30 Chapter 17: Single Elimination Tournament: Round 1 (1/2)

During the days of rest, we came together with the people who we fought side by side with. Geo Birchwood, Elena Von Rootshield, Cordelia Aqua, and even the Assasin Sister Trio June, Ragnee and Sheila. Aqua and Akano both came to me during these days of rest hoping to find a rivalry in me.

This could be easily read from their faces as they couldn't keep it in, both barged in at the same time as they told me they wished to stand head to head against me in the tournament.

We then proceeded to connect our fists in a symbolic triangular shape vowing to meet each other in the finals. They left eagerly preparing for the competition to come.

As the days of rest had passed, we all got a message telling us to gather in the Colosseum of Victory.

There we got greeted once more by Helena, this time in a majestic golden dress that matched her hair and eye color. The dress looked like it shined like the sun as if wings covered her body.

The commotion quickly quieted down as she raised her hands and welcomed all of us.

”Welcome my contestants, as you can see today is a day for celebration, prosperity, and victory...

Today, we have finished the preparations needed for every last one of you to give it your all in the last round before the finals.

Because today is a special day, I Helena the goddess of Trading, Prosperity \u0026 Victory will explain the rules as each and everyone one of you all will be guided towards the stages of today's event.”

Helena said welcoming everyone with open arms.

She even pointed towards the ones who had lost during the previous rounds in honor of their participation.

”In honor of all participants, I have given them the best places to witness the events. What better way to both enjoy the event and scoop out the competition for next year? Am I right?”

While Helena gave all contestants an honorable mention she looked around to see everyone was paying attention. Eventually, her eyes met with mine as an intense warmth came over me, she looked playfully at me and continued as if nothing ever happened. It felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest... unknown to this feeling I tightened the grip on my chest with my hand.

”Today, you stand before me proud warriors of Sharoo. As each of you will be split into groups of eight drawing lots from my children, each fighting One vs. One battle, until we have a winner of their represented groups.

There will be a total of 8 groups consisting of 32 contestants as this will help us create the bracket for the finals... Each lot will mention a Letter, as well as a number giving each of you a place inside your represented groups.

Only 8 will remain for tomorrow's final event.

I hope everyone came prepared to give it their all?

Now... if everyone please will grab a lot out of the boxes provided by my children, the matches will begin shortly after everyone has drawn their lots.

As a final notice, I will wish all of you luck in the coming matches as victory will smile upon you.”

The tension heated the place as everyone got excited about the upcoming matches. One after another the contestants grabbed a number as their place in the bracket during today's event became registered.

Each remaining member of the summoned ones had drawn a lot, Elena, Raven, Raiden, Alessia, Ethan, Aqua and Geo. Even Akano Neshõ had drawn his lot when it finally became time for Yami to draw her a lot.

She reached in the box prevented in front of her, nervous about the oncoming matches and who she was going to fight she pulled out a piece of paper with the following combination on it. D-7.

Her name was out on a huge board like all the others finally registering her place in this event. Her name got announced as well as her combination making her placement final.

”Yami Shadowfang, D-7.”

She looked up to see only one of the summoned ones to be present in the same group as her. It was Ethan Glaze!

Excited for what to come she let me pass as it was time to draw the light of my own. Reaching out I took grabbed a piece of paper, mine had the combination E-5 on them. As my name and placement got announced I too looked up, to find Elena to be part of my group! Knowing we had to face each other eventually I couldn't help but get excited about it.

Before everyone had drawn their lots we met up with Geo, as we wanted to wish him luck, hoping we could meet in the finals. It appeared he had drawn the combination A-13 which meant he was the first of us summoned one who needed to battle.

As the tension rose everyone got their representative places in line. During which everyone had drawn their lots it was now time to begin... The announcer took the stage signaling the beginning of the first match.

”If contestants A-1 and A-2 can please enter the Stage.”

The first two contestants stepped up on stage as the rest took in whatever they could, hoping to get a competitive edge over them.

A tall dark-skinned man with curls stood on the left, his arms and legs were wrapped in bandages, other than that he only had white boxers on, allowing his body to move without restraint.

On the other side a small and chubby mouse man stepped on stage, grey fur covered his body as he had leather armor covering his legs, body, and shoulders.

The little mouse looked anxious, worried even...

Did the little one have stage fright? Was he worried because the sheer pressure of the first match got to him?

”Before we start let me explain a few more rules, as they are different than the last few rounds, you see...

As this is a One Vs One, we still go by knock out, giving up or falling off the stage of the opponent to win the match. Only now we will allow the complete use of elemental magic and prowess. As these two had mentioned they didn't possess such prowess I thought it would be a great opportunity to explain.

Now Gentlemen, Are you ready to Rumble?!!”

The Announcer slammed the gong signaling the beginning of the match.

Quickly after the mouse curled up into a ball,

too afraid to move. The tall dark man laughed at the sight, moving in as he prepared to strike.

”Pathetic... aren't you? We should be clashing fists,

It's the first match damnit!!”

Seeing as the little creature was too scared to move, frozen in place, he deep down wished the match would fly over without much happening.

The man jumped wanting to kick down, quickly ending the match with one strike. Just before he struck down, noticing something different to the mouse. Looking at him he became certain of it.

The little guy wasn't afraid of the fight, but rather of what he might do to others. Slamming down his foot next to the creature, the man was certain of it.

The mouse looked straight at him throughout the entire attack, never averting his eyes. He wasn't afraid, he just didn't want to fight. Out of respect the men gently lifted the little creature from the ground, lowering him off stage and winning the match.

As the next few matches were fought, the passion of the contestants reached new heights quickly finishing match after match, as Geo's turn had finally arrived.

His opponent was a cocky tomboyish woman with short blond hair hitting her shoulders. Geo noticed that she was quite slender and flat as a plank and he quickly lost interest in her. Before the gong rang, their eyes met showing just how determined both of them were.

As the announcer signaled for the match to start the woman moved similar to slitting someone's throat, unfazed by this Geo made a statement to all women in the Colleseum.

”So... you're here to stick it to the men as you feel you don't belong with the normal woman or man? I hate to break it to you... but that's just your brain being in denial of wanting an ass-whooping so bad you found ways to creature opportunities for us men... You know... every one of you is the same,

Women only have one right, and that's ”birthright”!”

The female opponent, as well as most other women in the area, got riled up by emotion, they couldn't handle the sheer savagery of his words. In a blind rage, the woman stormed towards him brimming with emotion. He easily dodges this straight forward attack and decided to teas his opponent just a bit more.

”Better yet, women should revert to their old ways, gathering and making food, guiding ”our” children the ”next generation”. As well as taking care of our loved ones.

Make no mistake, all of these functions are crucial to the survival of our people, so please don't feel offended by it, it's just the stone-cold facts that I share here with you today. And to make my point clear.”

Geo moved in on the girl who supposedly lost herself in primal rage, her ego wouldn't allow for her to accept the way Geo talked about women in general, while at the same time she found it arousing as he mindlessly bossed around every single woman present with his remarks. Clueless as he was,

without a care in the world.

The woman tried to strike at his chest with a powerful kick, Geo, duck down, making the woman lose her footing as he slit down her ankles making her stumble off stage, losing the match. A few minutes had past giving Geo some time to breathe and relax.

While the matches of Group A continued his eye caught a peculiar contestant. It was a short young man that depicted odd behavior. It almost felt like the particular person tried to hide something when he got summoned on stage.

”Contestants A-31 and A-32 your match is starting please take your place.”

The shady person was now standing on stage as his opponent greeted him with a respectful bowing gesture. The young man smiled and bowed down in the same manner out of respect.

When the gong ran the both jumped to the edge of the stage, awaiting one another, anticipating their attacks. But before his opponent could react it seemed as if he lost his footing as he fell off the stage ending the match in an instant.

With this weird abrupt ending the announcer quickly moved on to group B as the first rounds if group A were finished.

There Alessia made herself ready as she had to fight a bald and irritated man, he had a large and broad figure almost as if he was a giant.

”The first match of Group B will begin shortly, please get ready on stage as we like to get this show on the road!”

Shortly after signaling the start of the match the man rushed towards Alessia with big steps, easily covering twice as much distance as others the man instantly blocked off Alessia's path. Now unable to move away from him she had nowhere to go.

As the man had cornered her, he tried to grab her.

Seeing as he was so big, he had to stoop down.

By doing this carelessly he was unaware of the chance he presented her with.

Alessia, as cunning as she was instantly grabbed her chance sliding underneath the gigantic man ending up behind him. She then jumped up and kicked his ass trying to make him fall off the stage.

But she didn't have a big enough impact as the man kept standing in place, hurt by her kick he turned around. It seemed she had to come up with another plan.

Annoyed by his hurting butt the man rampaged towards Alessia Damaging the stage as he walked.

Crushing the tiles under his sheer weight.

Seeing as he broke the tiles by sheer force Alessia thought of a plan, a plan where she didn't have to do much, as she didn't like putting in too much effort for unattractive people. The man was blindly chasing her around the stage when it dawned on him.

”Damn you, woman!!! No one takes Bruce serious... this frustrates me...”

Alessia was putting small fire on the stage, wherever the man trampled the stage, there were flames.

As the man knew he couldn't do much against the flames he still refused to give up, jumping towards Alessia in a final attempt to know her off stage.

But... as luck would have it, Alessia slipped, spinning around the gigantic man, without anything to stop his jump the man landed outside the ring and losing the match.

When it was finally time for group C to start Raiden couldn't contain his excitement, jumping up and down getting all hyped up, he just couldn't stay calm anymore.