10 advance chapters on P@treon.com/Saintbarbido.
Sorry for the delay. Been working on something fun on P@treon. The first few chapters are free, so give Fated Chaos a read.
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(General P.O.V)
The matches for the second round, as recorded on the Ranking board, were as follows:
First match: Angel vs Jinx.
Second match: Ravager vs Goku.
Third match: Cheshire vs Robin(he had registered as Dick)
Fourth match: Speedy vs Kid Flash(He had registered simply as Kid)
Fifth match: X-23 vs Cassandra Cain.
All attention was on the first match as it was still underway.
-0-
A gasp escaped the stands as the entire Arena shattered right in the middle in to two halves.
Angel's feet stood on one half each, a delicate balance that saw him perform a split, with Jinx's legs wrapped around his torso.
She was like a Koala, a tight grip on his left arm.
"It's over! Submit!"
She shouted, confident that she was going to win.
A part of her felt bad as Angel was the only reason she was alive, but the tournament prize that awaited her was just too much to pass on.
She had to win. No ifs or buts.
'Sorry.'
She thought to herself, using her powers to funnel a large burst of bad luck directly into Angel.
Angel on the other hand, had a contemplative look on his face, seemingly unbothered by the situation.
And that was because the nanites on him had finally managed to analyse Jinx's ability. A few of them covered his eyes, displaying information only he could see.
"So, it's not magic like I initially thought."
He said, gazing at her critically.
"Your powers are more Psionic in nature."
"Huh?"
Jinx let out, dumbfounded as her powers weren't working.
With the precarious position Angel was on, a full blast of bad luck should have made him lose balance and plummet to the ground.
Unfortunately for her, the nanites created by Ivo were not only advanced enough to analyze her powers, but could also shield Angel from their effect.
It was the only reason he had even allowed her to get close enough to touch him.
"Wh- why is not working?"
Jinx asked shakily, still holding onto his arm.
Angel smirked, non-responsive.
A gasp of surprise escaped Jinx's lips as he twisted his body, throwing the two of them in the air.
A bad feeling gripped the pink haired girl and she tried to disengage from him, only for her opponent to now wrap his arms around her body, and position it along his shoulders.
A frightened scream ripped out of her, as the sky and ground overturned.
There was a loud impact followed by streaks of pink energy that shattered the two halves of the Arena in multiple shards of wood.
Wally jumped off his seat, eyes wide.
"Did he just German suplex her off the Arena!?"
"Holy shit."
Cheshire cackled in amusement.
"I think he did!"
The dust settled and the result of the first match was revealed to everyone.
Jinx was on the ground, passed out and Angel...
Well, Angel flipped off her limb body with a sigh. He hadn't meant to slam her onto the ground so hard.
Another wince escaped him as he realized they had literally destroyed the Arena. In its place were pieces of wood scattered across the training ground.
A gong sounded out, announcing the end of the match.
Sensei stopped before Angel, a bemused expression on his aged face.
"I see you're still as reckless as ever."
He drolled, staring at the wreckage behind them.
"You're supposed to declare me the winner old man. That's all that matters."
Angel answered cheekily.
Muttering some unkind words under his breath, Sensei turned to Ra's Al Ghul.
"I present the winner of the first match through knockout, Angel Savage!"
"Yeah! Whoooo! Let's go!"
Goku cheered loudly, along with a few scattered applause from the stands.
2 shadows came forward to carry Jinx off to the medical station, but Angel stopped them.
"I got her."
He carefully hoisted Jinx up in a princess carry.
The Shadows looked to Sensei for direction and he allowed it with an exasperated sigh.
"Show him the way."
They complied and started leading him towards the main building which housed the Medical station.
Angel threw one final look at the destroyed Arena before walking off, catching the tail end of Sensei's announcement about a short break as the Arena was being replaced.
A short walk saw him follow the two as they moved through the entrance, Jinx still passed out in his arms.
The instance he entered the Shadow Manor, Angel's shoulders grew tense. He could sense over a dozen assassins hiding in the Shadows, watching him intently.
Inside, the manor was outffited with all kinds of decorative ensemble. Paintings, most of them depicting a man in different places and eras, framed the walls.
There were also carvings of various creatures on the pillars that stretched to the ceiling. In addition, heads of ferocious animals like Tigers and bears framed the sides too.
Racks of weapons were elected next to the pillars, as well as a cabinet filled with artifacts and relics like silver cups, gem-embedded shields and the like.
A massive golden chandelier hang above, casting light onto the marble floor.
It was clear Ra's was a man who enjoyed luxury. Angel kept that in mind. You can judge a man based on what he gives value to. And thus control them.
Stealthily, Angel began to release nanites with every footstep he made, the nano-machines spreading down his legs and falling off his soles.
Then they blended in with the marble floor before beginning to scatter throughout the building.
By the time they stopped before another door, Angel had about 50% of his nanites scouring the manor.
From the ground floor, the undetectable nanomachines were now stealthily making way to the first and second floors.
One of the Shadows stepped forward and indicated to Angel to hand over Jinx.
Entry into the medical station was barred to Outsiders.
Angel complied and handed her over. With one final glance at the long stairway leading to the upper floors, he turned on his heel and left, all under a watchful eye.
None of them noticed the small smile on his face as he exited the building.
(Angel's P.O.V)
"Hey, where were you? I saw you enter the main building with Jinx."
Ravager asked as soon as I sat down.
"Sightseeing."
I shrugged, making her snort and drop the subject.
"You're going up next right?"
I questioned, making conversation while waiting for my nanites to map out the entire building.
I was particularly interested in the upper floors and the medical station I was denied entry to. I wonder what's in there...
"Yup. I'm facing monkey boy."
She said, motioning with her chin towards Goku.
"Any advice?"
I bit my lip. That's gonna be a tough fight, depending on what exactly Goku is.
If he's a metahuman with a tail who happens to share a name with one of the deadliest combat geniuses in all of fiction, she might stand a chance.
If instead, he's actually that same Saiyan, then Ravager will lose. Unless...
"Go for the tail."
I whispered, not sure the kid had supersenses along with who knows what else.
"And try to finish it fast. He's stronger, faster and has more stamina. Get into a drawn out fight, and you'll lose."
Ravager contemplated my advice and nodded, determined.
"Go for the tail. Got it."
This would also allow me to figure out if he was a Saiyan or not. After all, a Saiyan's tail is their weakness.
It took less than one hour for the wreckage to be cleaned and a brand new Arena to be brought in.
Without wasting any time, Sensei got on the stage and announced the start of the second match.
I wished Ravager good luck like she had done for me and without a word, she climbed onto the Arena, picking out two Tantos on the way up, from the weapon rack.
Goku on the other hand, jumped off the stands and landed on the Arena with a bang.
"Finally! I get to fight!"
He laughed in a childish voice, falling into a familiar stance.
The iconic Turtle school martial arts pose. One hand and leg forward, with two fingers curled while the other hand was was fisted and held close to the hip.
The Saiyan theory is growing more and more likely.
With a loud gong, the battle immediately started.
Ravager's fighting style was a blend of smooth swordplay and martial arts.
She was a dual wielder, just like me and we had even sparred in the past, so I knew her moveset very well.
Goku on the other hand was light on his feet, so you'd think he would evade or fall back due to his opponent's longer reach.
However, with a snarl, he raced forward and they met in the middle. The clash was impressive.
Fast sword slashes that were meant to bleed the target and exhaust them, met a wild boy who could move like the wind and punch like a giant.
It was clear from the onset that Goku was a fighting prodigy. Just like Cassandra.
He was steadily pushing Ravager back, who had adopted a defensive stand with the occasional offense.
"She's going to lose. That little kid is more agile than a monkey and stronger than a Gorilla."
Kid commented.
"And his battle insticts are on point too."
Robin added.
"It's like he has eyes on the back of his head. Scratch that, eyes everywhere."
"Don't count her out yet. Ravager always has something up her sleeve."
Cheshire came to her friend's rescue, but it was clear from her tone that even she thought Ravager would lose.
The battle went on for a few more minutes, with Ravager defending close to the edge of the Arena.
She was using the flat of her blade to receive Goku's powerful punches and kicks before rolling to bleed out the excess impact due to his monstrous strength.
However, with nowhere else to go, she would be pushed off the Arena with the next attack that landed.
"She's cornered. It's over."
X-23, stated in a low tone.
"Yeah."
Cheshire echoed the sentiment, a bit sadly.
Desperate to ward off the inevitable, Ravager thrust her Tanto towards Goku's neck.
An attack that if landed would surely kill him. Before this, she had been targeting joints and other safe places in a bid to cut down his mobility.
The unexpected Tanto came so close, but Goku, leaned back at the last second.
Then springing up with his hands, he twisted his body and delivered a devastating double heel kick to Ravager's Mid-section.
The blow was intercepted by a cross guard with her weapons but she was still thrown backwards and sent flying off the Arena.
It seemed to be over, until Ravager let go of her Tantos and stretched her legs out, hooking her feet under Goku's shoulders.
Goku's eyes were set on the falling blades, and that led to him missing the feet that secured themselves below his arms.
With a sudden jerk, followed by a flip, Ravager threw him upwards, before reorienting her own body and ending up above him. A position that looked as if she was sitting on his back.
The two of them were going to fall off...
Only for the plummet to stop as she grabbed his tail with one hand, and with the other, gripped the handle of one of the Tantos embedded on the edge of the Arena.
They stopped, hanging at the very edge of it.
The whole thing had happened within a few seconds.
"Whoa."
Kid muttered dumbly, expressing the awe everyone was feeling.
"I was...not expecting that."
Robin added.
I could feel the disbelief that gripped everyone seated on the stands.
With Goku's tail in her grip, the younger boy had immediately gone limp, further confirming my suspicions.
He really was a Saiyan.
The gong sounded out. She had won.
"And the winner of the second match, is Ravager!"
Sensei announced.
The cheer and applause this time was louder than after my fight. So not fair. It's because they didn't destroy the Arena. Yes, that has to be it.
The two of them, Ravager and Goku, left the Arena for the third match to commence.
"Well, seems like I'm up next."
Cheshire said, jumping to her feet and gazing at Robin with a tilt of her head.
I couldn't see the expression below her mask, but it felt like she was smirking at the Boy-wonder.
"What do you say Shrimp? Ready to get your ass kicked?"
"Oh you're so going to eat those words."
Robin shot back, following behind her.
"Do your best Rob!"
Wally yelled after him.
"Don't get your ass kicked by a girl."
This idiot. I've resolved to now ignore anything he says.
The funny thing was that, Goku stuck by Ravager's side after their fight, even joining her and taking Cheshire's empty seat.
"You cheated."
The little boy accused, standing on the seat in a crouch while glaring at Ravager.
"I did."
Ravager agreed.
"But I also won."
Goku was gritting his teeth so hard I was afraid they'd break.
"Let's go again then! This time even if you cheat,I'll still win! "
He argued back.
I ignored their argument as an alert from my Watch informed me that my nanites had finished mapping the entire Shadow Manor.
Finally.
I tapped the watch a few times, before reaching into my pocket and removed a pair of sunglasses constructed by a portion of the Nanites.
They looked like regular shades, and with the midday sun shining down on the training grounds, I had the perfect excuse for wearing them.
"Wow! What are those? They look cooler than Master Roshi's!"
Goku gasped in amazement, almost jumping over Ravager to get to me.
Ravager grew fed up with his antics and knocked her fist onto his head.
"Will you settle down Kid!? I'm trying to watch a match."
"Sorry."
Goku sheepishly apologized before properly calmly sitting down. Though I could sense him throw occasional glances my way.
The gong sounded out and the fight between Robin and Cheshire begun.
I didn't pay the battle any attention, too busy studying the 3D map highlighted on the Shades.
A map that displayed every crook and cranny of the Shadow Manor. No place was hidden from my view.
Not the ground section or the upper floors or the...wait...
Jackpot.
A smile slowly worked it's way onto my face.
Through the medical station where they had taken Jinx, was another door that led to a stairway going deep underground.
The path was so heavily guarded, even a mouse couldn't sneak in.
That said, my nanites were a different kind of beast. Muhahaha!
And diligently, they managed to go all the way until they arrived somewhere interesting.
A sort of dark cave, with the only light source being a green glow that painted the walls in an emerald color.
The source of the glow happened to be a pool of glowing liquid in the middle of the cave.
I had just found the Lazarus Pit.