"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 Saga's own decision." Mane replied through Lock-On.
He was really worried about how things had turned out. Although Lam had improved a lot in the past month, Mane didn't want to see his friend facing off against Black Saga. It wasn't that he thought Lam was weaker, but because Lam's combat experience was nowhere near to that of Black Saga's and that was a disadvantage. But even Mane couldn't see what had happened coming. He, just like Vital Orange and every other person in the stadium, didn't think that Black Saga would put his name up top as the first combatant. They assumed that his name would come second or last, but definitely not first. And seeing the gleeful smile on his face, Mane was even more incensed.
"Don't worry. Your brother would be okay. The Grand Tourney doesn't encourage murder" There were several people attending the Finals of the Grand Tourney today. And amongst the large number of spectators, were two who were closely related to the Orange Team. Both were women, and both were beautiful. But the cloaks they wore hid their looks from prying eyes and kept them relatively inconspicuous. These two women were Orange Ivy, who was a member of the Orange Team until she willingly gave up her position to Mane, and Lily, who was Lam's twin sister and Mane's friend.
Orange Ivy could sense Lily's unease and was quick to offer some comforting words.
"But that doesn't mean that it doesn't happen," Lily was quick to state the reason for her worry, and Orange Ivy was helpless. That was because Lily was right. Although the competition forbade murder, it did happen occasionally. In such cases, the team responsible for the murder was disqualified, but to those who had lost a friend and to those who had lost their family, what good was that?
"We both watched that man's previous match against Red Prince. Every other combatant tried as much as they could to keep from killing their opponent, but he didn't have any such reservations. He actually tried to kill Red Prince, and if it wasn't for the intervention of Steel Fist, Red Prince would have died."
Lily explained what exactly it was that left her unsettled by the current circumstances. She could still remember how dangerous the match between Red Prince and Black Saga was, and how both men were seeking to end the other's life. And now her brother was pitted against one of the characters from that bloody match. There was no way she would be okay with that.
"That was different. Those two had a grudge to settle. That was why they fought so bitterly with their lives on the line. That wouldn't happen to your brother." Orange Ivy comforted.
"Is that so?" Lily asked with a bit of sarcasm in her tone. "You're telling me that the Orange Team doesn't have any grievances with the Black Team? Can you confidently look at me and say that both teams don't have some hatred towards each other?" Lily turned to Orange Ivy and said. Her tone and words took Orange Ivy off guard since Lily had never been this stern with her, or in fact any other person before. She couldn't find the right words, for Lily was right. Red Prince and Black Saga had fought so violently because of their teammates. But what about the grudge between the Orange Team and the Black Team?
One of the teams belonged to The Citadel, and the other belonged to Asher City. Both cities were already in a stalemate, and the attack on the City Lord of Asher City which was orchestrated by Black Hand and Vital Orange made matters much worse; especially since their enemies were already aware that they were the ones who had attempted to kill their City Lord. Compared to Red Prince and the Red Team, the grudge between the Orange Team and the Black Team ran much deeper.
"So don't just speak because you feel you have to," Lily stated and turned away. She was usually calm and kind, and was rarely ever stern with anyone. But her brother was in a bit of trouble and she couldn't care less about anything else – especially about how to treat those who had put him in this mess in the first place.
"I'm sorry," Orange Ivy apologized with a sigh.
"My brother would be fine. He isn't weak. But if anything happens to him, I will not forgive you. I don't know about Mane. But I definitely wouldn't forgive any of you! The Orange Team or the Black Team!" Lily stated resolutely, and Orange Ivy could feel beads of sweat appear on her back. Who knew that this seemingly weak lady could be so strong-willed and unforgiving when it came to her family?
"The first match is between Black Saga, the Captain of the Black Team and White Mask of the Orange Team. Both combatants are already in position. Are you ready?" Steel Fist asked. Her countenance was grim, just like it was during the match between Red Prince and Black Saga. She could feel the tension, and although she was just as angry as Black Saga, if not more so, she was ready to step in and stop him if he went too far.
"Ready," Black Saga smirked brightly and pulled out his huge rod. With a huge bang the mighty weapon struck the floor of the stadium and created a pocket for itself within the ground. His furious aura was exposed once more, and many in the audience held their breaths in anticipation.
"Will he be okay?" Hildegarde asked Mane.
"I don't know. But he should. He isn't weak. What he lacks is real combat experience. Besides, if he listens to me he wouldn't be in such a huge disadvantage." Mane responded.
"What did you tell him? I wasn't paying attention then." Hildegarde smiled embarrassingly and said.
"I said that Black Saga would be out to hurt him. So he should start at full power." Mane replied. That was the advice he gave his friend, and Vital Orange echoed the same advice when he spoke to Lam right after Mane had spoken to his friend. If Lam started at his base level, he would be in big trouble because there was no way Black Saga was starting at his.
"Ready," Lam nodded his head and unsheathed his weapon. The gorgeous white sword reflected the beauty of the sun once it was exposed to the world. And the one who wielded it shared in its spotlight. For when he declared his readiness, his docile aura took a sharp turn, and the angry fiery power of a 6th Stage Profound Realmer exploded from his slender looking frame!
His power roared angrily, feeling the restraints that had been placed on it removed, and Lam made his presence known to everyone. He had broken into the 6th Stage of the Profound Realm from the 4th Stage in just a month! The remnants of the Spirit Enhancing Fruit surely helped with that, but it was because of his dedication that he was able to draw out the full effects of the fruit. Lily had also trained hard during this period, and she had also broken into the 6th Stage of the Profound Realm. In fact, she broke through earlier than Lam. Of all of them, the fastest was Mane. He was now at the peak of the Profound Realm! The fact that he had already crossed this threshold before in the True Universe was the main reason why his advancement was so swift, but the Spirit Enhancing Fruit had definitely helped matters. And now none of them were any weaker than the top experts of Asher City!
"I don't believe it!" Peter exclaimed in shock; an emotion shared by most of the audience and even Maggie who didn't see this coming.
"White Mask is a Predator!" Peter was stunned. And so was Maggie. The members of the audience were stunned as well. How was this possible? The Orange Team had more than two Predators? They thought that Black Hand being unable to compete was a good thing since they didn't think there were any other Predators apart from Vital Orange left, but they were wrong! White Mask wasn't a Thrasher. He was a Predator! And from his aura, he wasn't any weaker than Black Saga. Where did the Orange Team get such a replacement from?!
"So he was a Predator too?" Celestial Fairy had her brows furrowed as she gazed at Lam's gallant figure. Just like Orange Ivy and Lily, she was also fully covered from head to toe to avoid any unwanted attention. However, she wasn't the only member of her team here. The others, including the recently recovered Indigo Shadow, were here as well. "Where did they find this person?" Indigo Queen wondered, expressing the thoughts of the others.
"Now it makes me curious about the abilities of the one the people call Black Mask," Indigo Shadow stated, and the others including Celestial Fairy nodded their heads.
"Could they be a team full of Predators? Well that isn't strange since our team is no different, but The Citadel has never cared to create a Predator only team. So what changed?" Celestial Fairy thought to herself. When she recalled that Orange Ivy had given up her place to Black Mask, she felt that it was all the more likely that her current train of thought was moving in the right direction.
"Who are they?" she narrowed her beautiful eyes and stared at Black Mask. Suddenly, Black Mask turned and looked in her direction. She could make out those ocean blue eyes despite the massive distance between them, and she quickly withdrew her gaze.
"What is it?" Hildegarde asked.
"Nothing. I felt someone staring." Mane replied and took his eyes away from the Indigo Team.
Black Saga's expression wasn't as confident as it was before. His countenance had grown sterner, and that smile that was on his face was no more. He could feel Lam's aura, and the threat it posed was much greater than Red Prince's! He knew that he couldn't joke anymore. Secretly, he felt lucky. It seemed that White Mask wasn't a Snake, for if he was he would have kept his aura hidden and ambushed Black Saga right when the match started. Snakes didn't need to make any preparations before getting into full gear; unlike other Predators. And that was why they were so dangerous. So Black Saga was secretly relieved that Lam wasn't a Snake. But of course he didn't let this show on his face.
Steel Fist was stunned for quite a while, before recovering her senses. It was only after the first drops of rain touched her head that she was awakened from her stunned state. As the thunderous roars of the dark clouds reached the ears of all in Asher City and lightning flashed, the drops of rain fell onto the field with great power, as if serving as a sign for the collision that was to come. Steel Fist took a deep breath, knowing that the task at hand wasn't going to be easy, and then she made the announcement that the entire stadium was waiting for.
"Then let the fight begin!"