On the screens, the words [VERSUS] were being displayed in flashing colors. Below these floating screens, the arena had been transformed into one that could accommodate the third stage of the Deathly Challenger's Cup.
Maestro, Trainer of Heroes, stood in the center of the rectangular obsidian ring while he explained the rules to the sixteen remaining challengers.
"It's pretty simple," he said. "Versus is a sixteen-man, single bout elimination tournament where you guys fight your way to top spot."
He'd barely spoken that last word when Ath3na's hand came up.
"What is it, Ath3na?" Maestro asked.
"This format doesn't make any sense to me if you only need ten people for the raid… So why have us fight at all?" she asked.
"That's because all of you are technically already part of the raid group," Maestro answered.
He raised six fingers up.
"While ten of you will make up the main raid team, the other six are reserves who'll be available to replace any of the ten who are unable to join the raid when it launches," Maestro explained. "What you're fighting for now are your final numbers… And of course, the champion of this tournament automatically becomes raid leader."
The challengers eyed their rivals with mixed feelings plastered on their faces, and Leo could guess what they were thinking. In other games, a raid leader isn't just responsible for the planning and success of the raid, the leader is also responsible for how spoils are distributed. A leader who fails in any of those qualities would only increase the level difficulty of the challenge. So naturally, everyone assumed it was best if they themselves were the leader.
"Now, I'd like you all to look at the screens," Maestro pointed up. "The matchups will be decided randomly."
On the floating screens, a tournament chart became visible. It had eight lines snaking out to the left and right which had been labeled Block A and Block B respectively. At the end of each line, the names of the challengers were beginning to pop up one by one in the form of a slot machine cinematic.
[Block A]
Fight one: Ath3na VS Iceheart. Fight two: Don Coyote VS WunderGurl. Fight three: Narukami VS Anabelle's Dolly. Fight four: Lyghtning VS Cyborg Ninja.
Seeing who she was up against first, Ath3na glanced behind her to where Iceheart was, and she found the other player staring at her with a lopsided smirk. Iceheart's eyes were narrowed too as if to say; "Bring it on," to the top ranked player.
If she'd just looked to her left, she would have noticed that another player was staring daggers at her as well. But only Leo saw Don Coyote give Ath3na the death stare.
"They'll be going at it soon enough if they both win their first matches," Maestro whispered.
The other players in Block A were also staring warily back at their opponents.
"Who the hell is Annabelle's Dolly!?" Narukami asked out loud. "What a shitty name…"
Annabelle's Dolly, an extremely pale brown-haired girl sporting a witch's hat and cape was standing right behind Narukami, and if Leo wasn't mistaken, she had just sent his back the middle finger.
[Block B]
Fight five: Argonaut VS Thorminator. Fight six: Oh!siris VS Dragon Joe. Fight seven: Wunderkid VS Liberty Belle. Fight eight: Bully the Kid VS Bulldog Alfie.
To Leo's eyes, Thorminator seemed extremely nervous after he saw who he was matched again, which Leo thought funny as both combatants looked like action stars but only one of them seemed to have the heart of one.
Still, he remembered the many instances he'd watch Thorminator support his friends with his spells against the toughest opponents. So he wasn't counting this player out yet.
Oh!siris and Dragon Joe was another good match-up too, Leo thought. The healer versus the damage dealer, which one would win — it would be interesting to find out.
In Block B, the only antagonistic pair seemed to be Bulldog Alfie and Bully the Kid, both of whom had begun swearing at each other as soon as they saw who they were up against.
"Prepare to be owned, a**hole," Bulldog Alfie warned.
"I eat sh*t like you for breakfast, dog breath," Bully the Kid countered.
Leo remembered that these two were partners when they'd started playing the Abyss. In fact, they discovered Leo's Easter egg together, even signed the Reaper's Pact together. He wasn't entirely sure why, but they'd had a major falling out in recent weeks that made this the perfect place to settle the score.
"Random selection… You're a very good liar, Leo," Morgana laughed as she stood beside him while remaining invisible to everyone else. "You chose these match-ups on purpose."
"The audience want a show," Maestro answered. "So let's make sure to give them one."
Rivals, newfound allies, mutual dislike, these where just some of the factors that went into Leo's decision-making process when he chose the first round's fights. After all, a satisfied audience was basically his measuring stick for how successful this event would be. Also, Dani made him promise to make things exciting so that the audience could leave the arena with their bags stuffed and their wallets lighter.
"Capitalism," Maestro sighed. "Can't live with it… can't live without it."
A minute later, Maestro cleared his throat so that all eyes would focus on him again.
"As you all know, the Player versus Player mechanic is still a work in progress for the Abyss…" As he admitted this, Maestro tapped on the ground with his foot. "However, this ring is special… It's been designated as a PvP zone."
He stomped his foot on the ground, and the edges of the obsidian ring began to glow.
"Substitute reapers won't need to access [DUEL] while in this ring… you can attack your opponents as you please," Maestro explained. "This ring has a secondary feature that prevents death and instead renders a substitute reaper unconscious if he or she can no longer fight."
Maestro raised three fingers next.
"The match ends when one of the challengers gives up, can no longer fight, or is thrown out of the ring," Maestro finished.
---
After the rules had been explained to them, the challengers were given another thirty-minute short rest so that they could replenish their soul cores.
Just as she, Lyghtning and Thorminator were about to go and explore the stalls outside the arena, Argonaut had asked Ath3na to stay behind because he wanted a word.
So there they were on a balcony that overlooked the obsidian ring from a few floors up, and a minute had gone by with neither of them speaking.
This awkward atmosphere continued until Argonaut finally said, "I overheard you talking to Lyghtning about your… problem."
Ath3na's eyes widened. Her face became flushed.
"There's no need to be embarrassed," Argonaut assured her. "And I didn't mean to listen in on you guys either. It's just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"So why tell me now?" Ath3na asked confused.
"Because I want to fight you at your best, and that won't happen if you're afraid to level up," Argonaut explained.
Ath3na's eyebrow rose an inch. "You and I are in different blocks…"
"We'll meet in the finals," he said confidently. "And I want to fight you at your best then."
"You're pretty sure of yourself… Thorminator's no pushover," she commented.
"I know… But that's just how determined I am to stand toe to toe with you and that other guy," Argonaut answered.
Of course she knew who he meant. There wasn't a player in the Abyss who didn't put Ath3na on the same pedestal as Black Howler.
"I dueled with Black Howler a week after I joined the Abyss and he trounced me," Argonaut admitted. "Dueling you, the first person to beat him, will help me measure my own growth since then…"
"What is it with boys and wanting to size up their d*cks," Ath3na wondered aloud.
She wrapped her arms over her chest.
"If all you want is a measuring stick—"
"—That's not it… I just want to fight you fair and square and without any handicaps," he interrupted her. "And when I heard about your issue… I can also relate because I feel it too."
"Y…you do?" Ath3na asked surprised.
"I'm not about to breakthrough to level three like you obviously are, but I have been feeling the urge to consume essence more and more the stronger I get," he admitted. "I think that's true for all of us level twos'."
"Not all of us," Ath3na sighed. "Howler doesn't seem affected by essence at all…"
"That man's a special case then," Argonaut said with a shake of his head. "But for the rest of us… well some of us have started a kind of A.A. chat group in the forums. Maybe you'd like to join in."
There was a short pause before Ath3na responded with. "I…I'll think about it. But that doesn't exactly help me now."
"That's why I called you out," Argonaut replied. "There's always a first step to these things and it's something you can do right now."
"What is it?" Ath3na asked.
"You have to stop being afraid… admit you have a problem and face it head on," he explained. "And I think evolving to level three might help you get over your fear of losing control to essence…"
Ath3na's brow furrowed. "Aren't you just saying that because you want to fight me at my best?"
"Well, that too… But I'm not the kind of guy who leaves it alone when I know someone's hurting… It's just how I'm built." he admitted.
"Don't you sound like such a boy scout," Ath3na replied a little skeptically, but deep down, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration for Argonaut. "I'll think about it…"
"Good," he said as he turned around. Before he walked away, he said, "I'll see you in the finals."
Then he was gone, leaving Ath3na feeling just a little bit better than before.