Meeting me in the center of the arena, the judges tossed Jilk a sword as did not have one on him. Shakily affixing it to his hip, Jilk looked at me with fear in his eyes. Knowing he stood no chance against me in this duel, he was mentally preparing himself for his inevitable death.
"Are both fighters ready?", the officiant called out.
"Ready.", I replied, drawing my three blades.
"Yes, I am as ready as I ever will be…", Jilk answered, drawing his blade.
"Alright then, the match starts…NOW!!", he shouted.
The instant the words left his mouth, I leapt toward Jilk and launched a torrent of slashes upon him. Slicing through his armor like butter, his blood began to spray everywhere as he did his best to block my strikes. Leaping backward trying to create some space, I kept the pressure on him as I did not want to draw this out any longer than necessary, for Clarice and Mylene's sakes.
'1080 Pound Pheonix!', I thought, tearing his chest piece open with that devastating blow.
"Please, I beg you, mercy!!", Jilk screamed, as he began swinging his sword around wildly, "I am sorry for what I did!!"
"It is too late for apologies!", I roared, 'Rengoku Oni Giri!'
Raising his blade to block this next attack, I shattered his sword peppering him with the fragments before tearing his chest wide open. Howling in pain as he flew backward, he slammed into the arena wall spraying a thin layer of red mist all around him. Sliding down till his butt hit the ground, he quickly curled up into the fetal position and continued crying for mercy.
"I…I surrender…no more…please…", Jilk sobbed, as I slowly walked up to him.
"There is no surrendering here, this fight only ends with one of us dead or incapacitated.", I told him, through my clenched teeth, "I did everything I could to avoid this, Jilk, you five idiots refused to heed my warnings. Even after exposing Marie and Stephanie's corruption three days ago, all of you still refuse to believe she could do any wrong! Since you dimwits cannot look around and see what you have done, let me spell it out for you. The entire country is watching the outcome of this to see if there is going to be a Holfort Kingdom in the future!"
"…why would…the kingdom collapse…because of what we did…", he asked, as he began losing consciousness.
"You neanderthals have created a giant crack in the relationship between ten of the most influential families in the country!! The last time something this bad happened the Principality of Fanoss came into existence!! All of them are worried that a civil war will happen, and they will be caught in the middle. They want the peace we have had for the last four years to continue, not the shitstorm you are kicking up.", I remarked.
Closing the gap between us in an instant, I swung the two swords in my hands horizontally aiming to take his head off cleanly. Looking up as his mother and ex-fiancé one last time, he closed his eyes and waited for death to take him. Just before my blades reached his neck, Olivia shouted at me to stop.
"Please Victor, you won, you do not need to kill him!!", Olivia cried, jumping out of her seat and running to the railing, "He knows what he did is wrong, you have punished him enough. Please let him go!!"
"Wait a damn minute, Victor, she does not speak for all of us!!", Jenna protested, "He was going to kill us, so kill him first!! Right Nicks?"
"Hey, do not drag me into this!", Nicks said, "Victor, do whatever you feel is best here."
"Ugh…you are such a little bitch Nicks!", Jenna snapped, crossing her arms and huffing in an exaggerated manner.
Unsure if I should be grateful or disappointed that this experience had not changed anything between us siblings, I looked Jilk in the eyes carefully. Seeing the defiant fire in his eyes was extinguished, I was certain he would no longer cause us any trouble. Flicking his blood off the blades and sheathing them, he passed out and crumpled to the ground.
"Greater Healing.", I chanted, using magic to patch him up and stop the bleeding, "This battle is over, he is out cold. Get him some medical attention immediately."
"The winner is, Viscount Stark.", the judge proclaimed.
Turning around and returning to my mech, the medical team ran out onto the field to render aid. Confirming he still had a pulse, they loaded him onto a stretcher and ferried him to the infirmary. Hearing a commotion up in the Royal Booth, it appeared Mylene's motherly instincts had overcome her sense of duty. Listening to her push her way out of the room, she promptly ran around the arena and down to the infirmary to be with her son.
"So Julius, are we going to duel as well?", I asked, leaping up to my cockpit.
Looking over at Brad and Chris, then down at the infirmary, Julius closed his eyes and shook his head. Walking over to his two friends, he helped unhook them from their seat and up onto their feet.
"You have proven your point, Victor. I accept defeat.", Julius said, guiding the two men toward the exit, "Right now I am needed by Jilk's side. Thank you for sparing his life."
"Alright judge, it would appear this duel is over.", I stated, turning to him with a nod.
"Very well then, with that I declare this trial- ", the judge began to say.
"WAIT A MINUTE!!", Marie screeched, jumping to her feet, "Julius, you are just going to abandon me to my fate?!"
"I am sorry Marie, we did all we could, and it was not enough.", Julius replied, giving her an apologetic look.
Overwhelmed with the feeling of death looming over her head, Marie's carefully laid house of cards came crashing down. Facing Stephanie with a hateful scowl, she pounced on her and began punching her in the face.
"You stupid bitch, why did you have to push me into this?! I am going to die now because of your stupid plan!!", Marie howled, as my men pulled them apart, "Dying over five stupid men is not how I wanted to end my life!! All the gifts and attention I got is not worth my precious life!!"
"This trial is over, Stephanie Fou Offrey and Marie Fou Lafan have been found guilty of their crimes. They will be executed this evening; take them away!", the judge commanded, before leaving in a huff.
"No! No!! No!!!", Marie screamed, as she was handed over to the Royal Guards, "The five of you are so fucking useless!! You were supposed to be the best fighters in the kingdom, but you were all utterly worthless!! I should have never agreed to this plan, you blockheads are not worth dying over!!"
Revealing her true colors, now that she was going to die, the three men looked at her in shock. Faced with irrefutable evidence that she played them, I swore I could hear their hearts shatter. Unable to say anything, as everyone had warned them, they hurriedly walked away with their tails between their legs. After Marie and Stephanie were out of the stadium, I looked up at Duke Redgrave and Prime Minister Atlee's booths.
Nodding their heads in approval, the two of them wore conflicted expressions on their faces. Figuring they were at a loss for how to proceed, for the time being, I decided to make a move of my own. Wanting to display a sign of strength, to both the populace and nobility, that we would be alright, I felt a show of military might would do the trick.
"Luxion, have the fleet do a fly over.", I chuckled, redeploying the Mark 37 armor.
'I bet you are pretty enthusiastic about showing off the splendor of Old Human Technology.', I thought, with a smirk on my face, "Ladies and Gentlemen, if I might have a moment of your time, I would greatly appreciate it."
Using magic to amplify my voice, everyone quieted down as they gave me their undivided attention. Once I was certain the main players were focused on me, I began to speak again.
"I know many of you here came today out of concern for the future of our nation. Thanks to the interference of the Principality of Fanoss, and the stupidity of five would be heirs, we find ourselves in a precarious situation. Many of you are worried that the fractures they created among the upper nobility will cause terrible civil war, I am here to tell you that I do not believe it will come to that. Unlike generations ago, the heads of the upper houses are levelheaded, patriotic men who would rather die than see this country fall into ruin.", I said, nodding at the men in question, "That said, the Principality's continued interference in our affairs cannot go unanswered. Up until four years ago they routinely breached our airspace and acted with impunity against our brave soldiers defending the front lines. In recent years, due to the presence of my warship Yamato, they have taken to using blackmail, espionage, and trickery to turn us against one another. This act of aggression toward our country will not go unchallenged."
Motioning up toward the sky, everyone turned their attention upward. Deactivating the active camouflage equipped on all my new vessels, everything began to darken a bit as fifty warships appeared overhead. Giving them a moment to process what they were seeing; I continued my speech.
"As of today, the full might of Stark Fleet will be positioned along the border with the Principality. Not only will they be tasked with eliminating the recent uptick in pirates in the southern half of our nation, but they will also be a clear warning to our foe that any further actions against our people will result in their utter annihilation. Each of my ships is equipped the latest weapons and armor I have in my arsenal and are manned by soldiers who have undergone the most rigorous training to ensure they are ready for almost any eventuality.", I boasted, "Each and everyone one of them is dedicated to the continue prosperity and safety of our nation and our people. Let this be the final line in the sand for the Principality. If they so much as lay a finger on any Holfort citizen, I swear to send them to their Maker posthaste. While I do not want to start a war, I am more than ready to end one."
Observing people's reactions to my declaration, most of the nobility seemed to be happy with this news. Assuming they were happy to hear that we would be standing up to the Principality, instead of simply reacting to them, I hoped that the upper nobles shared in everyone's enthusiasm. Sending my Gundam back to the hanger, I flew over to the stands to join the three women who were waiting for me.