The next day…
"Welcome back, everyone~" Dante spoke. "To the Armed league's semi-finals."
His voice resounded throughout the stadium. The fans awaited excitedly for the matches to begin. In the stands, Janus, Taylor and Adam were seated together. Adam munched down popcorn while sipping soda. Janus and Taylor on the other hand, did not buy anything. Then, Mack spoke through the microphone.
"Now, moving onto the first match of the day!"
The screen shifted, displaying the next participants. From the lockers, Leo and another competitor walked out. Janus stretched his arms as the names were announced.
"Leo Vincenzo versus…James Kernel!"
Two men – one of excellence who wielded a longsword and another not even worth mentioning who wore gauntlets, stepped out of both lockers. Janus leaned forward. The referee approached. Then, after a few polite exchanges, the two fighters began their match. James activated his attribute, elongating his limbs. But unfortunately for him, he missed. Leo merely smirked, casually dodging all his opponent's attacks while his hands rested in his pockets.
James gritted his teeth. He attacked once again. Leo didn't react. He let it near his face before…James's hand suddenly stopped. Even he was perplexed. Then as if another person controlled his body. The hand returned and began attacking James himself.
"Hey! Huh? What the hell is going on?" he screamed.
The audience burst out laughing. Leo smiled, releasing James's hand. James angrily gritted his teeth and rushed at Leo. He threw a barrage of punches. Leo redirected on attack – dodged another and ducked under another. Then, James tried to kick. Leo chuckled as his rival tripped himself. The fans against burst into laughter.
"I'm sorry if you feel humiliated. That's just how I am." Leo shrugged, tilting his head.
In the stands, Taylor sneered at Leo's comment.
"This is just child's play for him…"
"Yeah…" Janus agreed, watching the humiliation. "Even the fans are bored – He's just dragging this out."
As the bout continued, Dante shouted,
"Hey, Leo! If you're going to play with him then just end the match! This is boring!"
Mack waved his arm in panic.
"No – no - no, Dante, we can't say that."
Just then, Leo's laugh sounded throughout the arena.
"Agreed. Yes, my next match would be a lot more interesting than this."
Suddenly, James's body froze in place. Leo gripped the hilt and unsheathed his longsword. James – forced to retract his arms, watched as Leo slowly approached – a devious grin spread across his face. Leo pointed at the enemy, striking the poor James. Eventually, he sheathed his blade.
"Ten points." He snapped his fingers.
The referee whistled – ending the match. The crowd didn't cheer; James hadn't even put up a fight. Taylor scoffed as Leo left the arena.
"So much for being polite."
Right then, Mack addressed the fans as James left the arena – humiliated.
"Uh…people, s-sorry for the outburst my partner had earlier. But, now, let's move on!"
The holographic screen switched. Janus raised a brow as the participants were shown. From both sides of the arena, two men stepped out once more.
"Next match – Cain Rodrick versus Hunter Visser!" Dante announced.
Taylor's brows furrowed. On one side, a teen with gray hair and green eyes, wearing a gray jacket with a black skull and gray clothes with dark accents – Cain, stood at the center. On the other side, another young man with flamboyant black hair and glistening eyes of the same color, wearing a brown T-shirt with blue trousers and spotless white sneakers – Hunter, stood opposite of him.
The referee approached the middle with them, already holding the whistle in his mouth. The audience leaned forward as tension built in the air. Without wasting another moment, he swung his hand down and blew the whistle. Then, he ran away. Cain spun his meteor hammer like the blades of a helicopter. Meanwhile, Hunter gripped the spear in his hand, pointing it at his rival.
Cain tugged at his chain, extending the range. Hunter's pupils dilated. He ducked the meteor. Then, his feet pressed against the ground. He shot forward, reaching his spear out. Cain raised his chains, blocking it. Yet the spear grazed his shoulder. Hunter then backed off.
'One…'
Hunter and Cain circled one another. Cain rolled his shoulder, grunting in pain. He gritted his teeth, swinging hi weapon. The meteor flew, attacking Hunter. Hunter's eyes widened. In a panic, he backed off. Cain smirked and rushed at him. The meteor swung behind him. Then Cain tugged at the chain, pulling it forward. The ball shot forward. Hunter raised his spear but he was still pushed back. Bruises and blood spread across his hands as he collapsed. He panted heavily.
"Still wanna try me, baby boy?" Cain mocked.
"Yeah…" Hunter replied, activating his attribute.
Cain didn't speak any further. He yanked his weapon over. Hunter shot forward. In his vision, red marks appeared in specific places over Cain's body. One red point pointed to his rib. Hunter nimbly avoided the meteor hammer. He raised his spear and swung it down diagonally. Cain pushed back, barely avoiding the strike.
"Attacking where I'm still injured? That seems a bit dishonorable, doesn't it?"
"When did honor matter?" Hunter charged.
Cain laughed. He pulled the chain and struck his opponent. Hunter gasped. Thrown back by the meteor, he shakily stood up. Fortunately, Cain hadn't activated his attribute…yet.
"Two points." Cain stated. "Now, things get serious."
He tugged at the chains of his weapons, extending its reach once more. Hunter bent slightly and rushed to the side. The meteor hammer trailed him like a predator. As he closed the distance between them, Cain realized what the latter was doing. Quickly withdrawing his weapon, he created an opening. Hunter's pupils dilated. He leapt high. His shadow covered Cain's face as he landed before him.
Spinning his spear, he struck Cain in the rib. Cain drew a sharp breath – grunting. But Hunter didn't stop there. He charged once again. He attacked the places where Cain was weak. One blow to the shoulder – another to his left thigh – another to his right ankle. Cain – unable to counter, clutched his body and backed away.
"Two - One – One – Two – One. Damn, he's got seven points." He muttered under his breath.
Hunter spun his weapon and locked eyes with his enemy.
"You feelin scared?"
Cain chuckled at his opponent's question.
"Now, I was going easy on you but…"
He didn't finish his sentence, activating his attribute. Finally taking his enemy seriously, he swung his weapon. The air split in its path. Hunter leapt over it. His feet pressed against the ground as he landed. Then, he lunged at his opponent. Cain pivoted on one leg and spun around. The meteor circled behind him and he pulled it towards himself. At the last second, he moved out of the way. Hunter couldn't dodge – he was too close.
"Two points." Cain whistled.
It struck him head-on, breaking his ribcage. Cain pulled his weapon back, panting. Hunter collapsed to the ground and the referee stopped the match. He approached Hunter. The competitors body trembled violently, making the ref worried.
"Contestant Hunter. Can you go on?"