Chapter 7 – Facing One's Despair Head On
The Tournament is hosted by the duke himself.
It is held once every year, the reason behind this Tournament is to scout potential students for Academy´s. Many different people gather here every time, Nobels, introducers and Warriors seeking for battle. Nobel families also tend to participate, to give the young ones’ experience and a chance to be scouted by an academy. The one Academy everyone is aiming for is the Arcadia Academy in Eldoria, ancient Magic, unique Sword Arts, it has everything to offer one is searching for. It only accepts people at the age of 18.
The rule of this Tournament is simple:
To win you need to beat your enemy, knock him out, or surrender.
Fight fairly, no killing allowed.
Most people come here to showcase their abilities in hope of getting an invitation to an Academy, but there are only a handful of people that actually get an invitation, only the best gather in these academies, but the best of the best are all students of Arcadia.
“And Henrick, my opponent, once went to a lower academy for a year.”
“Oh, we have met before your name was …. Shine Kage, right?”
“Yes, we meet in front of the Town”
“I hope for a good fight, go easy on me Shin”
“I should be the one saying that Henrick!”
“LET THE FIGHT BEGIN!”
Henrick drew his blade from his back, a fine great sword.
“Aren´t you going to draw your sword, or did you forget yours?”
With a confident smirk I said...
“My Sword is always by my side.”
Nexus Abyssal Manipulation
The Abyss had absorbed the sword I got from Thorin, now overwhelmed in black and purple miasma.
The sword appeared in my Hand, sucking in the power of the Abyss.
“So this is its new form, after combining it with Thorin´s sword, my Abyssal Blade got even better!”
While drawing the blade out of the Abyss I had thought of Thorin´s sword, sharpness, swiftness and the ability to cut a path to my future.
The crowd was in awe.
“Where did that sword come from?”
“Look it´s just a normal sword, there is nothing special about it!”
There is nothing special about it?
Can´t they see the black and miasma emitting from it?
“Am I the only one that can perceive the Abyss?”
“But why?”
Henrick doesn´t seem to see it too.
Does the duke see it?
As I looked up to the duke, I saw his confused face.
The servant beside the duke said…
“That sword…. something seems of about it, my lord!”
“So, you feel it to, but something about it seems familiar to me, when I see that sword”
“As if I had seen it in the past”
“I am sure they felt it too”
I don´t think anyone else can see the Abyss, besides me.
Henrick moved into a fighting position, kneeled down, his great sword swung to the back.
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“Here I come!”
He rushed towards me.
Despite his strong build he was fast.
The Moment he reached into close range he swung his sword horizontally towards me.
I dodged with a swift small step to the side.
His sword clashed against the ground, creating shockwaves throughout the Arena, creating a small crater in the ground.
Right after, he continued striking towards me, an upward slash.
As he swung his great sword, a flash of wind followed his blade.
I stepped back, with little motion.
As I countered his attack with a swift strike at his left arm.
He tries to evade it but fails.
“Seems like I need to use my Skills.”
“-Blessing of the wind
-Strength of a giant”
He activated his abilities, seems like the fight is going to start for real now!
He dashed towards me, keeping his blade low to the ground, his sword and body buffed by the blessing of the wind, his body as strong as that of a giant.
Steel clashed against steel, sparks falling to the ground after each strike.
“Haahhhhhh”
As Henrick was about to unleash a downward slash against me with all his power.
-Beserk
His body began developing red energy.
“He got even stronger?”
I fell to my knees, the swung sword reaching for my face.
“Come on you can do it!”
A voice from the corner of the publicum.
That of an old man.
It was Thorin, shouting at me, with a desperate face hoping to achieve his goals.
“Is this really all you have got, Shin?”
With a smirk on my face, I said quietly…
“Haha, that old man really is an idiot, does he really think this is all that I amount to?”
“I was just about to get serious to”
I will win no matter what, for Thorin, no
For me!!
I know it is selfish, I know I don´t have a reason to, but I want to help him.
Because I could see myself in him, my older self.
Alone, fighting against his Despair.
Running away from his dreams.
So, when he told me that he wanted to win in the Tournament that was deemed impossible, I remembered something from my past.
When people tried to reach out to me, to offer help.
I ran away.
I feared I would be a burden to them…
So I kept on fighting alone.
They knew it was impossible for me to get cured, but still tried to help me.
Against all odds, they kept on wanting to help me, even after I pushed them away.
And when I saw Thorin trying to reach out for help, I was frustrated...
Frustrated that he was able to reach out for help, that I couldn´t do, so I thought, If I am able to try be like the people that wanted to help me, I could get one step closer to my goal.
Finding peace within myself, after conquering the Abyss deep within me.
…
The sword already in front of my face, about to strike me.
But the sword clashed against the ground, with nothing in his path.
“Where did he go?”
The commentator announced.
“The Winner is Shine Kage”
“What”
Henrick turned around and found a blade held against his neck.
I was standing behind him with my right arm, pointing my blade against his neck.
When did he came behind me, he was right before me until the moment my blade was in front of him. I didn´t see him move, how did he do it?
Is he that fast that I didn´t even notice him move, when he was right before me?
Who is he?
Shine Kage…I will remember that name!
“This was a good fight, thanks for the lesson you taught me, Shin”
“I learned a lot too, let´s spar in the future again sometime!”
As the both of them walked down the arena to the waiting room, the crowd was silent, confused at the scene that happened before them.
Most of the crowd were average people who haven´t unlocked the system.
Only a few people were able to see what exactly happened.
“Did I see that right, Henrick lost?”
“A student of an academy?”
“Even if he came from a lower academy, he shouldn´t have lost!”
“Who is that guy”
Some remained silent, the people who were able to see his movements glazed at Shine in awe.
“My Lord, he seems to be stronger than we expected, with this much power, he will surely get scouted into a lower academy at least, he may even be able to get into a middle ranked one too.”
“I get a feeling he hasn´t used his real power yet, tomorrows second rounds will be exciting!”
“I feel the same, my Lord”
As I walked back into the waiting room, glazes from every contestant fixed on me.
It was as if they saw a Monster for the first time.
As I sat down in my seat, I noticed it.
Most of the contestants here were able to see my movements.
The Gazes of Aura and the Lightning Spear were fixated on me.
“Haaaa, this is going to be very troublesome.”
“The duke will now hold a speech, pay attention!”
…
Every person in the Colosseum became silent.
Each Contestant came out to the Arena, leaving the waiting room.
Lined up, on the arena, facing towards the duke, waiting for the duke to give his speech.
“Today´s matches were very exciting, I´m eagerly awaiting tomorrow´s matches!”
“I shall now announce tomorrow’s matches!”
“The first match is-….”
Out of nowhere the entire ground began shaking violently, the entire Colosseum was shaking.
The bright sky darkened in an instant, shadows covering the sky.
“Mere Mortals”, his voice resonating through the arena, low and menacing, a dark figure had appeared on top of the Colosseum looking down at the crowd.
“All of you find yourself in an hollow dream, and indulge yourself in Illusions, how easily you are distracted by your dreams and hopes, when you don´t even know the reality of this world.”
This energy seems familiar as the abyss within me started to rampage inside me.
He pauses, letting thw weight of his words sink in, as a palpable tension fills the air. The crowd shivers, not from the cold, but from the oppressive aura that now blankets the arena.
“You revel in your petty struggles, blind to the despair of this world. You stand here, believing yourselves to be warriors... yet you are nothing but lambs to the slaughter."
His gaze sweeps over the crowd, piercing through the hearts of those who dare to meet his eyes.
“I shall show you the true meaning of despair, continue your little games, but remember I´m always watching through the shadows”
Suddenly a person appears out of the shadow behind him…
A White mask, with wide eyes, a stretch mouth, the rest of his body remained in the darkness.
“It seems a special someone is here today, I´m sure we will soon meet again in the future, dear brother.”
As he said those words, I felt the Abyss within me feel all kinds of emotion- pain, sorrow, regret and anger.
A Shadow appeared behind them, as they back into it.
“I´m your Nightmare, I´m your Despair and the last person you will see, my name is Omen, and I shall show you the reality of this world through pain and suffering, I´m the Shadow that will devour this world!”
“I came from the tower, and as a servant of the Nymeris Kingdom, you shall experience the meaning of pain!”
He vanished into thin air, the sky brightens up again.
The entire crowd was speechless, shivering in fear.
People began panicking.
“Who…Who is that?”
“Is that the mysterious man mentioned in legends?”
“The one that conquered the shadows and makes all Beast his slaves?”
“Is that the man that can also evolve Beast?”
The duke shouted aloud!
Increase the security of the town, we will enter an emergency state.
I managed to calm down the Abyss within me, with the help of that light, that appeared before me.
The moment I calmed down I looked for Thorin.
“Ahh, there he is…”
…
It was something I have seen before, a person facing the core of his despair, a face painted with fear, anger and suffering and Thorin had this exact expression on his face right now.
He was overwhelmed with all kinds of emotions, he was so angry that his mouth began bleeding, from biting his lips. His Hands bleeding from his nails, tearing into his flesh.
That was someone with the goal of revenge on his archenemy.
At that someone was no other than the one who conquered the shadows of this world, the mysterious man.
End of chapter 7 ---------------------------------------------------------------------To be continued
Status window currently
Lv – 10
Hp – 5
Strength -6
Stamina- 8
Endurance- 8
Magic – 0
Mind - 22
Unique Stat
Cultivation- Abyssal Arts -Foundation Establishment state - 20
Available Stats – 0
Abyss collected – 10
The Abyss is being suppressed by a mysterious energy.
Skills-
Dark Qi application
Abyssal Nexus-
* Abyss Manipulation
* …
* …
* …
* …
Passive Skills-
Deep concentartion
Condition Overview-
Cleaning impurities 20%
-Cultivation needed for further improvement
Weak Body- training efficiency -80%
-Training needed for more efficiency
Illness- You have a serious illness
If not treated, you could die / In your current state there is
no cure for your illness.
Curse of the Abyss- You have been cursed by the God of the Abyss- you are more
likely to become evil.
Curse of the Dragon-???
Titles- First title gained “The Light within the Shadows “.
Gain – 10% more power when fighting against darkness.