It has been over a year since the conclusion of the 3rd Holy War. Peace returned to the Central Continent, and the citizens of the respective kingdoms went back to their usual routines, confident of a brighter future now that the animosity between Nirvania and Miran has finally been settled.
However, the leaders of the major countries did not take the peace for granted, instead, they paid more attention to both diplomatic relations with their neighbours as well as deterrence efforts to ward off the more dangerous, unseen threat of the organisation they know as the Chaos Legion.
After all, the 3rd Holy War was practically infighting between Nirvania and Miran, and the Sylph Kingdom was nearly embroiled in as well, which implied that hardly anything is known about the military might of the enigmatic Chaos Legion, whose operations have been kept largely under wraps over the past year, hindering information gathering from the respective intelligence agencies of the major kingdoms.
Nonetheless, the newfound peace which strengthened solidarity across the major kingdoms on the Central Continent was instrumental to contributing to a more concerted effort against a common enemy. After all, the major kingdoms, including Cameron, shared their findings with one another and even participated in joint military exercises to exchange pointers and further enhance military relations.
The city of Targon was especially lively today, since today was the annual anniversary of the crowning of the new Duke of Targon, Ray. Under his leadership, Targon was one of the fastest cities to recover from the 3rd Holy War, transforming itself from a quiet, isolated city into the bustling trade centre it is today.
Pivotal to its remarkable transformation were 2 things. One, the city was located in a mountain range where numerous minerals and ores could be found, allowing the city to exploit these natural resources to increase its export earnings.
Next, the fact that Targon was now part of Nirvania, not to mention the enhanced diplomatic and hence trade relations with all the cities under the major kingdoms opened the market in Targon to more prospective buyers all over the Continent. Of course, the reputation of the Duchess of Targon, as Princess of Nirvania, helped to a small extent.
Back to the current situation, amidst all the festivities held all over the city, the grandest had to be the Grand Battle Royale, held at the Targon Colosseum. As the name of the competition implied, there is only a single session where all the contestants would duke it out and seek to be the last man standing.
After all, a grand prize awaited the victor, and he would have the honour of having his name forever engraved on the tablet at the entrance of the Targon Colosseum, together with several other champions who have won similar glorious battles in the past.
One such esteemed alumnus was Panzer, the former Duke of Targon before Ray, and the Targon Colosseum was where he made his name as Targon's most fearsome warrior before he became Duke of Targon. As a result, Panzer was the only champion to have a statue built in his honour in the Colosseum, so that the people of Targon would never forget his achievements for the city.
Seated at the VIP box was Ray and his aide, the Minister of Internal Affairs and former deputy to Panzer, Nikolai. As Ray watched the contestants warming up before the showdown began, he uttered a sigh as he supported his head with his left hand on his cheek.
Nikolai enquired, "What's the matter, my Duke? You seemed bored even though the event was your idea." Ray mumbled, "Yes, it was my idea indeed. You do know the ultimate objective behind this tournament right? It's to dig out powerful combatants hidden amidst the masses in lieu of the potential dangers ahead of us.
That's precisely the reason why I forbade anyone from the military of any kingdom to participate in this tournament, for I know that there are actually several powerful individuals out there who are civilians and yet can hold their own against strong foes.
These are the people we need to recruit in the People's Defence Force, an initiative mooted by King Stormfury to supplement our military in the event of emergency where our military is unable to respond on time. By having a standby volunteer force amidst the civilian population, it would better facilitate our ability to cope with such unforeseen circumstances."
Nikolai smiled before continuing, "Yes, and that idea is indeed brilliant. What's the issue then?" Ray shook his head and sighed, "I presumed that with such an attractive reward of being given a title deed to a large plot of land within Targon on top of being awarded nobility, I would attract far more greater talent to attend this tournament.
Unfortunately, from the looks of it, there are only 4 people worth recruiting out of the 80 present in total, and none of them are Sage tier combatants. Though I must say that they are at least on the higher end of the Grandmaster tier."
Nikolai turned to view the contestants before asking, "As expected of a member of the 10 Saints, you do indeed have a sharp eye, my Duke. Even though I'm not good at deducing power levels just by looking at them now, I do have a rough sensation of the truly tough cookies out there. Care to share with me who are your top 4 so that I may make a comparison, my Duke?"
Ray grinned and replied, "Sure. The first one is that mean-looking dude over there armed with 3-bladed claws on both hands. I can feel hostility oozing out from every pore of his, scary indeed." Nikolai summoned a marshal who was standing near the VIP box and after an exchange of whispers, Nikolai turned around and said, "My Duke, this young chap over here has the nominal roll of all the participants, and he's familiar with most of them.
The man you just pointed out is named Tigris, nicknamed "War Tiger". He's a mercenary for hire and has a pretty high success rate for his missions, though his bloodlust may be an issue. I too would think twice before engaging him head-on just by looking at him."
Ray then pointed at a morbidly obese man who was far bigger than all the other contestants near him, "Who's that?" After the marshal whispered swiftly into Nikolai's ears, Nikolai answered, "My Duke, that man is "Cannon Ball" Cain. He's not a fighter by profession, but he has participated in several tournaments and won. Indeed a person to look out for, based on his track record."
Ray set his sights on a man dressed in a rather pompous attire, not to mention his unique lightning-shaped moustache. Ray laughed slightly as the man straightened his moustache with his right hand, leaving his left hand resting uncomfortably on the hilt of his sword, before releasing his grip on his moustache, as it sprung back into its original shape.
Ray chirped, "Hahaha, that guy's a comedian! However, he's strong too! What's his name?" Nikolai answered shortly after listening to the marshal, "My Duke, we shouldn't tease people for their appearances, no matter how ludicrous they may seem to be!
Anyway, he is the self-proclaimed "Lightning Baron" McThunder. Born of low nobility, his swordsmanship is the real deal though. Perhaps his alias is a little outrageous in front of you, my Duke?"
Ray shook his head and replied, "Nah, it's fine! Let's move on, who's the guy practising his jabs and hooks over there? I can tell he's no average boxer." Nikolai replied, "He's the "Explosive Boxer" Balboa. A professional fighter who competes in underworld fights too, it's rumoured that his Enigma Ability packs quite the punch. A very strong contender in this tournament indeed. Are there any more contestants you're interested in before I dismiss our kind marshal?"
Ray scrutinised the entire ring before focusing on one hooded individual. If his hood hadn't concealed enough of his features, he even wore a mask with only a single eyehole on his left. The mysterious figure was performing simple stretches as though preparing to go for a run.
Ray thought, "Earlier, I was too engrossed in searching for people with high power levels in the form of mana emission, hence, I completely missed out this guy earlier, for I can't even sense a single trace of mana form him! Even the weakest of individuals exude a faint trace of mana, but this guy has nothing on him! He may turn out to be the dark horse of the tournament!"
Ray pointed to the hooded individual and asked cheerily, "Who's Mr Secretive over there? He's pretty interesting!" The marshal frantically rummaged through his nominal roll and uttered nervously, "My Duke, his name is Eclipse, and we have no data on him…my sincerest apologies!"
Ray beckoned for the man to recover and smiled, "There's no need for formalities and don't worry, having no information makes him more fun to watch, right?" The marshal could only nod nervously as Nikolai quickly dismissed him as the tournament was about to commence. Ray could feel his heart pounding as he wanted to see how far Eclipse would go.
Amidst the crowd sat a beautiful young woman whose appearance was only marred by a long diagonal scar across her nose. Her luscious black hair was tied in a ponytail and she was dressed in an attire similar to the Chinese Qipao. She was Akame, Red King Redmond's lieutenant.
Akame muttered, "Argh! Why am I wasting my time seating down here to watch a match which outcome is clear? I wondered why that stupid lad even signed up for this tournament, is the prize really that attractive? Ah well, it would at least be a good gauge of how far he has improved."
The buzzing sound from the speakers all around the Colosseum could be heard audibly as the announcer, dressed like a gladiator himself, cleared his voice before shouting, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Targon Grand Battle Royale, an event where the greatest fighters would engage in a hot-blooded showdown to determine who's truly the best!
Seating at the VIP box is our Guest of Honour and organiser of this year's tournament, the esteemed Duke of Targon, Rayyy!" A rapturous applause erupted from the audience as Ray merely stood and waved his hand with his characteristic jovial smile before taking his seat again.
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The announcer continued, "Now, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, let's count down together! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, FIGHT!" The gong beside him was struck as waves of cheers erupted from the audience, sending everyone in the Colosseum into a frenzy as the contestants began exchanging blows with one another.
Just as Ray had predicted, the 5 people he had singled out were performing well in their own fashion. Tigris had bloodlust written all over his face as he began tearing his competitors apart with his claws, albeit in a non-lethal manner since killing was prohibited. Cain was rolling all over the place nonchalantly, smashing and squashing all who were unlucky to stray into his path.
McThunder displayed some fanciful swordsmanship as he performed several pinpoint slashes through his opponents while dashing through them, breaking both weapons and wielders. Balboa placed well-aimed straights and hooks on the heads of his opponents, knocking them out instantly with the miniature explosions created on impact. After all, he possessed the Enigma Ability [Explosion] that enables him to generate explosions upon contact with his skin.
Unlike the previous 4, Eclipse was taking a back seat throughout the entire fight, as he simply weaved his way through opponents when they got too close, generally avoiding being in the limelight. Subsequently, the other contestants realised who were the powerhouses among them and instinctively formed temporary alliances to take down a common enemy.
As Tigris was surrounded, he merely chuckled, "Bring it on, you weaklings, I'll take you all on! [Tiger Storm]!" Tigris began to spin furiously as he relentlessly sliced his way out of his entrapment, easily dispatching his assailants.
Similarly, Cain simply leapt into the air, muttering, "[Rolling Meteor]." He curled his body into a ball, hardening it with mana armament before rolling furiously as he descended, the resultant crash sending an omnidirectional shockwave that eliminated all nearby adversaries.
McThunder was no slouch either, as he began streaming electricity through his rapier. Staring at his enemies without fear, McThunder disappeared in a blink, rushing through all of them as he simply mumbled, "[Electro Crescendo]." All who stood before him were all struck instantly, as they were rendered unconscious by their exposure to high voltage.
As for Balboa, before his enemies could launch a combined assault on him, he merely gathered more mana in his fist before muttering, "[Explosion - Scale 5]." Balboa threw his punch out so quickly that the resultant gigantic explosion caught his opponents off guard, blowing them all back.
Akame fidgeted impatiently in her seat as she grumbled, "That fool, what's he playing around for? Just end this fight already!" Her eyes were on Eclipse, who was still slipping through attacks by his annoyed opponents.
Eclipse mumbled softly to himself, "There are not many contestants left on the ring, perhaps it's time for me to take action…" Eclipse saw a shiny blur creeping from the bottom right corner of his left eye and instinctively took a step back, catching a blade in between the fingers of his left hand.
It was McThunder, who had already defeated the people attacking Eclipse. McThunder appeared surprised momentarily, but soon regained his composure as he declared, "I praise you for having caught my blade, an astounding feat, but can you withstand electricity over 10,000 volts?"
McThunder immediately streamed electricity through his rapier in an attempt to shock his newest opponent. Just as it seemed that his attack worked, suddenly, red sparks appeared all over Eclipse's body, negating McThunder's spell. These red sparks were more intense at Eclipse's fingertips where McThunder's blade was still held.
McThunder stammered, "R-Red…electricity?" Before McThunder could even lift a finger, Eclipse snapped his rapier into two before twisting his body and throwing a roundhouse kick straight into McThunder's face, breaking his nose and sending him reeling out of the ring, unconscious.
Something that caught everyone's eye was the fact that Eclipse's right foot was encased in a reddish hue, similar yet different to mana armament. Akame grinned, "That's more like it, his control over demonic energy has certainly improved."
Eclipse scratched his head before muttering, "Let's shave the numbers remaining, it's still a little too stifling for me." Suddenly, Eclipse's body was surrounded by a cloak of red electricity before he disappeared in a flash. Immediately the battlefield was littered with red sparks, as contestants were taken down one by one by a blur they couldn't follow with their eyes. When Eclipse was done, only 3 remained standing, albeit hurt slightly.
Tigris screamed, "Wow, those are some flashy moves, kid! You were totally conserving your energy for this, right, kid? If I weren't so strong, you might have already claimed the title in that attack, hahaha!"
Cain panted slightly as he sought to regulate his breathing, "Man, that was close! Fortunately, my mana armament is too strong against such an attack, otherwise, I would have been a goner. After all, I couldn't see it coming at all!"
Balboa retorted, "That's because you are weak, pig! Any experienced fighter could have read his intent, making minimal movement for maximum effectiveness in defending. Nonetheless, I won't deny that the kid is a strong opponent worth defeating."
At the VIP box, Ray was laughing heartily at the turn of events. He said excitedly, "My, he really is the dark horse of the tournament! That agility, power and speed, he has them all! Even I would be cautious against such an opponent, hahaha!"
Nikolai smiled and replied gently, "Yes, the turn of events was indeed…intriguing. However, don't you find his moves a little familiar? I mean, they do bear some resemblance to a few of your techniques after all."
Ray chuckled, "Yeah, you're right! You may not be able to catch it with your naked eye, but in essence, he actually used a technique similar to my [Lightning Body] spell to zip past all these opponents before cutting them down with something reminiscent of my [Lightning Blade]. The most peculiar thing of all was that I couldn't sense a single trace of mana from him throughout the entire battle! How amazing is that? I would really love to have him on our side!"
Nikolai nodded respectfully before turning around and watching the match enter its climax.
The 4 remaining contestants eyed each other warily, each trying to guess the other's intentions. After all, each of them was powerful enough to take full advantage of anyone who slipped up, hence, none could afford to be hasty. Tigris used his eyes to hint to Cain and Balboa to gang up on Eclipse, to which Cain nodded while Balboa remained expressionless.
Eclipse could sense something was amiss, and raised his guard instinctively. Tigris and Cain immediately took positions covering Eclipse's front and rear respectively, effectively breaking the stalemate. Tigris shouted, "Sorry kid, but since you're the biggest threat, I'll have to take you down first! Let's go, [Tiger Storm]!" Behind Eclipse, Cain had curled into a ball and started rolling towards him like a cannon ball.
Seeing as two fearsome attacks were heading his way, Eclipse calmly remained stationary, for he knew that his best chance of escaping unscathed would be at the very last minute, since there was still a third assailant who could block his route of escape if he attempted his escape too early. As the 2 assailants drew dangerously close, just as he appeared to be sandwiched by the 2, Eclipse leapt up at the very last minute, causing the 2 to collide head-on with one another.
Eclipse landed safe and sound before turning around to witness the aftermath of his grand escape. It turned out that Tigris' claws were broken by Cain's mana armament, but not before they had ripped through it, which meant that Cain was taken out. Tigris muttered angrily, "Darn, I would have loved to take out both the kid and the fatso at the same time, but the kid escaped by a hair's breadth."
He then turned around to face Balboa, who remained motionless throughout the exchange, reproaching, "Hey, you were supposed to cut off his retreat! If you'd done so, it'll be just you and me remaining, you idiot! Guess I've to settle everything myself!" Tigris removed his now broken claws before snarling fiercely as his body began to morph.
Eclipse appeared slightly surprised while Balboa remained emotionless as Tigris had transformed into a hybrid of man and tiger. This was his Enigma Ability, [Tiger] which enabled him to transform partially or fully into a tiger. Tigris growled, "I'm gonna maul you, kid, prepare yourself!"
However, before Tigris could make a single move, Balboa suddenly appeared behind Tigris and threw a left hook to Tigris' left waist, muttering, "[Explosion - Scale 7]" A huge explosion resulted from Balboa's punch, instantly sending Tigris flying out of the ring, unconscious as he reverted back to his original state.
Eclipse asked, "Why would you do that to an ally?" Balboa replied coldly, "There are no friends on this battlefield, every man is for himself. I merely went for the easy option to eliminate as much opposition as possible with the least effort. Of course, another reason is to enjoy a one-on-one battle with you, kid. Shall we settle this in one attack? It's the quickest way to end this battle after all. We don't want to waste each other's time exchanging these pointless blows, right?"
After taking a short while to consider, Eclipse nodded, as he gathered his red electricity onto his left hand. Balboa grinned as he too began gathering mana. The audience held their breath as they awaited the defining moment of the tournament, the moment that would determine the victor. Without warning, both contestants leapt at each other, each looking primed to deliver their final attacks without hesitation in a straightforward fashion.
Just as they were in close proximity to each other, Balboa could finally see what was hidden in the left eyehole of Eclipse's mask, an eye which iris colour and pattern was nothing he had ever seen before. Not distracted by what he had seen, Balboa threw a right straight at Eclipse's face. To his surprise, Eclipse managed to shift to his right at the very last second, barely avoiding Balboa's attack.
As Eclipse's highly charged left hand looked certain to reach its target, a grin crept up on Balboa's face. In truth, he had expected Eclipse to dodge his first punch, which is why he delayed his second and true attack, his left uppercut towards Eclipse's chin. After all, at such close range, regardless of reflexes, it was simply impossible to dodge his [Explosion - Scale 9] now.
When it appeared that Balboa's attack would connect, the last thing Balboa could remember seeing was a glow in Eclipse's left eye before he felt his mana dissipating from his left hand, followed by a sharp pain in his chest and a tingling feeling throughout his entire body before his world went black.
From the audience's perspective, all they could see was Eclipse avoiding Balboa's punch and striking him down with an electrical jab on the counter. Only 1 person among the audience knew the entire truth about that brief exchange.
Akame stood up and headed towards the exit, grumbling, "He still had to rely on that power in the end, huh! What a shame, though this tournament does not have any rules forbidding the use of Enigma Abilities like his. Guess I've to train him a lot harder the next time, the fool!"
As Eclipse stood alone and victorious in the ring, he was greeted by thunderous applause from the audience, including Duke Ray and Minister Nikolai. Ray mumbled, "I thought Balboa was going to win with that left uppercut, but something mysterious happened and it didn't transpire. Great fight nonetheless from both contestants."
The announcer screamed, "Ladies and gentlemen! The winner of this year's Grand Battle Royale is…ECLIPSE!! Let us invite the Guest-of-Honour, Duke Ray, to award him the grand prize! Duke Ray, please." The audience continued clapping and cheering as Duke Ray walked to the centre of the ring to award Eclipse with his prize; the certification of nobility and its accompanying title deed of a property within Targon.
As Ray shook hands with Eclipse to congratulate him, Eclipse whispered, "Actually, your Highness, I would really love to accept these gifts, but now is not a good time for me, so I would like you to hold onto them for me for a while. Can I meet you later in private to explain my stance?"
Ray was puzzled by the masked man's request, but agreed nonetheless. As the event was winding down and people began to take their leave, both audience and participants after they were patched up, Ray arranged for Eclipse to meet him at his personal residence within the palace, which was near the Colosseum much to Nikolai's disapproval.
When Eclipse entered Ray's residence, he was surprised that it was kept rather simple, with no excessive luxuries around. There, he met Ray, who was now accompanied by his wife, Nikki and daughter, Dawn. Upon seeing Eclipse, Ray introduced, "Honey, this is Eclipse, the winner of the tournament I organised today. Eclipse, this is my wife, Nicolette and daughter, Dawn."
Eclipse laughed much to Ray's surprise, teasing, "Honestly, you don't recognise me? Introductions to Mistress Nikki and Dawn are totally unnecessary, hahaha!" Ray appeared confused while Nikki immediately caught on and said, "You're still as insolent as ever, guess some things don't change after all."
Ray stammered, "D-Don't tell me you are --" just as Eclipse removed his mask and hood, revealing an extremely familiar face. "That's right, Master, I'm Kai." the young man answered with a cheeky smile.