I locked myself into my hangar/workshop to prepare myself for my final match. For the last week, I was busy implementing the finishing touches to my equipment. I was replacing the outer armor plates of the battlearmor I would be using with something more efficient against my opponent by cutting them with a blowtorch. 

I felt a sudden whoosh of displaced air behind me. “What you do, little Leon?"It is Chancellor. He sounded joyful as if he had been eagerly anticipating me fighting with someone strong for a long time.

I didn’t look back and kept working. “Just the last-minute adjustments.” But I still gave him a short answer.

“By how focused you are on your craft, I assume you are excited.”

I put away the blowtorch. "I won't lie; there's a surge of excitement coursing through me. I won’t be fighting some grunt, after all." I put some force to rip a metal sheet from its place, then threw it away and picked up an arc welder. “Bring me an armor plate, one of the gray ones.” I shouted to a robot helper waiting for my command.

Chancellor gave a nod of approval. “That girl is the heiress of the Crusaders.”

I answered him with my nod of approval. “You are right, Crusaders. An organization that first started as a band of mercenaries hired by the Pope to protect the holy land from Crimson attacks. Their growth in strength and influence is nothing short of astonishing.” The robot helper arrived with the armor plate.

“They were really devoted to their job, maybe even a bit too much.” Chancellor teleported away and back in a blink, then put a welding mask on my head. “Also, let's not forget safety precautions.”

I made a thumbs up and began welding the armor plate to the main body. “During the Rashidun Caliphate's conquest of the Levant, the leader of the Crusaders at that made a non-aggression pact with the caliph, so they could stand their position and guard the holy land against any Crimson attack.”

Chancellor began stroking his beard as if he was trying to recall something. “That ended badly for them as their supposed allies killed the son and successor of the Crusader's leader, Dionisio, and Pope banished them from all Christian land.”

I sneered. “A contender for one of the worst decisions ever made on earth's history. Crusaders wandered the world and offered their premium service to anyone willing to pay, recruiting skillful people into their ranks. I don’t even count the artifacts they got as payment or found during their work and what that pope got. Early retirement for losing one of the strongest military assets under his control.”

“Yes, yes, such achievement is hard to replace.” There was some annoyance and jealousy in Chancellor’s voice. “There aren’t many who can do something like that..”

I held back my laughter. “Of course, compared to someone who united the world in ten years, what Crusaders achieved in centuries is nothing but child’s play.”

A smile appeared on the Chancellor's face. “Oh, kudos where kudos is due. I had the opportunity to do what I had.” Then he turned around. “You got an army in here. Sentries* Walking Weapon Platforms(WWP)*, and is that an exosuit designed to wear inside your main Battlearmor?” He whistled. “We have a small army in here.” He patted me on the back but used more power than necessary and caused me to cut instead of weld.

An armor plate dropped and hit the ground with a loud bang. I glared at Chancellor.

Chancellor slightly bowed forward. “Sorry for the inconvenience, and good luck.” He teleported away with a woosh, leaving only dust behind.

“There goes my time and money.“ I turned to robot helper. “Bring me a new plate and something cold to drink.”

***** Two hours before the match.

I sat at a cafe inside the complex to enjoy a cold beverage before someone wielding a magical sword made an attempt on my life. There wasn't anyone else in here except for the cashier robot.

A pneumatic hiss, accompanied by a faint mechanical hum, echoed inside the room as the main door opened. A girl slightly taller than me with hazel blonde hair reaching to her upper back entered the room and approached my table. “May I have a word?”

I extended my hand open palm. "Feel free to."

She pulled herself a chair and sat down. The lady who sits in front of me is the fabled Alice of Crusaders. My opponent. "As you know, we have a test match tomorrow, and before we try to do our best to beat each other, I want to have one last talk." She said with a gentle smile and a soft voice. But this is a trap.

This girl plays for the top of the list of strongest people on the earth. All high-ranking Crusader knights have two Starmetal weapons in their command, some even three. Her big brother Zenith has four and is considered one in every century type genius, yet, she holds the position of heir despite only having one.

"I am glad you did so,” I answered her fake smile with mine. “So, what topic do you want to talk about.”

Her smile disappeared, and her gaze sharpened. "Why are you here in this tournament."

I shook my head in confusion. "Excuse me? I didn't understand the question properly."

She rolled her eyes. "You are with Chancellor, probably one of his favorites if he brought you all the way here, but I wonder why, despite having an opportunity to land yourself in a strong political position using your friend, you came here to fight.”

I kept my smile. “Perhaps I have someone or group of somebodies I want to kill, and some certain person, who I assume you are not very fond of, put this place as a roadblock in front of me.”

She got up. “Thank you for the explanation. That is an answer I can accept.” She walked to the door and turned towards me. “I don’t feel any negative emotions against Chancellor. I respect one's power. So, when we enter the arena, fight as if I am the thing you want to kill and show me what you are capable of.” 

What the hell did she even get through to ask something like that? Well, I am not the kind of a man that turns down a lady's request. Especially one asked kindly as hers. “Then your wish is my command. See you in two hours.”

Alice nodded and left the cafe. It will be fun fighting her.

***

I entered the test arena, around seven times larger than the ones I used in my first two official exam battles. Also, the floor has different materials. A layer of sand and concrete, unlike the armor plates of the smaller ones.

My opponent is already waiting for me in her equipment, a powered armor designed to look like gothic plate armor and a greatsword with a blade large as me. Her sword shimmered with ornate gilding and intricate engravings.

She shines, literally and metaphorically. Her ability is aura manipulation, a subcategory of energy manipulation that gives its user the ability to control the energy their body produces. They can either apply this energy to themselves or their surroundings.

Aura has a variety of colors, usually depending on the user, and in her case, it's a bright golden yellow.

Alice’s sword glew brighter. “I greet thee!” She shouted. “May fate be on the better warrior's side.” The aura emanating from her sword created a small energy vortex, lifting some sand from the ground.

Then there was I, leading a small army to face off against this esteemed warrior in my heavily fortified battlearmor. I deployed two dozen sentries, five WWPs, and a formidably large drone with a single-use, devastating energy beam.

Alice looked at my robots with a devilish smile. “I got the ground units, but a flying drone? What it does, or is it flies too high.” She sounds like a hunter choosing its prey.

“Gathers data. I am not going to miss this opportunity.” I gave some information, not all, just some.”

“Very well.” She raised her sword and changed her stance. “Then shall we start our waltz?” 

[All units, aim your weapons] I sent a signal to my robots. “Ready as you are, but I will give you the honor of the first move.”

A large, devilish smile appeared on Alice’s face. “You are so kind.” She lunged forward at a speed my robots failed to track with their weapons. She reached one of my WWPs in the blink of an eye and thrust her sword toward her prey. With a grating and grinding noise, she cut through the layers of steel, rending it as though it were mere paper. Then, with a surge of her aura, she created an explosion within the robot, causing it to detonate in a shower of shattering fragments. “I might even think about going easy on you!” I can see she enjoys this situation very well.

"Oh, the people I have to deal with," I grumbled aloud. [Fire] 

With my command, all my robots began dumping their ammunition at Alice. But instead of trying to avoid the upcoming onslaught of lead, she stands straight, her sword planted. A capsule-shaped aura barrier around her stops all bullets aimed at her.

After my robot's magazine dried, I saw a golden glow stronger than before behind the dust and sand.

A burst of demonic laughter echoed. “This will be fun!” Alice pointed her sword at me. “You shouldn’t have come here in the first place, but since you dared to do it, let me savor every moment of this fight.” Her aura grew stronger once more.

• Sentry: Name given to humanoid infantry robots. Their size varies between 200 to 250 cm tall. They are workhorses of humanity by filling the ranks as replaceable infantry units.
• Walking Weapon Platform: Name given to spider-like mechs/drones. They carry heavy weaponry and work as mobile fire support platforms for the troops against stronger Crimson’s in areas with high concentrations of obstacles. They usually have four to eight spider-like legs to ensure agility over speed. They are slow but can traverse through terrain that similar machines couldn’t do.