"You know what, I kind of knows that brown-haired girl."
Raynevere muttered all of a sudden as soon as the room became deserted but us. She is gently scratching her cheek, her face slightly tilted, and her purple eyes staring at the ceiling.
"Who is she?" I asked.
"Uh, I can't remember that well. I'm pretty sure I've seen her face before, but I'm not sure when or where. Sowwy~" Raynevere stick out her tongue and knocked her head with an airhead expression.
Well, that's more of a mystery added. I'll be certain to ask them that the next time we meet.
Our brief conversation was immediately followed by the loud system announcement on the giant TV screen, followed by the extravagant proclamation of the emcee.
[Battle Finished]
"The winner for this fifth battle of the night is Henry Maxwell and his Gladiatrix Barbara Fortis!"
When I looked back at the screen, I saw a Kaiser and Gladiatrix pair waving at the audience. The crowd still seemed to be as lively as before, if not noisier. I did not notice that it was already the fifth fight of the night. Time falls fast.
Two Kaiser and Gladiator pairs entered the waiting room. We greeted them with a smile and a slight bow, and they returned the same. Soon, another pair entered. Then another pair. The first round of the Battle Fiesta is brief and quick.
Most fights only end in an average of three minutes. For the record, our first fight took only around two minutes. The current Meta (or most effective tactics available) involved taking out your enemy before they could ever act. Most of them go for the kill (direct attack on the Kaiser) and do not bother attacking the Gladiator at all. They will only disable the Gladiator as soon as possible to get an opening.
I will have to adjust my tactics in this kind of battle. If the contenders stick to this strategy, then I'll be sure to make a counter-strategy for this kind. I immediately opened the Gladiatrix System and sorted the cards of my deck and sat on the corner.
While I was in my world, Raynevere just watched the battles. She studied the fighting patterns of the winning contenders. Maybe she's strategizing for the counters of those fighting styles she saw from Gladiators and Gladiatrices.
After a moment, Raynevere pinched my sleeve. Then she pointed at the TV screen.
"Elzane, look!"
Familiar faces have entered the arena.
"For this round, we have Kaiser Ryan Radars and his Gladiatrix Himeno Yuusha! They will be fighting against Kaiser Bill Forger and Gladiatrix Serena As with!" The homosexual emcee shouted.
"Oh, so Himeno's Kaiser is named Ryan Radars," I muttered to myself.
Honestly, Himeno Yuusha's Kaiser does not stand out. He's kind of that silent guy with a nice vibe, which is the total opposite of that arrogant purple cat. I had the hunch that he was also dragged into this.
"He's probably Himeno's lover." Raynevere chuckled. She seemed to hear my mutter earlier.
"How about that Ryan Radars, do you know him? Is he related to the company?" I asked.
"Yes, but indirectly," Raynevere said. "I think I saw his name on the patient records of the medical department."
"Patient records?" I tilted my head. "Does Treenity Innovation have hospitals?"
"Only a medical lab. Ryan Radars is one of those volunteers for the medical nanomachine. I have read that he was once ill, and Himeno Yuusha's father introduced the mystical nanomachine operation to him. I don't know what happened next, but since he's fighting with Himeno, I reckon the operation was a success." Raynevere said.
"So he's like a human experiment," I muttered.
"A legal human test subject." Raynevere corrected.
I only apologized to Raynevere with a smile. Then our attention shifted back to the TV screen.
Both Gladiatrices are on their battle stances. The purple cat revealed her oversized claws, while the opponent Serena As with is wielding a gohei: a wooden wand used for Shinto rituals.
[Battle Start]
As soon as the system beeped, Himeno Yuusha jumped forward, ready to slash the opponent with her metal claws!
"Activate Skill Card: Firewall!" The opponent Kaiser immediately unleashed his first Command Card!
At that instance, a wall of flames divided the arena into two! It separated Himeno from her enemy Gladiatrix, and also made it impossible to make any short-range attack!
"Activate Skill Card: Magic-Draining Blade!" Ryan Radars made his first activation of his Command Card!
At that moment, Himeno Yuusha's oversized claws glowed whitish blue, and she immediately slashed the Firewall! With ease, she extinguished the flames that divide her from the enemy!
Having their defenses fail, the opponent Kaiser panicked but tried to grab the next Command Card!
"Crap! A-Activate-"
"Too slow!" Himeno Yuusha proclaimed as she dashed forward!
And then, the purple cat's Kaiser revealed one more card to finish the fight!
"Activate Skill Card: Omnislash!"