he would be struck. This technique was divised inorder give that area applied the most of his magic concentration. Shinji had taken the blow and was pushed back a few feet. He looked like he was in pain from the strike. However, he didn't pause for the pain. Rather he wasn't in pain at all... so it seemed. Shinji would charge Nir again this time striking high at Nir's face. It was a rather easy move to block but it was only meant as a diversion. With Shinji's boosted speed he would allow himself to be blocked by Nir and would release his magic to quickly sweep at Nir's legs with a spinning leg kick. This would cause Nir to lose his balance and would leave him vulnerable to a vertical slash from Shinji. "NOW YOUR MINE!!!"

The sword would connect with Shinji's ribside, but it didn't appear to inflict much damage. However, the force of the hit managed to send Shinji back a bit. Nir would remain footed on the platform, waiting for Shinji's next move, which happened to be another strike. This time he attacked Nir's face! "....." Nir would quickly raise his shield and try to block the attack, pushing aside so that his vision wouldn't get blocked by the shield. But Shinji only used that attack as a diversion, a quick spin into a leg sweep followed. "Nice!" Such quick reflexes were then displayed by Nir! He'd quickly jump into the air, right over the sweep, and send his sword down on Shinji's hip. At the same time he retracted the shield to his aid to block the slash from Shinji.

Nir's counters were all seeming to be in sync with Shinji's attacks. Testimony to his experience as a soldier of Galatia. Why he had picked up the, "Galatian Sword."

Due to Nir's reflexes, he was able to avoid Shinji's attack. He would counter with his own. Shinji would then use his magic to boost his speed to kick back away avoiding Nir's slash. He would then kick back again to attack Shinji head on. This attack was different. This time Shinji had used his speed to his advantage. He would strike down at Nir only to have him block. The attack on Nir would hit him from behind. How could that be? With Shinji's speed, he left an afterimage of him attack Nir from the front when his real attack came from behind.

Remi, Biggs and Anna had continued to watch on as the battle continues to heat up. "WOW WOW WOW!! THIS BATTLE IS HEATING UP NOW!! THESE TWO ARE REALLY GO AT IT!!l" the announcer could hardly contain herself.

Nir managed to successfully block of Shinji's attack. Shinji also countered off Nir's sword attack, which was quite impressive. It didn't end there, Shinji launched yet another kick. Nir would follow the same defensive procedure, which was to block with his shield. Unfortunately, what he blocked was only an afterimage left behind by Shinji. "..." Nir wasn't fast enough to react, to turn himself around to defend himself, so he was kicked from the back. He'd be sent flying forward, but would use his shield to cushion his fall as he slid across the platform. Nir would regain his balance and roll onto his feet, only suffering some scratches from the roll.

The Galatian Sword would ready his sword and would quickly move in! Running in a zig-zag formation, he'd close in on Shinji, coming in from his left side with a horizontal sword slash.

Shinji had smirked after his successful strike. "So you can be hit." Nir had regained his composure after being sent a decent distance. "HERE HE COMES LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!" He announcer says as Nir is ok the move. Shinji readies himself as he is prepared to take on Nir's attack. As he braces himself he felt a great pain in his side. The amount of movement he's been doing has finally started to take a toll on him. His face shows agony and he nearly drops to a knee.

During his rush, he clearly sees the pain on Shinji's face. To continue such an attack would be dishonorable. Nir, quickly stops in his tracks. Lowering his weapon. "You cannot continue this. You haven't healed completely Shinji. I saw it in the beginning, and I see it now." Nir would close his eyes, "I won't attack you." The crowd would gasp. "WHAT'S THIS!? NIR COMPLETELY STOPPED!" The Galatian Sword would open his eyes again, showing a worried expression. "I don't want you to hurt yourself Shinji. Please, forfeit."

To Shinji's surprise, Nir had completely stopped his attack. "What!? What the hell are you doing!? We're in the middle of a fight, why would you stop!?" Shinji is clearly angered by this and confused. "Shinji.." Remi says with a sad expression. Biggs and Anna are both saddened because they can already see how uncharacteristic Shinji was and how much pain he appeared to be in. Virgil had stood there in the waiting room looking into the arena where his friend was fighting with everything he had. "Shinji." Virgil thought to himself.

The crowd grew quiet. There was much emotion being displayed on the platform. Everyone could clearly see that Shinji was vulnerable. Yet, not one single person said a thing. They'd invest their time in how Nir would react. The Galatian Sword would sigh, for he knew how Shinji would react. "I'm sorry Shinji. I refuse to fight you." He'd turn to the king, who was spectating. "My Lord! I ask you to please call this battle. Shinji is clearly hurt. Whatever toll has been placed on his body, he hasn't recovered well enough to fight me. I won't harm him even further." King Palidos would continue to watch. The Oracle would also chime in, "My Lord! What Nir says is true. We don't need any unnecessary injuries. Please."

The King would stand up and call out to Shinji, "Warrior! Do you feel like you can continue this battle? Do you feel like your body can carry on?" Everyone stood silent, awaiting Shinji's answer.

Shinji had looked even more frustrated. It was clear what was going on in his head. He wanted to continue the fight. He had more to prove than just being strong. "You're joking.." He said with such a low tone. "You want me to just give up? After how far I've come? After the things I've gone through? You want me to give up? THE HELL DO YOU THINK!?! OF COURSE I CAN KEEP GOING!! IM STILL ALIVE AREN'T I!?!" Shinji's words had resonated throughout the entire arena. Everyone was able to feel the emotion behind him. Those who felt it the most were none other than his 4 friends who came along with him. Remi had started to tear up, Biggs was completely saddened and Koji was looking up at Anna as she too showed an extremely depressed face. Virgil was shown sitting down with his eyes closed and head down. "Alright I admit I'm not 100 percent but to the enemy what does that matter!? We've gone through hell and back and we've escaped death multiple times! I can't just roll over here now. So what if I'm injured. Would that honestly stop you from taking my life if I was about to kill someone precious to you!?" The crowd remained silent. Shinji's words were starting to hit deep. "To answer your question, your highness, YES!! YES I CAN STILL FIGHT!!" Shinji had readied himself preparing to fight again! He had awaited the king's answer.

Everyone remained silent. Shinji had chosen to continue to battle in such an emotional way. The king had no choice but to allow the match to continue, "As you wish warrior! Carry on with the battle." He'd return to his seated position, resting his head on his hand. Nir would sigh again and turn to Shinji, "Even if you did want to kill someone precious to me, I'd still spare you. It is what I believe, but what does it matter now? You aren't some killer. I can see it in your eyes. You let the demons of your past change you, push you to grow stronger.....But you mustn't let that be the cause. Your cause should be to protect the ones you love. To serve others and spread righteousness......Forgive me Shinji."

Nir, suddenly vanished in a display of raw natural speed. Appearing at Shinji's side and sending his sword at his stomach. His shield would remain at his side in case Shinji countered.