Helios appeared before Sephiroth in the petitor’s lounge, a slow, deliberate cp eg iherwise quiet room. His smirk widened as Sephiroth turo look at him, his expression unreadable.

  “Well, well,” Helios drawled, his tohick with mockery. “The great and mighty swordsman Sephiroth wins the advaour, but let’s not fet—by a teicality. For all your fshy moves, you dealt no damage to that warrior Achilles. None. Nada. Zip. If that had been a fight to the death, the winner could have beeher one of you.”

  Sephiroth didn’t respond, his pierg gaze locked on Helios. Helios didn’t falter, taking Sephiroth’s silence as an invitation to tinue.

  “In fact,” Helios added with exaggerated fir, “it was almost poetiao weaken his divine prote for a bit, but by the end of the match, it was ramping back up again. Quite the drum, wouldn’t you say?”

  Still, Sephiroth said nothing. He simply stared, his presence as imposing as ever. “Did you enjoy it?” Helios tilted his head, pretending to scrutinize him. “Oh, don’t bother answering,” Helios said with a grin. “That smile on your face tells me everything I o know. We both know you ehat battle, didn’t you?”

  For the briefest moment, the er of Sephiroth’s mouth twitched. Helios leaned in slightly, his grin turning sly. “Looks like I didn’t lie after all. You found an iing fight, even if it was a bit ckluster in the end.”

  Finally, Sephiroth spoke, his voice low and steady. “Are you finished?”

  Helios chuckled, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. You should have let me enjoy this moment a little longer. But we’ve got busio attend to.” He motiooward the door. “Let’s pick up our winnings ao the pce with the real challenge.”

  Sephiroth turned and began walking toward the door, but Helios stopped him with a casual gesture. “Oh, and what about the trophy?” he asked, nodding toward the gleaming cup dispyed near where Sephiroth had been standing. “Not pnning to take it along?”

  Sephiroth g the trophy, then turned back toward the door without a word. Helios shook his head, smirking. “Too cool for trophies, I see.”

  After leaving the lounge, Helios and Sephiroth made their way to the prize colle booth. The area was quieter now, with only a few stragglers lingering after the tour. Helios approached the clerk, a portly man with a bored expression who perked up slightly at the sight of them.

  "he clerk asked, flipping through a rge ledger.

  “Sephiroth,” Helios answered smoothly, gesturing toward his panion. The man scribbled something in the book before rummagih the ter.

  “Ah, the winner of the advaour,” the clerk said with a faint grin. “Impressive performa there. Please hand over your care to collect your prize.” He took the munny card from Helios taped it against an out-of-pce looking devid hahe card back to Helios.

  Helios took the card, a satisfied smile pying on his lips. “And the payout?”

  The clerk raised an eyebrow. “Yer was 1,000 munny of Skuld and Sephiroth to win. Your returns e out to 105,000 with 100,000 for Sephiroth and 5,000 for Skuld plus the inal 2,000 making your total 107,000 munny. Quite the haul, if I may say so.”

  Helios chuckled and g Sephiroth. “Not bad for killing time, huh?”

  Sephiroth said nothing, his gaze fixed ahead, as though the exge didn’t him in the slightest. Helios pocketed the card, deg not to press the swordsman for any more reas.

  The clerk cleared his throat, nodding toward a colorful belt across the ter. “Oh, and there’s this. es with the title of champion.”

  Helios smirked and turo Sephiroth. “You gonna take it? Something to remember this little adventure by?”

  Sephiroth cast the belt a brief gnce before turning on his heel and walking away without a word. Helios shook his head, amused. “Didn’t think so,” he muttered, scooping up the belt and handing it back to the clerk. “What’s up with the belt?”

  “Stories say Ares had it made for him by Hephaestus. Although no one really believes it, so we just hand it over to the current champion. If you lose we get it back,” expihe clerk

  “Okay, I'll keep it safe until then,” said Helios with a smile

  With their winnings secured, the two left the booth and headed out into the streets of Thebes. Helios g Sephiroth, his grin widening. “Well, that’s 107,000 munny in the bag. Not bad for a day’s work.”

  Sephiroth remained silent, his demeanor as aloof as ever, but Helios could see the fai glimmer of satisfa in his panion’s eyes. It was enough to tell him that, for Sephiroth, the thrill of the battle had been worth it and that he looked forward to battling against Achilles once more.

  They emerged at the base of Mount Olympus, where the t cliffs loomed overhead. The air here was heavy with an otherworldly energy, and the faint glow of the Underworld’s entrance could be seen in the distance.

  Helios turo Sephiroth, his expression more serious now. “This is where things get iing,” he said. “Remember what I told you before? The real challenge I’ve been preparing for you? It starts here.”

  Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued despite himself. “You’re still not expining what it is.”

  Helios shrugged, a faint grin tugging at his lips. “Where’s the fun in ruining the surprise? Wouldn’t you like to see with your own eyes what the Underworld has to offer rather than me just telling you?”

  Sephiroth gred coldly. “You’re being awfully vague, Helios. Are you sure this will be what you promised?”

  Helios turo him, his gaze steady. “Rather than askihat you’re the one who has to prepare himself,” he said simply, then gnced back at the Underworld entrance. “if you don’t you may die in there.”

  Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t respond. Helios gestured toward the distant glow. “Let’s not waste any more time. The Underworld awaits.”