"Euh yeah... you should stop there..." (Commentator)

The commentator scratches his unshaved face in a lazy manner while yawning. On his shoulder is the sassy rival, knocked out.

"Fuck, what now again?" (Me)

"I just wanted to tell you, that you're gonna get disqualified if you fire that and kill him." (Commentator)

I look at the ball of electricity, which is still crackling full of energy, in my hand.

"THAT'S RIGHT! LET ME GO! NOW!" (Hajime)

"Shut the fuck up for a second, I'm trying to have a conversation here." (Me)

I push Hajime's face down into the dirt again with my foot. His nose seems to have been a hurdle while doing that, but with a slight *crack* that problem was quickly solved.

"Hng!" (Hajime)

"Who doesn't love the sound of cracking bones in the morning?" (Me)

"It's afternoon!" (Hajime)

"Didn't I just tell you to shut up? I swear to Christ, if you interrupt me one more damn time, I'll scar that handsome little face of yours, okay?" (Me)

What? Why did you emphasize his handsomeness?

I turn my attention back to the unshaved Commentator.

"Wait, why is the girl on your shoulder? Did you really convert to pedophilism already?" (Me)

"Euh... no... that's not the reason. I actually-

"I mean, I don't judge! I have a girl in my team who looks like she's 8 and I still get a raging boner from her. It's just that-" (Me)

"I'm not planning on fucking her." (Commentator)

Our eyes meet and I see how he still hasn't changed his expression a little bit.

I scratch the back of my head at the weird situation of me making a joke and the other party not laughing.

"You're really no fun. So? How did you get through my barrier?" (Me)

"Euh... yeah... I walked through it." (Commentator)

I look around me and see that still no person is visible, nor can they see me due to my magic. But what really kept them from leaving their seats and interrupting the match, was actually a huge warphole I wrapped around the audience, which would teleport them back every time they leave their seats.

"So you're telling me that you just walked through a fold of space? Just like that?" (Me)

"Euh... yeah." (Commentator)

I look the Commentator in his dead eyes. There is no sign that h-

"WOULD YOU PUT YOUR FOOT OFF ME ALREADY?!" (Hajime)

My eyes turn to Hajime, who's still being crushed under my enhanced foot.

"You just interrupted my inner monologue. No one interrupts my inner monologue." (Me)

I turn back to the Commentator after Hajime interrupted me once more.

"You said I can't fire something off that kills him, right?" (Me)

"Yeah." (Commentaor)

I suck the ball of electricity back inside me-

HA! YOU SUCKED A BALL INSIDE YOU

'FUCK YOU!'

-and throw a knife at one of his hands.

"ARGH!" (Hajime)

"So this is okay?" (Me)

"Euh... I'm sure you should've asked that bef-" (Commentator)

I throw another knife at the other hand.

"AAARGH!" (Hajime)

"What did you say just now? I can't hear you because of his screa-" (Me)

"I'M SCREAMING BECAUSE YOU'RE THROWING KNIVES AT MY LIMBS!" (Hajime)

"AND NOW YOU EVEN INTERRUPTED MY PUNCHLINE! THAT'S IT! GIMME THAT LITTLE HANDSOME FACE OF YOURS! I'LL MAKE IT EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL!" (Me)

I pull out one of my daggers and start carving into his face. To be exact, over his right eye.

I think you made a mistake at that stroke.

'We don't make mistakes, just happy little accidents.'

Did you just quote Bob Ross while carving someone a magic circle over the right eye?

'Scratch another one from my list of "Things I want to say"!'

"STOP IT! STOP IT PLEASE! AAAHHHHHH! MY EEEEYYYYYEEEEEEE!" (Hajime)

"Now that I think about it, I treated you actually pretty nicely in our little fight. I mean, I didn't really hurt you that much... huh. I'm losing my edge." (Me)

"Euh... didn't you pierce his feet with daggers?" (Commentator)

"So what?" (Me)

'Wait, how does he know that?'

I finish my little artwork with a last swipe which goes right through his eye, from top to bottom.

"Phew." (Me)

I swipe the sweat from my eyebrow and turn my attention back to the Commentator.

"Aren't you gonna say that I won?" (Me)

"Euh... yeah... you won." (Commentator)

"Yaaaaaaaas." (Me)

I step down from the unconscious Hajime and put my knives back into my inventory.

"Now there is only one thing left." (Me)

The Commentator halts in his tracks, since he was already prepared to go away, and turns around.

"What do you mean?" (Commentator)

"Why should I tell you?" (Me)

"Fair enough... I guess it's time to search for a rope again...." (Commentator)

"Good luck." (Me)

"Fuck you." (Commentator)

'I'm actually starting to like him and his dead eyes.'

The Commentator leaves the arena in the blink of an eye.

What? Is it my job to ask again what you're gonna do now?

"..." (Me)

...fine... WHAT IS STILL LEFT FOR YOU TO DO?!

"Glad that you ask!" (Me)

I concentrate a quarter of my mana back into my hand, resulting in a pure ball of destruction being created.

What are you trying to do with that?

"I'm gonna shoot this ball at myself." (Me)

HA! YOU'RE GONNA SHOOT A BALL-

"Okay that's it. Bird, you take his place." (Me)

As you wish. Why do you want to hurt yourself with this pure ball of mana?

"Glad that you ask again! Let me answer that with a question! What is the main reason I'm participating in this tournament?" (Me)

I recall that you're participating here, because you want to build up a good reputation between the normal folk in pursuit of the throne.

"Exactly! And what would happen to my reputation if they find out that I just disfigured and borderline tortured one of the nicest guys in this tournament without him even being able to put up a fight?" (Me)

It would get wors-

"IT WOULD GO TO SHIT! YOU'RE RIGHT AGAIN!" (Me)

I look at the ball in my hand.

"And that's why I want to make it look like an equal battle took place, where I was actually hurt as well... Fuck, I'm not looking forward to this." (Me)

I aim at the ground and-

"Bang!" (Me)

Aline P.o.v

"Sorry, dear watchers, but the following content might not be good for my reputation, so you're all gonna turn blind for a bit." (Yu)

Yu just stopped Hajime's sword in mid-air somehow and now he's looking at the audience behind us.

'What? What does he mean by tha-'

He glances over to me for a second and smiles before waving his hand.

Suddenly, everything turned dark.

"WH- WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" (Me)

"Aline?! Are you there?" (Lydia)

Lydia seems to have fallen into panic as well. Her voice is trembling.

"Yes! How are the others?!" (Me)

"Belka's alwight!" (Belka)

"It's a shame, but I'm unhurt." (Estelle)

"What?" (Me)

"I'm good as well." (Janna)

I light a small flame, which serves as a source of light. The other girls see that light and approach me.

"So? What do you think happened?" (Me)

"Didn't Yu just practically explain it? He made the audience blind, since he doesn't want them to see what happens in the fight." (Janna)

Belka raises her hand energetically.

"Yu's pwobably playing with them wight now!" (Belka)

"But probably not like you think." (Lydia)

We continue to speculate about it, until a new visitor approaches us.

"Fufu, you're having fun there I imagine?" (???)

A girl, completely clothed in black, comes out from the dark.

"Aren't you the whore who sometimes talks with Yu?" (Janna)

"A very interesting way of adressing me, fufu. But yes, I do sometimes talk with your beloved." (???)

She comes even closer to us.

"I bet you're curious about what's happening right now over there, right?" (???)

She puts a fake smile on her face, which says "I'm enjoying this way too much right now."

We look at each other and nod.

"Good, fufu. Well then, what is behind curtain number-" (???)

She stops abruptly midway in her sentence.

"Why... why can't I use magic? I checked every other participant before coming here. There shouldn't be anyone but Yu Krifta and me who are able to nullify magic." (???)

Slowly, footsteps can be heard from the darkness.

"Euh... yeah... I hate owing someone a favor. Good thing that an opportunity came so soon.

Another person comes out from the darkness.

"Fufu, you're the Commentator, right?" (???)

He just looks at her lazily.

"Why are you bothering me in having fun? Right now should be the time when they see what kind of person he is." (???)

'What kind of person he really is? Does she mean Yu?'

The Commentator continues to look at her with his dead eyes, but answers this time.

"Euh... yeah... I owe him one for falling asleep in the last battle.... and I actually like that kid... so I'm helping him out a bit." (Commentator)

His eyes dart over to where Yu's fight should be taking place right now.

"I think I should stop him soon." (Commentator)

"I said you shouldn't butt in when I'm having fun!" (???)

The girl in black pulls out a whip from nowhere and whips at the Commentator multiple times. But there is one weird thing about it.

"No... no strike is hitting?" (Me)

The Commentator moves his head and body only a tiny bit each time the girl strikes. He actually manages to dodge whiplashes by lazily moving.

In an instant, the Commentator disappears and reappears beside the girl in black. The girl in black startles for a second but she doesn't have time to distance herself. The Commentator knocks her out with one strike to the neck.

"It's actually pretty weird when no one gives sassy comments in such situations." (Lydia)

"*Yawn* Euh... yeah... so I gotta go to the fight now. You girl stay safe... or something like that." (Commentator)

The Commentator goes into the darkness, taking the body of the black clothed girl with him.

"Did... did we just witness a crime?" (Lydia)

"No... I'm not sure." (Me)

Soon after the Commentator left us, the dark veil disappears.

As soon as we are able to see again, I look over to Yu, only to see something shocking.

In the middle of the battlefield is a huge crater with Yu in the middle of it. He limps slowly out of it, his right arm with a broken bone sticking out of it and his face full of blood.

"YU! WHAT HAPPENED?!" (Me)

He looks at me with his old, kind smile.

"Next time I'm gonna put a bit less mana in it. Fuck..." (Yu)

Yu falls into my arms and loses consciousness.