A Noble Tournament

The Land of Sevens
So, it had been some time since Maria and Morgan partook in their first mission together. Since then they took what time they had off to train and ready themselves for their second mission, one that had them working with the Noble Árbol Family. Given their limited time they spent originally on previewing the job, they had more of a semblance of liberty to look at it in full. Such they discovered that the Noble Family was but one of eight Noble Families contending for the anual competition known as "The Noble Tournament." Such was that on the 7th Month of the 7th Day, 7 minutes after the strike of Noon that they participate on this venture between nobility as part of a game between the auspiciously living in the seven allied territories.

Because Maria and Morgan took the contract, an A-Class Mission, together they'd be assigned to the  Árbol Family and any others that'd be accepting the contract would be given a background check before being accepted. Mages from anything as small to as large of the Legal to Independant Guilds were accepted with the understandable barring of anyone not adhering to the Council's legal ruling system. This would leave 16 Wizards competing in a game of contending for the grand title of "Grand Noble Champion," which would recognize the Wizard as exceptional and capable of taking a large boon of missions within the future. Not to mention there'd be a healthy selection of prizes among such that the champion could be won along with the contract bonus of winning it for the House they fought for.

During the day of the event, Maria and Morgan were once again taken by Skyhawk to the destination giving them an opportunity to take a gander at the neighbouring nation of Seven. Beautiful rolling hills with flowers, grass and trees enamored the healthy fauna filled wilderness with farms being irrigated or farmed by the far more advanced modern era of agricultural workers. Farther inward they viewed cities of grandiose proportions often rivaling that of the modern living urban centers of Fiore. But none compared to the current capital of Siebte. Dazzling towers of ivory with windows opaqued of gleaming cyan ringed around the center while an irrigated river system flowed from a distant sparkling river ten kilometers away. The water pulled in pushed a complex series of gears that flowed across the outer perimeter, giving way to a number of Lacrima enhanced batteries that kept the city. This urban legendary site was filled with a myriad of dazzling structures and lights all of which seemed to span incredible heights with light refracting capacity. A host of smells and sights were to be had, but that could always come later.

What came now was what they signed up for, arriving at a desk that led the pair of girls to what looked like an enormous colossus of shimmering silver. It seemed to kneel, and was holding what looked like a large sphere, of which had mobile staircase leading up to a single square opening. The ball in question seemed to be as large as a Castle's Keep, and the girls would know why there was no seating found around the enormous giant despite the local guardsmen keeping back onlookers at a perimeter. Standing on a small lawn acting like a garden near the Colossus the contestants would be within a minute's walk to the large construct where site overseers were keeping them company.

"I can't believe how big of an event this is!" Maria gushed, her eyes still sparkling from the overload of sights, smells and sounds they had on their way in. She was glad that this was another mission not necessarily regulated by Diana but even more happy that Morgan was with her. She saw the contestants and didn't seem to recognize any of them...except for one in particular.

"Is that...?" The younger sister of Morgan asked, walking halfway across the waiting lawn to see a taller man in a strapping sleek suit with dark hair. Smiling widely, she beamed as she waved at him, calling out towards the Phoenix Wizard. "Kenneth the Unbroken Promise? I thought I recognized you!"

The man that was addressed was in a sleek three-piece suit with a purple shirt and a simple tie. He seemed to be out of place given the wide variety of eccentric fighters gathered for this contest. Isolated in a small area away from the majority of the other fighters, the Mage's eyes appeared to be highly focused on analyzing the superficial traits of his fellow contestants. From height, to physique and even their general emotional spectrum were all taken into account by the professional, whom had deeply ingrained this information.

However, his concentration was soon disrupted by the voice of a younger woman. He looked to his right and noticed a young woman with dark brown hair, a full physique, attire befitting someone of the upper class and vibrant blue eyes. The aura she gave off appeared to be familiar, immediately reminding the young man of a certain acquaintance as he shivered slightly. "Maria Alexander, no?" As she announced his former title, Kenneth lowly sighed to himself as he quickly became the center of attention by the other contestants. Smugly walking towards his acquaintance, he bowed slightly before correcting her. "Ah, Miss Alexander, I regret to inform you but that title was recently upgraded to Oathkeeper: I've even recorded it with the Magic Council. After all, "Kenneth of the Unbroken Promise" sounds like I'm still a teenager."

And thus it was confirmed: this man was Kenneth, the Oathkeeper. A famous veteran among the scores of S-Class Mages, making his name not as a result of his incredible power, but rather his extraordinary successes in the field of Jobs, to the point where he was hired by the competing Blackburn Family for a chance to win this tournament. Of course, given that he was up against fellow Guildmates, this process turned slightly more complicated. Quickly returning to the flow of the conversation at hand, Kenneth asked, "I assume you are participating in this tournament as well, Miss Alexander?"

For a moment, Maria was a little embarassed and annoyed. Firstly she hadn't kept up with the man's activities, he most likely had taken a number of missions on behalf of their Guild. Her field experience was that of a novice by comparison to him so not even knowing his codename upgrade was a mistake on her part. But his comment about it being something a 'teenager' would make didn't sit well with her. She knew she was far from being the most immature when it came to age, despite her child-like enthusiasm and attitude being pervalent of her demeanor at all times. Being demeaned in an off-handed way made her purse her lips and scowl at him for the comment.

"Excuse me for being a teenager, old man," She thought as she made a mock fish face expression.

Suddenly, her remembrance of her sister made her turn around and beam brightly as she waved her over, "Morgan! There's someone you need to meet," Turning back to smile more presentably gestured to the girl in darker clothes compared to her own crimson & white blouse top and short skirt with long black stockings with dress shoes. "This is my sister, Morgan. She'll be joining me in the Tournament. Morgan," She turned briefly to her sister and gestured to the man in the sleek suit, "This is Kenneth Oathkeeper. He's one of the skilled Mages working for the Phoenix Guild."

Morgan was excited to be on her second official job in only a matter of days, and it was one she had been looking forward to, a tournament of all things. She couldn’t wait to test her skills on mages from all over the world and being able to see just how strong she was, how close she was to her goal.

As the Skyhawk flew over the country of Seven, she enjoyed the sights. Seven was one of the few countries between Sin and Fiore she hadn’t seen before, not that she had much time to enjoy being in those places, spending years on the run. Until she was adopted by Victor, she didn’t have any clue how far she had run from Sin, nor did she really care, it wasn’t far enough as far as she was concerned. Only after becoming part of the family did she really think that she really escaped the hellish place she had once known as home, and she wouldn’t ask for anything better.

After the jet landed, she followed Maria as they made their way to their destination. The giant statue caught her attention as it came into view. Compared to the various buildings she’d seen during her time as a vagabond, it was easily one of the largest constructs she’d ever seen. Judging by its prominence, and the crowd nearby the orb it carried was to be their arena.

When Maria called her over and introduced her to Kenneth, she recognized him as one of the projections from that day months before, when Victor took her in. “I remember you. You were one of the ones Father called with NEST back when he...saved me.”

"Ah, yes, I was. Nice to meet you Miss Morgan." Kenneth bowed once again. "Now then, which family are the both of you representing?" He though, knowing full well he would have to oppose the two daughters of his Guild Master. He wasn't exactly sure about how to deal with this situation. On one hand, he had his work ethic and pride to consider. On the other hand, he had his loyalty to the Guild. "Then again, Master knows full well that he can't afford failure. Perhaps he will make use of this as friendly competition." Kenneth then sighed slightly, "I never know what that man is thinking."

"We're contracted on behalf of House  Árbol," Maria explained, smiling to her sister before returning to look at Kenneth brightly. "My father said this is a competition so we're to do our best even if we're in the ring together. I guess that'd go the same even if we're in the same Guild. So don't take it easy on me just because our Guild Master is related to me. I want to see how far I've come and if I fail, how far I've yet to go!"

"What's all this noise about?" A voice called out from behind Kenneth. Seemingly lazy with the wait the man in general was dressed in a simple collared silk shirt with it tucked into dress pants of dark blue and a black belt buckled with a golden hand. He had long luxurious teal colored hair that went slightly past his shoulders in a kempt ponytail. An angular face of a fair complexion with cool light blue eyes. The dreamy presence he had on him was strangely magnetic to Maria's eyes the moment she looked in his direction, the same could be said even of her sister. Poor Kenneth himself most assuredly most steeled but even he could most likely feel the 'charming' power coming from him.

"Wow! My heart is racing even faster than meeting that Knight Errant, Rhine Vint! Who is this man?!" She thought silently as her cheeks warmed up and her eyes transformed into beating pink hearts.

"Hello you lovely pair of fresh flowers," He complimented with a seemingly musical laugh as he pulls a hand through his hair, seeming to make the air around his face sparkle majestically. "I guess we will be competing against each other so allow me to introduce myself. I am the famous star of Wizard Magazine and an actor in some LMP (Lacrima Moving Pictures) Flicks, Darius Dazzle of the Midus Hand Guild. But you can simply call me Darius. I'm with Mr. Brooding here with what's-their-name's House."

" House  Árbol i-i-is ours!" She declared in a wind-swept voice as her hands raised up to cup underneath her chin, her heart filled eyes unwavering in her focus on him. "C-C-Can I have your autograph?! Of your whole body?!"

"Hahaha! Of course! After you win against me of course," He finished with a wink, turning to look at Morgan, blinking with confusion at her silence. "What's the matter, little girl? Isn't there something you'd like to say about me?"

When a strange man walked over, Morgan eyed him warily. She felt some sort of oddity around him but couldn’t place her finger on exactly what. The feeling weighed on her like a miasma, the only certainty was the source of it all was the man who introduced himself as Darius. When the man spoke, she noticed Maria seemed to become entranced by the mysterious force she sensed, and she could feel herself grow angry. Something was wrong with the way her sister acted, and the reason why was right in front of her.

“You leave my sister alone. I won’t let you mess with her. She’s mine, got it?” she hissed out, doing everything she could to rein her anger in lest she lash out. “I’ll figure out what he’s doing to her...I can’t let him get away with this...” she thought, trying to discern the source of the strangeness she sensed.

"Ah, if it isn't my splendid partner." Kenneth thought to himself with a tone of disdain. He observed the reaction of Maria to his partner and found it rather strange, especially given the sort of attitude someone of her heritage would react in this sort of situation. "It's Mr. Kenneth, and we're with the Blackburn Family, Darius." Kenneth spoke, though his comment was readily ignored.

His eyes shifted towards Darius' current target: Morgan. After observing her almost opposite reaction, Kenneth surmised the nature of Darius' unorthodox charms. "Passively maintained Charm Magic exerted through his aura? What a pain." Kenneth thought, remembering their first encounter and his out-of-character demeanor. "I suppose that explains that."

"Given the nature of this ability, telling Maria and Morgan this information would undoubtedly be an unfair advantage that I doubt their father would want them to experience. I suppose they should start understanding how irritating the world of adults is." Kenneth yawned slightly, anticipating the tournament to go underway.

Darius furrowed his brow at Morgan, not liking her tone at all. Still, as he looked at Maria he noticed that her charmed eyes wavered at the sound of her sister's voice. When she shook her head he released the pressure and the air seemed relatively normal once more. As the more effected sibling felt queasy and uncertain as to what happened, he turned on his heel and walked away with his hands pocketed, only calling out from over his shoulder with a dark smile. "Make no mistake, you three. Regardless of what allegiances you have to each other this is a competition. Try not best forget that I'll be your enemies and I'll show no kindness within its barrier."

As he finished the field surrounding the colossus monument lit up with recording Lacrima, giving the sense real people were nearby. The seven towers, currently housing the seats of the well established or those who paid in advance for the event, all lit up with screens. The people who'd view from the transformed working space could see past the window projections as if they weren't there and have a front row seat to the projections maintained in the middle of the air surrounding the giant.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WELCOME TO THE NOBLE TOURNAMENT!"

A loud projected voice came from a Thought Projection standing at the center of the field, next to the foot of the colossus. He was a flamboyant man, wearing gaudy gold and purple with puffy sleeves wrapped around his arms to legs. An obvious blonde wig sat atop his crown and a large chin jutted out from his rounded cheek bones. Holding a microphone up to his lips comprised out of a golden ball and a purple handle, he introduced himself with a sweeping bow to the millions viewing from projection and the thousands seated comfortably from the seven towers.

"I AM YOUR HOST, MISTER SEVEN AND WELCOME TO THE SEVENTH EVENT WITHOUT ANY ACCIDENTS OR SABOTAGE DONE TO A COMPETITION WHATSOEVER!"

"Ow, my head," Maria shook it off, blinking to see the flamboyantly dressed man seemed to be everywhere. He was standing right in front of the assembled Mages, making her jump back to stand next to Morgan. "Where did the handsome man go...and why is that ugly man so close?!"

"That my dear, is a Thought Projection," A man in a obtuse shaped musketeer hat planted over a handsome crop of blonde hair. An additional ball eye-mask was fixated over his nose, only giving a glimpse of his blue eyes. Smiling fetchingly he seemed to be only a few meters away from the others where Darius had chosen to walk past. With puffy white sleeves of a dress shirt that partially exposed his muscular chest with a dark blue pair of pants with yellow stars printed over them. Dark brown boots with buckles were seen and a single rose was twiddled around his fingers that he smelled almost obsessively. The last most notable effect on his person other than a sweeping white ripple collared cloak with a purple interior is a rapier of gold sheathed in a striped scabbard. "Hello, by the way. I go by the Beautiful Swordsman, but you can call me Chevalier, if you please."

"N-Nice to meet you," Maria blushed, taken aback by the man's curled golden hair flowing down from his hat covered crown and the mysterious vibe that seemed appealing. Unlike the outstandingly handsome man from before, she saw his beauty as more of an infatuation of hers much like the Knight Errant she met from before. If it wasn't for a woman in a nurse's attire with armored apparel standing protectively next to him, she'd have said more.

"This is my loyal servant, Joan," He waved in a praise, smiling as the announcer continued to laud the various sevens of the land and how much of an auspicious occasion it was. The woman seemed to only nod slightly, not taking kindly to either of the girls or the man. As she turned to glare at him, he laughed nervously. "She's a bit cold on the surface but she has a heart of gold, I swear, haha!"

"They're from another House, my Lord, please do not fraternize with them," Joan hissed at him, making him turn around and raise a finger to shush her.

"Don't be formal out here! Or have you forgotten?!" He looked slightly panicked as he tried to hide down over the booming voice of Mr. Seven's voice.

"Fine...sir," She murmured back with a roll of her eyes.

"NOW YOU WILL ALL KNOW THAT OF THE SIXTEEN CONTESTANTS, TWO BELONG TO EACH OF THE EIGHT HOUSES. WHY IT ISN'T SEVEN ISN'T IMPORTANT BUT MORE FOR AN ORDERLY PROCEEDING! IF JUST ONE OF THE PAIR OF CONTESTANTS WINS THE CHAMPIONSHIP, THE HOUSE WINS AND THE CHAMPION IS AWARDED SUBSTANTIALLY!"

Maria nodded, finding what was said understandable. She knew that with certainty if by some miracle they beat all of their opposition, they'd have to fight each other. Worse, Kenneth Oathbreaker was in this Tournament with them. Knowing her father, it was likely planned this way so that they could get experience fighting a veteran ally on the ring.

"I'll do my all in order to achieve success. I may not make it, but I'll try my best," She thought as she smiled, raising a hand and balling it into a fist as she waited for the man to continue.

"NOW ABOVE ME YOU'LL SEE A SCREEN! THERE IS THE EIGHT HOUSES AND EACH ONE WILL HAVE THEIR FIGHTERS CHOSEN AT RANDOM TO FACE EACH OTHER IN THE FIRST ROUND! WHICH HOUSE WILL GO FIRST?! LET'S FIND OUT!"

After that elaboration, a simultaneous projection was made all across the field and the seven towers. Names flashed in front of their eyes, they'd recognize exactly who'd they belonged to. The golden text surrounded by the rectangular divide kept oscilating till the momentum it operated began to dwindle. Finally resting at House Blackburn and House Sangue, their fighters being chosen in the blink of an eye.

"OH LOOK AT THAT! HOUSE SANGUE AND BLACKBURN ARE IN THE FIRST ROUND! GIVEN THE REPUTATION OF THESE WIZARDS IT SHOULD BE QUITE EXCITING! GIVE IT A HAND FOR KENNETH OATHBREAKER AND JESSE THE KO KING!"

"Whoa, right off the bat," The man named Jesse the KO King blinked with surprise. Looking across the other fifteen combatants he'd spot the famous Kenneth, an S-Class Wizard who had been solo until a few months ago when he joined the newborn Independant Wizard group, the Phoenix Guild. Smiling, he chewed on the piece of wheat in his mouth as he palmed a balled up, tape covered fist, the blue colored jumpsuit Wizard eagerly stepped away from his other colleague towards the highlighted path directed towards the sphere held in the colossus' hands. "Time to shine in the ring!"

The First Round
"Looks like you're up," Maria turned to Kenneth, raising a hand to give her fellow Phoenix Mage a thumb's up of encouragement. "Go knock'em down!"

Kenneth listened to the announcement and smirked to himself. "Looks like my impatience actually worked this time. How's that for you, stupid merchant?" Kenneth talked to himself, before noticing the encouragement of Maria. "Heh, don't expect me to start being a boxer for the Job." Kenneth slyly remarked, walking up to the ring with an ordinary stride: hands placed in his pockets and a calm expression. He looked at his opponent, the Mage appearing very attuned to this form of setting, that is, if his epithet was anything to consider. "Well then, KO King, I'm hoping this fight lasts longer than a single round. No?" Kenneth tried to start up conversation, all the while analyzing his opponent before the match begun.

Morgan barely paid any mind to the introduction to the tournament. Her mind was on other matters, specifically what Darius was doing that caused Maria to act so out of sorts. It was obvious that whatever it was could be undone, if not by the caster’s will then through something else. She had noticed that her sister seemed to regain some semblance of normalcy even before the strange magic was removed. It raised another question, one that was less pressing but still just as important, what kind of magic could affect not her, but her sister? What was different and specific enough that the unknown spell could seemingly target one but not the other?

The answer eluded her, as the announcement of the first round startled her. If Kenneth was the first combatant, it was a fight to pay attention to, and since Darius was the man’s partner, there was a chance she could see more of the magic she so desperately wanted to unravel. She turned her attention to the projection screen, hoping to catch a glimpse of the action.

As the Phoenix Mage and the Midus Hand Wizard made their way up the steps of the sphere the colossus held, Jesse got a good look at his competition. He looked crisp and held a lot of confidence, a sight he admired in an opponent. As the two were nearly shoulder to shoulder with each other walking up into their battleground, he laughed heartily at his question, "The first round is always the easiest, my friend. It's the third round that you better watch your step, less I find myself stealing the victory from you."

Finishing with a wink, they'd enter what looked like a completely open space. A stadium of projected people along with a ring that seemed to extend a good eighty meters in either direction. While it all was simply an illusion crafted by high-end technology, the ground and air was as real as it could be outside. The people watching in the stands were mere faux counteparts to the real ones standing outside or seated in the towers. That in mind, the moment they settled on the ring, their host Mr. 7 was right there with them.

"NOW YOU KNOW THE RULES! NO KILLING, NO POISONING, AND NO MIND CONTROL! THIS IS A COMPETITION, NOT A GLADIATOR GAME! ITEMS YOU TAKE IN WITH YOU CAN BE USED BUT NOT TO MAIM OR MURDER IF YOU'D KINDLY! ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS?"

"I got none," Jesse replied with a sparkling grin. "It's against my policy to kill unnecessarily annyways. I'm sure the other guy agrees."

"VERY GOOD! NOW LET THE MATCH...BEGIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!"

Unseen and not felt by the two contenders, the door closed and the sphere would be raised up into the air by the hand of the colossus. Images of their environment and the two fighters could be seen by numerous hovering projection screens. With the fight taking place on all angles, no one in the audience or the referee/announcer could miss anything. A system that made cheating virtually impossible unless it wasn't seen by anyone.

"Since I'm a man of good sport," Jesse continued, settling slightly spread stance while pocketing his left hand and raising up the other in a balled gesture. "I'll let you make the first move. I've already participated once so I know how these things go."

"I suppose I should get a handle on how this guy works. Though if his title and posture is anything to go by, it's probably not great to stay in close range." In accordance to his thoughts, Kenneth immediately leaped towards the sky with an elegant backflip, leaving almost no impact to the ground thanks to. While his aerial position was no doubt unfavorable for the seasoned combatant, Kenneth was no pushover.

At the moment he was at his highest altitude, the Oathkeeper immediately projected his arms in a forward motion with such speed that it completely masked the small projectiles that were shot from the tips of his fingers to the eyes of an ordinary beholder. "Phase one." Kenneth thought to himself. Before one could suspect his actions, he blended his first sudden movement with raising his hands upwards, conjuring several projectiles from the ground that attempted to skewer his enemy's mobility from the get-go through targeting his calf muscles.

The moment Kenneth moved to the air, Jesse felt a bit regretful he allowed his enemy to take the high ground. While he could always adapt, he knew he could draw more strength from the earth than up in the sky. Still, it made him smile with intrigue at what the man was up to. Swinging hands moving at a speed comparable to his own, he reflexively raised a hand to guard but didn't feel anything that was naked to his eyes. What he heard however was the sound of tiles being moved and the sensation of something slightly off in his footing. With a downward tilt of his head to the squares around him, he saw light refract off of metal projectiles that perforated the earth with enough force to shatter, aimed straight for his legs.

"Ngh!" He winced as his body moved in time for his legs not to get punctured at their vital spots. What happened was that shins up to his thighs were lacerated, drawing blood that flecked across the ground straight through his slacks. If it wasn't for his own reaction time, he knew he'd be rooted to the ground just now.

"Not bad," KO King replied with a hand grasping one of the needles that had jutted up from the ground, snapping it with a strong twist. "My turn!"

With a blurring motion of his own arm, it aimed to strike down the man responsible for the needles shooting up like quills. But it was all but a feint, to get him in position for his pulled back arm as he leaped a good dozen meters to the right away from the jutting up spikes. An audible grunt and a twisting punch later caused the air to pop, a visible speeding impression the size of a soft ball raced up like a rocket aiming to impact the man at the higher altitude. His own ranged attack, he'd find his own fist steaming after leaving the high friction thrust his body produced.

"Hmm, didn't work entirely as planned, but no matter." Kenneth noted to himself as he noticed Jesse's immediate maneuver. He doubted that a Mage of his skill would be sufficient with just a powerful throw, and thus prepared for the worst. "Time to dive back in, then." Kenneth thought to himself. The weight of his magical energy staggeringly increased, and he positioned his body so that his right leg would kick the ground upon impact. His body suddenly propelled downwards through the influence of gravity, enabling Kenneth to narrowly avoid the needle headed towards his body. However, Kenneth's sudden motion didn't account for Jesse's true strike: one clouded through Kenneth's immediate burst in velocity.

A crater formed in the immediate vicinity of Kenneth as his body made contact with the ground, upturning debris all around him to act as a makeshift shield. He swiftly lightened his susceptibility to gravity before noticing that his torso had been grazed and clothes torn. "My, seems we've gotten off to a rather intense start, haven't we?" Kenneth mused, equipping his signature pair of Tonfa — Yukisumi — and maintaining a defensive stance, knowing that charging in wouldn't achieve anything other than further injury. "I could barely get a hold of the speed of his movement through my own rushed foresight. Take it a bit slower, Kenneth."

"Please, that was my way of saying hello," Jesse called out from the distance, smiling as he experimentally hopped from one leg to another. The pain was fresh but easily bearable, he judged that the wounds weren't that deep and merely slashed the surface tissue. He'd worry about tending to it after he won the first round. Furthermore he was interested to see a man who utilized ranged projectiles settled on going melee with a pair of tonfa. "But I guess since we've exchanged the pleasantries, let's get this party really started!"

Raising his hand up and clenching it tightly, a translucent aura formed around from the wrist up to the knuckles. Smiling he bent at the knees before striking a menacing glint in his eyes. Kicking off at the ground he moved like he was a cheetah, streaking across the pavement. Streaking to Kenneth's vicinity in mere seconds, his balled up fist thrust in a powerful uppercut. Unlike before, where it simply generated a rough pocket of air, this unleashed a wind-blown gust of kinetic force; aiming to catch him not just in direct contact, but in the pressure that was generated by the first strike.

"Let's see how you handle the First Round's punch," He challenged internally as his attack was ferreted out on his attacker, aimed to hit his jaw or send him flying by close proximity.

"...How annoying." Kenneth noted to himself. While he would often take the time to dodge this attack, doing so now would only prove harmful on his end. Instead, he carefully observed the nature of his enemy's movement and raised his tonfa at the same time. With careful timing, the moment the KO King dashed towards his being, Kenneth increased his susceptibility to gravity by an enormous amount, the pressure suddenly causing his feet to cave into the ground he was standing upon. As Jesse's fist rose to meet his jaw, the back end of Kenneth's Tonfa was forced downwards, leading to the collision between the two forces to cause an incredible amount of pressure to be exerted into the environment. Even with the kinetic force that surrounded Jesse's fist, Kenneth's focused attack managed to — with some success — disperse the force made by his opponent, though naturally it caused a moment of paralysis.

However he couldn't afford such weakness. Without a second to lose, Kenneth used the stalemate he made with his single tonfa in order to subsequently release gravity's hold on him, narrowly ducking the fist as it continued on its path while at the same time engulfing his tonfa in with the intent on battering his enemy with both flame-covered weapons at the man's abdomen and send him flying out of the arena's perimeter.

"He managed to block it?!" Jesse thought with surprise, having first thought he'd have attempted to evade it. Instead upon his approach and now up close examination, the way he interacted with the tonfa that blocked his punch felt off. Like some otherworldly exertion was placed upon the point of contact. Looking down at his feet he noticed that a force of Ethernano was flowing off him, creating a transparent hue of crimson over himself. "Gravity Alter? That explains how he got up into the air so easily-"

During his acknowledgement of the eerie change of his opponent did he feel the force let go and his punch fully move upward. Taking an unsteady forward he saw his enemy move within his proximity, no time to properly dodge without taking his left hand out of the pocket. Grimacing, he braced himself just prior to the concussive wave of impact that bludgeoned him.

Coughing out as the wind was sucked out of him he swore he heard his ribs creak from the power put behind the strokes. His body bent within contortion, spiraling like a missile across the wide span of the arena. With every tumble he felt his head ring or lose sight of where his opponent lied. Grimacing he finally pulled his arm back and thrust it into the arena, cracking it and pulling himself to a grinding halt. Smiling as blood ebbed out of the corner of his nostril, he stood up shakily but still standing.

"That was a good hit, Kenneth Oathbreaker!" Jesse the KO King commented as he wiped the ichor leaking from his nostril. Turning to look over his shoulder he saw that he was naught but a handful of feet away from the edge of the ring. Whistling at the sight he returned to look back at his enemy from afar, continuing to shout so he could be heard over the animated dialogue in their mock stadium. "It's been barely a minute in and this is just Round 1. To draw blood from me is an achievement in of itself. Your reputation precedes you, Phoenix Wizard."

Withdrawing his left gloved hand, he grinned as he adopted a more atypical boxer stance, both hands held up to cover his jaws while his face was framed with an eager grin. Despite the injuries he's received he felt more excited with every passing second that came and went. Inhaling slowly he let out a smooth exhale. Closing his eyes he intoned briefly, "Boxing Magic," opening them quickly, arms a blur of machine gun pace, firing out dozens of baseball sized air waves towards Kenneth from the distance, intending on dragging him into a field of complete pulverization. Air picked up and buffetted around his invisible limbs, his voice letting out a harrowing shout as he declared the name of this physically launched spell. "Automatic Punch Volley!"

Kenneth's eyes widened as Jesse began to go into his stance. It was as if he was processing all the visual stimulus before him for an external purpose, paying extreme attention to every detail. The moment the KO King's arms began to move, Kenneth instinctively rose the output of his Magical Aura and chanted, "Purple Flare!" The flames that shrouded his tonfa suddenly poured outwards in a massive vertical pillar, before cloaking Kenneth's body in a tightly knit, dense armor of solid flames. However, this maneuver was not nearly fast or powerful enough to accommodate for the volley of invisible fists directed towards him. Zooming through, the punches were briefly dampened by the armor of flames before they buffeted his torso, leaving numerous bruises across his abdomen and blood spilling out of a notable wound to his right thigh.

"Heh...I can't say you're so bad yourself, KO King. Unfortunately, I prefer not to drag out my fights." Kenneth retorted, before immediately throwing a pair of seeds in front of his enemy. With but a small command, "Plant," those seeds grew into a collection of gigantic vines that attempted to devour Jesse whole, though their color strangely flickered, to which Kenneth sported a sly grin. He utilized no follow-up to this maneuver, retaining a defensive stance and once again regaining his breath and standing after the titanic attacks both parties exchanged.

When Jesse halted his barrage of punches, he smiled at the durability of his opponent and the fact he inflicted some damage. He admired the ingenuity of using Purple Flare, a flame that doesn't burn but rather physically entraps, grasps or strikes things to act as a conductive armor of Etheranno. But given the sight of the flying dots he raised his guard, not ready to lower it just yet, thinking they were bombs or smoke pellets of some sort.

Instead it was drastically different than what he expected.

"Plants?!" He exclaimed, his body immediately entangled by a horde of vines of a rapidly growing plant. It possessed no mouth to speak of but the endless twining seemed to become an enveloping cocoon of moist, sapping fluid that formed a bud around him. Fused and strong he tried punching and moving, only to create indenting bumps through the distortive ripples. Muffled cries of protest were the only thing his enemy would hear but he couldn't help but be indignant at his enemy's choice of restriction.

"Calm down, Jesse, calllllllm," Jesse thought, finally stopping his struggles. He already felt a tingling of numbness along his skin, knowing it'd seep through his pores. The whole plant seemed to caress him with the vined entanglement mummifying him from within, making him groan with discomfort. Like a tight hug on all sides, his stillness created a subdued amount of pleasing calmness enter his muscles, tempting him to relax and give in. Still he focused even as disorientation began to spread. "While killing isn't against the rules, I won't go down because of a stupid plant. I need to focus. Concentrate. Let the power flow through my body and towards my left fist..."

As he did so, a bright white light flourished around his bandaged hand. Even as his leg sleeves and shirt dissolved his hair rippled, the vines loosening just from the pressure coming from his appendage. Raising it slightly he finally, let it thrust upward, forcing a pillar of power to rise up from his whole body in the direction of his fist.

"JET PUNCH!" He announced as the plant finally, torn apart from the friction and magical power that shot straight towards the sky. The projected ceiling cracked from the exertion, spreading around till plating rained down ontop of them, soon eradicating the illusion of a field with an out of bounds. Now they were inside of the sphere with protective tiles formed all around with a domed roof. Grinning he knew that it was just a projected rule they wanted to offset the fighters; what a bunch of assholes he thought.

"Whoo, it doesn't seem like I can hold back anymore," The KO King declared, wiping the sweat and grime off the eradicated plant matter. Tearing off his jumpsuit top and half of the pants to create crude shorts, what would be revealed wasn't simply rippling muscle with pectorals and abdominals of crisp toned shape. The tanned ring fighter also had an elaborate set of metal restraints, all aimed from his wrists to be entwined around his shoulder with cables holding over his chest. Even his shins to his ankles where he got cut was restrained as if to create a gruelling exercise for himself. "Pardon me, but I usually like to make every mission be it a duel or a friendly match more training for me. That way I never slack off. With that said, how about I take these off?"

With a few taps to switches on the metal, they clacked off and became limp sets of deceptively heavy metal. They indented into the tile, kicking up dust as his sweat adjoined muscles were now free and can move easier. Rolling his neck side to side, he smiled, his body already producing a vapor of Magical Aura that slowly ebbed up, seeming to be growing in intensity as every second passed.

Then, it spiked up dramatically.

"HOOOOOOOWAAAAAAAAAH!" Jesse howled aloud, his body becoming the catalyst of a large torrent of azure outlined transparent Ethernano. Crackling with rippling tendrils of bio-magic, the air blew back with intensity and the ground became upheaved for several meters with just how much power he was generating. His ponytail whipped around his scalp, his smile complementing a fierce glow dominating his eye sockets as he raised his fists with readiness.

"Round 2 has started," Jesse spoke lowly, his voice carrying over to the attuned Magician. "Let your guard drop now, and I'll knock you flat on your ass, Kenneth Oathbreaker."

"Huh? Did his sheer force overcome my Organic Link? Or was he just that durable? Tsk, no matter." Kenneth noted as Jesse overcame the illusion set up within the stage. As Kenneth continued to observe his enemy, all that ran in his mind was his follow-up to Jesse's next move. However, that was easier said than done. Within but moments, Kenneth was exposed to the fact that Jesse had been holding back this entire time, before being exposed to an incredible volume of power that forced Kenneth to brace himself with his left arm.

"...Why is it always me!?" Kenneth internally screamed, but calmed down as he witnessed the scale of his opponent's power increasing. "Keep trying." Kenneth smugly responded, wrapping himself in an aura of lavender magical power before it exploded across the entire battlefield. Channeling this very power into his palms, his arms began to shake vigorously before Kenneth slammed them on the ground he stood. His power ripples, and small bumps began to form across the ground both combatants stood, barring Kenneth's immediate position. Suddenly, those bumps formed into lengthy needles that shot directly upwards to grow about a meter in height, attempting to completely immobilize Jesse and cause horrific injuries to his lower body. All the while, the arena encased in needles would undoubtedly limit his methods of approach, giving Kenneth much more leniency in how he could respond. Of course, the process of doing so was draining, leaving Kenneth to stand still within the field of needles, his right Tonfa placed near his chest, while the other near his abdomen.

"What is it now?!" Jesse cried out, feeling his footing upsetted by a undulating ripple against the foundation of the arena's flooring. When the equivalent of grounded tumors were made around in between him and underneath his footing he felt a familiar magic take hold. It was all he could do to launch himself from the erect bed of needles, bolting upwards till he reached the ceiling. Smashing a fist into the canopy tiles, he held himself above what looked like a blanket of spikes spread all around to the point of covering the battlefield; all except a small pocket of where Kenneth crouched. "Damn, I won't be able to get close at this range. Unless..."

Grinning, he swung his legs forward and then back, planting his heels into the ceiling to place him horizontal to the space below. Pulling back his spare hand as much as he dared, he let himself go, using the fall to his advantage. A manic smile spread as his whole body became emblazoned with the same fiery aura that he displayed when entering his Round 2 state. Throwing his fist just a smidge before hitting the rows of lethal spikes, he let out a gallant cry.

"JET PUNCH!!!" Roaring out the name of his spell, a plume of kinetically thrusting pressure escaped his knuckles, melting the needles and splitting apart the ground for over a dozen meters. A rippling motion of shockwave rolled over the entire battlefield, broken tiles flying around to be cut apart by the remaining spikes around his proximity. Measuring his distance to Kenneth he saw that there was a good ten meters of metal sharp needles. Pulling back his fists as he widened his stance, he inhaled long and then exhaled with a loud series of cries; complementing a literal storm of fists that imprinted the wind and intended to rip apart the needles, pummel his target just beyond his sight. "AUTOMATIC PUNCHING VOLLEY!"

"...This fuckin' guy!" Kenneth himself was also, quite ironically, trapped in his own creation. To that end, he knew fully well he had little choice regarding his evasive options. Grounding himself into the concrete with an increased susceptibility to gravity, Kenneth cloaked his whole body in flames, before focusing his defense with a bracing position using his Tonfa. The punches littered across his body, causing notable bruises across his torso and shredding his attire into pieces. With the needles before him absolutely eradicated, and Jesse left exposed, even in his newly injured state Kenneth had all but one option: a final charge.

Kenneth soon allowed his own personal gravity to lighten, almost giving him a floating quality, as he charged forwards directly to Jesse's position. While that would be the most obvious form of attack, Kenneth, despite his injuries, stretched himself even further and performed another powerful somersault. Ending up directly behind the KO King, Kenneth increased his susceptibility to gravity once more as his Tonfa were cloaked in purple flames, their pointed ends near the handles were directed by Kenneth at a frightening speed to Jesse's back, with the intent of finishing this battle here and now.

Jesse had to commend his opponent for his tenacity. Even with all the damage he retained he was still aiming for a frontal attack, far more aggressive than his prior tactics. Whether out of desperation to use a last resort or hiding a secret spell he didn't want to give his enemy the chance to use it. The nicieties end here, he decided.

"Sorry," The KO King raised a fist as he leaned forward and aimed to time his punch the moment his enemy leaned in for the attack. "Going to have to make this your knockout-"

Just as the man had leaped to a crouch before him, he witnessed another distortion within the airspace. His fist, prime with bright Ethernano as it jettisoned a powerful downward spike failed to miss the mirage of motion whooshing past his head and shoulders. Eyes widened as his fist crashed into the ground, creating an even deeper crater. As the debris rose up and the full shockwave elapsed around him, he could practically feel the wind of the man's attack before feeling it.

Then, the tonfa hit him, with his defenses down and his legs unable to move in time thanks to their previous laceration. Despite the power radiating through him his body was not prepared and had forwarded a bodily strike with lowered durability. His back lit up as if on fire as the blunt instrument created a powerful pop in the air. His mouth widened and eyes rolled into the back of his sockets, feeling as if his body was snapped in two. Bowing with the strike, he'd be flung across the emptied path of the ring till he frontally slammed into the wall with a blossoming violet crash.

"That was...some...knockout," He thought as his consciousness escaped him, and his body fell back, leaving a cartoonish imprint of his splayed frame in the aftermath. Seconds passed as a stunned silence elapsed the audience and those watching from the contender line. As the wind began to blow, Mr. Seven finally spoke with a voice filled with near disbelief and amazement.

"T-THIS IS...IT JUST...JESSE, THE KO KING HAS BEEN KNOCKED OUT! KENNETH OATHKEEPER HAS WON THE FIRST MATCH OF ROUND ONE! A VICTORY GOES TO HOUSE BLACKBURN!" He rang out as a chorus of cheers and claps filled the arena both within the sphere and outside of it. Lowered to the ground, its entrance would be opened but the two forms be whisked by way of teleporation back to the contender waiting area on the lawn. Both Kenneth and the unconscious Jesse placed on the grass in their respective positions.

"Haaah." Kenneth let out a noticeable pant, as he witnessed the state of his clothing and body. "Tch, what an absolute mess. And I only have an hour to get ready for the next match?" Kenneth sighed, walking to the area where the Medical Officers were. "I suppose I'll just have to walk around shirtless for the rest of the event. While I don't particularly mind, let's hope that Master's daughters aren't too concerned with the idea." Kenneth sat in the medical office with some other contestants. He accessed the first-aid kit and bandaged his more severe wounds, disinfecting them with a magic-cleansing ointment before downing a bitter potion that would accelerate his natural healing process. "Ugh, I despise these."

Resting for a few minutes, Kenneth stood up and went back into the grounds he was teleported to a few minutes ago. He began to observe the matches of the fellow contestants and thought to himself, "Looks like everyone here is quite competent. Based on the fact that everyone has already observed my battle, I'll need to up my game regarding my tactics. Ah well, I'll think of them on the spot as I normally do. I should probably socialize before I get dragged in a crowd of fans by accident." And so the Oathkeeper walked to his fellow contestants, fully intent on winning this contest he had enrolled in.

The Hand of Shadows
"AFTER A BREATHTAKING FIRST MATCH, WE HAVE BEFORE US A FIRST TIMER AGAINST A FORMER CONTENDER! HOUSE ARBOL'S MORGAN DESCHAIN VERSUS HOUSE MAPLE'S RESIDENT OF SEVEN, GEOFFREY TIDDLEHEE! YES FOLKS, THAT IS HIS REAL LAST NAME, BUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! LET US SEE IF HE CAN MAKE IT PAST THE FIRST ROUND UNLIKE LAST YEAR, EH?!"

"No need to slander me, you odious oaf," Geoffrey, a man with a slight shadow colored mustache and slicked back hair, sneered under his breath. He bore a dark brown coat over a dress suit jacket with trimmed pants and dinner shoes. Complete with a purple tie, white collar and a brown fedora with a pair of white gloves he bore an audacious demeanor about himself.

"Please try and not fuck this one up, Jeff," Smirked a young man, name of Kase Klose, as he replied to his comrade. He wore a grey hoodie and simple baggy black jeans with crimson sneakers. The words 'Can't Touch Me,' written on his hoodie's front in blue outlined with black. As Geoffrey turned to give him a glare he just smiled even wider. "Sorry, Geoff. It slipped out, I swear."

"Arrogant punk," The older man snarled turning to walk towards the dome that had now rested on the ground. Giving a skeptical stare at Morgan he smiled to himself as he gauged his chances just on appearance. "I have experience, age and most likely higher magic power than she does. A little girl will be a walk in the park for someone like me...not that I needed the crutch to win a Round 1 match."

As the disgruntled man made his way forward, Maria made sure to give her sister a big hug, "Go give it your all, Morgan," She whispered as she released her and gave her a winking thumb's up. "And kick his butt!"

Morgan jolted as her name was called. She was so busy parsing over the events of the previous fight, she hadn’t put much thought towards her own debut in the ring. “I plan on it." she said with a smile as she gave Maria a quick hug before she made her way into the arena. She had no intention of losing, no matter who she had to make her way through first. Not only was the mission on the line, but she had to continue long enough to show Darius that her threat was very serious.

As she and her opponent entered the ring, she quickly took a defensive stance. She couldn’t risk leaving herself open at all, especially without first understanding her opponent’s style first. To boot, her opponent had experience in the ring to begin with, putting her at a disadvantage in the first place.

"Well, she seems decently trained," Geoffrey acknowledged as he took stock from the distance in the artificial ring within the colossus holding sphere. All damage seemed to have been repaired thanks to the Magic involved with this level of technology. Changed from a wide open ring in a stadium it now became a hollow space with clad grey tiles leading towards the spherical wall that curved up into a dome. Still, he liked the atmosphere and it got his blood pumping. Grinning he shifted his right sleeve and a deck of magic emblazoned cards appeared in his grip. Like a master player he began to shuffle and twirl the Holder Items between his gloved palms, he felt his confidence build as he showed off. "Let's see who really is the better man, girl."

"WITH BOTH OF OUR CONTESTANTS IN THE RING, LET THE MATCH BEGIN!"

Without any delay, the Wizard threw five cards that launched themselves like knives across the battlefield. Twirling around, they glowed a bright flash of colors before they produced what looked like fuse-lit frag bombs. They'd explode seconds after they reached Morgan's vicinity, unleashing a cacophony of fiery smoke pillars rising up into the air. Smiling with glee he took no chances and let twelve cards drop to his feet, creating what looked like a dozen fuse-lit cannons. No ceremony was needed as they unleashed cannon balls straight towards Morgan, seeming to fire in conjunction with no end in sight.

"HAHAHA! Keep up girl if you want to come out of this match intact!" Geoffrey crowed with a gleam in his eyes, full of pride and mad desire to win.

Morgan watched as her opponent pulled out cards, obviously a magical deck, an instrument of his magic. The simple fact they didn't look dangerous at first glace was enough to make her worry more than had her opponent brought out a sword. She had no way of telling for sure what could happen with such an unorthodox weapon.

She was confused when the cards begain to fly right towards her, only to turn into grenades mid-flight. She was able to evade the heaviest part of the fragmentation by running clear to the wall behind her and straight up, defying gravity for a moment as her speed trumped the force needed to carry her body vertically. Once she was safe, she used her Darkness Dragon's Talons, to latch herself to the wall so she could get a better vantage point Thanks to the smoke wall, she couldn't see what was happening, but the sound was enough to give her a rough idea of what to expect.

She kicked off the wall and bounced off the cannonball right in front of her, leaping skyward once more, only to prepare her own counter offensive. "Darkness Dragon's....Thrashing Leg!" she cried out as she descended, her left leg coated in darkness as she aimed to drive the heel of her foot into Geoffrey's shoulder.

"She's an agile one," Geoffrey realized as she took off in a speed he could only compare to a wraith. Tearing off backwards she evaded the grenade blasts and had latched onto the wall of the dome farthest from him. By the time the cannon fire reached her he barely could analyze that she had used one of them to propel herself above his projections. Seeing her come down with a darkened limb aim straight towards his left shoulder he grimaced before choosing to dodge. A quickened dash backwards led him to witness with bulging eyes as the tiles warped down like water and rippled out to explode upwards in a wide fifteen meter explosion of depressed arena floor. "A-A-And strong!"

Skidding across the ground, he narrowly avoided some of the flying debris from shattered flooring sent his way. Sneering he formed a spiral quartet of cards in both hands. Multi-colored auras manifested around each card face, making the unassuming magic devices look that much more threatening.

"Magic Card," He announced, thrusting his arms out like they were finger guns, causing the cards to flip vertically upright to show the elements of Light, Darkness, Earth, Lightning, Fire, Wind, Water and what looked like a Plus sign; its intention to multiply the power of the spells in unison. "Elemental Force Wave!"

The powerful fusion of the elements spouted took what would have been ordinarily potent fireballs or forked lightning and turned it into an amalgmation of energies that powered each other in synchrony. Like the effect of a Unison Raid achieved between two Wizards, the multiplication of effects were only heightened by his Plus Power card, allowing a multi-colored beam of elemental magic to be jettisoned towards Morgan. The energy would crack the ground and warp the air as it spiraled towards the wall she had mounted herself upon, punching a deep dent within the projected enclosure. How it effected Morgan would be seen in the next few seconds.

Morgan growled with annoyance as her opponent dodged her attack. She intended to finish the fight without having to use too many of her more powerful techniques, although she did take pride in the area of utter destruction her single attack had created. The circle of cranage was something that made her smile despite her irritation. It was proof she had grown stronger.

She was about to run in and continue her assault but saw him bring out more cards, more variables that she'd have to contend with. The distance was large enough that she couldn't quite make out the design of the cards, but she had a feeling that they were far more dangerous than the ones she had seen. The beam they produced proved her point. The sheer size of the beam was enough to make her believe evasion was almost impossible, even for her inhuman speed. However, the blast wasn't as fast as she had feard, giving her just enough time to dive out of the way. The heat that poured from the attack was enough to make her sweat bullets just from a few microseconds on contact, and her body felt like she had spent far too long in the sun. Just moving felt like fighting through water. She felt like a mess and the fight had just started.

After a second to catch her breath and wipe the sweat from her face, she turned and saw the power of the spell she had just avoided a second before. While she was quite capable of surviving surprising amounts of punishment from far stronger enemies, the damage done to the wall she had just climbed cast her durability into doubt. The idea of being hit by the attack scared her, and she was thankful she had escaped viritually unharmed in the end.

"I won't be able to get close at this point...I've only got one way to win this from this far out." Morgan thought as she focused her powers for a moment, creating a pitch-black aura around herself. "Darkness Dragon's Roar!" she called out as she exhaled a massive blast of dark magic energy, so dark that it seemed to swallow even the light itself that shone down upon them. It tore a path in the ground, leaving distorted rubble in its wake.

Geoffrey was prepared for many things.

He had learned from last year's mistakes and tried to take precautions. Selecting the best of magic types to absorb for his usage and items to enable combatting. It was only when the dark aura and the malevolent Ethernano could be felt from the distance that he felt chills run up and down his spine. A foreboding sensation that could only increase as she reared her head back and let loose a voluminously wide wave of bleak darkness fly forward. Like flames escaping a volcanoe it rushed towards him with monstrous intent and evasion seemed entirely impossible.

Holding up one of his cards, he closed his eyes and impulsively activated the enchanted tool's function. His heels dug into the ground, his legs shook violently and his whole body felt the maelstrom of shadows bear on him. Letting out a cry of effort the abyss finally vanished, turning the faceless card into that of a pitch black face. It crackled, fresh of Ethernano that it swallowed up, making him look with trepidation at the bullet he dodged. Looking at the six meter long trail that pushed him, the force of the Roar alone had managed to push him back while in the middle of absorbing it.

"So," The Wizard intoned, loud enough for Morgan to hear but still quite soft. "You're a Dragon Slayer. I guess that'd explain why I kept hearing 'Dragon' after the incantation of each spell you utilized. Hehehe, I think I might have encountered one of the wild cards, as it were, of this Tournament. How unfortunate for me."

Despite his sweat he smiled more confidently, palming the card and making it disappear within his sleeves. Removing a particular violet colored card he grinned as he flipped it up into the air, letting it casually flutter to the ground in front of him. A glowing purple light shined outward, projecting a total of twelve copies of himself. Each bore a demented smile and withdrew Holder Items of their own, ranging from fire emblazoned pistols, a pair of elegant sais, a broadsword, a mace, ice gloves, a brass trumpet, a whip, tonfas, a yari, electricified rollerblades, an explosive hammer and finally a set of light bearing chakrams. Letting out a few breaths from activating such a powerful Holder Item, having anticipated using it as a powerful resort, he proudly proclaimed them before his opponent.

"Magic Card, Dirty Dozen!" Geoffrey announced with a prideful gleam in his eyes. "This is my newest card. Not even you can fend off twelve against one!"

Morgan felt a jolt of fear shoot through her. The fact that her opponent had reduced her ace in the hole to nothing with just a single card scared her. As her opponent summoned a dozen duplicates of himself, she noticed his breathing had grown heavy. She assumed that copying himself so many times after firing off a powerful spell and containing another had drained him considerably. The wide array of weapons that the clones brandished made thinking of a counter strategy harder than it otherwise would have been, so many weapons and styles against just herself was a disadvantage many people would have a hard time thinking around.

"Then I'll just take you down a dozen times. All your spell did was give me more targets. Besides, twelve on one is pretty unfair, for you that is." she said, tauntingly, hoping to bait Geoffrey into making a mistake. As she prodded him, she activated her Darkness Dragon's Talons wordlessly, cloaking her hands in shadowy claws of magical energy, perfect for rending apart the duplicates and their original.

"Grrrr," Geoffrey sneered, feeling frustrated at being threatened by a little girl. Despite her power she was still naive. He'd show her who she was messing with.

Gesturing with a hand, he cackled aloud with renewed confidence as all dozen copies of him departed to attack her in unison, "I'll show you better to underestimate me, you brat!"

The first one unleashed a volley of bullets composed of flames around the size of baseballs. Each one could pack an explosive punch that'd eat away through a stone wall. He'd fire rapidly as he approached while the one with chakrams threw them, spiraling with light that was accelerated and transformed into burning rings of wide luminous discs. The last of the three he sent out held his trumpet and let out a loud toot that sent a sonic wave that crashed towards her from an opposing angle. Each of the copies aimed to connect their attacks one after another while the others defended the admittedly tired Geoffrey.

Morgan smirked. Her plan was working perfectly. Three of the clones were sent her way, a far more manageable number than a full dozen. Her first concern was dodging the flaming orbs heading her way, and the chakrams were a close second. The flame bullets were a simple matter, she had dealt with similar before, finding openings in the array and simply weaving her way through them faster than the human eye could possibly trace, as if she was truly a wraith on the battlefield, her pale frame dancing amid the blazing rounds without missing a beat.

The chakrams however, forced her to throw off her meticulous pattern with a leap to the side in order to avoid being sliced, allowing one of the last bullets to graze her arm, singeing the skin. It broke her concentration and she dropped like a stone, clutching the burned area in shock. The sound wave crashed into her prone form, knocking the wind out of her for a second. The only solace was that the rain of attacks has ceased, buying her precious seconds to prepare her counter-offensive.

She let her instincts fully take over, silencing her arm's nerves and their cries of pain, letting her fully focus on the fight at hand. The bestial nature that had been instilled in her gave her a clarity in dangerous situations few others could understand, something she could take advantage of. The first problem was the gunslinger, his flames would wear her down faster than anything else. She quickly pushed herself back into a standing position before breaking off into a dead sprint, slashing at him blindly with her claws. Once the double was down, she turned her attention to the one with the trumpet. She dashed over, her form flickering in and out as she sped forward. Before the clone could even begin to defend himself, it was already too late, razor-sharp nails of darkness dropped him just like the previous.

Finally, the chakram user remained of the original group sent her way. Her speed once again proved to be a key factor in her dispatching of the enemy. She de-activated her claws, mitigating the drain they brought on by constant use, along with the disruption caused by hacking through her opponents. Instead of slicing the clone, she flashed behind him, jammed her foot into the crook of his knee and as he fell, thrust her elbow into his spine, forcing the copy to fall forward.

"Three down. What's next?" she asked darkly, gloating at her victory.

"Heh," The original Geoffrey announced as he swung an arm out, jeering at her. "You'll tire out before you can finish them all off. Let's see how you handle six!"

Just as before, all six ran in synchrony of each other. The one with a whip had his weapon stretch out like a viper and make irregular angles to snap repeatedly with only a single twist of his wrist. As he pulled back the one with lightning rollerblades zoomed in, grating to a crackling halt next to her as he lifted off the ground and performed a spinning Lightning Magic kick to her rear guard. As the pair attacked her from two fronts, the one with ice gloves formed a familiar Caster Sign.

"Ice Make," He declared, gesturing his palms to create a horde of frost covered wasps to hoarde in towards her, buzzing in and around the attacks of the pair. "Wasp Swarm!"

The final three, one with a yari stretched out his spear to jab at her from above, crashing into the floor with incredible pressure while holding himself above the group. Bending the handle he jettisoned himself up into the air while shrinking the spear. Once reaching the dome ceiling he angled himself around to kick off the ceiling and charge with an accelerated extension of his magical weapon.

The other pair, one with sais nimbly moved in and around the variety of attacks, jabbing and slashing at her when he could. The final of the six utilizing a broadsword swung around, cutting a few wasps easily and batting aside the others' weapons as he aimed to connect. Releasing a potent wave of Darkness from his weapon, it radiated off his sword like mist, giving the impression of a cursed tool. All the while, Geoffrey seemed to slowly regain his breath and renew his strength gradually as the fight dragged on.

"Even if they all fall, you'll be far too drained to fight against me effectively," He reasoned as the remaining three copies stood protectively in front of him. "Then, I can use my Trump Card AND a little bonus. I can't wait to see you kneel before me and beg for the pain to stop, little ingrate!"

Morgan was taken aback as the whip-user was able to make his weapon strike from odd angles. She used her talons to shred the weapon, the leather torn with astounding ease by the shadowy claws wielded by the dark dragon’s chosen. Distracted with the onslaught, she didn’t realize one snuck behind her before it was too late. She let out a gasp of pain as she felt a sharp jolt run through her body, and a sudden pain from a blunt impact. She felt her body seize up against the electrifying blast coursing her nervous system.

As the jolt wore off, she turned to face her attacker. She snarled in a rage as she lashed out with impressive speed. Moving like a blur, she struck, jamming her claw covered hand into the body of the duplicate, causing it to dissolve as the force keeping it manifested vanished. She had been sporting up until then, fighting only for the thrill of it, but she realized that she left herself open too much. Now she’d show just what she was really capable of as the last known Dragon Slayer.

She turned back to the major group, only to see a swarm of ice wasps barreling upon her with incredible speed. The horde of chilling insects gathered around her, stabbing at her with freezing-cold stingers, each jab more and more painful as her body began to feel the coldness sapping at her strength. Yet she soldiered on, her stubborn pride refusing to let her submit to something as trivial as mere magical bugs. She funneled magic around her body, triggering her Darkness Dragon Scales as a form of armor. Through her training with Victor, she learned how to harden the dark magic to create a form of armor as well as camouflage.

She was so focused on the horde of wasps that she only barely was able to successfully dodge the oncoming spear user’s first stroke, only by a fraction of an inch between her and the pointed weapon, causing her to jump in surprise. Before she could take another step, she was forced to roll to the side to avoid a second impaling drop, putting her right in the path of the sai user’s blades. Only thanks to the iron-hard scales surrounding her body was she able to survive the short blades threatening her. They snapped against the draconic second skin like twigs, and as the copy stood shocked at her feat, she slashed with her claws once more, severing its flesh and bone with inhuman ease.

With the sai-using replica taken out of commission, she turned back to the yari-carrying one and before he could do anything, vanished from his sight, bounding around the area with her incredible speed pushed to its limits, leaving ghostly duplicates of her own. She destroyed his weapon with two slashes of her talons before rearing back to punch her target. “Darkness Dragon’s Wingbeat!” she exclaimed, releasing a surge of dark magic around her arm. As she thrust her arm forward, the signature wing-like trail followed and cut through the clone with little effort.

With them out of the picture, she was able to focus on the spellcasting one. She flashed to his location, using the Wingbeat’s blade-like wing to decapitate the mage before he could hamper her further.

Finally, Morgan turned to the ninth Geoffery, smirking with delight as she saw his power was darkness. She swallowed the wave of energy heading her way. The fact the chance was given to her proved her opponent had little understanding of the nature of Dragon Slayers. She could feel the power rushing through her, power she decided to put to good use. “Darkness Dragon’s Crashing Tail!” she yelled out, forming the Wingbeat’s remaining darkness into a long whip-like construct of her own, resembling the tail of a black dragon manifesting from her arm, ending in a jagged pointed tip. She swung the new weapon with enough force to send the dark sword-using Geoffry flying towards the wall. Before she deactivated her spell, she lashed once more with it, this time aiming at the whip-user she had only disarmed a moment before.

As the tail-shaped weapon dissolved from her body, she felt the drain from taking so long to finish the fight. Her breathing began to quicken and her body cried out for rest, a plea she did her best to deny. “''I’ve got to get rid of those clones soon. I don’t know how much more I can take''.”

It was mind boggling.

Every single one of this copies he sent out were completely destroyed with finesse and power. Geoffrey was beside himself as even the shadows became armor and sampled the darkness of his copy's sword as if it was a fine cuisine. He had only done partial research since Dragon Slayers hadn't existed in the public eye for some time. Three hundred years ago they had finally begun to fade in history, with only tails of the Guild that stood against the strongest of the Baram Alliance. The death of the Apocalypse Dragon, Acnologia and the Black Wizard Zeref, along with the Salamander Natsu and the Holy Guild Master Sting. The rest of those who survived that day were enveloped into history and quietly forgotten.

And now here stood one now, in the possession of a small neophyte Guild running for this contract.

"I can hear him laughing at me," He thought, referencing his hoodie adorned comrade watching outside on the grassy waiting field. "Well, soon he will have no jokes left to say when I pulverize this girl into the ground. That being said, I'll forgo this farce and proceed as planned. I'm not sure how much more Ethernano I can squander to simply buy time."

With a gesture, the Wizard dispelled his remaining copies, feeling an increment of his strength fulfill him. Withdrawing the card that had captured Morgan's Darkness Dragon's Roar, he held it up and observed its still bristling currents writhing around the placeholder. Taking its face he withdrew a card that was not like any of his other cards. Breathing in he exhaled, placing the face of both cards and combining them together.

"Card Magic," Geoffrey chanted aloud, an enormous surge of the magic Morgan used flowing straight into the more fancifully designed card face. "Power Transference!"

In a siphoning twister of suction, the shadowy dyed energy was sloughed into the elegant card of golden rims and blue back. Using some of his own Magic as a catalyst, he cried out loud, "I call upon you, Goddess of War, to come forth...Cassandra!"

A circle was constructed up into the air, levitating up to hover at the center of the dome's canopy. Exploding with blood red overcasting the environment, dark feathers soon cascaded across that battlement. At the top a curtain of feathers cocooned a hidden figure, bristling with a deep crimson magical aura that made the air feel heavy as it was chaotic. When the wings unfurled, the lighting vanished and instead wrapped around a slender young woman's frame. A crimson spiked halo adorned over a mane of snow-hued hair that draped over her shoulders, red eyes and pale skin complementing the sharp earred visage she sported. Crimson metal guards strapped over her knuckles up to her elbows, similarly to the ankles up her thighs with the upper partition being covered by dark brown lace. Similarly died cuirass draped around her waist, with more metal plating leading up to a slender shaped middle up to a revealing bust held by more plating. Landing down on the ground by bare feet, she brushed her hair around a pair of arching feather headdress on either flank of her white haired head, nestled in place by a laced brown band of sorts. With hair reaching her ankles and flourishing out because of her overwhelming Ethernano output, the raven colored wings that stretched out had an overcast color of crimson that was showered by the halo hovering above her head.

"It's been awhile since you've called on my help, Geoffrey," She mused with boredom, crossing her arms to raise up her guarded breasts up in a show of dispassion. Her red eyes closed and then opened to look at Morgan, allowing her look of boredom to be replaced with alluring intrigue. Letting out a pur of desire she raised a brow and inquired the wary Master of hers. "Who's the cute little thing with that interesting Magic surrounding her?"

"That is Morgan Deschain, a Dragon Slayer," He replied with a beading sweatdrop, always feeling uneasy around Cassandra. Despite him having formed a pact with her, the prior's tendency to act whimsical always made him apprehensive of using her often. Wanting to keep things good between him and the Goddess he made their pact one of necessity rather than convenience. This was such a time, as he put a lot of stakes on winning this Tournament, especially after last year's debacle. "She's a lot tougher than her age and size dictates. She forced me to use quite a few high level Magics-"

"Yes, she'll do."

"-and has...eh? Do what?" He inquired with a nervous expression as he looked at her only to witness her impression left in the wake of feathers left behind. Moving like a shriek of red enveloped blackness topped with white, Cassandra appeared in front of Morgan within a heartbeat of her own Master. Turning to look where she was, he smiled despite his own cautiousness of staying away when she made her move. "Yes, good, Cassandra. Beat her senseless. I want to hear her scream for forgiveness of making a fool out of me!"

When she did appear, however, Cassandra seemed to cock a grin, her voice breathing out like spice scented wind. Her hand reached out to brush sensually across Morgan's face, stroking underneath her left eye as she leaned forward and purred lowly to her, "I like you. Want to be mine and have some fun?"

"...or you'll just completely ignore the fact she's your opponent and try to seduce her," Geoffrey thought with an irritating twitch on his brow. Raising a hand up he shouted with an aggravated tone. "CASSANDRA! I DIDN'T SUMMON YOU SO YOU CAN ACT ON A WHIM! BEAT THAT GIRL UNTIL SHE'S UNCONSCIOUS! THIS I COMMAND-"

"Shut up," Cassandra retorted, turning to look at him over the curvature of her left shoulder and protruding wing. "I don't ally with you for my health. Let me have my way and I'll ensure you'll win this competition of yours."

"Y-Yes maam," Geoffrey cowered, feeling the fear ebb off him outweigh his own embarassment.

"Now then," The deity declared in a wing encircling manner to covetuously pull her closer to her frame. She longed to feel her skin and the Ethernano wash over her. The scent and visual euphoria she had simply being in Morgan's presence was addicting. It had simply been too long since she's entertained a fancy with a child of a Dragon. But this was an exceptional occasion, and she wouldn't squander it. "Shall we entertain with a bit of foreplay, or shall we just do it here on the stage? I can, if you wish, take us somewhere more...mmmm, private?"

With an arm wrapped around the small of the girl's back with her breath washing over her like enticing herbs, her eyes were drawn half-lidded with a mouth parted. Lips soft and supple of a light pink unlike her alabaster complexioned face. She intended to bring her in just close enough for Morgan to taste the air between them. The best part of seduction was making them feel like they're in charge and coming in for the kill. She could already feel her body against her own, smell her, and hear her heartbeat; now she wanted to taste her and make her own.

Morgan became confused as her opponent dispelled his remaining clones. In her current state, she doubted she could have taken down the remaining copies as well as the original. That confusion turned to a moment of fear when she saw a pitch-black card, the same that had just minutes before swallowed up her roar. But nothing could prepare her for what was coming.

The crimson light was blinding as if filled the dome, although it only took a few moments for her eyes to properly adjust, one of the more useful aspects of the Darkness Dragon’s power that she possessed. She could see the black feathers falling and a strange figure that descended from the sigil. “So this is a goddess?” she thought, unsure of what to expect. She wasn’t one to place much stock in the divine, so to see a deity in the flesh was beyond her understanding.

When Cassandra drew nearer, Morgan could see the look in her eyes, a look she knew well. The eyes of a hungry predator, but not one that sought her suffering, but a kind of predation she didn’t quite understand. However, she couldn’t help but laugh as Geoffry was told by his own summon to back off, there was a certain irony to that she could appreciate.

Being pulled close by the goddess in front of her, Morgan had no idea what was going on. One moment she was sure there was going to be a fight, the next she was embraced by her enemy. “What do you mean?” she asked, wary of the entity’s intentions. “Aren’t we supposed to be fighting?”

There was a bout of silence followed by the effect of air blowing by the two. As suddenly as Cassandra drew the young girl in, she fell to her hands and knees. Wings drooped along with her head as a cloud of depression hung over her, complemented by the words of defeat echoing from her lips, "I...failed...so horribly. I should die as penance for my lack of finesse..."

Palming his face, Geoffrey groaned aloud, "Oh for the love of-...JUST fight already, Cassandra!"

Sighing, the winged deity rose back up to her feet, smiling with a bashful flush on her cheeks, "You're so innocent, my woos fell on deaf ears. I'll find a way to lure you into my embrace out of your own carnal desires. One day, I-I'll promise you that," Turning to walk away from her, wings folded behind her back with feathers flourishing around her as she tread barefooted towards her Master. When she was but a dozen meters away, she crossed her arms and closed hers, face still blushing at her own embarassment of failing a seduction while still infatuated with the Slayer. "I-If you want to fight, c-come on! I only have a few minutes left before his summoning expires!"

"Why would you say...whatever, just finish her off!" Her summoner cried out in an aghast tone.

"I will when I want to, dumbass," She muttered with pouted lips and a turn of the head.

Morgan was confused as Cassandra fell to her hands and knees, unaware of the meaning behind the words she had spoken. When Geoffrey tried to get his summon to fight, the Dragon Slayer found herself agreeing to a degree, the battle was far more important than trying to understand what the goddess had meant. She entered a defensive stance as the divine entity once more stood up. Her confusion only grew as the summoned deity walked away instead. "She doesn't seem interested in fighting all that much, but isn't that the point of a tournament?"

When Cassandra gave her the invitation to fight, that was all Morgan needed to hear, and it was one of the few things the angelic-looking woman said that her mind instantly was able to make sense of. She drew on more of her magical energy, not taking any chances with having two opponents, one known as a goddess and the other strong enough to summon said goddess, even for a short time. A bleak aura cloaked her body as her magical power exerted itself as a form of pressure, shrouding the area within the aura, dying it in darkness. She ran forward, her body blurring as she began to accelerate

As she closed the gap, she jumped into the air, her aura focusing around her left arm. "Darkness Dragon Slayer Secret Art..." she intoned as the shadowy energy shifted in accordance with her will. "Izanagi's Curse! As she named her spell, the dark energy formed itself in a lance-like shape, the base covering Morgan's arm. Without another word, she thrust her arm toward Cassandra, the spear elongating as it shot downward with bullet-like force.

Geoffrey was terrified. The power his opponent unleashed was so powerful that it released a seismic tremor that made him fall onto his backside. A buffet of wind made him grasp his fedora and keep it on his head, straining to look on at the peeling tears of Darkness that flowed outward from the battlement. What he witnessed was a lance of shadow, wisping all along its length from a hovering girl where it converged around her arm.

But where it connected made him feel relieved.

Her wings, gaining a onyx adamantine sheen to them, rose and curled to form an arching shield. The spear's edge snapped, raining like dark glass around the deity. But as the magic washed over her, a dreamy smile seemed to encapture her, giving off the impression her eyes looked into the distance and her cheeks were flushed a red hot hue. As the last shards crackled around her feet, her pupils dilated as she realized she was daydreaming as the wave of dakness magic was like a moist breath across her senses. Covering her face she blushed, shaking her head as she squealed aloud.

"NO! SNAP OUT OF IT!" She screamed at herself, the appendages blowing back the weapon and incidentally sending a pocket of air pressure rocketing towards the airborne Morgan. Smashing into the canopy of their caged environment, the tiles above shattered instantly and fell like glass in of themselves.

Screaming like a girl, Geoffrey barely maneuvered his prone form to evade the tiles spearing down at him. Sweating profusely, a perfect outline at a discontorted angle was made of his whole form, comically imprisoning him within the tight space. Rising up with a bout of rage he shook his hand at the Goddess with outrage and alarm.

"CASSANDRA! I almost DIED! Careful about what you do when I'm close by!" He exclaimed.

Slapping herself repeatedly on the cheeks, she blew a raspberry at him before turning to look around for Morgan. When she finally sighted her, her cheeks lit up again. Still even as she stared she entertained the aspect of testing her abilities. She loved feeling the way the ferocity of the Ethernano jetted over her pores. Like desiring another dose of a drug, she raised a beckoning hand towards her.

"Come on," She urged in a purr, wings upraised, sending glittering feathers swirling around her crimson lit body. "Show me that delicious, beautiful power of yours, Morrrrrgan.~"

As her Secret Art shattered against Cassandra's wing, Morgan scowled. The Izanami's Curse wasn't her most powerful spell by far, but it served a purpose, testing the limits of her foe's defenses. She didn't care for how easily it had been blocked and broken apart, but it confirmed one thing, the goddess was strong, far stronger than she had anticipated.

The pressure wave produced by the deity slammed into her body, sending her flying backwards, towards the domed cover of the arena. She felt herself flipping, disorienting her senses, before she came to a sudden halt, smashing into the ceiling with enough force that she seemed to stick for a moment. She pushed herself off the dome and dropped to the arena floor. The tile below her feet shattered from the accelerated impact, producing a cloud of dust and debris, obscuring sight of her for a moment. She wasn't sure how much more damage she could take, all she knew was that she needed to win.

"You want me to show you my power? I'll give you everything I've got!" she yelled back as her magic power spiked again. She flashed around the ring, her mind-boggling speed allowing her to appear and vanish across distances most humans would think impossible. After a few seconds of distraction, she appeared in front of Cassandra. She held her hands at her side, the heels of her palms touching and her fingers curled like claws, magic power gathered at the tips. "Darkness Dragon's Sinking Fang! she cried as she thrust her hands forward, a draconic visage formed of her magic power appeared around her hands, its jaws spread as it seemed to lunge outward along the path of Morgan's hands.

Again, Geoffrey could scarcely believe that this was his opponent. If she fought this seriously at the get-go, he'd be unable to defend himself let alone muster a counterattack. The beading sweat rolling off his face disappeared as soon as a flash of wind that nearly sent him back onto his buttocks. Skidding on his feet he watched in awe as another black dyed wind flashed out as a monstrous dragonic maw clamped down towards the Goddess.

But the artisan of war used both of her hands to grab it in between the wedges of the teeth. While the ground cracked beneath their feet for several meters, all the effect it had on her was her hair whipping behind her and feathers tossing around them. Like raindrops the speckled the two of them, sliding off each other as Cassandra stared with star-filled eyes at the intensity and fierceness while containing such an innocent aura about her. Like a perfect balance of darkness and light, she was head over heels for this girl.

"AGAIN!" She cried out with glee, shattering the dragon maw into pieces while spinning around in a blur of black overcasted with red. A foot jettisoned towards her solar plexus, intent on sending her bouncing across the ring. With a flap of her wings she appeared where she'd likely regain balance. A wide smile and she threw a cocked arm forward, its palm pressing towards her scalp. The result of which created an explosion of excited Ethernano, dancing within the palm of her hands, sparking out a scarlet flare within the fiery blast that'd consume her proximity. "KEEP AT IT! I WANT YOU TO HIT ME! WITH ALL OF YOUR MIGHT!"

"Oh no," The summoner thought as he paled, feeling the petering waves of light create an eerie sense of wrong. Tendrils of red crackled along her body like serpents, writhing around her form as a slasher smile melded with her blush and star-eyed expression. It was a smile only one who revelled in battle and slaughter could project. "don't tell me she's going to lose it?! I don't want to be seen as a monster if she kills the brat!"

"Please, excite me," She thought in the wake of her attack, her body feeling electrified just being around the Dragon Slayer. "Both in body and mind, I want your soul to clash with mine. Bring me to ecstasy with your fiery power, oh innocent flower dyed of blackness!"

Morgan barely had time to cross her arms defensively as her draconic attack was torn apart before her eyes. She felt the force of Cassandra's kick and skidded backwards as the foot slammed into her. Before she could mount a counter offensive, the warrior goddess stood before her and launched a blast of energy point-blank. Even with her unnatural speed, dodging something that close was impossible, Her only hope was to weather the attack and to fight back without mercy.

As the smoke cleared from the attack, Morgan could feel every part of her body in pain. Her skin was burnt various shades of red, her clothes had had little rips and tears and she felt like she had just been through the most brutal training her father ever devised for her. Her arms and legs felt like lead, and it took far more effort than she liked just to remain standing before her enemy.

"You want more?" she asked, her breathing heavy, "Don't say I didn't warn you....I'll show you the power I have!" she yelled. "I'll make you regret asking for me for this." As she spoke, the last dregs of her power welled to the surface. She was going to make every last ounce of her remaining might count. "Darkness Dragon's Roar!" She bellowed forth a wave of dark magic far larger than the one she had previously, this one fueled by everything she possessed.

It was a beat. A swell of power that ballooned within the girl's body and made Cassandra's heart flutter. Even as she growled the energy flourished and swirled upward to the base of her throat, bubbling from the stomach. As she turned to face her she'd find the Goddess didn't turn and run, nor did she evade as she could easily have. The proportion of Ethernano was even higher than the others and it only made her shiver with excitement when it came to its peak.

Unleashed, it became a pitch blackness.

Raising a hand she caught the blast, her heels smashing into the ground and her wings flaring out behind her as a howling wind blasted her. The crimson color was replaced with an onyx hue, a sweeping cold with a subtle warmth that gave her a lukewarm sensation. Petering upon the outer edges of the roar spell it was doing all it could as she seemed to continuously shout out the blast of magic. Her face flushed and her eyes became emblazoned with hearts. The undying will, the darkness filled with emotion and the passion to protect with innocence that betrayed her own young ignorance of the world. She could feel all of her emotions and experiences as if she read a book; it gave her such a rush she squealed with ecstasy.

Swiping the blast aside the fissure seemed to roar in another direction other than her, causing a dimming occurrence of the flames that were birthed from the midnight colored power. It surprised her that someone could bear so much weight and burdens within a power stemming from a negative property such as darkness. Yet she felt optimism, hope, compassion and genuine love for those in her life. The contrast of the two made her heart pound and the stomach flutter with giddiness.

The palm of her hand steamed off the skin but bore no markings of injury. But she could feel it, the slipping of presence she had in this vicinity. Now her fair complexioned body began to glow a bright scarlet outlined white and she knew her time was up. Walking forward she couldn't help but twirl a loose band of her hair grazing over her shoulder, wings dragging behind her like a dress, eyes pointed down. A trembling smile was all she had but she couldn't help but avert her gaze from the young Slayer.

"I-I know this is...unorthodox...and...maybe inappropriate for a match," She whispered, her face growing increasingly red, flowing all the way up to her ears. "But...would you form a pact with me? Even if you don't win against my Master, given your exhausted state, I'd like to show you my...my...m-m-my a-adoration for you by binding myself to your soul. I'd help you get stronger...even help with mundane stuff...even, perhaps, more intimate things. W-W-Well?"

Morgan was completely drained. Her final attack contained everything she had left. Her jaw dropped as she saw the goddess still relatively unharmed. Her eyes widened in shock. She thought it imposible that anyone could survive a full power roar like that, and yet there stood proof in front of her own eyes. Her opponent batted it aside with such ease that had it not been for the numb soreness that radiated through her body, she was sure it'd have to be a dream.

She could barely move to return to her defensive stance as Cassandra neared, only to relax when it became plain that the woman wasn't there to finish the fight. As the deity spoke to her, Morgan had no idea what to think. She was being offered something so few really had, but what caught her attention most was the promise to help her get stronger. Power was something that the Dragon Slayer valued, everything she dreamed of attaining in the future hinged on her strength, she couldn't pass up the chance.

"You want to make a pact? If you mean what you say and that you'll be by my side even if I lose here, then I accept." She noticed the red tinge to the goddess's face, although she passed it off as the glow that returned. She wondered if that meant the scant few minutes she had mentioned were up, but that wasn't top priority, finishing the fight was.

Her face lightened and her expression transformed into one of awe. She had never considered that she'd accept. They had barely met, yet, the look in her eyes and her body language told her she meant it. The aura of her Magic spoke of a hunger, a desire to gain power and it was one she could only approve of as a Goddess of War. And yet, she couldn't stop herself from reaching around and pulling Morgan into a fierce hug, her wings disappearing as most of her body was constituting into a rise of light.

"I'll make you mine," She swore silently, her lips finding her cheek and planting a moist, long kiss onto the pale skin. It'd be the last warmth that she'd feel as her whole body constituted her physical form. Rising up even the scattered feathers disappeared as if they never were there. The opaque scarlet light that filled the chamber was gone and replaced with its artificial luminiscence. Even as she departed she couldn't help but look down longingly with parting thoughts. "See you soon, Morgan Deschain."

Unbeknownst to her, the roar that she sent flying haphazardly away had accidentally slammed into her poor summoner. Well, ex, now that she had designated a new pact. While dissipated the force to a degree, it didn't stop a boxer adorned man of charcoal covered man with a wide open mouth and broken teeth was seen impacted in a deep crater of the arena ring. Hair frizzled and eyes whited-out, he was firmly unconscious.

"W-W-WHAT AN AMAZING TURN OF EVENTS! THE TEASING DEITY SUMMONED BY GEOFFREY TIDDLEHEE WAS WHISKED AWAY AND HER SUMMONER WAS KO'D! MORGAN DESCHAIN WINS BY THE SKIN OF HER TEETH AND MAY PROCEED TO THE SECOND ROUND BRACKET OF THIS TOURNAMENT!"

The loud booming voice of the announcer rang within the arena, having kept most of the commentary muted so the contenders could fight uninterrupted. With an unseen circle, the host transported them back to the contender area, as respect to their exhausted states. With the hoodie adorned Kase laughing at the unconscious and undignified man, Maria leaped with joy as she embraced her tightly. While she didn't get to see and hear everything that happened in the battle she knew by the sound of the explosion and the disappearance of the spirit or whatever she was that she won.

"You did it! Morgan you did it! I'm so proud of you!" She squealed with delight as she nuzzled into her sister's neck, squeezing relentlessly despite her fatigue.

Morgan flinched, partially from the suddeness of the contact and partially from exhaustion, as Cassandra embraced her. The hug was unexpected but not entirely unwelcome.She felt her face flush as the goddess kissed her cheek. Before she could say anything, the woman departed, her magic having run its course. That meant only one thing yet remained between her and her victory.

That's when the announcer broke the silence, the match was actually over. She glanced over at her opponent, seeing him knocked out and in a state of partial undress, his blank stare proof of her success in the first round, moreso than the announcers words. Without a moment to spare, she felt herself being teleported back outside and the moment she was able to recognize the area around her, she felt Maria wrap around her.

"I told you I'd win." she replied, trying not to yelp in pain as she returned the embrace. Everything hurt, but she was happy regardless. Despite the aching and soreness, hearing she made her sister proud was worth it all.

"I know, but I got worried when that...well, goddess showed up," Maria gawked as she released her sister. She didn't falter in immediately applying some restorative barriers around her, knowing she must be exhausted. The sooner she was back to one hundred percent, the easier it'd be for her to continue. "I mean, she was acting really strange, wasn't she? I never seen a woman, spirit or otherwise, act that way to another girl. It almost looked like she had taken a liking to you...somehow..."

Furrowing her brows she blushed slightly, feeling as if there was something intimate going on. Shaking her head she focused on restoring her sibling's health, stamina and Ethernano stores. She rather not dwell on such thoughts that her fantasy created. Like the moment the holograms zoomed in on her embracing Morgan and wrapping her wings around her. Then that time in the flickering light she swore she saw her hug her and...kiss her?

Steaming out of the ears she shook her head furiously as she kept busy healing her.

Morgan lost her balance for a moment as Maria broke off the hug. She quickly caught herself, shaking as her muscles tried to rebel against her intention to remain standing. Her will only barely held out over her body's ever-increasing desire to collapse, proving just how much she had given in order to win.

She had no idea what got her sibling so worked up, although she was grateful for the restorative barriers built around her. She could feel her strength slowly returning. Every little bit helped without a doubt, she was sure by the next time she had to enter the ring, she'd be more than recovered enough to win the next fight with ease. "Are you really sure you can affort to use magic on me? You haven't even had your first fight yet." she stated, concern filling her voice.

"Don't worry about me," Maria smiled reassuringly up at her sister, feeling calmed down from her earlier smelting pot of feelings. "It honestly doesn't take much Ethernano to restore a single person. The difference between us isn't so vast that I end up exhausted after one spell cast, haha!"

Even as she laughed, she couldn't help but remember how in awe she was of the kind of spells Morgan let loose. Even though her enemy was a skilled magician and his summoning an undeniably powerhouse she persevered with a willpower she had only seen during that battle at the river city. Still, she wouldn't give up, and wouldn't let such feats be the undoing of her own self confidence.

"Besides," She added with a raspberry, holding up what looked like a vial of blue liquid. "The rules never said you couldn't restore your body or that of your ally. I'm just making sure our contract is fulfilled...and the chance we can fight in the ring on equal terms."

The Sound of Madness
After the sister proclaimed her determination, the spinning image of their competition whipping around in dinging sounds. When it finally landed on Maria's name she felt her breath hitch. She only saw the name and realized that her opponent was going to be fighting.

Jack Oakden, the lead guitarist for the Guild-turned-band Blurred Thesis, the other competitor chosen, a tall, skeletally thin man, with long blonde hair smiled as he saw his name come up in the randomized listing. "Damn, guess I'm headlining this act. At least I'll have a captive audience." he muttered to himself as brushed strands of hair away from his face, revealing his signature stage makeup, a blood-red lightning bolt pattern over his left eye. He was chosen to enter the tournament for more than his power, but also because he was the face of the group. Not only would it be good income, but the publicity would be a great boon as well.

Jack's only complaint was that he was third up in the first round, against a virtual no-name from a fresh guild. No way would he be remembered for beating a nobody from nowhere. He wanted to take on fighters with some fame. He'd rather face the Dragon Slayer, at least even in losing his reputation would skyrocket as a man who could dance the magic dance with perhaps the most unique mage on the bracket, and had he won it, the fans would flock to him and his group like never before.

As he walked into the orb held by the giant, he had to admit, it had appeal as a suitable venue, a stage more than worthy of a rising star of his caliber. All the eyes in the place were on him, and the hopes of his bandmates were with him, he couldn't let them down. He took his place across from the young girl he was sent against and smirked. "Let's give the people a hell of a show, shall we? I hope you can keep up with my tempo!"

Hugging her sister one last time, she sipped on the vial to restore any little Ethernano she expended. Capping it she walked as calmly and with dignity as she could manage. Catching sight of the man she recognized from the news as a popular rock band, remembering some of his lyrics from passing, knowing that he probably was a face many considered an idol. She didn't see it, but now that he was an opponent she didn't know what to make of what kind of power he'd be. Sound perhaps?

Left to silent speculation, she settled inside of the ring after a bit of walking into the lowered sphere. Once again the environment changed now to that of a large domed stage, giving the emphasis that they were within a concert with the audience being projections of the viewers not physically present. Still, the faux image of her sister was enough to cheer her up and renew herself in confidence. Readying herself into a forward aggressive stance she couldn't help but smile a bit confidently as she spoke back to her opponent.

"I know who you are, Jack Oakden," She remarked with a crisp tone of professionalism with a bit of pride in herself. "A Lead guitarist in a small Guild that became a very successful band. But I'm sure you want to span your influence outside of Fiore and Seven but to the rest of Ishgar. I'm just going to say, the only thing you'll accomplish is being defeated by someone younger and prettier than you.

"My name is Maria Alexander, heiress to the International Magic Advancement Company and daughter to Victor and Vanessa Alexander. The Dragon Slayer that participated before me was my sister, both of us are the aspiring Phoenix Sisters; I'm sure you'll know who I am before we're through," She declared as boastfully as she could, hoping some of the speel impressed him as it did invigorate her with confidence.

Jack stiffled a laugh. his luck seemed to turn around faster than he thought possible. In front of him was no mere pest of a girl, but the daughter of one of the most famous men on the planet, and the Slayer's sister to boot. "I might have scored the best first round ever." he thought to himself. "Your sister put on a grand performance. If you're even half as good, this duet might be worth the price of admission after all." he said, pulling out a guitar pick from his pocket. The object began to glow dark green as he ran his magical power through it. "I hope you enjoy having VIP seating to my victory Miss Alexander."

He repositioned his arms as if he was holding an invisible guitar. "Did you know that music is one of the most powerful things mankind has ever grasped the concept of? Let me show you what I mean. Scale Blast!" As he called the name of his magic, he began to mime strumming the strings, producing the sounds of an electric guitar being played, the cacophony given rise via his magic. As he played, pressure shockwaves of sound began to emanate from his person, tinted forest green to match the glowing pick.

From Maria's perspective, him using a pick without a guitar looked ridiculous. Like a child using an 'air guitar' the sight would ordinarily be met with someone making sounds from their mouth as opposed to where their fingers were. But when the blasting jolts of electric music flowed through the air that made her wince and hold her hands over her ears, the entire arena pulsed with the tunes he unleashed. The sight of the man's Magical Aura flared out showing he was a great deal stronger than any musician had the right to be.

But then again, her enemy isn't just any musician or mage, but a rock star.

"You like music?!" She cried out, clasping a hand over her outstretched right arm with a thumb folded over the palm of pointed digits. A crimson outlined orb of darkness emanated over the fingertips, crackling with burgundy tendrils (the standard appearance of her new Bullet Magic, Darkness Bolt). Unleashing the bolt with a wake of pitch black in its wake as it zig-zagged towards the music magician, able to unleash a potent explosion that'd rip apart seven meters of the arena floor that he'd stand upon; and him, if he wasn't careful. "LISTEN TO THIS SICK BEAT!"

Watching his opponent try in vain to defend against the sonic magic he commanded, Jack kept strumming, producing more soundwaves as he did so, trying to keep Maria on the defensive. He was sure his nigh-unblockable powers would lead him to a near-flawless victory. However, he couldn't hide his shock when she began to pose as energy began to gather around her outstretched fingers.

The blast she produced was such that he had to compare it to the one her sister produced in the previous round. As far as he was concerned, such a display of power was more than enough to prove her a worthy enough challenge to allow him to make a name for himself once he won the battle. With an expertly timed jump, he moved out of the way of the attack, or so he thought. The outermost edge of the spell caught him by surprise, The explosion it produced on contact engulfed him. When the smoke faded, he emerged virutally unharmed, save for his hair hetting disheveled and his make-up slightly smeared.

"Impressive attack kid. If you caught me dead bang, I might have been in trouble. I guess I'll need to crank up the volume!" As he spoke, he focused more energy into his pick, forming an elongated sword-like shape. "Sonic Blade!"

His weapon formed, gave it a few test swings, each swipe producing a different tone. As far as he was concerned, all he felt was the guitar pick grasped between his fingers, making the weapon feel as light as a feather. He swung towards Maria, producing a harsh-tonal wave of magic power. "Off-Tone!"

Maria was surprised that, upon part of her attack connecting, had no visible effect on the sound mage. Other than a comical fluster to his hair dew, he was still spouting out rhetoric involving his motif; par for the course she realized.

Taking up a readied stance as the color of the Ethernano flowing from his Holder Item, transforming it into what looked like an emerald transparent aura. Every twitch and swing caused ringing tones, as if plucking guitar strings. Like sound compressed into a sword form she was wary exactly how long its reach was...

Then he swung it, and a torrential ear-bleeding blend of colored sound waves was sent her way.

Eyeing the magic wave her own body briefly ignited in a blossoming wave of crimson Ethernano. Then, without anyone in the audience or her foe really witnessing it, blinked from her spot instantaneously and switched spots where the Sonic Blade was. To the observing eye, her extinguished form looked as if it phased straight through the Sound Magic. As it crashed into the wall behind her and slashed it up, she grinned mischieviously at her opponent.

"Your aim is terrible for it to miss little ol' me," She taunted, clapping her hands together, golden colored Ethernano crackling along the back of her hands to fuse straight between the palms. "Let's see how well do against mine!"

Stretching her hands above her head, the palms unfurled like petals to a flower and revealed an orb of yellow outlined white magic. Releasing it up towards the dome, it halted just before it touched the ceiling. With her hands still crackling of energy, tangibly connected by thin ribbons of light, she thrust it forward at the Music Wizard and declared aloud.

"Bullet Magic, Shocking Scatter Shots!"

A harrowing series of forked lightning blasts shot down from above, continuously cracking the tiles and blasting them apart. All of which aimed to catch the Wizard off guard and make use of its large firing measure to keep evading incredibly difficult. The blasts were potent enough to leave meter wide scorched craters, the blasts flashing and snapping with thunderclaps escaping each attack. It'd number in what seem like two dozen strikes over the course of fifteen seconds that she issued out her punishing spell.

"''Damn brat. How the hell'd she..." ''Jack thought as he watched Maria's evasion. He never anticipated her being able to move faster than the eye could even see. The worst was her taunting him after the fact, as if dodging his attack was the simplest thing in the world. He leered at her warily, trying to get a read on her next move.

His gaze followed the white-yellow light as it reached up to the ceiling, his eyes widening as the energy began to rain down towards him, blasting the arena floor to cinders with rapid-fire strikes that he couldn't time enough to evade. A number of them crashed into his body, igniting his nerves with pain. When the barrage finally stopped, he remained flat on his face, hovering along the dangerous line between awareness and unconsciousness. He snapped back to a fully aware state and pushed himself to his feet after a few seconds. "You think I'll take a final bow this early? We've just hit the encore!" he yelled as he stumbled forward, a crazed look on his face. He knew he was pushing his body, but he refused to lose, even if combat wasn't his forte.

His magical aura blazed around him, consuming him in an emerald blaze. He hated to have to play his ace in the hole so soon, but he wasn't sure if he could win otherwise. "Diabolical Soundscape!"

As he spoke, his aura was drawn back into the pick in his grasp, causing it to thrum with power. Once more, Jack mimed playing a guitar, only this time, the sound waves produced behaved like a crushing force. Loose shards of the arena that were created by Maria's prior attack were reduced to rubble from the sonic damage. The howling sounds reverberated off the dome, bounding around the arena, the air tinting green with magic power. While his opponent was distracted with the spell from above, he knelt down and pressed the guitar pick to the ground, sending a green wave of sonic energy from the point of contact towards Maria.

It was something she couldn't defend against.

Despite her swell of pride at almost knocking Jack Oakden out, it was changed to outright frustration. Nothing seemed to keep this man down, and his magic was still projecting as wildly as his music was loud. Being front row to a blitz of electric tones, the ground ripped apart and was sent flying back as dust with the forceful vibrating wind hitting her full force. Knocked off her feet she flipped head over heels, hands clenched over her ears till crashed into the far wall. As if to defy her, the insulting guitar solo seemed to quake the entire stadium and web out damage while her body was pinned.

"Dammit! I can't move!" She thought as she struggled. A muted scream was unleashed with the orchestra of devastation was wrought onto her body, blocking it out completely. Her insides felt like they were turning every which direction, her vision blurring. Nostrils and ears began to ooze blood that slid out and slapped the barrier her body was cemented to. Seeing vaguely for him picking something off the ground she deduced it was the guitar pick. "If he uses that Sound Blade on me, I might not be able to keep fighting. Crude as it may be, sonic power affects internal components far easier than any other-"

The slight peripheral sight of her sister in the projected crowd knocked her out of her pained reverie. The feeling of failure was not as much as the crushing disappointment she'd no likely inflict on her sibling. Grinding her teeth she willed a fountain of crimson light around her. Roaring out loud she pried free from the wall and landed on the ground, just as the Sonic Blade approached her. Upon mental activation, her body glowed a pulse of cyan with veins pulsing underneath her clothes, spreading up her neck to overlap her face and tap even to her digits. In an instant, she'd evade the Sonic Blade but not like before.

Rushing like a torrential blur of crimson and blue, the vibrating air seeming to warp around the sound defying Maria. The heiress would appear in front of Jack Oakden while his aura was at its most intense. Piercing through it was a twisting right arm, whose digits tapped straight where his torso's epicenter be located; the spot where the Ethernano container was stored next to the heart, the expanded secondary holder for all of his volume of magic.

"This ends," She began to say in the split second her punch moved faster than sight could witness, her body suddenly becoming visible in front of the rock artist wizard. The force would be substantial enough that the 2 Inch Punch generated had enough pressure to produce a pop in their localized atmosphere. Music stopping and sound briefly muting, straight as the pressure gale of her precise attack would assuredly do major damage to her target if not send him flying upon her final whispered word. "Now."

Jack watched with demented glee as his opponent was pressed against the wall with his magic's force. It made the fight all the more simple if she couldn't move. His follow up blast had more than enough power to take her out of the fight on contact. He couldn't wait to hear the crowd applauding his victory and he was done playing around.

Much to his shock however, his Sonic Blade failed to finish the fight. Instead, the girl was right in front of him, bloody but virtually unharmed. He recoiled back, trying to make some distance between the two of them but before he could even begin to flee, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and his power leaving him rapidly. He couldn't even understand what happened before he was sent flying backwards, smashing into a wall, buried in a crater. He blacked out, his body finally at its limit.

"ANOTHER ASTOUNDING VICTORY FOR HOUSE ÁRBOL! THE PHOENIX SISTERS HAVE BOTH MADE IT THROUGH THEIR RESPECTIVE MATCHES OF ROUND ONE! GIVE A HAND FOR YOUNG MARIA ALEXANDER FOR PULLING OFF A VICTORY IN HER FIRST TOURNAMENT AFTER HER SIBLING!"

Maria felt relief wash over her as her Vein Magic disengaged, a lapse of stamina deprivation overlapping her. It wasn't horrible given how little she used it, but it was a realization that a prolonged use could leave her dead exhausted. Relying this purely as a last resort, she knew, was the best course of action for the meantime.

As she and her opponent were warped back to their respective places on the lawn away from the now lowering sphere, she happily looked at her sister with a weary yet confident smile. Holding up her hands to form a peace sign, she giggled, finding her victory nothing short of inspirational thanks to seeing her sister's face in the midst of her weakest moment, "I did it, sis. We're both qualifiers!"

Morgan felt herself let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding as the announcer revealed the match's conclusion. She cracked a smile as soon as Maria was warped to her side. For now, the duo could rest easy, knowing their victory was one step closer than before. "You were great!" she said ecstatically as she embraced her sister. "I couldn't even see you dodging that last attack. One minute you were about to get hit, the next you were winning."

She broke off the hug and looked closer at her sister. "You're bleeding." she said, her expression changing from one of joy to one of worry. "Are you okay to keep fighting?" She wasn't sure how much damage Maria had taken from the mostly invisible onslaught she had to contend with, but the sight of her sibling's blood was enough to justify the sense of alarm she felt.

"I'm a little dizzy," Maria shook her head, still feeling ringing in her injured eardrums. Clasping her hands together, she focused on forming a Restoration Barrier around herself, making quick work of healing her damaged innards to the lost stores of stamina and Ethernano that was spent. Within seconds she was restored and she wiped away the blood streaks on her nostrils and ears, "Sorry to worry you, but I've felt worse when training with you and father. My opponent wasn't as strong as yours, so I got off easy."

An audible clap was heard, with a pair of footsteps aimed towards them. The source revealed itself as Darius, sauntering over with a smug grin elapsed on his face. Unlike before, Maria's eyes fixated a stoic glare as he approached, whisking away the barrier and instead placed one right in front of their competition. The golden transparent field made him stop but didn't defuse the expression on his face.

"What's the matter? Are you shy?" Darius asked with a stable disposition of pride and amusement.

"I know you used Charm Magic on me," The Heiress replyed coldly, keeping her barrier up as he pocketed his hands before it and the pair of girls. "It's a simple matter of deduction. An unnatural arousal and hypnotic state is the cause of charms. But once you figure out what the cause of it is, the charm is useless."

"Truly, you're as astute as you are powerful on the battlefield," He waved a hand with exaggeration, but held no sense of sarcasm. "Yes, I do have Charm Magic and I can use it quite well. It gets me a lot of what I want, but it isn't my sole power to rely upon. Since both of you vixens are not under my thrall I'll have to consider using...messier methods of dispatching you both, in the ring."

"You think you can take us?"

"I don't think. I know," The Midus Wizard responded with a thin-lipped smile. "You children have no place here. You fought a has-been Card Magician and an entertainer. You've yet to feel the true mettle of an experienced Wizard."

Morgan became visibly relaxed as Maria's healing undid the damage bit by bit. Although the word itself was hard for her to say, she loved her sister more than she could ever describe, and to see her hurt was insufferable. She was about to remark on the speed and effectiveness of the healing barriers, but upon hearing a slow clapping she turned to see Darius standing there. If it hadn't been for the tournament itself, she would have proven that her prior threat was no mere warning but instead a glimpse into the future.

It took considerale force of will for her to quiet the rage boiling through her, dying her thoughts with a desire to tear the man limb from limb, moreso after hearing Maria explain exactly what kind of magic had been used to manipulate her before. She could only hope that her chance to make good on her proclamation earlier, sanctioned by the tournament itself.

His prideful nonsense belittling their accomplishments was infuriating. He had no idea how much they endured to reach the level of skill that they now possessed in their respective magics. "You won't beat us, no matter how hard you try. We've overcome far more powerful people than you." she said, a serious look on her face.

"Yeah!" Maria fist pumped with an irritated look on her own visage. "Go back to whatever hole you crawled out from, you creep!"

"Charming," Darius commented, his smile vanishing and one of stoic annoyance. "But that naive certainty of yours will be wiped away when you're faced with the reality. This is where your adventures come to an end. In the ring; with your pride and body in disrepair."

Let the Horror Show Commence!
It was at this moment, that the next match was decided and the announcer was all eager to talk about what the board showed on display.

"HOUSE BLACKBURN IS UP AGAIN, THIS TIME WITH DARIUS OF SEVEN'S PRESTIGIOUS MIDUS HAND GUILD! REPRESENTING HOUSE CORONA IN THIS BATTLE WE HAVE JOAN HALBMOND, A NON-REPRESENTATIVE OF ANY GUILD WE KNOW OF! WILL THIS DARK HORSE BE ABLE TO CONTEND WITH A KNOWN ACE LIKE OUR DASHING DARIUS?! LET US SEE NOW!!!"

"Now," He commented with a sly smile, bowing to the pair as he treaded away to meet his competitor in the lowered sphere. "I'm off to showcase what a real Wizard can do."

Elsewhere, not far away from the girls, Chevalier was giving a quiet pep talk to her. When she looked flustered and slapped the blonde-faced man, he sheepishly chuckled as he rubbed his face. The dark haired woman walked off, a scowl on her visage as she entered the sphere shortly after he did. When both opponents were seen on the hovering display screens to the competitors as much as the broadcasting audience, the sphere was shown rising up by the colossus to be in place where it was needed.

Darius, smiling with confidence, stood tall and proud with no indication he was entering a fighting stance. Joan on the other hand was rolling her neck side to side, initiating a number of stretches that issued out painfully audible cracks. While Darius sported what looked like an ordinary collared shirt with fancy suit pants that complemented his handsome fair features and blue hair with cerulean eyes, the woman had a semblance of armored maid's apparel with layered plating over her skirt in four sections while a cross-shaped breastplate was formed over her generously proportioned bosom. With a maid's headdress and golden trim on her waist by the hips and her biceps, she looked nothing of a combatant type but she held herself as a very skilled one by the Wizard's analysis.

"You're hiding a lot of menace behind a lovely face," He commented with a smile. "It seems I'm not the only one who hides a darker shade behind the pretty picture you parade around."

"You like the sound of your voice, or are you too scared to attack?" Joan asked with an irate tone.

"...straight to business I see? That's unfortunate," Darius grinned darkly, crouching down as if to prepare to attack with hands splayed out with digits dancing in the air. "I guess I'll have to beat the humility into you, little maid."

Flying forth in a streak of motion, he'd appear as if speed was comparable to that of Morgan's. Swiping both of his arms in clawing motions, cracking the air while sending invisible attacks that cut into the far domed wall. But as it was empty air, it was for naught as Joan seemed to appear behind him, a silhouette of blue that shimmered with crackling tendrilso .Turning to kick at her temple, it was easily blocked by her arm, absorbing the impact while shaking the ground beneath their feet.

"For the record, I am not just his handler or servant," She explained, eyes void of emotion as she wore a mask of emotionless dispassion. As he whipped his leg back around to have him thrust a palm towards her, she vanished with a flash of light, her armored plated knuckles crashing into his chest. Letting out a wheeze, he was sent tumbling head over heel with an ear popping crash of exploding oxygen. When he returned back to his feet with a flip he'd find her foot kicking up his jaw, followed up with a series of fierce jabs that sent him careening into the wall with an indenting crash. As she held her arms at an angle, upright, her amethyst eyes glared with an almost glowing sense of bloodlust that was held in check by her own accord. "I'm also, his bodyguard."

"WHOO! That's my lovely flower! Good work, Joan!" Chevalier applauded with a wolf whistle and a furious clap, showing much enthuisasm in the blank faced woman of impeccable beauty and grace as she held herself.

"Wow, she's good," Maria remarked with doe-eyed blinks. "Either that, or Darius doesn't seem as hot as he made himself out to be."

Morgan scowled as Darius walked away. She had known people much like him, so full of themselves that they seemed to thrive on looking down on others. She had been the victim of such people in the past, and she knew their kind well. It only hightened her desire to give him his just deserts.

She stood close to her sister, watching Darius closely, watching him for any signs of magic from his person. She had to give the man credit, as much as she loathed the idea of it, his speed was certainly impressive, rivalling her own. Few people could match her in that regard, and it was something she prided herself upon. Yet she had to admit, seeing someone she hated coming even close to her made her wish she had more time to improve herself.

She quickly turned to where Joan was, and to her amazement the maid was able to keep up with, if not exceed, the speed Darius displayed. She watched with a sadistic glee as the woman thrashed her opponent, wishing that she herself was there instead. "She's good, but that man is a slippery snake in human skin. I don't think he's out of the fight yet."

As they commentated, Darius began to wrench himself from the wall, breaking off several discontorted tiles with his shoulders and back. Dusting off his collar and sleeves he smiled casually at the alleged bodyguard from the distance, "Those were good hits. I daresay if I wasn't made of more durable parts than you, I'd be spitting out some teeth and blood. However I believe you were holding back a lot of aggression. You want to kill me, don't you?"

"Who wouldn't want to stomp down on a cockroach?" Joan replied sardonically, her body beginning to crackle more frequently with tendrils of electrical discharge. "The desire to kill repulsive bugs is as instinctive as wanting to kill scum like you."

"You have a history in killing, I'm sure," Darius commented, his eyes widening as much as his smile. "Fortunately for you, I don't intend to do anything less than bring you to your knees! Be thankful I've chosen not to take advantage of the Killing-Is-Allowed policy of this Tournament, but also...be very afraid."

A purple aura suddenly exploded off his person, creating an inferno of flames that spread outward. Tendrils formed from his unmoving person wrapped around large chunks of the battlefield. Once eight in total grabbed chunks of the tiled floor, he threw them all at once. The moment they all reached the stoic maid, her arms became a blur of chops and jabs, shattering all of the projectiles without breaking her stance in the slightest. It was that instance that a tentacle of surged upward, wrapping around her in a tight constrictive squeeze that made her face bead sweat but didn't change her stone cold visage.

"Wait, what the Hell-?" Chevalier inquired with a few blinks of surprise. "That's not Purple Flare, that's...a Black Art?"

"What do you mean?" Maria asked, finding the revelation more confusing than the sight of a fleshy appendage warping out of the broken segments of the ground.

"I've seen plenty of spells, young flower," He answered with a serious expression. "He just made organic substance rather than an extension of magic like other mages would. Notice how it moves? It's semi-sentient. He just brought life to the floor plates. In other words, Living Magic; that's a spell straight from the Book of Zeref."

"I-Is that even legal?!" She yelled aloud, finding the information apalling a Dark Mage had wandered into an official tournament.

"Technically, it isn't against the rules to use Black Arts. Killing is even legal. However, a trained eye would notice this like I have and be concerned just what kind of man this Darius is," Chevalier intoned with a serious expression.

Meanwhile, Darius simply watched with amusement as his maid-adorned captive did her best not to break her demeanor while trying to force her way out of the binds. Chuckling, he crossed his arms, "It's useless to resist. That's real flesh you're struggling against, capable of bending iron in its grip. Not even your surprising physiology could withstand its grip for so long."

A growl was suddenly heard, and the crackling sparks that had been flowing thus far now suddenly came into full discharge. A blanket of white outlined by azure exploded off her, incinerating the flesh and deforming it back into flooring. As the blast and flash occurred, Darius raised a hand to cover his eyes, his body once again ejecting a Purple Flare endowed Magical Aura. Faux appendages swirled around defensively as she rushed with greater speed and strength, crashing into his wall of kneaded defense that sent him skidding across the floor. As he unfurled his arms, he let loose a series of expanding tendrils, duplicating into a wall of fiery spears.

However, just as before, she seemed to outpace him in a flicker of light reappearing to his side. Her lightning encased fist smashed into a reflexive plate shaped shield over his head, but had warped into his temple regardless. The impact left him reeling backwards, skidding on his bent legs and one hand. As raised his seemingly unaffected head up, he leered with a menacing stare at her crackling form.

"So this is your Magic. I have to admit, given your straightforwardness I'd never peg you as a Lightning Magician."

"Your deductive skills are as bad as your tongue," Joan remarked with a still voice, surprisingly quiet compared to her crackling aura.

"Touche, but I had to be sure," The Wizard chuckled with a smile, rubbing his chin as he stood more upright. "Given my caliber and your abilities, this may end up taking quite awhile to best you. I'll win but not without some scars."

"You're already predicting the fight when you've yet to land a meaningful blow? Arrogance," She sneered as she raised her arms in the iconic upright angular posture. "I'll ensure you won't walk again when I'm done with you."

"Yes, by all means. Please do try and make me suffer," Darius laughed at her, only strengthening the building anger that had been brewing the entirety of their short match.

Morgan at first had no idea what Darius had done. The purple flame-like tendrils were disturbing enough in their motions, somehow they seemed...alive in away. Chevalier's revealation that they were in fact born of Living Magic only confused her. As she had little in the way of a formal instruction, the name of Zeref held little importance to her except rumors that he could even fight on par with a dragon, or even perhaps win. Seeing the magic the man created, and its effect even when used through another, she had to perhaps give credit to such rumors.

She watched as Joan broke free of the tendrils and begain to attack, only for her offensive to be blocked, and yet Darius was forced to recoil as if he had been struck. At least even wth magic made by someone who could fight a dragon, he was still beatable, and Morgan couldn't deny she felt relieved as the realization came to light. "I really hope she wins, I want to see Darius learn his place."

And just like that, they clashed again. Darius embroiled in a thick violet aura of Purple Flare while Joan embroiled in flowing currents that opaqued most of her features in a flashing silhouette. His eyes shined with an intensity that was contrasted by the white orbs that eclipsed her own pupils and irises. Her attacks were fierce and swift, repeatedly crashing and jabbing at the primarily defensive posture. Their movements were almost impossible to track as they blitz across the floor and even in the air. Pops of pressure shook the sphere's interior, broken tiles rattled if not turn to dust by proximity.

Landing with a crash, Darius found his back sprawling through a crater. One of which was pushing him by an extended bolt of electricity, thrusting him through a trench of upheaved. Once he crashed into the wall did that bolt of lightning return to physical form of Joan, planting a foot into his throat, cracking the entire subsection of their arena. Releasing her sparkling heel from the seared flesh, the head came toppling off, soon following with the decapitated body as it flopped forward onto the ground in front of her.

"As I said," Joan declared as she disengaged her Magical Aura, returning her slightly bruised person to the fore with very little damage from their scuffle. "Your assumptions are the cause of your own hubris. I've executed men like you before. You won't be the last, even under the nicieties of a Tournament such as this."

"I disagree!" A howling voice echoed all around her.

Turning around she witnessed the entire floor split open, revealing a sac of pulsating flesh that filled up the entire battlefield. Even as she lit up her aura, she was overwhelmed by tendrils that flew out by the dozens, wrapping around her and molding over her body. Grunting and squirming in the moist fleshy grasp she was pulled into the center, sections opening like an effigy of a flower. Screaming aloud with indignation she felt herself shoved into the mouth, sloppily smacked and swallowed as her tattered uniform was dissolved. None would see her bare body writhe in agony as the flesh entwined sinewed with her frame, soon making the sound of a beating heart all she could hear in its center. Even as a handful of tendrils embedded into her navel, ears, mouth and nethers she couldn't help but feel completely fooled.

"Forgive me, Milord," She thought as her mind blanked and her form suddenly disappearing in a flash of crimson light.

Rising up from the rubble, a bleeding and bruised Darius emerged from underground unlike the doppleganger he created out of a burst of Living Magic. Like a meat puppet controlled through the mind, he used it right before the 'final blow' was struck to him. As the spell, Corrupting Flesh, was used, he raised up what looked like a pulsing sphere that almost resembled a heart. If one gazed through the thick red, mucus covered organ one could see a small light outline of what remained of Joan.

"Another to my colllection," He declared with a decadent smile, one of which only further fueled the ire of Chevalier. While the latter could only shoot daggers at the contender who was announced winner and teleported back to the contestant waiting area, his hand had daringly inched towards his sword. When Darius looked over at him, he only tossed up the meat sac and chuckled at him. "May the spoils go the victor. If you want your precious maid bodyguard, I'll gladly hand it over to you, or anyone who manages to best me."

"You sicken me," The well-dressed man snarled, his body projecting an invisible wave of power that billowed around the grassland. His eyes briefly became a pure gold and teeth bared hatefully. "I'll kill you for this insult and release what's in your bondage."

"Please, she's in rapture thanks to me. Soon she won't even know who you are. Only respond to my whim," Darius replied with a dark smile, looking towards the mortified Maria and most likely an obviously angry Morgan. "But again, if you two could stop me, I'll ensure she's released as she was. The likelihood of that is slim, but I am a sporting man, after all."

Morgan felt her heart sink as Joan was absorbed by Darius’s magic. She was sure that no one who’s evil could match Jadow, the epitome of cruelty, but the man was getting dangerously close. Having lived most of her life in absolute fear and under the control of another, she could only imagine what terrors Darius had in store for his new captive. The fearful sadness she felt quickly gave way to a blinding fury.

Her magic power swelled due to her emotional state, shrouding her body in wispy shadows. Her lips curled into a snarl as her rage peaked. “You dare to treat someone like a mere prize to be won,  a pawn in your games?!” She yelled, anger coloring her words. If looks could kill, her stare would have made it impossible to even find a scrap of Darius to bury. Before, she just wanted to put him in his place for messing with her sister, but now, she had no words to describe how much she wanted to destroy him instead.

It was enough that it drew the eyes of practically every contender. A feeling of intensity, like a cold flame washing over them and lowering temperature along with the potency of light. The livid look the girl sported was enough to unnerve Darius as he cast his gaze towards her. Something in her that he instantly connected that he could relate; something truly nefarious compared to her words.

"What kind of past did you have, Child of Darkness?" He queried inwardly, outright ignoring Chevalier as he too was put into shock by the immense amount of power that could be felt.

"Is this what they call, the Slayer's emotions?" Chevalier himself whispered, holding his hat as wind that ejected from her. He felt as if she could strike in an instant, and that made him more wary of her than the man who held his companion hostage. A hand reached for the sword and other conscious candidates raised their own guards with apprehension at the bona fide Dragon Slayer.

"Morgan," Maria called out, feeling alarmed by her sister's break of emotion to outright anger. Her own hair whipped around as she was closest to her. But unlike that day she felt Morgan's power over a month ago in Fiume, she tolerated it but was still scared. She never saw her this angry before.

A pair of feet traversed through the grassland, parting through the majority of the competition without seeming to touch them. He sported crimson hair, slicked back and threaded to look like frayed knives. A cigarette splayed in between his lips that he smoked, his fur-collared jacket encompassing what looked like a fit physique with a simple sleeveless shirt underneath. Blue jeans and a pair of black shoes, along with a ring with a swirling cobalt mist within. Walking in a straight line, he put himself between Chevalier and Morgan, his presence seeming to defy logic as his own pressure seemed to create a localized gravity just between the two of them.

"I'm going to say this only once," The man quietly sneered, his eyes glowing a bright red that made the sweating Darius look at him with an aghast expression. "Release the girl. You won your fight. That should be enough. Keep her as a trophy to be bargained with, and I'll show you how little fucks I give about fighting outside the ring. You get me?"

Grimacing fiercely, having never felt so violated of his dignity to be intimidated by a stranger he could feel as if an overwhelming weight was skillfully placed only around him. His legs buckled and his skin porously exuded sweat, like he felt he was in a sauna. Heat like a mirage ebbed off the fire hair and eyed man, something of which he had only experienced a few times in his life. In the depths of a magma filled catacomb, fighting a Wyvern, and now a human being.

"Fine," Darius quietly growled, tossing the pulsing meat orb on the ground. Making a gesture, a burst of light erupted of crimson and a wet, yet fully clothed Joan. She groaned, coughing up wads of unknown liquid while her body shuddered. Chevalier immediately knelt by her side, helping her up as her captor crossed his arms and glared intently at Prometheus. "I would have kept my word and handed her over to any competitor. What they do with her isn't my concern. Losers are to be cast aside, anyways-"

A wad of spit was felt splat over his forehead. As the jacketed man left, the gravity and heat left with him, footprints burned straight into the grass he was not but less than a meter away from him. Like the earth had turned to ash, with steam rising from it, bringing an unpleasant burning smell. He'd also find that his own face was steaming from the saliva cast on him, causing him to growl angrily rather than cry out in pain.

"I'll get you for that," He swore aloud, turning to look up at the board as the results were starting to cycle.

Grace and Nobility
Morgan could feel the gaze of the entire area on her but she paid the staring masses no heed. Her mind was overridden by her feelings, so even their looks were of little consequence. She was beyond enraged, blinded to things around her beyond the target of her anger. Her control was failing, her restraint was slipping, held together by tiny shards of her sanity like fine threads. She saw the momentary fright in Darius’s eyes, taking a bit of comfort in that. The man’s haughty facade finally had a crack she could exploit.

She heard Maria’s voice and her conscious mind realized what was going on and the effects of her emotion-driven powers. She reigned in the bleak aura, letting it fade. Before she could continue to scream in her anger, she felt a prescience stand next to her. The first thing she realized was that the stranger’s magic power was nearly crushing, far more powerful than her own. She felt relieved that the red-haired man wasn’t against her nor even seeming to pay notice, unlike many of the competitors that glared at her with mixtures of fear and awe. She didn’t want yet more attention drawn to herself rather than the plight she now sought to end before it began.

A sudden wave of heat seemed to emanate from the man, like the heat of a midday sun in the midst of summer with only a dry wind to accompany it, adding to the sweltering feeling. She watched the exchange between the stranger and Darius, wondering for a moment which way things would go, and much to her delight, the result was Joan’s release from the magic that had bound her.

Before Morgan could thank the man, he left as quick as he had arrived and just as silently, leaving only a scaling glob of spit upon Darius’s forehead and a smoldering, burnt, stench in the air. Having calmed down now that the situation was resolved for the better, she felt the energy born of her wrath depart from her, a sudden drain that left her feeling comparatively empty despite the fact her magic was fully restored not long ago. “At least he got what he deserved.” Morgan said, watching the reunion between the maid and the man she served. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” she asked Maria, unaware of what happened after her anger hit the boiling point.

"No, I should be asking if you're alright," Maria insisted, grabbing her sister by the arms and pulling her into a tight hug. Stroking her hair she whispered with concern. "I never saw you that...that mad before. Are you okay? You acted pretty out of it when you went full-rage mode just then."

As she inquired, the board finally resting on a pair of names. Chevalier representing only for the Coronoa House with no other allegiances they know of; the other belonging to Kase Klose of House Maple, representing the Guild that Geoffrey was a part of, Gleam Eyes. He looked more relieved and contented that his beloved servant was safe, taking off to the ring with long strides. As his cloaked person walked up the steps of the distant sphere he was greeted by a seemingly instantaneous arrival of his contender. He was smiling, wearing a hoodie looking smug in his own withdrawn manner with his hands pocketed in his hands.

"Your partner was sure a loud mouth and certainly put on a good show. I wonder if you'll do the same," Chevalier announced, stopping a good ten meters away from him.

"Please, that fuckin' idiot always tries to redeem his lousy street record of these kinds of things. Tourneys here, competitions there, it's all the same. Gleam Eyes probably will kick him out for botching up this assignment too, but I don't really care," Kase replied with a smile. Putting on a mock bow, he introduced himself. "My name is Kase Klose. This is my first official Tournament so please go easy on me, pretty boy."

"Ever with the words," He mused to himself, smiling as he swung a hand out dramatically as his white-violet cape swirled about him as his hand reached for his sword, drawing it out with a cool grated sound that rang metallically in the air. Holding it to divide his features before pointing at him in a fencer stance, he made his own debriefing. "I go by Chevalier, if you please. I represent no one but my client. I came here to have some fun so please do make this entertaining for me."

"For such a flamboyant guy, you're really laidback about this. I'd be worried if I were you," The young man declared, his eyes taking on a sinister glow as his body's proximity became a pulsing spiral of wind. A thin smile stretched across his face as his head tilted to the side. "One wrong move and I might just smear that pasty skin of yours all over the wall!"

Morgan wrapped her arms around her sister, finding strength and solace within their shared embrace. She realized that the time had come to explain the whole truth to her sibling, parts of the truth that she had sworn even Victor to keep silent on. Maria deserved to know now, having seen her at her absolute worst. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to do it, not in the open where all the world could see. “I’m alright, now that its over. But I can’t tell you right now, not here. When we get back to the Skyhawk, I’ll tell you everything.”

She released the hug and grabbed Maria’s hand, scared to let go entirely. As the next match began, she watched as Chevalier and his opponent faced off. Watching the fight, she felt, was a perfect way to unwind and find entertainment to distract herself from the faint, lingering, urge to destroy that called out from the darkest part of being. Not only did the combat keep her mind occupied, she could learn and prepare for future fights.

Maria smiled fondly as she looked over at her sister, her hand holding it tightly. Her heart beat soundly knowing that Morgan trust her with something so important. But that could always wait. Her grip tenderly returned as a thumb brushed over the back of her hand, admiring how soft it felt. She was almost lost in the feeling being beside someone she loved so much, had it not been for the fight's beginning, she would have been lost in the moment.

Eyes widened at the sight of dozens of floor tiles being ripped up by the foundation, spiraling around the vortex created by the hoodie clothed young man. He smiled viciously, reminding her of his belittled colleague was. But unlike Geoffrey it was more of an adrenaline surge, revelling at the challenge. Instantly she understood where this guy got his kicks from; the thrill of battle.

Launching the spiraling discs of rotating floor plates at Chevalier, they swarmed his position like lightning. In a single instant they impacted and produced a piercer of the sound barrier. The sphere from the outside could be seen shaking from the punishing blow, causing the Colossus to raise it over its head as a safeguard. Unfelt by the contenders inside, the only real concern that they'd have was what came next.

"Not bad," Kase heard from the dust, his silhouette coming from the vapor with a smile his body unmarked by his attack. As his eyes widened with surprise a singing sound came from his sword as he raised it up in a posturing motion. Smiling from behind the raised blade he swung it to his side and resumed his stance once more. "Please sir, may I have another?"

"Don't underestimate me!" The Telekinetic User roared out, swinging out his hands forward. A tumultuous wave of pressure was unleashed, visibly bending the air and light as it reached out to strike the man. He sidestepped in an instant, avoiding the vibrating plating that was ripped apart beside him. Growling Kase swathed an arm as if to make a sword, cutting a deep groove into the spherical shaped battlement. In response Chevalier parried it with an electrical flash of contact between the metal and the invisible force. "What?!"

"You may be thinking right now that it's my sword that's able to cut through your psychic wave," The frill collared man debrief with a smile, walking forward, letting the swords edge scrape noisily over the disturbed arena floor. His eyes narrowed and his smile disappeared, replaced by a cold visage. His monotone revealed a much darker whisper that escaped his lips. "It is my Magic,  Cosmos."

He didn't wait for Kase to even retort. A blurring motion of his arm was made and a flash of light. What followed was the entire dome falling apart, the slices made as if peeling a fruit into sections. As each section crashed on the ground and bumped into the Colossus that held it up, the sight of the cuts made deep grooves even in the surrounding structures was witnessed by the attending audience. Even the Announcer was left agape.

"H-He cut through Atlas World?! But that has a Dimension Seal within it!" Mister Seven gawked aloud, his voice accidentally transmitting through the open speaker. Sweating nervously he took advantage of the feet and proclaimed aloud in wonderment. "YES! THE DARK HORSE CHEVALIER HAS CUT THROUGH SPACE! ABLE TO DEFLECT PSYCHIC ATTACKS AT EASE HE TRULY LOOKS TO BE A MATCH IN OF HIMSELF!"

"What the Hell?" Kase proclaimed aloud, finding himself baffled by the sight. The only thing left of their arena was the platform they stood upon.

"Also, you should really cover up," Chevalier continued with a playful chuckle, twirling his sword around to sheathe into his scabbard, finishing as it clicked audibly into place. "You're embarassing yourself."

Just as the clack of the container met metal, so did Kase's entire get up slide off him as ceremoniously as the pie pieces of the Atlas World. With nothing to wear he shrieked like a girl and covered his privates, falling down and wept face down on the ground, babbling aloud to the fancifully dressed man, "Igiveuppleasesparemedon'tkillmeorticklemeorrapemeorforcemetowatchanybadmoviespleasehavemercy-eh-eh-eh!"

"You're...really a weak kid when beaten," He admonished with a dry expression.

"A-AND JUST LIKE THAT, CHEVALIER HAS BESTED KASE KLOSE SOUNDLY! ANOTHER MATCH IN THE FIRST ROUND HAS BEEN PASSED IN STYLE! NOW IF YOU WILL TAKE A BRIEF RECESSION WE NEED TO MAKE SOME OBVIOUS REPAIRS TO THE RING BEFORE CONTINUING!"

"W-Wow," Maria gasped, her eyes blinking owlishly as the ring was lowered back to the ground beside the mishapen pieces that Chevalier had diced up. "That fight ended...so fast. I thought it'd been longer, but he must have been so strong."

Morgan watched the fight with interest. The young man who was partners with her previous opponent had an interesting magic. She was unable to tell for sure what it was based on just looking, she assumed either gravity magic or some form of telekinesis. Either way, it was something she hadn’t expected. She averted her gaze from the battle for a moment as the giant statue lifted the arena higher and when she once more focused on the fight, Chevalier emerged from the impact unharmed. “How did he do that?” she wondered aloud.

The rest of the fight happened so fast, she couldn’t track it. Kase’s invisible attacks were useless, that much she could tell, and Chevalier had the fight firmly in his favor with his destructive magic that tore apart the globe hoisted by the statue. With the fight announced complete, Morgan stood in silence as she tried to piece together what she had seen. One moment, Kase had been on the attack, and the next, he was stripped and the match came to an end. “I couldn’t even see what happened.” she admitted, obviously impressed with what Chevalier had done.

"Me either," Maria gulped, finding herself watch as the nude Kase was transported back next to his downed partner, making them a truly humiliated duo. Meanwhile Darius simply sneered as Chevalier smiled darkly at the other burned man. As he walked past them all, he knelt back and simply stroked the unconscious face of his beloved partner. As he paid her attention she couldn't help find the sight endearing. If the man could display such power, he could have killed Kase easily but simply humbled him. "He's not such a bad guy, past that show-off exterior of his."

Rise of the Salamander
Minutes rolled by as a light encompassed the ring, slowly reforming the Atlas World by way of dissolving the physical cut partitions and making new ones. When it was finally finished, the familiar pings of the projection board signaled that they renewed the competition.

Picking out the next pair of names seemingly seconds after her words. They were names she didn't recognize but that didn't matter. She met new people everywhere she looked, and now the only thing she had to distinguish was that she remembered the fire-haired man smoking. He walked confidently with an air of boredom, walking past like a heat wave was rolling off his body, cooling dramatically the farther away he trodded. His other opponent was a thick, burly man with tattoos rolling off his shoulders all the way to his hands. Dark skinned with gold plated teeth, he bore a dreadlock hairstyle making him look fierce with his wild dark eyes and his shirtless apparel only matched with a pair of tight black leggings. With boots and devil-smiling spurs, he trodded up

"LET US NOT WASTE ANYTIME! OUR NEXT MATCH WILL DEBUT A MAN WHO GOES ONLY BY THE NAME OF DRAKE, REPRESENTING HOUSE HIMMELS! THIS FIRE-HEADED MAN WAS SHOWN BREAKING UP A DISAGREEMENT IN THE CONTENDERS BUT LET US SEE IF HIS BITE IS WORSE THAN HIS BARK; BECAUSE HIS OPPONENT IS MONSTER MARSH, AN INFAMOUS MAGE HERE IN SEVEN KNOWN FOR HIS RUTHLESS NATURE AND EFFECIENT BEATDOWNS! HAILING FROM THE ROCK BOTTOM GUILD, HE REPRESENTS HOUSE HÖLLE! LET'S SEE IF THE TWO FIGHTING NOBLE FAMILIES WILL HAVE A WINNER BETWEEN THESE TWO FINE FIGHTERS!"

"Heh, you're some hot stuff, aren't ya?" Monster Marsh asked with a sarcastic tone as he walked on what felt like an island surface. With no seeming out of bounds area with a rolling ocean and gulls cawing overhead, the two looked like they were given free liberty to act in any manner; so long as they fought till one dropped.

"You...you have no damned idea," 'Drake' retorted dryly with exasperation.

"Well, then please show me, tough guy!" The Mage beckoned, his body encapsulated by a rolling wave of Ethernano. Colored a deep green, it shook the island and scared the birds away, sending waves flowing back in the sea. The demonstration that quaked the island was enough to make the smoking Drake smile devilishly.

"Don't mind if I do," He murmured out, his body lowering into a crouch.

Then, in an instant, he launched forward with a streaking speed that was easily as fast as Darius displayed. Launching a fist to uppercut the man, Monster leaned back, feeling the air explode right in front of his face. The display was surprising but only made him smile as he launched a knee straight into Drake's chest. A loud pop sounded and the ground collapsed beneath them as the jacketed man was sent flying into the air. Kneeling down in a crouch, he leaped off like a missile being fired, soaring up to smash a fist into the airborne fire-headed man. Finding that  an arm absorbed the impact, a ballooning wave of pressure struck the island below and the sphere holding them in the projected world vibrated above the Colossus' head.

Their fists and legs flew, seeming to defy gravity as they remained suspended with the collisions of their appendages being enough to keep them in the sky. Eventually both headbutted each other, causing Ethernano to crackle between their foreheads just before both backflipped to land on the disheveled earth below. Minus a few scuffs and minor leakage of blood from the mouth or nostril, they looked exhilerated rather than hurt.

"AMAZING! MONSTER MARSH IS BEING MET BLOW FOR BLOW AND NEITHER SEEMS TO GAIN AN INCH OVER THE OTHER! TO THINK A VETERAN LIKE MONSTER HAS MET HIS PHYSICAL MATCH!" Mr. Seven announced dramatically.

"They're both so strong," Maria declared with a wide smile. "Not just that big guy but the one who intimidated that jerk from before! It's hard to believe they can produce so much power just from their fists!"

“You’re right.” Morgan said, agreeing with Maria’s assessment of Chevalier’s character. He was the exact opposite of Darius, showing kindness instead of cruelty to his opponent. It was yet more proof that humanity wasn’t entirely as evil and cold as she had seen for so long.

As the next match started up, she watched the one known as Drake with interest. She could tell he was no ordinary fire-using mage, the way his power could affect the world around him was on a scale far greater than that. The way heat radiated from him, moved with him and seemed to be an extension of himself more than a natural force. There was far more than met the eye with him, and she wanted to figure it out before any possible confrontation against him. She could only hope the answer would become clear by watching him fight.

The battle began and she had to admit, it started off far more evenly matched than any of the previous ones, and it was more entertaining already. The way the combatants clashed and seemed to defy gravity through the sheer force of their attacks was awe-inspiring. “I wonder what else they can do!” she said excitedly, looking forward to the rest of the fight. Even if she didn’t find the answers to her questions, she couldn’t deny that watching two powerful fighters hold their own against each other was fun.

Monster grinned manically, his body sparking with orange and white coloration. Thrusting his arms out, a sudden flash of light followed the complete eradication of half the island. An explosion of magnificent lime hue occurred sending an intense vibration to shake the Atlas World, a testament to the sheer destructive force that was sent. A cloud of steam rose up, soon parted by a pair of arms that swung outwards. Much to the attacker's glee his enemy was relatively untouched, a sliver of land remained whereas the rest was now rushing with seawater that flowed in the triangle's flanks next to Drake.

"BUAHAHAHAHA! That's the stuff I've wanted to see!" Monster Marsh laughed out loud at the sight, his hands tightening into cracking knuckled fists. "No one's taken a direct hit from my Blast Magic and lived. Your'e made of stronger things than I've encountered!"

"You haven't met my Master then," Drake replied with a grin. "She'd kick your ass quicker than I could."

"HA! I love my women strong! I'd love to meet her...after I've kicked YOUR ass!" The gold-toothed man countered with a cackle, his aura igniting brilliantly around him like an emerald fire. As his power escalated, a segmented pattern of golden tiles of Ethernano projected around his transforming frame. They'd crumble away just as he revealed an armored gorilla with spikes jutting from his shoulders, with curling horns jutting up from his forehead in a spiraling fashion. With a wicked gold toothed smile enamoring his visage let out a loud howl that shook the air around him with intensity that made Drake's eyes narrow, beating his chest with his still tattooed arms savagely. "Beast Soul, Devil Ape!"

Leaping with impressive momentum up into the air, his body jettisoned green energy behind him from his Blast Magic to boost his descending velocity. With one fist fist slamming downward, the Fire Mage finally activated flames of condensed heat around his fist. Swinging it upward he collided with the overwhelming sized knuckles, the sheer pressure was enough to crack what little land he had left. As he lost footing, he snarled and stopped himself from touching the water halfway.

"Wait," Maria began to comment her eyes blinking strangely at the protruding, burning appendages sticking out of Drake's back. "Are those...wings?"

Indeed, there was the sight of fiery wings extending from the Fire Mage's back, boiling the ocean tides rolling into the crumbling foundation he lost footing. It kept him levitated and held back the incredible destructive force of the man's Take-Over punch. Smiling up at the chuckling Monster Marsh, he then jettisoned a plume of flames to his outreaching arm. The sea parted and blasted a good portion of it away as a rocketing fist managed to throw Monster Marsh back up into the air. Righting himself upright, he became emblazoned with a mantle of multi-colored flames as he let loose a torrent of tongues in his wake during his charge up into the sky.

Monster tried to swing an arm of eradicating Blast in a single wave, but only found Drake flying around its line of fire. Reaching up to him, Marsh could only swing his arms and legs so swell but the adept aerial combatant began to slam fiery punches and kicks into his exposed sides. After a few firework equivalent marks were made he landed a direct punch into the side of the Take-Over Magician's face and fired off a torrential flame from the elbow to multiple the force of his connecting attack.

"Fire Dragon's Thrusting Steel Fist!" Drake thought inwardly, keeping the names of his spells silent for the moment as he sent his enemy corkscrewing down. Like a meteorite, it struck the island and detonated with enough power that it obliterated what was left of it. Water spewed up what wasn't turning into clouds of steam, a mushroom cloud of display of his incredible power. With smoke curling off his fist, he smiled downward at the loss of their terrain. "Damn, guess I went overboard. Here I was gettin' fired up and everythin'. Ah well, at least it was fun while it-"

His self dialogue was halted as a spherical formation of Blast Magic was made, parting the sea and revealing Monster Marsh. Despite several smoking burns on his Take-Over body, which was already being disengaged, he looked more elated than affected. This renewed Drake's excited smile, even as Monster waded in the waters on his own.

"REF! Get us another island! I still want to kick the shit out of this bastard!" The Blast Wizard demanded with a bellowing shout.

After a few seconds of deliberation, Mr. Seven declared in a jovial tone, "BUT OF COURSE! THE CROWD IS LOVING THIS ADRENALINE PUMPED FIGHT SO I SHALL GIVE YOU A BIGGER ISLAND TO FIGHT UPON! AFTER ALL, IT IS A GREAT SCENERY TO SEE YOU TWO TITANS DUKE IT OUT!"

Light transformined into another much grander island filled to the brim with animals and rainforest, with only a few spatterings of rock laden beaches. With Monster standing atop what looked like an inactive volcanoe at the island's center, he cackled wildly while Drake hovered over their new one hundred kilometers. The hovering Flame User had to look into the far horizon just to see the beaches from his acute eyesight, making him whistle with a measure of regard.

"They don't hold back for these fights. Good thing too, cause I really am fired up," Drake replied with a carnal smile as his body generated a thick flaming aura that resembled that of a Dragon in a crimson-orange-golden overcast over the entire land below. Looking almost as bright as the artificial Sun, the effigy of the dreaded beast was enough to put Maria in questioning awe as much as the rest of the audience. To her eyes alone, she almost thought she was looking at another...Morgan.

"But, that can't be it," She thought as she blinked with dumbfoundedness. "That's just a light show, a Magical Aura. He's just trying to intimidate this guy...right?"

She looked at Morgan to see her reaction, missing the moment when Drake began to rear back his head and swell his chest. His magnanimous aura was soon defused, leaving only the wings, replaced by an enormous golden-orange pyre of flames. It left out a shockwave of his echoing shout, just as he called out a brazen manner, "FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!!!"

Just as it struck the mountain, Monster Marsh underwent another transformation, right as the landmark was engulfed in volatile tongues. Shattering into many pieces that sent flaming debris spreading haphazardly everywhere. In the midst of the crater emerged a chrome gleaming body, only slightly marred by the blast. Swinging back bat-like wings, shorter horns arched slightly from his brows as his body looked more defined thanks to the metallic complexioned skin. Clawed fingers stretched out with the now prominently dark hued tattoos and talons for toes for his feet, he looked like a true beast that was remarkably akin to a Devil.

"Beast Soul, Silver Gargoyle!"  Monster Marsh let out a howl, his body streaking up at a frightening pace just as Drake did. Meeting halfway, lightning appeared to sprout between their crashing limbs, contacting at the forearms. Both had a delighted expression of battle fervor, as their hits now reengaged with devastating pyro-blasts and shining cracks of kinetic force. The action was still escalating, and only Maria along her sister probably were reeling in the truth.

There was now another Dragon Slayer!

As Monster’s attack stuck Drake, Morgan could tell it was some form of explosive magic, but beyond that she wasn’t sure what to make of it, especially after the red-haired man emerged from the smoke unscathed. Either he was rather durable, or the explosion was relatively weak, either way didn’t matter, nor did she believe it boded well for his adversary.

She took note of Monster’s transformation, the obvious increase of muscle mass and demonic visage added a level of frightfulness to the state he took. Combined with the probable power boost it provided, it gave the already big man an even more imposing stature. But what caught her eye more was the wing-like flames jutting from Drake’s back. To the untrained eye, they were just typical displays of magic power, but to her, it was obvious that they were draconic in form. What came next was more than impressive, with a single attack, the flame-centric fighter had destroyed the entire island area, requiring the tournament organizers to repair the area on the fly, altering its form to add another layer of complexity to an already interesting fight.

However, her enjoyment of the fight came to a sudden halt. What replaced it was a mix of confusion and dread. Surrounding Drake was an aura in the unmistakable shape of a dragon. Her jaw went slack as she realized the blatant truth; She was not the only Dragon Slayer in the world as previously thought. The fact he performed the only power truly common to Dragon Slayers, the almighty Dragon’s Roar, cemented the fact that in front of her was another born to bring ruin to the mighty dragon race.

“He...he’s just like me.” she said, her words laced with awe and confusion. She hadn’t thought of the possibility of there being another, let alone one that Victor wouldn’t have known about. "I thought I was the only one left."

"Maybe...you can talk to him when his fight is over?" Maria suggested, her periphery vision catching that Marsh got the upperhand. Despite the intense heat and power, his overal physiology guaranteed superiority to his flaming foe. One gut punch there, a headbutt there and a series of ruthless jabs finished with an explosive tail whip sent the Dragon Slayer pummeling into the ground. Dragged across the lush forest while spreading flaming flora around him, his bloodied smile indicated his ecstasy of the fight he was feeling.

"Time to die, Dragon Slayer!" Monster cried out with a hollering roar as he gathered an enormous ball of volatile Ethernano above his head. Once it reached the size of meteor in mass, he threw it, letting it streak down like a chaotic electric ball. "DEMOLITION BLAST!"

Just shy of striking the ground, a molten wave of motion cut through it like butter. Swinging up incredible mass and momentum, the sight of it brought awe from Monster Marsh as much as the audience. As he backpedaled away he felt a defining sound of bubbling metal and a slick cut. Looking back he saw the shape of an enormous sword, made of molten flames. Looking down as blood began to leak out of a cauterized cut made through his Take-Over midsection he saw the weapon shrink down as his Blast Magic fizzled into a rain of sparks around Drake's now disappearing blade, still lying prone on the ground.

"You cheeky bastard...hiding a trump card like that this whole time," Monster replied as he descended to the burn end of the trench the Slayer lied upon. Watching him stand up and straighten his jacket he could only cough in between his laughs. "You're a real nightmare. If we were fighting for keeps, I'm sure you would've ended up killing my ass."

"Glad you see that," He replied with a toothy grin. "I'd hate to kill someone as strong as you. It'd be a waste of life, talent and a potential rival of mine. I don't get to meet as many strong people as you'd think. We should get a beer sometime..."

"HAH! When I'm not contracted, sure, we'll talk," Marsh replied with a raucous laugh, his body breaking out of the Take-Over to reveal his burnt injury. Looking at him hard he declared outright. "I FORFEIT THIS MATCH! I DECLARE MY ENEMY TO BE THE BETTER OF US!"

"I-IT IS FINISHED! MONSTER MARSH HAS THROWN IN THE TOWEL AFTER ONE EXPLOSIVE CLASH AND IS LOOKING TO GET HIS INJURIES TENDED TO! CONGRATULATIONS TO DRAKE FOR MAKING IT THROUGH THE FIRST ROUND!"

As the two were teleported back, Marsh's partner helped him sit down while Drake simply reached for another cigarette. Lighting it with his thumb he breathed out a wafting smoke with a contented smile.

Morgan was uneasy as she thought of formally meeting another Dragon Slayer, yet she longed to understand why they were chosen by the tyrannical monsters; what made them so special that they were seemingly born to bear a curse no one had asked for? Surely, she had the resolve to perform the task of removing dragons from the world, but she had to question if she would feel the same if it hadn’t been her taken to Jadow instead of someone else, if another was burdened with the weight she had been given.

“I don’t want to talk to him alone. Will you come with me?” she asked, pleadingly. Having her sister by her side would make everything easier. She didn’t care what anyone thought, she didn’t feel ashamed to admit she was scared to go alone. The physical and moral support mattered more than anything to her.

She was so concerned about eventually meeting with Drake that she nearly missed the fight’s conclusion. She didn’t see Monster’s attack strike, the result of which obscured the final move itself, revealed to be blow from a flaming sword. She had to give the man credit, it was a powerful way to end a fight. Marsh’s surrender of the battle gave her a bit of hope. With Drake winning, she could only hope that he was in a relatively decent mood. “So that’s the power of a true Dragon Slayer...” she said, having seen just a glimpse of the kind of strength she would likely one day gain for herself through her own draconic blight.

"Of course," Maria replied with a bright smile, keeping her grip tight on her sibling's hand. The sight of the man was imposing once she had caught the spectacle of him beating Monster Marsh. The reality there was someone as strong if not possibly stronger than her father existed was unreal to her. She felt a little intimidated but she didn't want to show it. Bravery is what her sister needed and that's what she'd get.

As there was a quiet during the next match's selection she approached the man who smoked by himself. When she reached his proximity he grabbed the cig and let out a bountiful puff, his exhale happening as his eyes looked at the two. Dryly he'd comment on remembering the two of them, "Oh yeah, you two are the Felix Sisters, right?"

"Phoenix Sisters," Maria insisted with a forced pleasant tone, gesturing to herself and then to Morgan. "My name is Maria and this is Morgan. We just wanted to meet a Dragon Slayer, seeing as they're not so common these days-"

"Yeah, my boss wanted me to keep a tight lid about it until this Tournament. Definitely will keep our Guild flowing with inquiries as well as job contracts," He replied with a smirk. "That was the majority of the stunt why I bothered to even say the spell name. So that everyone would know, the first Dragon Slayer is the Salamander. You...wouldn't happen to be asking me for autographs?"

"N-No," She shook her head, nodding to her sibling. "It's just that...given you probably saw that she's a Slayer too, I'd thought you could-"

"Be friends?" Drake snorted sardonically.

"Look, I'm not doing this to-"

"I've been around for a little while longer missy. I've met so-called 'fans' of me and I've met people who want something from me. I don't do hand-outs and just because we're Slayers doesn't mean we all need to hang out under the same roof," He briskly explained with his cig holding hand. After Maria had an expression torn between anger and confusion. Sighing he looked over at Morgan and his expression changed from one of annoyed boredom to one of genuine curiosity. Walking towards her he noticed Maria bending her frame defensively in front of him while maneuvering her sister by the hand to be a little back. Chuckling, he smiled toothily, "Relax, I'm not gonna bite. I just want to talk to her. As one...eh...sibling in the Slayer Arts to the other."

"Morgan, I don't like him," Maria stated, turning to look over at her with a cautious stare aimed at her. "But if you want to talk to him, I won't get in your way. It's not like he can do anything unquestionable in this courtyard."

Morgan followed her sister to where Drake was standing. Questions buzzed around her head as they walked. To be so close to having the kind of answers she had longed for was frightening and yet liberating. Explanations would give her a sense of closure, filling in the gaps that were to remain barren otherwise.

As Maria and the older Slayer went back and forth with each other, Morgan scowled. She figured that Drake would, regardless of victory, be in a mood after a fight like that, yet she couldn’t overlook the fact that it was her family receiving the rude treatment. Such things, she would never let go of, no matter how important the person doing it was.

Once they finished, she stepped in front of her sister. Although she valued the fact Maria, of all people, admitted that Drake wasn’t much like, she dared not to turn away when even a glimmer of hope still remained. “I have to know some things, things that he might be able to explain .” she said, apologetically. She hated making her sibling deal with someone she didn’t like, but the chance to understand was too great to pass up.

“As for you,” she started, turning her attention to Drake, “It can’t be just coincidence that the Dragon Slayers have returned. I need to know, why? Why did I have to go through that hell?” she asked, her voice calm despite the terrible subject matter at hand.

Drake looked at her with now a quizzid look. He blinked, almost as if this was news to him. Placing his cigarette back into his mouth he took another long whiff before exhaling to the side, muttering, "You really are different, you know that? I was expecting you to be more of a withdrawn, gloomy type, the way the Magic ebbs off you. But now I look into your eyes and hear your voice...you're more hurt than cold, like a shadow drawn from a crying child."

Maria almost looked shocked. The man could tell something was wrong with her sister's past just by feeling her aura? She knew that was apparent long before, and even moreso when she vented in anger against Darius, but he just met her. Were his senses just that more attuned, or was this simply a Slayer thing she didn't get?

As she reeled with questions, the Fire Drake looked over at her and stared stoically with burning embers for eyes, "Kid, I don't know what douche bag of a Dragon trained you, but I was never taught by a surrogate parent who happened to be a fire breathing lizard. Hell, I didn't even get a chance to live a happy childhood. I just had...this," He expressed, holding up an upright palm to produce a soft, controlled flame that was warm to the air but not hot like his own aura had generated twice before. "It's like I was gift wrapped into the world with the power to use this magic without even knowing the Hell it means or how it worked. I did my best, but I ended up getting people hurt. I found my Master who makes me look like you using your magic; inexperienced, roguish and unrefined with loads of potential. She became the mother I never had and I'm forever grateful to her."

"So...you're saying you didn't have a Lacrima embedded inside of you, or was taught by a Dragon?" Maria inquired, her expression one of pure astonishment. "There's...no way. That's impossible! You can't just be BORN with that kind of ability. Humans can't, right?"

"Maybe I'm not entirely human," The Salamander cheekily replied with a full teeth spread grin. Turning to retract his smile and look at Morgan, he snuffed out the flame and pocketed one hand while flicking the mostly spent cigarette away. Pocketing the other, he lenaed forward till it was only a foot away from Morgan. Smiling wryly, he whispered to her. "My real name is Prometheus, by the way. If you were looking for answers, I'll share what research I've gathered on the subject. Sound fair, Morgan?"

Morgan listened as Drake gave his assessment of her real personality, reading her like an open book. “If he met me before Father got to me, would he still say the same?” she thought, the implications of the question weighing heavily on her.

When the older mage admitted that he didn’t endure the kind of training that she had, it seemed impossible that anyone could be born with the power to kill dragons, gaining it with little effort on their part, compared to herself who had to suffer for it. It seemed so unfair, like she had been singled out and punished for actions not her own. Part of her envied having such a life. All the power and none of the pain that gaining it had sown into her very being sounded like an ideal situation. Despite her jealousy, she found some sort of common ground with him through needing someone else to hold them together when it would be so much easier to fall apart.

The whispered offer caught her off guard at first. She had nothing to give in return, why would anyone be so generous with that kind of valuable and rare, if not impossible to obtain, information? “You’re the only person who can answer my questions. I have to trust you.” she replied to the man who gave his name as Prometheus. She did her best to hide how nervous she really was, the truth would undoubtedly be a bitter reality to hear.

Prometheus chuckled, raising back up to rub his chin thoughtfully, "You're easy to coerce, girl. You might need to rethink how you answer in the future, lest people take advantage of you."

"But you wouldn't dare try anything with a daughter of someone like my father, right?" Maria sneered evenly, causing the man to raise his hands in defense.

"I'm not that kind of guy. I just don't go out helping people out of the kindness of my heart. She can learn from whatever I've gathered back at my Guild's Headquarters. Bring whoever you like, but keep the number small. My Guild Master hates it when I bring one too many outsiders into our 'sacred halls' if you know what I'm saying?" He replied with a smooth tone.

"Sounds fair," She answered with a cool nod.

"Good," The Fire Drake straightened his coat, looking over as the next pair of contestants were selected. "Oho, looks like my House and Marsh's got selected again. Can't be coincidence that they set it up that way..."

Beauty is Skin Deep
Sure enough, House Hölle and House Himmel's last pair of contenders marched their way into the ring.

The prior's contender seemed to be a well proportioned girl, sporting silver hair with a pale complexion and a pair of golden eyes. She was noticably dominated by a black fatigued dress that had gloves stretching up her arms up to her shoulders, leaving them bare so a pair of feathered pauldrons could rest upon them. A crystal colored necklace dangled around her neck resting over a fairly sized bosom that was completely covered by frilled heart of purple color, the same as the four rings of it dominating her ankle covering umbrella styled skirt. A small hat adorned at an angle atop the left side of her head, it having a purple line around its rim, giving her clad dark boot style a very elegant presence about her.

The latter was a slender looking girl, whose chocolate brown hair and enchanting colored eyes; like a kaleidoscopic flower they bloomed outward with a myriad of swirling colors, seeming to dilate and change hues on a whim. This feature alone drew in any passerbier to admire her creamy colored body, silky hair and plush lips that complemented the colorful eyes with pink eyeshadow overlacing it. With a fixed into a single ponytail by way of a puffy pink bow, affixed at a upper angle so the hair was a few inches from her neck. A pair of puffy shoulders with satin sleeves that possess frilled wrists fastening into a pair of white gloves. This complemented her cute pink bow over her small chest, curving down in elegant curves that were hidden by a white, pink laced blouse that ended in a skirt that covered the sides of her legs and over her plump rump. This allowed the full display of black stockings running into black shoes with pink bows tied to them, acting as laces while her pink, white laced panties were hidden by the top of the skirt before it split apart to reveal her attractive legs.

"AND WE ARE IN FOR THE SECOND TO LAST MATCH OF ROUND ONE, WITH TWO BEAUTIES FROM HOUSE HIMMEL AND HOUSE  HÖLLE! FOR HOUSE  HÖLLE, WE HAVE THE BEAUTIFUL VERONICA MANCHESTER, A YOUNG TALENTED MAGE HAILING FROM FIORE FROM THE LAMIA SCALE GUILD! HER VEXING BEAUTY IS ONLY MATCHED BY HER PROWESS AND HISTORY OF OVER TWO HUNDRED COMPLETED MISSIONS, HER APPERANCE SHOULDN'T BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED NOR HER FEMININE WILES! THIS GOES ALSO FOR BLUE PEGASUS' MAGE, REPRESENTING FOR HOUSE HIMMEL, IS LILY SCARLET! HER OWN NOTORIETY FOR BEING A PLAYFUL FLIRT ONLY BELIES THE EXPERIENCE OF HER POWER LYING BENEATH HER BEAUTIFUL EXTERIOR, HAVING COME FROM A BLOODLINE OF THE INFAMOUS TITANIA OF OLD TALES! SURELY TO GIVE A SPECTACLE WITH A RICH LEGACY, NEITHER SHE OR HER OPPONENT WILL MAKE US FORGET THIS BATTLE!"

"Well, he's right about one thing," Maria commented as the sphere was raised up into the air once again, the projection screens given an open field in between a number of rolling hill; another varied backdrop for the pair of pretty girls to fight. "They are beautiful."

"Should be fun to see how my unaffiliated partner does," Prometheus commented as he pocketed his hands, watching beside the two comfortably from the sideline. "Still, I think I remember Titania mentioned in my texts I've dug up. Was supposedly the strongest woman of Ishgar, though I'm not sure how true those accounts were."

"That was Erza Scarlet," The young Alexander replied knowingly, raising a hand up while keeping an unconscious grip on her sibling's as she did the entire time. "She was Fairy Tail's red-haired prodigy, someone who was only rivaled by their resident Salamander of the time, Natsu Dragneel."

"I heard he was an idiot who survived on sheer, coincidental luck," The Slayer mentioned with a deadpan expression. "And they glorify him like a hero in the history books. Hope I get to change that and make the idea of a Dragon Slayer more deserving of pride rather than fanciful glorification."

Within the reformed Atlas World, the projected environment blew a wind that flourished the Mages' hair and affects. One bore a threatening smile while the other looked on with an innocent enthusiasm. Of the two, it was Lily who did a curtsy and spoke in a musically soft voice to her opponent, "It's a pleasure to meet a Wizard from Lamia Scale. My name is Lily Scarlet, but you can just call me Lily."

"Heh, so Blue Pegasus has a courteous chick? To think I never heard of you till now, it's a bit embarassing," Veronica began to say, rubbing her chin before she made a slight bow forward to her fellow Mage. "My name is Veronica Manchester. It'll be a pleasure to get to know you better...after I beat you of course."

"That doesn't sound like an invitation," Lily commented with a tilted head of confusion. "You just said you'd beat me and you wanted to hang out. Here I thought I was gonna do that first."

"Oh trust me," She candidly replied, grinning widely as a purple colored light shined around her, ruffling her skirt up to her hair and angled hat. Her eyes glowed and the ground a howling wind breached the air, making the ground splinter, crack and flecks of dust defy gravity by rising up around her. With white tendrils of Ethernano dancing around her it made Lily's smile light up brightly.

"YAY! I'm glad I found someone so strong!" She squealed, crouching down on all fours. Without much ceremony she took off, darting like a bullet to swing an uppercut at her jaw. When it struck, all momentum seemed to halt just as the knuckles connected. The energy she summoned vanished and in turn, caused the blazing aurora of purple light grow even wider. "Uh-oh-AAAAAAAAH!"

Being struck by a pulse of raw power from an outstretched palm, Veonica's back now spread out a pair of dark enamored butterfly wings. Smiling she seemed to exude power as she lightly rose from the ground and 'walked' across the air. As she tread towards Lily, she noticed her pushing herself up, grimacing from the pain. Chuckling she zipped from the slight height to appear beside her, making the brunette twist around and raise arms to block, absorbing most of the attack but was still sent skidding across the ground. Appearing on all sides, the Scarlet did all she could to maintain focus, using her arms as swiveling shields from the ruthless barrage of attacks sent her way.

"What's the matter? Feeling tired?!" Veronica crowed out as a series of fierce punches and kicks were delivered. When one particular punch was caught, she felt herself widen her eyes with surprise as the slightly tattered and bruised girl just smirked. A fierce crimson aura exploded off her body, much more than she anticipated, forcing her to back away as she maximized her absorption ability. "What the-?"

"No, I'm having a lot of fun actually," Lily giggled, posturing herself erect and closed her eyes. Opening them, her eyes sprayed a myriad of colors as she called outward, the entire battelfield becoming a dazzling display of wonderment and Ethernano. "Requip: The Magical Girl!"

Amidst the swirling colors her hair became a bright crimson, befitting the birthright surname she inherited. Angling her body back, she spread her arms out as ribbons of white slid around her wrists up to her shoulders. Her skirt vanished in a flash of light, causing a brief shine of transclucent nudity before it was replaced by a rose milk mini-skirt. With bright pink boots wrapping up to her thighs with her poofy shoulders now replaced with smaller ones of white coloration the blouse wrapped around her became feathered with a bow endowed with a pair of wings on each end. Speaking of which, large angelic wings of pure snow hue spread out, sending feathers dazzling everywhere. With her crimson hair now defusing to a pair of blonde twintails, her sparkling eyes remained a blossom of many colors as she smiled with confidence and excitement, posing with outspread gloved arms with one foot in front of the other, wings upright.

"Winged Maiden," She declared with just as enticing tone as before.

As a bustle was made about the stunning transformation, the only thing that offset it all was the jaw-drop expression of shock on Veronica's face. Raising up a hand her face became a bright pink of bashfulness as she quivered out, "W-W-What was...that...between your....your legs?"

"Hm?" Lily asked, sweetly singing out as if she was oblivious. "Did you peek at my privates?"

"You stripped them off yourself!" Veronica exclaimed, stamping her foot as she pointed again. "Y-Yo-You're not a girl! You're some guy wearing and acting like one!"

"So?" She replied with a too sweet smile, winking at her with a cute grin. "Does that make me less prettier than you?"

"NOT THE POINT!" The Manchester exclaimed as she huffed with indignation, just as a number of people did as this newfound news.

Some reacting less better than others.

"S-S-SHE'S a BOY?!" Maria gaped with a bright crimson flush on her face, finding it hard the giggling princess of a sweet looking young woman could be a male. She unknowingly squeezed Morgan's hand tighter as she looked on with dizzied eyes her heart beating twice as fast because of the uncomfortable yet arousing feeling that fluttered within her stomach. "H-How's that...possible?!"

"Ha! He's one of them crossdressers! Oh wow this is rich!" Prometheus barked with an amused laugh, covering his face as he leaned back to have a good chuckle. "I guess I'm not the only one who made a revelation here. That's fucked up..."

Morgan was speechless for a moment. She was both nervous and happy at once. In only a short time, she would finally get some something of an explanation for her past. Even if trusting Prometheus was a mistake one day down the road, for the immediate future it was the only choice she could take.

The sounds of the next fighters being selected took her attention for a moment. So far, the tournament had been a perfect job for her, giving her not only a chance to leave Fiore and see a country she hadn’t before but it gave her a perfect setting to fight and learn from others in a relatively safe environment, even if one of the competitors was a souless monster. She looked forward to the next round. The two girls chosen by the generator didn’t appear all that threatening, but Morgan knew well not to judge them until the battle began. She had no means to classify how much of a threat they would be without seeing their skills in action. Having fought unorthodox mages before, underestimating the opposition was a mistake that could cost her a future match and she knew it.

“They might be beautiful but don’t let looks trick you.” she said. As Maria explained the history of the name Titania, she remembered reading in one of the history books about the guild Fairy Tail, known for having three true Dragon Slayers among their ranks, and one with an implanted Lacrima. Erza Scarlet was one of the few who, while not being one, was a name that stuck out, her list of successful jobs quite long.

She choked back a laugh as Prometheus said that Natsu, the previous holder of the Salamander title, was a half-baked Slayer. Given the list of things he was said to do, she couldn’t deny the words were probably true.

The battle began, capturing her senses as only combat could. The two fighters entertained her, although it didn’t take much to make her assume that Veronica had the upper hand. But that notion faded as Lily revealed her Requip. She was more interested in what powers the garb offered than the controversial reveal it brought.

She felt Maria’s grip tighten like a vice and struggled to loosen the iron-hard grasp. “Too tight!” she yelled, trying to get her sister’s attention. “Besides, what’s the big deal? He likes dresses, so what? It’s not any worse than what I wore...”

"Oh," Maria relaxed her grip, looking apologetically at her sister before nodding with bashful understanding. "True. I'm not judghing her-er-him. I'm just...surprised...is all..."

"Bet you'd tap that."

"Tap what?" Maria looked over at Prometheus, seeing him wiggling his eyebrows. Furrowing her own brows she glared at him before returning her sight at the projection. It was only when Lily bent her knees did Veronica seemed to raised her hands defensively.

In a burst of momentum and a trail of glittering light in his wake, Lily lariat her in the waist. With saliva flying out of her mouth she was carried across the hillside till she was crashed into an opposing rise of earth. A loud crash was emitted before the mound of soil was obliterated in a blast of colorful light, a demonstration in a single strike the transformed Scarlet was capable of. Flying out the other side, Veronica flew upwards, her hands dancing around to emit a quartet of black monarchs around her. With the sigil formed with her body as the catalyst center, she stretched her palms out, unleashing a storm of butterflies in the form of streaking fireworks in a wide array. Everything they touched exploded indiscriminately, lighting the grassy field on fire as they flew towards the rapidly retreating Lily who flew around and up to the sky.

"You can't run away forever!" Veronica crowed out from below, watching her opponent fly higher from the tendril of massive energies sent his way.

Reaching up the highest the blonde twin-tailed boy could go, he made a series of dancing gestures just before raising a hand to where the Sun was above his head. A golden globe of twinkling rays formed, shrinking till it was clasped in his gloved palm. Grinning mischieviously he spun around and then thrust a palming thrust towards the tonnage of dark familiars. A sudden white blast of feathers crashed into them, cancelling each other out as purple and yellow flashes were made between in the sky. Amidst the chaos, Veronica flew upward, meeting Lily in the sky as they both clasped each other's palms in a titanic collision that made the air pop and the earth shake beneath them.

Both showed grimacing expressions, with only Lily sporting an excited grin while Veronica looked more perturbed than pleased. Tendrils of power exuded off both of them, showing their Magical Auras were exceedingly tremendous for their age. But as this dragged on, the latter began to smile as more energy generated on her part, with Lily's seeming to escape. The wings on Veronica's back seemed to elongate and become more grander than before, a raiment of violet pulsing about her beautiful dressed body. At that moment, she managed to break free of the hold and land a headbutt to Lily's forehead, followed up with a knee kick to his abdomen. Following a spinning kick to his side he was yanked by one of his wings to be spun around and thrown into the ground below with an explosive blast.

"It takes me awhile...to get used to this level of power absorption," She admitted aloud, fluttering down to land before the bruised Lily. Watching him disengage from the tattered form she noticed beautiful long hair flourishing down his back. A simple breastplate with a cross on it was seen with exposed upper arms with gauntlets encompassing the shoulders to his digits. With a blue skirt covering his feminine thighs and boots, a sword sheathed on his left hip he looked like a multi-color eyed image of his ancestor. "So that's what you really look like. Given your lineage, I'm surprised you didn't try going with The Knight, but of course I'm sure it isn't cute enough for you."

"You're wrong," Lily replied, a serious look spreading across his face as his voice grew deep yet still equally musical and sultry. Standing upright, a bright crimson Magical Aura spreading across his frame. Hair whipped about him as his eyes locked deeply upon his opponent. "Ever since I was young, my parents thought I was beautiful and gorgeous even though I was a boy. Despite that I didn't hide from my natural beauty. I embraced it, I didn't even mind if people mocked me or mistook me as a woman. Deep down I know I'm a man but I'm still proud of the beauty my family gave me. That is why, my pride isn't in my ancestry but who I am!"

"Requip!" He thought internally as the aura transformed and his body gestured alluringly in a performing ballet. Armored legs rose up were to be replaced by slippers of deep onyx, with black fishnet leggings wrapping up to his kicking thighs. Twisting hips had a blue skirt replaced by a black mini, a thin cat's tail jutting out from his hindquarters to flail out. A bowing upper body now possessed a white blouse with bare arms with only a pair of white cuffs with black bows, mirroring a black collar with a brass bell adjoined to his neck with long tussle of black curly hair gracing over his slender shoulders. With a pair of cat ears protruding from his scalp they'd be concealed by a bow that shuffled with them, the rainbow blossom now replaced with a pair of yellow eyes staring hard at Veronica.

"Neko Ninja!" He declared with a forward slouching, crouched posture.

"PFFFFFFFT!" Prometheus sputtered with barely contained laughter as he held his face, laughing heavily into his palm. "whateven...?"

Veronica was about to stutter with stifled laughter herself, till a dark mirage ghosted before her eyes. The sudden feeling of a dark wakizashi raised to her neck was felt along with her dominant arm wrested with a vice grip. A whisper of cold tone tickled her neck, making her face pale as the words sounded more masculine than she gave Lily credit for.

"Surrender now, or I won't end this fight pleasantly for you," He promised.

A nervous smile breached the woman's face, as she chuckled. Soon her form became ghostly and Lily found himself aghast as he felt himself pass through her. Realizing one moment too late, he turned to barely avoid a clawing discharge of purple light sent by the empowered woman. Dodging quickly by leaving afterimages, he swung midnight dyed slashes of his sword, recognizing the sight of transparency as the blade repeatedly past through without leaving a mark.

"Phasing Magic," He murmured lowly, finally struck by a pulse of amethyst energy that sent him somersaulting back into an all-fours posture. "You were saving that this whole time?"

"Of course," She confirmed with a grin, sauntering forward as her monarch wings fluttered behind her slightly. "You never reveal your entire hand till the moment is right. Not only can I absorb power, weakening my enemy over time, but I can avoid damage entirely. It's not an easy magic to learn but when you're a genius like me, it's never too hard to learn anything. I have more magic to display if you'd like to see how far the gap between us is?"

"No," Lily replied, his expression hardening as he stood upright. "I know the only way to stop this," closing his eyes he reopened them, displaying the blossom of many colors that was his natural eyes. But this time, the shades seem to spiral outward, as if escaping his sockets. The effect was like a maelstrom vortex of Ethernano, making Veronica's mouth drop open as her entire body became overcast by the many hues reaching out. In no time at all she was crashed into them, feeling herself blasted away along with a good portion of the landscape as the tunnel of light flourished within the air.

Coughing up as she felt the wind knocked out of her, she realized that her whole body felt numb. Barely able to look at her ripped dress she noticed her wings were gone. Looking up at Lily, whom now looked down at her solemnly. It almost looked like pity, noticing the tears escaping the Manchester's eyes before they appeared.

"You weren't the only one hiding a trump card," He murmured quietly. "I have no name for it, but it's a magic that belongs to me and me alone. It defines who I am and I embrace it. My eye magic opened me up to a world of beauty and grace. You who pride yourself on appearances and superiority, wouldn't understand how hard I worked to get to where I am; not a clue to what I've suffered..."

Genius and Instinct
Leaving her quiet and unmoving, the announcer declared the winner, soon causing Lily to giggle with happiness. He resumed his blissful expression as he emerged himself in the cheers and the many people in the audience who congratulated him. Burying the pain he let loose for a moment to his opponent, he returned to being happy. Even if it was for a few moments.

Transported back to their lines, Lily was happy to saunter back, still clad in his neko form. Grinning cheekily up at Prometheus, the man turned to nervously avert his eyes as his own face became slightly flushed.

"What do you think, Mr. Drake? Did I look good while I won?" He inquired with a sweet tone.

"Why don't you ask someone who cares?" The Slayer griped as he kept his gaze away from the boy.

"You're no fun," The feminine Requip Magician pouted his lips with a stamp. Turning to look at Morgan and Maria, he smiled widely again. Reaching out with a hand extended to Maria, he shoot it before moving to Morgan for a friendly shake. "Hi! I'm Lily Scarlet, but you can call me Lily! I saw your fight out there, and you were both amazing! What did you think of my fight? Wasn't it awesome?!"

Morgan felt relief as her hand was slightly freed and the blood within could flow free once more. She had no idea what got her sister so worked up about Lily wearing a dress, but let it go, deciding that it wasn’t important, not while there was a fight to enjoy. She wished it was her turn again, her desire to sate her base instinct growing with every battle she witnessed, only curtailed by the fact she enjoyed just watching the competition with Maria. Had she not been paired with her sibling, she was sure that she would have gone insane while she waited.

She watched with curiosity as Veronica’s wings expanded and Lily’s Requip came undone, wondering if the two events were connected through an unseen magic. The fight seemed to shift ever more into the former’s advantage, but, if fighting a goddess taught her anything, the battle was over only when it was over, to predict the outcome was impossible.

True to her thinking, Lily’s new Requip state seemed to turn the tides once more. Even though the appearance was odd, she couldn’t deny that the speed it bestowed was impressive. Veronica’s counter to the almost-decisive attack was seemingly impossible, the black blade Lily held fazed through the winged girl as if she wasn’t there. More confounding still was how Lily won. From Morgan’s perspective nothing happened, Veronica just slumped over, leaving the dress-wearing male to take the victory.

When Lily walked over and extended a hand, Morgan timidly returned the gesture. “Your fight was interesting. I wasn’t sure who’d win until it was over.”

"You never know, can ya?" Lily responded back with a smile, releasing the sister's hand.

"Yeah, you're great. I didn't even think you were a...uh-"

"Boy?" He cheekily grinned with a tilt of his head.

"Uh...yeah," Maria blushed as she meekly looked down.

"Well, I hope we can be friends anyways," Lily Scarlet replied with a giggle, turning to look back at the screen as he winked over his shoulder. "I think you two are great sisters. It'd be nice to know siblings as close as you two are."

"S-Sure," The Alexander Heiress replied with a more genuine smile, just as the last set of names were selected.

"HERE WE ARE FOLKS! THE LAST MATCH OF ROUND ONE! A LOT OF TWISTS AND TURNS BUT NOW WE'VE COME TO THE FINALE OF THIS SEGMENT! FINISHING OFF WE HAVE HOUSE LEIF MAKING A COMEBACK WITH ANTHONY STARK, HAILING FROM THE INFAMOUS SABERTOOTH GUILD OF FIORE! AND PITTED AGAINST HIM IS A SIR MENTEUR, FROM AN UNDESIGNATED GROUP FOR THE FIRST MATCH PARTICIPATING HOUSE, SANGUE!"

A pair of participants treaded across the grass, catching Prometheus' eye in particular while Maria looked on with quizzid curiosity and Lily with rapt anticipation. The first, Anthony, was seeming to wear a suit not unlike the kind he saw the newer corportation types from the likes of Bosco or the slimy weasels from Minstrel. With not a single effect on him he only heard reports of him being a rising competitor for Victor's IMAC by lending out designs and trademark inventions to places beyond his contract all the way to the Pergrande Kingdom. While not entirely as large, he had the fiances to back him up and charm to match. He had a chiseled facial structure with a rounded beard with clean shaven jaws and dark eyes with slick combed hair. To him he knew he had some sort of toy to show off and it made him sneer with disgust. Unlike Victor who seemed to be a genuine philanthropist, he seemed to revel in the attention and wanted to glorify himself as the next incoming pioneer of technology that dominated nature rather than become empowered by it.

The other was strangely familiar to Maria, if not just in an unnerving way. Multi-colored hues covered him from head to toe, as if he had painted various intersections of a flanked skull laden mask. Eye slits seemed to contract at will, blank white and hiding any orbs behind them. A bearded crest was made around an unmoving mouth, most likely part of the mask. Currently a shade of blue and scarlet dividing respectively from the right and left side with black borders dividng particular partitions of its form. Gloved hands clenched with boots walking in a straight line, only eyeing Anthony occasionally from time to time. Something about him seemed foul and it ate up her inside that she didn't know what it was or if Morgan would recognize the feeling too.

Once within Atlas World, they were in an uninhabited cityscape with the lights illuminating the street by way of old style lamp posts with torches within. With flies buzzing and the sound of looming thunder overhead, this looked to be another exciting battle to close the second round. Menteur silently stared at Anthony without moving, causing the latter to smirk.

"You sure you don't want to introduce yourself or start talking? That's usually how this all goes down," Anthony spoke with a casual wave of his hands. It wasn't until the loud, "BEGIN!" shout from Mr. Seven rang in his ears did Menteur seem to disappear from his vision. The impact didn't even register in his ears till the glass along the street shattered and the ground distended, air popping as he lurched forward from the instantly appearing attacker. When the silent assassin swung a knife hand jab towards his temple, it'd feel its hand jerk to a halt with a swift grasp on its wrist. Raising up, it'd be seen that the punching hand was also caught, staring at him with optics shifting over his orbs. "That was rude, dear sir. Please apologize-oh who am I kidding? PAYBACK TIME!"

Shouting aloud his rebuttal, a curtain of golden energy flooded the air, thrumming from his own suited frame. Twisting the arms until they made sickening snaps, Anthony snap kicked Menteur in the chin with a loud pop before following up with a spinning planting of his foot into the chest. Sent streaking like a lightning bolt, it'd crash across the ground till ploughing through inert vehicles. Among the debris and wreckage, it'd finally rise, from the rich man's perspective move oddly forward, almost doll-like. Pops were made audible as it drew closer as the broken limbs suddenly snapped back into place as if it hadn't harmed him in the slightest.

"Well aren't you the limber guy?" The business man grinned with intrigue, reaching into his vest pocket. Retrieving what looked like an elegantly crafted Magic Pistol, he let loose a few shots that Menteur dexterously evaded. Swiping his hands, he sent a number of beeping paint-dabbed shurikens towards his direction. Twisting his sidearm to fire at an angle, the weapon glowed an emerald hue before changing form, becoming an automatic that sprayed a series of Lightning Magic shots that stopped the explosions in midair. As it sprinted across a building on his right, he turned to unload the shots. Its color hue transformed into a yellow shade completely, absorbing the shots and producing a pair of wakizashis from seemingly its own hands, dyed the same color while thrumming with electrical currents. Crashing into Anthony's upraised arm, a barrier of azure light flashed between the two, holding the attacker at bay while the inventor's eyes fed him a host of data as he combatted him up front. "That's new. Never seen a substance like this before. Let's see what else you do, hm?"

Swiping his arm back with a pulse of kinetic force, the color coated ninja crashed into the building face with immense force, shattering the entire structure as it exploded out the other end. Rolling to its feet with little more than scuffs to its surface, it'd notice that Anthony's gun had transformed again. This time into a gear-adjoined guardless katana. Holding an arm behind his back, he bent the knees and readied himself for the attacker to resume his assault once more, a challenging smile decked across his bearded face.

"For a rich asshole, he's no slouch in a fight...so far," Prometheus grumbled as he watched with arms crossed.

"I think I vaguely remember him from a dinner father hosted. It was a little over a year ago, where a man proposed natural energy being more dedicated than the use of forced Ethernano expenditure. He was one of the few people who was against the idea, saying we didn't have a foreseeable limit to our natural magic in the world," Maria admitted, it being one of the few parties her father let her attend. Her attention was strangely on the inhumanly swift moving entity that spoke no words as it attacked Anthony. Something seemed...sinister about it, like its own nature bore a familiar menace she hadn't felt since...

The final bout of round one was finally underway and Morgan was excited to see what the final unknown duo was capable of. She could tell the one in the suit was a glory-hound, seeking fame and attention from the populace. But the one opposite him, the mysterious man known as Menteur gave her a chill unlike anything anyone else in the tournament. She couldn’t tell how or why, but something seemed off about the man. She was sure in time she would see the answer, but for now, she couldn’t shake the feeling.

She watched as Menteur and Anthony clashed. When the former emerged from the wreckage of cars, the way he moved seemed beyond unnatural. The inhuman movement only furthered the slight fear the man instilled in her. She assumed that Anthony possessed a form of Requip, based on the number and variety of his weapons, although they seemed to be virtually useless against the multi-colored man. She had no idea of what to make of his fighting style, nor his own weapons.

“The other guy is a bit creepy.” she said, not even bothering hiding the fact she was creeped out. She looked over at Maria and guessed her sister thought the same. “You okay?”

"I'm just...that thing feels so eerily familiar," Maria responded, watching Menteur zip forward, now resembling a silver sheen color. As the gears in the hilt of Stark's sword rotated swiftly, the blade itself began to oscilate at a high frequency. Swinging the vibrating edged blade it connected with a claw protruding fist, cracking with veritable force before the protrusions seemed to extend farther than before. Turning on his heel he evaded the projectiles and managed to snap them off with a twist of his wrist; followed up he parried the other blade and kick before managing a diagonal gash over its body that sent a gushing quantity of black ichor. At the sight her chills magnified as her mouth dropped. "I-Ink?!"

"You're not human," Anthony declared just as Promethus and Lily confirmed with their own shared expressions of surprise. "Are you?"

Silently it backed up while clenching the wound, its overall hue changed to that of blue. The wound sealed itself up and he physically discharged a monumental amount of water around himself. Emersing the environment in what seemed to be a river that drowned the city block, Anthony leaped impressively in a straight line before backflipping to the top of the rooftop. Returning to its pistol shape he holstered it within his jacket pocket as he looked down with curiousness. That was, until his eyes picked up movement, giving him the sense of mind to backpedal from spears of water firing up like geyser through the tall structure.

"Shit, not good!" He swore aloud, narrowly avoiding injury by the hydro blasts firing up to nearly cut him repeatedly. Even his automatic shield seemed to be worthless as it seemed to move straight through what had been a Barrier magic projector. With the whole structure crumbling, he witnessed Menteur rise up from one of the watery geysers, still partially liquid while the more solid form thrusted a fist...forming a large hammer that crashed into him. Coughing out he was launched across the building top and tumbling off nearly the next one. Blood escaped his lips as he looked up weakly, eyes still scanning the entity as it rose up in a tidal wave of moisture. Grinning he decided to rise up shakily and clasp his hands in a forward unified fist.

"Machina-Make!" Amidst his shout ran Ethernano of translucent golden rays moving in digital patterns, rings to plates. Formed within a mere few seconds was a Lacrima charged cannon, black with jet flames emblazoning the outside of its monolithic artillery sized frame. Taking bear straight towards the charging Menteur with the aid of extended legs and guided system, a targeting reticule appeared before Anthony's lens optic HUD. Unleashed with a trigger pull, he sneered with a low snarl. "Hell Fire Cannon!"

A torrential blaze of flames was unleashed, seemingly almost as strong as the Fire Dragon's Roar that Prometheus had displayed only a couple fights ago. The tidal wave of water was vaporized, and soon his whole gun pivoted around to tear a fiery orange line through the city that had moisture around it. Even as a great measure of the city was reduced to detonating debris and ash, he deactivated his machine in a series of gear spinning motions. Turning to in time raise not the cannon, but now a metal armed hand three times as large as before, the now red colored Menteur let loose its own column of flames upon him. Washing over a now dome headed golem with glowing golden slits for eyes and a matte grey to silver coloration, the metal man cracked the roofing just by standing atop it. Various rockets fired from behind, marked by sigils of Ethernano, enhancing his forward momentum as generators spun within his arm to crash straight into Menteur's chest.

And sent him flying across the city, exploding into a clock tower, letting loose a pyrotechnic display from his body making contact with it.

"Fortress Armor can withstand far hotter extremes, Menteur," He spoke to himself, raising up into the sky as he locked on target of the debris. Multiple slits opened on his shoulders, letting loose over a dozen missiles that let loose pure Ethernano blasts upon it. The emerald rays revealed the silent warrior's body, half of his face missing while an arm and part of his leg were oozing jet black ichor. Pooling into a puddle the entity seemed to look up defiantly at the armored genius as he grinned victoriously. "So, you can adapt to magic types but not magic itself? I've got you figured out now, Homunculus."

If it were possible for her to become any paler, Morgan would have done so upon seeing the black slime spewing forth from Menteur. Just the sight of ink brought back memories from her unofficial mission two months prior. She wished it was something she could forget, being invaded by the ink and put under the thrall of another, forced to obey against her will. The only positive side to the entire ordeal was that Maria’s quick thinking had broken the control before the worst outcome could happen.

“You don’t think that guy is here do you?” she asked, hoping that the appearance of the ink-human wasn’t a sign of a repeated situation in the near future. It was hard enough to almost kill her family once, she couldn’t imagine having to do so a second time. She also wasn’t sure if her sister’s cure would work a second time if the situation called for it.

She looked around frantically, checking for anyone resembling the ink mage that despised her so. Her quick glance around revealed nothing, so she turned back to the match, the worried thought nagging at her regardless. Everything was adding up to be the work of that man, who years before had done what Morgan thought impossible; he survived an encounter with Jadow.

She missed most of the goings on in her little scan of the area, only seeing now the humanoid ink creature bubbling and turning into nothing but goo from incredible heat. She only hoped that it spelled the end of the fight and that there was a different, less scary, source for the thing.

"Huh? What guy?" Prometheus turned to look at them, feeling they were being suspicious. "Do you know that ink monster?"

"That's not a real person!" Maria exclaimed, looking urgently at him as her hands wiggle her fingers with emphasis. "I-I-It's an artificial being, created by Ink Magic: An Ink Human!"

"An Ink...Human?" He skeptically inquired, turning to look up at the screen as it bubbled and oozed the black tar substance from its wounded frame. Multiple colors aligned on its new arm and leg, spouting out a jet black replacement over the injuries. Menteur bent the knees and then leaped with a sonic boom imprint. A menacing dark aura swept over it as Ethernano manifested over an outstretched arm, primed to fire at its approaching target.

"I don't think this validates as murdering," Anthony thought, rearing back an arm as a coalescing swarm of azure light formed in its gauntlet. Letting loose a torrential beam of power that overpowered Menteur's, what was left of the being was wiped away along with a city block of infrastructure below in a massive mushroom cloud of flames and smoke. As the battlefield was wiped away, the armor disappeared in segmented blocks of light, allowing the ruffled business man return with a teleporting plop back on the waiting area.

"WHAT A FANTASTIC END TO ROUND ONE! WITH MENTEUR REDUCED TO NOTHING, ANTHONY STARK LEADS THE VICTORY FOR SABER TOOTH'S REPRESENTING HOUSE OF LEIF!" Mr. Seven announced with great gusto.

"Well, whatever it was, it's dead now," Prometheus murmured to himself as he sighed, with Maria doing so as well with relief.

"I guess the guy isn't around, otherwise that wouldn't have ended that...thing, right?" She weakly asked her sister.

Morgan sighed as Anthony’s attack eliminated the man-shaped blob of ink. The threat had passed for the time being at least, allowing her mind to ease away from the frightening thoughts circling about. Such a overblown finishing move left no trace of the abnormal monstrosity. As the first round came to an official close, she recalled something that made all the worry for naught, something so obvious, she almost laughed.

“I just remembered something. It couldn’t have been him behind that thing. I blasted him off the Ark with my Roar, remember? There’s no way he could have survived both that and the fall.” she said, stating it matter-of-factly. “Especially with that incredible boost you gave me right before I launched him.” she added, praising her sister’s role in the event.

She gave Maria a reassuring smile. “Besides, if he really was behind this, that thing would be a lot stronger. If his ink could make me do all that it did, I doubt his creations would go down so easily.” Despite the terrible memory of being controlled, she knew well the kind of power held by the Ink Mage she brutally destroyed. She doubted such a weak construct could be brought forth by that man, let alone sent out in battle.

"Y-Yeah," Maria returned her sister a relieved smile, feeling her heart rate go down thanks to Anthony laying waste to him. Even though it was destroyed she couldn't feel sorry for something that was never alive to begin with, let alone being controlled by something else. It only led her to think who could have sent an artificial being in the first place if they didn't want to be affiliated with it? What was there to gain?

Even as 'Drake' simply felt laid back and Lily was giddy at the fight she witnessed, a single pile of ooze was unseen within the currently unused Atlas World. Bubbling it slid into the crevices of the tiles that formed, shifting unseen within the magical machine. An ill intent was afoot within this Tournament

A Brief Recess
A recess was taken into effect for a brief period, allowing Mr. Seven to provide first aid, energy restoration and even snacks brought to the remaining contestants. Those who were taken out of the running were escorted to their own private room reserved for them within the skyscrapers aligned to the colossus monument. If not, they could choose to leave at their own whim and be granted the entering prize for participating; a small consolation prize for providing entertainment.

'Drake' was feasting on a large meat slab that was barbecued on a stick. Unceremoniously he bit into it, swallowing large chunks of protein down his throat as he continued to go through the table set before him. Turning around he almost choked at seeing Lily devour even more food next to him. Even as he cheekily grinned with bones sticking out of his teeth and sauce pasted over his face, the Slayer took it as a challenge and began to wolf down contents which only spurred the Scarlet on. Soon the quickly refilled table was dominated by the pair.

"Now that isn't a picture I imagined seeing," Maria commented with owlish blinks, eating a few bites and drinking out of a cup. She took comfort in standing next to her sister, just enjoying her proximity. Somehow she couldn't have placed it but she felt closer to her sister since even before this Tournament. She could only smile fondly as she looked at Morgan and felt her cheeks flush with warmth, finding her sibling such a dependable sight.

Morgan darted around the table, dodging between the voracious Fire Dragon Slayer and his teammate with only faint blurs to mark where she had been, grabbing as much as she could carry, lest her lunch be swallowed by the duo. She made her way back to Maria, proudly carrying her meal. In one hand, she had a huge bone-in ham and in the other was a plate bearing a couple slices each of watermelon and cantaloupe. Even being a carnivore by nature, she had developed a taste for fruits ever since being adopted, melons being her favorite by far.

She set the watermelon down and began to devour the ham. Within a few minutes, her fangs made quick work of the meat, leaving behind only scraps and what looked like gouges in the left over bone behind. Even after no longer needing to worry about where or when her next meal would come, let alone how long she could spend to enjoy her food, she retained her habit of eating at an insane pace, a hard trait to overcome.

With the ham bone scoured clean, she picked up some watermelon and held it towards her sister. “You want some?” she asked, reaching down to grab another piece. “I got enough so we can share.”

"Aw, thanks Morgan," She thanked upon her return, stowing away her feelings for a more subdued set. Reaching over for the melon she used one of the cutlery they were allowed to use and cut some pieces to be put on her plate. She favored some smaller portions of meat evened out with a salad, but she had yet to get the fruit. Sneaking in sweets in between she decided to hand over an extra small dish of cake that reminded of her home to the sibling. "Here, triple fudge cake. I'm sure you'll like it."

"Excuse me," Apart from the girls was Anthony, approaching Prometheus as he was devouring a large rib just as Lily was wrestling with a steak in his own mouth. While he cast an instantly annoyed look at the man, he kept eating as the rich man just observed him devouring food sloppily. Eventually he finished the rib and incinerated it to ash, letting it fall onto the ground while baring his messy teeth at him. "Do I have your attention?"

"What? I'm eating here, you suit! Get lost," He snarled, not trying to be hospitable in the slightest.

"But I'm willing to make a profitable proposal, in case you're not joined with anybody...or are, but not being paid enough-"

"Listen, gel-head," The Fire Drake sneered as he wiped his mouth on a napkin, burning it as well, his hand an upraised current of flames as his eyes were burning a deep crimson. "I work for people far beyond even your deep pockets. I didn't do this for the money, I did it to make a statement. Our Guild will be out there and we'll be doing jobs your Guild can only dream of doing. So stuff your deal and take a walk, otherwise I might forget we're in a no-fighting zone."

Anthony rolled his eyes, shrugging as he pocketed his hands with a departing walk, "You might regret not taking my offer...Prometheus."

"Just keep walking, bub," He hissed, defusing the flames before he was too tempted to throw them at the man's backside.

Morgan smiled as she traded her watermelon for the cake from her sister. “This cake is really good!” she said happily as she dug into it with gusto. She loved having a bit of a relaxing lunch before returning to the battle, it gave her an excuse to relax and enjoy a meal with her sibling. After finishing off the cake and a slice of melon, she sighed with contentment, her inhuman hunger sated for the time being.

She glanced over at the table where Prometheus and Lily were having their friendly contest, wondering how their food-centric battle was progressing. She saw Anthony walk over, only for the Fire Dragon Slayer seemed to become hostile, for reasons she couldn’t really hear. She was curious but decided that they were best left to their own devices for the time being. She had more important things to worry about, spending a bit of leasure time with Maria being chief among them.

“So, out of everyone who made it through, who do you think is the strongest?” she asked, curious as to who Maria felt was the biggest threat going into round two.

It was a valid question, one that made the sister ponder in between bites.

Of those who passed, Prometheus definitely seemed to be the most intimidating, especially given his Slayer lineage. Monster Marsh had destroyed half an island but he barely showed any signs of damage from the attack, leading her to believe he tanked the attack with his dragon scales rather than natural durability. He seemed to be the prime candidate of strongest fighter.

But Anthony from the latest battle showcased incredible firepower and the ability to repel various magic types; his destroying the ink monster was so far the most impressive thing she could credit him in that match alone. Given he was showing a whole new type of Molding Magic involving machinery she knew he'd be the most unpredictable.

Various winners stuck out in her mind till she turned and nodded to her with a smile, "Honestly, I'm just going on a limb here to say that Prometheus is the strongest. I mean, it'd be a little assuming on my part to say Chevalier is stronger cause I barely see him move but that could have just been a sleight of hand; strong as his magic may be, he may not be tough enough to take much damage for all I know. You could probably take Lily on easier knowing that kind of magic he uses...and Anthony juse uses tech. Darius is a jerk who uses basic magic and that unholy stuff. Kenneth is tactful so you may need to keep your guard up. And...maybe I'm being a little bold but I think my only advantage is that I've sparred with ya so I might be able to take you on easier but I won't delude myself into thinking I'm the strongest, haha!

"What do you think, though?" She inquired back with a curious lean of the head. "Who do you think is the strongest here?"

"If you're wasting your time with discussing who's the strongest, then you two definitely are still girls." A masculine voice said rather dishearteningly as he appeared behind them. Short black hair, sharp eyes and outfitted in a dark green military-style jacket with a black tank-top underneath. It was Kenneth, although he looked markedly different from their last encounter.

"You see, girls. When it comes to contests like these, there's no point in focusing on the general strength of your potential opponents. What you do have to focus on is the compatibility between yourself and any given opponent and work from there. Otherwise preconceived notions in your head will ultimately make you lose." Kenneth then found an empty seat next to Morgan and took his place there. "Any decent food left? I'm starving after being stranded in the festival area for ages."

Morgan had to agree with Maria, Prometheus was probably the largest threat out of all of the winners. He was able to counter a devastating, island-wrecking attack with almost no injury to speak of. If anyone was that powerful, then they were by far the most dangerous. Even discounting the fact the man was a Dragon Slayer, one leagues more powerful than herself, she knew he was perhaps the mage with the most raw force in the tournament.

Before she could say anything, a familiar voice intruded on their conversation. Kenneth returned from wherever he had gone, wearing a new outfit. His decrying of their non-existent debate over who was strongest annoyed her a little, even if she couldn’t deny that he had a point. When the man sat next to her, she was going to argue that there was no harm in being childish sometimes, but his query for food stopped her. She spied a few drumsticks of chicken and a small plate of berries near the end of the table, totally abandoned. Within the span of a few seconds, she ran over and grabbed the plates and returned, setting them in front of Kenneth.

“I’m not going to lose, even if I’m not the strongest.” she vowed. Defeat was not an option as far as she was concerned, she had to grow stronger to not only take revenge against the monster that destroyed her life, but to protect the people she had grown to care so much about, the new life she never expected to have.

Maria couldn't help be inspired by her sibling. That undeniable zeal that came with her objectives she aimed to accomplish, no matter the cost. While she was annoyed that Kenneth came in to give them a reality check, something she was aware of in the back of her head from witnessing his fight, enthusiasm is something that is needed to start the fight in your favor. If you're too embroiled in fear or doubt even hesitation, then your enemy already has an advantage. Morgan was seen as fearless to her and with only the exception of her plight in the underground she was someone who'd brave any danger in order to overcome it.

"Me neither," She chirped with a bright smile aimed at her sister. "I won't lose, even if we're pitted against each other. I'll do whatever it takes to show how far I've come since back then!"

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Morgan said happily. She didn’t have the capacity to hold back when fighting even against someone she loved, so to hear that Maria would treat their eventual duel with the same mindset made mentally preparing for the possibility of clashing with her sibling on a grand stage far easier. It would make for a far more even fight if they both used the limits of their training, showing exactly what they were capable of after months of work.

Justice and Vendetta
It wasn't long until the concessions were finished and the recess finished. More comfortable seating was provided to those on the lawn, given formal seats of leather spawned by Mr. Seven himself. While still having a snack bar behind in case they felt the need to eat or drink as they watched their competitors, they were now at least more at ease instead of standing idle. With everyone seated and the audience raring for the festivities to continue, the host spun around in a glamorous pose.

"NOW! WITH ROUND TWO WE SHALL START THIS WITH A BIT OF DAZZLE AND GRACE! AS THE SCREEN WILL SHOW, HOUSE CORONA VERSUS HOUSE BLACKBURN. THE DARK BEAUTY DARIUS DAZZLE AND THE FANTASTIC  CHEVALIER! LET'S SEE IF OUR SECOND SET OF BATTLES STARTS OFF ON A THRILLING FOOT!" Mr. Seven broadcasted his voice, immediately returning all attention to the strides of the two combatants.

Darius had an unseen expression, hidden by his fabulous feather adorned hat. Darius meanwhile had healed during the break and his wounds healed from his prior match. A wicked smile breached his features as he eyed his opponent while they walked up into the steps of Atlas World and were greeted by a hovering platform hovering over an empty abyss. While they both knew it was an artificial environment one could only wonder if they could virtually fall into emptiness if the program allowed it.

"It seems Darius isn't fighting either of us this round," Maria scowled at saying that, almost sounding disappointed for not getting a shot at the bastard who was cruel to his opponent. Her disgust was only multiplied when she realized that his aura bewitched her into being smitten by him. But given Morgan's violent reaction she could only look cautiously at her sister if she was about to let loose. Optimistically she chirped with a nervous smile. "Who knows? Maybe he'll get what's coming to him in this round?"

Meanwhile, within the Tournament, the windless dark was only illuminated by their glowing arena floor. At that moment Darius had barely heard the sound of the bell. Only his bright blue eyes glared hard beneath the dark silhouette of his hat, a livid sneer breaking across his visage. He hadn't even drawn his sword and yet he could already taste blood he was about to spill.

"What's with that look? Don't tell me I soured your mood when I took your woman hostage," Darius replied with a smile, stroking his hand through his hair casually. Unlike before he was now adorned in a glistening coat of purple with golden trimming, his collar enamored with a sparkling bow while the buttons were made of encrusted diamonds. Even his hands were all bearing rings, each emanating a magical signature as if they possessed properties beyond the natural. With sleek silk bottoms to rich silk shoes he grinned menacingly as he cupped his chin with a cold stare aimed at Chevalier. "I don't know if that slut deserved to be spared by me, but you should consider that a mercy to me short of desecrating her body right on the stage past the point of her yielding."

A single twitch later and Chevalier's body seem to disappear. As if predicting it, the handsome man flickered to his right, avoiding a thrust coming from behind. Ducking low he'd deftly evade a follow-up slash he'd return in favor with a sudden surge of electricity swathing his body. Like a human lightning bolt, he swooped in and punched at the blonde-haired man, his blade deflecting the strike along with the entire flow of energy. Twisting the edge around he twirled around to Darius' flank till a foot connected with the arm, sending him buffeting back for a good dozen meters. With both now guarded, it was Darius who spoke first with a smile.

"Why are you holding back? Don't you want revenge?" He enticed him with a chuckle.

"I want justice," Chevalier intoned, his face full of fury but his voice showing a restraint unlike most in the Tournament have seen. "But to do so requires patience. I've lived my whole life learning what that virtue truly means. You'll regret every conceivable act of menace you've performed in the natural world, Dark Mage, and do so by my hand. And stealing her magic will hardly stall me in the slightest."

"Steal? Please, it was an easy magic to copy," Darius slyly stood up, his aura dissipating but his instincts still sharp. "It's not the only magic I have in my arsenal. You'll learn the hard way what it means to stand against Darius Dazzle of Midus Hand."

Briefly, for a moment, Darius let loose an unprecedented amount of magical power. The aura was an onyx with deep violet flecking on its outer rim, far less enchanting than it was before. Eyes were an unholy red and his smile a bright white that complemented the silhouette his body had become. In response all Chevalier did was stand his ground with a raised blade with his arm angled and his body perpindicularly aligned at a slight tilt. His cape whipped wildly along with his hat but did not fly off even in the presence of such monstrous energy.

The brief respite now over, Morgan was itching to get back to either fighting or watching others fight. She eagerly watched the screen hoping to see herself take part in the first match of the new round. Disappointment mingled with rage as not only was that not to be, but Darius was first up. She wanted her shot at the man for the sins he committed. Her anger at being denied the chance to take matters into her own hand was only tempered by her sister making a valid point and the fact Chevalier had just as much of a reason as she did.

“I hope he suffers for what he did.” she growled out, doing her best to stop another descent into furious lunacy, the admittedly wonderful surge of power it gave her wasn’t worth the fear she saw in Maria’s eyes. She took in a few deep breaths to try and calm down, finding it to be a success.

When she saw Darius use lightning magic in the same way Joan did, she could guess that whatever the man did to her wasn’t just a trap, but a means to mimic the magic of the victim. She grew more and more infuriated as she wondered just how vile the strange organic magic could really have been. She could only hope Chevalier could win, putting the dark mage in his place and taking revenge in one fell swoop.

A gesture and Darius sent a titanic wave of force barreling towards Chevalier. The telekinetic force, like with Kase, was seemingly eviscerated with a smooth uppercut. But as he did so he witnessed several runes covered into a pentagon around his vicinity. Electrical surges came forth and soon generated a powerful blast of Lightning Magic that spiraled up into the empty above over their heads. A circular stroke of the blade revealed the swordsman once again escaped the clutches of injury as no mark could be seen upon him.

"Such a resilient defence, your magic holds," Darius declared with a tongue stroking over his lips. "I can't wait to make that power mine!"

"It is not a force to be reckoned with nor used by common hands," Chevalier intoned with a stoic visage, stepping forward as his blade's tip grazed the ground he treaded. Eyes of steely blue locked onto Darius' own blue eyes that held a much darker sheen. Keeping his weapon there he stopped a good distance away from the man, daring him to make another move. "Show me you have any worth to attempting to steal what isn't yours."

A cackle was let loose from the Dark Mage as he raised his hands and clapped them together, "Don't get cocky, Chevalier! You might get more than you've bargained for!"

Fiery tendrils of Purple Flare thrust out of the ground, following that by a gout of electrical discharges. Golden sparks of liquid metal seeped from the ground along with rising bullets of the same sheen. Water flourished up to be transmuted into a viscous floral tentacle with a fire spewing mouth. Ice constructs of monsters gathered around him following golems of stone and metal. Among all of these magicks being put on display was the very ground beneath Chevalier turning into wet meat that clenched his feet and began to encircle him, intending to cocoon him while the horde of spells were throttled towards him.

Before he was completely encased, he spoke a simple word in a whisper.

"Cosmos."

An eruption of light ripped apart the battlement, splitting apart the bullets, annihilating the golems and constructs while also nearly pushing Darius off the cracking platform. As he steadied himself off the maelstrom of power he saw a monstrous pyre of power shooting up into the abyss that filled it with a billion lights. Like stars they enamored the background, making it seem as if they were hanging in space. The sheer weight of the power was that it made him completely forget about the Salamander.

The most terrifying force in this Tournament was standing before him, enraptured in a mantle of light that spouted rays as if he was a walking star. Eyes were opaqued to a pure silver and his blade became a rod of luminous energy. A cape of now starry night with clothes of shimmering jewels he walked forward in a way that he could never dream of impersonating.

"This is my Magic, Darius Dazzle. Cosmos is a power that is a secret held guarded for generations. You nor any noble in Seven would know of such a spellcraft and I pray no one but I ever use it," Darius elaborated in a hallowed voice, seeming to echo and resonate all around him, pressuring the body as if they held its own spectrum of gravity. Halting but a few meters away, his glowing eyes met the fear induced Darius. Pointing his blade towards him, he snarled and let loose a powerful shout. "It is time I punish you, Dark Mage, for committing taboo in the world of Magic!"

Making an elegant twirl of the sword he spun it too fast for the eye can see before sheathing it in a smooth motion. By the time the blade clicked, all of the stars seemed to converge upon Darius. A soundless cry was heard as a bright golden cross was formed out of the Ethernano converging upon his body, causing nearly the entire arena to shatter to pieces while the dome barely held against this more controlled motion of his power. When the light finally receded, returning to a light exuding cobwebbed black backdrop, becoming more apparent about the facade of the projection.

There, squatting on the ground, was a trembling and erect Darius. He was choking out as tears slid down his charred face now bereft of clothing to hide behind. Worst of all was the feeling that welled emotion of such severity within him. He wasn't simply beaten; the power he glorified was now completely gone.

"I've taken away your Magic," Chevalier announced as he turned his back on him, his cape flourishing along with his long hair bearing his feathered hat. "Your price has been paid and justice has been served. Good luck living your life without your precious power, Dark Mage."

"TH-THIS IS...ANOTHER HANDILY WON VICTORY FOR CHEVALIER! EFFORTLESSLY DID HE PUT DOWN A TOP A-RANK MAGE IN MIDUS HAND IN PLACE SUFFERING VIRTUALLY NO DAMAGE ON HIS OWN PART! HE WILL NOW HEAD TO THE SEMI-FINALS OF ROUND THREE; WHAT A WAY TO BEGIN THE SECOND ROUND!"

As the pair were teleported back to their seating, with a medic team escorting the traumatized Darius out, the prior simply took his seat and said nothing. A look of contentment settled but there was no true pleasure; he was still stewing over the acts Darius must have enacted over the course of his blasphemous abuse of dark power.

Meanwhile, other contenders had their own say on the match.

"That was...amazing," Maria gaped as she blinked widely with an agape expression. "Chevalier beat him so easily. Just how powerful is he?"

"He's a High Class Wizard, I'll tell you that," Prometheus muttered from his own seat, leaning back as he looked with his own cagey expression. "I kinda feel bad that I don't get to fight him in this round. Not sure if I can win against a monster like that, but I'd sure as Hell like to try."

Morgan had no idea how it was possible. Attacks that appeared to be direct blows on Chevalier were just shrugged off without any sign of affecting the man. Little visible effort was put into blocking from what she could tell, just like before. Whatever powers the man possessed were indeed formidable, especially if they formed such a powerful defense that could overturn seemingly any attack.

That’s when Chevalier revealed a new form of his magic, or perhaps its true nature, she couldn’t tell. Whatever it was, she hoped that it would be enough to achieve a victory against the dark mage. Within the next few moments, her hopes were answered as a mighty torrent of magic disintegrated Darius’s outfit, leaving him nude and defeated.

Relief washed over her as the despicable monster was taken down, the only thing that marred the experience was her own desire to have done it, to met out her own brand of justice, but it was done regardless, allowing her some measure of peace. “He might be as strong as Father, if not more so.” she replied, trying to wrap her head around how someone could possibly win two fights without even a scratch to show for it.

"Definitely," Maria nodded with affirmation, just as Mr. Seven began his next announcement. His words were drawn out as the names quickly siphoned at record breaking speeds too fast for her eyes to follow. When they slowed her sight of the titles that settled made her jaw drop; not only with anticipation but with apprehension. The names that followed were...

House Arbol: Morgan Deschain the Dragon Slayer of Phoenix Guild V. House Himmels: Drake the Dragon Slayer

"WHAT A FANTASTIC SET-UP WE HAVE HERE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Mr. Seven began with an exaggerated spin as he gestured to the screens now zooming in on the contestants, mixed in with montages of their highlighted moments from the prior Round. "HOUSE ARBOL'S MORGAN DESCHAIN, THE DARKNESS DRAGON SLAYER OF PHOENIX GUILD AGAINST THE DARK HORSE DRAKE, THE FIRE DRAGON SLAYER OF HOUSE HIMMELS! THIS TITANIC MATCH-UP WILL ONLY SERVE TO CONTINUE THE HYPE OF OUR BELOVED TOURNAMENT! LET US NOT WASTE ANY TIME AND BEGIN THE NEXT ROUND!"

"This sucks," Prometheus murmured from not far away, looking over with annoyance as he stood up at Morgan. "I have to be stuck babysitting a rookie kid. They couldn't have even given me Anthony but stuck me with her? Tch," He began walking past her, hands in his pockets as he didn't even bother lighting a cigarette. "This smokes; let's just get this over with little Slayer."

"Do your best!" Maria encouraged, despite the mean words that 'Drake' said to her. Giving her a heart warming hug she whispered into her ear. "Kick his ass for me!"

As the selection for the next round finished, Morgan was ecstatic. She no longer had to wait to fight again, and with another Dragon Slayer no less. She couldn’t have asked for a more challenging opponent than someone who’s powers were like her own, only on a higher level and a different element. Before she could say anything in response to Prometheus’s nickname for her, she was embraced by her sibling.

“You know I will.” she replied as she hugged Maria, stating her assurance of victory as if it were a foregone conclusion. As she walked to the arena floor, she smirked, excited to once again to fight and test the fruits of her training against an obviously stronger opponent. She took her position across from Prometheus and readied herself.

“I’m not going to hold back.” she said. “ I suggest you don’t either.” Part threat and part warning, she had every intention of showing just how wrong the man’s judgment of her really was.

Flame and Shadow
As the cheers and roars echoed within what felt like a floating island arena, the Atlas World gave them a completely open terrain to work with. The Sun shined high over their heads, trees of tropical nature extended along with banking creeks and a rushing torrential river with a decent sized mountain arching in the distance. The smell of the air to the feeling of high altitude, it truly felt like a marveled achievement of projected atmosphere and landscape.

But Prometheus wasn't truly admiring the view or thinking about the fight. He just saw a little girl with some bite and attitude but nothing he can't match or exceed. Looking at her with a bored expression he vaguely heard the starter bell go off as his hands remained pocketed while he looked almost ready to fall asleep. The Salamander wasn't looking forward to this.

"Sure, whatever," He shrugged, giving her a lopsided smile. "Knock yourself out, kid."

Morgan looked around at the generated arena, getting a general lay of the land. Already she was scheming to turn the area to her advantage if the chance arose. It was a shame such a beautiful scene had to be reduced to constructed rubble in the fight or to be used as a possible tactical advantage if the battle turned even remotely to needing such actions.

When she saw how casually Prometheus was standing, she almost bolted in, taking advantage of what seemed to be an easy for-sure hit, remembering how her first battle with Victor had started exactly the same way; that experience served as a reminder how foolishly she had acted, and the price of that foolishness was pain. Instead, she decided to use her natural advantage to land a crippling opening attack.

She sped forward, zig-zagging around to throw off her opponent, even altering her speed to make her next motion hard to predict. After a few seconds, she moved behind him and aimed a momentum-infused kick towards the middle of his back.

"She's fast!" 'Drake' thought as he noticed her immediate bullet momentum she traveled at. Eyes widened as his hands unpocketed with apprehension, his body squatting down as he tried to pick up her location. Shadowy silhouettes flowed in and out of his vision, thrusting across the landscape like a wraith. When he thought he saw her a couple of times in the wreathe of shadows they melted away to show nothing but a mere magical afterimage. It was then by the time he fixated his attention on one that smiled at her that he felt an instantaneous strike on his back that made him cough out with surprise; it really hurt!

"Ngh!" He snarled as was flung forward, bowing himself forcefully forward to drop on the ground with a one eighty spin to look back to where she was. Turning his sneer into a rabid smile his pupils shrunk to pin size as he chuckled. "Okay, I'll make sure to eat a hat later. You're a bit tougher than I expected. Let's see if you can take the heat!"

Unleashing a wafting wave of his Magical Aura, he became emblazoned in a multi-colored tongue mantle of Ethernano. Eyes glowed a bright crimson as did his hair, his jacketed frame whipping wildly along his form. The ground was set ablaze and heat waves came off intensely. With canines pronounced with an open mouthed smile, he bent at the knees and coated his soles in a particularly intense current of fire.

"Fire Dragon's Blitz!" He announced as his body zipped forward, burning away his former silhouette. Appearing like a fiery comet he swung a Fire Dragon's Claw, tearing apart the line of trees behind her in half, disintegrated into charred embers shortly after. Following that he used his acceleration technique to appear to her left and thrust a Fire Dragon's Steel Fist at her flank side. From the right a sweeping kick to her legs; finished with an above Fire Dragon's Club with both hands intending on pounding her with an explosive downward crash that'd decimate their surroundings in a plume of fire, ash and smoke.

Morgan skillfully dodged the first attack Prometheus launched at her with a simple side-step, putting herself in a perfect position for a counter attack had the man not sped around to her side, forcing her to block the attack by briefly using Darkness Dragon’s Wingbeat as a shield to prevent her bones from shattering the impact. The blow still stung despite the added protection, but she knew it would have been far worse otherwise. The next attack, aimed at her legs, managed to trip her, allowing the final blow to land with her unable to dodge. Only a timely activation of her Darkness Dragon’s Scales on her arms allowed her to successfully block the oncoming Fire Dragon’s Club with minimal damage, except for huge cracks that appeared as the magical armor was damaged.

She rolled away from Prometheus, gaining some distance. The trees were nothing but ash, reducing places to hide, leaving the battle squarely in an open confrontation, nowhere to escape to in order to gather strength and prepare. Not to mention that the odds were largely against her, both in power and experience. She tried to come up with a tactic that would give her an early advantage. A devious smile crept across her face as an idea dawned on her.

Without a warning she dashed into the river, planning on using the natural elemental superiority to shield her and dampen oncoming attacks. The rushing water felt nice after being hammered with so many heat-based attacks. She held out her hands which began to glow violet with magic power. “Darkness Dragon’s Fangs!” she called out as she fired an immeasurable barrage of tiny fang-shaped blasts towards her enemy.

"Oh come on!" Prometheus called out as she dunked into the river. "You're just making this hard on your...self?"

He trailed off as a harrying flock of black birds headed towards him. But the singing chirps weren't that but fangs coated in Darkness Magic, flying straight towards him. The barrage glinted of light they obstructed, flowing forth with incredible velocity despite their individual diminutive size. Like her they packed a lot of punch depsite the stature difference between him and her. Coating himself in a burning aura of magic he bled out his power as he crossed his arms over his face protectively.

They felt like bullets, pulverizing into his durable build but not what his scales were designed to hamper. The Originator Element bruised him repeatedly something that only the metal formed Monster Marsh was able to do when he changed Take-Overs. Despite the harry of attacks he withstood them and blew back the rest with his sheer power. With holes peppering his jacket and shirt down to his pants legs he inhaled deeply and hollowed his mouth instead of pulling it back.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Unleashing what was a molten lance of flames that dug into the riverside he twisted his head around to drag it around to evaporate the torrent of water to draw her out. The steam that came into the air would vaguely cloud his perception but his sense of hearing and smell could alert him to the signal. Once he finished boiling the river enough to draw her out, he cut the spell off long enough for him to jump with an explosive catapulting leap. With Fire Dragon's Wings activated two additional faux-limbs extended from his shoulder blades, enabling him flight as he left a burning orange trail in his wake. Pulling back, a plume of propelling flames shot from his elbow as a fiery fist aimed to strike her with multiplied incendiary force at her midriff with guaranteed explosive impact if it made target. "Fire Dragon's Thrusting Steel Fist!"

Morgan halted her barrage, fully aware her attack wasn’t having the impact she had hoped, the Darkness Dragon’s Fangs weren’t powerful enough to win on their own merits. She ducked into the raging waters in the hopes the river would provide protection from any immediate counterstrikes. Almost instantly the water grew unbearably hot and she realized what was happening. She burst from the water and scrambled to find safety from the flames that evaporated her only safe location from their wrath.

The wall of steam was visually impenetrable, she couldn’t see the other side of the riverbed, making any attempt to prepare a defense or offense pointless. As things were, she was a sitting duck, unable to do anything. That’s when she saw a silhouette in the obscuring steam, Prometheus was coming for her. She had no time to even activate her Scales to protect herself before she felt his fist slam into her with incredible explosive force. She grabbed the man’s arm to brace herself from sliding back. She willed herself to block out the pain, reminding herself that she had felt much worse. “''This is nothing! I will survive, I will win!''” she thought, encouraging herself.

A sinister chuckle escaped her as her free arm was shrouded in dark magic. “Darkness Dragon’s Wingbeat!” she called out as she aimed her counter attack into the man’s gut. The wing-like appendage it formed was shorter than usual to account for the fact there was less room for it to swing, comparable to a dagger in size.

Prometheus had to admit, he never expected the younger Slayer to put up such a good fight. Even as his multiplication of force to magic generated punch made contact with her uniform torso with flecks of flames lapping over her with the detonation that occurred along with a jettisoned limb she grappeled his arm. His eyes widened as her free arm swung forward in a wing-wreathed effigy of Darkness Slayer magic, crashing into his abdomen with a loud rattle. He swore he felt a dagger hidden even though there was none, as a small laceration opened upon his waistline, eradicating the lower half of his undershirt.

Growling he reached around to grab her by the scalp while leaning his head back. With a dramatic crash his deadpan expression mingled with pain as his forehead struck hers like a gong, unleashing a potent blast of flames from their two craniums. He had no idea if it'd shake her off but he couldn't help but swing his arm wildly as he hovered in the air thanks to his fire wings still flapping behind him.

"Dammit! Let go!" He howled as he tried to fling her from his arm and send her crashing down.

Morgan flinched as she felt her hair being yanked, yet she held tight regardless. A moment later, she felt Prometheus slam their heads together, along with yet more fire, making her see stars. The sudden impact and burning feeling was enough to force her grip to slacken, allowing the man to shake her free. She smashed into the ground and despite her willpower she couldn’t drown out the pain that resulted from the rough landing.

After a few moments to catch her breath and get her bearings, she stood up shakily, her head felt like she had been hit by a truck and the rest of her body ached. “I won’t lose...I can’t lose...” the mantra echoed in her head as she took a few breaths to steady herself. “I’m not done yet...Darkness Dragon’s Roar!” With a mighty shout, she unleashed her signature ability. Ebony black energy seemed to engulf all light that reached it as it flew towards the other Dragon Slayer.

"Hah...Hah...Hah," Prometheus breathed heavily, feeling his own blood from the small gash made from smashing into the girl's head with his own. His sight was momentarily blurred, he wiped away the ichor that threatened to get into his eyes. Blinking away he suddenly saw a deprivation of light; as if an abyss opened beneath his floating feet. From the skyrocketing Ethernano he deduced quickly that it was the girl's Roar Spell but on a scale he hadn't expected.

"GRRRGH!" Blasting into the void of lightless oblivion, his flames burned through the onyx rivulets of magical energy. Cold tongues lapped against his raging hot ones. His hands pushing back with veins threatening to pop up the scope of his forearms. His already worn apparel was being ripped to shreds in the face of this dual of powers. As his struggling hands kept pushing against the fabric of shadows he suddenly felt a slip and then a monstrous howl within the bleak force. "I...can't stop it?!"

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, it overlapped his entire body. Streaking across the artificial sky it briefly created a dim overcast throughout the entirety of the battlefield. Like twilight, the Sun seemed like a distant star in comparison to where it was in the projected spectrum. A hanging canopy of obsidian kept Morgan's entire view as well as the audience's, hidden as to what exactly befell her opponent within the overhead heavens.

"Dragon's Soul."

Just as quickly, an instantaneous inferno breathed life into the abysmally dimmed sky. Within the hanging air was a single outlined figure, presiding vaguely at the epicenter of what appeared to be a monstrous torrent of flames that blew off him. Seeming to scale a mountain in its sheer size was this powerful Magical Aura of fiery Ethernano, giving him the visage of a nightmarish drake of old legends. But just as suddenly as this power appeared, it'd vanish, revealing Prometheus in the air.

...then on the ground, just before the Darkness Dragon Slayer.

His feet created a bed of ash instantly around him, the atmosphere already setting the environment aflame just by his mere presence being a handful of meters from the young girl. His arms were notably darkened, scarred from the attack that he couldn't stop but was forced to endure. Despite that, his sweat matted steaming body bore no sign of Magical increase other than the sensation he gave off...and the glowing red eyes that shined from his sockets like an ember in a campfire.

"I didn't want to do you a disservice for putting up such a good fight," The man called 'Drake' revealed, taking a casual step forward and then another, knowing how suffocating his power must be for the tenacious opponent. A smile bore on his face as he walked with a confident stride of knowing promise. Vapor exuded from his mouth with more defined canines, as if he had become a new creature altogether. "But this is my best card to play. Dragon Force, the strength of the dragons of old; not even your undying will could hope to breach this distance set between us, little slayer."

Morgan felt the drain of her Roar consume her as the obsidian-hued blast tore across the constructed heavens above. Her whole body was quivering as exhaustion set in. A smile crept across her face as she saw the effect her power seemed to have upon the sky, blotting out even the fabricated Sun  “This has to be...what?!” she thought as she witnessed something change in the bleak energy above, a twinkle of light emanated from within. Soon the light engulfed the blast itself, tearing it apart from within. She could feel her opponent’s power in the epicenter of the celestial inferno that shredded her own bleak might.

“That’s not possible.” she whispered in shock as the Roar was torn asunder from within, leaving no trace of its existence. Heat was the first sensation she felt when Prometheus appeared in front of her, covered in burns born of the darkness magic he endured and his outfit ragged, but otherwise fully fine. A sudden surge in the intensity of the draconic ethernano in the air caused a reaction in Morgan, activating the Dragon Sensory Eye; a spell she had years ago discovered that would alert her to the mighty beasts she dreamed of one day removing from the world. Azure flames appeared around her left eye, lightly tinting the world but otherwise leaving her sight unchanged. She realized even before the man spoke why her eye had erupted into symbolic fire. He had activated Dragon Force, becoming akin to the namesake creature.

As Prometheus inched ever closer, Morgan could feel it, a frightening, overbearing pressure that threatened to crush her like a foot to an ant. “So this is what its like...to be on par with a dragon..” she thought, scared to imagine what it’d be like if she foolishly tried to fight what she knew she couldn’t beat. It took everything to remain standing against the force bearing down on her body, lasting only a few seconds before it forced her to her knees. Her expression changed from one of shock to a look of despair as she realized how far she really was from victory, especially in her current state. Unable to stand up, she knew the fight was over. “I surrender!” she said, the words like bile despite how sensible they were at the moment.

It was something Prometheus didn't expect. With how tenacious the kid was almost to a fault he saw that visage on her face. Something he had only experienced a lifetime ago. She found out what real fear was and her instincts told her flight rather than to fight mindlessly. The Magical Aura of a Dragon coursed through his veins and he understood to her senses that she may be facing her worst nemesis in this way. Closing his eyes, he exhaled, sighing with resignation.

"Well, damn," The Salamander breathed aloud as his aura relaxed entirely, the environment no longer arrest by his high temperature. Opening his eyes from the fierce crimson to a dull red allowed him to glance the girl with a measure of respect. Shakily he raised a hand inside of his pants pocket, one of the only clothing effects still left on his person. Withdrawing a cigarette he lit it with his thumb before exhaling out with his sight focused on the blue canopy above their heads. "I won't lie, that was a disappointing way to end our scuffle. But, as a man, you sometimes have to know when to thrown in the towel and quit before you get yourself killed," Lowering his eyes to her he smiled back at her. "I think I like you, Morgan. Hook up with me soon so we can hopefully get some of the answers you seek. You gave this Slayer a good fight so as a respect to a fellow artisan in the slaying of dragons I'll do what I can to help ya."

While his words would be heard, most of the audience was too busy cheering after Mr. Seven gave a very improvised speech to get them to go along with the calm ending to their battle. The second match had a lot of tension and flare but ended on a disappointing note. Still the sight of two Slayers combatting each other was breathtaking enough for most people to ignore that failing. When Atlas World finally lowered they'd find themselves still within arm's reach, teleported back before their seats.

"Morgan!" Maria immediately flung her body to wrap her in a tight hug. "I'm glad you're alright...and...sad that you won't be able to compete with me," She sighed with resignation, stroking her hair while nuzzling her neck, rubbing her back in the meanwhile. Planting a loving kiss to her cheek she continued to hold her close in a stroking embrace. "Sorry, it must have been hard for you to give up, wasn't it?"

The pressure bearing on her receded. allowing Morgan to get back to her feet. Her body ached but such pain was a simple matter to ignore. The self-inflicted blow to her pride, however, hurt far worse than anything else, that pain she couldn’t drown out. She hated the feeling welling inside. She felt like a failure, having tried to win and to keep her word, both now willingly given up in a moment of fear and doubt, her promises blown away like leaves in a harsh wind. Her body shook as she held back the emotions threatening to consume her.

She was surprised when Prometheus congratulated her for giving him a fun fight. She had no idea why he thought it was fun, she had been so outmatched that the fight was a foregone conclusion, that much was made abundantly clear the instant Dragon Force became a factor that tilted the duel so far into his favor that she had no means to quickly close the gap and return the fight to a more even state.

Upon being teleported back outside, the first thing that she saw was Maria, who quickly embraced her. At that moment, even the job itself stopped mattering. The young Dragon Slayer wanted to just stay there and be comforted, a stark contrast to the brutality she had known for failing in the past. Even though everything inside seemed to be falling apart, just having her sibling there eased the pain and doubt.

After Maria kissed her, she wrapped her arms around her sister and began to sob silently. “I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough.” she whispered, heartbroken and afraid. "I just couldn't win, I knew it..."

She felt saddened by her sister's grief. In her mind this was just a job, a competition as a means to complete a contract while also getting a learning exercise from it. However to her sibling it was more than that; a way to prove herself and show what she could do. The fact that she got to Round 2 was proof of that, though her defeat here was understandable. It just wasn't seen that way to her.

"Hey, we all lose sometime," Maria whispered as she clung to her sobbing sister. "But, if we won all the time, why would we want to grow? I'm sure you can see this like the first time dad beat you. It's teaching you what you lack. I'm sure I won't win the Tournament all on my own. And even if I did, that means I just need to be stronger than I am today. Don't give up hope on yourself just because you lost; just be glad you survived and lived to return the favor to that jerk someday, okay?"

Morgan’s face was streaked with unbidden tears as she calmed herself and listened to what Maria was saying. The words comforted her, easing her fear and pain. She was so concerned with the immediate fallout of her actions she hadn’t thought of the future, of being able to return home with more understanding, not only of herself, but the world around her as well. “You’re the best sister ever.” she said, her sorrow and fear giving way to happiness and peace. “I don’t know what I’d be like right now if I didn’t have you with me.”

She broke off the hug and sat down in a nearby chair, her adrenaline gone and exhaustion set in, physically, mentally, and emotionally. The little voice in her head that told her that her failures would make people hate her no longer had anything to say; Maria’s kind and gentle words to her had proven the voice wrong, silencing it for the time being. A smile crept across her face as she looked up at Maria. realizing just how amazing her sister was.

Man to Man
"Only cause you're the most awesome sister," Maria applauded her sibling as she smiled back, pumping her fist as she sat down next to her, looking her dead in the eyes. "So keep training, keep getting stronger and giving it your all. You help me get better just by example so don't you ever quit, even if you end up losing. Just get back up and do it again, as much as it takes, alright?!"

Finishing her speech she turned to look up at the oscilating projection. She held her sister's hand instantly, her cheeks warmed as much as her palm did with her digits entwining intimately with Morgan's. Even if her turn was next she'd live up to her own words and give it her all, no matter what. But instead of her name -something that gave her a sigh of relief- it was two others. Lily Scarlet of House Himmels and Anthony Stark of House Leif.

"THIS IS SURE TO BE A TITANIC BATTLE! SABERTOOTH MECHA-WIZARD GENIUS ANTHONY STARK AND BLUE PEGASUS STAR LILY SCARLET! WHATEVER MAY HAPPEN MAY THE BEST MAN WIN!!!" Mr. Seven gave a stunning speech as the pair of combatants strut forward with elegance and style. Once inside of Atlas World they'd be within a replica of the old Grand Magic Games arena, where many audience members were projected into the seats along with front row views for the remaining contenders. The dust kicked up by their feet along with the stir of magic, it was one of nostalgia and exhileration for both.

"It seems we have a proper set-up for a Noble Tournament," Anthony declared with a dramatic wave of one arm, keeping the other hand close to his side as he analyzed the boy from afar. Reaching into his suit he withdrew his mechanized magic weapon, taking the form of a long-barreled pistol. Holding it upright, even as the ding for the battle to start he glinted with a cheeky smile. "Don't worry, I'm nice to young women; even with your parts."

"Funny. I don't mind hitting a girl; even who has a small dick like you," Lily commented back, something that made him laugh with humor as the young pretty Scarlet replied back.

"Ouch, so no date afterwards?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Alright then," Tony coolly narrowed his eyes pointing the gun and firing, letting loose a bolt of lightning that struck the side of the arena with incredible force. Seeing that he dodged handily, still clad in her Neko Girl form, he began to let loose a barrage of blasts as afterimages showered the area though his speed never let up of firing rounds. "Let's get down to business, like real men!"