Gideon, City of Duels, Central Arena, Box Seat
Ray had stormed out, leaving behind the two pre-Superiors. Neither of them knew what to do about this awkward situation, but the first one to break the silence was Marie.
“Standing at the entrance like that is a bit annoying, so why not come in and sit down? The seats here were reserved by our clan, and there’s more than we need.”
“Oh? Well, if you would offer, then I will do just that. The view here is really quite good, after all,” said F as he entered the box and sat down right where Ray had been sitting. The sight of that made Marie grimace.
The conversation ended there, and they were now both just waiting for the final match, not saying a word. However, Marie felt that this really wasn’t going to work out and broke the silence again.
“So? What are you plotting this time?” she asked.
“You’re asking that now too? I am not plotting anything today, but I see that people around here really don’t trust me.”
“Of course—and it’s not just because of the Love-Duel Festival either. Do you have any idea how many incidents you’ve probably caused?”
“Oh, but I help people too. My goal isn’t crime, but research.”
“Ha! An author who can’t do ‘research’ without bothering people. What a laugh,” said Marie—which was ironic, considering she herself had been engaging in commissioned PK in order to role-play as the protagonist of her own work. If her fellow clan members—especially B3—were here, they would’ve definitely told her that she was in no position to criticize F.
A brief silence ensued. F also knew that Marie was a player killer—the Superior Killer, no less—and did indeed consider retorting by pointing out that she was hardly better than him.
However, instead, he chose to attack her from a different angle.
“By the way, your avatar... That’s the protagonist of Into the Shadow, isn’t it?”
“Yes. What of it?” Though Marie had tried to hide it, F’s question startled her. Into the Shadow was the title of the manga created by her real-life self, Nagisa Ichimiya.
“I read every volume,” said F. “Though I do prefer the tankobon format, so I missed anything that wasn’t included in those.”
When the magazine it was published in was canceled, Marie’s manga had gone on hiatus before it was finished, and the newest chapters had yet to be collected into the tankobon format. However, the fact that F was a tankobon-buying reader made Marie think that he might’ve not been so bad after all.
Hook, line, and sinker.
“Oh yes, I read it. And I enjoyed it a good bit,” F added. “Though, I feel like the volcano eruption that helped defeat Upas-Kamuy the Crusher could’ve used a bit more buildup. The final scene did happen on a mountain, and I understand that when Daisy’s doomed battle revealed that fire was effective, you intended that to be foreshadowing, but I still felt like there was a step or two missing in the lead-up to that eruption ending the fight. It would’ve been better if there was a little bit more information sprinkled around to preface it.”
“Y-Yeah,” Marie said. The harsh criticism of her work caught her completely off guard and hit her where it hurt. F had already guessed that she was a similar type of person and purposely picked a critique that would sting.
Trouble was brewing at the Eighth Arena, the final match of The Tournaments was about to start...and in the background of all this, a mangaka and an author waged their little passive-aggressive war.
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Gideon, City of Duels, Eighth Arena
As the sun began to set, the sparring session at the Eighth Arena also reached its end. The boats and water used for the aquatic battle vanished, returning the stage to its original form.
“Ngh... Once again, I didn’t pull it off even a single time...” Juliet was the only one among the duelists who looked a bit down. That was because she hadn’t yet been able to master her MVP rewards.
“Well, your new stuff is a bit hard to use under duel rules,” said Chelsea. “It’s nothin’ like Maxie’s new sword—that one’s so simple and easy to wield. Only if you’re Maxie, though.”
“Yeah,” Max said. “I’m pretty sure the only ones besides me who could use it right are Jubei and Figaro.”
With the sparring over, it was time to share their thoughts. The three duelists were talking about what stood out for them about their sparring match, and this sight seemed to impress G somehow.
“You’re all so stoic!” she said. “I feel like I’m watching a shogi research society or something!”
“Well, our strongest duelist is crazy strong. If we don’t work hard, there’s no way we’ll ever catch up to him,” said Chelsea.
“I see. I can just feel your sporty passion! It’s so hot! It’s burning!”
G had just been watching a practice bout, but she pumped her fist in the air enthusiastically.
It was safe to say she seemed pretty excited.
“Oh, right. G, didn’t ya have some business?” Chelsea asked, just now remembering what G had said.
“Oh yeah! Do you think you’ll make it in time? I can fly you there if you’re in a hurry...” Juliet said.
“Oh no. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.” G shook her head, rejecting Juliet’s concerned offer. “I’m already where I need to be. This is the stage of the event.”
“Huh?” As G’s words filled Juliet with confusion...
“Max! Juliet! Chelsea...! What happened?!”
“Huh?! Ray?”
...Ray and Nemesis descended from the air upon Silver’s back and jumped down onto the stage. The girls thought that he looked unusually alarmed.
“What’s wrong? Why the panic?”
“Chelsea—oh, I was just told that there was some trouble here...”
“Trouble? No, there isn’t. We were just sparrin’, that’s all.” And it was true that there were no problems here—the sparring had ended without any issue whatsoever.
“I see,” said Ray. “Well, that’s good to know.”
“Indeed,” Nemesis concurred. “But then, why did King of Light say... Hm?”
That was when the two of them noticed the unfamiliar face among the duelists.
“Uhhh... And you are?” Ray called out to the one person he didn’t recognize, and...
“Eh heh heh. Thank you, brother dearest. Your timing is perfect, oh brother of mine.”
...instead of answering Ray’s question, she only...cracked a grin.
At the same time, countless orbs began rising all over the arena.
She’d set them up without anyone noticing, and they—or rather, the magic cameras—now activated all at once.
“What...?!” Ray wasn’t the only one confused now—Juliet’s trio clearly knew nothing about this either.
“Aaall righty, then! All eyes on G! Welcome to my channel!”
Only one person was speaking now, and it was the only voice that showed no hint of shock at the situation.
Everyone’s eyes focused on the speaker—the girl now standing in the middle of the arena stage, surrounded by cameras.
Acting like the arena was her personal studio, she turned to every which way with an expressive, smiling face full of life.
“Hello! We meet again! Maybe it’s been a while? Or perhaps you’re new here? In that case, let me introduce myself! I’m G, the Superior streamer and Dendro content creator!”
“G...?” The smiles and words she excitedly spread in every direction felt almost like they were meant not for Juliet and the rest, but for an invisible audience.
G continued as though her friend’s confusion meant nothing.
“Remember what I announced last time? This premiere is for a battle against a very special guest! And my opponent this time is... Shock and awe! The strongest newbie! The one who beat multiple Superiors! Ray Starling the Unbreakable!” Saying that, she extended her palm toward Ray, and the cameras synchronized with her movements, instantly turning to film them.
Ray still didn’t have a full grasp of the situation.
However, he already understood that this had to be the “trouble” he had been told about.
“Oh, and would you look at that! Julie and her Altarian duelist friends are joining too! Meanwhile... I’ll be fighting solo! Huh?! Isn’t that bad news for me?! Won’t I lose?!” The cameras then panned over Juliet’s trio, and G faked a little panicked reaction. “Well, the results are still unknown! I’ll go as hard as I can! I’ll seize the possibility even if it’s beyond the radix point! Yeah!” After copying Ray’s words like that, she lightly moved her hand, stopping the camera sync.
“So, yeah. A pleasure to meet you. Good evening, Ray Starling.”
Though still smiling, G addressed him by name while behaving completely differently than she had when the cameras had been filming.
Ray said nothing. The drastic change in her behavior perplexed him, but at the same time, something in his memory was nagging at him.
Before he found his words, though, Nemesis spoke in his place.
“Who are you?! And what do you mean, ‘battle’?!”
“I’m G—I already said that, though. Let me introduce myself another way...”
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