(Obsidia's Perspective)

"Level Three Fire Magic - Conflagration Ray."

Sending down a ray of pure fire hot enough to melt steel down towards Shinrai Kazuomi, I didn't hold back a single bit. If she got hit, she would be incinerated right then and there, dying to immense pain. Though, that was none of my concern. I just needed to take this win. That was all - the consequences were not my problem.

Unfortunately, at the last second, she used some sort of artifact to defend herself from my attack. It did not pierce through the blue shield that was erected, leaving Shinrai unharmed. However, that shield would not stay forever. Calmly, I sent out another attack.

"Level Two Fire Magic - Pyroflux."

Two thin beams of destruction shot out of my palms, one in each. I directed both towards the shield, ready to change my aim at a moment's notice in case Shinrai attempted to escape. However, with a smirk on her face despite the injuries, she pointed at me and casually cast a spell of her own.

"Gravity: Intensify."

Making a downwards motion with her finger, I felt myself being forced to fall to the ground. An overbearing weight fell on my back as my entire body froze from the pressure, unable to budge an inch. Naturally, my Pyroflux spell was rendered useless as they shot directly into the ground. I quickly canceled the effect to avoid wasting mana.

Shinrai then deactivated her shield and strode over to me, folding her arms.

"Hmph. I originally wanted to just take you down using my physical abilities alone, but you were better than I expected. I underestimated you."

I gritted my teeth in anger and shame. I was forced in a kneeling position before her - this demihuman who wasn't human, wasn't beast. A dragon, king of all beasts, was kneeling down to a mere wolfgirl. I could break out of this bond easily if I wanted to, but… Xuan Kai would not be happy if I used my draconic strength too obviously here.

"It's time to finish this fight - I have tested my new weapons out enough."

Saying this, Shinrai lifted a hand and directed it towards my lowered head.

"Level Three Shadow Magic - Eternal Nightmare."

Various dark purple phantoms, wailing and screeching, were sent flying towards me. Unable to move my muscles, I merely accepted my fate.

*****

Or did I?

No, I did not.

As the nightmares entered my head, I felt visions creep into my mind. Visions of the past. Of the isolation I suffered from back in my tribe. Of my mother and father, neglecting me and treating me as some sort of demonspawn. Memories of getting cast away from the village. Living through the dark and lonely days again, eventually leading to my fateful encounter with Xuan Kai.

However, in these nightmares, Xuan Kai did not accept my proposal. He too, saw me as some sort of oddity, some kind of mistake in this world. Just like the others, just like everyone else, he left me all alone once more. My hope shattered.

Despite my cold appearance, I was genuinely grateful to Xuan Kai for accepting me for who I was and even agreeing to the deal I proposed. Sure, I was certain he had his own interests, since he was just that kind of person, but the truth could not be changed.

That's right… the truth could not be changed.

Xuan Kai contained Chaos power himself. He was an oddity, an isolated member of society, a victim of bullying and exclusion as well - just like me. How could he reject me, when others have done the same to him so many times? No - the weak bond together. They group up and form as one to become strong.

Just like that one quote told to me by Qing Yue, who said it was from a manga series.

"Humans are weak - pathetically weak. But that, is exactly what makes them strong."

Weak people have the potential to grow - to forever improve. The already strong get caught up in their hubris and are unable to progress further. Eventually, one day, the weak will overtake the strong.

That was my philosophy - that was Xuan Kai's philosophy. He would never treat me like an outcast, when he is one himself.

Sorry, Shinrai Kazuomi. You chose the wrong memory to manipulate.

I heard a faint voice outside the endless blackness all around me.

"And now… I declare the winner of this battle to be-"

Slowly, my lips curved up into a faint smile.

Light began to eat away at the shadows surrounding me and blocking my vision, before all the nightmares faded away along with my doubts.

Shinrai had her back to me and had been about to walk off the stage when I suddenly broke out. Slowly, she turned her head around in shock, but it was too late.

With speed worthy of a dragon, I dashed to her and grabbed her throat from behind immediately, before slamming her into the arena's ground and tightening my grip.

"K-Kuh… h-how…" she croaked, trying desperately to pry my hand off her throat. She was too weak to even cast a spell now - in fact, it was a miracle she was still alive. I was using about 25% of the power of my draconic strength to choke her.

"… I must say… thank you for helping me realize just how weak I truly was," I said quietly, as Shinrai finally gave in.

"I… I-I forfeit…"

Eyeing her, I decided not to kill her. She had educated me today, although inadvertently. I let go of her throat and walked off the stage.

"I take back what I said earlier," the announcer laughed boldly, as if happy at this sudden plot twist. "The winner of this fight is not Shinrai Kazuomi, but Miss Obsidia!"

Back there, I could have avoided getting hit altogether using my draconic scales to break free from the gravitational force, then running away. However, this was a good opportunity for me to test my limits too. Through this experience, I realized that despite being a dragon, I still had many flaws and weaknesses; plenty of room to improve. My kneeling towards Shinrai was solid proof of that.

I would never forget this day.

With that, I swore to never underestimate my opponents ever again, and instead focus on finding my own flaws.

*****

(Xuan Kai's Perspective)

When Obsidia returned to the room, she was as neutral as ever. But there was a different air to her than usual. She seemed… less cold and up-high, mighty. Looks like getting utterly humiliated by that wolfgirl had been good for her.

"Good comeback," I said nonchalantly.

"… Thanks," she replied briskly.

The girls' eyes widened.

"D-Did you hear that, An Xue?! Obsidia said 'thanks'!" Yu An Yan cried in shock.

"Mm…!" Yu An Xue was stunned as well, glancing at Obsidia like she was some foreign object.

Qing Yue leaped over to the dragon girl, then inspected her closely.

"Hm… this doesn't seem to be a replica… she doesn't seem to be controlled either…"

"… Can you all relax?" I sighed, sensing Obsidia's discomfort. "She expressed gratitude. Big deal."

Hearing the heavy sarcasm in my voice, the girls all calmed down slightly.

"W-Well, it's just… we're not used to her being like that," Feng Mian argued softly.

"Understandable. But people change - today just happened to be a rather sudden one… due to certain events, of course. Am I right, Obsidia?"

Slowly, she nodded, and I smirked.

"The next battle is about to start," Lan Xiao Su interrupted, then turned to the dragon. "I'm happy for you, Obsidia! A little bit of warmth and kindness is always good. I can feel you opening up to us, and that's great!"

"You've opened up quite a bit too compared to back then," I remarked. "You used to be so nervous you could barely talk."

"A-Ahahaha…" she laughed awkwardly at the memory. "Well, you helped me get past that, so…"

"A-Ahem, the next battle is starting, isn't it, Xiao Su?" Feng Mian cut in, possibly jealous of the slightly-flirty air between Lan Xiao Su and I.

"Ah! That's right, hehe," she giggled, then turned to the screen as Feng Mian switched to the livestream once more.

This time, the fight was between a young man and a young woman, both who looked to be in their twenties or so. The man wore a evil and confident grin on his face, while the woman had a stern and serious expression, kind of like Obsidia. From the bracket table, I knew the man's name was Xiao Zhan while the woman's name was Ling Long.

"Why hello there, beauty," Xiao Zhan laughed, a handsome yet sinister smile on his face.

"What do you want?" Ling Ling replied coldly, raising an eyebrow.

"You see, I don't want to hurt you, so I'm going to propose a slightly 'different' way of fighting."

"Huh?"

"How about this. If you can withstand my mental attacks for ten seconds… I'll forfeit the match."

Ling Long, along with the audience, widened their eyes.

"… You'll what?"

"You heard me. I'll forfeit. All you gotta do is live through ten seconds. Seems simple enough, right?"

Ling Long turned her head to the announcer. "Is this allowed?"

"Why, yes it is! As long as both parties agree to the terms, that is," the announcer replied, laughing as usual.

Ling Long, having confirmed the answer to her question, turned back to Xiao Zhan.

"Very well - I accept your proposal. I just hope you do not go back on your word."

Xiao Zhan snickered, as if he had already won.

"Well then… let the game begin, shall we?"