Nearly blinded by the intense sunlight, Bell looked up at the crowd. They were in a frenzy, practically falling on each other as they cheered. Somewhere in the mound of people, she knew her Grandmother was watching.
'Hopefully I can put on a good show for Grams!'
After a loud blast from the canon. The announcer's voice filled the air.
"Well folks! Here we are! The Gauntlet Style Battle of the Second Phase! It looks like House Steel has already decided on their order! The Matriarch of Steel has requested that everyone but her daughter remain anonymous, so we will refer to their first fighter as the Scarlet Rage! Replays of her brutality went viral on the ShareNet yesterday! Her fighting style is a real treat to watch!"
A couple more canon blasts went off before the announcer resumed speaking.
"For some reason, House Lightning is taking a while to decide on their fighter order, lets give them a few minutes!"
Bell waited anxiously. She was ready to show her stuff, but the wait was killing her. Trying to calm her nerves, she loosened the chain and dagger in her left hand and hopped around lightly to get the blood pumping. After a few minutes, She saw a figure step out into the sunlight.
'Oh no....'
They were wearing a black gi and mask, along with silver gauntlets that sparkled in the sunlight.
As soon as his figure was fully visible, horns blared and the announcers voice came on once more.
"What a surprise! It looks like House Lightning is coming out swinging, sending the champion of the last 8 tournaments out first! What a statement!"
Bell looked back towards the viewing window. All three of her teammates were on their feet, expressions of horror written all over their faces. Silas ran over to the Sentinel and pointed to himself and then back at her, but the stern man only shook his head.
Bell smiled wistfully, appreciating the gesture.
Now, more nervous than ever, she turned her attention back to the the center of the of the arena where a second figure was waiting. It was a sentinel, sporting a heavily scratched and dented vest. The man wearing it possessed a chiseled face, tanned skin, a buzz cut and high amounts of muscle.
"Both of you step forward!" He yelled, clearly audible in spite of the crowd's loud cheers.
Following his directive, Bell and the Son of Lightning approached each other until they were only a few feet apart.
"Shake hands."
Bell did as she was told, taking note of how firm her opponents grip was.
"Listen up." The Sentinel said. "My name is Karn. I am the Head Sentinel and will be the referee... I want a good clean fight. As usual, all chisels and Notch abilities are allowed. However, this is not a fight to the death. If things get out of hand I will step in. That is all. Now step back and I will give you the signal to begin."
After Karn's words, her opponent grabbed her by the forearm.
"It's not too late to concede you know. I can tell you aren't Lawless. I don't hold back so this won't be pretty."
Bell narrowed her eyes at his words and looked to Karn. He just shrugged his shoulders. "He's not wrong lass. Choice is yours of course."
Hearing those words, a nerve was struck deep within Bell's psyche. She looked directly at the Son of Lightning before wrenching her arm from his grasp.
"You can go fuck yourself. I'm fighting."
In response, her opponent scoffed and turned his back.
"You'll regret that."
Walking away to her starting spot, Bell brandished her weapons and waited for Karn to give the signal.
He raised one of his arms upwards. "Ready!"
Bell nodded her headed. Her opponent did the same.
Karn then slammed his hand down and disappeared in a cloud of dust.
"Start!"
Bell dashed off to the side, circling around the Son of Lightning. He turned with her, waiting for her to make a move.
Bell took her time, circling around him multiple times while looking for an opening. Her opponent remained still, either unable to attack her from range or unwilling to.
'Alright, well at least it's just like Stellis said! He's a close range fighter. I'll stick to my signature then!'
Unwinding her chain, Bell threw her dagger towards her opponent. It moved in a straight line towards his chest. Before it got close, she flicked her wrist, causing the projectile to slash upwards towards his head.
While it cut through the air, she watched closely for movement.
'How will he react? Will he catch it? Dodge it? Come on show me something!"
Instead, her opponent did something strange.
He did nothing at all.
In spite of this, her thrown dagger slowed down a great deal, bouncing off the Son of Lighting's head as if it were no heavier than a pebble.
'Huh?'
Continuing her circle of movement, Bell whipped her dagger off the ground with a light tug before sending it flying back. Again, he remained still, letting the dagger bounce off him.
Giving up the ranged approach, Bell whipped the dagger around his arm, wrapping it taut in spite of the lack of speed. Just as Stellis had said, things became slower as they approached him. Still, Bell wasn't expecting the effect to be so ridiculous.
Now attached to her opponent by chain, Bell prepared to attack.
'If I can get in close and grab, then it'll be a grappling match! It's the only way!'
Having prepped her heart shell, she closed the distance with a large leap.
However, when she got close, she kept her speed. Because of this, Bell wasn't ready to react once she entered his range. With lightning speed, her opponent snatched her out of the air by the throat. She hung there, feet not able to touch the ground.
In a mocking tone, the Son of Lightning spoke to her.
"Surprised?" He said. "You honestly did better than most considering its your first time fighting me."
Gasping for air, Bell managed to spit out a few words back.
"You're talking like it's already over!"
Immediately following her words, she swung her legs up to wrap around his arm, aiming for a submission hold. However, before she could make contact, her legs and hands slowed down, unable to meet their mark.
'Shit!'
Shortly after, the Son of Lightning tossed her up in the air.
"Nice try"
Before her body could hit the ground, Bell felt a heavy gauntlet crash into her stomach, rupturing multiple internal organs and sending her flying away.
Still, she remained conscious.
Abandoning hopes for a soft landing, she yanked on her chain with enhanced strength.
With a combination of both her current velocity and strong pull, she managed to pull the Son of Lightning off his feet, sending him flying along with her. Bell landed first, crashing into a rock and cracking it.
Gritting her teeth, she rose to her feet and pooled nearly all of her heart shell into her arm.
While she did so, her opponent approached helplessly from the air. When he entered her range, she swung hard, aiming for his face.
Almost instantly, her fist slowed to a crawl, being batted aside as he crashed into her headfirst, sending both of them tumbling around the arena.
During the scramble, Bell tried to grab hold of the Son of Lightning but he grabbed her first and threw her into another rock.
Unable to withstand the impact, Bell fell flat on her face afterwards.
Gritting her teeth, she slowly rose to her knees. While she did so, her ruptured organs throbbed in pain, making her want to throw up. Through sheer willpower, she resisted the urge and instead focused her attention on her opponent. Somehow he was already on his feet.
With a swipe of his hand, he sliced the chain that connected them. Then, he jumped over to her position kicked her onto her back. Following up immediately, he slammed a fist on one of her legs, breaking it.
Overwhelmed with pain, Bell let out a guttural scream.
Continuing his assault, the Son of Lightning broke her other leg before raising his fist to strike at her stomach. By then, she was already on the brink of unconsciousness, using what little energy she had to repair her organs.
From her dazed state, she saw him bring the gauntlet down.
As she passed out she caught sight of a large hand intercepting the strike.
***
Stellis watched the fight, straining with ever fiber of her being to not run outside. Looking behind her, she could see Ace and the Sentinel struggling to hold Silas down.
"Please Silas!" Ace exclaimed. "I know you're angry, just bear with us! Your time will come! Please!"
Stellis turned her attention back to the arena.
Karn had placed Bell on a metal platform. She was a mess. Both of her legs were bent at an awkward angle and she was covered in gashes and bruises. The only thing that indicated she was still alive was the steady rise and fall of her chest.
She walked over to Silas.
Holding his thrashing head in place, she looked him in the eyes.
"Silas... she's fine... her breathing is stable. Bell is a tough girl. She'll make a speedy recovery, trust me."
Her words seemed to work, if only barely.
With a grunt, Silas wrestled himself free from Ace and the Sentinel and then walked over to sit on the bench. He then stared blankly at the wall opposite of the bench, remaining still as a statue.
With a sigh, she turned to the Sentinel in the room with them.
"It's your turn." he said.
Nodding her head, Stellis retrieved her swords and walked towards the exit. As she approached the doorway she felt Ace's hand on her shoulder.
"Please be careful."
Stellis internally scoffed at his remark.
'One day he uses me as a punching bag for his master plan and the next he's asking me to be careful. This guy...'
Not in the mood for an argument, she rolled her eyes and patted him on the shoulder.
"I will."
She then turned to wave to Silas.
He remained still, not even acknowledging her. With a sigh, she stepped out into the arena.
Seeing her, the Son of Lightning laughed out loud.