Unfortunately for the audience, Vreil’s victory in Group C was almost as one-sided as Sting’s. After two months of intense training, his potential was beginning to show, and he was already head and shoulders above most of his fellow trainees. The gaps in their stance were easy to spot, and Vreil’s sword dived into them like a shark among moonfish. It was over fairly quickly.

The D Group’s fight, however, was more exciting. Soon after it began, only Nigel and B.B. Mail were remaining. Mail was apparently expecting this to be an easy win and was shocked at Nigel’s prowess. When Vreil had first arrived at Waterslide, Nigel was just a little above average but, by continuously sparring against Vreil, he had grown accustomed to a strong, fast opponent. Besides Arthur and Vreil, who were monsters in their own right, he was now the strongest of the trainees.

Nigel and B.B. Mail were almost equal in skill, and the fight would have dragged on for a long time if Nigel didn’t use a trick Vreil had shown him. As the tension was nearing its climax, he unexpectedly stepped back, opened his arms and, as his opponent was confused, shouted “HA”, briskly and loudly. Mail was shocked, and Nigel took the opportunity to strike him while his guard was lowered.

Of course, he was booed by the audience when they realized what he had done, even if his opponent was a pirate.

“Quite an underhanded trick”, commented Vreil when Nigel got back.

“I didn’t think it would actually work. I was just trying to enrage him”, Nigel scratched his head. The audience’s disapproval had taken him aback.

“It doesn’t matter much. Just make sure you show them what you are capable of in our fight”, winked Vreil. “And don’t you even think of trying to pull that one on me.”

“With this,” announced Jiovanni, “the group stage of the tournament is over. Seeing as to how none of the victors were injured, we will have a ten-minute break before continuing with the semifinals.”

They sure are brutal, those B.B. pirates, Vreil mused to himself, observing the injured fighters. Nigel, Arthur, and himself had taken care not to cause any serious injuries, but B.B. Sting apparently had no such concerns, and he even did it on purpose. Of the three people that had faced him, two had had their arms fractured, while the third was bleeding internally as a result of his broken ribs.

And yet the judge, Jiovanni, seemed to not care.

“Arthur had better annihilate that bastard”, Nigel’s eyes spewed darkness.

“Even if Arthur loses,” said Vreil, “I will definitely make sure to pay him back for our comrades”. And my family.

“You will have to get past me first, don’t forget that.”

🧙‍♂️🧙‍♂️🧙‍♂️

“We shall now commence the semifinals of this tournament”, Jiovanni once again took the lead. “The first fight will be Arthur versus Sting of the Black Beard pirates, followed by Vreil versus Nigel. All fighters, please fight to your fullest and let the best man win.”

The audience was now completely riled up. There would be no more one-sided extermination.

“Now, let the first fight begin. Arthur vs Sting. Please, step into the arena.”

They had already stepped inside. Compared to Arthur, who was giving off serious vibes, Sting seemed bored, as if this fight was merely an annoyance.

“Don’t underestimate me, asshole”, Arthur provoked him. “For what you did to my friends, you are not getting out of here in one piece.”

For the first time since the beginning of the tournament, Sting smiled, if that can be called a smile, his face twisted in a wicked, crooked way. “Do your worst, pig.”

“Fight!” said Jiovanni.

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Arthur rushed at Sting, fire burning inside his eyes. Through constant training, he had increased his physical abilities even further. His sword came down at Sting’s head with enough force to break it, but Sting had already moved to the side.

Arthur attacked again, a vicious swing that would break a tree in half. Sting looked on in disinterest. When Arthur’s sword was almost upon his body, Sting’s sword appeared and parried the strike. That display of speed, and the strength to parry Arthur’s hit with that little effort, was something that only very few warriors in the audience could do, seasoned veterans or not.

With his strike deflected, Arthur was now defenseless, completely vulnerable. Sting could have finished it right there, but he chose to back off. The winner was already obvious to everyone and, audacious as he might be, Sting wasn’t willing to harm the revolution’s best trainee.

Arthur stood still for a second, trying to decide between acknowledging defeat and attacking again, which could probably lose him much more than the match.

A warrior never gives up on his honor. I will be the strongest!

Eyes narrowing, Arthur roared and attacked again, desperately trying to attain victory. Sting didn’t take a single step; he just raised his sword and struck out at Arthur’s left shoulder with all his might. The sword fell from Arthur’s hand, and the sound of his bones cracking resounded throughout the arena.

As a doctor rushed to Arthur, the pirate looked at the watching fighters, and he wasn’t even out of breath. Only one person returned his gaze. Two differently colored eyes that he was looking forward to seeing.

“He is a monster…” said Nigel.

“He is strong, yes, but it doesn’t matter. I will destroy him.”

“The second fight will begin now”, came Jiovanni’s voice. “Fighters Nigel and Vreil, please step into the arena.”

“Give me a run for my money, Nigel”, said Vreil.

“Don’t you dare hold back, Vreil”, said Nigel.

“Fight!” said Jiovanni.

Nigel attacked Vreil. In the last few days especially, the gap between them had widened a lot. Nigel was still a good sparring partner, but Vreil was much stronger than him. He thought about pretending to be pressured, but that would insult his friend.

He fought back with all his strength and, quickly, Nigel was pushed back. No attacks had landed yet but, if things continued like that, it was only a matter of time.

Suddenly, a blade almost scratched Vreil’s ear. It was only due to his almost inhuman reflexes that he managed to dodge it. In surprise, he jumped back, creating some distance.

Nigel’s fighting style had changed. He now seemed like a completely different person; Vreil had never seen him like that. Nigel attacked quickly, trying to capitalize on his opponent’s surprise. Vreil had never seen him using thrusts before, but now he was using a combination of swings and thrusts. His movements were faster and sharper, he left no openings in his defense, and he was giving off some serious pressure.

Vreil was pushed back. For the first time, he was not so sure he could win this fight. It was like he was facing a completely different opponent from before.

As Nigel’s sword was aiming for his vitals, Vreil realized that his life - and victory - may be in danger. He stopped thinking about what and why was happening and he concentrated entirely on the fight. His style might have changed, but Vreil could still read through Nigel's movements.

He stopped backing down and held his ground. Blades clashed again and again, sparks flying between the two young men as clangs resounded throughout the arena. Finally, there was a good fight.

In the heat of battle, their blood was beginning to boil. The audience was getting fired up. So was Vreil; so was Nigel.

As it usually happened when Vreil’s blood boiled, he began seeing things more clearly; he could now notice the flaws in Nigel’s moves. Strike after strike, clash after clash, he was capitalizing on them. Vreil went from pressured to pushing, regaining the initiative, and he finally got Nigel’s back against the edge of the area. Nigel panicked and, in his effort to escape, made a swing that was too wide. Next thing he knew, Vreil’s blade was right in front of his eyes. The match was over.

The two crossed eyes for a moment; recognition was there; mutual respect. They nodded, smiling. The crowd erupted into cheers. This was what they had come to see!

“What happened?” asked Vreil, lowering his sword as he extended a hand. “How did you do that?”

“I was saving this technique to beat you, you know", Nigel scratched his head awkwardly, shaking Vreil’s extended hand. "I have to admit I'm a little disappointed.”

“So you were holding back this whole time?”

“You were the only one who hadn’t seen it”, he laughed. “That’s how I used to fight before you came. I was holding back against you at first and, when you became good enough to make me go all-out, the tournament was very close. So I decided to try and trick you. I underestimated you though. Miserably”, he winced.

“How come nobody else noticed?” Vreil insisted.

“They did notice. They just didn’t tell you.”

“Assholes”, the Arknas laughed, his imposingness from the battle not completely diminished yet. “Oh well, you still lost.”

“Unfortunately. Now, you only have one more to go.”

“Yeah…” Vreil’s eyes swiveled to the side, crossing through the arena to meet Sting’s. The pirate grinned. Vreil’s gaze could kill.

“It’s too bad I have to wait until after lunch”, Vreil mumbled darkly, still staring Sting down, and Nigel raised a brow. “I am so fucking fired up right now...”