Deus Didymus: Rend

Chapter Twenty-One: The Victor

Nako slouched forward, frowning, "I can't believe I lost..."

"It wasn't easy." Hitomi huffed. "I'd say it was a fight worthy of the low tier finale."

"It's a shame it wasn't the finale."

The two kunoichi walked back to their locker rooms with Nako letting out a heavy sigh.

Her brother's back...

"Onii chan...?"

Nako scratched her head. She pursed her lips as she shrugged her shoulders.

"I should get changed quickly so I can watch the next fight."

Nako extended her uniform before her, widening her eyes.

"Did I really have this much skin showing at the end of the fight?!"

She lifted her shirt, patting the skin previously exposed by the holes.

"Wow... That pill works wonders."

Nako threw her uniform onto a hanger, draping a transparent plastic bag over before hanging it over her arm.

She donned a large gray zip-up jacket with a white pleated skirt and a white t-shirt underneath.

"Good thing I brought extra underwear." Nako frowned, "This bra is completely fried just by being in close proximity to the holes. I should ask Ms. Choi to fix my clothes up for me."

Nako skipped next to her classmates, beaming a smile.

"You guys saved a seat for me!"

"These seats are reserved for academy students," Yena replied.

"You're unusually bubbly for someone who just lost, Unnie," Yujin commented.

"Who cares?" Nako shrugged, "It was just a show for the people."

"Oh! The match is up!!" Chaewon shouted.

Ahn Y/n vs Kim Minju
Honda Hitomi (Bye)

"The couple is up next!!!" Chaewon cheered.

"They had a good fight last time," Nako commented, "It's almost been a year since. Maybe it'll be even better!"

Minho crossed his arms, "Y/n hyung can somehow dodge things that are even invisible to him, and Minju ya has grown really good at hand-to-hand combat. I wonder how this will turn out."

"Ever since she unlocked her energy, she's been a monster!" Yena added, "I don't know if Y/n will be able to keep up even after the crazy performance he showed with Bae ya."

Yujin stared at her brother's name on the screen, pursing her lips.

"We'll get to see the fruit of Oppa's training in this next match."

Y/n placed his foot down, coming to a halt. He stared deep into Minju's hazel eyes, extending his fist. The two contestants sandwiched the air between their fists, connecting their resolve in the vast white stone arena.

"Don't hold back, Oppa."

"You too." Y/n grinned. "No punches pulled."

"The match will end once one of you loses consciousness, suffers a fatal wound, or concedes. Begin!!"

Y/n darted forward, slamming his forearm into Minju's. Wide grins mirrored between the couple's faces, ushering the pair into their next moves.

Minju stepped back, raising her forearm. The two exchanged back and forth blows--never moving further than arm's length.