The Red Hand

Chapter 247 – The Tournament Begins!

At last, the day of fate arrived, and it was time for the opening of the Dumetor Interworld Tournament. As Akagi predicted, the audience numbers were massive, and beyond the million or so people who snatched up 'seats' to the event via the VR viewing system, over a billion people were watching via various methods at home. While many were wary of the returnees, the spectacle of their battles was more than enough to draw people in, and there were few who didn't have some level of interest in watching super powered fighters go head to head. With the time to start quickly approaching, and the audience practically chomping at the bit, Akagi moved into the middle of the arena and gave her introductory speech to get things started.

"Good morning everyone!" Akagi yelled out to, what was from her perspective, a nearly empty audience. As she could not interface with AR devices, she was using a small floating screen that displayed images of a packed crowd in their 'seats', though this was little more than a computer-generated image rather than a reflection of how this whole system really worked.

"It's amazing to see so many faces from all over the world, and it makes me smile just knowing how many people have their eyes on this little patch of land." Akagi laughed. "And don't worry, we've got an incredible little event here for you..." She snapped her fingers, and a large screen on the upper level of the stadium displayed an image of the bracket along with images of each competitor next to their place in the lineup. "Over the next three days sixteen competitors will be battling it out for the ultimate prize, a wish from the most powerful being in this world." She paused for a moment as the crowd cheered. "And we've got a variety of contestants for your viewing pleasure, some of whom hail from an entirely different world!" As she said this, the audience cheered again as the display highlighted the exploration team, Halifax and Shinlua. "Not to mention that Kyoto's own homegrown Magical Girl is taking part, so we've truly got all kinds of representation!" Another cheer came out as Mika's image was highlighted.

"We all know just what kinds of damage the returnees can do, but will they be strong enough to beat fighters who have centuries of real combat experience?" Akagi smirked. "Well, that's what we're here to find out!" She winked and the audience exploded once again. "Who will win? Earth's most powerful fighter? Enoris' mysterious swordswoman? Or will it be one of our many other fine contestants? Though no matter who wins, I know we're in for a great show! So before I go wasting any more time, and lord knows I can do that, let's go over the rules for this event one last time before starting!" She snapped her fingers again and the display changed to display the rules.

"The first and most important rule is that killing is prohibited. This is, sadly, not a fight to the death." Akagi laughed. She'd considered allowing death at one point but figured that people wouldn't want to risk becoming like Misha. "While I can pull people back from death if I'm close enough at hand, I'd rather not have to do that." Her revival of the girl had spread around like wildfire and it caused quite a stir around the world with some taking it as a religious sign. "Contestants are free to use any kind of attack they please, but if you kill your opponent, even accidentally, you will be disqualified." She put her hands in an X pattern. “No tee-hee pero is going to get you out of that one.” She laughed as she did the motion in question.

"Second, while knocking your opponent out is the preferable way to win, I mean come on I know what we're all here for, you can also claim victory via knocking an opponent out of bounds or by making them concede defeat." Akagi continued. "Additionally, I may call a match if it's obvious that somebody can't continue and refuses to quit, but that is merely a safety precaution, so hopefully it doesn't happen." She had a few people in mind who might not quit even if forced into a hopeless situation.

{Cough, Avahn, Cough.} (Akagi)

"Third, flight magic or something similar is banned outside of the confines of the arena as it would invalidate the concept of a ring out." Akagi wanted to ensure that ring out was always going to be a very real threat to the competitors. “Note that it is still permissable to use flight magic within the arena, so be careful not to accidentally DQ yourself by using it in a prohibited manner.”

Akagi then moved to the final rule. "And finally, this rule really only applies to Hishya but I'll state it anyway. Transformation into a large creature or otherwise is prohibited. We want this to be an interesting battle between people, not a Kaiju fight!" Akagi laughed as the crowd cheered.

{Though seeing Hishya take people on as a Dragon would be fun, it would probably result in anyone save like two of the contestants dying horribly.} (Akagi)

"That wraps up the rules, so let's move ourselves up to the booth and get things started!" Akagi snapped her fingers again, moving to the booth area that overlooked the arena where two other people were waiting in their respective seats.

"Ladies and Gentlemen let me introduce you to my co-caster, Silfana the Vampire Lord and the world's only living World Boss!" Akagi said as she took a seat next to the Vampire, and the crowd cheered. "Coming all the way from the Empire, this Ex-Princess will be providing commentary during and after the matches, so make sure you all give her a warm welcome! And be careful, unlike Mixu, this Vampire does bite." She snickered.

"Hello everyone." Silfana gave a wry smile as she waved to the camera. She was used to having lots of eyes on her, but this was a new experience and she was admittedly a little nervous. "It's an amazing honor to be here, and I'm looking forward to seeing some incredible fights among our fantastic lineup." She actually asked Akagi if she could be here since the Vampire had tons of combat experience and figured that she could give some interesting insight into the contestants and matches. "I hope you all are looking forward to this as much as I am, and I can't wait to get started."

{Too bad I couldn't join in, but then again that would've invalidated many of the contestants. Even without some of my 'World Boss' abilities as they called them, I'm still more powerful than most of the players. I suppose that, for now, I'll need to be content watching from the sidelines and learning a bit more about each of them.} (Silfana)

"And to round things off, I decided to bring in a rotating member of our little discussion group, so give it up for our first co-host, Shinlua!" Akagi clapped as she introduced the Elf, which caused the crowd to go even crazier. "Coming all the way from Enoris, Shinlua here is one of the Sprits' best fighters and somebody who knows her people and their abilities better than probably anyone else, so I think she'll have some interesting insight to give." She wanted to make sure that the rotating member gave different perspectives on things, and was keen on including the otherworlders when she could.

"Good morning, everyone!" Shinlua gave a nervous smile as she waved to the camera. Like Akagi and she did not have an AR device, though that was more because she didn't trust/understand it. "I'm happy to be here, and I hope you forgive any mistakes on my part, but I'll try my best." She'd never been before seen this insane amount of people before, and it was causing her to sweat a bit.

{And WHY did the Council think we could fight humanity when THIS many showed up to watch a fight?!?} (Shinlua)

"It's ok! We'll only throw you in the dungeon if you flub." Akagi laughed.

"I guess I'm doomed then." Shinlua gave a dry laugh.

"I think you'll be fine. Just relax and don't worry too much about it." Silfana shrugged. “I'm a bit nervous too, but it will be fine.” She'd actually gotten the implant, seeing it as an amazing piece of technology, and was able to see the crowd in much more detail.

"Yeah, vampy is right, just relax.” Akagi pat Shinlua on the back before continuing. “Now, with introductions out of the way, let's get to the first match!" Akagi clicked a button that set off a loud alarm that signaled for the two competitors to make their way to the arena, in the middle of which, Kira had taken up position as referee.

"And for our first match we're starting things off with a bang here folks, as we've got the one, the thankfully only, Hishya! She'll fighting against one of FWO's finest Paladin's, Tiball! So everyone please give them a nice round of applause and a warm welcome!”" Her words caused the audience to cheer as both fighters emerged from a side area and started walking toward the middle of the arena.

"So, what do you two think of our first match up?" Akagi looked at her two co-commentators. Silfana had fought both in FWO and knew how powerful each was while Shinlua could give her thoughts as a seasoned veteran.

"It's one-sided." Silfana said without a hint of hesitation in her voice. "Hishaya is powerful enough to defeat me one-on-one, so I doubt Tiball will be able to win.” She didn't think that Tiball had even the smallest sliver of a chance, even with the restrictions placed on Hishya.

{Don't you dare lose this, Hishya! If anyone beats you then that will make me look bad! You need to stay undefeated until I come for your head, Dragon!} (Silfana)

"Oof, harsh." Akagi laughed, though she didn't disagree with her assessment. "You don't think he has any chance? Tiball is quite the competent fighter and his use of dual blades to maximize his damage output has proven its value in battle before." He was one of Eris's inner circle and helped her to handle many powerful bosses.

"I've dealt with him and that Guild before. They're quite tough, but knowing what I do about Hishya, I still think he has no chance." Silfana didn't budge. "Even without her Dragon form, Hishya is still far too powerful for him to handle alone."

"I see, and Shinlua, what do you think?" Akagi asked the Elf for her opinion. "You've seen a bit of what Hishya can do, so are you in agreement with Silfana on this one? Is Tiball a lost cause?" She was curious how someone with that much experience would rank the two of them.

"Hishya is a powerful fighter, and as a Dragon, there is little she needs to fear in combat, but I think it would be foolish to call this match before it even began." Shinlua shook her head, her comment causing Silfana to raise an eyebrow. "Tiball is an excellent defensive duelist, and what he lacks in raw strength, he makes up for in technique." She turned to Silfana. "Additionally, do not forget that your assumptions are based on their power from within FWO. Since their return, I've noted that many have far exceeded what was possible in the game, and that's not including the items that they've been gathering and creating with Imp's help." She was referring to Akagi's Dungeon and the rewards that could be found within. "So I think Hishya will have to work a bit harder than you might think to win this." She smiled.

{Though, if I had to bet on a winner, it would still be Hishya. Tiball might have a slim chance, but that's not enough of one to make me put money on him.} (Shinlua)

"Perhaps...” Silfana mulled over the Elf's comments. She'd initially wanted to dismiss them outright, but understood that it came from someone with as much life and battle experience as her. “But I still think that trinkets and technique can only go so far in closing the raw power gap that we have here." As she said this her scarlet eyes locked onto Hishya who was nearly in the middle of the arena. "I've fought her twice, and I know well what she is capable of. For someone so young, she has remarkable battle sense, and she definitely has far more combat experience than Tiball."

{However, since she never had any formal sword training, her form is lacking. Her real combat experience and the knowledge and aid of her skills DID result in her becoming a rather competent  fighter in such a short time, but she still has much room to grow.} (Silfana)

"True. Hishya had the most monster kills in FWO, and by the end of things was actually the highest level out of all of us." Akagi nodded. "I've crossed blades with her many times, so I agree that she's highly skilled and knows her own limits well." She'd come to the same conclusion as Silfana regarding most players having only very basic weapon knowledge and it was why the Demon had spent as much time as possible in her shadow to acquire real sword training.

"Then who do you think is going to win?" Silfana asked Akagi for her thoughts.

"Who knows?" Akagi shrugged as she cracked a wily smile. "We just have to wait and see." She looked down at the arena, her nonexistent heart pounding as she waited for the match to start. While she figured Hishya would win this, her calculations told her that it wasn't guaranteed and that Tiball could pull out a win if he played his cards right and used the special item he had to its maximum effect.

{Oh fuck man. I forgot just how much I loved tournaments!} (Akagi)