chapter 712 arena battles [part 1]
on the second day of the elimination matches...
thirteen stood on the stage alone, addressing the audience with a smile on his face.
his co-host, claude, had asked him to handle the rest of the hosting for the tournament, citing that he needed to handle important family matters.
naturally, this was a valid excuse. glory city was still technically being reconstructed, and there were many important matters that needed claude's attention.
thirteen did not mind accepting the request, well aware of just how much he had pissed the ashford clan. giving them a break would be good for both sides.
"and now, the event everyone had been waiting forâthe second round of the elimination matches!" thirteen declared, and the audience cheered in support of his words.
"now, let's call our first contestant! standing on the left corner, one of the squad captains of the 69th battalion of the central government, alcapone!"
loud cheers that came from the soldiers of the central government welcomed one of their comrades in the arena, who was more than happy to receive everyone's support and acknowledgment.
"and on the right corner, hailing from the cygni continent, let's cheer for the mysterious mr. jj!"
another round of applause spread in the arena as mr. jj appeared.
"i'm not getting paid enough for this," mr. jj muttered as he begrudgingly walked to the arena.
the two contestants faced off against each other without saying a word.
"before we start, let me just remind everyone of the rules of the tournament," thirteen said. "killing is not allowed and will immediately disqualify the contestant from the tournament. however, crippling your opponent or cutting off their limbs is fine. "we have many amazing healers on standby to fix you up really quick. if the opponent surrenders or loses consciousness, it will automatically count as their defeat. with that said, are both of you ready?!"
alcapone and mr. jj both nodded their heads at the same time, signaling the start of the tournament.
a black flame appeared on alcapone's forehead, making him look more intimidating than ever before. "then let's get this show started!" thirteen shouted. "battle start!"
as soon as the order was given, alcapone didn't hesitate to use one of his core abilities, which he gained after receiving the divine martial technique called the phantom king's shadow dominion.
"chains of oblivion!" alcapone roared.
immediately, countless shadowy chains erupted from the ground with the intention of binding mr. jj and ending the fight early.
however, as if sensing this attack beforehand, mr. jj took a step back and threw flying daggers at alcapone as a counterattack.
"don't underestimate people who aren't paid for their overtime!" mr. jj shouted as his flying swords weaved through the air like live snakes that wished to sink their fangs into their prey.
"winner, alcapone!" thirteen shouted as he pointed at alcapone, who waved at his supporters, earning him another round of cheer and applause.
"now, for the second match, we have my brother, mikhail leventis!" thirteen raised his hand. the moment mikhail appeared, a loud cheer erupted in the stands, and if one were to listen closely, the ladies were cheering louder than the guys.
mikhail might be a man of few words, but he was very handsome.
he had short blonde hair, and his eyes were as clear as the blue sky above the colosseum.
the young man had many admirers, and there were many ladies who wished to melt his seemingly cold personality, which was a mere facade he had trained over the years due to thirteen's help.
thirteen was worried that his brother would be easily manipulated by the ladies, so he taught him to act aloof and say as little words as possible.
only when mikhail was with his family would he show his real self, which would have melted the hearts of the ladies due to how kind, caring, and affectionate he was.
when the cheering died down a bit, thirteen introduced mikhail's opponent.
"some of you may have heard his name, but he is known as one of the rising stars of this generation!' thirteen stated. "let us all welcome, sam ting rong!"
cheers once again spread in the arena, but it was not as loud as mikhail's entrance. clearly, the crowd had their own favorites.
sam knew that he was the underdog in this match, but he was fine with that.
he believed that if he managed to win against the popular mikhail, his popularity would reach greater heights.
"you already know the rules, so i won't repeat them!" thirteen said. "now, let the second match begin!"
sam immediately charged at mikhail with the intention of ending the battle in a single strike.
mikhail, on the other hand, stomped his foot on the ground.
the moment he did that, the ground under sam's feet rose up, catching him off guard.
he was then propelled in the air, unable to dodge mikhail's well-timed kick, which sent sam flying outside of the arena.
the battle ended just as quickly as it started. mikhail then left the arena without a word, making thirteen smile faintly.
half a minute later, the audience regained their composure and sent mikhail off with a round of applause.
but when the next competitor arrived at the scene, the cheering was so loud, making thirteen almost become momentarily deaf.
he could only watch with a bitter smile on his face as his sister's fans cheered non-stop for the coming of their idol.