Chương 67: Ōkami's Love

Three fights were scheduled for the day. Half an hour after Noah and Ava left the arena floor, the next match was ready to begin. One of the heavy gates opened. Nox stepped into the arena with a smile, raising one hand toward the cheering crowd. His white fox ears twitched beneath the noise, while the black mask covering the lower half of his face hid most of his expression. The opposite gate opened moments later. A man dressed in white robes walked calmly onto the sand. A katana rested at his side.

Medium-length blond hair fell to his shoulders, framing pale skin and cold blue eyes that seemed almost lifeless. To the audience, he was Elijah Ōkami. The famed Red Lotus Assassin. A man thought to have died years ago. But beneath another name and another face— He was Inari.

"Good luck, cutie!" Luna called from the stands, waving enthusiastically.

"When you're finished, let's get drunk together!" Elijah's posture stiffened. He looked away, but not before a faint blush crossed his face. Over the past six months, the two of them had grown unexpectedly close. Luna leaned over the railing with a delighted smile. Elijah pretended not to notice her. Lord Ars rose from the imperial balcony.

"We have an especially entertaining match for you today!" The crowd roared.

"Two members of the same clan!" He pointed toward Nox.

"Both children abandoned by the Primordial Trickster!" The excitement in the stands dimmed slightly at the brutal introduction. Ars either did not notice or did not care.

"On the right, we have one of Helheim's Seven Generals!" Nox raised his hand again.

"Nox Ōkami!" Cheers erupted from the Helheim section of the audience. Then Ars pointed toward Elijah.

"And on the left, the famed Red Lotus Assassin!" Elijah rested one hand against the hilt of his katana.

"A man believed to have died years ago, only to suddenly reappear for this tournament!" Ars laughed.

"Elijah Ōkami!" The arena shook beneath the crowd's excitement.

"You've got this, little brother!" Cyrus shouted from the stands. Elijah glanced toward him.

"Adopted brother?" His voice was calm.

"I doubt Mother would choose to have multiple children with the same man after abandoning one." Nox looked up at Cyrus. Then back at Elijah.

"Yeah." His eyes softened.

"But he's the best brother I could ask for." Cyrus froze in the stands. Then he adjusted his glasses to hide how deeply the words had affected him. Elijah studied Nox in silence. The two descendants of Ōkami stood across from each other, searching for familiar traits in faces they had never seen before.

"This is the first time I've met another member of the Ōkami clan," Nox said.

"Dad doesn't like talking about them."

"The same is true for me." Elijah's fingers rested loosely against his sword.

"They're an elusive group." His voice became quieter.

"Most children born into the main bloodline remain with Mother." Nox's ears lowered slightly.

"And the ones abandoned like us?" Elijah looked down at the sand.

"They usually kill themselves." The crowd nearest the arena grew quiet.

"Either that…" His blue eyes hardened.

"Or their fathers kill them first." Nox stared at him.

"Killed?" Pity entered his eyes.

"How cruel." Elijah watched that expression carefully. Then he slowly pushed back one of his sleeves. Scars covered his arm. Thin cuts. Deep burns. Old wounds layered over one another until there was almost no untouched skin left. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"I take it your father never blamed you for Mother abandoning him." Nox's gaze remained on the scars. Elijah lowered his arm.

"I was born without a single one of her traits." His voice stayed calm, which somehow made the words worse.

"No fox ears."

"No tail."

"No illusions." His hand tightened around the katana.

"To my father, I was only an ugly reminder that she had never loved either of us." Nox's expression hardened. Elijah drew his sword. The blade slid free with a soft metallic whisper.

"I envy you." Nox raised his hands, flames beginning to gather around his fingers. Elijah lowered the katana toward him.

"I won't kill you." His dead blue eyes narrowed.

"But I may cut you apart enough to make myself feel better." The arena fell silent. Nox's flames burned brighter.

"That isn't going to make you feel better." Elijah's grip tightened.

"No." A faint, empty smile crossed his face.

"But I'd still like to try." Nox raised one hand.

"Ability Activate—High Card." Two cards appeared between his fingers. The Two of Hearts. And the Six of Clubs. Elijah moved first. He rushed forward with his katana lowered at his side, his white robes flowing behind him. His movements were graceful, like leaves drifting through the wind. Nox flicked both cards. The Six of Clubs struck Elijah's arm. A glowing clock symbol appeared against his sleeve. The Two of Hearts embedded itself in the ground several meters ahead of him, creating a second clock.

Elijah's eyes narrowed. Two seconds passed. The ground exploded. Sand and stone erupted beneath Elijah's feet, launching him into the air and breaking the rhythm of his charge. He twisted mid-flight, trying to regain control. Then the symbol on his arm reached six. A second explosion detonated against him. This one was much stronger. Pain tore through Elijah's arm as smoke and torn fabric burst outward. The blast was not powerful enough to break bone, but it left the limb numb and burning.

Elijah landed lightly on the sand. His blue eyes moved from the damaged sleeve to the cards still held between Nox's fingers.

"I assume Mother didn't abandon you because you were weak." Nox remained silent.

"Clearly not." Elijah raised his katana.

"Then I assume it has something to do with the reason you wear that mask." Nox's fox ears lowered slightly. Elijah vanished.

"Spring Style—Pale Blue Bloom." One moment, he stood several meters away. The next, a trail of pale blue cherry blossoms filled the space between them. Nox's eyes widened. Elijah appeared directly beside him. His katana flashed toward Nox's neck. Nox threw himself backward. The blade passed close enough to cut several strands of white hair free. He stumbled across the sand, one hand rising instinctively toward his throat. Elijah stood where he had been, pale blue petals drifting around his blade.

"You're quick," Nox said. Elijah slowly turned toward him.

"You're alive." His grip tightened around the katana.

"That's enough for now." Pink petals began to spill from his white robes.

"Spring Style—Sakura Dance." Elijah moved with graceful, flowing steps as the blossoms swirled around him, obscuring the exact position of his body. But the petals were not merely decoration. Every motion disrupted the mana throughout the arena, throwing the surrounding energy into chaos and making the abilities of others unstable. Elijah possessed no ability of his own. So he had created a fighting style designed to drag everyone else down to his level. Nox acted quickly.

He pulled out the Five of Diamonds and threw it forward. A glowing clock appeared across the face of the card. Elijah's dead blue eyes tracked it.

"Not this time." The clock approached five.

"Spring Style—Sakura Mirage." The card exploded. Flames and force swallowed Elijah's body— Only for him to vanish. Nothing remained except scattered cherry blossoms. Nox's fox ears twitched. He spun around. Elijah was already behind him. His katana was raised overhead. Then the blade came down in a brutal arc. Nox barely managed to pull an Ace from his sleeve. A clock appeared instantly. Then detonated. The close-range explosion knocked Nox backward just enough to save his life. Elijah's katana missed his skull.

But it struck his mask. The black fabric split apart and fell into the sand. Nox froze. The arena went silent. His face had been revealed. One side was severely disfigured, the features twisted from birth beneath scarred, uneven flesh. This was why Ōkami had abandoned him. Not because he lacked strength. Not because he lacked potential. Because she had decided he was not beautiful enough to deserve her love. Nox's eyes widened in terror. He raised both hands, desperately trying to hide his face.

"Don't look at me!" Tears slipped between his fingers. The crowd remained painfully quiet. Elijah stared at him.

"Are you done fighting already?" Nox looked up. Elijah's expression was blank, but there was no disgust in his eyes. No mockery. No pity.

"Surely you're not deluding yourself into believing you're that ugly." Nox's hands trembled. Elijah rested the katana against his shoulder.

"Especially when compared to a mother who abandons her own children on a whim." Nox stared at him.

"You were fighting well," Elijah continued.

"So stand up." A faint smile appeared on his face.

"And keep going." From the stands, Cyrus shot to his feet.

"That's right!" Nox turned toward him.

"My brother is the most beautiful boy in the world!" Cyrus pointed toward the crowd.

"And anyone who disagrees can come down here so I can beat them senseless!" A few spectators immediately looked away. Nox stared at Cyrus. Then back at Elijah. His hands slowly lowered from his face. A small smile broke through his tears. He took a deep breath.

"Thanks, Brother." Cyrus smiled proudly. Nox looked toward Elijah.

"Both of you." His fingers tightened around the cards in his hand.

"You're good family." Elijah went still. For a moment, something cracked through the emptiness in his blue eyes. Nox raised his cards again. His exposed face remained visible to the entire arena. This time, he did not try to hide it.

"Now…" The Joker card began to glow.

"Let's keep going."