Chương 87: Horrible Taste in My Mouth

Noah walked back toward his side of the tunnel, the Lion King fading from his hand as the roar of the crowd followed him underground. Amber stood near the opposite entrance, preparing for her match against Nikolai. Her purple armor had already been secured around her body, and the carved pumpkin covering her head wore its usual crooked grin.

"That was a good fight." She turned toward Noah.

"It's a shame that psychopath ruined the ending." Noah's jaw tightened. Amber rested one of her gardening scythes against her shoulder.

"Cyrus has told me quite a bit about you, though he never mentioned you carried so much fury." Her voice became playful.

"He mostly described you as a golden retriever puppy." Noah sighed.

"Everyone seems to say that about me." He glanced back toward the arena.

"I'm usually not like this." The memory of Nikolai's smile returned. The casual way he had spoken about devouring Walter's body. Noah's hands clenched.

"But that man…" His nails dug into his palms.

"I hate him from the bottom of my heart." Darkness stirred faintly beneath his skin.

"Every part of me wants to tear him apart limb by limb." Amber studied him for a moment. Then she laughed.

"Unfortunately, that dream will never come true." Noah looked toward her.

"That scoundrel's head will belong to me." Amber spun her scythe once before resting it against her shoulder again.

"Bringing Helheim the head of one of history's greatest heretics should earn me a respectable amount of fame." Noah managed a small smile.

"Careful." Amber tilted her pumpkin head.

"You're raising a lot of death flags." He walked past her.

"If you die now, you'll never get the chance to ask Cyrus out." Amber froze.

"Cyrus?" She spun toward him so quickly that her armor rattled.

"Has he spoken about me?" Her voice rose with sudden excitement.

"Does he like me too?"

"No." Noah shook his head.

"Nothing like that." Amber's shoulders immediately dropped.

"It's just that Nox already knows you like him." Noah glanced back at her.

"You don't seem particularly good at hiding it." Amber stared at him through the hollow eyes of her pumpkin mask.

"Whatever." She turned away with a huff.

"Fine." Her grip tightened around her scythes as she faced the arena entrance.

"I'll survive." She raised one blade.

"I'll take Nikolai's head." The second followed.

"And then I'll ask Cyrus out." Amber marched toward the light.

"Just watch me." Noah stopped and looked after her.

"I can't root for you to win." He still needed Nikolai to advance. He needed the chance to face him personally. But as Amber stepped into the arena, Noah quietly added—"I just hope you don't die." Ars's voice boomed throughout the arena as he raised what appeared to be a fried cactus coated in butter and brown sugar. Apparently, it was a Lævateinn delicacy.

"Entering from the right is a woman who has become a walking calamity for her enemies!" The right-side gate slowly opened. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"They say that if she ever turned her hatred against mankind, the world would have no choice but to crown her with the title of Witch!" Amber stepped into the arena, her purple armor gleaming beneath the sunlight.

"A woman born with the same ability once possessed by the First Apocalypse herself!" Ars pointed dramatically toward her.

"Please welcome Amber Hallow!" The crowd erupted. Amber remained perfectly calm as she crossed the sand, both gardening scythes resting against her shoulders. Her pumpkin mask turned toward the stands.

"Just watch me, Cyrus." She smiled beneath it.

"I'll perform so well that you'll never be able to take your eyes off me." Cyrus stared at her from the Helheim section. Nox leaned toward him.

"I think she wants you to watch."

"I gathered that." Ars swallowed a large bite of cactus before turning toward the opposite gate.

"And entering from the left is a fighter I decided to research more thoroughly!" Nikolai's gate began to rise.

"The only known surviving member of House Hermes!" Nikolai stepped into the sunlight, his hands tucked loosely into his pockets and his face completely relaxed.

"A man reported to have been alive during the infamous Hermes Family Massacre!" His relaxed expression stiffened.

"A massacre in which every other member of the family was discovered dead!" The crowd grew quieter.

"Many of the corpses were missing entire pieces of flesh." Ars lowered the cactus.

"And according to the autopsy reports, human bite marks covered what remained of their bodies." Nikolai continued walking. But the smile had disappeared from his face.

"Please welcome Nikolai Hermes!" Scattered cheers rose from the crowd. Nikolai stopped across from Amber and released a quiet sigh.

"I always get a foul taste in my mouth whenever I remember that night." His golden eyes settled upon her.

"Hopefully, devouring you whole will finally remove it." Amber twirled one of her scythes.

"You're welcome to try." Before the fight could begin, Ars leaned forward with obvious curiosity.

"Nikolai!" He looked toward the balcony.

"I've always wondered something." Ars rested the fried cactus against his shoulder.

"The culprit behind your family's massacre was never identified." Nikolai's gaze darkened.

"Do you have any idea who might have been responsible?" The arena became silent.

"Based on the bite marks found upon the bodies, investigators believed the murderer was human." Ars smiled innocently.

"Someone who apparently ate each member of your family alive." His excitement only grew.

"History is something of a hobby of mine, so I would love to finally learn the truth." A memory flashed through Nikolai's mind. His younger sister's dismembered corpse lying across the floor. The remains of his family painted against the walls. His uncle hanging from the chandelier, every limb torn from his body. Blood covering Nikolai's hands. And the taste of flesh lingering inside his mouth. His golden eyes became empty.

"No." The word came out cold.

"The killer was never found." Nikolai looked away from Ars.

"Just as you said." His fingers curled inside his pockets.

"I have no idea who did it."

"Can we get this match over with?" Nikolai rolled his shoulders.

"I'd like to drown my taste buds in cheap whiskey." His body began to change. Crimson light spread through his veins as his skin thickened into a dark, leathery hide.

"Don't bother trying the same trick you used against the princess." Heat radiated from his body.

"I replaced my blood with lava. Any plants you try to infect me with will be burned away." Amber's grip tightened around her scythes. Nikolai's flesh shifted again, adopting the physiology of the lava salamanders that lived near the great volcano at the center of Muspelheim. His blood no longer carried oxygen. It burned. Crimson scales spread across his arms and chest. The draconic traits he had stolen from Walter Fafnir. Amber tilted her head.

"Aren't you adaptable?" She sighed dramatically.

"How annoying." Her scythes crossed before her.

"I was planning to transform your brain into a thick, fluffy bush." Nikolai stared at her. Then laughed.

"Damn." He tapped one finger against his temple.

"That really is a terrifying ability." Amber lowered herself into a stance. Nikolai glanced toward the imperial balcony.

"Alright, Lord Fatass." Ars's smile twitched.

"Start the match." Ars raised one greasy hand.

"Let the second match of the quarterfinals begi—" Nikolai vanished. He crossed the arena before Ars could finish speaking. Amber barely had time to react before Nikolai appeared directly in front of her.

"I'll turn your brain into mush." His right arm transformed. Crimson scales covered the limb as his fist became that of a flaming dragon.

"Just like you wanted to do to mine." He punched Amber directly in the face. The pumpkin mask shattered. Wooden fragments scattered across the arena as Amber was launched backward. She struck the sand, bounced once, and slid several meters before coming to a stop. For the first time, her face was revealed. Long green hair spilled around her shoulders. Blood ran from her forehead, passing over brilliant crimson eyes and a face far more delicate than her violent reputation suggested. Amber pushed herself upright.

Nikolai examined his smoking fist.

"Damn." He clicked his tongue.

"Too weak." Amber touched the blood running down her face. Then she looked at the remains of her mask. Her crimson eyes narrowed.

"You'll pay for that." Nikolai raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't want Cyrus to see my face until our wedding night." The Helheim section became completely silent. Nox slowly turned toward his brother.

"Did she really just admit that?" Cyrus sat frozen in place. His eyes remained fixed upon Amber as though his mind had stopped functioning entirely. Nox looked between them. Then a wide grin spread across his face.

"I'd better be the best man."