The morning air was crisp as Helios followed Phil through the winding streets of Thebes. The sun had fully risen now, bathing the city in golden light, but Helios' mind was elsewhere.
He needed more money. The deal for the house was locked in, but his munny card only had 107,000 munny, leaving him 91,000 short for the final payment. However, it wasn't such a big deal because the solution was simply to win the Advanced Tournament. The payout for winning was 100,000 munny.
As they neared the entrance to the Colosseum, Phil let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "You mean to tell me, kid, that you made the deal without having the money?"
Helios grinned. "I wouldn't put it that way."
"Oh yeah?" Phil scoffed, crossing his arms. "Then how would you put it? You got the power to make cash appear outta nowhere kid?"
"I have the money," Helios said smoothly. "It's just currently sitting in the tournament prize pool. I'm just here to pick it up."
Phil snorted. "Hah! That's rich, kid."
"I know, right?" Helios stretched lazily. "Almost 198,000 munny rich."
The satyr groaned, rubbing his temples. "You heroes are gonna give me a heart attack one day."
Helios laughed, "So we good?"
Phil sighed. "Yeah, yeah, we're good. The Advanced Tournament starts in an hour. If you're gonna be the final match, though, you better go give the champion a heads-up."
Helios raised an eyebrow. "Sephiroth's still champion?"
Phil chuckled darkly. "Of course. Who else? No one's tried to take his title yet; you're the first to try."
Helios grinned. "Great. Guess I'll go let him know."
Walking through the city until he left the city limits and made his way to the training ground, Helios easily found Sephiroth.
The swordsman was standing alone, practicing slow, deliberate swings with Masamune, his expression unreadable. Even when simply training, Sephiroth's movements were impossibly smooth, like a master artist crafting his final masterpiece.
Helios approached casually, hands in his pockets.
"Phil sent me," Helios said.
Sephiroth didn't stop moving. "And?"
Helios smirked. "Someone's challenging you for the title of Advanced Tournament Champion."
The silver-haired warrior paused mid-swing, finally glancing at Helios.
Then, as if confirming something in his mind, Sephiroth's gaze flicked back to the Colosseum just as the announcement rang out over the arena.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE A NEW CHALLENGER!"
The smirk on Helios' face widened as Sephiroth slowly turned back toward him.
"Guess that would be me," Helios said.
Sephiroth simply exhaled through his nose, but Helios could tell—the swordsman wasn't displeased. Just curious. It had been a while since their last sparring session and he was sure Helios was much stronger from what he'd seen in the Underworld, but by how much he still didn't know.
The two walked to the Colosseum without saying a word to one another.
Stepping into the roaring Colosseum, Helios cracked his neck as he walked onto the arena floor.
Across from him, his first opponent stomped onto the battlefield.
The massive minotaur, easily twice Helios' size, wielding a battle axe the size of a carriage wheel. Its deep red fur was streaked with battle scars, its horns curved like scythes.
The announcer's voice rang out.
"AND NOW, FOR OUR FIRST MATCH—THE CHALLENGER, HELIOS, FACES OFF AGAINST THE MONSTROUS MINOTAUR KING!"
The crowd exploded into cheers, eager to see a real fight.
The moment the match started, the Minotaur roared, gripping its massive battle axe and charging forward.
The arena shook beneath its stampeding hooves, dust rising in its wake as it prepared to cleave Helios in half.
But the attack never landed.
With a flick of his wrist, Helios cast Blizzaga.
A massive blast of ice surged forward, instantly freezing the Minotaur solid.
The Minotaur's body stiffened, its roaring cut off mid-sound. Its momentum carried its frozen form forward, causing it to slide uncontrollably across the battlefield.
And with a simple, well-timed kick, Helios nudged the frozen Minotaur off the platform.
The crowd went dead silent.
A wave of boos erupted through the Colosseum.
Helios tilted his head as he looked up at the stands.
"They're booing me? Why? Didn't I finish the fight quickly like Sephiroth." he muttered, almost amused.
Phil, standing near the entrance, just facepalmed. "Of course they're booing you!" he shouted. "You didn't fight the thing, you just froze it and kicked it out! At least with the champ he physically attacked it and beat it down before they could see it."
Helios smirked. "But this seemed more efficient."
A random spectator from the stands yelled, "THAT WASN'T A FIGHT, YOU COWARD!"
Helios chuckled. "Man, these people really want me to suffer, huh? Nah, I'll pass on that. If they have a complaint they more than to address it with me." The crowd became silent as Helios said those words. He then stretched lazily and started walking toward the exit.
"Alright, whatever. Next match."
The other fighters waiting for their turn in the tournament stared at Helios in disbelief as he walked back into the holding area.
One of them—a hulking warrior covered in scars—shook his head. "You didn't even break a sweat."
Helios grinned. "You will, though."
The warrior paled slightly.
Phil, who had followed Helios inside, crossed his arms. "Look, kid, I don't care how strong you are—you gotta at least put on a show! The crowd doesn't wanna see a fight last five seconds especially freezing and kicking them off the stage!"
Helios shrugged. "I'm here to win, not entertain."
Phil grumbled. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Just… try not to make 'em riot, alright?"
Helios smirked. "No promises but I'll do my best."
Then, he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. He had a few more rounds to go and then Sephiroth. The real fight. He could hardly wait. Closing his eyes he began to imagine all of Sephiroth's attacks he had seen so far and began to think of how to counter them.