*BANG!*
The heavy wooden door of the guest bedroom flew wide open, slamming violently against the stone wall.
Rias jerked awake. He blinked his sleepy eyes, instinctively reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. He looked toward the doorway.
Amyra marched into the room. She was fully dressed in her dark crimson combat dress, her red hair tied back tightly. She looked furious, entirely awake, and completely determined.
"Get up," Amyra ordered, pointing a sharp finger at him.
Rias groaned and rubbed his face. He looked at the magical clock on the bedside table. It was early in the morning. The sun had barely fully risen over the capital.
"Do you know how to knock?" Rias mumbled, pulling the thick silk blanket up to his chin.
"The tournament doesn't start for another two hours. Let me sleep."
"Absolutely not," Amyra snapped. She walked right up to the edge of the bed and grabbed the blanket. With a single, forceful yank, she pulled the entire cover off the bed and threw it onto the floor.
"Hey!" Rias complained, sitting up.
"You are not doing what you did yesterday," Amyra scolded him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You slept through the entire morning. You embarrassed me in front of the whole Royal Family. You are going to get out of that bed, put your boots on, and walk to the carriage with me right now."
Rias looked at her. She was tapping her foot impatiently on the floor.
He let out a heavy sigh. He knew she wasn't going to leave. If he tried to go back to sleep, she would probably set his pillows on fire.
"Fine, fine," Rias muttered. He stood up from the bed. He was only wearing a loose grey sleeping shirt and soft pants. He grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head to change.
Amyra's eyes widened. She quickly spun around, turning her back to him.
"What are you doing?!" she hissed, her voice cracking slightly.
"I am changing my clothes," Rias replied casually, tossing the grey shirt aside and grabbing a fresh, dark blue tunic from the wardrobe.
"You barged into my bedroom and told me to get ready. What did you expect?"
"You could have asked me to step outside!" she yelled, keeping her back rigidly turned. Her ears were turning a bright, burning shade of red.
"You are the one who barged in," Rias laughed softly. He quickly fastened his belt and slipped his leather boots on. He grabbed his long, dark coat and threw it over his shoulders.
"Alright, I am decent," Rias said.
Amyra slowly turned back around. She glared at him, still looking slightly flushed from the sudden embarrassment. She checked his outfit to make sure he looked presentable.
Then, her angry expression faded. She looked him right in the eyes. Her golden eyes were incredibly serious.
"Listen to me carefully, Leonhart," Amyra said. Her voice was quiet but firm.
"My father banned me from entering the arena. You are fighting in my stead today. You represent me in front of this entire empire."
She took a step closer to him.
"Do not hold back," she whispered.
"And don't you dare lose..."
Rias looked at Amyra, She wasn't threatening to murder him this time. She was actually trusting him to defend her pride.
Rias offered her a confident, sharp smile.
"Don't worry, Princess," Rias replied. "I won't lose."
They rode to the Erzel Stadium together in the royal carriage.
When they stepped out into the VIP courtyard, the noise from the stadium was already deafening. Millions of people had packed into the stands, eager to watch the one-on-one duels.
Rias and Amyra walked up the crystal stairs to the Royal Balcony. The Emperor was already sitting on his throne. The rest of the siblings were in their seats. Rias ignored their glares and sat down next to Amyra, getting comfortable for a long day.
Down in the arena, the dirt was perfectly flat and clean.
The head referee stepped up to his stone podium. He raised a glowing magical amplifier to his mouth.
"Welcome to the second day of the Imperial Tournament!" the referee shouted. The crowd roared in response. "Yesterday, two thousand fighters entered this ring! Today, only two hundred remain!"
The referee pointed to a massive, floating magical screen hovering above the arena.
"Today, we will hold rapid-fire, one-on-one duels!" the referee explained. "The matches will continue without stopping until only the Top Sixteen fighters remain! Look to the screen for the first matchup!"
The magical screen flashed. Two hundred names spun in a rapid blur.
Then, the spinning stopped. Two names locked into place in massive, glowing blue letters.
[Rias von Leonhart] VS [Silas Vanguard]
The crowd immediately started booing. The hatred for the Leonhart name was still incredibly strong.
Up on the balcony, Rias stood up from his chair.
"I guess I am up first," Rias said casually. He stretched his arms and walked down the stairs toward the arena tunnels.
A few minutes later, Rias stepped out onto the bright, sunlit dirt.
Standing across from him in the massive chalk ring was his opponent. Silas Vanguard.
Silas was a massive man. He wore heavy, thick steel armor that covered him from head to toe. He held a giant, wicked-looking halberd in his hands. The energy rolling off Silas's body was incredibly heavy.
Rias's talent quickly analyzed the man.
'Gold Level 5,' Rias noted.
'He is a seasoned warrior. He probably works as a high-ranking mercenary captain.'
Silas sneered at Rias through the slit in his iron helmet.
"You got lucky yesterday, kid," Silas mocked, his deep voice echoing across the quiet ring.
"You used a cheap trick to blow a bunch of weaklings out of the ring. But tricks do not work on me. I am going to break every bone in your body."
Rias didn't draw his black sword. He just kept his hands resting loosely at his sides.
"Are you done talking?" Rias asked politely.
Silas ground his teeth. He gripped his heavy halberd tightly.
"Begin!" the referee shouted.
*BONG!*
Silas exploded forward. For a man wearing heavy steel armor, he was incredibly fast. He crossed the distance in a single second. He swung the massive blade horizontally, aiming directly for Rias's ribs. The blade cut through the air, creating a sharp whistling sound.
It was an attack meant to cut a normal person completely in half.
But Rias wasn't a normal person anymore.
To Rias, the halberd looked like it was moving in slow motion. He didn't even use his footwork skill to dodge. He simply took half a step backward.
The heavy blade missed his stomach by a single inch.
Silas's eyes widened in shock behind his helmet. He had put all his weight into that swing. Missing his target threw him completely off balance. He stumbled forward, leaving his armored chest wide open.
Rias stepped smoothly inside the man's guard.
He didn't use fire or wind magic. He didn't use the Overload Punch. He just channeled his raw mana directly into his right fist.
Rias threw a simple, straight punch.
His knuckles slammed squarely into the center of Silas's thick steel chestplate.
*CRUNCH!*
The sound of shattering metal echoed across the entire stadium.
The heavy steel armor caved inward like a crushed tin cup. The sheer, overwhelming force of the punch lifted the massive mercenary completely off his feet.
Silas flew backward through the air. He soared across the dirt ring, crossed the white chalk boundary, and crashed violently into the stone wall of the arena.
He slumped to the ground, completely unconscious before the dust even settled.
The stadium went dead silent.
Millions of people stared at the arena with their jaws hanging open. They couldn't comprehend what they had just seen. A heavily armored Gold Level 5 warrior had just been knocked out with a single, basic punch.
Rias lowered his fist and casually blew a speck of dust off his knuckles.
[Ding!]
[Enemy defeated in a sanctioned duel.]
[Reward: +5,000 EXP.]
The head referee stood frozen on his podium for a few seconds. He finally remembered his job and raised his flag.
"Winner! Rias von Leonhart!"
The crowd didn't cheer, but they didn't boo him either. They were simply terrified.
Rias turned around and walked back into the dark tunnel. The first match was over in less than five seconds.