KINTSUkuroi
[Chapter XIX] - Unwavering Resolve

"Have you lost your fucking mind!?" Ciel lashed out at Nicolas, who looked at her without saying a word.

"Say something, damnit! What was going through your head when you decided to challenge Zeniel to a Showdown of Honour!? Do you even know what you've done!?" the Giantess continued to scold her lover.

"Do you believe in me?" was all the Human asked.

"Of course I do, but that's not the point! Zeniel isn't your ordinary opponent! Most Giants wouldn't even stand a chance against her! What could you possibly do!?" she cried desperately.

"Things will work out, one way or the other." Nicolas retorted nonchalantly.

"What do you mean?" Ciel asked.

"If I'm to be the man you deserve, then I'll win this fight. And if I lose, then that means I was never worthy to be your lover." the male explained.

"BULLSHIT —Ciel bellowed—! DO YOU REALLY THINK I WILL ACCEPT THAT!? YOU DON'T NEED TO PROVE YOURSELF TO ME, BUT EVEN IF YOU DID, THE LAST THING I'D ASK YOU TO DO WOULD BE TO CHALLENGE ZENIEL FUCKING EXANDRA!"

"Listen, if you don't believe in me that's fine. I can understand your concern, I really do, but I have a fight to plan out." he said in a cold tone.

"I... I'm sorry, Nic. I know you wouldn't have taken this course of action if you didn't have a plan, but I'm terrified that anything might go wrong. I don't want to lose you..." she said, clutching her chest as the tears continued to fall down her cheeks.

"Zeniel Exandra is trying to kill you. I cannot idly sit by and watch as someone threatens to murder the woman I love. You've always been there to protect me and-" Nicolas explained before Ciel cut him off.

"That's not true! I wasn't always there for you! We've been apart for twenty fucking years!" she continued to cry, her tone clearly reflecting guilt regarding this matter.

"Yes, but you were always in my heart. Whenever I felt weak, sad, angry or doubtful I always thought of you. I always remembered how kind and caring you were towards me. Knowing that I had someone in my corner, someone who genuinely wished for my well-being gave me the strength I needed to endure all those hardships. So now I'll use the strength you've given me to protect you." he declared, smiling warmly at his Giant lover.

"Nic...!" was all the titanic female could say as she pulled him into a tight hug, feeling at ease thanks to the sensation of her beloved's diminutive body clutched safely against her chest.

"...and that's the plan. Is everything clear or do you need me to explain again?" Siule asked in a rather 'teacherese' voice.

"...so you're saying all the preparations should be ready by the end of the week?" Setsuna asked, skeptical about Siule's strategy.

"That is correct. The Macrosia gene replication has been an absolute success so now there's only one thing left to take care of..." the castleton-green-eyed lass declared.

The next day, 12 p.m.

The Titans' Arena was invaded by heavy silence. The spectators awaited for the combatants to make their appearance. The atmosphere felt unnervingly ominous, as if a prelude to death was imminent.

"Nic... Whatever happens today, I promise I'll be right beside you, whether it be in life... or in death." Ciel declared as she kissed his entire body.

"...I would love to ask you to dismiss the thought that you should follow me in death, but I am painfully aware of how cynical that would be of me after what I said yesterday about hardening my resolve. So I'll simply have to make it so that you won't have to make such a drastic decision." Nicolas reassured her before she gently lowered him onto the ground.

As he made his way into the centre of the arena, the stage in which the Showdown would take place, he seemed unshaken by the grandeur of the scenario displayed around him.

BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!!!! each step Zeniel took towards the central stage felt like an earthquake to the Human male, each tremor growing in intensity. This was a statement in itself: the Blind Titania was getting closer.

"Is my 'opponent' here?" the lilac-haired female asked mockingly.

"Here I am, Titania." Nicolas declared. The average Giant wouldn't be able to hear his voice, but Zeniel was perfectly able to, most probably due to her blindness.

"Heh, you must be either very brave, or extremely stupid, perhaps both, which makes a perfect combination for me." the Blind Titania smirked as she drew out her weapon, a very long chain with a kunai-like head on both ends.

"I almost feel bad about using my weapon to crush a speck like you. Almost. In all honesty I'd feel like a failure if I took more than a minute to end your worthless, pathetic life." the Giants' strongest taunted.

"Three, two, one... Begin." the referee signalled the start of the match.

"I'm going to end this with just one big stomp!" Zeniel smirked as she jumped onto the ground where Nicolas was.

Ciel closed her eyes and looked away, terrified of the match's likely outcome.

Loud gasps filled the arena, confirming Zeniel's thoughts. Her smirk disappeared into a serious expression.

"I... I failed!?" the Blind Titania asked in disbelief.

Ciel opened her eyes, at the same time shocked and blissful to see her beloved safe and sound.

Nicolas remained silent, next to the spot where Zeniel had landed.

"You just lucked out!" she exclaimed as she stomped on the ground again, attempting to turn her diminutive adversary into a mere red stain on her sole.

Her frown grew visibly larger as she failed to feel the contact of her foot on his body again.

"What's going on here!? Why can't I hit you!?" the renowned warrior demanded an explanation.

"It's quite simple, actually —Nicolas spoke—. Since you can't see, you need to resort to your other senses to tell where I am. Naturally, your other senses become heightened to make up for your lack of sight, but there's more to it than that. You probably try to listen to the sounds I make. You may very well be able to make out my voice, my footsteps, even my breathing, but by the time that auditory information reaches your ear, your brain processes it and you act in response, I'm no longer where you thought me to be."

Zeniel was dumbfounded. She refused to believe the male's words, even though deep down she knew he was unarguably right.

"There's only one way for you to sense my presence immediately, which is by perceiving my emotions —Nicolas further elaborated—. You were able to do that when we first met. Your presence was awe-inspiring, imposing even, and so you could tell I was there. But now? I feel absolutely nothing. You no longer have a way to tell where I am until it's too late."

Zeniel was visibly shaken by the male's words. Though she didn't want to admit it, she couldn't argue about the fact that she'd been bested.

Bested by an opponent about a thousandth of her size.

A wide smile formed on Ciel's face, the only other Giant who could hear what Nicolas was saying thanks to the time she'd spent with him.

"Hah! How amusing! Even if what you said was true, it'd only be a matter of time until I caught you! You'll get tired eventually, and when you do, I'll crush you like the speck you are! I still win!" Zeniel tried to regain her composure.

"Wrong. You've already lost." Nicolas declared confidently.

"What do you mean!?" the titanic warrior's anger continued to build up.

"This whole issue came to happen because you wished to prove that you had surpassed the Surelles, because you wished to claim a place as the undisputed sovereign of the Giants, as the strongest of them all, but now you're struggling against an opponent who can't even reach your pinky toe. Besides, as you put it yourself, you'd feel like a failure if you took longer than a minute to end my worthless, pathetic life —he quoted her words—. Your pride and ego are damaged beyond repair, and even if you were to kill me, your position as the Giant world's strongest is far more fragile now. I win." the short male asserted.