Translated by artificial intelligence
— Hey, wake up.
Opening his eyes slowly, the scene was a classroom with many chairs and long desks, a huge blackboard on the wall, and large windows with curtains. Sunlight came in gently, creating a relaxed atmosphere.
In front of him stood a young woman, tall, with long blonde hair, green eyes, about 1.70 meters tall, wearing a school uniform that looked more like a blue and black military outfit, with black pants.
— Wake up already, I need you to sign up for the tournament.
Letting out a long, lazy yawn, a young man with dark hair and red eyes, about 1.80 meters tall, wearing the same uniform, stared at the woman.
— I don't want to. I'm feeling lazy.
— Meruem, I want to fight you. Make a little effort.
Looking at the woman, she was pouting. Meruem gave in.
— Fine, where's the paper?
Meruem signed his name on a registration sheet for the under-18 annual fencing tournament of the world's largest academy, "MEMDM" (Masters in Fencing, Magic, and World Domination).
— The tournament is happening in two days. See you there.
— Miquella, wait.
— What is it?
— Don't overdo it.
With a slight smile, Miquella replied:
— Don't run away.
Letting out a long sigh, Meruem muttered:
— I'm screwed.
——————————————————————
Two days later, the tournament began. The event took place in a famous coliseum in the capital, sponsored by the most powerful and wealthy families in the country, especially the royal family, who attended every year looking for talented youth — and to watch their own heirs fight.
The audience included all kinds of people: commoners, foreigners, low and high-ranking nobles, and of course, academy students.
The event was one of the most famous in the world, as the academy was known for training kings and masters. The competitors were the future of the kingdom and thus highly sought after.
In the tournament bracket, Meruem and Miquella were to face each other in the first match. Unfortunately, no one was excited about their duel since it was their first competition and they had no achievements within the academy. Plus, they were merely children of minor nobility.
On the other hand, the second match was spectacular: a duel between the third prince and the second son of the archduke — two geniuses beyond their time. The coliseum was packed because of it.
The tournament was about to begin, and a host was teleported to the center of the arena.
— Ladies and gentlemen, masters and apprentices, the first match of the 13th MEMDM tournament is about to begin.
With a radiant smile, the announcer continued:
— On the left, Meruem Baskerville.
Entering the arena, Meruem wore a black combat uniform with no armor. In his right hand, he held a gladius (a Roman sword) with a red hilt and golden details on the blade; on his left hand, a claw-like glove.
— And on the right, Miquella Schneider.
She entered wearing the same uniform as her opponent, equipped with a white and gold katana adorned with a dragon on the blade.
— If this is your first time watching the tournament, the rules are as follows: competitors wear magical amulets that generate a shield if a life-threatening attack occurs. If the amulet activates, if a fighter becomes unable to continue, or if they surrender, it results in defeat. And the final rule: if anyone receives outside help, they are disqualifi—
The audience interrupted the announcer with loud shouts, eager for the match to start and end quickly, as everyone was excited for the next fight.
Annoyed, the announcer gave the signal.
— Fine, fine. If that's what you want… then let the tournament begin!
The fighters stared at each other until Miquella smiled and rushed forward, attacking with a diagonal slash. Meruem blocked it with his sword.
Miquella didn't stop, swinging horizontally. Meruem not only blocked it but also deflected its path, creating an opening for a counterattack. Wielding the gladius in one hand, he lunged forward, but Miquella dodged to the side and countered with a descending slash. Meruem swiftly parried the attack, and both stepped back.
It was a simple exchange, but enough to excite the crowd.
Meruem sighed.
— Damn, this is exhausting.
— Stop being lazy.
— Let's finish this quickly so I can take a nap.
Miquella's smile faded — she wanted to fight, but her opponent didn't. As a form of protest, she spoke softly:
— I'm going to kill you.
She meant it. In an instant, she released a terrifying killing intent and attacked at blinding speed.
Startled, Meruem jumped backward and landed on his butt. A shallow cut appeared on his neck. He touched it and saw blood.
— Ouch…
— Still feeling lazy?
This unexpected moment stunned the crowd. No one expected such intense bloodlust from a freshman. But soon, the audience erupted in cheers and started betting on the young woman.
Meruem regained his stance and, staring at her, mocked:
— So you're coming at me with all that rage? Fine. I'll fight seriously.
Miquella laughed.
— Finally, you lazy ass.
Meruem launched an upward strike. Miquella dodged with a small backward jump and, upon landing, struck horizontally with her katana.
Meruem blocked and stepped back. She followed with a descending strike, which he parried. She put too much strength into it, leaving an opening that Meruem exploited by punching her in the abdomen.
Stepping back, Miquella was furious.
— You son of a bitch.
Meruem looked down at her.
— Don't lower your guard like that. That was a rookie mistake.
Fuming, she took a deep breath and got ready. Right leg back, left arm forward, right arm holding the katana horizontally near her shoulder — her whole body projected backward. She launched forward with a thrust at sonic speed.
Meruem barely dodged, getting a graze on his shoulder. Miquella, moving at an insane speed, followed with a horizontal slash. Meruem parried and stepped back. Miquella gripped her katana with both hands and unleashed a diagonal upward attack. Meruem blocked. She stepped forward and aimed a thrust.
Meruem thrust his left hand in front of the katana and, between his fingers, as if by magic, deflected the blow. Miquella instantly stepped back. Meruem didn't pursue.
— Why'd you run?
— That filthy technique of yours...
— My technique is spectacular and incredibly hard to perform. Please don't call it filthy.
— Go to hell.
— Well, the crowd's getting bored. How about we raise the level?
— Good idea.
An aura began to radiate from their swords — their equipment and bodies now enhanced.
They took their stances: Miquella with the sword near her shoulder, Meruem with the gladius in front. Meruem made the first move, positioning his right hand by his left shoulder, pushed off the ground, and slashed horizontally.
Miquella stepped back, defending with her katana. She then rotated her shoulder backward, held the katana with both hands, and slashed diagonally upward.
Meruem leaned back in an attempt to dodge, but Miquella grazed his chest.
Feeling the pain, Meruem brought the gladius down vertically, grazing her shoulder.
Both stumbled backward, then immediately charged and exchanged multiple blows. In the midst of the flurry, Meruem saw an opening. Stepping forward with his left leg, he used his left hand to deflect Miquella's strike with his technique. Then, stepping forward with his right leg, he pushed her slightly and struck.
Miquella tried to dodge by jumping back, but it was too late. She lost her left eye.
——————————————————————
The crowd was stunned — they were far above freshman level. They had even unlocked their "auras," something usually only seniors managed. Even the king was impressed, along with every strong person present.
Back in the fight, both were exhausted. Miquella didn't seem to care about her eye. After wiping some sweat, she fixed her stance.
Right leg back, left arm forward, right arm holding the katana horizontally near her shoulder — her signature posture.
Meruem also got into his stance, gladius forward, left arm and leg back.
Their auras could be felt for miles.
They dashed like lightning and struck at the same time, the clash echoing like thunder through the coliseum and throwing them back.
They quickly recovered. Meruem struck upward; Miquella parried. Miquella slashed horizontally; Meruem blocked and lunged. She dodged sideways and attacked again.
Meruem used his left hand to launch her katana into the air — she had let go of her sword. He was shocked, but before he could react, a kick hit his shoulder, launching him meters away. He bounced three times before crashing into the arena wall.
Miquella retrieved her katana and charged like a beast.
Meruem coughed blood and stood up, only to see her shadow above him. Instinctively, he rolled to the side, dodging her overhead attack.
Missing an eye and with several minor cuts, Miquella walked slowly, looking like a terrifying monster.
Without patience, she slashed upward. Meruem defended. She kept attacking until one strike was deflected by his technique.
This created an opening he didn't exploit because she spun with her sword, landing a beautiful strike on his chest.
With a deep wound, he faltered. Miquella advanced with a thrust. Meruem blocked with his gladius. He was pushed back, then advanced again with a diagonal slash. She blocked, but he stepped on her foot.
She immediately responded with a horizontal slash aiming to decapitate him. He blocked it with his armored left hand — this time, it wasn't deflected, just stopped.
He attacked, but Miquella grabbed the gladius with her bare hand. They stared each other down, then let go.
Without wasting time, she gripped her katana with both hands and unleashed a devastating upward strike.
Meruem tried to deflect with his left hand but mistimed it — his arm was completely severed.
Miquella didn't stop and attacked again. Meruem, in pain, kept fighting.
He dodged backward, she pursued with another attack, which he parried. Cornered, Meruem gathered all his strength and slashed upward. Miquella blocked and was thrown back.
Meruem used the space to catch his breath. Miquella resumed her stance.
In an insane burst of speed, she almost teleported, thrusting majestically.
Meruem, seeing her tear through space, had an epiphany. He raised his sword and masterfully made the katana slide across the gladius.
Then, he stabbed her abdomen.
Miquella coughed blood and collapsed against him. He gently removed his sword, and she fell.
A few seconds later, blue particles and waves began to appear.
It meant the amulet had been activated, ending the first match of the tournament.
The crowd gave a standing ovation for the extraordinary fight. Healers and mages rushed into the arena.
Miquella was in a deplorable state — missing an eye, multiple cuts, bloody hands, torn muscles in her legs, and a hole in her abdomen.
Meruem wasn't much better — missing his left arm, right arm broken, four broken ribs, a deep chest cut, and numerous smaller injuries.
They were rushed to the infirmary.
The infirmary was simple, with some windows, tables, beds, and curtains dividing them.
A few hours later, still in the infirmary, Meruem — now healed with his arm reattached — woke Miquella.
— Hey, wake up.
Lying on a bed, Miquella groaned.
— What is it?
With a smirk, Meruem said:
— You lost after leading, huh?
— You... jerk.
— With this win, I'm at 1357 victories and 1357 losses. We're tied again.
— After I won two in a row, you really needed a win.
——————————————————————
Meruem didn't show up for his second fight and was disqualified. After several matches, the final winner of the 13th MEMDM tournament was the archduke's second son, who only struggled against the third prince.
The archduke's son had an exciting match against the prince but ended up overshadowed by Meruem and Miquella's duel.
The End.
Written by: Oblivion the Forgotten