Grand Olympia: Further Horizon - Chapter 19: Tension
It was silent. Not the silence of peace, nor the silence of exhaustion.
It was the silence before a storm—the kind that swallowed the world whole before the first crack of thunder.
No one moved. No one dared to.
The fighters who had fought side by side against an ancient beast now stood divided, their weapons still slick with blood, their bodies worn but their minds razor-sharp.
And at the center of it all—a piece of golden medallion.
It lay untouched on the ground, glistening under the light. A small, fragile thing compared to the monstrosity they had just slain, and yet, its mere presence had already drawn an invisible line between them.
The battle against the serpent had ended. But the war for survival? That was just the beginning. A Different Kind of Battlefield
Yasuke's broad chest rose and fell in slow, measured breaths. His towering frame was painted in bruises and blood, his muscles still trembling from the effort of wielding his kanabo against something as massive as the serpent. And yet, despite the injuries, his stance remains unshaken.
His deep voice carried across the battlefield like rolling thunder.
"The medallion."
He took one step forward, his kanabo resting heavily on his shoulder, though his grip never loosened.
"Hand it over."
Musashi wiped the blood from his brow with the back of his hand. While holding Edward unconscious body, his eyes remained steady—watching, measuring.
For a moment, he didn't respond. He exhaled, slow and deliberate.
"I know you *ss heard the announcement," Musashi said, his voice calm but unyielding. "It was our kill. Our sh*t."
Qin Liangyu's grip on her spear tightened. Her knuckles turned white. Her fangs sharpen.
"You were only the last ones standing," she countered sharply. "We all fought. We all bled. That medallion belongs to all of us."
Lapulapu shifted slightly, adjusting his hold on Zheng Yi Sao's unconscious body. His white eyes, sharp and unwavering, locked onto Qin Liangyu's stance.
He could see it—the way her fingers twitched against her weapon, the way her weight was shifting between her feet. She was ready to strike at any moment.
But so was he.
"Funny," Lapulapu said, his voice carrying a quiet warning. "You talk about fairness, yet you're the first to take a hostage."
Qin Liangyu didn't flinch.
Her gaze flickered to Zheng Yi Sao limp form laying in the ground beside Lapulapu.
"A necessary measure," she said simply. "We had to make sure we weren't aren't taken disadvantage of."
Yasuke took another step forward.
His shadow loomed over Musashi and Lapulapu, his presence like a stormcloud rolling in before a strike of lightning. His fingers curled around the handle of his kanabo, muscles tensing, though he hadn't yet lifted the weapon.
"We're not asking."
Everyone held their breath.
Musashi's grip his wooden katana on Edward's neck. Lapulapu's fingers curled slightly around the hilt of his kampilan.
Jeanne took an instinctive step back, her fingers twitching near her spear. Her heart pounded in her chest—this was escalating too fast.
She had seen it before.
In war, there was always that one moment—the moment where words could still hold power, where logic still had a chance to triumph over steel.
But that moment was slipping away.
And then—Musashi smirked. The shift in atmosphere was immediate. His tone turned casual, almost amused, as if the tension in the air was nothing more than a passing breeze.
"Oh? You want Fu Hao?"
Qin's spear remained steady, but something in her eyes flickered.
Musashi tilted his head.
"Then I guess you can have her."
Yasuke's jaw clenched.
Lapulapu lifted Zheng's body slightly higher, the muscles in his arms flexing under the weight.
"Kill one of ours, and we'll kill your guys. We both have hostages but numbers stack up to us—think carefully."
Silence.
The weight of that silence was suffocating. The whole field crackled with tension, an invisible pressure pressing down on them all.
Qin's spear wavered for half a second. Yasuke's kanabo shifted slightly.
They were outnumbered, yes—but they weren't weak.
And Musashi knew it.
Lapulapu studied their opponents carefully. Yasuke's team had taken the greater beating.
Between the three of them, only Qin Liangyu was in fighting shape. She had yet to sustain any serious injuries, and her movements were still quick, calculated.
Yasuke was a powerhouse, but his wounds were slowing him down—his breath was slightly uneven, his weight shifting unconsciously onto his uninjured leg.
Lapalapu studied Musashi's posture carefully. He could see it in his eyes—the exhaustion, the strain. Both of them were at their weakest, their bodies worn down not just from the battle but from the lingering effects of the poison smog.
Their breathing was still labored, their muscles slow to respond. Even their grips on their weapons, while firm, lacked the same sharp intensity from before. If a fight were to break out now, neither of them could go all out. The reality was clear—they were vulnerable.
The only remaining ally still in fighting shape was Jeanne. She was strong—there was no doubt about that. The way she carried herself, the unwavering grip on her spear, the steady rise and fall of her chest despite all the chaos—they were all signs of a seasoned warrior.
But even strength had its limits. She had been cautious throughout the entire battle, conserving her energy, choosing her moments to act. Lapalapu knew that if the situation escalated, she wouldn't hesitate to fight. Yet… would it be enough? Against opponents just as battle-hardened, against the unpredictability of human nature—he wasn't sure.
And then there was the unknown. What of their two other allies—George and Billy? Lapu-Lapu had not been able to assess their conditions, nor did he know if they were preparing to intervene. If they had been compromised, then the entire balance of power shifted.
If they were still holding their ground, then perhaps there was a chance to maneuver through this tense standoff. But that uncertainty gnawed at him. He didn't like moving blind. Not when so much was at stake.
Qin Liangyu gritted her teeth, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. She was the only one still capable of fighting at full strength, but rushing in recklessly would only lead to disaster.
A single misstep could cost them everything. She had seen it happen before—warriors who let pride dictate their actions, who struck first without considering the consequences.
And where were they now? Dead, buried, forgotten. No, she wouldn't make that mistake. She needed to think. To calculate. To ensure that whatever move she made next would not leave her and her allies in a worse position than they already were.
Her gaze flickered toward Jeanne. Of all the fighters still standing, she was the biggest threat. Qin Liangyu could tell just by the way she carried herself, the way she remained composed even in the face of overwhelming tension. This woman was not just strong—she was disciplined. Jeanne was no reckless warrior, nor was she someone who relied solely on brute strength.
She was calculating, patient, the kind of fighter who waited for the perfect moment to strike. Qin Liangyu knew that if she misjudged her next move, Jeanne would capitalize on it instantly. And in this fragile standoff, one wrong move could tip the scales entirely.
They were too evenly matched.
If they fought now—if even one of them made the wrong move—It would be a massacre. And she wasn't foolish enough to risk everything for one medallion. For two lives of her comrade.
But Yasuke?
Yasuke's pride would not allow him to walk away empty-handed. His goal is more ambitious than Qin Liangyu.
His team had bled for this battle. For him, the medallion wasn't just a reward. It was proof. Proof that they had stood in battle, proof that they had endured, proof that they had won.
His grip tightened on his kanabo.
"If you think we'll just walk away, you're mistaken."
Lapulapu met his gaze head-on.
"If you think we'll just hand it over, then you're the one who's mistaken."