"So, what quests should we do today?" Sora asked as she looked at me.
"Hmm, well, we haven't done quests in a few days, so maybe we should do something kind of difficult to get us back in the…." The world zoomed out and I found myself in a black canvass. "What the…" I looked around confused. "Sora? Han? Patora? Rubellia?" No reply. "Maybe I'm under some kind of spell." I muttered.
"Nope, you're under no spell, Acolyte of Love." A mystical voice like a soft mist on your hot skin called out. "You are in the Sky Arena."
"Oh, the place where I'm supposed to fight to the death with other Heroes?"
"…Yes."
"Ah, I see."
"…Do you not have any questions?"
"Yeah. Why can't I see you?"
"You have no reason to see me."
"Whatever you say," I shrugged.
She clicked her tongue at that. "Arrogant one I see. Well, prepare for the battle it starts…" The voice paused. "Now."
My vision was blinded in a bright white light. I covered my eyes with my hand until I could look around without being blinded.
"Yep, this is definitely an Arena."
I was outside, surrounded by thousands of seats that circled around me. There were columns that held some seats higher than others. People were seated in all seats, not a single one empty.
"Welcome all, to the Sky Arena, where we will have our first battle of Heroes." The Sky cheered in an uproar of voices. "We know it's kind of early, but there is a special someone that we were asked to test. But that's beside the point, you just want to see some fighting, don't you?" The sky cheered again.
"Man, you people make me sick." My voice echoed throughout the stadium.
Oops, guess I have a mic on me…
The sky booed at me.
"Well, Mr. Hero, what exactly about our amazing audience makes you sick?"
"…"
"No answer? Are you just trying to be cool to yourself when you said that?" Everyone laughed.
I clicked my tongue.
"No, I just find it funny how you guys cheer for us to fight to the death and enjoy it while you sit in the stadium like cowards. You're like the people who boast on about changing the world but then complain when you have to pick up a piece of paper that's littering the ground. Well, I applaud all of you to come down here and fight me." No one replied to that, the sky was silent.
"Well, they can't actually do that. They're just bystanders. They can't fight."
"That's what I thought." I sneered. "Worms should stay in the dirt so as to avoid being picked up by a bird. The same can be said about all of you; You should lie low in the crowd so as to not get in my way."
"Okay, Mr. Anti-Hero," the announcer sneered. "Well, this right here," she spoke as she pointed at me. "Is Kichirou Saiyaku. He's the God of Love's chosen hero." Everyone laughed at that. And it makes sense too.
The God of Love is one of the weakest of the God's, and her chosen hero has always been the weakest hero. So, putting me up against any other hero was a laughingstock to them, as it was in the God of Love's chosen hero's destiny to lose.
But not my destiny.
I'm not the same as all of them, I'm different. I'm smarter than all of them and there is one thing that gives me an advantage against them. I'm not from this world. That's my advantage.
"And in this corner, is Ruth Undre. She's the God of War's chosen hero." Everyone cheered.
Wait, What?!
Of all the opponents I could have got, it was the God of War's hero? If I remember correctly that hero is among the top 3! She gets her power from wars that are going on and the wars that she has learned about. And if Yue told me right, there were hundreds of wars! And the wars don't even have to be an actual war. Someone who's mad at someone else for stealing something and they get into an argument is basically a war!
"Let the battle… BEGIN!" As soon as the announcer finished, Ruth vanished in a cloud of dust, and before I could blink, she was in front of me. Her hammer came at me at a speed I could barely keep up with, but I just managed to dodge.
"Huh, you actually managed to dodge that? I'm impressed, if only a little," she sneered at me as she held her hammer in her left hand.
"Yeah?" Was all I replied with as I grabbed my sword and expanded it to its full length. I used my class shift ability to change to a Tank class. I lowered my stance and slowly breathed out as I kicked off the ground and sent myself slamming into her. She staggered back, loosing balance and I went to slash at her with my sword. She, of course, blocked it, but the look on her face was priceless as she skidded back a few feet from the attack. She hadn't expected my attack to be as strong.
"You're stronger than I thought," she frowned as she stood back up to full height. I didn't reply as I walked back a few paces, my blade held in my usual style. I could see the confusion in her gaze at my stance, although that made sense. This is my own style, a style no one else has seen so they have no way to know how I'm going to attack.
On top of that, there is one more thing that gives me an actual advantage…. Skill Connect. That's right, the one thing I can do that they can't.
I could tell that she was studying me, every inch of me. Trying to figure anything out, but from the way her lips curled, she hadn't found anything.
She once again charged at me and once again I just barely dodged. The crowd was in an uproar each time her hammer made contact with my blade because I had no time to dodge. After a while I started to bruise up, and she wasn't letting her guard down again to even let me try and get a hit like I did before.
Just give me an opening!
She swung at me and I ducked under.
My opening.
My sword began to glow red and I saw the look in her eyes as she realized what was happening.
I was about to start my combo when she vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Hu-ACK!" Her hammer was sent right into my left rib, sending me flying into the wall.
The stadium shook from the force of impact and I hacked up blood. What was that?! She just vanished! Is that her special skill?
I fell to the ground with a thump after falling out of the wall. Can I beat her? I don't think I can. She's too strong. And to make things worse she's fast too. I'm going to have to do more than get an opening, I would have to trick her, play a mind game. But what could a weakling like me ever do against the God of War's chosen Hero?
I got up slowly. Ruth was still in the same spot where she had hit me. She was laughing.
"Is that all you have, Hero?" She mocked; her smile was one of blood lust. "You're going to have to do a lot better than that if you want to land a hit on me."
"Tsk." I grabbed my rib as I winced in pain. I looked at her and attempted to use observe to find out anything I could, but an error message appeared in my HUD telling me my opponent was too high a level to get a read on. She looked at me and titled her head.
"Before I kill you, can I ask you a question."
"Sure, go ahead and shoot it at me." I flinched and raised my hands in surrender. "Not literally though!" I was pretending to be scared. If she was going to talk, it would give me some time to think of a plan.
She sneered, or maybe she laughed. I couldn't tell. "I know the God of Love is your God, and the God of Loves Hero is always the weakest, but why don't I sense any magic power from you?" She slowly started walking up to me. "I know you're weak, but I didn't think you'd have no magic power whatso ever. The God of Love truly is a useless and idiotic God." She laughed. "Choosing such a weak Hero. How stupid can you get?"
"And to prove I'm not a weak Goddess to all the others?"
Her voice rang in my head and I felt my blood begin to boil. Yes, she's useless and stupid. But she's still a God! It's not her fault these people don't care about love anymore. If this was a different world, I'm sure she'd be the strongest. And these people, not just the Hero's, but the Gods' themselves mock her.