Chapter 7

Timeskip two days

"Where is he, where is he, where is he...?!"

Walking with a stride that held little of the usual calm, cold grace that a noblewoman like her had been meant to have, one frantic (not to mention nervous) Angelica glanced left and right with a slightly urgent expression on her face for the target of her search. Ever since he had shown up those five Princes and literally demanded a duel between them and him, with all of them being allowed to fight at the same time, Angelica had proceeded to search like a bat out of hell for one Vali Fou Bartford.

Now, normally she wouldn't be amused whenever Vali, the unbeatable Prince, squared up for a fight against someone. He was considered to be strong, so strong that even her father and her brother acknowledged Vali for being so strong, to the point where she had heard that they might consider hiring him as an explorer for their family. She wasn't worried about her fiance for the moment, but Vali with the reason being that even if he fought against the great houses, including the one that is closest to the CPU, and won, things wouldn't be settled with just a slap to the wrist.

First, it didn't matter if he were to win or lose if anything he would be punished either way and quite harshly too. He would lose his Baron title, his reputation, or worse be executed since despite the rules set in motion at Gamicademi, one simply wasn't allowed to cross the families closest to Leanbox's CPU without repercussions. If the opposite were the case, then the younger generation wouldn't be as respectful to the senior generation as they were in the current modern-day society. She may not know him at all aside from just rumors of his reputation and the acknowledgment of her family, but that didn't mean that she wasn't incapable of Empathy, here.

Right now, Angelica strolled quickly down a corridor, looking around for Vali with the intent of trying to convince him to not get into the fight because for her, she didn't want Vali to suffer because of her affairs with Julius and that… that BITCH, Marie. This had been something she had started herself, so only she should be responsible for her own actions, that was what she believed as a noblewoman refined and groomed to be the perfect example of someone of her stature.

Whilst she kept on her search, eventually Angelica caught sight of three people (One who she recognized as the one who she had taught the Academy regulations to), who then proceeded to walk towards her direction. "There you are! We were just looking for you." One of them, the blonde Elf Girl called Alpha if she remembered correctly (though she had to wonder if she were alright with such a name), proclaimed.

Still, she didn't have time to entertain some noblewomen when she had more important concerns that needed to be dealt with at the moment. "I must beg your pardon, but I don't have time for this. I have to go look for Vali." she told them quickly and with impatience, about to walk on past them and continue her search…

"Ah, then that makes this easier for everyone then. Ms Angelica, Vali sent us to find you and relay a message for you."

Everything currently circulating throughout her mind screeched to a grinding halt when she heard Alpha say that, especially since she believed that she wouldn't lie to her since she had been so close to the silver-haired unbeatable Prince for years, according to the rumors anyways. Quickly pausing her stride, Angelica swerved her head behind her to look at the three girls, her eyes slightly wider than normal whilst her mouth had formed an 'o' shape. "R-really? It's better if I go to him in person." she stuttered, a little caught by surprise that someone like him would have a message for her. Not to mention she had been searching for him all this time, yet his friends seemed to have absolutely zero trouble tracking her down… something she didn't know how to feel about at the moment.

Upon hearing her words however, the silver-haired Elf she remembered as Emilia Satella, someone who was connected to Fortuna: someone who had a LARGE amount of connections throughout the Academy as well as the entirety of Leanbox. How she had those connections, Angelica wasn't certain, but this kind of background had given Emilia the chance to Enrol here, hence she had to listen to her words. "Wellllllll...that might be too late for you."

"Eh?" Blinking owlishly, Angelica felt confusion replace her urgency for the moment, wondering what the true meaning was behind those words Emilia had said. "What do you mean?"

"...He's already in the locker room, preparing for battle."

As if those words were like a hammer, they felt like they had SHATTERED what little calm Angelica had managed to both maintain as well as retain, throwing her into disarray both externally and internally. "Oh no! I have to stop him! I can't let him suffer because of me!" Quickly, she turned and headed towards the Amphitheater in order to try and do what she could to salvage the situation...

"It's alright Angelica you don't have to worry about him."

...Only for Alpha and Emilia to grab onto her shoulders, with the latter softly trying to calm her down with those last words. However, Angelica shrugged them off as if they didn't affect her whatsoever, turning toward them in order to hotly rebuke their statements. "You don't understand how much trouble he will be in even if he wins!" she yelled at them, her panic and fear for his safety evident on her face at the moment.

Something which both Elf girls noticed and smiled at internally. "Which is why he told us to give you a message, he says and I quote 'Don't worry about me, even if it were the case if I lose, I'll have more freedom. I don't care if I lose my title or my Baron class, there are other regions I can explore in Gamindustri. Consider this a debt repaid for your family approving my adventure license, and for teaching Olivia for the regulations of this school' that's what he said."

Shock filled the woman's eyes at those words, especially the way that Emilia had said them, saying them in a way which almost made her completely believe that she had literally BECAME Vali at that moment. Spoke volumes about how much time they had spent together for her to pull that off, the blonde woman thought to herself, slowly feeling her nerves start to calm down from what she had been going through. ".......okay I'll believe your words." She finally declared after taking a few deep breaths.

Those words brought big smiles onto the faces of the three girls, as Olivia practically beamed at her, embracing the suddenly stuttering noblewoman whilst Alpha grinned somewhat similarly to how Vali had done back at the Party a couple days ago. "That's great! Now let's go to the arena, I want to see those Princes getting their asses kicked for SO long!"

Emilia and Olivia sweatdropped at Alpha's expression "You...….really hate those princes, don't you Alpha?" The silver-haired Half-Elf commented dryly, knowing just how long Alpha had been waiting to say those words as well as wait for a scenario like this to happen.

"What can I say, those Princes need to be taught a lesson... a BIG one."

"Hmmmmmmmm interesting."

A young girl sat, one leg crossed over another, in a private VIP seat where she could completely see the whole arena, for the girl had managed to secure one fairly easily using her wealth alongside her quick-thinking. She looked to be a rather pretty, young girl with red eyes and long silver hair, which had been tied into pigtails using a large black bow. In terms of clothing, she wore the formal school uniform: a blaze jacket, dress shirt, skirt and white stockings with high heeled brown shin-high boots.

"My lady, why are you so interested in that boy, no less than the Unbeatable Prince?" A maid stood by her side, watching the Arena as well while speaking of her opinion.

An opinion which the silver-haired girl answered evenly, not taking her gaze off the Arena. "Because Mary, that boy Vali, interests me. Not just his battle maniac nature, but also his power."

Upon hearing this, the Maid shook her head, not seeing the point with this endeavor as she soon expressed to her apparent mistress. "You know that's impossible my lady, the rumors say that he has rejected almost everyone's proposal he is also called the man who rejected thousands of proposals."

Unfazed by this notion, the girl simply nodded as if she had expected this to happen. "I know Mary, my family commented about Vali once, some of them having been thinking about having him as my older sister's fiance due to his immersive power, which I nor everyone has seen before...….he is an anomaly that I want to discover. Plus I thought of a way that I can get out of my marriage."

"Oh and what is it that you have in mind?"

".......I will challenge Vali."

Now THAT broke the calm made's facade, giving way to the absolute shock and horror that lay within. "Wha-?! Mistress you can't be serious! You saw for yourself how he displayed his power single-handedly in front of so many students at the party, not to mention he's called the Unbeatable Prince for a reason!"

Still, despite the protests the girl remained unfazed by it, shaking her head at the Maid. "I know that I will lose but I'm not going to be the one to fight him, instead I will make it like my fiance will fight him."

Soon the gears started to turn in the Maid's brain as she tried to calm down, this thought process helping that out some as she began to comprehend the girl's plan. ".......I see, then how will you make your fiance even challenge Vali? Even he knows that Vali is dangerous and can't be beaten easily."

The girl had an answer for that one, especially with the evident smirk on her face. "Which is why I will say that his power has diminished over the years when he uses it, making a false video claiming that he's weak now to sweeten the bait."

"In other words, lie you mean."

"Yes indeed, once that fool thinks he is weak he will try to beat Vali only to know that he was wrong and my parents will cancel the Marriage Contract. "

".....You know what will happen if you get caught, Mistress."

"...I know, which is why I'm willing to take the risk whatever it means. I want to discover more about Vali and his power...…...even if it means of getting out of my marriage plans."

"Whatever you say...lady Alexia Midgar."

"WELCOME AND THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR COMING TO THE ARENA!"

"YYYEEEAAHHHH"

"COME ON, SHOW US THE FIGHT ALREADY!"

"WAIT FOR A WHILE DUDE!"

"TODAY IS SPECIAL DAY FOR US FOR NOT ONLY WE HAVE SOME SPECIAL GUESTS, THE SONS OF THE GREAT HOUSES OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE PRINCES OF THE GAMIACDEMI!"

"KYYYAAAH!"

"IT'S THE PRINCES!"

"OH MY CPU, ALL FIVE OF THEM ARE HERE!"

"LOOK AT THEM! SO GORGEOUS IN THEIR SUITS! MWAH, I WANNA TAKE THEM TO BED ALREADY!"

"I EVEN HEARD THEY'RE FIGHTING FOR THE SAKE OF LOVE, KYAAAH HOW ROMANTIC!"

"AND NOW FOR THEIR OPPONENT, WHEN HE WAS YOUNG WHEN HE CAME TO THE ACADEMY THE FIRST DAY HE CHALLENGED MANY STUDENTS IN HIS YEAR."

A huge shadow suddenly appeared in the middle of the arena and when they looked they saw a unique space ship just floating there.

"AND HE WON WITHOUT A SCRATCH WHEN HE BEAT THEM...… WITHOUT ROBOT ARMOR!"

"Oh my CPU, is he talking about-?!"

"WHICH IS ONLY THE BEGINNING OF HIS MERITS! HE WAS CHALLENGED BY THE SENIORS WHO WERE ALMOST TEN YEARS HIS AGE AND HE STILL WON WITH HIS VARIANT MANA!"

A figure got out of the spaceship, proceeding to hop off it and descend down to the ground. Whilst nobody could see his features clearly yet whilst he fell, some people were still worrying that he might get hurt from the fall... though other people, including a boy with black hair and black eyes and average look that felt like it could be found anywhere, knew for a FACT that this would be nothing to him.

"Welp....looks like things are starting to get more interesting, wouldn't you say so guys?"

"Yup."

"Indeed."

"HE STILL CONTINUES TO FIGHT, EVEN IF THE ODDS ARE AGAINST HIM HE STILL WON! THE ONLY MAN WHO CAN MATCH HIM, IS REINHARD VAN ASTREA, THE CURRENT SWORD SAINT FOR THE HUMAN BODY IN LEANBOX!"

The figure finally landed in the arena hard enough to generate a smokescreen, one which began to cover not just him but the surroundings as well. As a result, the audience couldn't find out what his appearance was.

"HE IS THE MOST RUTHLESS MAN THAT THIS ACADEMY HAS EVER SEEN! HIS NAME EVEN STILL BRINGS THE SHIVERS TO THE PEOPLE WHO ONCE FOUGHT HIM!

When the figure finally got out of the crater, the figure flung his right arm to the side, generating a shockwave from the force which blew the smoke away, allowing his full form to be witnessed by the audience as well his opponents. As such, to their surprise, everyone saw a man dressed in a full black getup, consisting of a hooded suit, gloves, pants and knee-high boots along with a high collared trench coat which split into three coattails from the waist to the bottom, as well as a black domino mask to conceal his face. Whilst he had walked, the coat tails fluttered behind him like they were trying to escape into the wind, all whilst his gloved hands got put inside the coat pockets, a menacing aura around him.

"HE IS THE UNBEATABLE PRINCE WHO NEVER LOST A FIGHT! HE IS…."

The figure then pulled his left hand out after taking a couple dozen steps, reaching for his face, taking off his Mask and lowering his hood which flattened his collar too, showing his silver hair and matching glowing eyes slitted like a cat.

"VALI FOU BARTFORD! THE NEW UPCOMING BARON IN LEANBOX!"

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT! THOSE PRINCE ARE FIGHTING AGAINST VALI?!"

"NO SHIT, BRO!"

"WHERE THE HELL CAN I CHANGE MY BET, I DON'T WANT TO LOSE MY MONEY!"

"TOO LATE, YOU SHOULD'VE THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE BETTING!"

"OH MY CPU, IS IT A DREAM COME TRUE?!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, THE PRINCES ARE GOING TO FIGHT AGAINST THE UNBEATABLE PRINCE! (SQUEAL)"

Vali just stood there, hands pocketed inside his coat with a smile that was so bloodthirsty that it looked downright inhuman. He couldn't wait to start the fight, his energy felt positively throbbing at the chance at finally being used for something interesting after the last fight against his rival.

Meanwhile, Julius and his companions stood the opposite way of Vali, looking stoically at him while Chris thought about the time when he chased Alpha around because of her beautiful swordsmanship.

'Vali… the time has finally come… for me to undo the disgrace to my honor that you wrought upon me…'

Back in the past, he had wanted to gain Alpha's approval as a sparring partner as well as a potential rival/future lover but had noticed Vali on his way to her. Upon doing so, he had thought of his cousin who had warned him to not go against Vali because he was WAY more powerful than he was. Back then, Chris had called him a liar and thought he could beat him, but when he had faced the silver-haired male...…..

He had lost in just a few minutes.

Thinking back to that time nearly made him break his composure in a fit of both shame and anger. Vali's power…..it had been so unimaginable, so immense that the only time he had seen the guy being in a tie was with his cousin. When his cousin had graduated early because of the CPU through her Oracle giving him the position of the sword saint. He had left a final warning to Chris that had been as follows:

'If you try to fight against him again...….I won't be there to help you and in case if you die....it'll be on you because of your recklessness, not him.' The lack of care that had been his voice, which had been bordering nonchalance, had completely thrown him off, having never seen this from his brother before. Like he had become an entirely different person… something which he wouldn't admit it, but it had freaked him out at the time. When Chris had asked his cousin why it will be on him, he responded 'Because I know Vali on how much he loves to fights and the way he does it…...he holds back only because he doesn't want to kill anyone, but if you or any of your friends try to provoke or threaten him, his friends or family.....he won't hold back his power. The blame will be on you, not Vali. You would disgrace not only your house but mine as well.'

Just thinking about this added to his furious indignation, as well as fueled this desire to prove his cousin wrong. Chis would obtain his revenge one way or another

Meanwhile, Vali just grinned like the maniac he truly was, his excitement reflected in his aura whilst his Airship vanished from the scene. "Well then Princes, looks like this will be fun for me."

"AND NOW FOR THE FIGHT, WE WILL HAVE A SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES. VALI FOU BARTFORD HAS REQUESTED THAT THEY WILL FIGHT IN HUMAN BODIES, NOT IN ROBOT ARMORS!"

"FUCK, I SHOULD'VE KNOWN THAT!"

"NOW I'M GONNA LOSE MY MONEY!"

"COME ON, VALI BEAT THOSE PRINCES ASSES!"

Whilst everyone cheered for who they wanted to cheer for, getting REAL into the situation, only Olivia showed concern for the silver-haired boy as evidenced by her anxious and nervous expression along with how she held her hands in a prayer-like gesture. "Oh dear, I wonder if Vali will be safe." she muttered in worry.

Although, Alpha and Emilia heard her with their enhanced hearing thanks to their Elf Heritage. "Oh don't worry about that Olivia, if you've been to this academy more than a while, then you would know the true extent of Vali's power. Speaking of which, COME ONE VALI, HURRY UP AND BEAT THOSE IDIOTS!"

Emilia could only sweat drop, Olivia joining her, as they heard Alpha hooting and howling for the Prince's demise. "You really want to see Vali win against them don't you Alpha." Emilia only looked at her while she screamed out at Vali (who in response gave her a thumbs up while still facing the prince)

Sitting beside them, Angelica's lips pursed in the worry she felt inside, clutching a fist in front of her chest whilst the remaining hand gripped her pantyhose clad knee. Worry had blossomed within her chest, worry that it would be her fault for dragging Vali into her mess. She could only pray that nothing bad would happen to Vali when he won. "Please be safe, Vali...I don't want you to suffer because of me."

"ALRIGHT CONTESTANTS LET ME EXPLAIN THE RULES, NO KILLING WHICH IS NOT ALLOWED IF YOU LOSE UNCONSCIOUS THEN YOUR OUT AND FINALLY NO CHEATING... NOW THAT OUT OF OUR WAY LET'S BEGIN THE COUNTDOWN!!"

"THREE!"

Finally, the announcer began to count down from 3 to 1, which would signal the fight's beginning with it's end. To this end, Vali slowly got into his fighting stance, activating two MSs on one arm each. He had been waiting for this for a while now, and there were a few tricks he wanted to test out from his constant training, training which had intensified after the whole duel declaration thing he'd done previously. Furthermore, he wanted to test out this newest creation of his, or rather he should say the most recent iteration of a previous creation. That creation: this getup he was currently wearing.

"TWO!"

Seeing this, each of the four boys made preparations of their own, as if they were going to war in the most literal sense possible. Julius and his friends also got out their weapons from their inventories, the prince having a sword and shield, Greg having a Spear, Chris with a Longsword, and Jilk with a rifle, and Brad with his two spear swords as they too got into stances. None of them had any delusions about this fight, it would be a long, HARD one due to the amount of sheer POWER Vali possessed, though how he'd become this powerful they weren't so sure on. It HAD to be more than just some minor thing like training, that's what they

thought anyways. Still, they didn't believe that Vali would be able to outshine them in this fight, not with their resolve to protect their woman no matter the cost! She was their angel, and they were her heroic knights! They would make Marie proud, always!

"ONE!"

(Play Yakuza 0 OST - Pledge of the Demon)

The thing about Martial Arts was that it could be considered more of an art than anything. Vali had once heard that 'to fight was to have a conversation'. One could learn so much about the opponent by having a stare off, the way their weapons flinch when the eyes wandered, the way the hands would twitch, or even the positioning of their feet. One could find meaning in those small, minor movements, this was something which Vali had taken to heart shortly into his lifestyle of fighting and training, he actually wanted to meet the one who came up with that ideology and face off against him, wouldn't THAT be fun? In any case, up until the announcer had yelled that final number, that had been what Vali had been doing, analysing his opponents down to their minute details…

Which was why, when the announcer finally made that last yell, Vali didn't react when he saw Greg move first, having predicted as much not just from his movements, but also from his brash personality. One could say that Greg was the most barbaric of the four, but as he swung his Spear in a reverse horizontal swing intended to cut through Vali's neck, the teen angled his head back to dodge it then glanced down from that new position his head had found itself in, raising his leg and delivering a kick to Greg's unguarded Armpit.

"Guh!"

The man gritted his teeth at the attack, taking a few steps backwards before he noticed Vali having launched a swing with his left Mana sword in a horizontal arc, a mirror of the strike which Greg had launched against him, to which he blocked by angling his Spear's shaft into it's path before Vali launched another strike from above with the other MS, this one Greg dealing with by dodging to the side. Originally Vali would have just used more Mana to empower his Swords further, and despite him having large reserves his many battles had taught him to never be reckless with one's energy consumption. Therefore, he had decided to save it and play more of an attrition battle with these clowns.

As a result, when Greg jumped to the side, Vali noticed that Jilk had already aimed his Rifle at his chest with the intent to blow a hole in it, something which Vali smirked at with a glimmer appearing in his eyes. 'Lets see how this suit holds out…' he thought as, a second later, Jilk fired a shot into the boy's chest.

"OOOOOHHHHHHH! A Direct hit! Prince Jilk managed to land the first hit on the Unbeatable Prince!"

The Announcer yelled that out, with the crowd becoming speechless at the sight. At first they wondered if this strike had put Vali at a disadvantage since, like a lot of their martial arts instructors say, the first blow is the most important in a fight, that one should clear their minds of anything else BUT landing that blow.

However, this notion became irrelevant when they noticed a little something: the bullet didn't even penetrate an INCH deep into Vali's outfit, it just bounced off harmlessly, falling onto the ground with a few clinking sounds as it rolled off to the side.

'Hmph, just as I had speculated, this Slime Suit functions well for defense…' Vali thought, a smug and satisfied smile spreading across his lips as he heard the shocking mutterings from the Audience whilst the four Princes looked on in shock, something which the silver-haired boy exploited by firing a couple MR's from both his hands at the same time (his MS's having been dismissed for this to happen, his Mana Series techniques couldn't be used in conjunction with each other just yet).

"Gaaaaaaah! No!" Jilk howled as the Mana Beam pushed him back, gritting his teeth as he discreetly pulled something out of his suit's pocket, something which he had set up after bribing the announcer to 'not notice' anything wrong. A last resort of sorts. 'I can't let this attack beat me! Not until I've done at least some damage to this monster! I knew for a fact that we can't beat him fair and square, even Julius can't stand up to him! Thus, planting a bomb where that guy's currently standing had been the only thing I could think of!' He thought, pressing a small button on an equally small device.

BOOM!

As a result, the ground under Vali briefly glowed white, before it then proceeded to explode before he could react in time. A series of shocked gasps rang out through the audience whilst the announcer, under Jilk's payment, tried to play it off as some advanced tactic that he had pulled out of his ass.

"VALI!"

Olivia, Emilia, Alpha, and Angelica screamed at Vali's name when the ground below him exploded, and to them it had looked like he hadn't anticipated it. Whilst they knew that Vali could survive but with fatal or critical injuries, for the first time Emilia and Alpha began to worry. With their elven eyesight, both girls had managed to notice that there was a bomb at Vali's side, though it was also helped by their Mana sensing developed through training their Mana. They could've warned Vali that one of them was cheating, but by the time they had sensed it, they were too late. They could only hope that it didn't hurt Vali as much.

'That bastard, Jilk! I just KNOW he was behind that move!' Angelica thought whilst scowling angrily and biting her thumb. She should've known this would be something that Jilk would do to get the upper hand, it was just in his character according to what she had known of him. Due to past experience and knowing his personality of always doing the necessary things to win, Angelica should have predicted that he would try underhanded tactics like this, plus she bet that he had bribed the announcer to make it look like it had been an advanced play of his, getting the support of the audience all the while.

She is beginning to despair that all of this was her fault for dragging Vali into her mess. The crowd started to scream that Vali was starting to lose, much to their joy since the 'Unbeatable Prince' would finally take an L for once. That would give them the courage they'd need to train enough to beat him too, as well as get the chance to put the brat from a lower family in his rightful place.

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP!

Just then however, from out of nowhere they heard a voice at the opposite side of the princes' side, accompanied by some clapping sounds.

"Is that...?!" Alpha exclaimed with a wide eyed gaze, her lips starting to turn into a grin.

Meanwhile, back with Vali…

"Hoooooh… interesting."

"?!"

To Jilk's shock and horror however, Vali soon strode out of the generated smokescreen left behind by that bomb, hands in his pockets and looking completely fine. Meanwhile, Brad and Greg tried to get at him from behind with their own strikes, only for the coat tails behind Vali to suddenly swish about like they were whips, smacking away at their faces and sending them flying then retracting back to their original lengths. "Nice trick, and not bad execution either. I figured you would try to pull this stunt, Jilk, hence another reason why I had brought this Slime Suit out. It's got nifty defence since it's infused with my flesh. Before you say anything, think of this: what would happen if the normally weak slime material was infused within the flesh of someone with incredible Mana Proportions…?"

The Slime Suit…

An invention that Vali had come up with as an afterthought one day when he had been a kid, after having read up in a book about monsters in Gamindustri as part of his education thanks to his parents. It had detailed a certain subspecies of Doggoo called a 'Slime' which had been basically the form which Dogoos once had but they simply evolved past it over the centuries, but one thing that they still had over those said monsters was that Slimes had high Mana Conductivity, about 99% worth. As such, an idea had hit him when he'd read this, what if he were to collect enough of them and mold them into a suit for him to wear? Apparently Slimes were quite resilient to a lot of damage types, such as bladed weaponry and blunt ones, with the former being SLIGHTLY less than the latter.

Hence, he had tried delving into this once he had found a location on the family Island that had these Slimes, but sadly a few problems had arisen shortly into his attempt. For one, Zora's meddling made it so that Vali had a limited amount of time to himself outside of his training, to which he spent trying to gather the slimes together after killing them, resulting in development speed being impaired there. Furthermore, apparently the Slimes had been quite beneficial to the land's ecosystem, so he couldn't afford to damage it and by extension his father's small fortune (which had been used so far at the time to clear his various debts to Nobles across the world), then there were the resources he needed to do this. To make the Slimes into suits like this had the side effect of damaging the equipment involved, to the point where they couldn't be used anymore, forcing them to be replaced, hence another reason why Vali's little project had slow progress.

Therefore, Vali could only prepare a prototype Suit which he'd given to Alpha before they'd went on that fateful adventure together with Emilia, and even then from what she'd told him about it, it would seem that harnessing the Suit's potential relied heavily on Mana Manipulation, something which Alpha wasn't so good at during that time. She'd gotten better at it over time of course, but the prototype suit could hardly be called as effective as the ones that Vali had later developed…

With Luxon's help.

One could say that Luxon may as well have been the sole reason Vali had managed to get the project off that slump, mostly due to its ability to convert materials into other stuff. It helped that there had been copious amounts of a powerful material called Ceramite on the Deserted Island which it had used for its robot production, as well as infused into the Slimes that would be molded into the Slime Suits. If one wanted to know what Ceramite was, it was a form of heat and shock-resistant ceramic material. Ceramite was capable of absorbing and dissipating even the most extreme thermal and directed-energy attacks and conducts many other forms of electromagnetic radiation in such a way as to disperse it across a wide area. This makes Ceramite especially effective at providing protection against directed-energy and particle-based weapons. Its use fell into different categories depending on its quality, of which various amounts of quality Ceramite had been found on the Island.

High-quality Ceramite had been used in the Slime Suits, as well as for additional protection for the Robots Luxon would create.

Lower-quality Ceramite could be used to potentially mass-produce cheap Armour for Vali and his crew in the future, should they want it, not to mention that it could be used for the construction of the low-cost prefabricated housing blocks. Heck, Lastation and Planeptune have been using this material for their buildings quite a lot over the years, due to how effective it was.

The result: a Suit made from Slime Jelly that could be manipulated with Mana like a form of shapeshifting. It worked by being infused with Mana into one's own flesh, which also requires an ABSURD amount of Mana Control to pull off due to the Mana Paths (think of them like blood pathways inside both humans and non-humans alike but for Mana instead) of Monsters being so different from humans. However, with Luxon's help Vali had pulled this feat off and created a 'proper' Slime Suit for Alpha to wear, replacing the prototype version with the real thing so whilst it didn't look any different from the one she had worn on their adventure, its practical applications were FAR better. Once infused into the flesh, through Mana Manipulation one could form it into whatever they wanted, quite the powerful tool for those with larger reserves but still good control. Furthermore, with the merger of Ceramite into the Slime Jelly before infusion into the flesh, the Slime Suits took on that material's properties, further enhancing their ability.

As for the Slime Suit that Vali currently wore whilst he pressured the Princes…

Well, due to the sheer destructive nature behind his Mana, normal Slimes weren't able to handle it well and usually exploded upon the slightest contact with it, to Vali's annoyance. Hence, Luxon had decided to try a variant of them called Giant Slimes which were not only stronger but were also more capable of handling energies like this, hence they'd attempted to make a Slime Suit out of them… succeeding, with this Slime Suit as a result. The Coat, pants, shirt, boots, everything Vali currently wore was part of the Slime Suit itself, even if it looked like several different pieces of clothing, and combined with its strong defensive ability along with its increased properties, this Slime Suit held even more of an advantage in battle compared to the ones made from ordinary Slimes. Essentially, Vali had much better defensive equipment than Alpha's current Slime Suit. Though, with Giant Slimes being rarer than normal ones, he intended to mass produce Alpha's version instead of his own since that would be easier.

"Thats-!"

Jilk became even MORE horrified when Vali had asked him that question, as he too knew of what Slimes were capable of. Further proof came to him when he had remembered what those Coat Tails had done before, striking out like it were alive. Slimes were normally quite conducive of Mana, so if one were to control that conductivity… then…

"Are you SERIOUS, Vali?! You would go so far as to infuse your flesh with that of Slimes?! To fight against Julius?! He's from one of the most prominent families ever, you'll lose your titles at this rate!" Jilk yelled, trying to find some way of appealing to the boy with the baron title he had received.

Something which promptly failed after Vali appeared in front of him, grabbed his rifle and crushed it in one hand, using the other to grab him by the neck and hold him up above the ground. "Don't care. Fighting is what I live for, Jilk, I would have thought you��d known that. As long as I can fight forever, I don't care about much else…" Vali replied, whilst also hiding the fact that one of the few things he DID care about was the friends that he had made in this corrupted Academy.

"...You're insane… and you still plan on fighting Julius after all this?!"

"Naturally. Much better than that pathetic love stuff you have got going on."

"What do you know?! We're both seriously in love with that girl! Yet you would do this to Julius… if you hurt a HAIR on his head, then I'll make sure not just you, but your ENTIRE FAMILY will have to take responsibility!"

(OST End)

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He should NOT have said that.

The crowd gasped at what Jilk said, even Julius and his companions became stunned senseless by Jilks declaration. They may hate Vali for beating them up in the past, but they never went so low in threatening his family, for they at least respected him for the determination of protecting them. Moreover, even those who REALLY hated him for what he did to them in the past would never go that far, for the consequences would end up scaring them for life… and that would be the LEAST of their worries.

The last time someone insulted his family, more specifically his mother when they said 'she must've been a dirty commoner whore that your father had an affair' the result...... Vali almost, just ALMOST, killed him with such brutality that scared not just his opponent, but also the entire audience as well. The only reason he was still alive was that the teacher(the one who teaches his class about tea party) had managed to calm him down and told him 'that's enough Vali, he's already had enough'. Afterwards, Vali got excused because the teacher had vouched for him because of his emotions, as well as the fact that someone insulted his family, so he had been left a warning. On the other hand, his opponent was scared, so scared that he became traumatized and left the Academy and went to an asylum, still being haunted by Vali's scary power.

The school had then, after some deliberation and heated arguments, eventually settled on making a new taboo: NEVER insult Vali's family no matter what, because if you do...… then consider this day your last one.

"..."

Vali just stayed silent as his head lowered, the shadows generated by his hood, his Mask and his hair resulting in his eyes being concealed. However, some of the audience including the same black-haired guy from before saw his fist. It was gripping so much that he saw blood coming out of it, prompting them all to begin to think that this wouldn't be ending very well for him.

"Uh oh...guys, this doesn't look good!"

"I know, to think that Jilk, Chris's foster brother, would go so low by threatening Vali's family!"

"Me too, bro! This is going to get serious, I just know it!"

"Jilk's going to pay for that, BIG TIME! Remember Tom? I hear he's still in the insane asylum from what he had done!"

Emilia had her hands held over her mouth in a silent gasp, her eyes shaking wildly whilst she looked on in horror that Jilk would do something like that. Alpha had an utterly FURIOUS face on her right now, as she gripped the sides of her seat so hard that it began showing signs of cracking.

Olivia had responded in the same manner as Emilia though as a commoner herself, she likely would be even more shocked that someone of such stature would say such things. Meanwhile, Angelica furiously glared with anger at Jilk's form. To think he would do something like that just for his love for that bitch Marie just to go so low to win against Vali

"Jilk.....you would go so low, just to win?" Julius whispered whilst shaking his head, stunned and disappointed at Jilk for what he had said.

(Play OST - Super Saiyan 3 Theme)

The aura around Vali became so immense thanks to the storm of raging fury that had erupted inside of him. Vali looked downright PISSED right now, so pissed that he produced so much Mana around his form in the form of that silver aura that, unknown to him, deep inside of his soul a beast was sleeping, but it began to awaken as it sensed the rage building inside its host. Now, now was the time. The final hurdle would be passed, before it's next emergence would commence. Only one last push would be needed for an awakening worthy of a wielder of it's power.

As such, it sent this one thought to it's host's fury-riddled mind.

'The time has come, young hybrid boy. Let's see how they will fare against a dragon's rage. Show them, partner. Show them the supremacy of the White Dragon, show those fools why they should regret what they said to piss you off.'

Even though he heard it, Vali ignored everything, including that mysterious voice that talked to him. If what voice said, those Princes, including Jilk, will regret pissing him off.

"......You know, I can take a lot. I can tolerate the beating, insults, everything that one would bring at me, but you... you just crossed the line, bastard."

BA-BUMP!

The aura around Vali began to intensify, swirling around him whilst his back began to glow brighter, brighter than what his MSK should usually be able to possess. His breathing became labored from all the fury coursing through his veins right now, his eyes had transformed into their slitted silver states. Yet still, his aura kept on rising

BA-BUMP, BA-BUMP, BA-BUMP!

"You… crossed that VERY thin line…"

Hunching forwards after releasing his opponent from his neck hold, Valu unleashed a spinning kick into Jilk's side, knocking him down to the ground. Jilk, quickly snapping out of his shock, made to get back up but Vali kicked into his side and sent him crawling across it, though he didn't let up there. Using the speed afforded to him by his activated MSK, Vali appeared by his side and grabbed his leg, tossing him into the air with one hand. Vali then proceeded to launch a constant stream of MR's for 5 minutes straight, before he grabbed him by the leg and SMASHED him into the ground like he was swinging a human bludgeon repeatedly.

After tossing him away again and blocking a couple shots with his forearm by another Gun that Jilk had summoned from his inventory, Vali took a couple steps forwards whilst his heartbeats became so loud that he could no longer ignore them, his eyes becoming so silver that they had taken over his entire socket, turning them into two hollow silver orbs. Vali then stopped walking, with his feet creating two 4 feet deep craters that had cracks spreading out over nearly the ENTIRE arena floor.

"Guuuuuh…. Uuuurgh… grrrrr…..! GRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Finally, Vali raised his head back and let out a loud howl, louder than he had ever howled before even at all the injustice he had suffered under Zora, and still did sometimes. Upon doing so, his aura erupted, releasing a large wave of Mana that blew back everything that wasn't nailed down… which included the four Princes who got blown back to the opposite side of the Arena, although Jilk got smashed right into a wall.

Though, that wasn't what got people' attention, no THAT honor belonged to the two bright streaks of light which erupted forth from his upper back, curving and winding like they were trying to form something until two wings of light had sprouted forth, though with the sheer intensity of the Wave of Mana it made it near impossible to view anything else, resulting in the audience covering their eyes to shield them from the intense light.

"Holy shit, what the heck is going on!?"

"I DON'T KNOW MAN, BUT GEEZ VALI SOUNDS PISSED AS FUCK!"

"THIS IS EVEN WORSE THAN WHEN HE BEAT UP TOM!"

Several students cried out in absolute terror at this power, especially since it came with a pressure which filled the entire Arena and even affected the entire Audience themselves. The pressure slammed into their chests so abruptly that many of them fell downwards, their heads slamming into the railings splitting them from each row. Meanwhile, Emilia and the girls who Vali cherished weren't as affected by the pressure, but they still felt it nonetheless, thus they had to wonder just what was going on with Vali right now. None of them would get the answer though… until the light died down that is.

When it did die down moments later, everyone bore witness to a shocking sight. As the light dimmed down, everyone saw how Vali had been reduced to a hunching and panting mess, with his Slime Suit looking unaffected by what had happened but other than that, he looked to be possessing something that he didn't before: two large WINGS protruding out from his back. They looked just as large as he was tall, with the 'bone' section being a pure silvery-white color and the 'feathers' being made from blue energy. It looked like quite the mesmerizing yet sinister sight, especially with the amount of power those wings radiated right now.

Yet, before anyone could speak, Vali jumped forwards, his wings flapping once to help him settle the distance between him and Jilk, who saw through slightly opened eyes that Vali's own were still that glowing silver from before. Just as he was about to do something, Vali growled as he grabbed him by his face and began to fly around the area, guided only by his instincts at the moment. He grinded Jilk through the walls, pushing him deeper and deeper as if he were grinding a sword against a whetstone until he had flown a complete circle around the Arena. Jilk's once luscious, long hair had been reduced to nothing but a bald hole on the back of his head because of it, a hole that was currently bleeding at the moment.

Ignoring this and that his opponent was fighting to stay conscious, Vali tossed him to the centre of the arena, flared his wings to fly upwards and then shoot straight down, smashing a foot in the form of a flying kick right into Jilk's stomach, causing him to gasp and cough up a mix of saliva as well as blood. But Vali wasn't done there, as he soon straddled Jilks chest and proceeded to repeatedly punch Jilk in the face, reminiscent of a certain attack rush.

BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-!

Meanwhile, back in the stands everyone looked like they were seeing ghosts, such had been the terror that gripped everyone as the sounds of flesh being pounded against rung throughout.

"Oh No! If he keeps doing that, then he really WILL kill him!" Olivia shouted in worry, if Vali continued to do… this, then he would be disqualified and lose for the first time. Emilia and Alpha looked at Vali with concern. The amount of rage that he's feeling...….it was like he was holding it in the whole time in his entire life.

'How…...much rage are you feeling, Vali? Is it from those students, or.... Is it from Zora, and everyone else?' Alpha wondered mentally. He must've held himself back all this time, holding himself back from killing Zora in an instant, because if he did...… then it would have caused so many problems, not just him but his family as well.

On her side of things, Angelica looked in fear at Vali when he unleashed his brutality, but there wasn't just fear since there was also concern. She knew deep down that the rage that Vali currently had been expressing was from many proposals to him, she wasn't blind that there were many women looking down on men and using them for their own exploits. She REALLY wished that this fight hadn't happened.

Back with the boys...

"Tch, not even an ounce of chivalry! Just as what I'd have expected from you, Vali!" After snapping himself out of his fear-induced stupor, Chris yelled that sentence out as he made to jump forth with a large swing of his sword towards Vali's back. This wasn't about getting his own revenge anymore, seeing how he was pummelling Jilk to the ground like this made him shift his priorities to preserving his friend's life. If this went on, Jilk would most surely die, since Chris could sense with what little Mana ability he had that he was barely keeping himself conscious through Magic, although he likely wouldn't be able to do anything right now, which left it up to him.

However, instead of firing a Mana Ray like he would have if he were in control over his emotions, the rage-filled Vali simply grabbed the main sword arm of Chris in his right hand, gripping it tight enough that a wincing Chris had to drop his sword. Then, with only a glance, Vali stopped assaulting the now unconscious Jilk… only to twist the arm so the elbow faced downwards then drove a knee into it hard enough that some bone could be seen jutting out.

CRACK!

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"CHRIS!"

"OOOOOOHHHHHHHH, and it looks like the Unbeatable Prince is at it again, dishing out heavy blows without an OUNCE of MEEERRRRCY! Truly, he lives up to his reputation!"

Ignoring the call from the announcer and whatever responses the Audience had made, Vali growled as he prepared to finish Chris off with one big punch to the face, only to instinctively grab the shaft of a Spear that had been intended for his neck. Glancing to the cause, a furious Greg, Vali took a moment to glare with hate into his opponent's eyes, before he yanked on the shaft hard enough to pull Greg in. This caused a gasp to form and escape the dude, but it wasn't over yet as Vali grabbed his face with his left hand.

SLAM!

Vali then smashed his head into the ground, creating a shockwave which resembled an earthquake. He then proceeded to grab the guy's legs as if he were going for a wrestling move, only to raise his leg…

STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-!

… And proceeded to smash his foot repeatedly into his crotch area.

MANY winces from the guys could be heard as they clenched their groin areas, feeling phantom pains just from LOOKING at this brutal display. Even the girls couldn't help but avert their eyes, not able to stomach how vicious Vali had become right now… with no signs of slowing down either.

A while later, Vali then let his legs go then kicked the now unconscious Greg to the side of the Arena, right where an unconscious Jilk lay thanks to his dual MR attacks earlier. All whilst performing an axe kick to knock out a still screaming (and crying) Chris. Sensing another threat coming his way, the furious Vali went about raising his forearm to block a thrust from one of Brad's Spear Swords, glancing over to his fury-ridden face with his own.

"You bastard! How dare you do that to them! With my superior equipment, I shall-"

BAM!

Instantly, Vali cut the guy off to stop his incessant rambling, something which he had been doing throughout the fight. He did so by delivering a back kick to his gut, knocking the wind out of him, then twisted into a roundhouse kick into the side of his head, making his body arch in the direction of said kick. Finally, Vali finished him off by using his previous momentum and launching a straight kick into his gut, knocking him down… then for good measure, he fired a continuous MR right into his chest, dragging him across the ground and over to where the other two unconscious Princes lay. All these strikes had knocked him out too, leaving only ONE Prince remaining.

Julius.

(OST End)

At this point, much of the rage inside of him had abated, the satisfaction that he had beaten three of his four opponents into unconsciousness made him blink as his eyes returned to their previous silver, slitted states. His aura also became calm again, becoming the signature one that came from his MSK, with Vali panting and scowling at the downed Princes. 'Grrr… as much as I want to rip out their hearts for this, I still have to think of my family… if that piece of garbage DOES lay a hand on my family, then I WILL follow through. For now, I should do two things…' Vali thought as he glanced behind him, a brief flash of surprise at the Wings on his back before it settled into a blank frown again. 'First, find out what the hell these are, maybe that mysterious voice would know… and second…'

Lowering his hand, Vali glanced over to the last remaining Prince… who out of the four of them, had been the only one to keep a level head when being bombarded by his many attacks. 'And finally beat this asshole into the ground.' After finishing this thought, Vali spat on the ground beside him, cracking his knuckles as he proceeded to step forwards. "Now… your next…" He declared coldly and darkly, devoid of his previous bloodlust.

"... You went too far with what you did, Vali." Julius accused, glaring whilst holding his shield up and his sword behind it. "I know that Jilk's actions were inexcusable, but you still should have held back some-"

POW!

Instead of responding verbally. A fist slammed into Julius' shield, silencing him. The source: an 'i'm so done with this' Vali who did NOT look like he was enjoying this fight anymore. Probably wanted to get this over with after that insult and threat to his family, something anyone would feel like after going through what he had. However, as Vali had punched Julius' shield, glaring heatedly with his silver slitted eyes…

"(DIVIDE!)"

A loud, boisterous and hollow voice erupted forth from the wings, the blue energy feathers blinking like lights. The very next second, Vali and Julius blinked when they saw streams of energy leave the latter and enter the former, the former feeling a surge of power go through him whilst a wave of fatigue washed over the latter.

'What the… why do I feel so weak…?!'

'My power… it's growing ever stronger! No, it's not just that, but it's refilling, my reserves are returning to their full state…!'

Shaking his head, Vali promptly returned to the task at hand, letting a small smirk form on his lips although it wasn't one of his usual ones. "Awwww, what's the matter, Prince? You look tired… wanna quit now while you're ahead? It's painfully obvious you can't beat me." Vali sneered, his eyes shining with bestial viciousness.

"...Grrr… you will not… beat me… Marie is cheering for me… and you, a mere beast… think you can match that? I won't lose… I won't LOSE!" Julius declared as he became bathed in an aura of Mana. One which slammed into Vali's own as the two started trading blows, sword/shield against double Mana Swords.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!

During the blow exchange, the Prince went for a shield bash which Vali side stepped, using the momentum to twirl into a reverse double downward slash which Julius imbued his sword with Mana and deflected, then hopped sideways to dodge an axe kick. He then proceeded to rear his shield back and thrust it forwards, nearly catching Vali by surprise until his Wings flared and then flapped, launching Vali away from his opponent for him to jump right back in, going for an aerial roundhouse kick. Julius ducked under this, then swung his sword upwards with a reverse grip, blocking a MS strike which would have sliced through his shoulder if he hadn't. After landing, Vali used that same MS to launch another downward slash in a wheel-like arc, which Julius blocked with his shield.

Sensing that close combat wasn't all that effective here, Vali proceeded to jump into the air and dismiss his MS's, firing two distinct MR's down at his foe. Again, Julius blocked with his shield, though that was something which Vali had anticipated as, whilst his foes' vision became obstructed, he quickly tossed an assortment of MB's throughout the battlefield, then one last one as Julius lowered his Shield, resulting in him being surrounded by MANY exploding bombs.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-!

Grunts and snarls escaped the Prince's lips as he jumped out of the created smokescreen, looking quite damaged from the sudden strike from all directions. Though, with his newfound mobility Vali quickly closed the distance between them and struck with a spinning roundhouse kick towards Julius' head, one which he blocked with his shield that now had small cracks in it.

Whilst the two struggled in their deadlock, Julius eventually growled out the following words in a begrudging manner. "...I'll acknowledge that you're strong, deserving of your title Bartford."

After a couple seconds, the two of them broke away with Vali smirking as he fired multiple MR's from both hands after dismissing his MSs. "Heh why thank you Julius. Now I have a question for you Julius, why do you keep rejecting Angelica if she truly wants to be at your side?" Vali then questioned after tossing several MB's his opponent's way.

Now knowing just what those things could do, Julius made it a point to slice through each and every one of them before those balls of silvery Mana could hit the ground and detonate, bashing away the ones he couldn't in time with his Shield. "Isn't it obvious she never considered my own relationships? She only cared about me just because of the contract!"

Once he saw that his strategy had failed, Vali performed a backflip, before shooting forwards and angling himself for a flying kick, one which got blocked by Julius although the Prince got forced back about ten meters. "Hmmmmmmmm... Naahhhh. I may be a battle maniac, but even someone like me can tell she truly loves you, so why not consider her feelings for you?" he asked again, this time repeatedly stomping at the shield when he noticed that some of the cracks had begun growing.

Something which Julius had also noticed, judging by how he grunted in frustration and pushed Vali back, then aimed for a slash at one of his legs, only for the silver haired teen to flip over it and land behind him. "Like you're the one who understands that! You rejected multiple proposals that they've been trying to get to you!"

Not wasting time as he spoke, Vali twirled around whilst extending one of his wings, treating it like an extended appendage as he thwacked Julius with it, catching him by surprise since he hadn't done that before. "I have a reason why I reject them. Because they don't love ME, they only love my Mana and power. Get it through your head idiot: Angelica Redgrave truly loves you, you fucking idiot." Vali stated whilst retracting the Wing and noting that tactic for future reference.

A growl ripped it's way out his throat, followed by a roar of frustrated furty at both Vali's combat ability as well as the 'blasphemous' words that he'd said, prompting Julius to break into a charge. "There's no way that you can call her feelings "Love"! She never considered my own feelings! She is the same as other women in the royal palace, they're forcing a life of royalty on me! No one is looking at my true self! I never even wanted to be born in a family that is close to the CPU! Marie is the only one who considers my true feelings and the only one that is standing my way is you!"

Spreading his wings and blocking one sword slash, Vali became unable to see the Shield Bash that followed, sending him stumbling backwards before he jumped over a slash that would have sliced his left shoulder, twirling into a spin and launching a kick onto the back of Julius' right shoulder for payback. "........ Okay, I'm just gonna say this. One: it can't be helped that you were born with a family that's close to the CPU of this Continent. Second, are you even a fucking idiot? Wait, don't answer that cause I answered my own question. Here, how about this one: Once the CPU learns about this, do you know what will happen to you?" he questioned again, taking a few steps back while firing two MR's at his back.

Attacks which Julius twirled around and used his shield to block in time as he broke forth into a sprint again. "I don't care! As long as I can be with Marie, I don't care if I even have to disrespect the CPU!"

Hearing that, Vali became silent for a moment, simply charging back with his wings offering an increased amount of speed thanks to the power of flight. By the time the two clashed however, another announcement came from the wings, causing a sudden loss of strength from Julius which resulted in the Prince sliding backwards. All the while, the silver haired male finally spoke something he had wanted to say for a long time. "...... You...… are the biggest fucking fool I have ever seen in Gamiacdemi!"

The crowd was even more stunned at Julius' declaration of his love even if it means by disrespecting the CPU. They just couldn't believe it, only a crazy man would ever think of that. The last time someone disrespected the CPU, they were stripped of their title, took all of their money, and banished them away from their continent. Even the black-haired man that was watching with his friends can even think about the reciprocation of this situation.

Emilia, Alpha and Olivia, like the crowds, were stunned at the absurdity at what Julius said, even disrespecting the CPUs. THAT was a SERIOUS crime in the eyes of the fanatically religious folk like most in the capital Cities of each Nation were, one that could result in a literal DEATH SENTENCE if they heard what Julius had just said.

Angelica felt tears streaming down her face whilst she heard the conviction of Julius loving Marie so much, her heart tearing itself in two. She just became broken. "Your serious Lord Julius, you truly love that girl." the woman whispered under her breath, sounding like she already had a suspicion that this had been the case. Only now did that suspicion become truly present before her, no matter how much she wanted to deny it. There was no denying the facts here, nope, she had to accept it. Even so, she sounded so broken that even the students surrounding her gave her looks of pity, because Julius didn't even love her at all, or even believed for a SECOND that she had loved him.

'I will ask Vali to withdraw the fight, if that's what Julius wishes.' The woman thought with acceptance, having closed her eyes… although, when they opened, Angelica glared at the place where Marie stood, anxiously watching the battle unfold. One could see the flames of rage BLAZE behind those eyes of hers. 'But, Marie... I still won't accept you, you would only get in Julius way. As such, even if I have lost this battle, I will not fail the task I swore to do... I will drag you to the deep depths of hopelessness, no matter what happens to my reputation.'

"YOUR WRONG!"

All of a sudden, a feminine shout exploded forth with such passion and conviction that it nearly sent Angelica off her seat. She wasn't the only one either, since multiple others, including the extra sensitive Emilia and Aloha, went through similar experiences. Although that soon couldn't even begin to compare to the shock they felt when they saw who had shouted. "Huh? Olivia?!"

As Alpha had shouted, it had indeed been Olivia, the commoner girl, who had shouted those words. Unable to take it anymore, she shouted on towards the battling boys, Julius to be more specific whilst standing up from her seat. "It's true that Julius might be in love with Marie but, but!...…. ANGELICA REALLY LOVES YOU LORD JULIUS! BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH SHE'S SUFFERING SHE CONTINUES TO WATCH OVER THIS FIGHT! BUT EVEN IF IT HURTS TO WATCH, SHE DOES NOT COVER HER EYES AND SADLY WATCH! SO PLEASE, DON'T SAY THIS ISN'T LOVE!"

Back in the Ampitheatre's arena, Vali had paused his attack to listen to the surprise shout from Olivia, mentally noting down how loud she had been. It actually impressed him she could shriek so loud, making him wonder how she had such a voice… and if she were a public speaker, she likely would be quite successful. ".......huh even without a loudspeaker or magic." he mused to himself.

'I'd say that she holds a mysterious power partner, we'd just have to wait and see until the time is right.'

Although, now he got the feeling that his thoughts were no longer private thanks to this mystery voice. Vali got the feeling that the voice had a connection to these Wings on his back, especially since they would flash whenever it spoke through them though this didn't happen if it spoke through this apparent mental link they had. 'Whatever you say. Nevertheless, this doesn't change the fact that after this fight you will tell me who the hell you are.'

'Like I said, in time partner. Right now, focus on the fight.'

Unaware of the mental convo going on between him and the mystery voice, an unphased Julius made the following declaration in a dry manner. "....Is that all you have to say, woman? To force one-sided feelings onto someone and call it love? That feeling of a woman who only views me as a son of a high lord could be called Love?! I...I finally found a woman who sees me for who I am! And I then understood that this feeling was love! Have you ever tried to understand who I was, Angelica?! Your feelings aren't love, they're forced and one sided! If you understand that, then never come me ever again!"

Angelica couldn't take it anymore and let out her tears, finally embracing deep down that she couldn't ever be with Julius, ever again. Seeing this and with sympathetic frowns on their lips, Emilia and Olivia tried to comfort her while Alpha just glared at Julius for not even considering that Angelica really loved him. This came from her pride as a woman, not just as a person who had seen the genuine feelings there.

"Now, let's continue! This won't end until one of us dies!" With that tedious stuff done in his mind, Julius put his focus back on Vali, who had just been floating there with his hair shadowing his eyes, his hood fluttering.

"....... Gladly, 'your highness'" the silver haired male declared, lifting his head to expose the silver, slitted and angry eyes that he sported. "How about I commemorate you being a dumbass by making you the test project for a technique I'm developing? You definitely have the mentality of a lowly lab rat anyways…" he remarked, pissing the guy off.

Although, Vali didn't wait for Julius to formulate a response. Instead, Vali let his wings Spread out fully whilst his arms dismissed his MS's. Whilst doing so, Vali began to expand his senses whilst prepping for the newest technique in his arsenal, although he could only call it a prototype for his Mana Series since it wasn't fully developed or mastered quite yet. He wanted to originally save it for when he were to fight against his rival Reinhart again, but since Julius had well and truly solidified himself as a dumbass, he wanted to test out it's prototype version on him.

"Just one last thing before you lose, dumb Prince: Angelica's house, the house of Redgrave, are the biggest supporters for your family. With this fight and that declaration of yours, here's what will happen to you: you'll lose your position, the right to even be in this Continent if the CPU gets a hold of this. Are you really going to choose Marie over Angelica Julius?"

"...."

"What, not going to laugh, 'your highness'?"

Julius shook his head whilst getting back into his stance. Although his sword and shield looked like they would be giving out soon, due to the variou cracks formed over them despite his attempts to reinforce them with his Mana, Vali's destructive Mana would make sure that they would not last another hit. Perhaps there would be some truth to Vali's words about this fight, at least. Still, he'll keep fighting to the very end, for that was his pride as a man. "Even though I have all the women to choose from, I would give up my title for the heir and status. If it means I can be with Marie."

Vali remained silent as his technique finally activated itself, forming a silver aura around him again. This time though, it appeared to release a silver radiance from him, one which gave his immediate surroundings a small silver glint too, whilst Vali's own slitted eyes narrowed down in contempt for the idiot before him. "........ Then have a good night rest, ya fucking idiot. Count your days Julius, because the CPU will be here soon, and I won't be surprised if she calls in a banishment for you." he declared, what looked like multiple Magic Circles appearing around him that were the size of a human hand. "Mana Zone: Mana Ray."

The Mana Zone: a Magical Technique which one could say derived from both his Mana Skin as well as his copious amounts of Mana Control. It worked by allowing the user to manipulate the Mana in an area around themselves, which results in them able to gather more of it for bigger attacks as well as the ability to launch Spells from any direction, provided that the Mana Zone (or MZ as it will be abbreviated as, like all his Mana Series Techniques). Its quite a handy ability: to attack, it can be used to funnel Mana into one's techniques, enlarging their size, numbers or range. For defence, it could be used to sharpen Mana Detection and heighten reaction times, plus it could Augment Mana Skin and other Reinforcement techniques, not to mention the ability to move or stand in mid air.

Unfortunately for Vali, not only was his MZ Area small, about 6 feet or so, he couldn't keep this technique up for very long. It was simply a Prototype after all, and he hadn;t quite gotten the hang of it. Not to mention that he can only target his enemies with the spells launched within this zone, and it was still quite restrictive, not to mention he couldn't do more of the defensive things or move in mid air. Hence why his Wings compensated for this for now.

Once he further refined it and practiced some more till he got the hang of this technique that he had only started developing a week ago after some theorizing with Luxon, Vali felt that this Technique could become REALLY useful. Furthermore, Vali had discovered that there was a Natural energy in the land that he could tap into with the Mana Zone, one of its primary functions, that felt somewhat like Mana but also more like Share Energy, which led Vali to believe that it had something to do with those energies. He wasn't completely sure about that though, about 80%, however, none of that mattered at the moment…

PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-PEW-!

...For the following bombardment signalled not only the end of the match, but also the end of an engagement, a broken heart, and the eventual disinheritance of a Prince.