"I'll be watching your match from the hospital. Me and Nala will stay with your father after he gets out from surgery." Amaya said as she stopped the car in front of the arena entrance.
"Thanks," Sero stepped out and turned back to her. "I really appreciate it."
"Don't worry," The Spellblade gave a reassuring smile. "Everything will be ok. Good luck."
Sero watched her drive out of sight before he turned and walked inside. Like the day before, he walked past the initial waiting area to the new one, heading up the stairs and pushing the gold patterned black doors.
To his surprise, he found nearly everyone already there, save for Liam. Raul noticed him and grinned, waving him over towards the refreshments area where he and Kanna were seated.
"Hey Sero!" The Rage Fist said cheerily as he joined the two. "Ready for the final day of the tournament?"
"I thought tomorrow-" Sero caught himself, remembering that the announcement would be later today. "Uh, yeah, I guess."
He avoided Kanna’s suspicious look while Raul flashed him a thumbs up. As the three idly made conversation, the door swung open, Liam walking in. He took his place next to Elena in the center of the room once again.
Startled, Sero realized that Liam didn’t seem as intimidating to him anymore. There was a good chance that the encounter with 5 S-ranks last night as well as the overwhelming presence of Gregor probably had a big hand in that.
Towards the afternoon, he scanned the other 3 contestants, trying to gauge their strengths. Two men and one woman. The first man was tall, with long red hair pulled back into a man bun and a chiseled jawline. He was muscular, and wore boxing shorts and a tank top. Steven Bryce, an A-rank Blast Fist, a hybrid advancement of the Brawler and Mage. There was a fiery aura about him, reminding Sero of Raul.
The other man was tall as well, but more lean, with a quiet air about him. He had medium-length black hair that parted in the middle, his face clean and sharp. Wearing fitted slacks and a neatly tucked shirt with a dark red tie, he seemed timid. Zioth Lang, an A-rank Soul Strider, another hybrid advancement of the Warrior and Brawler.
Finally, the woman, who Sero found attractive, had honey caramel skin, her long dark hair flowing down her back in waves. She wore a simple skirt and t-shirt, complete with a brown shawl. Eshe Cairo, an A-rank Hexmage, a pure-line advancement of the Mage. Sero could sense some dark energy surrounding her, befitting of a class such as hers.
Sero shivered, not because of the unnerving energy around Eshe, nor from the explosive aura from Steven, but from Zioth, who seemed normal in comparison to the former two. Sero’s Perfect Analysis saw a massive amount of mana within Zioth, rivaling even Elena or Liam. If Sero had a lake, then Zioth held the sea.
"As much as I would love to fight Liam right now, I also want to go up against that Steven guy…" Raul murmured to his companions. "I just can’t help but want to test myself against other Brawlers. I’d also be fine with fighting you, Sero."
"Then I hope I get Zioth," Kanna grimaced. "Eshe’s curses are particularly annoying and unpleasant to deal with."
Sero hoped that he’d end up facing Eshe if that was the case. His Rationality was well-suited to mental effects and he could always use Recovery to stop any status damage.
"Attention, Ascendants." The man with the scar announced. "The third day of the tournament will begin shortly. Please make any necessary preparations and be ready."
Sero took a deep breath, feeling his nerves settle and his mind clear. His father would be going into surgery soon. He had to trust that Tiero would pull through, much like how his father believed that Sero would be able to achieve victory today. His phone buzzed with a photo from Nala showing her, Amaya, and his father in a surgery gown holding a thumbs up. A small smile formed on Sero’s face before he slipped his phone away.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the third day of the tournament!" The announcer boomed from the speakers, riling up the crowd. "We are now down to the qualifiers, with 8 Ascendants remaining! This is sure to be an incredible and action-packed event!"
"Good luck guys," Raul grinned at Kanna and Sero.
Sero grunted his thanks as a few of the officials took their positions, ready to start the tournament. He glanced over at Elena and Liam, who were relaxed as ever. Especially the latter, who seemed to be napping.
"The first match will be between Eshe Cairo and Liam. Please step forward." The scar man announced, much to the surprise and relief of most of the contestants.
Since Liam’s last two opponents immediately forfeited, Sero expected Eshe to do so as well. He was proven wrong when he saw onscreen Eshe standing confidently in front of Liam in the center of the arena.
"Does she have some sort of plan or ability that can stand up to him?" Sero muttered to himself. He hadn’t seen what Liam was capable of, so the endless possibilities were too tantalizing to ignore.
"Here we go! The first match, Eshe Cairo the Hexmage versus the ever-intimidating Liam the Demonic Enforcer!"
As the announcer began to countdown over the roaring crowd, Liam continued to stand there, his hands in his hoodie pockets lazily staring down Eshe. To her credit, the Hexmage seemed unshaken, as if determined to prove herself.
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"5... 4... 3... 2... 1!"
Eshe immediately casted several bronze colored runes around her, each concentrated with a dense amount of mana. She quickly finished conjuring enough runes, throwing a couple of them at Liam. Sero thought that he would move or dodge, but the Demonic Paragon's red eyes glowed with mana.
Eshe's runes hit Liam and dissolved, as if they were bubbles. If it wasn't for the ruffling of Liam's white hair from the impact, Sero would've thought that the Hexmage's attack did absolutely nothing.
"Damn," Sero breathed out. Even from his location in the waiting room, he could sense just how dense each of those runes were, so for Liam to tank a couple of them showed just how strong the S-rank was. No wonder his last two opponents forfeited.
Eshe continued to send rune after rune towards Liam, simultaneously drawing a gigantic circular rune underneath him. Sero wasn't sure, but it seemed like Liam was getting annoyed.
"She needs to forfeit, or stop attacking him like that." Raul suddenly looked worried.
"What? Why?" Sero asked, glancing at Kanna, surprised to see that she also had an anxious expression.
"I don't think Eshe knows what Liam's capable of," Raul never took his eyes off the screen. "Do you, Sero?"
"No? He's just really strong, isn't he? Like his brother?"
As Eshe continued to bombard Liam with the runes, the circular magic underneath him was almost completed. Raul swallowed nervously.
"Liam's nickname is the Raging Demon. He has a plethora of skills, but there are two that stand out."
Sero realized that many of the officials were also paying attention to the screen with varying levels of worry etched on their faces.
"The first is 'Pacify', a skill I'm pretty sure Liam's using right now. It can greatly reduce or even negate damage he receives as long as he doesn't retaliate or harbor harmful intent."
"Wait, that's such a broken skill-"
"But its greatest strength lies in its ability to store that reduced or nullified damage," Raul continued. "And Liam's second skill 'Provoke' is what makes him so terrifying."
"What does it do?"
Onscreen, Eshe completed the giant rune underneath Liam, a triumphant look on her face as she sent the remaining waves of her smaller runes pouring down onto the Demonic Enforcer. Liam was clearly annoyed, but allowed the runes to hit him as the crowd roared their approval. Once again, the magic did nothing to him, but the rune underneath him began to glow with a bright amber shine.
"It... it converts all the stored damage into power, causing Liam's strength to skyrocket depending on the damage he's accumulated..." Raul's face paled as he watched the rune underneath Liam explode violently, shaking the entire stadium. "And like his Pacify, its downside is that-"
An unearthly howl resonated across the arena, drowning out even the screams of the audience. As the bronze smoke cleared, Liam stood there, unharmed and his hands out of his pockets. A dark red aura crackled around him, his white hair moving from the waves. His red eyes were glowing, but they had a frenzied look to them. Sero was suddenly aware that he was shivering even though the room he was in wasn't cold.
"He loses all reasoning..." Raul whispered at the sight of Liam's appearance. "And the more he's damaged while under Provoke, the stronger he gets."
That sounded like Enzo's Revenge skill personified. There was no doubt in Sero's mind that they were brothers indeed.
Eshe's confidence shattered as she stared at the enraged Liam. She quickly conjured several more bronze runes in front of her, but it didn't matter.
Faster than even Sero could track, Liam zipped forward, plowing through the runes Eshe had conjured and grabbed her by the face. Red mana condensed around his hand, and before the officials could blow the whistle, Liam picked Eshe up, pulled her back, and threw her forward while detonating the mana in his hand in her face.
The Hexmage was enveloped in a crackling red aura as she flew through the air, slamming into the arena wall with a reverberating boom, followed by another explosion as the red aura around her went off. Cheers turned into gasps and cries of shock at the brutal display. Even as the smoke cleared, there was still red mana that sparked around Eshe, who appeared heavily bloodied and wounded.
As the several medics rushed over to Eshe's side, Liam seemed to struggle with himself. He looked straight up into the air, holding a palm up to the sky, and fired off his mana. It was a terrifying display of power as Sero watched the Demonic Enforcer seemingly waste his mana, but from what Raul explained, he guessed that Liam was getting rid of the excess power.
After a while, it seemed that Liam finished expunging as his aura disappeared. He walked off the arena, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets.
"The... the winner is Liam..." The announcer declared a little fearfully. Instead of cheers, the audience murmured among themselves as the medics safely transported Eshe off the arena as well.
"He didn’t have to go that far," Raul’s brows furrowed with anger as he clenched his fists. "He could’ve just knocked her out instead of using Provoke. What was he thinking?"
"Liam never cared about manners, Raul. He only cares about power." Kanna said quietly, trying to calm the Rage Fist down.
Sero himself couldn’t figure out how he felt after seeing Liam’s match. The Demonic Enforcer was a monster, radiating enormous amounts of energy that reached all the way to the waiting area. The scariest part was that Enzo was supposedly stronger than his younger brother. Sero shivered again, wondering if the Demonic Judge had been lying when he said he was using less than half his strength during training.
Liam soon returned to the waiting area, looking as bored as before his match. As he entered, the room went quiet, silently watching as the Demonic Enforcer made his way over to Elena.
"Hey. You went too far."
Sero realized that Raul had left his seat, confronting Liam face-to-face. Kanna gasped, but didn’t move to stop him. Liam stopped mid-step, turning his head lazily to address Raul with a raised eyebrow.
"She didn’t know her place and tried to challenge me. I should return the favor and teach her why she should’ve forfeited, right?" Liam responded evenly, his voice cold and low.
"You think that everyone here is beneath you?" Raul became heated, clenching his fists.
"Yeah?" Liam stated, as if it were a fact. "Honestly, the only one who could give me a run for my money is Elena, and even then, I’m sure I’d still win." He drew closer to Raul.
"You’ve recently been promoted to S-rank, while I’ve been at the top for a while. The difference between us can’t even be measured." There was no hint of malice or arrogance in Liam’s eyes. He truly believed without a shadow of a doubt that he was the strongest in the room.
Raul opened his mouth, but no words came out. Liam smiled humorlessly, walking past the Rage Fist, but then paused. The Demonic Enforcer turned towards Sero, narrowing his eyes.
"I heard my brother’s been training you." He said, more of a statement than a question.
Sero could only nod.
Liam snorted. "Drop out next round. If you somehow make it to the finals and fight me, I’ll make sure you suffer worse than that woman."