POV OF King Marksen (King of Stardom)
Below me, I could see hundreds of heads filling the rows of the arena seats, and below them was the stage which dozens of fighters had stepped foot on. The main host of the event was walking away from the middle of the stage.
"The match will end with the final eight contestants standing," he said. "Feel free to give it your all. Just remember, no illegal substances, killing, or illegal magical items. Suspicion of these things will bring serious consequences from both the Adventurer's guild and whichever kingdom's jurisdiction the participant falls under. Otherwise, may the best mages be left standing."
Glancing over to the right, a couple of servants arrived. In one of their hands were three wine glasses. The servant placed the glasses on a table before my wife and I. The other servant poured a red wine from a large, dark bottle branded with a small, gold crown.
"Just in time," I said as a servant handed me one of the glasses.
"Thank you," my wife said.
Holding the glass to my mouth, I noticed the sweet fragrance of the wine. It smelled like honey and flowers. I took a sip of the wine. It was fine in quality—as expected—and the taste was magnificent. A mild, tart taste rested on my tongue but was drowned out by a gentler and sweeter aftertaste. Savoring the drink, I smiled and held the glass for another moment before taking another sip.
Below, the battle royale had officially started. Every mage was in it for themselves. Magic flooded the stage in rushes from every direction as the mages attacked each other. First, it all clashed together until a giant fiery eruption swept out from the middle of the stage. At the source of the attack was a dark-haired mage with white tips. His arms were extended out from east to west in a wide base that allowed his attack to have a deeper range. He raised his head and I could see for a brief second his deep amber-colored eyes which radiated a passionate flame within.
Impressive, I thought. This one's going to put on quite a performance.
In a span of seconds, he had dashed across to the further opponent from the incoming mobs surrounding him. With a swift kick, he sent him flying. Then with a cuff of his hands, he spiraled around and released a barrage of flames that dismantled the group. The mob to his right was no more and the other group to his left had only taken a couple of more steps before he had met them, too.
Downward kick, vertical leap, and a flip into a split kick. He had taken down three men. Adjusting to a better posture, he clapped his hands and kicked his legs back out onto the ground before extending his now fiery hands back outward. A quick spin sent a vertical spiral of flames at the other four mages surrounding him. It knocked them to the ground as he stood victoriously in the middle of the stage. Smoke and dust from the fight closed in on him giving him the appearance of a silhouette with burning infernos for eyes.
In the midst of all the remaining chaos, another huge battle broke out on the left edge of the arena. Two mages exchanged a variety of blows in close hand-to-hand combat enhanced by the effects of their magic. Craters sunk into the stage floor as they continuously struck each other. Blurs and spikes of ice and earth were exchanged between the pair.
Punching forward their next attacks, a clash of ice and earth met in between them. It stretched far into the sky before both sides of it crumbled and broke off.
"Not bad," the earth mage said. She wiped her bloody mouth and smiled. "I'll toss you a treat for your efforts."
Stomping her foot into the ground, she gave a strong battle cry as spikes of earth surrounded her. Her dark eyes lit up like candles. The growing spikes began to break under an immense and sudden pressure that spawned across the stage. The pressure accumulated between the spikes into a stronger presence that screamed doom for all of its victims.
Nearby fighters lost their balance and stumbled to the floor as if it was pulling them down. A strong breeze passed over them in all directions. The stage underneath the earth mage caved in further while the rest of the tiles cracked.
Her opponent, the ice mage with white hair walked patiently toward her. He seemed barely phased by the new circumstances that had arisen in battle. His hands rested evenly by his sides. He opened one of them up and a blade of ice sprouted from out of the thin air into it.
"Combination Magic, Earth and Gravity: Presence of the Earth!"
The broken and falling spikes tilted toward her opponent. Numerously, they rushed at him. The strong crushing force joined them. The ice mage tried vigorously to dodge and evade them. Chipping away at every attack, he seemed slower than usual. With his rapid decline in speed and a sluggish output, an opening was created.
The earth mage took the opportunity and like a lion lunging at his prey, she struck. Attempting to block her strike, the ice mage winced before being knocked away. He tumbled to the ground after the forceful thrust of the mage's earth shard in the side of his abdomen.
Standing up, blood leaked from his wound. He covered it with one of his hands as he panted slightly.
"Shit," he said.
A light frost seeped from his hand and over the wound. The bleeding had slowed to a stop. He dropped his hand and clenched his empty hands into tight fists. The wound was not fully healed, but it was patched up by a thin layer of ice.
"Biattributal mage?" he questioned. His face was serious with a hint of curiosity and confusion. The curiosity faded and his confusion followed as a more serious expression covered his face. A faint thud echoed throughout the arena. The veins in his fists jumped. "You're strong, I'll admit, but I seriously hope that wasn't your trump card."
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sound grew louder.
"Ice Magic!" the ice mage cried out.
Thump. Thump.
"Frozen Impa—"
He looked up. Screams emerged. An expression of terror crawled across his face. The very hairs on his skin stood up. The screams flooded the arena. Its spectators cried. They began fleeing like a rushing sea. Hurdling over each other, tripping and falling, they ran. Desperately, they tried to escape whatever terror sprawled upon them.
Thump!
His opponent and all of the other mages looked up as well.
Thump!
They seem petrified. Shock grasped them like a cobra around its poor victims. The life drained out of some of their faces. Some of their throats closed and trapped whatever words or unearthly sounds wanted to rush out. Sweat dripped from their foreheads and down their bodies onto the stage. My eyes followed.
Having nearly reached the arena, the source of the thumps loomed over us.
Thump!
My glass of wine shattered at the floor beneath me. My eyes widened and my jaw tightened. A nerve wrecking chill sprawled across my face first and then my body. It was numbing to the touch. I had been holding my breath and nearly forgot how to breathe.
It was a large mass of compact rocks. It stood tall with four limbs and a solid core. The eyes of the creature were caved in and sculpted like an ancient statue. A fine line was sculpted for its mouth which gave it an intimidating expression. It was a golem. A golem that stood over 45 meters tall.
Its footsteps had generated a powerful rumble with every closing step. The impenetrable beast was no performance. Clearly, this was an attack, but who would be so foolish and brave to attack the Star Kingdom?
Looking left and right, I noticed my family also cowering in fear. Their faces were deep blue like the ocean. A cold sweat had overcome them, and a strong presence of doom hovered over us all.
"Your majesty! Your majesty!" I heard.
The urgent callout came from my elite group of magical knights. They were rushing across the arena from all angles.
"Get the king and his family to safety," Jacobsen ordered the rest of them. He was the captain of the squad and one of my most loyal subordinates.
A smile broke off across my face. My heart had recovered from the big drop it had initially taken, and my breathing had finally returned to near normal. Placing my hand over my heart, I sighed in relief.