--- [Lett’s perspective]
“We’re almost ready to begin, everyone! We just need to get the rules out of the way, so we know everyone is on the same page.” – Bob
“This is a single-elimination tournament. What that means is that the winners will advance to the next round, and the winners will then face the other winners to decide who gets to advance even further. This goes on until we have one, final, winner! You’ll be matched up against each other based on which group you were from. That means group 1 will fight group 2, group 3 will fight group 4, and so on.” – Barbara
“That makes the full bracket this: Bennett vs Charlotte, Vincent vs Chloe, Jin vs Kuro, Victor vs Diego, Rin vs Luna, Lett vs Valentina, Quinn vs Isabella, and lastly, Isaac vs Alexander.” – Bob
“And remember! Killing is not allowed! If you kill your opponent, you will be disqualified.” – Barbara
“Now then, let’s get this thing started! Everyone except for Bennett and Charlotte, go back to the testing grounds you came from.” – Bob
As I get back, I notice that they’ve set up a screen for me to watch match on.
I assume they’ve made one for everyone.
The reason why there wasn’t one from the start was probably so it wouldn’t get destroyed in all the chaos of the preliminaries.
I wish I had some time to talk to Alex.
I’d love to catch up with him on where’s he’s been.
I don’t think the people who host the event would appreciate me interrupting the show to have a conversation with him though.
We’ll talk soon enough though, it’s all good.
The fighters stand on opposite sides of the arena, and get ready to fight.
“Ladies and gentlemen! The time has come! Are you ready for the first match of the first round?!” – Bob
The crowd cheers with all their heart.
“I said, are you ready?!!” – Bob
They erupt in an even louder cheer, shaking the stadium with the sheer volume.
“Alright, then let the first match begin!!” – Bob
None of them are moving…
Bennett leans forward, reaching his hands out, ready for her to attack.
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At the same time, Charlotte just stands there…
Her back is straight, her head is held high, and her shoulders are relaxed; her posture is perfect.
“Will you not go on the offensive?” – Charlotte
Bennett doesn’t respond; he’s keeping to himself, not letting anything slip.
“Then it appears I will have to take on the role of the aggressor.” – Charlotte
She starts slowly approaching him.
With each step, her feet perfectly roll from heel to toe.
Her arms sway opposite ways, but in perfect union.
Every time she sets her feet down, her arms reach the end of their path.
Her walking speed is constant, like she’s following a metronome.
The way she walks, her demeanor, her posture…
It’s all perfect.
There’s not a single flaw in the way she presents herself.
Is this what they meant when they called her ‘the most elegant fighter in the world’?
When she gets within attack range, she raises her arm, and flicks her wrist.
Bennett was prepared and tries to block, but it’s almost like her arm is liquid…
It slips right past his defense, and with no wasted movements, she lightly pokes him in the chest with her middle finger.
Suddenly, he keels over, letting out a painful cry.
Like nothing happened, she just stands there with the same perfect posture she showed at the beginning of the match.
What the hell did she do?
That must have been her specialty, but what exactly happened?
She could hurt him that much with a simple touch…
She looks down on him…
“I advise you to surrender.” – Charlotte
He gets up on his knees.
“No…” – Bennett
“That lapse of judgement will be your downfall.” – Charlotte
He chuckles confidently; he’s hiding something…
“I’ve been alive for a long time, dear. I’ve fought plenty of people like you… Young hunters with powerful abilities that lack experience… You’re a dime a dozen. I’ve already analyzed your movements. Your tricks won’t work on me anymore!” – Bennett
Short blades suddenly grow out of his elbows.
As he stands up, he spins around, becoming a living whirlwind ready to cut down anything in his path.
Before he’s able to hit her, she takes a step back, with the same cadence as before.
The blades just barely miss her; it’s like she knew exactly how far she had to move back…
He rushes toward her, swinging around his arms wildly.
His attacks are fast, even with my teleportation I’d probably still have trouble not getting hit, yet…!
She’s absolutely fine.
Not a single cut, not a single bruise.
The way she’s moving…
Is she…?
Her eyes close, and her arms start methodically moving around.
She totally is…
She’s dancing!
He desperately tries hitting her, but he’s wasting his time.
Even with her eyes closed, he can’t reach her.
She starts humming to herself.
The melody and dance resonate with each other, pushing her movements beyond perfection.
He continues to attack, but accidentally gets too close.
Her finger graces his shoulder, dislocating it instantly.
Her palm brushes against his jaw, separating the joints.
By this point, the fight is pretty much over already, but she decides to finish it with one last move…
As the final move of her dance, she presses her index finger against his forehead.
His eyes snap wide open, and just quickly, his body goes limp.
And with a graceful curtsy, her dance ends.
Not a single drop of blood was spilt by either fighter, yet her victory was as decisive as it gets.
‘The most elegant fighter in the world…’
A couple of healers carry Bennett away, and she starts walking back to her area.
“What a thrilling match!” – Bob
“As expected of the most beautiful and elegant hunter around! Not a single movement was wasted!” – Barbara
A cacophony of cheers and boos drown out the commentators.
I guess the people who bet on Bennett are frustrated that he lost…
“I love hearing the audience all riled up! Let’s keep going while the energy is high!” – Bob
“Vincent and Chloe, come on out!” – Barbara