//------------------------------// // Arc 6.2 Chapter 51 // Story: Student 32: Sunset Shimmer // by Show Stopper //------------------------------// Chears filled the stands as Negi and Takamichi exited the stage and the repair crews began their work. Negi was immediately swarmed by his students and Kotarou, who congratulated him on his victory. Takamichi smiled at the sight and let himself fade into the background, content to let Negi have all of the attention. “You know, I’m kind of pissed at you.” Almost all of the attention. Takamichi chuckled as he turned to Sunset. “I thought you might be. But I value Negi-kun’s progress more than the prize money. And as you are well aware, I couldn’t care less about prestige.” Sunset huffed and crossed her arms. “Yeah yeah. You’re his mentor first, a warrior a distant eighth or whatever. I get it. Still, I was really hoping for the chance to punch your lights out in public.” “I’m well aware.” Takamichi’s smile twitched, a ghost of a smirk. “Though I wonder if you’re still so confident that you could have done so, having seen this match.” “Teleportation doesn’t have the same tells as instant movement,” Sunset bragged. “And I have more experience than Wildfire in both martial arts and general combat.” She hesitated. “That said, I wasn’t expecting quite that level of speed and power. I’d fight you in public any day, but if we went at it somewhere that collateral damage didn’t matter…” Takamichi nodded. “Local environment is always a major factor in any match-up. It’s honestly a little difficult to find an appropriate place for me to go all-out these days.” Sunset glared at him for a moment before sighing. “Fine. Point taken. I still think you would be better served on the front lines of some larger conflict somewhere than you are teaching here, but I’ll admit that your overwhelming firepower is more niche than I'd first pegged it for.” She shrugged. “Anyway, your part is done, and I’ll be facing Wildfire in the semi-finals. Go take care of that problem student.” “Ah yes, Chao-san.” Takamichi took out a cigarette and lit it. “This tournament is definitely suspicious. Especially her claim that recording devices won’t work here.” “What do you mean?” “You’ll probably notice yourself when you get on stage,” Takamichi said, “but there were definitely eyes on us beyond just the spectators and our fellow competitors.” He took a long drag of his cigarette before slowly blowing out a stream of smoke. “I know that you don’t particularly care about this inner world being exposed, but try not to be too obvious in your matches.” Sunset hesitated before nodding. “Can’t make any promises about the last two rounds, but you don’t have to worry about my first two matches; I know my strategies for my opponents, and they don’t involve anything flashier than what you and Wildfire demonstrated. “Now if you’ll excuse me,” she turned and made her way towards the medical tent, “I want the chance to talk to Wildfire before the rest of the class descends on him.” ***** “ARE YOU STUPID?!” Sunset walked into the medical tent just in time to see Evangeline punch Negi in the face. She walked over to an astonished Ku Fei and Kotarou. “He was happy about his victory?” she asked. Ku blinked a couple of times before nodding. “Thought so.” “What do you mean, ‘I won’?” Evangeline berated. “Didn’t you even notice that you were allowed to win? You fool!” “Eh?” Chamo asked, surprised. “Didn’t Takamichi get serious?” “Only his power,” Evangeline sneered. “If he’d really fought to kill, the boy wouldn’t have lasted ten seconds. “Boy, you probably thought that last body blow and the delayed spell came out nicely, right? But it’s obvious for those kinds of things to hit! You know why? “BECAUSE THAT IDIOT TAKAMICHI WAS LIKE ‘I WONDER HOW MUCH NEGI-KUN HAS GROWN?’ AND ‘I WONDER WHAT NEGI-KUN WILL DO NOW?’ AND WAITED FOR YOU WHILE WAGGING HIS TAIL!!!” She stomped down on Negi’s head and started grinding it into the floor. “IT’S OBVIOUS THAT HE’D GET HIT! Plus, what was with that hesitation in the middle?! Are you slow?! Get a grip on the cues and counter-attack faster! Basically, you’re still completely no good! You understand?!” “Y-y-yes!” Negi cried. “Understood, Master!” Evangeline huffed and took her foot off his head, letting him stand as she turned away. “Well… I thought the initial instant movement and the idea for the final technique were good. That’s all.” Sunset snorted. “Come now, Evangeline. Even you have to admit that his kenpo training has paid off. He’s advanced far more quickly than you thought he would. He’s legitimately on Takamichi’s level in terms of speed, at least.” “But I was no match for his power,” Negi admitted. “I knew Takamichi was strong, but not that strong.” “I had a vague understanding,” Sunset said, “but it’s always different when you actually see the power on display. In terms of raw power, he surpasses me in my prime.” She smirked. “Of course, the fact that he’s unable to cast spells means even novice mages trump him on versatility.” “Eh? What do you mean?” Negi asked. “She means what she said,” Evangeline said. “Takamichi is unable to shape magic or ki beyond the very basics. He can use either of them to strengthen himself and fire off blasts of raw mana, but he’s unable to form it into spells or advanced ki techniques. Raw power is honestly all he has going for him.” “And the skill and intellect to apply it,” Sunset added. “Raw power applied with surgical precision is terrifying.” She smirked down at Negi. “And that’s where Takamichi and I have an edge: application. With our long warrior careers, tournaments like this are low-stake sparring matches. You’d better come at me like you’re trying to kill me, Wildfire, or you won’t survive our match.” “Aren’t you assuming quite a bit there, Nichibotsu?” Setsuna and Asuna entered the tent, having been held up talking to Takamichi. “After all, you’ll have to win your first two matches before you can face him.” Sunset turned her smirk to Setsuna. “I’ll admit I’m a little concerned about my first match, but I don’t plan to lose to you in the quarter-finals. You may have me beat in pure martial prowess, but I’ve got a lot of tricks up my sleeves.” “Hey! What about me?!” Asuna demanded. “It might not be Setsuna-san you end up facing, you know!” Sunset turned to Asuna, staring at her expressionlessly for a moment. “So anyway,” she turned back to Setsuna, “I look forward to beating you and making your beloved kendo club cry.” Setsuna ignored Asuna’s indignant griping and faced Sunset head-on. “Assuming I meet you in the quarter-finals, I too look forward to our match. I just hope your boxing club is not too disappointed in the outcome.” “They might be sad I didn’t use pure boxing to put you in your place,” Sunset conceded. “But I think they’ll cheer for you getting knocked down a peg nonetheless.” “Is that so?” A small smirk crept onto Setsuna’s face. “Care to make a-” “Negi-kun! Are you alright?!” “Negi-sensei! You were awesome!” “That match looked like a movie or something!” Setsuna was cut off as several more students invaded the medical tent. Haruna and Konoka were in the lead, followed closely by Yue and Nodoka. Chizuru and Natsumi entered after them, making a beeline for Kotarou. “Wait a second, people!” Asuna said, trying to block them from getting further in. “This place is off-limits except to contestants!” “Like that was ever going to stop our class,” Sunset muttered, stepping back to dodge the swarm as it descended on Negi. “You were saying, Setsuna?” Setsuna shook her head. “Let’s leave that for after our first matches are finished.” Sunset shrugged and watched as Haruna and Konoka started grilling Negi about the match and his injuries respectively. “He sure is popular,” she muttered. “It’s a peculiar talent to so easily win the support and admiration of so many.” “It’s about the only thing he has in common with his father,” Evangeline agreed. She chuckled and turned to Asuna. “Come to think of it, you were pretty intense back there, weren’t you?” “Huh?” Asuna asked, confused. “That’s right,” Sunset said, catching on. “What was it again? ‘What are you doing? Stand up already.’ Something like that, right?” “TH-THAT’S NOT-” Asuna shook her head violently. “I was just frustrated because it looked like he hadn’t improved one bit! I didn’t mean anything by it! I-” “Aw,” Sunset teased. “It’s so cute seeing an onee-chan getting all protective of her beloved kid brother.” “AGH! WOULD YOU QUIT TALKING LIKE THAT?!” “Wait, what do you mean?” Setsuna asked, confused. “Oh come on,” Sunset said, rolling her eyes. “I mean, isn’t it obvious that that’s what their dynamic is? The way she’s always fussing over him despite pretending not to be concerned? The way she’s always looking out for him even though she insists he’s nothing but a nuisance? What else could you call them except siblings?” “Argh!” Asuna threw her hands in the air. “You’re impossible.” She stomped away towards Negi and almost immediately started berating her classmates for crowding him while he was still injured. “Huh,” Setsuna muttered, watching her. “She really is like an older sister to him.” “But really, I was so into it, Negi-kun!” Haruna’s voice rose above the rest of the commotion. “I was really into the fight! Even if this is the Mahora Festival where anything goes, that just now was different! To have a fight between our homeroom teacher and our former homeroom teacher - wow! And hey, you were also using those weird ‘long-hits’ or ‘ki’ or whatever, right?!” Negi laughed nervously, his eyes darting away. “A-hah, well, that is…” Actually, he’s one of the few people in this tournament who can’t use ki. Sunset gazed lazily around the tent as a realization slowly dawned on her. Wait a minute. Evangeline, Kotarou, Setsuna, Wildfire, and I have all been in the Inner World from birth. Asuna, Honya, Konoka, and Nodoka are learning. Ku has been initiated. And if Kotarou is living with them, then there’s no doubt that Chizuru and Natsumi know at least a little about magic and such. Which means the only one here who doesn’t know is... “Hmm-hmm,” Haruna hummed as she nodded. “No wonder you’re Ku Fei’s apprentice. ‘Ki,’ is it? But I have to say, rather than ‘ki,’ with what you and Takamichi-sensei were throwing around, it felt more like watching ‘magic’ instead.” Negi’s face filled with panic. “EH?!” He held up his hands, getting ready to fervently deny it. “Good eye, Haruna. You’re right; that was magic.” Every eye in the tent turned to Sunset, several faces going pale as she held up a practice wand, a small flame flickering at the end. Negi, Konoka, and Nodoka stared in horror. Asuna and Setsuna’s faces bore shock. Yue stared indifferently. Chizuru’s eyebrows rose slightly while Natsumi wore a mixed expression of surprise and wonder. Haruna just laughed and waved Sunset off. “Good one, Nichi-chan! You almost had me fooled with that fancy lighter.” Sunset raised an eyebrow and poured more magic into the wand, causing the little flame to surge into a formidable inferno within the cramped tent. She quickly dismissed it before tossing the wand to Haruna. “Catch. Find the trigger.” Haruna fumbled the wand for a minute before finally gripping it, beads of sweat running down her forehead. “Wait.” She turned the wand over in her hands, her face beginning to fill with excitement. “Wait wait wait wait wait. There’s nothing on here. This looks like just a toy wand. Which means…” She slowly looked up at a horror-struck Negi. “Magic.” “THE REPAIRS TO THE STAGE HAVE BEEN COMPLETED IN RECORD TIME! WILL THE NEXT TWO CONTESTANTS PLEASE REPORT TO THE CHANGING ROOM!” “Oh look,” Sunset said flippantly, “it’s time for you to go.” She grabbed Asuna and Negi’s arms and started to drag them towards the exit, Setsuna following quickly. “You need to get ready, Asuna. And the two of you need to talk about your pactio, right? You’d better get going too, Wildfire.” “Eh?!” Negi’s eyes were darting frantically between Sunset and Haruna, the latter of whom was staring at him like a starved hyena stares at a newly-discovered carcas. “B-but I- you- Haruna-san-” “I’ll handle Haruna,” she said, all but shoving Negi and Asuna out of the tent. “Setsuna, enjoy your match. Asuna, try not to get pummeled too hard.” She let Setsuna duck swiftly out of the tent - the rest of the contestants following quickly in her wake - before yanking the flap closed and placing herself in front of it, turning to face Haruna with a smirk. “I’m sure you have questions.” ***** Sunset allowed Haruna to grill her for only a few minutes, during which she was able to relate her and Negi’s status as mages, inform her that she was from another dimension, and impress upon her the secretive nature of this information. When asked as she was leaving why she’d decided to come clean, she’d shrugged. “Yue and Honya are mages-in-training under me. Konoka is from a powerful magical line and is being tutored by Evangeline. All of your closest friends are in on the secret, and Wildfire is terrible at keeping it under wraps anyway. Besides, everyone else in this tent has at least a basic knowledge of magic.” Sunset had chuckled darkly to herself as she’d left the tent, leaving Nodoka, Yue, and the others to Haruna’s mercy. She now stood watching as Asuna and Setsuna walked out towards the stage. Both were dressed in maid outfits, the latter also wearing cat ears and a tail. Setsuna carried a long-handled push-broom while Asuna bore her giant harisen artifact. “Whose idea was the outfits?” Sunset asked Evangeline. “Because I’d like to thank them on behalf of the audience.” “Hmm,” Evangeline muttered, her eyes scanning the crowd. Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong?” “It’s that hooded guy,” Evangeline growled, her voice thick with distaste. “I found out who he is while you were yammering away with Saotome.” “Oh? And who is he?” Evangeline sighed and shook her head. “He’s insisting on going by his ridiculous alias - Colonel Sanders - for now, but suffice to say that he’s a friend of the boy’s father. A powerful and enigmatic mage with a terrible personality who’s been missing for almost ten years. And apparently, he knows something of Kagurazaka’s past.” “Asuna’s?” Sunset thought back a bit. “She came to Mahora with amnesia at, like, age six, right? Konoka told me that the Principal took her in as a favor. But wait, if this ‘Colonel Sanders’ knew Asuna and the Thousand Master, and so did Konoka’s old man, does that mean that Asuna and the Thousand Master…” “It’s possible,” Evangeline muttered. “I’d even say likely.” She started grinding her teeth together. “What’s worse, he said he was going to help Kagurazaka out with her match. I don’t know what he’s planning, but I don’t like it.” Sunset shrugged as Kazumi announced the start of the next match. “Well, I don’t see how. If he steps into the arena, he’ll be disqualified. In any case, I wonder how long until Setsuna-” Two weapons collided powerfully in the center of the stage, sending a shockwave rippling outwards. The audience went momentarily silent at the display of power before erupting into cheers. Setsuna and Asuna stood facing each other, weapons at the ready, both of them shocked by what had just happened. It was so fast that Sunset had almost missed it. Setsuna had held nothing back, closing in in an instant and sending a powerful strike at Asuna’s side. Asuna had moved - far faster than Sunset had ever seen her move - and blocked the strike with apparent ease. “...something’s off.” Sunset glared at the stage, her eyes intent on Asuna. A fluke? Asuna and Setsuna took off, dashing across the stage and exchanging blows at a ridiculously rapid pace. All the while, the novice Asuna was somehow keeping pace with the trained Shinmeiryu swordswoman in both speed and power. Blow after blow sent waves of force exploding out from where their weapons met. “THIS IS UNEXPECTED!” Kazumi commentated. “THE MAID-UNIFORM-WEARING HIGH-SCHOOL GIRLS ARE FIGHTING WAY BEYOND EVERYONE’S EXPECTATIONS! IT SEEMS THAT THE INTENSITY FROM THE PREVIOUS MATCHES HAS NOT DROPPED AT ALL! IT’S OBVIOUS, BUT THE MALE CROWDS WHO ARE SEEING THIS ARE APPLAUDING WITH PRAISES!” “This is ridiculous,” Sunset muttered, watching as Asuna matched Setsuna blow for blow. “I’ve seen a couple of Asuna’s lessons, and there’s no way she should be keeping up with Setsuna.” Evangeline was far less reserved in her protests. “WHY?!” she shouted. “Why does Kagurazaka Asuna have that much physical ability?! Being a brute-force monkey isn’t enough to explain this!” “Huhuhu. Those are the original talents of Asuna-san.” Sunset’s head snapped to the side. The hooded contestant stood there, watching the match with amusement. Sunset hadn’t even sensed him arrive and, by the looks of surprise on Evangeline and Kaede’s faces, neither had anyone else. “Why you-” Evangeline griped. “What did you do to that girl back there?!” “Nothing really,” Colonel Sanders replied. “All I did was give her a little push. How about it, Evangeline, old friend. Shall we make a bet? I will bet on the victory of Asuna-san.” “What?” Evangeline glared up at Sanders. “...what’s your wager?” “Information about Asuna-san.” Evangeline huffed. “Fine. It doesn’t matter what you did, I can’t imagine that girl defeating Sakurazaki.” “That means that the bet is on, right?” Sanders smirked under his hood. “Then, on the occasion where that Shinmeiryu swordsgirl loses…” He shuffled around in his robes before pulling something out. “I will have you and Nichibotsu-chan enter the next match wearing these school swimsuits.” “WHAT THE HELL?! WHY DO YOU HAVE THOSE THINGS?!” Why does it look like that one is in my size? Sunset wondered as she turned her eyes back to the match. This guy. He’s beyond me. Powerful enough to slip past Kaede’s senses, and utterly focused on frustrating Evangeline. She shook her head. I’d better stay out of this for now. But I’ll definitely be grilling Evangeline for that information later. Asuna and Setsuna continued to collide in rapid series of attacks. Setsuna’s form was fluid and precise, moving from one form to the next. Asuna, by contrast, had neither form nor style, wielding her harisen like a bludgeon more than a blade. The two were evenly matched, and one massive strike forced the two of them apart. They eyed each other warily, both of their faces determined. Suddenly, Asuna turned towards Sunset and the other contestants, pointing dramatically. “Negi!” she shouted. “Take a good look!” A quick glance around told Sunset that Negi and Kotarou were both absent. A shout drew everyone’s attention up to the stands where the two missing contestants were waving at Asuna. Asuna turned her finger up to Negi, glaring in determination. “Take a good look at me,” she shouted dramatically. “I’ll show you how capable I am of protecting you as your partner!” The audience oo’d and cheered while Kazumi smirked at Asuna. “OOH! COULD THIS BE A BRAVE LOVE CONFESSION RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A MATCH?!” “THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT, YOU-” Asuna stumbled slightly, suddenly looking drained. Sunset watched as she shook her head a bit before looking up as if listening to someone. Telepathy? Sunset wondered. Is that how Sanders is helping her? What is he… Sunset’s thoughts trailed off. She leaned forward, bracing herself on the railing. A chill ran down her spine. Asuna was gathering mana into her hands. Magic in the left hand. Ki in the right.She brought them together. Power flared. Kanka! “IMPOSSIBLE!” Evangeline shouted. “Magic-ki synthesis took Takamichi years to learn at my resort! For her to do that so easily-” “Yes, Takamichi sure worked hard,” Sanders interrupted. “It’s a highly difficult technique that allows the user to obtain amazing powers by combining ki and magic and melding one’s inner body with the outside. The power obtained by combining opposite powers is incredible, as you can see. For Asuna-san, though an amature in many things, and even though she is currently unable to go head-to-head with Takamichi-kun, nevertheless still has that much power.” It was a significant power boost. Sunset couldn’t quite judge it accurately at this distance, but she guessed that Asuna’s kanka was about on par with Negi’s magic-supported strength - a far cry from her previous merely athletic ability. She barely registered the railing groaning and cracking in her grip as she glared at Asuna. “AND WHY CAN THAT GIRL USE THAT?!” Evangeline shouted, giving voice to Sunset’s thoughts. “Huhuhu,” Sanders laughed. “I wonder why?” Asuna and Setsuna threw themselves back into the fray, broom striking harisen as they traded blow for blow. Neither was able to land a hit on the other as their battle carried them from one end of the stage to the other. “DAMN IT, SETSUNA!!!” Evangeline shouted. “What are you wasting your time for on the likes of Kagurazaka Asuna?! Beat her in five seconds! No! Kill her!” “Evangeline,” Sanders teased, “shall we take the stakes even higher?” “WHAT?!?!” “Let me in on this.” The words were out of Sunset’s mouth before she could stop them. If it gets me another clue as to how to pull off kanka, I can take a little embarrassment in the next round. Sanders hummed to himself. “Very well. Then I will wager to you everything I know and understand about how to pull off the kanka technique. As for you, Evangeline, my wager is Nagi Springfield. Information about the Thousand Master.” Evangeline’s wrath vanished for a moment. She stared in open-mouthed shock at Sanders. “What do you think?” he teased. “Will you stay on the bet?” Sunset looked away to hide her smirk as Evangeline’s wrath rapidly returned. Oh, this guy is good. “OF COURSE I’LL STAY ON THE BET!!!” “Huhuhu,” Sanders laughed. “Understood. Well then, for you…” he reached into his robe again. “Let’s add on glasses and sailor clothes and make you a catgirl.” “STOP SCREWING AROUND!!!!!” “And for Nichibotsu-chan, let’s swap out the swimsuit for this bunny-girl outfit.” “Why do you have these outfits in my size?!” Sunset shook her head and returned her full attention to the match, putting the bet out of her mind. It doesn’t matter, anyway. Neither of them is landing a solid blow, but Setsuna is getting closer and closer while Asuna is defending more and more. It won’t take long for the tide to definitively turn. This match is- Asuna ducked. Her left hand shot out, catching Setsuna’s sword arm and forcing it upwards. She rammed her right shoulder forward, striking Setsuna with a body blow and sending the swordswoman to the ground. Her right arm came down, her harisen coming to rest at Setsuna’s throat. The momentum had been reversed in less than two seconds. Sunset stared in shock. Evangeline stared in shock. Asuna stared equally in shock. Setsuna, though likewise surprised, capitalized on that shock to spin her legs up, knocking Asuna’s weapon aside as she leapt to her feet and jumped back. What the Hell just happened?! Setsuna charged, thrusting forward. Asuna ducked again, spinning to the right and striking Setsuna in the side. Setsuna stepped back to recover, only to find Asuna stepping inside her guard to kick her in the stomach and send her flying back. Setsuna switched to full defense, weathering Asuna’s blows which struck now with a heretofore unseen precision. Impossible! Sunset raged in her mind, the railing splintering as her grip crushed it. I know that actual combat is the best teacher, but Asuna is pulling out moves that I KNOW Setsuna hasn’t taught her! How is she suddenly fighting like a veteran?! She studied Asuna carefully, looking for any tell. Any clue. “HEEEEEEY!!! SAKURAZAKI SETSUNA!!!” Evangeline was beside herself with panicked rage. “AS A KYOTO SHINMEIRYU SWORDSMAN JUST LIKE EISHUN, HOW CAN YOU NOT HANDLE AN AMATURE WHO’S ONLY POWERED UP A LITTLE?! DEFEAT HER NOW! I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO LOSE!!!” “B-but,” Setsuna risked a glance back at Evangeline. “These movements! She knows exactly how to-” “DON’T BE FOOLED!” Evangeline grabbed Sanders by the neck of his robe, forcing him down to her level as she pointed at him. “IT’S ONLY BECAUSE THIS GUY IS ADVISING HER!!!” She quickly stuck him in a headlock, Sanders laughing unconcernedly all the while. “YOU CHEATING BASTARD! STOP USING TELEPATHY!!!” “She’s using kanka somehow!” Sunset joined in. “And now she’s getting high on herself just because of a little boost in raw power! Show her what happens when you try to brute force your way through someone who’s spent a lifetime perfecting their abilities!” “IF YOU LOOSE,” Evangeline threatened, “SOMETHING INCREDIBLY EMBARRASSING WILL HAPPEN TO ME! IF YOU DARE LOOSE, I’LL MAKE YOU FEEL THE SAME - NO - EVEN WORSE HUMILIATION IN REVENGE! AND IN FRONT OF YOUR BELOVED OJOU-SAMA, TOO!!!” “WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!” Despite the blush now coloring her face, Setsuna turned back to face Asuna, her grip tightening on her broom, resolve on her face. Asuna, in contrast, seemed to be hesitating, glancing towards Sanders occasionally. Setsuna moved. Her ki swelled as she slashed both of her arms horizontally, a wave of force smashing into the ground at Asuna’s feet. Splinters flew, forcing Asuna to shield her face. Setsuna took advantage of her opponent's blindness to leap high, gathering ki into her broom to bring down on Asuna. Finally, Sunset thought, leaning forward eagerly. Your Shinmeiryu techniques. Show me what I’ll be facing in my second match! Asuna lowered her arms as Setsuna descended. Her eyes went wide. There was no time to dodge. She brought up her harisen. Power surged. Asuna’s blade cut Setsuna’s broom in two. Gasps and cries of shock echoed throughout the audience. Sunset’s jaw dropped. Where Asuna had once held a comically large paper fan, she now wielded a massive blade, black as night and as long as she was tall. The edge of the blade extended down past where it met the hilt, doubling as a hand-guard. The monstrosity must have weighed several hundred pounds, yet Asuna hefted it with apparent ease. Power coursed through the blade as naturally as it did through Asuna herself. Setsuna leapt back, staring in shock between her ki-reinforced broom and Asuna’s sword. Asakura took a step forward, raising a hand. “W-WAIT ASUNA-SAN! BLADED WEAPONS ARE-” “Wait!” Setsuna shouted. “Stay back, Asakura-san!” Asuna rushed forward, an odd look in her eye. Her blade came swinging down, hundreds of pounds of bladed steel ready to crush Setsuna like an insect. Setsuna dodged to the side at the last possible moment, stepping forward inside Asuna’s reach. She grabbed Asuna’s right arm, hooked her leg around Asuna’s knee, and leapt. Setsuna spun Asuna twice through the air before slamming her down onto the stage. “A-AH, A SPLENDID GRAPPLING MOVE FROM CONTESTANT SAKURAZAKI,” the color-commentator said, obviously in shock. “I’VE NEVER SEEN THAT PARTICULAR TECHNIQUE BEFORE, BUT IT WAS WONDERFULLY EXECUTED. VERY BRAVE OF HER TO STEP IN SO CLOSE AGAINST AN OPPONENT WITH A LETHAL WEAPON.” “AND SPEAKING OF SUCH WEAPONS,” Kazumi added, “AS IF BY MAGIC, A GIANT SWORD HAS SUDDENLY FOUND ITS WAY INTO CONTESTANT KAGURAZAKA’S HANDS! I’M GETTING CONFIRMATION NOW FROM THE JUDGES THAT THE BLADE IS REAL! SO ALTHOUGH IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE DISPLAY OF TECHNIQUES, BLADED WEAPONS ARE FORBIDDEN IN THIS TOURNAMENT! THEREFORE, CONTESTANT SAKURAZAKI SETSUNA WINS!!!” The audience’s reaction was mixed, many of them too confused by what had happened to cheer. Many people were shouting, wanting to know where Asuna’s other weapon had gone and how she’d gotten that sword. Sunset’s mind was awhirl with other questions. Asuna’s movements at the end had been different, as had been her expression. It had only been for a few seconds, and she’d been too far away for Sunset to tell for sure, but… Was that… bloodlust? “...ha.” Evangeline captured Sunset’s attention as she collapsed to her knees, her face full of shocked relief. “Ha ha. I… I won.” Sunset rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Evangeline. Would a little embarrassment really have been that bad? It’s not like it really would have mattered once our match got started.” Evangeline’s face turned red and she glared up at Sunset. “S-s-shut up!!! A stupid horse has no room to talk about what is and isn’t embarrassing! In any case,” she pulled herself to her feet and turned a triumphant grin on Sanders, “how’s that?! It doesn’t matter whether it was a bet on others or what, it was foolish of you to think you could win against me!” Sanders chuckled. “Honestly, I’m perfectly satisfied just seeing you looking so panicked again after all this time.” “Wh- YOU BASTARD!” Evangeline leapt up, grabbing Sanders by the neck and trying to strangle him. “THAT WAS YOUR PLAN FROM THE START, WASN’T IT?!” “Of course!” he replied cheerily. “I would have given you the information even without the bet.” “YOU SON OF A BITCH!!! ALL THIS JUST TO PLAY AROUND WITH ME AGAIN?!” “Puting Evangeline’s humiliation aside for a moment,” Sunset interjected, “you did promise us information.” Sanders hummed in staged contemplation, completely ignoring Evangeline’s ineffectual attempts to strangle him. “Well, Kitty and I have a lot of catching up to do, and we have a tournament to finish. Let’s leave that for after the festival.” “...’Kitty?’” “IF YOU EVER CALL ME THAT, I WILL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!!!” Sunset filed the nickname away for later and nodded to Sanders. “Fair enough. You gave me a few hints with your description of the technique, anyway. I look forward to facing you in the finals.” “Ah yes, I did do that, didn’t I?” Sanders finally pulled Evangeline off of himself and set her on the ground. “I suppose I should give you a little taste as well, though I guess it would be fair to call it the conclusion.” Evangeline glared up at him, but restrained herself from further assault. “Conclusion?” “Indeed.” Sanders’ face suddenly turned serious. “About the Thousand Master. Nagi is alive.” Evangeline’s face filled with shock. “Wh-what?” “Nagi is alive, somewhere in this world. I guarantee it. But Evangeline, it’s possible that the day you hope for, when you finally meet him again, will never come.” “...hmph.” Evangeline shrugged him off and turned away. “Another prediction that will never come true? That’s a bad habit.” Sanders chuckled. “Is that so? Well, the rest can wait until after the festival. I believe you two have a match to get ready for. I’ll take my leave for now.” And with nary a spark of power, he vanished. “Che. As irritating as ever.” Evangeline stalked off towards the medical tent. “I left our supplies over there. I’ll meet you on the stage.” Sunset shrugged and made her way towards the walkway that led out to the stage, arriving just as Setsuna and Asuna returned. “That was quite the performance, Asuna. I had no idea you were able to use kanka.” “Huh?” Asuna blinked in surprise at Sunset’s approach. “Oh. Yeah, that was strange. I had no idea I could do that.” “No idea?” Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “Then how exactly did you pull it off?” Asuna crossed her arms and closed her eyes, humming to herself as she frowned. “I really don’t know. I just sort of let my mind go blank like Colonel Sanders-san told me to. Everything else… it just felt natural, you know?” No. I don’t. That’s the problem. Tch, interrogating her will be useless. Sunset shook her head. Well, whatever. I’ll be getting Sander’s information soon enough. “THE REPAIRS ARE COMPLETED! AND WE THANK CONTESTANTS SAKURAZAKI AND KAGURAZAKA FOR NOT TEARING UP THE STAGE TOO BADLY THIS TIME! WILL CONTESTANT HIKARU AND CONTESTANT MACDOWELL PLEASE REPORT TO THE STAGE?” “Guess that’s our cue.” Evangeline walked up, three large items in her arms. She handed two of them to Sunset, keeping the third for herself. “You sure this is how you want to handle this match?” Sunset nodded as they started walking out towards the stage to confused applause. “It’s something I’ve been wanting to try for a while. Besides, I think the audience could use a break from high-intensity slug-fests. Let’s give them a more civilized contest.” The audience and Kazumi seemed confused as Sunset and Evangeline set up their equipment: a small table and a couple of folding chairs. Sunset gestured Kazumi closer and took the microphone from her hand. “In thanks to - and consideration for - the hard-working repair crews who have been more than pulling their weight these last few matches, Evangeline and I have elected to conduct this test of skill and strength in a much more straightforward manner. A simple arm-wrestle will determine the winner of the eighth match. Rest assured, whoever wins will provide plenty of carnage and destruction in her next bout.” Ignoring the mixed reaction of amusement and disappointment from the audience, Sunset made her way back to the table and sat across from Evangeline. The set their elbows on the table and grasped hands, staring into each others' eyes. “I GUESS IT’S MY JOB TO COUNT THEM DOWN.” Kazumi stepped around to the side of the table. “ON MY MARK!” “You ready for this, horse meat?” “GET SET!” “Bring it on, blood-sucker.” “MATCH EIGHT, BEGIN!” Sunset surrendered herself, and fell into Evangeline’s eyes.