Chapter 850: Rey's Match
"Round thirteen of the preliminaries... involving Cer'bi, Lu'ka, and R'ai..."
Three students came on the incredibly spacious stand-two of them being from the Third Stage, while the last one was from the first.
Their uniforms neatly glowed in the limelight, and with all eyes on them, they proudly had confident poses as they waited for the instruction to begin the fight.
'Finally... it's time.' Rey thought to himself as he raised his head and looked upon the elevated platform which held the judges.
Everyone already knew the identity of the judges, but they were kept in an enclosed space, so no one could really see them.
Rey could, though.
He could see O'jog getting excited as soon as the match was announced, and even his other two comrades watching the whole match with curiosity.
'I don't know what he told them, but it had to have been pretty good, considering how they all seem very interested in mere preliminaries.'
Now that his Instructor had set up such a nice stage for him, it wouldn't be any good for him to fall short of expectations, now would it? Rey already knew how he would fare against the two seniors before him.
Despite that, he found the match-up a little interesting himself.
'Isn't this a little unfair? Why am I up against two seniors?' He wondered with a broad grin.
This had to have either been a setup from the start, or a simple coincidence. Heck, it could have been arranged by O'jog himself, considering how curious the guy had been of Rey's capabilities ever since their first training.
'They both seem rather serious and cautious. I expected more arrogance from them, all things considered...'
This meant they had been trained well.
That, or the two had somehow been briefed of just how much danger he posed to them.
'It doesn't matter either way.' He nearly chuckled as the single second before his match began nearly elapsed. 'I'll still be winning this.'
Mi'ja and Cyn'dy had already gotten their matches before him, and they lost. He had to make up for the losing streak by getting the first victory on behalf of his Stage.
-And also for the grand prize of the Tournament.
"... BEGIN!"
As soon as the voice of the referee echoed loudly in the hall, the two seniors rushed towards him, their speed akin to jets.
~WHOOSH!~
The winds seemed to part as they closed in on Rey, but he watched them with perfectly calm eyes. He couldn't be bothered by opponents that moved slow enough to him that even snails felt faster in comparison.
'Now, then... how do I handle this?' There were tens of thousands of combinations at his disposal.
A myriad of ways he could use to win-even if he wanted to hide his true abilities.
'But, why don't we go with the basic kind?'
Reaching for his arsenal of Skills, Rey chose the ones he liked to resort to-even in training-
and instantly summoned a blade from out of nowhere.
"[Perfect Divine Martial Arts]. [Absolute Energy Pulse]."
~VWUUUM!~
That instant, Rey released a widespread burst of energy as soon as he swung his blade a single time after taking his stance.
The result was even fiercer than an instant whirlwind.
"GUAHHHH!!!"
The two students that charged at him were instantly blown away by the pulse of energy, forcing them far away.
As soon as they helplessly crashed into the ground, though, Rey's blade was pointed right at them-the object crackling with dense electrical energy.
At that very instant, the two seniors could clearly see that he was way out of their league.
'I considered fighting them properly, but that would just be too much of a waste of time.' He smiled at them.
Naturally, the two defeated ones had to surrender, or their humiliation would only be compounded. Rey nodded at the whole process and waited for the referee to announce him as the winner.
He cast his gaze upward once again and deepened his smile.
'Let's leave the actual theatrics till the main event.'
************
Rey's match shocked everyone in the audience.
They already had the roster of the participating students in hand, so they knew of their classes. Even if they didn't, after each victory, the referee announced the class that the winner was from-so, it was impossible to miss.
It was a shock to most upon learning that the boy was in the mere First Stage.
How in the world did he win against two students from much stronger classes? It just didn't
make much sense.
"... And he did it in a single move too."
"He's amazing! I wish my son was like him! Instead, he just stays home all day and plays
games."
"Mine too! He streams his content, though..."
"Is this the birth of a genius?!"
"T-that kid... he did all of that as a Martial Artist? N-no Magic?!"
"Increcible!"
More and more praises erupted from the crowd, and after witnessing the match, the vibe within the hall completely changed. An electrifying atmosphere reigned, showing how much of an impact Rey made on the audience.
They were hungry for more, and after watching a few matches of the same predictable outcome... they finally got another one.
-A student from Class 1-A.
"Round seventeen of the preliminaries... involving Kar'leen, Ler'ba, and Luc'ia..."
The audience was instantly smitten as they laid eyes on the new underdog that entered the stage with the two other wolves that threatened to rip her to shreds.
Luc'ia had silvery white hair that danced as she walked, with confident crimson eyes that glowed with absolute confidence. She had a bright smile on her face, as well as a charm that
the audience could not quite explain.
One thing was for sure, though.
"Go get 'em, Luc'ia!"
"Woohooo! This should be a good match!"
"Do your best, Luc'ia!"
She had the support of the audience.
"Well, well, well... It looks like the crowd wants a show." She muttered as she looked around
her with a much brighter smile than before.
"I can't disappoint them, now can I?"
*
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading
I've been away for a long time, but I'm back now... I hope. I certainly hope you all haven't
abandoned me and this book.
Apologies it took so long, but I hope you enjoy this mass release.