Be couldn''t help but grit her teeth as she found herself pacing alongside ra as they did their best to avoid getting slowly surrounded by their enemies. Behind them, Lady B and Lady Evelyn were quick to follow their lead as they followed in their tracks, their gait spaced just enough to make sure that they''d have enough maneuvering room just in case Pinra decided to lunge at them.


    It should''ve been simple. The n had always been for the four of them to get into the final four and concede to Xenia just to get things over with. Well, that was for her and ra, at least. Then again, their currentpanions in the form of Ladies B and Evelyn were fair fighters anyway. If they wanted to fight the Princess fair and square, then they wouldn''t really fault them for it. But for now, they were all allies of convenience against amon foe.


    And right now, their odds weren''t looking up for them.


    "This is bad," Be mumbled to ra, her friend''s bow already nocked and loaded in preparation. "We can''t stop them from overwhelming us."


    "We can always just y dirty," ra scoffed, her nerves doing little to affect her aim. "If they''re going to try and gang up on us, then we''re more than justified to defend ourselves."


    "And risk our own reputations as a result?" Be jokingly scoffed. "Not a chance. At least, not yet."


    Be didn''t like their situation one bit. Their earlier sh had shown that while they could match them all for strength and skill, their numbers and underhanded tactics would make it too unpredictable for them to safely engage. Who knew what Pinra had under her sleeve? For all they knew, she had something that could turn the tide of battle with just one flick of her wrist.


    Still, she at least had one trump card up her own sleeve this time.


    "If you''re that worried, then go ahead and get yourself killed then," ra scoffed. "I''ve got an axe to grind with Pinra, and I don''t care how I''ll do it. I''ll get that b1tch myself."


    Be shook her head at her friend''s bloodlust. Such anger would get her killed, but she at least had the role of keeping ra''s head out of her own rage.


    Keeping a keen eye on her surroundings, Be took in the current state of the battlefield. They were all still circling around one another, the fight had turned into a battle of positioning as they all made sure they wouldn''t be caught overextending.


    With her and ra in front, they''d be the first in line for Pinra''s ws should the woman go ahead and poke at them. Likewise, her minions were just waiting to pounce on their leader''s first target, their strategy seemingly only to act as Pinra''s weapons as the woman herself directed them all.


    Their feet shifted, and positional dance continued on. It was stressful and tedious, and everyone participating in the arena knew that one wrong misstep meant a resumption of hostilities. The air around them felt tense, and Be could almost hear ra''s fingers straining against the string of her taut bow. All the while, Pinra seemed content to sweat them out, a sly grin adorning her face as she waited for them to slip up.


    "This is taking forever," Lady B whined behind them. "We should press the attack."


    "Absolutely not," Be growled. "We can''t afford to go on the offensive right now."


    "She''s right," Lady Evelyn grumbled. "We''re outnumbered, and we''ll lose the defensive advantage if we attack a numerically superior force."


    That was just the crux of the problems. But while they were outnumbered, she knew that they''d be able to take them if they just bided their time. Beside her, ra had begun letting out poking shots, hoping that her arrows would give them an opening to use to break this long stalemate.


    "What''s wrong?!" Pinra shouted at them. "Scared?!"


    "We''re angry, not stupid!" ra barked out with yet another arrow aimed at the woman. "We know you''re nning something!"


    "Well, isn''t that just obvious?!" Pinra sarcasticallyughed. "Still, you''re all wasting everyone''s time fighting like this!"<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    Be winced as Pinra''s words seemed to reach some of the audience up above. Slowly, whispers of cowardice started to echo, their supposedlyme tactics making for poor entertainment as jeers began flying out.


    "Come on! Where''s the action?!"


    "She''s right! Just fight already!"


    ra growled beside her, and Be already knew what was going to happen.


    "ra, calm down-"


    "That absolute bastard of a woman…" ra grumbled, her anger starting to reach a fever pitch. "We can''t let her poison anybody''s minds more than she already had."


    "I know, but this is exactly what she wants," Be insisted. "Just stick to being defensive, and we''ll be-"


    "Finally!"


    Be''s eyes widened. Since when had Pinra gotten this close?! "What the-"


    *SLASH!*


    "NGHH!!"


    Be hissed through her teeth as she felt her forearms get shed by Pinra''s ws. Skidding backward, she didn''t even get to breathe before two of Pinra''s minions began pushing their luck. With her arms bleeding, she fought through the pain as she quickly paid the minions back for their sloppy handiwork.


    "Get off me!"


    *THUD! THUD!*


    Two kicks to the head. Two bodies fell to the floor. One reced them, but she was ready for it this time.


    The crowd went wild as the arena erupted into a cacophony of violence. Each hit got apanied by a cheer, each block being hollered at as Be could only try and reassess their situation.


    The battlefield had drastically changed. As if a bubble had popped, all of the earlier tension began pouring out as individual battles began taking ce. Thankfully, nobody on their side had dropped dead yet, but it was only a matter of time before one of them slipped up.


    Be inwardly cursed. She had been careless, and now they were forced to fight a battle on uneven footing. Even as she managed to overpower some of Pinra''s minions, the risk they were taking was just too much.


    She had no choice. She had to use Osman''s gift for her now before the situation devolved even further.