The fireball was three meters away.
The heat was already curling the ends of my hair. The roar of the flames sounded like a jet engine taking off inside my ear canal.
I had zero Desire Points. Zero mana. Zero defensive items.
(So this is it. I'm going to die as I lived: looking cool while panicking internally.)
Time seemed to slow down.
I didn't want to die with my cheap colored contact lenses melting onto my corneas. That would be a painful way to go.
So, in my final moment of defiance, I raised my hands. Not to block the fire—that would be useless—but to my face.
"Limiters," I whispered, my voice lost in the roar of the flame. "Release."
(I'm just taking them out so I don't go blind before I burn.)
I plucked the lenses from my eyes and flicked them aside.
My true eyes were revealed.
Thanks to the [Path of the Incubus Emperor], my natural eyes had been passively altered. They weren't just brown anymore. They were a deep, abyssal violet, flecked with gold. They were eyes designed by a predatory System to induce one thing: Obsession.
I looked through the flames, straight at Daichi.
I didn't scream. I didn't beg.
I simply mouthed one word.
"Disappointing."
VWOOM.
The air rippled.
It wasn't magic. It was pure, unadulterated Charisma.
[System Passive Activated: Sovereign's Face Reveal.] [Trait: The Face That Stopped a Thousand Spells.] [Effect: Targets with low mental resistance cannot bring themselves to harm 'Perfection'.]
Daichi, who was screaming with rage a second ago, saw my eyes through the wall of fire.
His brain short-circuited.
He saw the violet gaze. He saw the face of a being who looked at a nuclear explosion with the same boredom one might reserve for a rainy Tuesday.
And Daichi had a thought. A thought that overrode his survival instinct.
If this fire hits him... it will ruin that face.
"NO!" Daichi shrieked.
It wasn't a scream of anger. It was a scream of panic.
He frantically waved his hands, trying to disperse his own spell. He yanked the mana back into his core with violent force.
"Stop! Dissipate! Don't touch him!"
You can't just 'cancel' a fireball the size of a minivan. It causes backlash. Massive, catastrophic backlash.
The fireball imploded.
BOOM.
A shockwave of heat and force blasted outward—but away from me.
Daichi took the full brunt of his own mana collapsing. He was thrown backward like a ragdoll, slamming into the arena wall with a sickening crunch.
Dust and smoke filled the arena.
I stood there, untouched. My coat flapped gently in the residual wind.
(I'm alive? I'm alive!)
I checked my body. Ten fingers. Ten toes. Zero burns.
The smoke cleared.
Daichi was embedded in the concrete wall, frothing at the mouth. His eyes were rolled back in his head. He was out cold.
The referee stared. The audience stared.
They didn't see a man who got lucky. They saw a God who had defeated a B-Rank mage just by looking at him.
"Winner..." The referee's voice cracked. "Renji Amagiri!"
The silence broke.
"HIM!" "DID YOU SEE HIS EYES?!" "HE REFLECTED THE MAGIC WITH HIS GAZE!"
[Desire Points Gained: +5,000.] [System Alert: New Title 'The Untouchable' acquired.]
I sighed, putting my hands back in my pockets to hide the fact that I was shaking so hard my teeth were rattling.
I walked over to the unconscious Daichi.
"Rest," I whispered, looking down at him. "You were... adequate entertainment."
(You nearly killed me, you lunatic. I hope you have good health insurance.)
Runa vaulted over the barrier and tackled me in a hug.
"Master! Your eyes! I saw your True Eyes!" She was weeping. "They are beautiful! They are terrifying! I felt my soul tremble!"
"They are dangerous," I said, gently pushing her off before she broke my ribs. "That is why I cover them. Today... was an exception."
I looked up at the VIP box.
Sae Kirishima was standing there, gripping the railing. Her [Truth Sight] must be going haywire. She looked pale.
I gave her a small, two-finger salute.
She sat down abruptly, covering her face with her hands.
(Yeah, that's right. Stalk me now, Detective.)
I turned to leave the arena. I needed water. I needed sleep. I needed to change my underwear.
But the exit was blocked.
A sleek, obsidian-black limousine rolled onto the arena sands, crushing the barrier like it was made of cardboard. It was a vehicle that cost more than some small countries.
The crowd went quiet again. Everyone recognized that crest. The Golden Lion.
The Saionji Group. The rulers of Japan's economy.
The rear door opened.
A woman stepped out. She wore a dress that looked like it was woven from starlight and liquid money. Her hair was platinum blonde, her eyes sharp and predatory.
Ayaka Saionji. The Heiress.
She ignored the unconscious Daichi. She ignored the cheering crowd. She ignored Runa, who was growling like a guard dog.
She walked straight up to me, the click of her heels echoing in the silent stadium.
The air around her was heavy with S-Rank pressure. It was suffocating.
She stopped inches from me. She smelled of expensive perfume and absolute power.
She looked at my violet eyes. Then she smiled. It was a terrifying smile.
"I saw that," she purred, her voice smooth as silk. "You broke him without touching him. I've never seen anything so... exquisite."
(Please don't hurt me. I'm poor.)
She reached out and traced a finger down my cheek.
"Name your price, Renji Amagiri."
"Price?" I managed to ask, keeping my voice steady.
"To be my pet," she said, her eyes gleaming with possessive madness. "I collect beautiful things. And you... you are the crown jewel."