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**—Hom’s Perspective—**

*Master… has been shot down—*

The scene before me wavered and darkened. *What worth is there in a servant who fails to protect their master?*

“Master… I… I…”

Declared defeated, Master was retrieved along with Arkecius. It was like watching a nightmare unfold.

“…Hom…”

It was Lady Alfe’s voice. But I didn’t want to hear words of comfort. Not now. The only voice I wanted to hear… was Master’s.

*—I’ll leave the rest to you, Hom.*

If I could hear just those words… how much better that would have been. But the impact of the defeat must have broken the loudspeaker—no matter how hard I strained to listen, Master’s voice didn’t reach me.

“Belle! Belle! Belle! Belle!”
“Altered! Altered! Altered!”

The colosseum roared with cheers—for Vannabelle’s team, and for my Altered. *Why…? How can they…?*

“Well, that makes it three against two! Without Leafa, your little strategy’s not worth squat!”

Master was gone.

Arkecius was no longer in sight.

I… I…

“Hey, Hom!! This really the time to be worrying about the one who got shot down!?”

Vannabelle’s Flago and Numelin’s Cataphract charged toward Lemures. The world blurred into black and white—so far removed from where I am.

“Alfe’s still in it, y’know!”

Numelin’s voice rang in my mind.

*—Take care of Alfe, Hom.*

I could almost hear Master’s voice. The nightmare haze began to clear.

“Lady Alfe!”
“Hom!!”

Lemures was caught in a pincer attack by Flago and Cataphract. I had to protect Lady Alfe—no matter what.

“Whoooa!! Is Altered snapping out of its combat paralysis hereeeeeee!?”
“Altered! Altered!”

The plasma verniers were no longer usable. But the shoulder-mounted thrusters on Altered were still operational.

“Step away from Lady Alfe, Vannabelle!”

I engaged the thrusters and launched Altered straight at both enemies. I waited for Vannabelle to aim her rapier at me—then drive in a sharp kick.

“Hah! So you’re finally back in it!”
“That’s more like it~!”

Vannabelle anticipated my attack and sidestepped with Flago—just as Numelin swung her greatsword down. I ducked Altered low and swept both their legs with a spinning kick.

“Nyaha! Now that’s the Hom I know!”

Lady Farah behind me hadn’t made a move yet—but I knew better than to let my guard down, even for a second.

I planted myself in front of Lemures, standing as Lady Alfe’s shield. That’s what I must do—protect her. And I’ll use any means necessary to make sure of it.

“Huhhh!? Are we really about to see a three-on-one rematch here!?”
“Hom!”

The announcer’s voice overlapped with Lady Alfe’s. I didn’t have time to check Lemures’ condition, but it shouldn’t be damaged yet. Then I’ll just have to keep it that way.

“It’s all right. I swear I’ll protect you, Lady Alfe! Please fall back!”
“But—”
“Fall back!!”

Ah… I cut her off. I interrupted Lady Alfe’s voice. But I had no more time to spare—because Vannabelle was already back on her feet, rapier at the ready.

I had to stay hyper-aware of that vorpal pierce—the one that took Master down. At the very least, I had a moment to read the low stance that signals it.

“Time to show ‘em we’re not the kind of opponent you can beat in a three-on-one!”
“Here we gooo~! Heave—hoooo~!”

Vannabelle and Numelin’s teamwork was sharp. The dust storm kicked up by Cataphract was a problem—but if I could draw their focus to me, I could keep Lady Alfe safe.

“And there it is! That storm of dust—courtesy of the monstrous might of Cataphractttttt!!”
“Belle! Belle!”

The dust swirls violently—and then comes the wind. I was ready for this: Lady Alfe’s wind magic. That’s why I can still see Vannabelle clearly.

“…No—it’s not the Vorpal Pierce!?”

Flago’s stance hadn’t shifted. She lunged with her rapier, but that was all—it was a straightforward strike.

Then what was the dust storm for—?

“I’m the real threat!”

Through the wind-swept sand, lightning crashed down in the form of a sudden blow—

“Ah—!”

I raised my guard on reflex, but Lady Farah’s twin blades sliced clean through Altered’s right arm.

“Unbelievableeeeeee! It’s Lesvahl! Lesvahl has entered the frayyyyyyy!!”

Altered’s right arm was severed at the upper bicep and sent flying.

“I’ll send you to Leafa real soon—get ready!”

Vannabelle lowered Flago’s stance. With my right arm blown off, there was serious doubt I could block what was coming. But if I dodged recklessly, the attack might be redirected toward Lady Alfe—

With my Blitzraid sealed and my dominant arm severed, I had no means left to mount an effective offense.

If I were to win this… I had no choice but to gamble on Vannabelle and the others running out of magic. I needed to keep dodging for as long as I could—if I could keep their attention on me and away from Lady Alfe, then eventually—

“Okaay! Let’s keep it gooooooing~~!”

Numelin slammed her greatsword down, making the ground quake. Dust and sand swirled into a vortex as it rushed toward me.

“Lady Alfe…”

Maybe that wind spell earlier backfired—she hadn’t cast anything since. But that was fine. She just needed to stay back… somewhere safe.

“Eyes front, dammit!!”
“Here it comes—Flago’s Vorpal Pierce bursting from the sandstorm!!”
“Nyaha! And it’s not just Vannabelle out there!”

Lady Farah, her Magic Eyes fully active, saw through every feint and evasion—I was her only target, and her blades never missed their mark. I dodged with my shoulder thrusters, but her follow-ups were relentless.

Numelin kept kicking up sandstorms, worsening visibility by the second. Out of the clouds of dust and smoke came the rapier, the twin blades—one after another, without end.

Not even during training had I faced an assault like this. The battlefield was far harsher than practice. I couldn’t rely on them running out of magic. If I didn’t start fighting back, we would never make it to the finals.

“C’mon, c’mon! Just running’s boring as hell!”
“Kh…!”

Altered’s back slammed into the colosseum’s wall. There was nowhere left to retreat. Move sideways? Or charge forward? The presence of all three machines pressed in—maybe I had already been surrounded, with every escape route cut off.

“A blinding storm of dust and smoke—we can’t see a thinggggg! Only the clash of steel rings out, echoing heavy and fierce! What’s happening in there!? What’s going to happen to Altereddddddd!?!?!?!”

*—This is it.*

A hopeless situation.

What would Master do to break free of this?

Kicks, punches—none of it worked. Lady Farah’s Magic Eyes saw through it all. If I reached out again and she severed another limb like before… it’ll be ruled a complete destruction for Altered.

*What should I do…? What can I possibly do—?*

“Raging current, swell and rise—become a mighty river!”

My thoughts, drowning in confusion and fear, were shattered—by Lady Alfe’s resolute voice.

“Water Hazard!!”

With the incantation, an overwhelming torrent of water crashed down from above.

“Gah! What the—!?”
“Belle!!”

I heard Vannabelle’s cry, followed by Numelin’s, growing faint as they were swept away. The choking dust and swirling sand were washed clean, and now the colosseum was flooded—up to our machines’ knees.

“Un-be-lievableeee!! A powerful water spell has flooded the colosseum in an instantttttt!!!”
“Lemures! Lemures! Lemures! Lemures!”

Yes… This was Lady Alfe’s water magic. I saw Altered’s severed right arm resting beneath the water’s surface.

The right arm was gone—but my left arm and both legs were still functional.

I could still fight.

“Look at me, Hom. Trust me.”

Bathed in the cleansing torrent of Lady Alfe’s magic, I finally snapped out of it—for real this time. *What had I been doing all this time? What had I even been fighting for?*

“We’re a team, Hom. Just like you want to protect me, I want to protect you. That’s what teammates do—we support each other and fight together.”
“Lady Alfe…”

Her voice overlapped with Master’s. I remembered now—what Master once told us: *Even if something happens to me, trust in your own strength and fight for your own sake. That way, you won’t make the wrong call.*

“…Lady Alfe… I finally understand what Master meant…”
“That’s right, Hom. Just like you trust the Leafa you love so much—I want you to trust me, too.”

Her voice was calm—so calm it almost brought tears to my eyes. She didn’t scold me for underestimating her. She never stopped believing in Master, never strayed from that shared heart. That’s how strong, how dependable Lady Alfe truly was.

“Let’s win this, together, Hom.”
“Yes!”

Lady Alfe and I… we were teammates. She was no longer someone who needed protecting like when I was first created by Master. She had grown—grown strong enough to stand proudly on this battlefield.

***

#Editor’s Rant#

Yawn… the moment Leafa’s out of the equation, I totally lost interest in the rest of the match. Seriously, she’s supposed to be the Main Character, how can she just get taken out without even putting up a fight? She didn’t get a single moment to shine in this entire competition! Once it’s over, everyone’s just going to call her dead weight. Where’s the fun in that? What really gets people pumped up is a good reversal, the underdog turning the tables on the strong.

I mean, sure, I get the author’s probably trying to tone down Leafa’s image as some omnipotent character and use this loss for her development or whatever, but still, there are better ways to handle it, no? Even if Leafa’s fated to lose, at least let her go out with a bang, not like this, utterly defeated without even getting to do anything.

Sigh… ok I’m done ranting…