Blaire lightly tapped his staff to the ground and spoke to his opponent after Toni yelled for the match to begin. “I heard about your friend. If it’s any consolation, then I am sorry.” 

“You were watching her?” Momo asked.  

He nodded, his red hair lightly bouncing around. “I was there when Servi fought against a Human named Arty in the sewers a month ago. I was impressed by how she stayed calm when she was about to die. You realize that if she was a little bit slower, she would be six feet under right now.  As in, she wouldn't be alive anymore...” Blaire was blunt with his coarse words, and that pissed Momo off.  

“And?!” her tail puffed up and sharply swooshed back and forth, almost like it was cutting the very air.  

“And I wanted to test my skills against her. At least, that's what I wanted. When I saw her first match, it was sloppy and weak, devoid of any technique. It was like watching a mad dog who had forgotten how to fight.  I don’t know what happened, but she became weak. She was outmatched when she fought against Arty, and I’m upset he tapped out.  If he would've waited a few more seconds, he would've been the victor.  Her spirit—" 

Momo, upset and distraught with Blaire, rushed in with her sword drawn. The moment Blaire grinned, Momo felt pain radiate outward from her chest. Feeling the heat rise from her stomach, she doubled over in agony.  A black mix of chicken and water violently escaped up through her throat and dirtied the arena floor. Momo, having had the air knocked out of her, rapidly tried to fill her lungs with air. The attack was just too fast for her to see.  

“Momo!!!” cried Srassa from the sideline. Feral unconsciously growled as he observed the match.  

“Rage and anger have no place in a tournament. There are no grudges here, so—" Blaire’s staff, the weapon used to bring Momo to her knees, was right in front of her, taunting her like a noble would with a gift of food to a peasant.  

“Lucem!!” shouted Momo, creating a bright flash of white light.  

I wanted to keep this skill hidden, but I guess I can't.

While Momo struggled to get her breath, she had started to pre-cast Lucem using what little oxygen she had. She thought she had the advantage.  At the moment, her sword was far too heavy for her arms to lift. But since she was reeling from the pain, she went back down.

“AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!” she screamed. It felt like her chest was about to fall apart.  Her armor she had on had done nothing to protect her against such a precise hit.

“I aimed specifically for one of your ribs. With that kind of pain, you lost your ability to perform your handstand attacks. That means you have one less way of attacking.  Well, if you want to lessen the pain,” said Blaire as he walked forward. “I’m going to win this tournament, but I don’t like violence. Just admit defeat, and I won’t have to break anything else.” 

“I….can’t…..fo….r…..Servi…..” Momo glanced up at Blaire and noticed he had on pants and not armor. Meaning his legs were protected by only a thin layer of fabric. And luckily, she still had her sword gripped in her trembling hand. But like before, it was far too heavy for her to swing. She didn’t know if she could brave through the pain of swinging it.  Just the thought of doing so set her whole body aflame with a metaphysical pain.

It’s gonna hurt!!! It’s gonna hurt!!! It’s gonna hurt so dang bad!!!! But I got to do this.  

“Why are you doing it for her? I’ve seen your skills. Your agility and unique way of fighting are incredible, to say the least. To be honest, I think you have the potential of a Rank 9, or even a Rank 8, and you obviously have been in your share of fights and quests.  I can tell that from your fighting style, you're better and stronger than her. Come, join my party and me. We’re about to take on our promotion quest in a week.” 

While he was talking to Momo, and while she was forcing herself to think of a way to win, Toni questioned what he saw. “Folks! It seems like the fight has slowed down a lot since the first few seconds. Momo’s on the ground, and from the way she’s holding her chest, I imagine he broke one of her ribs. But could this be the end of Momo?!?!?! I had my eye on her to win it all!” 

I gotta do it for her. Do it for her. Do it for her! Do! It! For! Her! 

Enduring the pain, Momo subtly began to take a deep breath using her nose and mouth. It was a risky tactic since Blaire was right over her, but it was her last-ditch effort. It wasn't something she would usually do, but she wasn’t fighting for just herself.  Not anymore, at least.

I need to win. Even if I have to lie...

“Fine… I….”  

“You what?” he said, leaning closer to the ground. “You have to say it, or you have to tap the ground three times. And with that broken rib, I’ll be surprised if you can even raise your arm. Even if you could, could you endure the pain?"

“I.....” Momo coughed, interrupting herself. “I said..I….” 

He leaned down even further.  

“I…won’t…leave….her…” Like a bat out of hell, Momo launched into action. First, she used Magic Missile. Pre-casting as fast as she could under the pretext of catching her breath, she pressed her hand against the stomach of her opponent. In Blaire's foolish naïvety, he had believed he was the victor of the match and had gotten too close to Momo.  

“Magic Missile!!!” she shouted as he dodged to the right. He didn’t entirely avoid it, and there was a section of burnt skin from where the colorless arrow had materialized. He wore a simple shirt but no armor, so only a thin piece of cloth protected him.

But she wasn’t done at all. Gritting her teeth, she swung her arm faster than ever before, and her sword caught her opponent’s ankles, cutting a few centimeters deep. In her rage, she wanted to do more, but Momo coughed up blood, and her strength faded away.

But it was enough.  

“WHAT?!?!” yelled Blaire as he fell to his backside, blood pouring from the wounds like a leak in a bottle. It looked worse than it was, but the pain was intense.  Momo coughed again, spitting up blood, and she forced herself to her feet. Standing proud, she glared at her opponent, who had the nerve to try to get her to join his party.  

“Like heck will I ever abandon my best friend...” she said, barely above a whisper. “She saved my life multiple times, and you think I would just abandon her for someone who claims they’re stronger?! She’s so much stronger than me, and she’s way stronger than you!!” her voice grew louder and louder as she fought through the pain until she realized she wailed with the intensity of a banshee.

For the first time in a while, pure anger blazed through Momo. The last time she felt this way was back when she was forced to leave her village in the middle of that awful night.

“I-I-I did—” 

“Shut up!” yelled the Singi, who held her hand up. She started to chant for Magic Missile, but she coughed up blood halfway through, falling back to the ground before screaming in pain. She kneeled and vomited again. Her breathing quickened, and her eyesight started to blur. It was like there were three or four Blaires in front of her. 

Following her playbook, Blaire decided to swing his staff from his sitting position. Momo grinned, knowing this was the time for her to win.  

She knew it was going to hurt badly, but she had no other option. Bracing herself mentally, she went to block the blow with her hand.  

“AAAHHHHHHHH!!!!” she screamed as she felt the bones in her hand break. Instantly, tears fell, and the pink Singi cried, but not for a single moment did she think about giving up. With anger coursing through her body like the force of a thousand suns, she forced her sword forward using her non-broken hand. It took everything she had, and this attack was meant to decide the match.  

She aimed for the side of his leg but only managed to cut cloth. Her attack missed, along with her one chance to win this match. It was her loss, and the record books would declare Blaire as the winner.  

Or so the audience thought. Even Dineria, Fisher, and every one of her friends thought she was going to lose. 

Momo did something that wouldn’t have been possible if she didn't have the weight of wanting to win for Servi on her shoulders. Using the thrust's momentum and a kick from her kneeling position, Momo rolled forward while screaming a battle cry.

The pain was nearly indescribable. It was like having a hellish fire, formed in the pits of hell, burn non-stop in a single area. Then, it spread. From her chest to her stomach to legs and arms... To Momo's feet and hands, and even to her toes and fingers... Momo's entire body was screaming— demanding— for her to stop.

Her mind, however, refused to submit to those demands.  

She gritted her teeth and endured the agony. From the roll, she transitioned into a one-handed handstand. She couldn’t stay that way for more than a few seconds, but it was enough.  

The pain she felt in her chest was extraordinary, and it was no small wonder she remained conscious.  

“WHAT?! But your ri—” Blaire exclaimed. He tried to get up, but his ankles were wounded. There was a chance the wounds would stretch, and he was already losing blood. Not to mention the devilish pain that felt like his ankles were on fire. He quickly took his staff and attacked Momo, aiming for the single hand that held her entire body up like a stubborn column that prevented a building from collapsing.

“AAHAHHHHH!!!” screamed Momo, keeping her upside-down eyes on her target. She used what little strength she had left to push herself into the air. She didn’t gain much height at all, but it was enough to avoid the staff swipe and brought her legs straight down as hard as she could into a pair of downward kicks. She missed Blaire's head but made solid contact with both of his shoulders and fractured his collarbone, which was her ultimate goal.  

A nasty crack later, Blaire's horrific cries drowned out both the audience and Momo's own screaming.

Toni took this moment to remind the audience he existed by offering his own commentary. “Folks! Both of these warriors were determined to do whatever they could to bring home the victory. Tell me, what is her source of strength?! After having a rib break, she somehow found the desire to continue after receiving such a HARD BLOW TO HER HAND, which no doubt broke a few fingers. I don’t think I need to mention how impressive doing all that with her wounds. Folks, I’ll tell ya right now, straight up. I just couldn’t do it. Heck, I’ll be out as soon as my chest was attacked. Recovering from a broken rib, even with Remedium Lux, is no joke. Trust me, I’ve been there. The pain will stick with you for a few weeks at least, and it’ll hurt to even breathe. But then you have to realize that it looked like she broke some fingers as well. How she found the strength to soldier on with such pain is something I don’t know. Folks, I hope we all find that something. 

“But I can’t forget about Blaire. With such a precise strike to her chest, it looked like he was going to win the match. After all, breaking your opponent's rib was a good strategy. But unluckily for him, his opponent was someone who had the mental strength to fight through the pain. And—” 

“I FORFEIT!!” moaned the red-haired Elf.  His beloved wooden staff fell from his opened hands, and he didn’t dare move to retrieve it lest it caused the pain to travel even further down his body.  

At once, the entire audience roared with applause and cheering, and it felt like the warehouse was going to rumble from the sheer energy being released.  

“I… won?” Momo said, devoid of any and all strength. She was lying on her back, her eyes filled with nothing but the Fluorescent Lights that stared down. The fire in her chest exploded in intensity, and she couldn’t keep her groans of pain inside anymore.  

“THAT’S RIGHT, FOLKS!!!! Momo is going on to the quarter-finals!!!! She’s won two matches, but can she win three more?!?!?! Speaking of her, we need some medics!!!!!” 

Tears flooded her eyes, but they weren’t from the pain. It was from happiness, flowing because she was one step closer to her goal.  Her face contorted with so much anguish that it wasn't funny.  Everything hurt as she laid down on the arena floor, sprawled out as if she was making a snow angel after the remains of a fierce snowstorm.

Servi….I won. It was…messy, and I know you could’ve won…bet..te…. plea…se wake…u…..p….  

After achieving victory in her second match, Momo closed her eyes and lost consciousness.