Sakurako continued to clash with the one they called the young prodigy, Aaron Marshal. She seemed to be holding back–Arcana said–but her smile almost rivalled his. She was having fun, but it seemed like her opponent wasn't smiling anymore.
['The pink-haired opponent and Aaron Marshal are equally matched! We already have such a thrilling match in the preliminaries!']
That's what it looked like on the outside. However, in actuality, the one who had the upper hand was the pink-haired Dragonewt, Sakurako. The average person couldn't see it, but...
['No.']
Another voice said. The king finally spoke. He was probably one of the first and only ones to notice it. His deep and croaking voice reverberated through the speakers and the stadium. It was almost like he didn't need a microphone at all.
['The one with the upper hand is the Dragonic girl.']
['And, your highness, why would you say that?!']
The announcer, Alex Vincent, shouted in a high-pitched and happy tone. The screens split in half and one side showed the king while the other displayed the two's fight. That mini fight was now the focus of the whole stadium.
['Pressure points.']
Alex Vincent "hm?"ed for a second, then spoke once more.
['Ah, by those, do you mean acupuncture points? But aren't those usually triggered by using an acupuncture needle?']
Sakurako flipped Aaron Marshal with one arm–he floated in the air for seconds. Before he landed, she delivered a sharp blow to his solar plexus–the area which the average person cannot train. Saliva exited the mouth of Aaron Marshal as he stumbled onto the floor, barely able to stand. He was using breathing techniques to regain his breath and ease the pain.
['Did you see that?']
King Malcolm said. He manoeuvred his hand and the clip replayed itself, but just in slow motion. It showed Sakurako hitting Aaron Marshal's solar plexus. At the moment of impact, it stopped.
['The solar plexus would be the sole major weakness of the human body. If the solar plexus is hit hard and effectively, then the whole lower body reverberates and vibrates slightly, on the spot. It didn't matter in this case because she flipped him into the air. Whether in the air or on the ground, if the human body is shaken in the heat of battle, it may cause defeat. Though, strangely, she is not attacking him.']
While weakened, others attempted to go for Sakurako and Aaron Marshal, but they were swiftly taken down. It was easy, even for Aaron Marshal in his current condition.
'W-why aren't you attacking me?'
Sakurako looked slightly bored by Aaron Marshal's question.
'Because you're strong. I want you in the later stages of the tournament.'
The Dragonewt said, carefree. Aaron Marshal's face contorted with anger. He felt ashamed and angered. At the Military Academy, many underestimated and made fun of Aaron Marshal. Every single one who did... he put them in their place. It would be no different here, or so he thought to himself.
When he took a closer look at her, he felt it. A strong sense of killing intent. If he had moved one step forward toward her or had the intent to attack her. He would be killed. Tournament or not, the presence of death scared him.
['Ah, look at that! We have another good challenger, and she's putting up a good fight! That black skin and markings... She's an Amazon!']
The camera reconnected and switched to a small brawl on the other side of the arena.
'Come at me!'
The woman shouted. Her hair was black and her eyes was a sharp and shiny blue. There were markings on her face–they were the same colour as her eyes. Her black skin showed the might of an Amazonian. Might that the average people are afraid of. Her opponents were too scared to come to her.
'Tch! Fine, I'll come to you!'
She dashed. Her speed was unlike anyone else's. The way she ran was like a beast. On all fours, she burst and charged into her first target. Her next opponent was wielding nunchucks. They swiped at her–the Amazonian constantly flipped backwards–and once she reached the edge of the ring, the woman jumped over the opponent, landed on her, knee first.
['And that's Nyuri Nayami, Participant #0543, from the secret race raised by beasts, the Amazons! Ah, what do we have over here?!']
The camera switched several times, over minutes, different fights were shown and the crowd's cheers and girls' fawning didn't end. But, it all stopped once the loud beep sound. All actions stopped and only a few were left standing in the arena.
Ten, to be exact.
Usually, the fight would continue until the timer would run out, but there was an exception. If the number of participants drops to ten. Now the announcer, Alex Vincent, as he usually would, started shouting.
['And there we have it, folks! After fourteen short minutes, we have finally finished the Group-A Preliminaries! I'll now announce all of those who survived the first stage!']
A man with blonde hair and blue eyes stood in the camera's vision. He looked beaten and annoyed.
['Participant #0193, Aaron Marshal.']
A young man with blue hair held a bow in his hands.
['Participant #1173, Sirius Nox!']
The man stood there. His hair was yellow and so were his eyes. There was a black streak of lighting in his hair. The man's build was big.
['Participant #0658, Zacharias Thunder!']
Her skin was black and the same for her hair. While her eyes and markings were the same colour–a strong blue. The woman licked herself like a cat.
['Participant #0543, Nyuri Nayami!']
Picking her nose, the camera directed it onto the pink-haired Dragonewt.
['Participant #1171, Sakurako Nox!']
He listed the rest and the camera changed onto them.
['Participant #0789, Harry Hilt! Participant #1002, Dariac Nomad! Participant #0333, Kidd! Participant #0497, Riona! And finally, Participant #0946, Aarya! That's it for Group-A battle. We'll take ten minutes to clear out the unconscious bodies and we'll move onto the next stage! Which is Group-B! Please wait patiently!']
And finally, the first broadcast ended. Guides moved into the arena to clear up the unconscious bodies. (They weren't going to be disposed of.) Everyone was anticipating for the next group battle to be better than the last.