Gods Universe: Chain Ruler

When the training session ended, Nicolas collapsed onto the grass, breathless. His body was drenched in sweat, and blades of grass stuck to his face. Above him, the sky stretched wide, unbothered by the battle fought beneath it.

Harry, Emily, and Alex gathered around him, sitting as they caught their breath.

Alex, still winded, turned to Emily with a smirk. "Congrats, Emily. You came in fourth."

Emily let out a soft laugh. "Congrats to you too—you came first."

Nicolas found the conversation grating. Their playful banter felt suffocating, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he frowned. If I find them so irritating, why am I friends with them?

Emily glanced at Harry with a teasing smile. "And let's not forget to congratulate Harry! He came first too."

Harry raised an eyebrow.

Emily grinned. "First… from last."

Alex chuckled and joined in her laughter.

Harry smiled. He didn't mind the joke—it was a running gag between them.

But Nicolas didn't like it. He had finished close to last as well, and the jab felt like an indirect shot at him.

Suddenly, he sat up. "How about we settle this with a real fight? Tournament style. But with a twist—losers advance to the next round, and the final loser buys everything at the bar."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "You came up with that in five minutes?"

He stood up, stretching his arms as if already preparing for battle.

Emily started stretching too. "I'm in. But I say we match first place against last, second against third. Seems fairer."

Nicolas grabbed his sword, rolling his shoulders. "Doesn't matter to me. I'll prove I'm ahead of all of you anyway."

Emily picked up her sword with an amused smile. "You should've proven that in training."

Nicolas' jaw tightened. His grip on the hilt firmed as his heart pounded harder. Emily's smirk only fueled his frustration.

She's mocking me.

"Here we go!" he snarled, surging forward.

His first strike was too rushed, too wild. Emily sidestepped with ease. Nicolas' sword sliced through nothing but air, and the sudden lack of impact threw him off balance. He stumbled forward.

Emily seized the opening. She countered swiftly, her sword flashing toward him. But her strike lacked force—she had acted too quickly. Nicolas recovered, raising his blade just in time to block.

"You can do better," Emily taunted, raising an eyebrow.

Nicolas' teeth clenched. "We'll see!"

He swung again, too forcefully this time. His frustration made him reckless. His extra momentum left him overextended. Emily dodged again, but her own movement was sloppy—she lost her footing and stumbled back.

Their fight grew wilder. Sloppy. They panted, exchanging unbalanced attacks.

The more Nicolas noticed his mistakes, the more it irritated him. The more irritated he became, the harder he swung. The harder he swung, the sloppier he got.

His blade met Emily's, but his grip faltered for a moment. He almost lost hold of his weapon.

Emily stepped back, gripping her sword tighter. "You think too much, Nicolas."

"And you talk too much!" he snapped.

He lunged again.

Then—his foot caught in the grass.

His balance wavered.

Emily hesitated in surprise.

And in that split second, Nicolas swung his sword with everything he had left.