"This is your host, Gigaroh! Coming at you live at the viewing area for the Potato Wars! We have all sorts of Deities already showing up from Deity knows where! I am taking interviews of various Deities that already have expressed their desire to not actively participate in the competition! First up! Lancaster! So? Why won't you participate? Huh? Why?" Gigaroh blabbering while shoving the mic near Lancaster's face.
Lancaster gave a simple response back: "I'm not interested in the reward this time, to be fair."
"What a surprising response from one of the greediest Deities--"
"If you're done, I'll be on my way to meet up with Hooligan now. Take care," Lancaster interrupted as he brushed past Gigaroh.
"Let's talk to another person! Ah! Over here is Helix! Can I have a few words? Rumor has it you declined participation and will be a judge! Is it true? Well? Is it? Huh?" Gigaroh pestered Helix.
"It is true, but let's be real. If I participated, we all know I would win," Helix smugly declared.
"Such confidence! Such arrogance! I like it!" Gigaroh cheered. "Let's try and get one more well-known non-participant on camera! Oh? Over there is..." in the direction Gigaroh was looking at was a woman with auburn hair and green eyes. Her sparkly purple dress made it hard not to notice her. "... No way! The Great Lady Destiny has made an appearance! Is she spectating or participating? Let's find out!"
Upon seeing the camera focused on her, Destiny did a small wave before she said, "I won't be participating this time around. I am just curious about this year's list of participants, nothing more, nothing less."
"Any particular names you can say?" Gigaroh asked her.
"Segato Evelnoke. I am very curious about this young man. He reminds me of somebody I was in love with long ago before I became a Deity," Destiny giggled with glee as Gigaroh's eyes widened.
"It's great that you have an interest in such a being, but he's off limits," Lancaster casually spoke while pouring a glass of cold water over Destiny's head. "That child is a special case and is under the care of both Hooligan and myself. If anybody touches him outside the competition, they may not see the next day." Destiny shivered in place-- it was unclear if it was because of the drink or Lancaster himself.
"I apologize for overstepping my boundaries, Lancaster. I didn't know he was under joint ownership," Destiny murmured while she respectfully bowed.
"Hmph. Now the whole venue will know, at least," Lancaster muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. He continued to walk away from everyone again.
"Are you okay, Lady Destiny?" Gigaroh asked while he handed her a towel.
"I am fine," Destiny confirmed. "I know Lancaster doesn't have much respect for those of us who were once Divine Ones, but nobody knows the reason why, nor how deep it actually is. Even so, his behavior was more akin to a parent protecting a child this time. It seems that this Segato Evelnoke is more important to him than he lets on, that is for certain. I still can't help but wonder about that young man."
"It's a shame we couldn't find the activation methods for the remaining 5 bangles of your Ordinance, but even just the one gives you a trump card alongside the 10 Dragons," Hooligan snickered as he patted Segato on the back. He then turned to Ezrah and whispered, "Be wary of anyone affiliated with D.D., Mimic, or the Heckler. Those 3 are all up to something, but aren't working together from what I can tell." Ezrah briefly nodded before he turned back to face everyone. Outside Hooligan, only Layla and Jackie had decided to come watch at the venue. Layla noticed Segato's hidden expression in his eyes and pulled him over to the side.
"I have something to discuss with the kid in private," she notified Hooligan. Hooligan just shrugged and continued to talk with Jackie and Ezrah about things to expect in the events.
"I imagine you want to use telepathy to avoid being overheard?" Layla said to Segato.
"Correct. I sensed it from the moment I got here... there is something that can awaken another bangle here, perhaps even another someone. All 3 bangles on the left side started to glow earlier at the entrance, and I had to use my energy to suppress them," Segato replied to Layla.
"I have already narrowed down 2 of the sources. Speaking of such... Did you ever learn the name of your Ordinance?" Hubris asked Segato.
"Come to think of it, Hubris is right. I never got a name, but I have a feeling that gridded space I saw when receiving these bangles is my actual Ordinance, and the bangles are only a piece of it. I'll have to ask my AI assistant Hottie later," Segato thought aloud. Layla narrowed her eyes at Segato.
"You've impressed her with how ridiculous you sounded just now," Hubris commented.
"I swear I didn't make that acronym up," Segato quickly added after he looked at their expressions.
"At the same time, from what we discussed earlier on the way here, she said the cube was your Ordinance. So what was that white space you entered?" Hubris wondered.
"I'd focus on the Potato Wars for now. If anything, you are a beacon for troublesome things, so your bangles' awakening sources will come to you on their own. If you enter a troublesome situation that you and Ezrah can't handle, then run away. If you can't do that, then forfeit. I'll make sure Hooligan is understanding should that happen, although it seems that he is genuinely concerned about your well being... to some extent," Layla reminded Segato.
"All in all, I'll be stronger for participating unless I get eliminated in the first few minutes!" Segato cheerfully yelled while he pointed at the sky. Layla couldn't help but smile at the usual lack of seriousness he was exuding.
"It should be fine, right?" she thought to herself.
"The rules for The Potato Wars will be quite different this time around! Usually the theme has to do with the Deity in question, but seeing how we can't exactly send most of the living into Hell itself, we selected a different theme by voting! The theme is..." Gigaroh paused to build suspense.
To his surprise, the second Deity announcer next to him snatched the mic out of his hands and shouted, "Rock on, my fellow Deities! This is your boy Cinquain, chosen specifically as the second announcer because of the theme! That's right, it's music! As you know, all of our cultures are very diverse and stuff. You feel me, homies? If there is one thing that can unite us and convey our feelings properly, it is definitely music! Due to that... uh... Gigaroh, take back over?" Gigaroh stared at the red-haired man in disbelief.
"Why did you snatch the mic in the first place if you didn't read the script?" he thought to himself.
"...Due to that, there will be 5 Deities chosen that are neutral towards the competitors as judges for the dimension areas! Faelength, Helix, Whuhu, Macredi, and Zero have stepped up as judges!" Gigaroh shouted. Many of the Deities in the area cheered at the mention of the names.
"""""... What the hell?!""""" Ezrah, Segato, Layla, Jackie, and Hooligan all exclaimed.
"Keep your voices down so you don't draw attention for recognizing that name," Lancaster spoke after he appeared next to Hooligan. Hooligan was about to greet his friend, but couldn't tear his eyes away from the one thing that was hard to ignore on Lancaster.
The appearance of his brown skin and pitch-black eyes did not match his rainbow colored hair. Nobody dared to comment on this, not even Hooligan (who was trying so hard that he started to profusely sweat)-- but of course there was one exception who couldn't read the room.
"I always wondered what your full appearance looked like since you were a Deity of Darkness, but this is... hahahaha!" Segato burst into laughter as everyone within the nearby vicinity took for cover. To their surprise, a whole minute passed and Lancaster still did not hit Segato. Segato stopped laughing and then looked up at Lancaster with a confused glance. He only just now realized what he had done.
"... Got it out of your system now?" Lancaster coldly asked. Segato quickly turned his gaze to the ground as his face turned pale. He wasn't close enough to this man to laugh at him... "I agree with you. My hair's appearance is quite irregular, is it not?"
"Eh?"
The reaction Segato gave was the exact thought everyone else shared. Even the announcers stopped speaking to have the cameras focused on the commotion.
Segato couldn't help but feel nervous as he managed to squeeze out the words, "I mean, I should probably apologize for not respectfully addressing you--"
"I will put it this way. You are the only human I see as a friend and an equal. Do not let anybody disrespect or look down on you. I did tell you to enjoy your life, right?" Lancaster said with a small smile.
"I've been having this feeling for a while since I became aware, but... you 'remember', don't you? I heard about it from both Origin and Ezrah--" Segato begun to question, but Lancaster put a finger to his lips.
Lancaster did nod before he put his hand on the lowest left arm bangle. The bangle briefly glowed before it dissipated. Thankfully, nobody else had noticed this.
"We indeed have a lot to talk about. I only didn't bother before since you had yet to prove your worth, but now..." Lancaster pointed to the bangles before he resumed talking. "Those who know what these are will only be divided into allies and enemies. So you must be careful. Not every Deity who knows of you will be as cordial as Hooligan and myself. Not to mention..." Lancaster briefly looked around at everyone, before he whispered in Segato's ear, "There are many from your past life that would seek your death upon recognizing you."
"I appreciate your warning and kindness, brother Lancaster," Segato said with a mock salute. Lancaster briefly laughed (which made everyone else watching feel terrified) before he walked away with a small wave.
"Hooligan, why does that guy have your original name, though?" Jackie asked after everyone resumed what they were doing prior to Lancaster's arrival.
"In truth, we all probably wanted to ask about that weird interaction, but this would definitely not be the best time or place," Ezrah thought.
"He's the person I lost to before, and was once one of the Divine Ones. Ideally, you should avoid interacting with him," Hooligan warned. "In any case, pay attention to the rules. There are multiple ways to win the events even if we can't win the competition overall." His cat-like eyes looked as if he was eyeing prey when he stared at Lancaster.
"That guy brazenly declared Segato as his friend and equal. What the hell is he up to?"
"The rules are pretty simple. Gather musical codes hidden in all the areas and kill anything not an ally! The musical codes can later be exchanged for information and various other benefits! Of course, if this was just a mere hunt and loot, that would be pretty boring! So we laced every dimension with a ton of traps! There will also be various monsters and prisoners being released in the area! Getting rid of a prisoner will get you their bounty for your Deity, as well as a proof of service! These will give humongous rewards later on in the competition! So the way to rank high is to get proofs and musical codes!"
Gigaroh menacingly grinned before he continued to announce, "Now then... it would not be a proper Potato War competition without the 'Hot Potato' mechanism! Everyone will have a timer in the watch built for scoring. If your total kills fall below a certain number every time the interval goes off, you WILL EXPLODE! However, you can consume multiple musical codes to pass your kill quota to another nearby participant in the same area! The amount of musical codes needed to do this will increase with every interval, so don't think you can simply clear this without a single kill! Not to mention the proximity needed to pull this off requires direct touch!"
"Ezrah, did he just say that this competition has 5 different ways to kill us?" Segato asked with widened eyes.
Ezrah firmly stared at Segato as he added, "You think there's only 5?"
"As always, since Deities can bet on survival odds of individual contestants, we will also allow them to pay for summoning various traps and monsters to spawn near certain areas!" Gigaroh cheerfully exclaimed.
""... We are about to get hard targeted, aren't we,"" Segato and Ezrah spoke in unison while their faces deadpanned. Layla and Jackie could only give their condolences with a silent prayer.
"If that happens, I'd just take the extra points," Hooligan commented. "Even so, you'll need to be careful not to get overwhelmed, especially if multiple people decide to use their musical codes to dodge getting the necessary kills."
"SO MANY ENEMIES!" Segato growled in a deep voice which caused Ezrah to laugh.
"I knew the Potato Wars were savage, but you'll definitely be making this brutal slaughter enjoyable the entire time, won't you, Segato?" Ezrah asked.
"Hey! Nobody said we couldn't have fun while putting our lives on the line, right?" Segato proclaimed while he winked at the nearby camera.
"Who the hell is this living joke that Lancaster is taking seriously?" A tall and muscular white haired man with beastlike red eyes asked through gritted teeth.
"You're still hung up over your former Deity, huh," a girl with similar hair and eyes spoke. Unlike her companion, she had a frail looking figure, but the man knew she was stronger than even him, so he showed her respect with a bow. "He should be that Segato Evelnoke our ancestor warned us about in the dream we shared last night. I honestly don't see how this guy is capable of harming a fly."
"Seems we share that thought, sister Aurora," the man agreed. Aurora turned towards her younger brother while she stretched her back.
"Warren, do not forget we are Slashes. I am the inheritor of Sky, and you are built purely for the sake of War. I can afford to fail... not that I'd do so intentionally. You, on the other hand... I'd hate to kill my brother with my own hands, but you know I will do it without hesitation. Understand?" Aurora's eyes didn't flinch or blink even when Warren stopped his fist right in front of her face.
"If I truly fail to beings like that, I will accept my death with grace. I'll leave the musical codes to you, then." Warren walked away to get ready, but he also wanted to keep his distance from his sister.
"They really don't want me to live, seeing how she is directly entering the competition with me. I'll only get once chance to kill as many people as I can within the first 3 intervals," Warren thought to himself. "It'll be the first and last chance to flee from Drayden Denn."