SON OF THE HERO KING

The moment Setsuna took off her helmet, an uproar swept through the crowd. Most people believed the gladiator king to be a man. An old and rugged man to boot. Never in their wildest imagination would they have thought that the strongest gladiator was a woman, and one so young.

But, out of all of those, the biggest reaction was in the lounge belonging to the Gorfard family.

Leonard, after seeing Sol's display, was already tearing his hair out in frustration as he screamed in the lounge.

He couldn't accept that. He refused to accept that. The fact that this shitty prince was so powerful, he was an irregularity.

'Yes! Camelia! The supreme daughter! It must be because of her, there's no other way.'

Calming his bruised ego with his thoughts, he failed to notice the reaction of the slave beneath his feet as she murmured with a surprised expression.

"Princess."

----

Sol, facing Setsuna, calmed himself down before closing his eyes in reminiscence.

"As we have promised back then, once I beat you, you will tell me your past and you will totally submit to me, body and soul."

"Indeed. Though, I already said that I was yours. I do not understand why we have to pass by this step."

Sol smiled as he shook his head before opening his eyes, blazing with conviction, "I do not wish for such a relationship. I know the way of the wolves. I studied them because I wanted to better understand you. The blue wolves follow a pack system, and only a strong male can be recognized as the alpha of the pack."

Clenching his fist, he continued, "Of course, you guys aren't animals controlled by your instincts. Feelings and instincts are different. The one who loves me is Setsuna the woman, but Setsuna the wolf does not see me as the leader of the pack. If I do not make you submit. Our relationship will most likely become strained in the future."

This wasn't an exaggeration, beasts-kin were as much beasts as they were human. Though it would be a mistake to call them hybrids either. This made them a rather weird race that made instinct and reason coexist in the same being.

If he wished so, by asking her to force down her instinct, Sol could have a normal relationship with Setsuna even if he never beat her. But this wouldn't be a long term solution. Sooner or later, Setsuna would snap even if she didn't mean to.

He didn't wish for that. He wished not just for Setsuna, but for all the women close to him to have happy and fulfilling lives. He wished that they harbor no regrets over forming a relationship with him.

So, even if it meant he had to beat them up, he would make them happy.

'The irony of the situation.'

"...I see." Her deep blue eyes gazed at the man she loved more than anyone else, seemingly searching for something in his eyes.

Once she was satisfied with what she found, she began to discard her armor one piece after the other.

Seeing this, Sol smiled as he began to do the same.

Setsuna's armor was different from his. Aside from the hard metal, it provided almost no protection. After all, it was filled with runes designed to keep her identity. Still, he didn't hesitate to take off his armor.

He did not wish to leave any doubts about his victory.

Once they finished, Setsuna was now clad in a simple kimono with a short skirt while Sol stood in his blue and gold regal robes. Seeing them like that, no one would think that they were about to fight with everything they had.

"Hey, old man!"

"Y-yes?!"

The referee squeezed out his voice as he asked politely.

"We will use the free for all rules. The only way for defeat is to be knocked out, surrendering or the incapacity to fight. Nothing else."

"O-of course!"

There was no reason for him to hesitate, so he accepted quite readily.

Once Sol had this answer, he turned back to Setsuna.

"Are you ready?"

A savage smile formed on Setsuna's face as she replied, "This time, I won't hold back."

"I hop–huh?"

By the time Sol answered, a fair and dainty hand was already holding his face, before-

BAAM!!!!

-Bringing it down violently against the ground.

At least that is what it looked at first glance.

The moment Setsuna impacted the ground with her hands, the Sol she was holding faded, while another one appeared behind her.

<<Shadow clone>>

He had used a substitution technique that consisted of creating a double with mana and filling it with fighting intent. This double was unable to fight but was perfect for tricks and traps.

"Did they never tell you to not attack the face!?"

Sol, once behind her, reprimanded her while covering his entire arm in scales before thrusting it toward Setsuna's back. The attack was so fast that it let friction in the air. But, despite this speed, it still missed as she did a simple roll-forward before jumping away.

The two of them, now in the opposite position from the one they stood at the start of this exchange stopped to gauge their powers.

This short exchange allowed them to know that this fight wouldn't be an easy one for either of them.

Taking a deep breath, Setsuna closed her eyes before crouching down.

*Biri* *Biri* *Biri* *Whoosh*

The atmosphere around her begins to give an odor of ozone as sparks of blue lightning surrounded her body, while the wind stirred as if giving birth to a tempest.

Her long blue hair became spiky as they swayed in the wind, her eyes fully blue and two large blue horns made out of energy began to form on her forehead. Finally, her nails became as sharp as claws.

*Growl*

Currently, Sol didn't feel like he was facing the beautiful and gentle but stern Setsuna, but rather an extremely dangerous beast that was about to rip him to shred.

"So this is your fighting form."

Exhaling a little while exclaiming in admiration, he slowly twirled his shoulder and he calmed his rising tension.

Setsuna wasn't just a blue wolf, she was a variant or a mutant. A storm wolf. An A+ ranked beast. Basically, she had one of the most powerful bloodlines below the divine beasts and their offsprings.

Feeling the incredible amount of mana she released, Sol decided that he would surprise her.

"You aren't the only one with a second form, you know."

Smiling wickedly, his eyes changed to his draconic one.

<<Dragon force: 1st step.>>

Slowly, under the astonished eyes of the crowd, his body began to change. He became taller, his white skin changed to a bronzed tone, and two glowing golden horns formed on his forehead.

The moment it happened, a true storm of mana began to fill the colosseum as Sol’s and Setsuna’s mana began to clash. Some of the spectators began to flee from their place as they couldn't support the pressure while some others who were too close, fainted.

At the center of all this were Sol and Setsuna, staring at each other with an unprecedented focus, none of the two thinking about anything else.

Then, under the eyes of the crowd, they simply vanished.

Boom!!

The scene happening in front of their eyes was one they had never witnessed in the colosseum. It was as if two fierce beasts were unleashing their Wrath on their surroundings. No place in the Arena was spared. In just two minutes, the place was completely ravaged.

Of course, for those able to see what was happening, they could only click their tongue in marvel.

Sol and Setsuna's way of fighting was completely different. One used her extreme speed as well as her skill and precision to deliver fast and precise blows while the other used his powerful body to weave through all damage and counter-attack.

They couldn't help but shiver when they thought about how helpless they would be should they face any of those two.

Finally, after one final blow, the two of them stopped moving and began seizing each other again.

*Huff* *Huff* *Huff*

Their breaths were ragged and their clothes ripped in different places, trickles of blood dripping from each of them. Still, the sharp-eyed ones could see that Sol was clearly having more difficulty breathing than Setsuna.

The result of the previous clash could be said to have resulted in Sol's defeat. His right arm was partially dislocated and his fingers broken, his chest was punctured and covered in blood. Even though his wounds were already healing, in the long run, they would sap his stamina even more.

'Sigh, I did not think that it would be this bad. If I didn't have resistance towards magic, the damage I took would be way worse.'

Even though he complained, he had to admit that he was loving this fight. This was different from all the ones he had against Lilith or the ones against the previous gladiators.

'Hahaha~I am really transforming into a battle maniac.'

Setsuna on the other hand couldn't help but feel giddy with anticipation. It has been a long time since she didn't feel her blood boil in such a way, the knowledge that this fight was a sort of courtship made her even happier. Still, even though she wanted to submit, she would never hold back. Doing so would be an insult to Sol as such,

"Your highness, I think it's time to accelerate."

"...Accelerate?"

She was going to use the greatest power she had at her disposal aside from her killing attack.

<<Third phase: Godspeed>>

What did it feel like to be hit by a punch at the speed of the sound?

Sol just tasted the answer.

BOOOOMMM!!!!