“That was an impressive match,” Kanta said as Chun entered her room.
“He wasn’t that difficult. He was slower than I expected.” He said as he took a seat next to Kanta and handed her the staff. The woman put it back into her storage ring.
“Or you are particularly fast,” Kanta stated. “You have impressed me so far, but martial artists who can hit a little above their stage aren't rare in the grand scheme of things. Your real value will be shown once you face some of the other participants here today.” As she spoke, her attention turned back to the fight that was beginning in the arena below.
Chun leaned back in his chair and looked out the window at the arena as the announcer began to speak.
“The fourth fight of the night is going to be a good one so early on! This match is between the sponsor of The Pearl Wave Company, a self-proclaimed shinobi of the fourth Martial Stage! And the sponsor of the Black Tiger Gang, a returning victor also of the fourth Martial Stage! The bets are in, and the tension is high. So without further ado, let this fight commence!”
The sponsor of the Pearl Wave Company, Bai Jun, if Chun remembered correctly, was a petite woman with long black hair. She wore a tight grey and tan tunic. Though surprising, Chun didn’t wear any form of footwear. She was simply barefoot. She wore leather bracers on her arms that were filled with needle-like knives. It seemed to be her only weapon.
The sponsor of the Black Tiger Gang wore a black gi with golden tiger-like stripes across it. He was bulky but didn’t seem to have a weapon of any kind.
As soon as the announcer called the fight to commence, Bai Jun moved in a flurry of motion. Both her arms tossed a scatter of needles towards her opponent.
The man didn’t even try to dodge. The needles stuck into his torso. His internal energy flared as he dashed forward, his fingers curled like claws. As he approached, however, Bai Jun simply moved backwards.
She was impressively fast, Chun assumed. He could keep up with her, but she was still leagues above anything Zu had shown. Then again, she was within the fourth Martial Stage rather than the second, so that was to be expected.
The sponsor of the Black Tiger Gang was tenacious if nothing else. Chun guessed that his durability or endurance (or possibly both) was equal to his own. Though his speed was lacking.
Though as he watched the fight, something intrigued him. The more the Black Tiger Gang’s sponsor was injured by the flurry of needles thrown by Bai Jun, the more ferociously his internal energy seemed to pulse.
Something in Chun’s mind told him it was some sort of passive martial technique, but he didn’t feel like he could perfectly copy it like he could the Iron Lance technique. But maybe he simply needed to be closer.
Regardless, the fight's outcome seemed decided as soon as it had begun. Bai Jun kept her distance from her opponent with her superior speed whilst she gradually ran the man’s endurance dry.
Around fifteen minutes after the start of the fight, the man fell, and Bai Jun finally ceased her movement.
“And that concludes the fight! It seems the gangs and merchants of the Sapphire Port have many equals amongst them!” The announcer shouted as Bai Jun began to exit the arena. “But this was not one of them! With this fight concluded, the first round of this tournament has been completed, and the second shall soon commence!”
Chun looked back at the parchment that showed the tournament brackets and mentally moved the names as he recalled the outcome of the previous fights. The first fight of the second round was between the sponsor of the Laughing Mask Gang and a woman named Sariah Alkin, another foreigner. The second, naturally, was between himself and Bai Jun.
“Who do you think will win this tournament?” Chun asked.
Kanta raised a brow. “Do you expect me to answer ‘you’?”
Chun smirked, but shrugged. “I still have tricks up my sleeve. But I'm not sure about beating the foreigner or the Laughing Mask sponsor.” It was true, all things considered. From what he’d seen of their individual fights, they were both skilled and were within the fifth Martial Stage.
The sponsor of the Laughing Mask Gang, to Chun, was a classic swordsman. Speed was his primary asset as well as his jikdo blade. During his fight in the first round- his opponent being a martial artist in the third Martial Stage- he played with his opponent the entire time. He disarmed his opponent twice and didn’t get hit once. He’d used a martial technique to cut off his opponent's arm to end the fight; technically leaving them alive, but ending their career as a martial artist. Unless they were particularly tenacious or rich, Chun supposed.
The technique the sponsor had used was beyond what Chun could copy with his “Prodigy” modifier, or even imitate traditionally if he tried. It was a sword technique, expectantly. Perhaps Chun needed to increase his Martial Stage before attempting to imitate his technique.
Sariah’s fight was much more interesting. She wore heavy armor everywhere except her head. Her only weapon was a steel roundshield. The most interesting part was, despite supposedly being within the fifth Martial Stage, she had incredibly little internal energy. It was comparable to Heiyin, even. However the internal energy itself was far denser than the first martial artist Chun had killed. It wasn’t as dense as what he’d seen from the sponsor of the Laughing Mask Gang, but it was close to it; likely the lower end of what Chun could expect from the fifth Martial Stage.
“Sariah, I think.” Kanta finally answered.
“Not the sponsor?” Chun raised a brow.
“The Laughing Mask’s sponsors- at least in the past- have never won a tournament. Not cause they couldn’t, mind you, they simply forfeited during the final round. Or prior if they face a particularly promising opponent. The Laughing Mask Gang uses these tournaments to look for recruits. When the sponsor finds a promising martial artist, they forfeit the match and later send a member of their gang to recruit whomever they forfeited the battle to.”
“And if said martial artist refuses?”
“The Laughing Mask Gang has various ways of coercion,” Kanta stated. As she spoke, Chun noticed her hand squeeze around the arm of her chair.
Chun’s brow furrowed, but he decided to put the topic away for now. He had no interest in digging up things Kanta didn’t intend on sharing. Instead, he decided to ask about something else that was on his mind. “Where is Julian? She wasn’t here when I returned from my battle with Zu.”
“I’ve sent her off to talk with some other business partners I have here. She has acted as the face of my company when I am not around.” Kanta stated.
Chun opened his mouth to ask another question, but was cut off when the announcer's voice boomed through the stadium.
“It seems the apex of our tournament has come early! The first match of the second round is between two spectacular martial artists of the fifth Martial Stage! The sponsor of the Laughing Mask Gang shall be fighting a new participant who I'm sure has shocked us with her strength, the foreigner Sariah Alkin!”
The two contestants stepped into the arena. Both held themselves high. The sponsor of the Laughing Mask Gang already had his blade drawn. He wore brown leather armor with a silver gi over it. On the back were two black diamonds and a black crescent below. The shapes together looked like the eyes and smiling mouth of a jester’s mask. The sponsor even wore a similar mask. He had long brown hair that flowed down to the middle of his back.
Sariah roared out to the crowd as she entered the arena, getting a cheer from the crowd. Her armor gleamed, a nicely polished steel that was unblemished from her previous fights.
“Without further interruption, let the fight commence!”
The two raced towards each other in a blur, though Chun only saw the movements of Sariah, who was only slightly slower than Bai Jun.
Chun saw several shallow cuts appear on Sariah’s armor with a flash of sparks as the sponsor of the Laughing Mask Gang danced around her faster than she could react. Eventually though, Sariah let out a roar and thrashed wildly around her. The side of her shield connected with her opponent’s blade. The force sent him backwards, but he didn’t stumble as he hit the ground. He was very light on his feet in a way that felt oddly familiar to Chun, but he couldn’t place it.
Sariah dashed towards her opponent, throwing an arm forward in an attempt to strike him with her shield. The sponsor, however, swung upwards with his jikdo to meet the shield. Though Sariah seemed stronger than he’d expected because he was sent backwards again. Once again, he steadied himself as soon as his feet hit the ground.
The sponsor studied Sariah once again as the foreigner rushed him. He leapt to the side as she slammed her fist down where he had been. He adjusted his stance slightly as his internal energy- a mix of silver and light blue color- consumed his blade.
Chun recognized a martial technique more advanced then he thought he could imitate even if he wanted to.
The sponsor stepped forward and thrust forward with his blade just as Sariah had turned to block with her shield.
A loud gong echoed through the arena so loudly that Chun felt it run through his body.
Sariah was launched back over 15 feet before tumbling into the sand. She rose up and gritted her teeth at her opponent. She shouted something that Chun couldn’t hear.
The sponsor, however, simply raised his free hand and sheathed his sword. The announcer’s voice rang out a moment later.
“Unfortunately, it seems the day one of the Laughing Mask Gang’s sponsors will take the title of champion is yet to come! The sponsor has forfeited the fight, leaving Sariah Alkin as our winner to move onto the finals of this tournament!”
Cheers erupted through the stadium, but they weren’t as loud as Chun had expected.
Sariah shouted something to her (former) opponent as they both exited the arena, the foreigner seeming far more aggravated about the event than anyone else.
“You best head out now,” Kanta said as she tapped her storage ring and took out a pair of curved daggers. “I do not have throwing needles as Bai Jun wields, but I hope these daggers will suit you well.”
Chun nodded as he took the weapons.
“And remember, Chun, if you are able, kill the woman. And make it a spectacle.” She let a small smirk cross her lips.
“I remember,” Chun said before leaving the room.
As he walked to the arena, a thought stirred in his mind. A faint urge was pushing at the back of his mind. It was a similar feeling to an intrusive thought, normally something he could simply push aside. An urge he recognized all too well. The urge to kill, painfully. He gripped the daggers in his hands. He could have easily pushed the thoughts aside until they arose again. But now, he was being given specific permission to kill his upcoming opponent. So, just for this fight, he would let his dark urges take over.
As he stepped out onto the arena, Bai Jun stepped before him.
Chun’s skin began to pulse and turn red as if he were being burnt. His body began to steam lightly as his body and mind were overcome with an urge to kill. He didn’t listen to whatever the announcer was saying, but as soon as he called for the fight to commence, he became a demon.
Awakened Bloodwrath Activated
Effect: +5 to Strength and Speed.