Gods & Mortals

Mia had always looked up to X, considering him the planet's best marksman. She had been nervous around him ever since she discovered they were siblings. She longed to impress him, to prove her worth as his sister.

However, as she watched Klaus being pummeled, her body acted on its own, following her emotions, not her thoughts.

Tears streamed down Mia's face as True Accuracy faded from her eyes, returning them to their original state. Exhausted from using her ability, she gradually lost consciousness and sank to her knees. Taking down their most formidable opponent made her feel like she had accomplished a great deal.

"I can't believe she eliminated him," Siren remarked, with team Solar and Astra watching X's gradual disappearance.

Mia had completely lost consciousness by now, and her body began to fall to the side.

But it wasn't over.

X's eyes blazed with rage as he turned toward Mia.

"You!" he exclaimed, realizing what had happened.

X's form slowly disintegrated as he was transported out of the arena. However, before he vanished completely, he drew his sniper rifle and aimed it at Mia, whose unconscious body was about to hit the floor.

His eyes, still filled with fury, narrowed as he briefly activated True Accuracy. He fired his sniper rifle at Mia just as the vanishing process reached the upper part of his body, erasing him from the Colosseum instantly.

As he disappeared, his shot traveled instantly, hitting Mia's lifeline before her body even touched the floor.

He had eliminated her before vanishing completely.

"Wait, is that allowed?" Ace asked from the sidelines.

"Technically, the rules do not explicitly state that you cannot eliminate an opponent before leaving the battlefield, so I assume it is permitted," Quinn explained. She turned to XVII for confirmation, and he nodded in agreement. "Precisely."

A few moments passed in silence before Shade mumbled a thought aloud.

"Who would've thought that X would let his guard down even once."

"Do not misunderstand..." Lance, presumably, replied to Shade's statement. "...if you noticed, X could have reacted to Mia's attack and even dodged it, given his expertise."

"What?" Shade asked. "I don't understand. Why didn't he?"

"If I were to speculate, it might be because of that ability they share," Lance responded to Shade.

"True Accuracy," a voice chimed in between Shade and Lance as Quinn walked up to them.

"From what I've read about X's legends and my analysis, this is an ability that grants the user essentially perfect aim. As long as there's visual contact, they will always hit their target," Quinn explained.

Everyone present listened intently to her explanation. It became clearer why X was renowned as the best marksman on Earth and why he was so feared, especially at his age.

Their curiosity about the ability was interrupted as their attention refocused on the screen.

"It seems the final battle is about to begin," Lance announced as Iris and Rose approached each other. They were the last members of their respective teams, making the outcome of this battle decisive.

As Rose and Iris clashed in their battle, a sudden noise echoed through the spectator's area. The demigods turned to see its source, and they realized that the eliminated members of teams Lunar and Stellar were reappearing on the transportation podium.

This was different from previous games, where eliminated players weren't allowed to witness the final moments of their battle.

The other teams approached the returning players, sparking conversations and complimenting the quality of the battles that had taken place.

Shade hurried over to check on Klaus, who should have been with them but was conspicuously absent.

"Where's Klaus?" Shade asked, puzzled.

"I have no idea. I thought he'd be here too," Trent replied with concern. "Mia isn't here either."

"Klaus Walker and Mia Woods were transported to a medical facility due to their unfavorable conditions. They will be treated there and sent back shortly," XVII announced, apparently receiving this information.

The remaining demigods chatted briefly before returning their attention to the ongoing battle between Iris and Rose.

Neither Iris nor Rose appeared to be experienced fighters, and both seemed cautious about using their abilities. They likely realized that relying on their powers, which required a lack of knowledge about them, would be a hindrance. Additionally, both abilities consumed a considerable amount of energy and necessitated visual contact, making them less practical in this situation.

The fight continued with both fighters tiring from dodging and attacking, and it was difficult to discern who had the upper hand.

Then, the same alarm sound that had gone off earlier echoed again, signaling the return of Klaus and Mia to the transportation podium.

"Klaus!" Shade called out, relieved to see his brother.

"And Mia," Mia added, realizing she wasn't the center of attention. "At least try to act happy to see me," she muttered to herself.

"Are you okay?" Shade asked Klaus.

"I'm fine," Klaus replied as he approached the other demigods.

Quinn smiled in relief and addressed Klaus. "You know, you didn't have to push yourself that hard, right?"

Klaus maintained his usual nonchalant expression but seemed more serious than usual as he responded, "I know. I just didn't want to lose to him."

Suddenly, Klaus turned his gaze towards X, who was standing across the area away from the other demigods.

"Wait, what? How is he here? I thought we lost?" Klaus exclaimed after glancing at the screen, which showed Rose and Iris still battling.

"After you were transported out, Mia managed to eliminate X," Shade confirmed.

Klaus turned to Mia, who couldn't stop smiling at her accomplishment. She had become one of the few people to eliminate one of the top four demigods and was the only one to eliminate X.

"How did you do it?" Klaus inquired, causing Mia's confident smile to shift awkwardly as she recalled how she had caught X off guard with her True Accuracy.

"Well, it wasn't easy, but you know, I managed to prevail, as expected," Mia replied confidently, though she quickly turned her head away.

X's menacing glare in her direction made her whistle and hum nervously, hoping to change the subject.

"Why are you here, then?" Klaus asked Mia, guessing that she had been sent to the same place he had for treatment, considering her belated return.

Mia tried to steer the conversation away from herself. "Look, Iris and Rose are finishing up," she said, pointing to the screen, hoping to divert everyone's attention. Klaus didn't press further, as long as X was eliminated, and they had a chance to win.

As Klaus and the other demigods redirected their focus to Iris and Rose, they observed both fighters gasping for air and clearly exhausted. Neither appeared to have the upper hand, considering they had only been introduced to the whole fighting process about a week prior. Their performance was understandably similar.

"Give it up, Mija. You don't look so good," Iris managed to say between breaths, her hands resting on her thighs.

Rose, still catching her breath, retorted, "I could say the same about you," and began to move toward Iris. Iris, noticing Rose's approach, got back on her feet and rushed toward her opponent.

Rose swung her batons at Iris, who barely managed to evade the attacks. However, Rose wasn't aware of Iris's true intentions.

As Rose continued her assault with her remaining energy, she mustered enough force to deliver a powerful swing at Iris, striking her on the arm.

Iris didn't handle the attack well; she fell to the floor upon impact, struggling to remain conscious. Through gritted teeth, she muttered, "Maldita puta," while her other hand held onto the damage's location. Rose took a few seconds to recover her breath before advancing toward Iris to eliminate her.

But as Rose drew nearer, a smile spread across Iris's face. She stood up and rushed at Rose, her eyes turning purple, signaling the activation of her ability. In her hand, she held a small steel rod, which she hurled at Rose, attempting to catch her off guard.

Rose, however, reacted swiftly upon recognizing the activation of Iris's ability. She realized that the steel rod was a creation from Iris's illusion. But before she could fully grasp the situation, she was struck directly in the gut by the rod Iris was wielding.

"What the? I thought she noticed the illusion?" Ace questioned from the spectator's area.

"It appears Haze is not as dull as she seems," Lance explained as he caught on to what had transpired.

Iris flashed her eyes to trick Rose into thinking she had created an illusion, causing Rose to lower her guard. The metal rod she used to attack was genuine, not a product of her illusion. This unexpected blow proved to be devastating, knocking Rose unconscious. Exhaustion from the battle and the powerful strike left her incapacitated.

Rose slumped to the ground after the impact, seemingly sealing the victory in favor of Team Stellar.

However, it wasn't quite the end.

After what appeared to be the conclusion of the battle, Rose gradually regained consciousness. She clutched her aching stomach, the intense pain subsiding slightly but still palpable.

"Rose," a voice called out to her. She turned to see Klaus and the others.

Apparently, before Rose was eliminated or struck by the attack, she managed to press Iris's lifeline with the tip of her baton, a detail that played out on the spectator's screen where she was as well. This meant that although Iris had landed a devastating attack, it had no bearing on the battle's outcome since she was eliminated first.

"Are you okay?" Klaus asked as he helped Rose to her feet from the transportation podium where she had reappeared.

"I'm fine," Rose replied with a smile, her right hand still on her stomach.

"Wow, she actually did it," Mia mumbled as Team Lunar gathered around Rose, congratulating her for her performance. The other demigods also seemed impressed by the outcome of the battle, recognizing that she had subconsciously hit Iris's lifeline, even after being outplayed by her opponent.

After a while, Klaus approached Rose with something important on his mind.

"There's something I want to tell you, Rose," Klaus began as Rose looked at him, anticipation in her eyes.

Klaus paused briefly, his eyes closing momentarily as he gathered his thoughts. Then he whispered something to himself before continuing, "I guess it's better I just do it."

With those words, Klaus leaned in, closing the gap between himself and Rose, sealing a kiss that took her completely by surprise.

Rose was utterly taken aback, wondering what was happening. She turned around, and her teammates wore amused smiles.

"Did you have to do that here?" Mia chuckled as she walked away with Trent.

Klaus leaned back a bit, their foreheads still touching, their eyes locked.

"I know it might seem sudden, but after the fight, I couldn't stop thinking about you," Klaus confessed to Rose, whose face turned increasingly crimson with each word.

Their eyes remained locked as Klaus said something that caused Rose's heart to flutter.

"Rose, I think I love you."

Rose couldn't believe her ears. Her deepest desire had come true, and Klaus seemed genuinely sincere. She gazed into his eyes to ensure she hadn't accidentally used her ability on him, but it appeared not to be the case.

After a few moments of soul-searching eye contact, Rose leaned in once more, locking lips with Klaus.

"What on earth is happening?" Lance asked, bewildered.

"I have no idea. And I'm not sure I want to know," Trent replied, staring at the screen with Lance and the other demigods.

"I think they might have both placed each other under their abilities," Riley theorized as they all watched Iris and Rose kissing passionately in the Colosseum.

"I'm guessing Iris managed to place Rose under her illusion when she landed the hit. But Rose, perhaps in a subconscious act, activated her ability before getting knocked out, catching Iris off guard," Quinn added as she analyzed the situation.

"I mean, I'm not complaining about what's happening, am I right?" Ace quipped with a mischievous tone.

"But I don't get it," Link chimed in. "For Iris, it makes sense she can't break free, but what exactly is Rose seeing that she's making out with someone and not realizing it's an illusion?"

And as Link posed his question, Rose comically said something that shed light on the situation.

"I love you too, Klaus."

With that statement, all eyes turned to Klaus.

"Oh my Gods," Klaus uttered, placing his palm on his face in embarrassment.

Rose continued kissing Klaus for a while, and she began to grow concerned when Klaus showed no sign of stopping. Seconds turned into minutes, and her unease escalated.

"I never knew Klaus enjoyed kissing this much," she thought to herself, too caught up in the moment to fully analyze the situation.

Then, something odd happened. Rose briefly opened her eyes and noticed that Klaus appeared to be getting tired for some reason. She also observed the surroundings flickering as if they were unstable, and the other demigods behaving strangely, much like they had been doing minutes before. That's when it finally hit her.

"Wait, this is an illusion," she realized. In an instant, she pulled back, her eyes flashing purple as they reverted to their original color. The setting reverted to the Colosseum she had been in. She also understood that the Klaus in her illusion was actually Iris, who had fallen victim to her love charm.

It seemed that maintaining the illusion had drained Iris of an immense amount of energy, as it involved not only altering the environment but also creating multiple background characters and changing her visual appearance. This explained why the illusory Klaus had appeared increasingly exhausted over time.

Realizing what had occurred and the possibility that the others had witnessed it, Rose's expression shifted to one of profound shame.

However, before she could say anything, she approached Iris and tapped her lifeline, eliminating her opponent from the game. As Iris was transported away, Rose and Team Lunar were declared the winners of the match.

After being transported back to the arena and regaining consciousness, Rose was greeted by the other demigods. The shame she felt was evident, and she found it difficult to meet anyone's gaze.

To her surprise, Mia and Trent rushed over, wearing smiles, and congratulated her on winning the battle.

"Nice job, Rose. You did well," Trent praised her.

"Yeah, and even though you gave us quite a show, we still came out on top," Mia added, not trying to conceal what had transpired.

Rose then turned to Klaus, realizing that he probably knew what she had experienced in the illusion, though his expression remained unchanged, as stoic as ever.

"Um, Klaus, I just want to say..."

"It's fine," Klaus interrupted. "You don't have to say anything."

A few moments passed before Klaus continued, "On the bright side, we finally won a match. So, good job."

A smile crept onto Rose's face upon hearing this, and she nodded in agreement.

After a few minutes of light conversation, XVII approached the stage and announced that the remaining teams should prepare on the transporting platform.

Team Solar and Astra gathered around, ready to be transported to the Colosseum for the final battle of the Cosmic League.