I am the one who will 'Remain'

Chapter 13

The people from the sidelines are starting to pass out because of Niobe's aura; they are too weak for this kind of killing aura that presses on their souls.

When Melody sees that Niobe doesn't hold back her aura anymore, she takes out a device from her space ring and tosses it high in the air, over the arena. 

"I hope it holds."

The device looks like a statue of an angel with her arms wide open. When the statue is high enough, Melody says in Uniakean:

"Protect."

Then, from the statue, a transparent barrier starts to open up, and in a matter of seconds, the entire arena is covered.

The people look at Melody with thankful expressions on their faces. Now, they can resist the aura because the barrier stops part of it. They turn their heads back to the match, and they see Niobe rising in the air, with her aura growing even stronger. But Ark just stands there with a calm aura, not a shred of fear on his face.

Niobe is so upset that she doesn't care about anything anymore. Her eyes are now constantly leaking black smoke that looks more like black water. Inside this black water, you can see monsters—so many that you can't count them, and they look so terrifying that if a weak-willed person saw them, they would lose their mind, and their soul would scatter. But right now, the black water is only floating beside Niobe, and the monsters, sensing their master's anger, are only looking at Ark. Because of that, no one from the sidelines is harmed.

"You don't deserve mercy. Your soul will have a special place in my army. You will satisfy my monsters' every single wish."

Ark smiles with an evil grin, and Niobe has a very bad feeling. 'How can I still feel something is wrong when I am at full power? What is he?'

Ark says just a word:

"Kneel."

Then Niobe comes plunging down from above, and her knees make spiderweb cracks when she lands. She is again on her knees in front of Ark.

The people from the sidelines didn't even have time to recover from the shock from before because another shock hits, even harder.

Niobe Megara, on her knees with just a word from her opponent. 'Just what is happening right now? Are we in some kind of hallucination? Is everything we see really reality?'

"I said, this is the right level for our eyes. You need to look up when you look at me. And don't worry, I will show you something unbelievable. I will show you that even your 'nightmares' have a nightmare. I will show your nightmares how to feel fear again."

Niobe looks at Ark, and for the first time in a very long time, she feels... fear—real fear—when she looks into those half-black, half-red eyes.

She doesn't have much time to think because she sees Ark lifting his right foot, and in the next second, she feels the hit on her head. Then, she enters a kind of semi-unconscious state.

Ark continues to hit her with his fists, faster and faster, making her head look like a broken watermelon. Blood keeps pouring from her head, nose, and eyes, but the hitting only gets faster and harder. After a while, the people wake up to reality and start shouting for the match to be stopped, for Niobe to give up.

But Niobe doesn't hear anyone, doesn't see anyone. She feels only extreme pain and fear toward the frail-looking young guy.

Only an angry look, with a little bit of killing intent from Ark, was all it took, and the monsters inside the black water are nowhere to be seen anymore. It's like they were never there.

Melody wakes up from her shock, and she feels pity for Niobe.

"Ark, please, it's enough. She knows her place now."

Ark stops and looks at Melody. He sees her sad face. Then, he looks back at Niobe.

"You should thank her. Because of her good heart, you still have your head connected to your shoulders."

Niobe, in pain and in a weak state like never before, doesn't even think and says:

"Thank you, Miss Ember, for your pity on me."

Melody just looks at her and knows she is broken. Ark hit her not only with punches and kicks but with his soul and will as well. Her soul power and will can't hold a candle against Ark's. She is afraid of him, and she will do anything he says. Her immediate apology to me is proof of that.

"Ark, I will heal her."

"Wait, I will do that."

"Why?"

While Melody and Ark are speaking to each other, Niobe doesn't even dare to breathe too loudly, even though she's feeling pain like never before in her life. Her only thought is to leave, she just wants to be alone, but she doesn't dare to before Ark says so.

The people are also in disbelief about everything they've watched. Their principle—the strongest soul fighter in the entire city—just lost. And she lost hard.

'She looks like she's afraid to even look at him. She's afraid to even lift her head to look him in the eyes.'

Good thing we recorded this fight, or no one would have believed us.

They see Melody starting to make her way to the arena, and they watch her approach the scary student on the stage.

"I will heal her, watch and learn."

Niobe, still kneeling, raises her head a little, but when she realizes that she'll see those half-black, half-red eyes, she loses her courage and puts her head back down. She just waits for whatever they want to do.

Melody watches Ark as he gathers some milky-white aura and puts his hand over Niobe's head. Then, the gathered aura enters her head, and they see her head recovering.

And Niobe starts shaking. Then, after a moment, everything is back to normal. She is completely healed, but when she looks up, a big surprise.

Even Melody wasn't sure what Ark did, but she knew that now everything would be okay. They would have a really nice time at the university after he helped her like this.