The final match
+W+ith the defeat of the magus only three contestants remained. "GUNTHER AGAINT'S IRIS, FIGHTERS TAKE YOUR PLACES" the arena master yelled out. Iris ascended onto the broken arena +and stood proud, she slashed her palms and let it flow as several blood balls formed around her ready for her commands. Gunther rose up and dipped his arrow in poison before reading his bow.
the battle began whit the sound of a horn, Iris dodged the incoming arrow easily then morphed her own bow of blood before releasing another arrow which hit its mark shattering his bow. "tch" he said before drawing poison dipped arrows and rushing her throwing one in the process. this time she learned from her previous lesson as she snatched the dagger with a blood tentacle and pulled him by the string destabilizing him enough for another arrow to pierce his knee.
another arrow pierced clean through the chink in his shoulder armor sending him sprawling on his back. he lay there with a soft smile... "admit defeat" iris said as she looked down at him with an arrow drawn. he simply nodded and that was that, both matches were quick though unfortunately the winners were hard counters for the losers. "WINNER IRIS, NEXT WE HAVE THE FINAL MATCH OF THIS YEAR, THE CRYSTAL LION OF THE NORTH AND THE ROSE OF HOUSE HOSLOW, TWO BELOVEDS PITTED AGAINST EACH OTHER FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?" the arena master yelled out.
the crowd matched his energy, as if a dragons roar the crowd went wild in anticipation. "VERY WELL!! FIGHTERS TAKE YOUR POSITIONS" he yelled out. Leonel rose to the now crumbled and blood-stained arena and stood before Iris. iris looked at him with a mischievous smirk before she pulled on her ruby necklace and removed the ruby then dropped it. at the same time Leonel had charged up a glint stone piece and let it go as well. "FIGHT" the announcer said as the arena was divided in two zones. on the left the previously broken stone was bathed in a wave of blood as several tentacles formed out from the bloody tornado the ruby released.
Iris jumped atop it as it spun then died out forming tentacles, across her a glint stone hell had formed as several shards floated alongside Leonel poised to impale her. bloody knives and scarlet tentacles met glint stone shards and boulders as the two-hell scape's formed by the two fighters clashed. Iris sneaked in several blood arrows, but they were always blocked by a simple floating shard. Leonel knew that he would win this if it continued due to his spirit tuning abilities and the souls, he had absorbed thus he decided to finish it quickly.
he dashed forward with a strong start shattering the rubble below him the slashed his halberd forward only to be blocked by several tentacles which held onto the halberd as another sneaked below the clash and pierced towards his abdomen. he spun using the supported halberd before landing atop the tentacles grasping the halberd with two hands and ripping it off the crimson constructs. he kicked off the tentacles and backflipped towards a now worried Iris. instead of feeling the flat of his halberd smack her onto the floor a strong hit to the gut is all he felt as he was launched back towards the glint stone field.
he slammed his halberd down, slowing his momentum before pushing his hand forward sending in even more shards stopping her advance. Iris bit her lip, her mana was running out faster than she predicted, likely due to this being the first time she manipulated this much blood. her eyes shined in determination as they met his but briefly just enough to hypnotize him for but a couple of seconds. long enough for him to awaken to see several blood spikes approaching him. he spun his halberd and slammed it down before him shattering the ground and infusing mana onto the floor dividing the incoming onslaught.
his foot was caught in blood which held him down enough to get slammed by a tidal wave of blood which sent him slamming onto an arena wall. the crowd stood silent while Iris only frowned. any mage could feel it, the massive amount of mana being sucked away from the very space around them. for but a second all could see the stars reappear atop them even in broad daylight as motes of cerulean light poured onto his area. a bestial roar as heard as the rubble was sent flying off of him revealing a pissed off Leonel. glint stone protruded off of him forming several spikes on his back and key points akin to a second armor.
he dashed forward with incredible speed appearing before Iris in a flash slamming onto her conjured tentacles ripping them to pieces with kicks and halberd swipes as she desperately tried to hold him back. a tentacle wrapped around his ankle and sent him onto the air as several blood spikes clearly her last attack judging by her pale face formed. the launched towards him but he simply smiled madly under his helm as he gathered mana from the sky itself. like a mage creates a magic bolt out of nothing hundreds of glint stone spikes formed on the sky and rained down crystalline hell meeting the blood spikes halfway.
he himself was not idle as he pumped his remaining mana onto his halberd and came crashing down towards a now very tired Iris. she met his gaze and knew that this was the end of their fast-paced fight as she matched his smile and let an arrow fly. arrow met halberd edge as a bloody explosion rang out, yet he pushed through it and slammed down before her as his halberd rested upon her shoulder ready to cut her head off. " WINNER BY DEFAULT, IRIS HOSLOW FOR BEING THE ONLY CONSCIOUS WARRIOR" the arena master yelled out. the crowd went wild marveling at the carnage upon the arena grounds.
bloody rivers intertwined with crystal spikes forming a ghastly scene and at the center standing upon the last remaining piece of the arena stood Iris holding onto an unconscious Leonel. two bloody tentacles picked them up then dragged them towards the healers who got right to work as the very sharp crimson noodles hovered around them menacingly. Iris sat before her mother in her study, it had been some hours after the match.
" So then get him to propose" lady Hoslow said with a deadpan look. "Mom!! that's... too fast, I mean we're not even dating or anything... and I don't know what he feels about... this" she said whispering near the end in annoyance. " honestly darling I don't see what the problem is, the boy clearly likes you he's just too stubborn to realize it... stupid knights... you know he plans to leave towards the other cities, so what will you do? watch him go and get snatched by another? or will you be a proper woman like your mother?" she asked as she stood up and left the pondering girl alone to her thoughts.
"...what do I do father?" she asked no one in particular as she stared at the violet roses glowing under the sunlight before her. Leonel stood up with a start, he rubbed his eyes clean before getting off from the bed. he walked towards the mirror as he gave himself a good look into it, for a brief moment he saw his reflection staring back with a crazed look as his eyes glowed a sickly blue. he blinked rapidly and it was gone, he shook his head and splashed water onto his face before realizing that... he had lost... 'been some time since I lost, against someone my age too, wonder what master would say about that' he thought.
his door opened revealing a heavily blushing Iris, she looked him up and down as a bit of blood dripped down her nose before it crawled back in rapidly. "Dinner is ready" she said but her eyes never left him. "Oh, right I'll go, let me get dressed" he said as he summoned a light set of clothing immediately much to her disappointment. sometime later everyone sat around the large table eating their fill of the feast before them. "So, I take it you will leave for the other free cities, id did say I planned to go along with you but business halts me from doing so" lady Hoslow said as she glanced towards the eating young knight.
" I understand, either way I plan to make some stops along the way, the war sanctum being one of them, I also plan to stop by the dragon communion church and see if I can't learn something from them" he said. Iris shifted around in her seat uncomfortably as she stared at him talk with her mother, a fact not unnoticed by lady Hoslow. "Very well, then I wish you the best, know that you will always be welcomed here Leonel I do hope our agreement still stands even when you return from your quest" she said as she finished eating and left the table. Diallos and Juno stood up alongside him as they stood before him.
" Await us Leonel, we'll catch up soon, although it may just be me that shows up" Juno said as he clasped hands with Leonel. " Heh very funny brother, I guess we'll see each other later, eh? never forget Leonel, the tale of our house is told in blood, and we will write it together if fate allows it" Diallos said as he pulled him in for a hug before the two left the hall bickering. that left a sad Iris who stood before him, before he could say anything she threw herself onto him lips first. they stood there within each other's arms for but a sweet moment before she pulled away.
her eyes blazed in conviction and determination, "don't forget, I won our bet but i wont cash it in now as that would be just selfish... but please don't forget me, we will meet again of that I'm sure" she said as she reluctantly let go of him. he smiled warmly as he gave her confident smile, "then I await the day my lady, although we might not see each other for some time know that I won't forget who Iris the bloody rose was" he said as his armor materialized around him, his helmet under his arm. " Then I'll hold you to that, please take care of yourself, Leonel the crystal lion" she said as some tears dripped down her cheeks.
he nodded and threw his helmet on before exiting the hall then jumping onto the awaiting Sarabi and pride. back in the hall a weeping girl could be seen, she picked herself up as tears flowed but all her pain anger and frustration were released upon the dummies in her training room. lacerations and stab wounds piled up quickly upon the straw dummies, yet no amount of destruction would ease the pain in her heart. lady Hoslow stood at the door frame watching her daughter vent with a sad smile.
" You know child, when your father left me on that stupid quest all knights seem to share, i spent several days like this, angry, hurt, in pain, yet the strongest emotion was worry, not because he was hurt but because of what he would do, your father was a strong man and Leonel resembles him greatly, trust in your fiancé for he will return" she said. Iris turned to hear revealing the tear-stained face and ruined make up sending daggers of pain into her mother's heart as she outstretched her arms giving the girl a shoulder to cry on. 'This better be worth it boy, for if you die then my love-struck daughter wont hesitate to join you' lady Hoslow thought as she stroked the back of her crying daughter.