"Seriously, the fight is already over just like that." I said, narrowing my eyes at Logan's body as it started turning into light. For a heartbeat, the crowd was silent, their cheers caught in their throats as they watched the angel dissolve like mist into the air. A few gasps rang out, but most assumed it was the clean end to the duel, a decisive one-cut victory from Zagan that fit the calm arrogance he carried.
However, just as Zagan was about to walk away with his blade lowered at his side, a sudden crack split the air. A gunshot. The bullet slammed into Zagan's side with such force it hurled him backward, dragging a sharp grunt of pain from his lips. He tumbled across the wet arena floor, his blood staining the shallow water Katie had left behind.
I froze. My eyes snapped back to the stage. Not at the dissolving body—but at the other Logan. The real one. Standing smugly to the side, which I hadn't even noticed until now.
"Hahaha, did you really think I would lose that easily?" Logan yelled, his voice booming through the arena with laughter that grated in my ears. His blond hair gleamed under the stadium lights, his posture cocky, like someone who had already written the ending of the fight.
Zagan's surprise lasted only a moment before his narrowed eyes hardened. He flicked his wrist, conjuring half a dozen orbs of black mana that shrieked across the water as they flew toward Logan.
'Hmm, what just happened?' I thought, confusion twisting in my chest. My gaze shifted instinctively to Kayda. Even she, who rarely showed more than calm interest, had narrowed her eyes, her expression sharpened to something closer to suspicion.
"They said he had a buff class, right?" I asked, not liking the way Logan had shrugged off death itself.
"That is what we presume, seeing his actions in the battle royal a few days ago," Kayda said, finally tearing her eyes from the fight to glance at me.
"I understand; it seems that could be the case." I stopped short of finishing my sentence. My mouth closed firmly. Saying it aloud would be acknowledging too much.
"Might be what?" Kayda pressed, her tone clipped with annoyance, like she could smell the half-truths on my tongue.
"He's not just casting buffs—he's running them on himself. Constantly." I said it flat, my eyes never leaving Logan.
"That's a lot of mana usage," Kayda noted, one elegant brow lifting.
"Yes, but you can train mana and get skills to boost your mana efficiency. "That's not too difficult; I even possess one myself." I leaned back slightly, my jaw tightening. This Logan kid wasn't just talented—he was dangerous. Definitely another reincarnation.
With the sort of games we had on Earth, the endless novel systems, and the fanfictions people wrote about cheats and stacked builds, there were hundreds of ways to twist mechanics into absurd strength. Logan had simply implemented one of those methods here. He wasn't the only one either—the twins in the royal family were already pushing similar boundaries with their experiments. And me? I experimented occasionally, but because my mana reserves were so vast, I rarely worried about efficiency.
"Are you saying he is able to keep buffs on himself with a small amount of mana usage?" Kayda said, not surprised so much as mildly curious, like she'd already filed the possibility away for future use.
"Yeah, it's not that surprising. The twins do the same when they work on their projects."
"They indeed do," Kayda said, nodding as the memory tugged at her. "That month-long ordeal… It explains a lot."
"Hopefully they never make it public. It will only disrupt daily life. Ugh, that sounds so bad." I grimaced at my words.
"Hmm, so you're saying our world has been using skills wrongly?" Kayda asked thoughtfully, her voice like she was already theorizing ten new applications.
"No, you just didn't think of using it in other ways. But with time comes change. However, I am still frustrated with you. Let's just watch this fight." I said, deliberately dismissing her musing before she could try to drag me into some magical ethics debate.
Refocusing my eyes on the fight, I witnessed Zagan's body colliding with the ground as a spray of water blasted him backward once more. Logan's defenses once again prevented Zagan from breaking through.
Standing tall, Zagan glared at Logan, blood dripping down his cheek but his eyes defiant.
Logan grinned, arrogance radiating off him like heat. He started walking—not rushing, not even posturing with strength—just walking. The casual, unhurried steps belonged to someone who thought himself untouchable.
"Hey, teacher, you seem out of your depth here. Why don't you surrender?" Logan mocked, his smile too knowing, too sharp.
"So you really are one of my kids," Zagan muttered, his voice rough.
I cringed. That phrasing… ugh.
"Pah, your kids? Since when have I been involved with your kids? Logan shouted, spitting venom like it had been festering inside him for years.
Zagan lowered his head, his expression unreadable, and shook it once.
"I heard that Shiro guy got genderbent just like you. If I recall correctly, his name now is Kitsuna? She must be a sexy, busty chick, seeing as so many people talk about her looks."
My whole body stiffened. What the hell did he just say?
Zagan raised an eyebrow at him, clearly unimpressed.
"Hahah, that fox is no looker, sadly for you, and also she is already taken," Zagan said with a dry laugh, waving off the jab.
"Gross, I don't want anything to do with some fox woman," Logan spat on the ground, but the twitch in his face betrayed him. He looked more disappointed than disgusted.
'Bruh, seriously,' I thought, disgust rising hot in my chest.
"Oh, you looked like you might have fallen in love with her or something. "I must warn you that her partner is very possessive and not someone you want to anger," Zagan teased with a grin.
"Hey, I am not that possessive!!" Kayda suddenly burst out, her face blooming red. She slapped her hands on the armrest and leaned forward, practically shouting.
Her outburst startled me so much my ears rang.
"That was loud," I muttered, wincing as I covered one ear.
Her expression faltered, worry seeping into her features as she turned to me. "Sorry, are you okay?" She reached to hold my head gently, her touch featherlight but insistent.
"Yes, I should be fine," I said, pushing her hand away, eager to keep my eyes on the fight rather than on her flustered embarrassment.
"Pah, I don't care at all," Logan said dismissively before raising his hand again. A dozen light spells formed instantly and shot at Zagan, who dodged with fluid grace.
"He really seems to be back to his usual self, doesn't he? Amari must be happy," I noted, watching how Zagan moved—confident, calculating, almost like the Zagan from before his slump.
"She probably is," Kayda agreed softly.
Zagan gained ground with each dodge, closing the gap between himself and Logan.
"It's a trap," I sighed.
As Zagan neared, ready to strike, the arena erupted in brilliance. Multiple light lances impaled him from every angle, piercing shoulders, thighs, and sides—but pointedly missing his vitals.
"Oh, that's got to hurt," I muttered, knowing the cruelty in it. Not fatal. Just enough to drag out suffering.
Logan grinned, arrogance dripping as he strolled forward. He crouched and grabbed Zagan's head by the hair, yanking it up and forcing a grunt of pain.
"Tsk, tsk, Teach, you really are pathetic. If it weren't for the Draigs getting you into this fight, you wouldn't even have gotten this far," Logan said, mock pity dripping from every word. He clapped Zagan's face slowly, insultingly.
Zagan's lips curved into a grin, sudden and sharp. His blade flashed upward, cutting Logan's face clean in half from jaw to brow. Blood sprayed—yet in an instant, the flesh knitted back together, leaving not even a scar.
But healing didn't erase pain. Logan's scream tore across the arena.
"Agh, bitch!" Logan staggered back, clutching at his face, eyes wide with fury as he let go of Zagan.
"How long ago did the barrier reverse?" I asked Kayda, my eyes narrowing.
"Quite some time, why?"
"Hmm, I see," I murmured. I stood, stepping forward, and in the blink of an eye, I teleported down to the arena beside the two.
"Zagan is surrendering, which means you did a great job and won." I appeared in front of Logan, extending my right hand toward him as if congratulating him.
"What! No, he doesn't. Who the hell are you even?" Logan snapped, glaring at me.
"Shiro," I said, staring him down with a neutral face.
His eyes widened. "What, you seriously got genderbent and turned into one hot-ass chick?" His gaze swept over me, and I felt my glare sharpen to daggers.
"Hmm, as Zagan said, I am taken, not sorry, and I really don't want a jealous dragon on my hands. Not that I will ever think of being with a man, as the idea itself makes me want to commit suicide. So please, as the fight is over, can you leave the arena, as Zagan will need some healing?" I gestured at the exit.
"Heh," Logan scoffed, but he turned, walking away.
I slapped my hand against the light lances pinning Zagan, shattering them. His body collapsed into the water, his teeth gritted in pain but a grin tugging at his lips.
"Was that needed, Kitsuna?" Zagan asked with a bitter laugh.
"You made Amari cry for two days," I replied coldly, just as I felt a storm of spells surge toward my back.
"Sigh, seriously." I turned casually, releasing a wave of mana that unraveled Logan's barrage mid-flight, dispersing them into harmless sparks.
Logan's eyes went wide.
I raised my hand, forming it into the shape of a handgun and aiming at him.
'I can't just end it here,' I thought, watching as movement stirred at the edge of the arena. A white figure sprinted toward us—toward Logan.
An angel captain, judging by the stripes across his armor, thrust himself between Logan and me, wings flaring.
"Sorry, ma'am, he is just a child with a temperament," the angel said firmly, shielding Logan with his body.
"You do realize what he just did, right?" I said, my glare fixed on him.
"Yes, and I would like to take his punishment instead of him; he is but just a child after all." No apology, just arrogance in his calm voice.
"Hey Morg, don't say shit like that," Logan snapped, trying to shove him aside.
"I see. Are you sure you want to take his punishment?"
"Yes—bang! —AUGH." His scream tore through the stadium as his eyes and mouth ignited, white fire searing him from within. He collapsed, writhing, before finally falling limp, his body twitching as shallow breaths remained.
"What did you do?!" Logan yelled, horror flickering across his face as he knelt beside the angel.
"Nothing much; he should wake up in a few hours," I said coolly, stepping past them. I cast a glance over my shoulder. "And don't think this barrier will be of any assistance."
Logan's confusion was almost comical.
I turned away, dragging a half-healed Zagan with me. His weight was heavy, but his grin hadn't faltered despite the pain.
"I owe you a big one, Zagan. Thanks to you, I've tested my new bullet." I laughed, my voice echoing as we left the arena behind.
"What?" Zagan muttered, not comprehending my words, his eyes slipping half-shut.