The next day…
The stadium buzzed with excitement. Dante stretched his arms, preparing to commentate. Mack opened a bottle of water and gulped it down. Then, he sealed it and put it away. The duo pushed forward, getting a better of the stadium. Dante tapped his mic which turned it on. The clock struck nine at the same moment. Dante spread his arms, diagonally and greeted the audience.
"Hey, guys~ It's time."
Then, Mack spoke after him with a commanding voice.
"With the Unarmed league's round of sixteen finished, let's kick off the Armed league's round of sixteen!"
The people cheered in excitement. The crowd waved their arms, awaiting the next match to please their hunger for entertainment.
***
In the locker room, Taylor was preparing for her upcoming match. She rummaged through her locker, taking off her cap. Pulling out her katana, she unsheathed it and stared at her reflection. She sheathed it and slid it into her belt. Just then, Janus appeared behind her.
"What's up?" He patted her on the back.
Taylor flinched in surprised and spun around.
"Dude! Stop scaring me like that." Taylor hissed.
"I ain't scaring you."
"Yes! You are!" Taylor closed her locker.
"Whatever you say…" Janus whispered. "Anyways, how are ya feeling for your next match?"
"Pretty good - pretty fresh." Taylor twisted her body.
"Okay – okay." Janus chuckled.
"By the way…" Taylor locked eyes with him. "Was that Adam guy really that strong that you had to use 'that'?"
"Yeah…? Why else would I use it?" Janus shrugged.
Taylor nodded and sat down on the metal bench in the middle of the locker room.
"Still can't believe all this is metal…" She grazed the surface with her finger.
"Yeah…the empire really wanted to Rush city to be the city of the future. I can't believe their conservative asses made an exception for this."
"Yeah, it is really is humanity's second greatest achievement." Another voice spoke out.
Taylor and Janus snapped their heads around. Approaching them was a stylish brown-haired, jade-eyed young man wearing black clothes – Adam.
"Oh, dude. What's up?" Janus reached his hand out.
"Nothing much." Adam reached his hand out as well.
The two clasped each other's palms as Taylor watched in astonishment.
"W-wait – wait – wait – wait – wait. You know him." Taylor pointed at Adam.
"Yeah…? I met him in the hospital. Y'know because of this…"
Janus opened his palm, rotating it to show the white bandages covering his wound. Then, Taylor peered at Adam whose face and nose were covered as well.
"He fractured my nose but they were able to glue it back."
"Uh, huh." Taylor nodded. "And…where are you from?"
"Me? Oh, I'm from Vatican City ."
"Why are you even asking him that?" Janus blurted.
"We'll be studying with him for six years. Don't you think we'll need some idea as to who he is?" Taylor replied.
"You guys are amazing! It'll be nice being with you in Stratos." Adam spread his arms.
"Of course, buddy." Janus wrapped his arm around him.
Just as the trio we're chatting, the intercom buzzed.
"Next contestant – Taylor Hawk."
Taylor jolted up and headed straight to the arena.
"Good luck!" Adam shouted.
"Thanks!" Taylor waved back as she entered the arena.
As their friend departed, the duo looked at each other.
"Wanna get some ice cream?" Janus suggested.
"Sure." Adam shrugged.
Then, the two headed off – hands in pockets to get some ice cream.
***
Dante's voice resounded throughout the stadium as he announced the next match. The holographic screen displayed the images of the two chaos incarnates that were about to brawl.
"In the next match, we have Taylor Hawk versus…Mia Goldmary!"
The audience screamed in excitement as the two incarnates entered the arena. Taylor gripped the hilt as she neared the center. Stopping, she gazed over at her opponent who also wielded a katana. The women opposite of her wore a cropped T-shirt that exposed her stomach with baggy cargo pants that matched. She tightened her fingerless gloves and brushed her short black hair, revealing her raven eyes. Taylor gazed downward, noticing her black sneakers were untied.
"Hey, um…your shoe laces are loose." She pointed out.
Mia lowered her head. She squealed and quickly tied her loose laces.
"Thanks." She stated.
Taylor didn't respond. The referee approached.
"Ready!" He shouted.
Both girls unsheathed their katanas. He gripped the whistle, raising his arm. Time seemed to slow down as both went into fighting stances. The referee blew hard, lowering his arms. In the instant, the whistle blew, he spun around and ran. The two swordswomen narrowed their eyes. Taylor stepped forward. Mia reacted but that was the trap. As she backed off, Taylor leapt forward. Mia's eyes widened as the blade came inches from her face but just then…
Taylor's katana recoiled. Her pupils dilated in shock. She stepped back in confusion. Mia stood straight but something was off…
'Her face is…stone?'
Taylor exclaimed in her mind. Half of her enemy's face had transformed into stone similar to the arena's surface. But in the next second, her face converted back to skin. Taylor stood astonished. Mia quickly went into a stance. Taylor shook her head, quickly doing the same. Both didn't strike – not now. Their minds raced – cold sweat dripping down their faces.
"God…this feels like one of those fencing matches at the Olympics…" Mack analyzed. "Taylor's got the first point…But I wonder how she'll counter Mia's attribute…"
"Agreed. Especially, since, Mia has the same attribute as the former general of the special ops of AEOC – Lancelot. Rest In peace to him…" Dante placed his hand on his chest then, on his head.
"Rest In Peace." Mack formed a cross on his chest.