Yuri's Perspective
"Even Komaru got eliminated? One by one, all my faction members are falling," Yuri muttered to herself. She had just beaten her opponent but felt no relief.
"I should regroup with Fe-" Before she could finish her thought, a powerful punch landed on her head.
"What the hell?" she exclaimed, her vision spinning as she tried to steady herself.
She scanned her surroundings, spotting a tall man with smooth, ebony skin, sleepy brown eyes, and hair with streaks of light brown. He stood there, unbothered, exuding an aura of strength.
I can't take him on. I have to run.
Activating her Trick, Echo Step, Yuri darted in a circular pattern at full speed, leaving behind several afterimages.
This will confuse him. I just need to get out of here.
But before she could get far the man caught up effortlessly and landed a brutal kick to her leg, sending her crashing to the ground. Pain flared through her body as she whimpered.
It hurts so much. I can't win against him. I need to stall for time.
"Please stop! Don't fight me. Let's team up for the rest of the tournament," Yuri begged, masking her desperation.
"A blatant attempt to buy time. What's your name?" he demanded, his heavy voice dripping with disdain.
"Kitagawa Yuri," she replied shakily.
"Never heard of you. I'm Hiroshi Nakamura, ranked 72,938,839," he said, a cold smirk forming on his lips.
Damn it. This guy is ranked higher than all my faction members combined. I don't stand a chance. I have to land a hit somehow.
Yuri activated Echo Step again, weaving around Hiroshi. He swung his powerful legs, but she deftly parried each attempt.
With a loud yell, she launched a kick at him. He dodged it with ease, but a grin crept onto her face.
"Got you," she whispered.
What Hiroshi had dodged was merely an afterimage. From the side, Yuri delivered a solid punch to his face.
But Hiroshi didn't flinch. He didn't even bleed.
He's too strong.
Hiroshi grinned, retaliating with another kick—this one slamming into Yuri's gut. The impact knocked the wind out of her. Tears welled up in her eyes from the searing pain.
"You're pathetic," Hiroshi sneered, bending down to grab her band. "Weaklings disgust me."
As his hand reached for the band, a low, commanding voice resonated in Yuri's mind.
Do not fear, mortal. For I, Tsubasa Kobayashi, will lend you my power.
A surge of energy coursed through Yuri. Her body felt rejuvenated, brimming with newfound strength.
She grabbed Hiroshi's neck, her grip tightening until he squirmed and gasped.
"S-stop… W-where did you… get this much—GAH!" Hiroshi couldn't finish his sentence.
Quickly, take his band, destroy it, and run, Tsubasa Kobayashi's voice urged in her mind.
Yuri snapped Hiroshi's band, leaving him unconscious, and darted away. But as she ran, the strength faded rapidly.
What's happening? Tsubasa Kobayashi, can't you lend me your strength a bit longer?
I cannot, mortal, for I am being binded by the Sacred Chains. Kobayashi replied.
Before Yuri could ask more, she was struck by a metal rod from behind. Consciousness slipped away as she saw a group of five people looming over her.
"That loser Hiroshi… beaten by this girl? How pathetic," a tall woman with long hair scoffed.
Another woman took Yuri's band, snapping it effortlessly.
I guess I'm out too, Yuri thought bitterly.
A notification flashed on the bands of Felix and Kaneri.
Your faction member, Kitagawa Yuri, has been eliminated.
A Few Moments Earlier
Amara and Kaneri stood side by side, facing two opponents.
"You take the man. I'll handle the woman," Kaneri instructed.
"Got it," Amara nodded.
Amara's opponent was a confident man with silky brown hair, deep brown eyes, and a slim nose. He stood at 177 centimeters, his demeanor brimming with arrogance.
"What's your name?" the man asked.
"Ryosuke Amara."
"Julius Avendor. I'm ranked 64,833,830," the man smirked.
Avendor? Is he related to Lady Thorn? And what's with his rank? How am I supposed to win?
Sweat beaded on Amara's forehead as nervousness crept in.
Maybe I should run.
Before he could act, Julius's fist collided with his chest, sending a shockwave of pain through his body. Amara barely had time to activate his Trick.
"Don't even think of running, weakling. Fight me or get pummeled," Julius growled.
Can he read my thoughts? Is that his Trick?
"Mind Reading. That's right," Julius confirmed smugly.
He's not going to explain the details, is he? Typical villains don't-
"Unlike fools in fiction, I don't reveal my full abilities—"
Amara took advantage of Julius's distraction, landing a punch.
"Rule one: don't chat in a fight," Amara quipped.
But Julius retaliated instantly, aiming a punch at Amara's face. This time, Amara activated his Spectral Veil, erecting a semi-transparent barrier.
Julius's attack hit the barrier, distorting sound and light around him for three seconds.
Amara used the opening to escape, sprinting as fast as he could.
I'm faster than him. That's my only edge.
As he ran, a vision flashed in his mind:
A tall woman with long black hair glared at a shadowy figure.
"Hanuki, you're a God. What are you doing in the world of humans?" the woman demanded.
"I have a purpose here, my love," the shadowy figure replied.
"You are a god and I am a human, we can't be in a relationship." The women shouted.
"My purpose here is to produce an offspring with a human being, and it is for the greater good. Because this is the only way to acquire The Ancient Relic.
Before Amara could process the vision, a scream echoed:
"CALAMITY SURGE!"
A massive explosion rocked the area, engulfing everything. Amara and Julius were both caught in the blast, their bands destroyed.
Amara, barely conscious, saw a faint mark appear on his arm—a letter "G."
What is this mark?
Doesn't matter. I'm out anyway.
Before succumbing to unconsciousness, curiosity about the vision flickered in Amara's eyes.
A notification pinged on Komaru's faction members' bands.
Your faction member, Ryosuke Amara, has been eliminated.
Komaru was teleported to a place designed for the eliminated contestants.
I guess someone must be using their Trick to teleport the eliminated contestants. thought Komaru.
He turned his head around to find his faction members.
"Amara, Yuri, and Ryota. So we all got eliminated, huh? Now only Felix and Kaneri are left," said Komaru.
"Sorry, I could not win my battle. I faced a woman. She was ranked 83,638,304," said Komaru. He looked sad and frustrated at the same time.
"I also faced a man who was ranked 64,338,830. I did manage to escape against him, but a huge blast hit both of us, and we both got eliminated," said Amara.
"I also saw a blast. Someone screamed Calamity Surge and a massive blast occurred," said Komaru.
"I faced a man named Hiroshi, who is ranked 72,938,839. I managed to win, but I received too much damage and hence I could not move anymore. A group of people came up to me, took my band, and broke it. But then, the Calamity Surge thing happened, and all their bands got broken too, and we all lost consciousness," said Yuri.
"Wait, what the fuck? How did you manage to beat someone ranked so much higher than you?" Komaru exclaimed with curiosity.
"What about you, Ryota?" asked Amara.
"Well, the girl I faced was ranked 538,388."
"What? That rank is extremely high. How is a student participating in this tournament ranked so high? Isn't it basically impossible for anyone to win? And how come she was not the one with the most bands broken?" Komaru, Amara, and Yuri barged in with questions.
"How the fuck am I supposed to know that? All I know is the fact that I lost very badly." Ryota looked very angry.
Back to the tournament
Both Felix and his opponent were looking exhausted.
"We haven't had the chance to introduce ourselves. My name is Felix Izuki, and I'm ranked 184,738,337," said Felix, his tone casual but steady.
"I am Shirou Kenta, ranked 37,288,338," the man replied with a smirk.
Kenta was a pure brawler, his deep black eyes intense and his prominent forehead gleaming in the light.
So his rank is much higher than mine, huh? I might need to put in a little more effort here, thought Felix, assessing his opponent.
"Even with such a low rank, you've survived this long. That's quite impressive," said Kenta, a hint of mockery in his voice.
How much power should I use? I can't reveal too much of my strength, or else 'that guy' will lose it, Felix thought, his mind calculating his next move.
With a sharp crack of his fingers, Felix lunged forward, his speed blinding.
"Your attempts are futil—" Kenta's words were cut short as Felix's Phantom Blade struck him with precision and force.
What the hell? How did his speed increase so much? thought Kenta, his body already weakened from the unexpected blow.
Before Felix could follow up with another attack, a flash of light enveloped Kenta, and a group of six or seven people appeared beside him.
"I guess this teleportation device was useful after all," said a short woman with a sigh, annoyance evident in her tone. "Though it's frustrating that I can't use it again."
Felix's eyes narrowed. Damn it. Did this Kenta guy call for backup? I can't take on all of them. Retreat is my only option.
Without hesitation, Felix turned and bolted toward where Kaneri was fighting.
He spotted Kaneri locked in a clash with a girl and immediately signaled him.
"Kaneri Kansai! We need to get out of here! A group of seven is after me, and they're all in the same faction!" Felix shouted.
Kaneri clicked his tongue in frustration, deflecting an incoming attack before retreating. "Damn it. Fine, we can't take them all on at once. Let's go!"
Without another word, the two began their retreat, leaving their pursuers behind.
"That group had high ranking people. Something is extremely fishy here." Felix muttered to himself.
How come none of these people have broken the most bands? Or are they targeting our faction specifically? Either way, we can't afford to lose here. thought Felix.
But suddenly, another blast happened. This time, there was no scream.
This blast was even bigger than the last one. It knocked out almost all the contestants.
Number of contestants left: 539
Most bands broken by: Kaneri Kansai/Felix Izuki (397)
Somehow, both Felix and Kaneri survived the blast.
"What the fuck... how did we survive that, Felix?" exclaimed Kaneri.
Felix had a puzzled look on his face. "We did not survive because we were lucky. We survived because... the blast avoided us."
"What the hell are you talking about?" said Kaneri.
"Yeah. That blast clearly knocked everyone in its path except us. As if we were not meant to be hit by it."
"But we were clearly inside the blast radius. I still don't get how we did not get hit by that."
"I saw it. When that blast touched us, it created two air pockets for us so that we would not get hit by the blast," explained Felix.
"But that blast wiped out more than 1,200 people. How come we are still the ones with the most bands broken?" asked Kaneri.
"I don't know. Let's not ask any more questions and focus on winning this thing instead," said Felix, tightening his fists.
"Yeah, let's do that. We can save the questions for later," said Kaneri.
This time, instead of going separate ways, they both decided to stick together.
They were mostly met with very low-rankers.
Number of contestants left: 410
Most bands broken by: Felix Izuki/Kaneri Kansai (406)
They had decided to break an equal number of bands so that whatever reward they received would be distributed equally among them.
The rest of the tournament was going smoothly for the duo until they were met with a huge challenge.
"Felix, do you see them?" asked Kaneri. He was very anxious.
"Yeah. There are at least four of them. Should we take this fight?" asked Felix.
In fact, they had to take this fight. If they were to escape, they would have to face these people at some point.
"We gotta take this fight. I have a plan," said Kaneri.
"My Trick allows me to create a rain of small bombs in a radius of 10 meters. These bombs have a blast radius of 2 meters. The rain will last for five minutes, and I will have a cooldown of two hours before I can use it again. I can cast this rain from a distance of 100 meters, and I can also control who gets hit by which bomb. So when I cast my Trick, you will barge in and attack them in their eyes. Then I will rush in and help you finish them off," Kaneri explained his plan in detail.
It wasn't a good plan, but Felix knew that this plan was their last resort.
"I can roll with this plan. Tell me when you are ready to cast your Trick," said Felix. He stretched his arms, clearly getting ready for combat.
Kaneri quickly took his distance.
When Felix gave a slight nod, Kaneri activated his Trick.
"Rainy Blast," said Kaneri.
As soon as he heard the words of confirmation, Felix lunged toward the group of four.
The bombs had already started exploding. The group consisted of two men and two women.
All of them had no idea who had cast this Trick.
They all tried to escape, but Kaneri followed them, ensuring that his rain of bombs would always be upon their heads.
Felix activated his Trick, Phantom Blade. With great precision, he first struck the eyes of all the people.
But alas, all of them managed to dodge Felix's attack.
What the hell? How come they dodged it? They should have been occupied with handling the bombs. thought Felix.
"HEY KANERI. COME OUT HERE AND FIGHT!" shouted Felix.
Kaneri quickly ran towards Felix, who was engaged in combat with all four of them. The bombs were exploding in the meantime, but the group was not even taking any damage from them.
With all his strength, Kaneri struck the shortest person in the group. But he was met with failure.
The man he had tried to punch had easily caught his fist.
"All that surprise attack nonsense just for this?" the man scoffed.
He threw Kaneri like a whip onto the ground.
He then punched Kaneri in the face multiple times. Whenever Kaneri tried to dodge or resist, another person would punch him, making his efforts futile.
He glanced towards Felix, who was also getting beaten.
They both knew that it was over for them, and they could not do anything.
The group immediately broke both their bands.
So much for winning the tournament. thought Felix.
They both were teleported to the elimination room.
They saw their faction members and apologized.
"I am sorry that I lost," Kaneri apologized first.
"Yeah, me too. We couldn't do anything," Felix also apologized.
Kaneri's mind was conflicted with thoughts.
We lost? I joined their faction just to lose? He had a lot he wanted to say, but when he remembered Yosuke Daichi, he kept his mouth shut.
I can't project my anger on them. It was my fault that I lost. And I gotta know more about Daichi. thought Kaneri.
Just like that, the tournament was over for Komaru's faction. They were met with a chilling defeat.
That day, they all realized that the world isn't just about shits and giggles.
They were just a bunch of weaklings swimming in a sea full of sharks.
This defeat left a mark on their lives. And they all knew that they had to do something to get stronger, or else they would keep losing.
Lie Counter - 2