Chương 93: Watch as I Steal the Show

Two days later, the semifinals were scheduled to begin. Only four fighters remained: Noah Fafnir against Nikolai Hermes, followed by Charlie Jupiter against Alaric Sanguine. The victors of those two battles would face one another in the final match and claim the right to fight for Everfall. Noah sat quietly within the tunnel beneath the arena, his eyes closed and his breathing steady as the Lion King of Heroes rested across his knees.

Beyond the thick stone walls, thousands of spectators called his name, their voices blending into a distant roar that shook dust from the ceiling. Lux floated lazily beside him, golden butterflies drifting around her, yet for once the God of Hope seemed uncertain of what to say.

"Whatever happens out there…" Lux began. Noah opened one eye.

"Remain yourself." She folded her arms, attempting to sound stern despite the concern beneath her voice.

"Ava is watching, so be the same foolish boy you've always been. Don't allow that bastard to drag you down to his level." Her face twisted beneath the butterfly mask as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Ugh. That sounded far too sentimental." Lux cleared her throat and pointed sharply at him.

"Listen carefully. I've actually grown rather fond of you." Noah smiled.

"So if you turn into a scumbag like far too many of my previous Heroes, I'll smite you myself."

"Comforting."

"I'm serious."

"So am I." Noah lowered his gaze toward his hands. His fingers were still, but tension had settled beneath the calmness of his posture.

"I'm going to kill him." Lux fell silent.

"I don't think I can stop myself from wanting that," Noah admitted. The memory of Nikolai smiling as he spoke about Walter's flesh returned to him. That monster had devoured parts of his father and worn what remained of him like trophies, treating Walter's death as nothing more than a source of amusement. Noah's fingers tightened around the hilt of the Lion King, the same sword his father had held during his final moments.

"But I won't allow that hatred to consume me," Noah continued, lifting his head.

"As the Hero, every life I take must serve a purpose." His green eyes hardened as darkness stirred faintly beneath his skin.

"This world can't be changed through words alone. Some people will never stop hurting others unless someone forces them to. But I won't slaughter those who don't deserve it." Lux studied him in silence for several seconds before drifting closer.

"This world cannot be changed by your blade alone either." Noah looked toward her.

"When this tournament ends, remember to cherish the people standing beside you," she said. A golden butterfly settled upon his shoulder as Lux reached for his hand.

"Poverty cannot be cut apart. Famine cannot be stabbed through the heart, and no sword, no matter how powerful, can destroy every injustice in this world." Her fingers closed gently around his.

"Throughout every era, humanity has been blinded by the light of my Heroes and the shadows cast by Nihil's Apocalypses. Their battles become so enormous that ordinary suffering is forgotten beneath them." The people starving in distant villages would never be remembered in history. Neither would the children abandoned by families who considered them worthless, nor the countless quiet tragedies that occurred every day without a Hero or Apocalypse ever noticing them.

"So remain yourself," Lux continued, tightening her fingers around his hand.

"Remain that foolish boy who refuses to let even a single act of suffering go unanswered." Noah stared at her as golden light reflected within his eyes.

"That is what this world needs," Lux said softly.

"Not another murderer driven by revenge." Noah's expression softened.

"Don't worry." He squeezed her hand.

"I'll still be myself. That's all I know how to be." His familiar smile returned, causing some of the tension in Lux's shoulders to disappear.

"The same dumb puppy who wants to save everyone," Noah added.

"I never called you dumb."

"Everyone else does."

"They're allowed to be honest." Noah laughed, and Lux finally released his hand. She floated higher into the air before flipping herself upside down and drifting directly in front of him. Before Noah could question what she was doing, Lux gently held his head between her hands and pressed a soft kiss against his forehead. It was tender and warm, nothing like the overwhelming force of a divine blessing. It felt like something a mother might give her child before watching him walk into danger. Noah became still.

"This isn't another blessing," Lux said quietly, remaining close enough that the tip of her mask nearly touched his face.

"Consider it a good-luck charm." Her hands lingered against his cheeks. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Above everything else…" For the briefest moment, fear entered the God of Hope's voice.

"Please save yourself, my Hero." Noah looked up at her, then smiled.

"Just watch me." He rose to his feet and rested the Lion King against his shoulder. The light from the arena entrance stretched through the tunnel, illuminating the path ahead of him.

"I'll be fine," Noah said.

"So don't worry. Just cheer me on." He began walking toward the light.

"And I'd better hear you above everyone else." Lux returned upright and folded her arms.

"Fine." Noah glanced back. Golden butterflies swarmed around her as she laughed beneath her mask.

"Stupid Hero," she murmured.

"I'll cheer until your ears bleed."

"Good." Noah waved over his shoulder.

"I'd better be deaf by the end of this fight." The moment he stepped into the sunlight, the crowd erupted. Most of the spectators were cheering for Noah. His battles had been among the most entertaining of the tournament, filled with impossible opponents, reckless strategies, and victories no one had expected him to earn. More importantly, almost nobody wanted Nikolai to win. After witnessing what the heretic had done to Amber, the audience no longer viewed him as merely another fighter. He was a savage monster.

And who better to defeat a monster than a Hero? Lord Ars sat upon the imperial balcony, surrounded by nearly ten barrels of beer. He had apparently decided he would need every one of them to endure whatever horror Nikolai created next. Noah raised the Lion King above his head. Golden light poured from the blade and spread throughout the arena, washing over the audience with the warmth of a gentle embrace while inspiring the same wonder as a shooting star crossing the night sky.

"Everyone, watch closely," Noah called, smiling at the crowd as the light intensified.

"I'm going to steal the show." Cyrus chuckled from the stands.

"The kid certainly has a talent for theatrics. He should abandon being a Hero and become an actor."

"I hope he'll be alright," Amber said, clinging tightly to Cyrus's arm. Her pumpkin mask was nowhere to be seen. Long green hair framed her uncovered face, and a ring bearing a ruby gemstone rested upon her finger—an engagement ring.

"But if everything you've told me about him is true…" Amber smiled.

"I think he'll win." Cyrus glanced down at her arms wrapped around his own and immediately looked away, his face turning red. Nox leapt onto his seat, crimson flames wrapping around him as he raised both fists.

"Come on, Hero! Give us a festival!" Ava stood beside him and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"If you win, Noah, I'll give you a big kiss!" Noah nearly dropped his sword. His face turned crimson as Ava laughed and cheered even louder. Even Elijah, despite being a Crow, cheered for Noah.

"You'd better not lose to anyone except me!" Elijah watched from another section of the stands, his newly formed scar visible across his cheek. Oz sat beside him and casually offered him a bucket of popcorn.

"Aww," Oz said with a grin.

"Whose side are you on, Foxy?" Elijah ignored both the nickname and the offered popcorn. Oz shrugged before helping himself to another handful.

"Though I agree. I want to see our little Hero shine." Lux drew in a deep breath.

"YOU'VE GOT THIS, NOAH!" Her voice thundered throughout the arena, somehow overpowering thousands of spectators at once. Noah laughed. Then the crowd joined her.

"Noah!"

"Noah!"

"Noah!" His name echoed throughout the stadium, growing louder with every repetition. Lord Ars rose unsteadily from his seat and raised a mug of beer, swaying slightly as he pointed toward Noah.

"Entering from the right, we have the Hero of this era!" The audience roared.

"A young man who has endured countless trials and tribulations throughout this tournament!" Ars continued as Noah lowered the Lion King into a ready position.

"Every opponent placed before him has been a powerhouse in their own right!" The Axe Tyrant. A general of Helheim. His own fiancée. The assassin who had once killed him. Yet Noah continued standing.

"You already know his name!" Ars shouted, throwing both arms wide.

"You're already cheering for him!" Golden light wrapped around Noah as the crowd grew louder.

"The star that shines even within the darkest night!" Ars raised his mug toward the sky.

"Noah Fafnir!" The arena exploded with applause. Noah smiled at the cheering spectators for another moment before looking toward the gate on the opposite side of the battlefield. His smile disappeared.

"And entering from the left…" Ars began, though his enthusiasm weakened noticeably.

"The patriarch of the heretical House Hermes!" The gate slowly rose.

"A man believed to have led his family during the Sixth Era!" Nikolai stepped into the arena with his hands tucked casually inside his pockets.

"A fighter who has reached the semifinals through some of the most brutal methods I have ever witnessed!" The cheering transformed into boos. Thousands of spectators jeered at Nikolai, but the heretic only smiled as he walked forward, seemingly amused by the hatred surrounding him.

"And, quite frankly…" Ars paused to drink directly from his mug.

"A man who terrifies me." The jeering grew even louder.

"Please welcome Nikolai Hermes!" Nikolai strolled toward the center of the battlefield and stopped across from Noah. The two stared at one another as the noise of the arena gradually faded around them. Noah tightened his grip around the Lion King of Heroes—the same sword his father had held as he took his final breath. Nikolai licked his lips. Ars looked between the two fighters.

"No matter who emerges victorious, this battle will be burned into the memories of everyone who witnesses it." Noah's golden light spread farther across the arena. Beneath Nikolai's skin, his body began to shift. Hope faced hunger. A son faced the monster who had devoured his father. Lord Ars raised one hand as the entire stadium seemed to hold its breath.

"Let the first match of the semifinals…" He swung his arm down.

"Begin!"