Page 114 of Fall Before Her Throne

He gave me a sideways smile while he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the rail. “It’s not her I’m worried about.”

“Two minutes per round,” Wynn said. “Next match starts immediately.”

“I’m ready,” she said. “Let’s go.”

“Begin,” Obi called.

Both Wynn and Leona sank into a fighting stance, almost perfectly mirroring each other. From the tip of her head down to the lightness of her feet, she seemed calm and controlled. It was obvious he’d trained her and trained her well. They circled each other, slowly getting closer, until she jabbed first. He dodged to the left and jabbed back, but she used her forearm to knock his blow to the side.

He gave her a little smile, and then the entire tone of the fight changed.

His punches were lightning fast, one right after another, but it didn’t even faze her. She shifted her weight at just the right time and returned a punch immediately after he extended, catching him right underneath the armpit. The blow was exactly what she needed to open up his defenses. She got in two more before he leapt back to recover. With a perfectly placed kick, he caught her in the stomach, and the umph that wheezed from her lungs made me flinch.

They seriously weren’t pulling their punches—or kicks? Not even against her?

She ducked her shoulder and rushed at him, but when he planted his feet, she used one hand to circle his shoulder and then used his thigh as a platform to leap onto his back. Her legs wrapped around his throat, and she used the momentum to yank him to the ground. As soon as his back hit the grass, Obi called time.

“Again, darling?” Wynn said, a mix between a grunt and a laugh. “You know how I feel about that move.”

She rolled over and hopped to her feet, grinning with pride. “Exactly, which is why I knew it was the last thing you expected.”

“Next,” Obi said, immediately making her whip around to face Ciel.

“Whoa,” she breathed, dodging his first punch. But the hacker was also fast, and he danced around her until he got a forearm around her neck in a chokehold.

I took a step forward, but Cas grabbed my arm and held me back. “Watch.”

Leona grabbed Ciel’s arm and then dropped her body weight, making him lose his grip. She grabbed him around his waist and pulled him to the ground, where they tumbled together. I flinched as they both exchanged multiple punches to the gut, but no one else seemed fazed.

I thought the match was over when he straddled her, trying to pin her arms over her head, but she planted a foot on his stomach and pushed. He tumbled over his head, flipping and smacking his back against the ground. She stood and leaned over him. He lay still for just a second before he kicked and swept her legs out from under her. She yelped, surprised, as she collapsed.

Before I knew it, Ciel was on his feet again. “You’re done, ángel.”

She nodded. He pulled her back to her feet, and she braced her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

“Next,” Ryuji said, raising his fists in front of his face. “Come on, hanii.”

She straightened, but instead of raising her fists, she pulled up her shirt. The breath caught in my throat as she flashed him, bare-chested, and Ryuji froze. Immediately, she kicked him in the balls, and he dropped to the ground.

“Oooohhhhh,” the rest of us chorused in unison.

“What the fuck,” Ryuji gasped, hands cupping his dick.

“Fair game,” she responded. “Don’t get distracted next time.”

Cas started laughing so hard he bent over. A smile spread over my face, too.

“Oh, you’re going to fucking pay for that later,” Ryuji grunted, moaning in pain.

“What happens in the gauntlet, stays in the gauntlet,” she said, breath short, but everyone saw the devious smile on her face.

“You cheeky brat,” he wheezed. “Better turn around.”

She whirled and came immediately face to face with Obi. With his size and strength, I didn’t expect this fight to last, but I doubted he’d go hard after her either. When his fist cocked back and he jabbed at her, though, that changed. The hit caught her in the shoulder, and she tumbled backward. Her teeth gritted together, but she was agile. She danced around him, exchanging a few more hits to his arms and stomach. He caught one punch against her chin, but then she landed a high-kick firmly into his cheek.

When Obi left an opening after an over-extended punch, she ducked under him and darted around to his back. Like a fucking monkey, she climbed up him and wrapped her forearm around his neck. He hissed as she squeezed, but then he bent forward and flung her over his shoulder. He had just barely braced her neck before her back slammed to the ground. We all heard the air rush from her chest.

Without wasting a second, she tucked her arms close to her body and rolled before he could pin her. Then she scrambled to her feet and launched herself at him. With a yell, she knocked him backward and punched him in the face before he whipped a fist into her side. They tumbled on the ground, and all of us watched wide-eyed as the fight turned vicious. Each had cuts to their face, dripping blood, when Ciel called time.