Misha leaped between the demon and Agnes, her ice sword blazing with power. She struck the air towards the demon, who retreated backwards in fear, two teardrops falling from his eyes. Misha paid him no mind and raised her sword imposingly, saying:
«Your end has come!»
Suddenly, Agnes stood between them, raising her hand firmly to protect Bopa, surprising everyone, including the emperors who were watching the scene in silence. Misha looked at Agnes with intense anger and said:
«What are you doing? Move away!»
Agnes answered with firmness and strength, as if she were facing a storm:
«I cannot leave him, Misha.»
Misha stared with her eyes reddened with anger and annoyance, and said to herself bitterly:
"You lizard, you always love to play the pure-hearted heroine… but I won't let you steal the spotlight from me."
Misha grabbed Agnes's hand forcefully and said angrily:
«Move away! I won't let anything stand in my way!»
Agnes pushed Misha's hand away with a sharp, determined look, and said calmly but sternly:
«No, Misha… If you want to kill him, know that you will have committed a mistake I will never forgive.»
Misha retreated slightly, her eyes still blazing with anger, and said:
«Why do you want to protect a demon? Have you forgotten that they have killed thousands of humans?!»
Agnes replied in a voice both calm and sharp:
«I know that, Misha… but not all demons are evil.»
She stepped forward slightly, her eyes widening sharply:
«Have you forgotten that there are demons among them who are friends to humans?»
Misha shouted loudly:
«Yes, but they remain harmful! And this one is one of them!»
Agnes smiled a calm smile and said:
«No, I think you haven't thoroughly studied the types of demons yet, Misha.»
Agnes turned to the demon behind her, who seemed scared and hesitant, and said to him gently:
«This is Bopa… a tame demon, harmless, and he loves humans.»
In the stands, Sophia was watching them in amazement, sitting on Richard's lap, and said:
«Bopa? What is that, Grandpa?»
Richard replied with a calm smile:
«Bopa is a hybrid demon, half raccoon and half bear. He is harmless and considered one of the best friends of humans.»
Sophia's amazement grew, and she said:
«Then why are they hunting him if he's harmless?»
Richard replied with concern:
«I don't know… It seems the hunters made a mistake and caught him by accident.»
Bopa looked at Misha with fearful eyes, his ears trembling slightly.
On the other side, the emperors were watching the event closely. Ronald said firmly, staring at the arena:
«It seems this demon was caught along with the wild demons.»
Luminas replied worriedly:
«That's unfortunate… Strict laws must be put in place against hunters who hunt peaceful demons.»
Akalis answered thoughtfully:
«Yes… such actions would anger the indigenous people and disrupt the balance.»
Inside the arena, Misha and Agnes were still standing, the atmosphere charged with tension. Agnes said in a quiet but sharp voice:
«Misha… If you kill him now, you will be committing a mistake. This demon is harmless, like the rest.»
Misha's heart blazed with the fire of anger, her eyes gleaming sharply. She said to herself loudly:
"Are you implying I'm uneducated? Do you think I'm stupid?"
Then Misha shouted loudly:
«A demon remains a demon, no matter its kind or actions!»
And she raised her sword forcefully, pushing Agnes back with the impact, and said angrily:
«Now your end has come!»
Before she could strike with the sword, Agnes grabbed Misha's hand, gathering her inner strength, and said in a voice full of authority:
«Misha… Stop!»
In an instant, Agnes delivered a strong blow to Misha's stomach, sending her flying back against the arena wall with great force. Everyone fell silent for a moment, even the emperors froze in place.
Zeer looked on astonished, his mouth agape, and said in a surprised voice:
«Aaa… is the match over? Finally… the winner is Princess Agnes!»
Anger was etched on Agnes's face towards Misha, but suddenly, when she heard her name announced as the winner, she reverted to her usual self, and said in shock and fear:
«I… I won?»
Everyone chanted Agnes's name and began applauding enthusiastically, even the emperors joined in the applause.
Luminas looked at Regas and said with a proud smile:
«You are truly fortunate, Regas.»
Regas smiled calmly and said:
«I know… my daughter Agnes did not disappoint me.»
And he looked at her with a warm, tender glance, his eyes full of paternal pride.
As for Misha, she was broken, shocked, and whispered inaudibly:
«H… how did she defeat me? How?»
She raised her eyes towards where her father Ronald was sitting. She looked at him, and he smiled at her tenderly, his face beaming… but his gaze wasn't for her; it was for Agnes. He was looking at her with eyes full of fatherly love, the look Misha had been deprived of since her first day in this world.
Misha clenched her hand tightly and whispered with suppressed anger:
«Why… why, Agnes?»
Signs of resentment marked her face, and her heart became set on a coming revenge. She vowed in silence that she would never forgive Agnes.
Misha quickly rose and left the arena with rapid steps, heading towards where Selina and Nine, her siblings, were, breathing heavily with rage, her eyes gleaming with the fire of vengeance.
---
Nine stopped in front of Misha and looked at her with evident kindness in his eyes, saying calmly:
«Misha, it's okay… you did your best.»
Misha's features grew more tense, and she felt as if his words only fueled the fire burning inside her chest, so she said sharply:
«I don't need your consolation.»
Then she passed him and walked away quickly.
Nine froze in place for a moment, looking after her in bewilderment, and said:
«Misha—»
Selina interrupted him coldly, watching their sister walk away:
«Leave her alone for now, she seems upset.»
Nine looked at Misha one last time, then sighed and said:
«Alright…»
And he returned silently to his place beside Selina.
In the arena, Agnes was still shocked by her victory, smiling shyly and thanking the audience for their applause and support. Suddenly, she felt something hugging her tightly from behind.
«Ah!»
Agnes was slightly startled, but as soon as she turned, she saw Bopa, and her features quickly softened. She looked at him from the corner of her eye and smiled gently, then bent down slightly and said:
«Don't worry, Bopa, I won't let anyone hurt you.»
Bopa replied, repeating his name in a childish voice:
«Bopa… Bopa.»
Agnes turned to Zeer and asked worriedly:
«What will happen to him, Zeer?»
Zeer replied with a reassuring smile:
«Don't worry, my Princess, I'll find a good place for him to stay, he'll be much safer.»
And before Agnes could reply, Bopa suddenly grabbed her hand, looked at her with shining eyes, and said innocently:
«Mama… Bopa here.»
Agnes froze in place, her eyes widening in shock, and she said nervously:
«W… what? Mama?!»
Zeer burst into loud laughter and said, loud enough for everyone to hear:
«Mama? It seems the demon Bopa has grown very fond of Princess Agnes!»
His voice reached the audience and the emperors, and laughter and murmurs rose.
Emperor Luminas joked, looking at Regas:
«Mama? Congratulations, Regas, you've become a grandfather now!»
Everyone laughed at that, while Agnes's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she said, smiling at Bopa:
«Come on, Bopa, let's leave the arena.»
She left quietly with him, and then the guards took Bopa to a small temporary cage, until the emperors decided whether to return him to Savage or let him stay.
As for Agnes, she returned to her place among her siblings. As soon as she sat down, Agenor approached her enthusiastically and said:
«Agnes! You were amazing, sister!»
Agnes smiled shyly and said with genuine joy:
«Really? Even though I didn't fight well… Misha was very strong and—»
Rizev interrupted her coldly, crossing his arms and looking at the arena:
«Strength isn't just in striking, but in self-control. And you won because you didn't lose your mind.»
Agnes paused for a moment, then smiled lightly as she looked at him, while Rizev remained as he was, with calm features hiding an indirect acknowledgment of her victory.