Chapter 40

After the match

Xain stepped into the fighters' waiting area, barely making it a few steps before untying his hair and collapsing to his knees. He covered his face with both hands and let out a muffled scream.

"Ahhhhhhh!" His entire face burned red, the blush creeping all the way to the tips of his ears. "Embarrassing! That was so embarrassing!"

*Very clever, mimicking that leech,* Ercale's laughter echoed in his head, mocking him. *But tell me, how will you ever show your face again?*

"Don't talk to meeeee!" Xain wailed, wishing the floor would swallow him whole.

"We didn't say anything yet." a voice suddenly spoke.

Xain peeked through his fingers to see Zeva and the rest of the fighters looming over him, their faces a mix of curiosity and barely restrained laughter for Even.

"Congratulations on your win," Ulrich said, scratching the back of his head. "I just… don't really get how you won."

Xain didn't think it was possible for him to feel more flustered, yet somehow his entire face went red. "P-please, d-don't talk about it!" he begged, practically curling in on himself.

"I don't think we can stop," Calvinel remarked, crossing his arms. "What you did was way too bizarre not to ask about."

"And its hilarious to see you act like this," Even added with a smirk. "So even if they don't ask, I definitely will."

Xain looked up at him with a trembling lip, but Even was immune to his pleading expression. No amount of pathetic puppy-dog eyes was getting him out of this.

"So, what was that?" Mae asked, grinning like she had just been handed the best gossip of her life. "Why'd you start acting like some sultry lady? Is that something Zee's into?"

"NO! We're not a thing!" Xain blurted, before sighing in defeat. He rubbed his temples, trying to collect himself. "...It was just me getting into character."

Gurion raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Xain exhaled sharply before explaining. "Mellow was too fast for me to fight head-on, especially in an open space. I couldn't catch him, couldn't hit him. So I had to change things up—use a different style." He exhaled sharply, glancing away. "A style that worked on someone much faster than him."

He could feel their eyes on him, waiting for more.

"But to use it properly, I had to be her. Move like her. Talk like her. Act like her." His hands clenched into fists against his knees. "And… it worked—but the way I acted… in front of thousands of people..." He groaned again, covering his face. "It's so… ugh!"

That wasn't even the worst part.

The worst part was that it was her style. Copying Eirisse, of all people, left a sour taste in his mouth. Considering everything she had done, it didn't sit right with him.

"That is a very interesting technique. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it," Bryanard remarked with a thoughtful nod.

"Does that mean you can copy anyone's fighting style?" Zeva asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Xain shook his head. "No, not really. The only reason I could copy her was because she also fought unarmed, like me. That's what I specialize in. I've never had much of an affinity with weapons," he admitted, his embarrassment slowly fading.

"So you could copy me?" Gurion asked, arms crossed over his chest.

"I doubt it," Xain replied. "I don't have the same strength you do, so I couldn't replicate you properly. I can only copy techniques—not physical abilities. That would be impossible."

This explanation seemed to ease some of the tension among the fighters. Many had been unsettled at the thought of someone effortlessly imitating skills they had spent years mastering.

Suddenly, a voice rang out over the arena.

"Thank you all for coming!"

The fighters turned to the window, watching as Quincy addressed the crowd.

"This is it for today, and I think we can all agree—the fights we saw were some of the most interesting and unexpected in the tournament's history!"

In the crowd, murmurs broke out.

"That was another insane match," muttered a familiar man—the same man who had commented on Ulrich and Gurion's fight. "I had no idea where that was headed."

"I get you. The tactics, the cunning, the... last act," his friend added. "It was completely unpredictable." He then smirked and elbowed the first man. "Speaking of unexpected, you owe me coin again! You bet on the hardened criminal winning, so..."

The man groaned, already reaching for his pouch. "I really need to stop betting on criminals."

Elsewhere in the stands, Zee let out a sigh of relief. "Xain won... Thank goddess." But after a moment, her expression shifted, and she flushed. "...Why did he do that?"

Nori scribbled something on his notepad before turning it toward her. "I might have an idea, but I'm not sure."

"Well, who cares why he did it?" Larkin said, slapping his knee with a grin. "He won, and that's that!"

In another section of the stands, Sarandel crossed her arms as X finished explaining Xain's actions to her.

"So he copied the mannerisms of someone to get into character? Basically, a form of method acting?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"How come you know so much about this?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

X gave an exaggerated shrug. "I wonder why~" he said cryptically in a sing-song manner. The effect, however, was somewhat ruined by his mask distorting the sound.

Meanwhile, in another part of the stands—

Clara was practically bouncing on her feet, unable to contain her excitement.

"Yay! He won! He won! Did you see that, Elsa? He won!"

Elsa, standing beside her, gave a small nod, though her gaze was still focused on the arena. "Yes, Clara, I saw. I'm just wondering... what was that he did at the end?" she murmured, curiosity lacing her tone.

In one of the VIP stands, Samwell sat with an unreadable expression.

"Father, do you have anything to say about the match?" Matthew asked.

Samwell shook his head. He didn't care about the match itself, nor about Xain's odd performance at the end. What intrigued him was the armor the boy was wearing.

*Just what is that?* he wondered.

In another VIP section, Mark sat back in his chair, arms crossed as he tried to make sense of what he had just watched.

"Well… that was certainly a match," he muttered.

"The last part of it was… surprising," Zara added.

Mark nodded in agreement but said nothing further.

In another VIP stand, Tianteng turned to the Emperor of Aeruna, a smirk on her lips.

"That was, in my opinion, more entertaining than the last match. Wouldn't you say so, my Emperor?"

The Emperor, surprisingly, gave a slight nod. "I would have to agree. That was entertaining." His tone was neutral, and he did not smile, but the fact that he acknowledged it at all was telling.

"Okay everyone!" Quincy spoke up again. "Once again, I apologize for the lack of fights, but I hope you all enjoyed today's matches! The Tournament of Greatness will continue tomorrow!"