Part 2

Hyga looked at me with a ferocious gleam. Yet it was not filled with hatred. It was the eye of the warrior. It was the eye of the tiger.

His physique ran contrary to his features; he was a tiger with his own unique set of stripes; however, he did not have a burly body, no, it was slender and nimble.

He stood up and demonstrated his skin-tight clothing to me; showing off his silent strength. His tail wrapped around his waist like some sort of belt for a gi

He was powerful. There was no doubt that he could kill me if I was not careful, he could endanger the Sorcerer Kingdom and bring the memory of my comrades to their knees.

I looked at him with blaring flames.

I was excited. It was peculiar, and I do not understand why my body reacted to the way it did. But I was excited. I noticed that ferocious gleam again-that prideful energy; it was excitement.

Dikastís waved her hand and gathered everybody's attention.

"I do not see the point of fighting in Sanctuary, however, The One is interested in this trial. I'll allow it. Dismissed!"

The arena; it was shaped in full circle with large skyscraper like pillars reaching the ceiling, the pillars had characters inscribing a protective barrier. Hyga mediated in the middle with his legs crossed and palms facing upward; one hand held the tip of a double edge blade and the other held the hilt. There wasn't much to say about it besides the guard slightly curving up. There was still something beautiful in that blade that mesmerized one's own eye. The ground beneath him had a sun-like symbol with spiraling flares exiting out from the middle.

His eyes were closed, and he focused only on his breathing, on his strength and the statue of androgynous in front of him; it had long flowing air and a mask covering its eyes, a masculine face yet a feminine body with large curves yet large arms.

Hyga did his best to steady his breathing yet the image of Ainz's skull entered his mind. He did not lose control of his breathing, yet that face gave him an ambivalent feeling. -what is he? -

He wished he had the answer to that question. He stifled his last lingering thought and continued to meditate.

Again, his mind was pierced by other thoughts, but his breathing was still steady. In some sense, he did not know what to feel because this was a twisted more dangerous feeling, excitement for the battle, was it? No. Fear of the battle was it? No.

He could not understand this indeterminate feeling of his. It grew and grew more viciously, but his breath kept smothering it before reaching new heights.

Finally, he had reached clarity.

Small sprites surrounded him in a semi-circle like fashion. They began rotating slowly in a spiral opposite from the floor. Their colors lowered and brightened and changed in frequency. His breath grew visible, sparked with violet, electrical like energy.

His eyes opened slowly, and his eyes turned from vertical slits to round.

"You worry too much Dikastís."

"Oh, is that what you think of me watching you?"

I suppose not he thought to himself. He could never read her or her actions. -Just like him. - it bothered him that Ainz was the only other person.

"Hyga, though you may be strong, this is not a battle. Remember that."

"I will."

He felt as if he had lied. He would go all out while still hiding some cards close to his chest.

He felt his heart pumping and from behind him, he felt an insatiable yet soft aura. He did not turn around, yet that power was weaker than his. That was without a doubt. He was weaker than him yet why did he feel it necessary to bow his head? Why did he feel fear, joy, pride-it was as if he was in the presence of a true being. A real king!

He stood up slowly, dragging his body to control his movements. The sword always stayed horizontal. He turned around and saw Ainz with such a pure aura that it almost made him tear up.

Ainz was wearing the same white suit as he did in the table. -Functional-.

"Let's begin."