200 people passed the first test, and all of them lined up to enter the stadium. Each sector would go one at a time while non-participants would watch in the stands. Ryuji was still down in the dumps about having to face his own, teammate especially since he had no idea what she could do.
He swallowed his self-pity and decided to act like a good leader and see Jessy off before her match. When he walked up to her after passing through the line, she was sighting in her guns.
"Do you really need to do that? Isn't all the stuff that happens in the stadium kinda like in a place that doesn't physically exist? What does sighting your weapons do?"
She looked up from her task and gave Ryuji her trademarked smile. "It may not actually exist, but since it takes our minds, it also takes our perceptions with it. If you walk into that stadium with a broken sword, then you will have a broken sword in the match, even if it is just in her head. So, you see maintenance and making sure everything is good and ready to go is still important."
"Oh, I hadn't even thought about that." He paused and sat next to her. His voice was full of concern for his teammate."Are you ready for this?"
"Heh, I should be asking you that! I bet you're shaking in your boots thinking about fighting all these high and mighty adventurers."
He scratched the back of his neck shyly. "Well… yeah."
An encouraging hand gripped his shoulder and a kind smile shined in front of him. "You're stronger than you think, Ryuji. Just don't worry about anything but the fight at hand, and you'll do great."
"Thanks."
She stood up and holstered her variety of guns. Turned to him and give him a pose of pure confidence."Now just sit back and watch your awesome partner turn some people into dust!"
With a grin, Ryuji stood up and gave her a hard high five. "Okay!"
Ryuji walked into the stands and found where his two friends were sitting. He made his way over there and sat down next to Dot. The fifty participants of sector A were already filing in. He saw Jessy, who gave him a wink and a thumbs up.
"Sector A will now start!!"
The announcer's voice faded, and the crystals glowed. In the center of the arena was no longer the arena but a different one. One that stretched to the horizon. He couldn't believe his eyes. This was by far the most advanced magical technology he had ever seen.
"Begin!!"
With the sound of a bell, the free for all started. Jessy drew both of her automatic looking pistols and aimed them at the nearby participants. A light enveloped the barrel and the two poor souls being pointed at tried their best to defend.
"Zamin!"
"Barrier!"
"Gun Magic: Shootout!"
An earth wall covered one while a magical forcefield covered the other. Then with a speed that Ryuji couldn't keep up with, Jessy fired shot after shot with both her guns. Each bullet shook the very air and had firepower comparable to a tank. Bullet after bullet pierced their protection and then shortly after themselves. Their bodies broke apart under the immense power being shelled out.
"Don't think for a second that I'm not coming after you guys next!" She turned her sights on the other participants and continued her firing. The shots began being fired faster and faster, just like a minigun spinning up. Volley after volley of tank-like shots tore through people at an alarming pace. After the massacre, the number of participants had dropped from 50 to 10.
"That's scary as hell." Ryuji now felt afraid of ever criticizing or making fun of Jessy and vowed inside his head. 'I swear, to never talk bad about her again.'
Dot seemed more focused on the other side of the arena. "That guy is a problem."
Ryuji turned to look at the guy in question. Opposite Jessy was a man who wore completely black clothes. He had a hood over his head and a mask to cover the bottom of his face. In his right hand was a kusarigama and in the left an unsheathed kodachi.
Ryuji couldn't help but think one thing. 'This guy looks like he played too much Ninja Gaiden.'
"Oi, look at him, Ryuji! He looks like he has played waaaaay too much Ninja Gaiden!"
Ryuji's mind felt violated, and he seriously wanted to know how the hell she knew what Ninja Gaiden was, but he decided to pay attention to the match and ask questions later.
The ninja threw his scythe and chain towards an opponent. As it flew through the air, it never lost speed or trajectory. The adventurer jumped out of the way and ran in for a counterattack. The scythe, however, did not relent. It completely changed direction and flew towards him. His heart was impaled a second later.
Jessy had just finished off the rest of her adversaries, leaving it to a one v one. The ninja took his scythe and launched it at Jessy. She fired a shot to knock it down, but even though she got a direct hit, the scythe kept going. She launched into the air with the guns implemented into the heels of her boots. However, it just went skyward without any sort of movement from the man at the other end.
"Tch."
With a face full of annoyance, she took out the sniper rifle slung across her back and aimed it at the stationary man.
"Bang!" An earth-shattering shot that Ryuji could only describe as a sonic boom rang out from the barrel. This was the shot that obliterated a dragon. Ryuji wondered how the man could get out of this. The shot was then absorbed by black smoke and dissolved.
"Black Hole."
"No way." The falling girl let out a cry of disbelief as she saw her beloved magic be snuffed out.
The scythe that had not stopped one bit found itself lodged in a distracted falling gunslinger's throat. The match ended, and the winner declared.
"Winner of sector A is Caldwell! For his achievement, his team will enjoy a less hellish training regimen than the others."
Ryuji and Dot both held in a laugh at the announcement for the same reason. "Caldwell? That's the least ninja name I have ever heard!"
"That's not true, Ryuji! I think Caldwell is a name that screams ninja! Like Eugene!"
Unable to hold in their laughs, they let them all out while Queen stared at them like they were the dumbest thing she's ever seen. "Must be hard for Jessy right now. She talked all that bluster and still ended up losing, how embarrassing."
"You better not say that to her when she gets up here! You'll make her cry!"
Queen folded her arms and looked more annoyed than normal. "I know, I know! I'm not that heartless."
Dot leaned back with a smile that showed off her weird pointy teeth before adding her sarcastic remark. "Oh? Coulda fooled me."
Ryuji sighed at the misfortune of having two strong-willed females on his team. "Still, who was that guy? Not just anyone should be able to beat someone who's level 67 that easily."
A familiar-looking blonde guy sat down next to Ryuji, and behind him was a depressed-looking Jessy.
"Oh! Arc, what's up?"
"Well, you know, just came back from having my behind being riddled with lead."
"I seriously didn't see you down there."
"That's because I don't stand out at all. It's okay I've been like this all my life but on the topic of what you were just saying."
Ryuji thought back to a few moments ago. "Oh, about the Caldwell guy?"
"Yes, he came here with Zodiac's recommendation. You probably don't know who that is but just know he is a super-powerful man. Even stronger than your Sword Saint."
"Stronger than Rhea? Then how come no one here's talking about it?"
The stadium was loud with chatter, but whenever he listened in, it was mostly about the scary girl with the guns or the mysterious guy with a mysterious backer.
"That's because Zodiac never claims credit for anything that he does."
"Why not? He's missing out on huge paychecks doing that."
"I hear it's because he has a grudge against the strongest man. A grudge that's so deep he doesn't care about making a name for himself as long as he can hunt that man down. You know there's a lot of speculation in the adventuring community that Zodiac is actually responsible for at least three of the Dark Moon's deaths."
"That's more than Rhea. Back up a bit, who is this strongest man?"
Dot leaned forward from her seat and looked at him with a face full of doubt. "You seriously don't know who that is? Seriously?"
"I'm feeling a little attacked here. The reason I don't know is that I don't talk to anybody, now please the information milady"
"The strongest man is two thousand years old and so strong even the primal gods steer clear of him. His name is Raeg."
The name of the man who sent an assassin after him.
"Hey Ryuji, you good? You look like you're about to hurl."
His head swirled, and he felt sick. If they were the same person, then revenge was impossible. How was he supposed to keep his word now? Negative thoughts echoed in his mind. He wanted to run away from here and cry in frustration. As his head became more muddled, a gentle hand touched his back.
He turned around to see Jessy with a genuine look of concern. "Are you sick?"
His mind sank back into reality, and he shook his head in response to her question. He turned around to watch the next sector fight. He would pay attention to the fights and worry about his plans later.
The 50 new participants entered of them Ryuji saw Rosey and her shadow Jong.
"The fight for sector B will now begin!"
Like last time the crystals glowed, and the image appeared.
"Start!"
He kept his eyes on the girl he bested. He had a sneaking suspicion she went easy on him and wanted to make sure. The second the match started, she lowered her stance and took out her large scythe.
"4th Gear!" Her body glowed with heat, and when she exhaled instead of used air, steam came out. Jong looked absolutely terrified and then in the next moment a flash.
Every participant was cleanly cleaved across their torso. Their dying bodies fell to the floor with a thud. The only one standing was a super sweaty Rosey. The image faded, and the announcer came back on.
"W-well then the winner of sector B is Rosey! She and her team will have the same prize as Caldwell's!"
Rosey glared directly at Ryuji before heading out of the arena, patting a depressed Jong on the back.
"Scary! Did you guys see her glare at me like she wants me dead?"
Arc looked over at him and stated the obvious. "Well, you did humiliate her man."
"W-well, I guess. Anyway, good luck Qu-"
When he turned to look at her, she was already gone. He felt like a real piece of trash for not cheering on his teammate before she left. As it hit him, he just looked at the entrance of the arena, waiting for you to come out.
After a few minutes, the c sector fight began. Queen stood in the outermost part of the arena and waited for anyone bold enough to attack her.
The first one came at her with a sword coated in flame. She dodged the blade and punched the man's wrist. It crunched, and his blade fell to the ground. In the next moment, her foot made contact with his face breaking his neck.
On the other side was the spear lady he saw earlier standing with Arc. She was busy taking down multiple enemies at a time. Her spear glowed with soft golden light and seemed to be able to pierce through anything.
"Arc, what's her name?"
"Her? She's Nike."
She tore through a magic made iron wall and pierced the woman behind it. Her body disappeared as a man came to her left with a lightning imbued whip. She twirled her body and dodged it, then with her momentum, swung her spear. The tip sliced through the man's head.
"You're strong, huh? But, you must lose to me. What terrible luck you have." Queen appeared behind her, and the remaining participants decided it would be best to just let them duke it out. Nike got into a stance with both her hand, gripping it and pointing it at a downward angle. Queen got into a stance and raised her fists.
"Sorry, but I am in a really bad mood. Third Gate of Death!"
Dark mana radiated Queen and Nike felt fear for her opponent and started to get serious. However, the battle was already over. In a flash Queens now dark fist crashed into Nike's helmet and caved her skull. The area behind her became a canyon and her body faded away.
"Now then. Great Dragon Whirlwind!" Queen stood on her hands and rotated her body fast enough to create a tornado. Then she lashed her feet out, and every other participant was ripped apart by the tail of a black dragon.
The image faded, and Queen stood triumphant.
"The winner of sector C is Marie! Her team will receive a prize!"
"Hey… Is everyone on your team a fucking monster?"
"Of course not! Did you forget that I'm on the team?"
"Must be nice." Arc leaned back and started to slip out of the bottom of his seat, all the while pouting. Ryuji stood up and made his way down to the arena. Dot accompanied him and with a voice full of mockery.
"How about we don't fight each other until we're the last two left. Then I can pwn you!"
"Yeah that's fine, but I wouldn't underestimate me, little lady."
Ryuji could feel his heart beating in his chest as the 150 onlookers cheered from the stands. 'Calm down. The result of this doesn't matter. Besides, Queen won hers, so our team is already one of the top ones here, right? The result doesn't matter.'
"Sector D will now start!"
His mind felt hazy, and then he was in the endless plane with 49 others.
"Start!"
He immediately activated Emperors Eye and held his zone stance.
"Hey, that's the guy that beat Rosey!"
"Let's gang up on him!"
"I'm with ya there!"
'Oh shit.'
Eight adventurers enclosed on him from all sides. The first Iai draw cut one in half. He performed three more and took out three more before they finally got close enough to strike him.
The one in his front came head-on with a giant hammer. Ryuji parried it, and the ground below him broke. Before the beast of a man could pick it up for another swing, Ryuji parted his head from his shoulders.
The one behind lashed out with his own sword and aimed for his spine. Ryuji but his blade in the way without turning around and rebounded the other man's sword. He then turned around and parted his head too.
The final two were on him, and the next moment before they struck, two bullets careened near Ryuji. The adventurers dropped to the floor. As he turned to see the gunman, he saw Dot holding a smoking revolver and wearing a big grin.
"Oi! Don't go after that guy he's weak! If ya really want to gang up on the strong, you should probably start with me!"
Four took the bait and started attacking her. A woman with a glaive swung down on Dot, and in the next moment, Dot stood behind her, casually leaning against the woman's back like it was a wall. That alone would have stunned Ryuji, but she was also leaning against the other three. In front of Ryuji's eyes stood four Dots.
The four then found the cool feeling of a revolver pressed against their chin.
"Nighty night"X4
Their heads opened up at the top, and blood rained out before their bodies disappeared. The three extra Dots disappeared as well.
"What the hell is her power? Duplicating herself?"
"Anyone else wanna give it a go?"
The others stayed back and didn't dare rush her down. With a look of disappointment, she sighed and started her work.
She instantly appeared in front of one and nailed him in the gut with her fist. He fell over in pain, and as his face was going to touch the ground, he felt an odd sensation. The man didn't know it, but his head had landed in a football tee. Her foot connected with his head and, it shot off into the distance.
"Touchdown!!"
"Where did that come from? What is going on?"
Three started to slowly approach her.
"I would not stand there if you know what's good for you."
She pointed at the ground below them. Their eyes followed her finger and they found themselves on top of a red X. Then splat. The group was flattened by an oversized anvil.
"I warned em. Hey, you guys, you should probably check your pockets."
The confused participants did as they were told and found in their pockets bombs with clocks on them. They tried to throw them away but.
"Aw, they're all gone now. Well, that just leaves you and me. You figure out my ability yet?"
"You're copying classic cartoons but beyond that, I don't know."
"That's a shame. Looks like you're gonna lose then!"
She raised her revolver and fired shot after shot. These weren't magically reinforced shells like Jessy's, these were real bullets being fired from a real gun. As such Ryuji with his zone ability easily cut them down before they reached him.
'She toys with people and then finishes them off when they're confused. I can't get caught up in her pace! This place isn't real, so it doesn't matter what happens to my body'
"Seven steps: 6th Step!"
He practically teleported in front of her in that instant. His legs were shattered but he made it to his destination. His sword was drawn, and he aimed it at her head as he swung.
"God Slayer First form: Exodus!"
His arms busted but he didn't care, he was about to win!
She shifted to the right and the cut only managed to rid her of an arm. In response the second the sword reached the ground he turned the blade around and swung up as fast as possible. Again, she shifted but this time to the left. Her other arm hung on by strands, and red poured down around his feet.
"I've won!"
"Bye-bye!"
As Ryuji readied his final blow Dot opened her mouth as wide as it could go. He stared at the back of her throat and saw the gleam of a barrel, and then he saw light.
"The winner of sector D is Dot! As a reward for having two members win, they will have super special training regimens!"
"Fufu, do you see how awesome I am, peon?"
"Yes, please teach me, sensei!"
With that, the free for all ended, and they went to their new dorms.