Longing Night.

Now, I know what you're thinking: But Allison! This isn't at all like with Hebi-san! There's nobody to save there. Why go through with all these stupid risks? Is the Tournament really that important?

Well, no. But it's not really about the Tournament. It's about taking life by the reins.
Yeah, I screwed up. Big time. I should've known what Katey and Uni would be up to when I set them free. But friends are never looked on without tunnel-vision. And so, people had to suffer and nearly get killed because of me.
That's what you get for treating the lives of others like a big game. But I can't let myself sink into despair. You have to get right back up on the horse once you fall.
So I can't back away from the Arena. If I do, then I may never be able to mad-science again.

But making a bold stance is one thing. It's gonna take more than that to actually prevail against the nightmarish horrors infesting this world.
Usually I can just rely on some hairbrained scheme that shakes up the situation until it becomes so chaotic that nobody knows what's going on. Then it's a matter of taking advantage of that jumbled mess and seize victory from right under their noses. But this is Femto we're talking about. An actual Devil.
Gonna need an upside-down circus fire for this job.

I asked Bat Girl about it before going to bed. Once she simmered down and her meltdown stopped, she told me about the number one way of winning against a Devil. Which as it turns out to be was avoid a fight with them at all.
Well, that ain't happening. Not doing something is the one thing I can't do.
The good news was that my gadgets could at least put a scratch on her, which is more than can be said about all the magic that's otherwise oh-so practical and all-powerful in this world. Well, with the exception of Holy Magic, the one type of magic that bites on Devils.
But I don't really have access to any of that. Nor do I need it.
Here's the thing though; Devils don't have a problem taking a scratch or two. To take them down for real you need something that can pack a bit more punch. My greatest kinetic weapons didn't even phase Bat Girl. And Bat Girl... In no way was she even near the same league as a Devil. Clearly I was gonna need something much better than that.

Now, I do have a couple of things that are much better than that. But just because I can use them doesn't make it a good idea. My heaviest hitters have firepower enough to seriously impact the surroundings. Which I'd be part of.
Is detonating a thermo-nuclear warhead gonna be enough to take her out? I dunno. Maybe? But it's definitely enough to take me out. And let me tell you, getting revived after nuking myself is gonna be poor consolation when self-inflicted **** means eternal enslavement.

So many ideas soaring in circles in my head, chasing each others' tails. I fell asleep pondering the issue. When I woke up, it was...

Day 6 of The 129th Rasheul Great **** Tournament
02:41 AM

Ah, great. I suppose that's what I get for going to sleep in the afternoon. But that's time dilation for you. My brain was not gonna be able to stomach eight hours of mentally draining dialogue just because they were crammed into a single second.
The first thing I had to resolve when waking up was to determine if what I remembered before falling asleep wasn't really a dream. After all, Asmodeus didn't make it to the Finals. I wasn't supposed to fight anything as terrifying as a Dark Lord or a Devil. But all of a sudden, a secret Devil popped out of nowhere. Next thing I knew, that very Devil awaited me in my upcoming match. And if I didn't win, a new life as a **** for a perverted witch awaits.
Did that really happen?
Is that really something that could happen?

Turns out, yes. It could happen.
And it did.

That realization weighed on my chest something awful.
I was actually gonna get tortured, and then my life as a free woman was over.
Unless of course, I could think of something crazy enough that it just might work.

Lying on the bed motionless until drifting asleep didn't work. Neither did scrolling through my cellphone for a couple of minutes. I switched off the screen and plugged it into my powerbank.
I took a look out through the window. Night gripped Rasheul underneath me. A living map rolled out before me, the winding streets reaching all the way to the city walls. Beyond that, vast forests and towering mountains.
Somewhere out there, Katey and Uni wandered.
They got a second chance for freedom, and they used it to try and spill blood. Were they happy with their choice? Would it haunt them the same way it haunted me?
If they knew I was on my way straight into the same dumb trap that got them in their mess to begin with, they'd probably give me some chewing out.
But they had their own lives to live.

I put on my morning robe, sneaking into the teleporter. I found myself in the lobby on the first floor. There, the black-haired maid tending the counter slept soundly in her own arms. I let her be, heading towards the bar.
If that really was my last night as a free person, then I'd damn well make the most of it.

"AAAAAAAUUUUUAAAAARRGGGGGG!!!!"

...What the heck? The shout came from the gym.
I thought everyone not out cold for the night would be at the bar-- The gym would be the last place I'd look. But I guess like all other things in life, it's better to work out late than never.
That was none of my business, I was pretty sure. My business was at the bar. Still, I had to take a quick peek inside. Just in case anyone needed help.
Who was the one practicing his Tarzan impression in the middle of the night, if not the Goldfish Knight himself? His enormous spear raised towards the ceiling of the huge training area. With each strained huff his golden chest heaved outwards. His gaze focused on his golden spear, maybe so he could learn how to deflect weapons by staring at them with enough intensity.

"AAAAAAAUUUUUAAAAA..."

"Yo."
The lance fumbled between his hands when he saw me enter. In a frantic dance he stumbled to assume a resting stance as I approached.
He locked his visor in my direction, "Heretic... You are up late."
I shrugged, "Maybe I just enjoy skulking the night. Ever considered I might be a vampire, who sleeps during daytime? Hah! Not like your opinion of me could get any worse!"
"That is... I mean..." He sighed, "How did your date go? Sir Mueller appeared rather disappointed. If he tried anything uncouth..."

"Nah, Mully was fine. But you know how it goes when you're a Finalist... Can't even take one step before some Tournament business comes up and puts an end to the fun. Clearly just one date to enjoy myself with on my day off was too much to ask. Still, I can't believe you set us up like that! You didn't develop a sweet spot for your sworn enemy now, did you?"
He scoffed, "Do not delude yourself, Heretic. I merely expect my vassals to adhere to the chivalric code."
I stepped inside, sitting crosslegged at a bench, "Go easy on him, will ya? He's a nice guy."
He scoffed, "My knights are expected to endure the toughest of times when it is called for. I can assure you, 'going easy' amounts to poor preparation for what is expected of us. Why do you suppose I commit myself to train, even in these ungodly hours?"

"Hmm, I dunno. So you got somewhere to scream your lungs out?"
"...Forget what you heard. It was nothing. Merely a misstep, and I stubbed my toe."
"Uh huh..." I cocked my head incredulously, "So you wanna take it easy for the rest of the night? Rest up your toe?"
"Are you mad, woman?" He snapped, "What opponent could I have even the slightest chance to vanquish if I relented at first sign of damage?"
I shrugged, half-laughing, "I dunno. Maybe a non-existent one."
He glared at me menacingly through his visor, "Do you really have nothing better to do than bothering me with your incessant quips?"
"Nope! Can't imagine anything I'd rather do."
He sighed loudly, propping his spear against the wall "Then while you are here, you might as well make yourself useful. How about assisting me with training? At least then you could be doing something productive."
"Sure, you want me to scream in tune with you?"
He strutted towards the bench of the lifting room, "No. What I need help with is bench presses."
"What...? Me...?" I pointed at my chest, "You want me to be your spotter?"

One by one he lifted some plates the size of tractor wheels into the bar, "Is that too much to ask?"
"Well, thanks for asking there, Goldfish! But... Sure. Why not?" I clapped my hands, rubbing my palms together.
I looked over the plates fixed to the bar. Looks to be forty, sixty... Sixty-thousand... Four-hundred-thousand and nine... And more. On each side.

"Hey, so... How much weight do you plan to press exactly?"
"I figured a good 9.6 million pounds will do as a warmup."

I cleared my throat.
"Nine... Nine point six million...?"
Yeah that's kind of heavy. Kinda really heavy. About the weight of sixty tanks.

"Look, no way in hell can I support you with a load that heavy. No way no how." I said straight out.
He sighed, removing some of the plates and putting them back on the shelf, "Fine. Let us make do with some light exercise tonight. Better than nothing. An even 9 million pounds... That ought to do it."
"Uhh..."
All right, so this guy hasn't so much as seen a postcard from weakness.
There's not the slightest hint in this guy's voice that he's just showing off. That was just him seeing a chance to pump some late-night iron.

Now, by that point I could've pulled the plug on the whole thing. Really should do that too. Before disaster strikes. But... He was just so damn excited! That's the first time I've seen him with anything remotely positive emotion! I didn't have the heart to tell him off at that point. That'd be like taking the favorite toy from a kid! With every passing second I hesitated, he got even more excited, and it became harder to put my foot down.
You know how it goes? All it takes is one moment of distraction, and you get swept up in the mood like a tidal wave.

I gave the barbell a thorough lookover. The sheer size of those metal wheels was positively ridiculous! The biggest one was as high as I was tall! Hell, it looked more like the axle of a monster truck than any barbell I've ever seen.
But as far as barbells went, that one was as safe as it got. The weights were balanced. The collars were firmly fixed in place. The flooring was even, though I had no idea what the bench was made out of to withstand this kind of punishment.
I patted the cushion, "All good and ready to go!"
The Goldfish Knight lay himself down on the bench, his feet planted on the ground far apart. Of course, he insisted to keep his goddamn armor on throughout this ordeal. He grabbed on to the bar, holding it with an overhand grip.
I walked over behind the bench, standing over him by his head. As much of a golden warrior of renown and terror he'd portray himself as, when I looked down on him lying prone under me and trapped under a massive load, his legs sprawled far apart as if he was giving birth, I couldn't help but think of my gym buddy over there like a spunky but adorable puppy.
But still, he undertook significant risks to push his limits and develop strength. You gotta respect that. And he relied on me not just to get the training done right, but also for his own personal safety.
That's one hell of a step to take for someone who considered me his mortal enemy just the other day.

"Ready, pal?" I cracked a grin, rolling up the sleeves of my pink robes.
"I was born ready," He confirmed.
"All right. On three then." I gripped the bar from my side, "Hold on tight. One, two... Three!"