In a dark room, devoid of light, 16 feminine shadows sat down by a table. These people weren't sure how they got there, but they showed no signs of moving from their spots.
But this lack of movement was not from fear…
No…
It was because every single one of them was analyzing each other from head to toe.
To the subtle muscle outlines beneath their clothing…
The slight movement of their hands…
To even the pattern of their breathing…
Each and every one of them studied each other like they were prey. Ready to strike should one of them move from their spot at a moment's notice.
The malice was so thick that you could cut it with a butter knife.
Things didn't have to go that far though, as a new face suddenly barged into the room.
The 16 guests stared at the newcomer with varying looks of confusion and intrigue.
The newcomer was some sort of ridiculously tall humanoid cat-creature in a fancy tux. While it lacked eyes and a nose, it had a large sharp-toothed grin. Its smile stretched far across its blank face.
"Welcome One! Welcome, All!" It began to chant. "Two hands high, Three Feet Tall!"
"Glad you're here! What a Day!" The Cat suddenly started to shuffle its feet to perform a weird dance. "I'm so glad you came to play!"
The Cat then struck a pose after finishing its dance. "My name is Mr. Anderson, and I'm your host for today's Game."
"And what, pray tell, would this Game be?" One of the shadows finally spoke. Her voice was booming and demanded respect with every word.
"Why the Game, of course!" Mr. Anderson responded. "The one I'm hosting today!"
"That doesn't explain anything Fleabag!" Another shadow spoke, this one sounded more high-pitched and bratty. "Just tell me before I decide to skin you alive!"
"Ooooh, how violent!" Mr. Anderson feigned fear. "And after all the trouble I went through to bring you all back to life…"
Everyone's head perked at their revelation.
"... Now that you mentioned it. I did remember seeing my ssssevered corpse before I bit the dust…" Another voice spoke out, one that softly hissed under their breath.
"I still call bullshit…" The bratty voice muttered. "As far as I know, I just got clunked on the head before you dragged my body here. No way you brought us back from the dead!"
"Oh I beg to differ~" Mr. Anderson cackled.
The cat man reached into his pocket before pulling out the corpse of a dead rat. The rat was heavily damaged, its skull fully revealed and its torso was shriveled to its bones. He promptly dropped it onto the table for all to see.
And that's when it happened.
With the snap of his finger, the corpse began to twitch violently. The rat's bones snapped back into place as flesh started to grow on its exposed skull. The corpse's complexion started to become vibrant as blood started to pulse back into its body. Its eyes slowly began to open wide, processing the world around it.
The Rat, realizing that it could see, quickly got up and started to survey its surroundings.
He had done it.
He brought the Rat back to life.
But before the Rat could celebrate its resurrection, Mr. Anderson promptly grabbed the creature by the tail and dropped it into his mouth.
The cat chewed loudly as he satisfyingly crushed the life out of his newly revived meal with every bite.
"Do you believe me now?" Mr. Anderson smirked.
Nobody said a word. The shadows had differing looks of disbelief on their faces. Though his guests were quiet, their silence was all he needed to know what they were thinking.
"You see I have gathered all of you here for a reason." Mr. Anderson began to explain. "Each of you were Maidens who fell in love, one way or the other. But something happened that caused your love to become warped and twisted."
A few of the guests started to grit their teeth at that last part.
"Love means everything to you all." Mr. Anderson continued. "There's nothing that you wouldn't do so that special someone would notice you, even if you have to kill for it."
"What's your point?" The demanding voice uttered aloud.
"My point is that I want you to play a game." Mr. Anderson cackled. "A bloody game, where you all try to kill each other until there's one person remaining on top of the mountain of corpses! A tournament where Yanderes fight to the death!"
"So that's what this is about?" A pompous voice whined. "You just want us to kill each other for your own amusement?"
"Yes! Yes! And Absolutely So!" Mr. Anderson cheered. "I've always wanted to pit legends of old against one another to see who comes out on top! And I especially love Cat Fights~"
The cat pervertedly purred at that last statement.
"And if we don't want to participate?" The pompous voice glared at him.
"I'm glad that you asked!" Mr. Anderson smiled and snapped his fingers.
In the blink of an eye, the pompous shadow exploded. The top half of her body popped like a water balloon as blood and giblets flew across the room. Bits and pieces of her splattered across the other guests as they looked more annoyed than grossed out.
But before they could wipe themselves off, the pompous shadow's giblets started to move as if they had a will of their own.
And, as if time was in reverse, every piece of flesh and blood that blew off returned back to where they came from. And the Pompous shadow was fully reformed, good as new. But while she looked fine on the outside, she immediately began to vomit out her insides shortly after.
"I have full control over your lives." Mr. Anderson explained. "If you don't wish to participate, I will simply kill you right then and there. I will also kill you if you try to harm me in any way."
The guests said nothing. After seeing what had happened to the arrogant one, they knew he could back up his threat.
"Now I know you guys won't play this game for free." The Cat continued. "Which is why I'm going to offer you a prize."
Mr. Anderson clapped his hands as a giant mountain of gold appeared out of nowhere.
"Not only will the winner of this tournament get enough riches to live out the rest of your second life in luxury but…" The cat smirked. "They also get the choice to bring 1 person of their choosing back to life…"
The room fell silent again after that revelation.
A chance to resurrect someone close to their hearts…
It was almost too good to be true…
But the cat managed to do it just before with the rat. And even if it was a trick, it was too hard not to pass up.
"I see that I have your full investment, don't I?" Mr. Anderson smirked."Not a bad prize, isn't it?"
"... If you're lying, I will kill you." The bratty voice growled at the cat.
"Amen, Bitch." Another voice muttered in agreement.
Everyone else let out low growls and slight nods of their heads.
"I'm not hearing any Nos, so I'm going to assume everyone is on board with it! Splendid!" Mr. Anderson clapped his hands together. "Now before we begin the tournament, I need to show off the rules first."
A screen descended from the ceiling before it lit up to display a list of rules for the Tournament.
Rules:
Combatants will fight in one-on-one battles until one of them is dead.
Combatants can't leave the ring once the fight starts, otherwise, they will be disqualified. And by disqualified, I mean killed.
Combatants can't harm the Game Master as well as the other staff.
Anything else goes!
The guests looked at the rules of the game with varying expressions. Most were scowling at the board while some had a slasher smile across their face.
One thing was clear though.
They were actually taking the tournament seriously.
Mr. Anderson smiled at his guests. "Now I hope you're ready ladies… Because the Clash of Feelings is ready to begin!"
The screen flashed for a moment and the guests saw a bracket for who they would fight.
Round 1 Bracket:
Ariel vs Ice Queen
Cinderella vs Snow White
Gretel vs Medusa
Carmilla vs Kiyohime
Atalanta vs Kaguya
Kriemhild vs Brynhildr
Medea vs Belle
Guinevere vs Hua Mulan
"Now then, Maidens of Legend." Mr. Anderson chuckled."How far will you go for the one that you love? What will you do to take that "Happy Ending" for yourself? I'm really eager to see the new lows that you psychotic bitches will commit for My Entertainment…"
Mr. Anderson was practically laughing like a madman. His cackles echoed ominously across the entire room as he got riled up for the bloodsport he would bear witness to.
He really couldn't wait for the carnage to start…