Chapter 1462 (1/2)

In the end, Tykes had endured too much without inflicting much damage on Paolo. Although both he and Paolo had been marred by Kayle’s slashes, what the Donnyton duo had said earlier was accurate; no one could endure each other’s blows as well as they could. In terms of practice, none could even come close.

Now that the duo had shed the pretense of using each other's weapons, they were truly standing near the pinnacle of Earth.

That, combined with the way that Paolo’s image was strengthened by the crowd's cheers, meant that Tykes was eventually crushed into the marble beneath Paolo’s foot. The crowd went wild and Paolo’s image turned practically blinding under the influence of the approval and triumph. The first ticket to the finals of the duo’s tournament had been sold, paid for in blood.

Randidly glanced down at Tykes and Dinesh as the two helped each other off the arena. Neither of you are totally there quite yet… your image is too vague. If you find your truth, your combination likely won’t lose next time.

Then Randidly felt a headache coming on. It would probably be good to encourage these sorts of tournaments to happen every year or so… or maybe like every other year to demonstrate weaknesses like this. Something like the System version of the Olympics… but picturing Tatiana’s face as I suggest that she arrange it…

Shaking his head, Randidly set those thoughts aside. Likely he wasn’t the only person who was interested in continuing to host such tournaments on Earth. In addition, he would likely say a few words when the final winner was determined. He could plant the seed of the idea in the populace then… purple-black Revelation energy flared to life at the corners of his eyes as he considered those options.

Congratulations! Your Skill Revelations of the Atramentous Threshold (T) has grown to Level 325!

Very quickly, he allowed that energy to fade; those concerns could wait for now. After finally producing a weave of Nether that he was satisfied with, Randidly reeled in the finished product to inspect the result. The Nether Nebula in his chest spun in a clockwise direction, pulling all the weight and significance into his core.

Gradually, Randidly began to smile. Truly, I’m glad I decided to host this tournament.

*****

It’s time. Alana’s eyes flicked open. She picked up a glass of water and took a long sip. Then she walked to the door and out into the hallway. It was time for her match; it was time to see how much Hank Howard had grown.

But Alana frowned as she stepped into the dimly lit hallway from the waiting room to the participant’s entrance and saw that someone was waiting there for her. “Are you unsatisfied?”

Lucifer folded his arms across his chest and studied Alana closely. “Yes. Which is why I’m here to ask you the same question that I asked you before: Do you intend to win everything?”

Tilting her head to the side, Alana considered the well-muscled man in front of her. His image was certainly strong, but part of that strength was simplicity. It was easy for her to read his emotions from it. After following the web, she sighed. “Your pride is certainly important to you, huh?”

“I would be greatly reassured if you would just tell me that you mean to win it all. Losing to the eventual champion would have been my honor,” Lucifer spoke quietly, seeming to become a part of the shadowy corridor that would lead Alana to the arena. The only portion of him that had any presence was his piercing gaze as he weighed her.

I’ll give him this, at least he’s earnest, Alana eventually decided.

And now that she thought about it, this was probably the most words he had ever spoken to her. When she continued to contemplate this strange behavior, Lucifer then spoke again. “I’ll also say this; Hank Howard is not a man you can defeat without craving victory. Do not let your image embarrass you-”

“You sound a bit obscene when you speak of victory, Lucifer,” Alana said lightly as she stepped passed him. But she patted him lightly on his shoulder before she starting walking at a brisk pace toward the end of the hall. Already, she could feel the cheers of the crowd through the soles of her feet; the entire building was rumbling with their excitement. “But I will win. Don’t you worry about that.”

Due to her height and impressive wingspan, Wivanya could only wait for Alana in an antechamber right before the open air of the arena. But because of their connection, she was looking at Alana with interest after her interaction with Lucifer. “So, this match isn’t just training? We mean to win?”

Alana shot a sour glance at her companion and Wivanya snorted out two bouts of air that produced large patches of frost on the nearby stone wall. Rolling her shoulders, Alana produced her spear from her interspatial ring and inspected it closely. She rubbed the blade with her thumb and then flicked it; it hummed perfectly. “We always meant to win… but yes. This is a match… we should win.”

“You have finally agreed we must rename the world Ghostworld?” Wivanya’s tail flicked back and forth in her excitement.

Alana could only roll her eyes and pat the scales of Wivanya’s neck. “...I still don’t think that’s the name we should choose. But… Lucifer has a point. Just because… so much of my new image is based on Randidly doesn’t mean I should be embarrassed. It… it’s a demonstration. That there are various types of images that are possible. I have a responsibility...”

“You are blushing,” Wivanya teased, blowing a small amount of freezing air on the back of Alana’s neck. Alana punched the dragon in the chest with a good deal of force and then walked haughtily away from the chortling lizard. The rumbling grew louder. Soon the duo began to near the light at the end of the tunnel.

When they finally walked out into the daylight, Wivanya spread her wings wide after being cramped for so long in the tunnel and the crowd went wild. Stretched out, Wivanya’s wingspan was almost twenty meters long. Meanwhile, Alana looked across at Hank, who was already passing Ancho’s reins to the referee. When he spotted her, he grinned and said something that was lost in the noise of the crowd.

But Alana knew him too well. Even if she hadn’t been able to read his lips, she could guess what he was saying: “It’s a good day for a duel.”