After nearly a week of hellish training, the time for the tournament had finally come.
His last day of training had been designated as a rest day for his body to recover, and while James didn't believe he would actually get any rest at first, he was blissfully surprised when he ended up not seeing hide nor hair of his inhuman trainer.
He ended up spending the early parts of the day in his quarters, alternating between soaking in his room's bath and sinking into the warmth of his bed. Contrary to how dismal the rest of the Don's facilities were, the living conditions were top tier.
That said, James wasn't planning to spend all his free time lounging around like a sack of potatoes. Even though that was exactly what he wanted to do to relieve the aches that attacked his fatigued body.
Just like the first and last time he participated in the tournament many lives ago, James went out to gather some information on his opponents.
Theoretically, he could ask for help from the Don regarding such intelligence collection, a man of his standing couldn't possibly be without one or two connections to the grapevine. But James preferred gathering intel personally, a habit he picked up after some bad counsel he received from a hired assassin brought about his early demise.
James headed out of his room and marched towards the base's exit; a rusty iron ladder positioned inside a vertical tube that led all the way up to the surface. He frowned as he eyed the brown flecks that marred the ladder, wondering if one of the rungs would end up breaking as he climbed up.
"Loan shark couldn't even use some of his fortunes to install a new ladder. Tsk."
With a short prayer to Ara asking for protection, James steadied his resolve and made his way up the ladder, hoping he hadn't chosen the wrong exit. Apparently, the base had two passageways; one that opened into a hidden recess within Xyrcadia's alleyways, and another that dropped you right into the den of a dragon.
James had just barely managed to escape from the clutches of a slightly worse version of the mythical beast a few days prior. The last thing he wanted to do now was face the real deal head-on.
His prayer seemed to work at least, as he ended up in a small nook in the middle of a city, the base's entrance disguised as an unsuspecting sewer grate.
Despite the sun being high in the sky with no clouds in sight, the secluded spot James stood in was covered in shadows perfectly cast by the large buildings that surrounded him, a perfect way to cover up the already inconspicuous entry point.
"Well, I guess I better get this show on the road."
James walked out of the city's innards and right into the throngs of people that milled about the streets. He would have thought that the recent monster attack would cause a change of demeanor in the city's inhabitants, but it seemed like their anticipation and excitement in regards to the upcoming tournament trumped such concerns.
It probably helped that the Magus Brigade was now back in action, a piece of information that didn't really surprise James since he had managed to overhear something about it from his bestest of shark friends that went by the names Bill and Ted.
Although it was more like he stole the newspaper they were reading during breakfast one morning. He ended up nearly getting turned into shark food once he got found out because he answered the crossword puzzle that Bill had been trying to solve all morning.
Long story short, all the forces of the Magus Brigade were absent from the city because they had to fight an army of demons that had amassed just outside the city borders. Knowing how well the Magus Brigade manipulated the media though, James knew there was more to the story than meets the eye.
But that was a problem for a later date. Right now he had to focus on finding some stuff out about his opponents; likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages. The basic list for when an underdog needs to take down someone way above their paygrade.
Sure, James was confident in his abilities to the point that he felt like he could tussle with any number of Magus Brigade officers, but the people who participated in the X Tournament...
They were nothing short of monsters.
The first-ever X Tournament champion had destroyed all his opponents within 10 seconds or less. The winner after him left all her enemies crippled for life. And the year after that was even more brutal.
Thinking back on it, James was lucky to have left the arena back then with only his pride in shambles.
A commotion in the distance caught James' attention, and his distant expression morphed into an unnerving grin as he focused on the racket.
He had found one of the competitors.
James weaved his way out of the congested street and towards the large crowd, the screams and yells of what he could only assume were fans piercing his ears and annoying the Deus out of him. As he got closer, he was able to see the figure standing in the middle of the group better, his dazzling smile and charming voice riling up all his supporters.
"Thank you! Thank you all. I thank you all for your enthusiasm. Make sure to keep cheering me on tomorrow!"
He brushed his golden bangs out of his face, flashing a toothy grin as he mimed finger guns at the crowd. James barely managed to suppress an exasperated sigh at the sight of some of the female fans swooning and falling to the ground.
'Josh Bougainvillea. The star and prodigy of the noble Bougainvillea lineage. He might seem like just another cheeky noble brat, but you'd have to be a fool not to realize his power...'
Even without a magus core, James could feel the raw power rolling off the teen in waves. It wasn't the strongest aura James had ever experienced, but he still had to be on guard nonetheless.
"Well, I must be on my way. I'll see you all at the arena tomorrow!"
The crowd cheered and screamed, some begging Josh to stay for a little longer while others yelled some rather... indecent offers. Josh simply waved them all off as he flashed a few more smiles at the masses, his eyes passing over his fans before they locked on James' own.
Their gaze went unbroken for all of a second, but within that small time frame, James couldn't help but feel like he had been found out. The boy's eyes were hardened, his gaze too strong for someone his age. His crimson orbs seemed out of place on his otherwise perfect look.
As quickly as it began, their interaction abruptly ended. Josh shifted his gaze elsewhere as he motioned with his hands for the crowd to step back, a precaution so that no one would get caught up in his spell.
[TELEPORT!]
The noble boy disappeared in a flash of golden light, leaving behind a mass of shrieking adorers. Feeling that his ears would rupture if he stayed in the middle of the crowd any longer, James slipped away and headed to his next target.
While he hadn't garnered near enough information as he thought he would by meeting the boy in person, James couldn't shake the feeling that his choice would have a drastic effect on the outcome of the tournament. Whether it would be good or bad for him was yet to be seen.
----------*line break*----------
The light slowly faded around him, allowing Josh to regain his bearings as he reveled in the comfort of his quarters.
"My liege! You're back early."
Josh allowed a thin smile to grace his lips as he turned around to face the source of the voice.
Standing in front of him was one of the few servants Josh had grown to be close with over his years in the Bougainvillea's mansion. Despite looking rather weary and tired, with winter-white hair and blood-flecked eyes, the old man still had a strong voice and steady posture.
"Indeed, Abercrombie. I would've liked to stay out longer, but pleasing my fans takes quite a bit out of me."
Abercrombie let out a soft chuckle as he took off Josh's coat, neatly folding and stashing it away at a mindboggling pace. Josh had known Abercrombie since he was a little kid, yet up to now he still had no clue how the old geezer could do chores so fast.
"Was today's excursion at least to your liking?"
Josh paused at that question before laughing and shooting the man a sly smile. "Yes. I believe it was. After all, I was able to meet 'him' again."
Abercrombie's thinning brows raised up in a curved arc, his mouth open in a surprised 'O' shape.
"It seems like Bon has rewarded your hard work up till now then, my liege. I assume it is time for 'that'?"
Josh simply nodded. He hadn't expected for the time to come so soon, but he had been preparing for this moment for the past five years.
His gaze wandered to one of the nearby windows that overlooked the mansion's garden, the noon sun lighting up the greenery and accentuating its natural beauty. If someone asked him, he could name every single plant in it from root to petal.
The garden was a shrine, a symbol of his devotion to the one being he truly loved. And he had finally found the missing stepping stone he needed to continue his journey towards her.
"My beloved will soon be mine."