“Welcome Ladies And Gentlemen! Welcome to the…”
“GRAND TOURNEY!”
“That’s right folks. After waiting for an entire month to get some more action, we are finally here. This here isn’t just any stage of the competition, but the Finals of the…”
“GRAND TOURNEY!”
“Yes! Feel the excitement folks. Can you feel it?!”
“WE CAN!”
“Can you touch it?!”
“WE CAN!”
“Then let’s give a warm round of applause to our City Lord – the one and only ruler of Asher City and one of the main organizers of the Grand Tourney – as he reminds us of what has happened so far!”
*Clap Clap Clap*
And so along with the warm applause of the audience, the record stone rose high into the air to capture the image of the City Lord as he stood up to address the people. Today was a special occasion, and he wa
“Now let’s invite the two teams on to the field,” Peter took over once the City Lord’s narration was over. Seated next to him was the more reliable and astute Maggie.“Before the teams make their entrance, it is prudent to let the people know the team news,” Maggie stopped Peter from calling out the teams and said.“Ah yes,” Peter smacked his head lightly. “I almost forgot about this,” he confessed, not at all offended that he had been corrected before so many witnesses.“Both teams are missing a man. Black Ink is still out. The good news is that he is recovering rapidly, and there would be no underlying issues after his recovery. The unfortunate news is that he is unavailable for this clash.”“However, the Orange Team have their own injury problems. Black Hand, the powerful Predator who revealed such fearsome might at the end of the Semi-Finals clash between himself and Indigo
“Why is he doing this?” Hildegarde asked as she sat upon Mane’s shoulders. Her gaze was fixed onto the figure wearing a white mask standing opposite the giant known as Black Saga.“I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense.” Mane responded through the mask. Just like Hildegarde, his eyes were glued onto the white masked figure standing in the center of the field.“Do you think the City Lord asked him to do this?” Hildegarde asked, turning her attention to the man seated on the second highest platform in the entire stadium. That platform was second only to the commentator’s booth.“Once again, I have no idea,” Mane shook his head and said. “It doesn’t make any sense to antagonize either Lam or me, so I don’t know why he would give such an order. But that man is crafty and I cannot confidently think for him. So I really don’t know whether he gave the order or it was Black
*Boom*The first person who moved was Black Saga. Once Steel Fist’s seal of approval had been stamped, he leaped straight into action. He charged straight towards Lam with his large rod in hand. Like a man emboldened by the power of his god, he lashed out at Lam. Spinning his rod with incredible speed, so much so that the audience couldn’t even see the weapon clearly and could only see blurry images of the mighty weapon, he struck the rod towards his opponent. In all of this Lam was still, not yet making a move.“What is he doing?” Vital Orange furrowed his brows in worry. He didn’t understand why Lam allowed Black Saga to get so close. To him, Lam had made two grave mistakes. One, he allowed his opponent to strike first, losing the momentum right at the start of the match. Two, he hadn’t made any attempt to rectify the first mistake, and chose to stay still, almost as if he was terrified by Black Saga.“He is waiting to
“Is that allowed?” Peter asked doubtfully, echoing the concerns of the Black Team faithfuls within the stadium, which was basically almost everyone here. The rules of the Grand Tourney prevented any combatant from taking substances that would serve the purpose of boosting their strengths. It was unacceptable to do so.“Technically it is not,” Maggie shook her head and replied. “But,’ she added before Peter could say anything more. “That is for other Enhancement Potions. If it were any other Enhancement Potion, it would have been against the rules to take it pre or mid-match. But the Healing Enhanced Potion is a half and half potion. It partly heals, and partly enhances one’s strength. It isn’t as strong as a regular healing potion so it wouldn’t really stop the bleeding. At most it would slow it down, but its added effect of boosting a person’s strength by 20% makes it far more beneficial than a Healing Potion.
As the two – Elemental and Godling – bottled up their rage, the one involved was in a much better position than they thought. Although his facial expression which had been concealed by the mask had turned ugly upon hearing Maggie’s words and understanding that his opponent was basically ‘doping’, he was able to calm himself shortly after. Taking in a deep breath, he did something that he hadn’t done since the match started. He charged straight at Black Saga.Wielding the sword that had been gifted to him by The Citadel, he weaved through the field, even avoiding the raindrops that fell his way. Like a swan taking flight, his movements were elegant and refined – almost ballerina-like. In under a few seconds he was right in front of his foe. Black Saga was momentarily taken aback seeing Lam appear so quickly. He was more surprised by the fact that Lam had taken the initiative to start an attack, something that the white masked boy hadn&
“Hope that nothing happens to my Prince. Your lives and the fate of this entire city depends on it.” Ivor remarked coldly as he stood in front of City Lord Sutton and his family. He had his back turned to them, preventing them from seeing his expression. And because he stood with his back before them, they couldn’t tell if he was back to his old smiling self, or if he was still mad. Added to the fact that he was standing right in front of them and was a very large man, they couldn’t see what was happening on the field. And for some reason they couldn’t hear a thing outside either. They couldn’t hear the crowd, the commentary, or any sounds that indicated an intense clash between two strong warriors. They were completely isolated from the world! City Lord Sutton and Madam Anna didn’t know how it was possible for one to have such an ability, but they didn’t doubt for one second that this was Ivor’s doing.The man was so myst
“I don’t believe it! How could Black Saga do something so despicable! Not only has he harmed his fellow teammate, he has also harmed Sword King White Mask!” Peter was shocked. He stuttered as he spoke, trying his hardest not to believe what he had just seen. Yet try as he could, he couldn’t erase the poisonous images from his mind. His words shook the soul of everyone here. The last bit of respect they had for their legend was gone, and there was nothing but disgust and pain left. How could he do something like this? He had attacked even after he lost? He was nothing but a disgrace!Lam’s eyes were opened wide in disbelief, his gaze naturally drawn to the hand that was embedded in his chest. Even with the mask on, one could see that those eyes were full of stunned surprise. Black Axe spat a mouthful of blood, his eyes slowly turning lifeless.“Captain?” he stuttered, not believing for once that his life would have been ended by
On a rooftop belonging to one of the many homes in Asher City, three people were running at top speed to make their escape. They were the cloaked figures from before; the people who were responsible for Lam’s near death state. Once their goal was accomplished, they rushed out of the stadium faster than the eye could blink. They didn’t want to be found out, for Ivor the Tattler was famed for his merciless nature just as much as his merchant nature. Everything had been proceeding smoothly, and nothing had gone contrary to their escape plan. Yet when they were just a few meters shy of reaching half a kilometer in their escape, a powerful aura locked on to them, and a furious bellow shook their souls and pressed down upon their bodies.“This aura!” the cloaked man shivered when he felt the power that had locked onto him. This power was full of aggression and rage, and its might was so resounding that he could hear his own bones creaking in submission.