'What the hell is this place?'
Owen asked himself passionlessly while glancing his surroundings in earnest. This modality scene was by far too horrifying for any individual to perceive but for Owen, his expression only contained an explicated stolidity and some signs of exhaustion.
"Owen Henderson, the centre…. you may go."
Snapping him out of his thoughts, Owen turned his head slightly to the direction of the intrusive reverberated voice. Instantly, his eyes met the inscrutable reddening retinas of the diabolical knight.
Cognisance of Owen's attention, the knight slowly gestured its metallic hand thoughtlessly, prompting him wordlessly.
Owen narrowed his eyes and scrutinized at the diabolic knight momentarily but shortly after, a fatigued sigh escaped his lips as he moved to the central part of the belittled arena.
However, while he strolled, sarcastic light chuckles were heard around him, echoing weakly in the arena.
'…...What now?'
He thought while his eyes searched the belittled arena without moving his head, glancing the previously tranquilized black figures.
Moreover, when Owen examined the cryptic, anon hooded figures further, he found that they were apparently different, ranging from their body structure, siting posture and so on.
"What a fool, to die so quickly upon arriving the material realm…..."
"He only lasted one full night! Truly a wretched soul!"
"Our Goddess, Empress of the Immaterial souls, your majestic Divine Insignia may have been laid to waste…"
"Alas, he resided from the realm of Earth…We should soften our hasted judgements."
Owen reached the centre and chose to discard the existence of the anonymous black figures, knowing that their rumbling voices was going to give him a severe headache.
Instead, he looked at the knight eagerly, meeting its radiance reddening eyes. The diabolic knight tardily raised his metallic hand and suddenly, silence reached the entire realm, no sound could be heard, except Owen's breathing, making him feel uneasy.
"Alas, Owen Henderson, your days of living in the Material Realm have to an end…..."
"Even so, rejoice, for our Goddess has awarded you a Divine Insignia, an honour for the highest apostles and saints in all racial religions.
However, show us if you are deserving of that honour and the resolve to walk among the ecclesiastical world. Utilize every arsenal of your body and soul to triumph over your trial of judgement.
'Interesting….'
Just from that one-sided transaction, he gained crucial information that proved several of his troubling theories.
Owen merely nodded his head and the diabolical knight returned his nod in kind. Immediately after, the fiendish knight stood like an ascending king and brocaded his arms upward like a prophet.
"Condemned, raise up from the cracks of the confined void and adjudicate your will anew, for your convenience of resurrection has arrived!"
When he said so, the ground in the arena shook rickety, as the sand shifted at a single point, manifesting a humanoid structure with its element.
The sand transubstantiated an untainted blackness and combusted like an aureole whirlwind in all directions, revealing a shuddery figure from its mystifying depths.
Owen solely stood in place, as the manifesting figure stared with radiating eyes.
'Let's see my new competitor….'
The darkening sand dispersed and revealed a monstrosity familiar into the minds of all man. The skin of humanoid figure was decayed and rotten in all corners of the body, telltale bones on its external structure.
The lusus naturae's greenish leather armor was torn, resembling a corpse of an ancient...skeleton buccaneer. The bone buccaneer swayed slightly and fixed its voided eyes at Owen's direction.
Owen examined the self-moving skeleton corpse and noticed the conversant clothes underneath its armor and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
'Those clothes resemble the ones of Europe Renaissance…...or perhaps eastern? I can't tell.'
Owen thought and evaluated his persuasion further.
'I am beginning to see similarities that derive a lot from cultural Earth. Which...means several cultures and values in this world are a bit alike to Earth in some aspects?'
He narrowed his eyes and muddled,
"No matter in era or world, mankind will always be the same."
Owen, lost in his thoughts while expressing an unreadable expression.
Yet, indifferent to Owen's mental roving, the skeleton buccaneer moved its boned arm upward and fixed its adventurous hat while simultaneously taking out an antique dagger in the other.
"Condemned and Owen Henderson, take your...battle stances."
The diabolical knight spoke and Owen moved back a little, taking a battle stance. He switched his body slowly and hold his hands high, primarily to protect his head and face. His fists became clenched, but relaxed.
His elbows were close to his body and his weight, evenly distributed on both of his feet, creating a stable base. Witnessing this, one of the anon hooded figures moved its head slightly and examined Owen's fighter's stance.
"Oh?"
Furthermore, Owen was light on his feet with his knees slightly flexed to allow quick movement in any direction. The bone buccaneer also took its battle stance, that mainly focused on the expertise of the dagger, which allowed it to slash in any diagonal slash, stab, or strike in every angle of attack.
'For now, I should concentrate on defensive….'
Owen thought and increased his readiness for the fight, unarmed. Finished with the announcements, the fiendish knight sat unstrained on the throne, and rested its head on its armoured fist.
"If the two competitors are prepared…...You may begin!"
*****
'Owen...Henderson, that's his epithet?'
The bone buccaneer thought while adjusting its figure to utilize to the dagger.
'Is he the one with the Divine Insignia? Yes…...surely.'
Suddenly, its voided eyes flashed a cerulean luminosity that inquired Owen's entire body and movement.
'Then I should be wary then…...'
The bone buccaneer moved cautiously to Owen's position with murderous intent. However, Owen backed away guardedly and maintained a constant distance between the two.
'Nonetheless, my chance for freedom is right before me, because with his Divine Insignia, I will finally be able to roam the Material Realm…...the material…...at last.'
In a span for few seconds, the bone buccaneer dashed forward with such a profound speed, it left a small dust trail and nimbly reached Owen's position. It slashed horizontally, aiming for his hip region.
Owen opened his eyes alarmed, taken aback by the fasting attack and incredible speed that resembled a top athlete despite not having any muscle and tissue.
Reacting quickly, Owen swiftly moved backwards and managed to barely able to dodge the first strike.
Observing this movement, the bone buccaneer stumbled tardily. However, recovering instantaneously, the bone buccaneer continued its assault and attacked recklessly, leaving no time for Owen to counterattack.
Light on his feet, Owen kept dodging and tried to maintain distance but the bone buccaneer was unending with its assault, keeping every angle of attack.
He knew this constant repetition of slashes was to sap him down and prevent for any counterattack. Furthermore, acknowledging the fact it could move without any muscles, meant that the bone figure was using magic, meaning, it had unlimited stamina as an advantage. Regardless, Owen took a deep breath because the situation was not too hopeless.
Tsk!
A light sound escaped Owen's lips as he suddenly stood his ground and shifted to his previous battle stance.
The bone buccaneer reacted and launched a slash directed straight toward Owen's neck. However, Owen met the bone buccaneer's attacking arm with a strike from both of his forearms, against the outside forearm of the monstrosity.
Without any delay, Owen checked the momentum of the attacking arm and used his right hand to ride the attacking arm clear of his body. Simultaneously, the bone buccaneer opened its jaw in astonishment.
'What…?'
Taking the opportunity, Owen tried to redirect the bone buccaneer's energy with his strength to its right elbow to pin it down on the ground.
However, the buccaneer bone used its strength to maintain balance and redirected its dagger to Owen's face. Luckily, the slab's purpose wasn't to kill him but free itself from Owen's hold.
Owen relaxed his grip quickly and barely dodged the unexpected slash, leaving a cut on his cheek.
Swiftly, both competitors performed a non-translational motion and created comfortable distance from each other, ultimately taking their respective stances.
The cryptic, anon black cloaked figures all moved slightly with different reactions and watched earnestly, even theorising among each other on who would win.
"Truly impressive…."
"Not bad and not defective."
The two of the disguised figures nodded in agreement and occasionally, the other cloaked figures started sharing their opinions.
"Candidly, that boy...Owen Henderson, is rather agile and good at observation…."
"Indeed. The bone buccaneer has excellent expertise on the dagger; however, its decayed musculature figure made those attacks rather lousy and apparently...unskilful, which Owen Henderson observed and utilized a counterattack. On the other hand, I still acknowledge the bone warrior's battle technique."
Then another added,
"Moreover, Owen Henderson comprehended that a long-lived battle between the two was going to be his defiant downfall, so he resorted to immobilize the bone buccaneer than alternatively being assaultive or defensive but he failed to understand something critical…..."
Some of the cryptic black cloaked figures nodded simultaneously.
"Their difference in power."
Abruptly, all of the cloaked figures became noiseless and gazed at the diabolical knight, who stared silently upon the competitors.
The cloaked figures shifted their attention on competitors as well and gazed intensively. Even so, silence only came in the belittled arena, with each competitor not moving a single motion and conservatively examining each other.
With such a development, one of the cloaked figures who sat near the diabolical knight spoke ingenuous in a childlike voice.
"Neck-snap!...this is boring. Why are they so cautious of each other? This is the problem with weaklings. Hey, my fellow peers...why not make this...uh, interesting?"
Some of the cloaked figures switched their attention while expressing annoyance and displeasure.
"Honestly, you are too impatient…..."
"This is a sacred duel between hand to weaponry combat. So why should we change this setting?"
"Truthfully, its…...alarming to know someone who is the same age of mine...could be still…...this impetuosity…."
Seeing this barrage of dissenting opinions, the childly cloaked figure shook their head slightly.
"Is my opinion now criminal? Frankly, I was just trying to uplift the mood…."
"Perhaps you should try in other aspects."
Just when the childlike figure was going to rebuke, one of the cloaked figures suddenly said in an authoritative manner,
"I have no problem with that."
And snapped their fingers.
*Snap!
The sound reverberated in the entire domain and the world shook, causing the bone buccaneer and Owen to gaze their surroundings in disarray.
Instantaneously, with the power of a celestial entity, the belittled arena began to grow larger, greater and wider. Soon, the previously belittled arena resembled the ancient roman amphitheatre but vastly more magnificent.
Witnessing such a change, the other cloaked figures could only utter a suspiration.
"Heh, I knew you would agree with me."
The cloaked childlike figure giggled and waved their hand heedlessly. Abruptly, in the centre of the arena, in high attitude, a heavenly spiritual figure of unimaginative beauty surfaced slightly above the arena.
The ghostly beauty had long white hair, like her long dress, and picky long ears, like an elf. However, when she moved her hair behind her ear, her facial appearance was...…voided, no transcendental eyes, no perfect nose and preternatural lips, just emptiness.
Looking above at the transcendental beauty, the childly figure waved their hands cheerfully and said,
"Hello ghost lady! Can you do the usual please!"
The ghostly beauty looked at the childlike figure and nodded her head obediently. Shortly after, with a non-translational motion, the ghostly beauty positioned herself like a professional vocalist as her long hair gently moved in the non-existing wind.
At the same time, the blackness surrounding the arena moved like an animation of shivery fogginess, almost like reacting to the appearance of the ghostly figure as voices could be heard in its depths.
Promptly, silence came to the realm once again as the ghostly beauty begun to sing. The apparitional elf's voice was ingenuous, melodic and pious to the ears near her definite space.
Upon all this, the diabolical knight shook its head and returned its attention the competitors.
However, to anyone's surprise, the bone buccaneer shook uncontrollable while gazing the ghostly elf above the arena.
"It couldn't be….."