Buzzz
The buzzer echoed throughout the large room as the first-round participants were released from their cages. Indrah Otsutsuki walked out first, followed by Ho and Laure. He glanced around, seeing only two other teams besides theirs.
"Two other teams, huh?" Shibisu commented nonchalantly from the right end of Indrah's team.
"And they look weak too," Anaak added, pointing to a team nearby consisting of three boys.
"But he seems dangerous," Anaak continued, narrowing her eyes at Indrah from a distance. 'What is this unsettling presence I'm sensing from him?' Her instincts screamed at her, warning her not to engage. The feeling left her uneasy.
"You'll regret this!" shouted a short black-haired boy from the weak team.
"Let the first round of the Crown Game begin!" announced Leoro-ro.
"Who are we attacking first, Mr. Indrah?" Ho asked.
"Let's not. Our goal is to take the crown and win this round. If anyone gets in our way, fight back," Indrah replied. He wanted to win the game and skip this floor if possible.
'While I could easily take the crown and sit on the throne, I need to get a better grasp of my skill set and fighting style, which I lack due to my lack of experience. I hope Anaak and Hatz provide a decent challenge,' he thought, watching Anaak single-handedly defeat the other team with only three moves.
Indrah and his team approached the throne just as Anaak finished dismantling her team. As Hatz and Shibisu were distracted by Anaak's fight, Ho saw an opportunity to grab the crown. However, just as he made his move, a sword came flying toward him. Ho quickly dodged the sword with a backflip, landing near Laure, who had somehow fallen back asleep.
He grinned and said, "Well, looks like this won't end without a fight." Turning to Laure with a dry smile, he added, "Mr. Laure, can you please wake up? We're in the middle of a battle!"
"What do you expect entering the arena? Dinner with our Anaak? And who is that—" Before Shibisu could continue his rant, Anaak interrupted him, pointing at Indrah, "I'll handle him. You two fight others." She wasn't about to waste any more time because of the unsettling feeling she had from him.
Anaak charged at Indrah, swinging the hook-like weapon in her hands with all the physical strength she could muster.
"That lizard must feel it too," Rak commented from within one of the cages, watching Anaak's strange behavior after easily taking down a team on her own.
"What's going on? Animal instinct?" Khun teased Rak, but he was too focused on the events unfolding to miss the tension. He thought of Anaak as someone dangerous—probably a descendant of one of the 10 Great Families. But even she was reacting like this against the purple-eyed guy. Not just him, but even Rak and Baam seemed to feel the same shift in the atmosphere.
"The Green April," muttered Indrah, catching Anaak's hook mid-swing without taking a scratch. He locked eyes with her, who was now frozen in place. The Shinsu pressure from the Green April seemed to paralyze her, as if telling her to run.
Indrah wasn't aware of the weapon's nature, but he wasn't holding back. Without hesitation, he kicked Anaak in the head, sending her crashing into the wall at the far end of the room. The impact was so strong, the wall shattered.
*Creak*
'I should learn to control my strength,' he thought, looking at the bloodied Anaak crumpled on the floor. But he didn't feel the slightest pity—her first attack had been aimed directly at his head. Had he not been able to block it, or if he were anyone else, it could've been fatal.
"Anaak!" Shibisu shouted as he noticed her condition. He and Hatz rushed over to her, leaving Ho to fend for himself in the ongoing fight.
Anaak slowly stood up, her legs shaking from the blow to her head. The most remarkable thing was that she was already healing. Indrah took note of this, the Rinnegan seeing her regenerative process.
"Give it back!" she yelled, her voice full of fury as she glared at Indrah holding the Green April. Her anger at being beaten paled in comparison to the rage she felt seeing the weapon in someone else's hands.
"I have no interest in your weapon," Indrah replied, tossing the Green April back toward her. He added, "You three should quit before it gets too late."
"You basta—" Before Anaak could charge at him again, Shibisu quickly intervened, dragging her back to their cage. She was too injured to fight back, helpless against his force. Hatz, meanwhile, exchanged a glance with Indrah before returning to his cage, knowing his limits.
Indrah didn't say a word, just watched them until they got back in their cage. Then, he helped Ho sit on the throne and placed the crown on his head, signaling the end of the first round.
"Since Mr. Ho sat on the throne before five minutes elapsed, this round's winner is the team of Ho, Indrah, and Laure," Leoro-ro announced.
"A reminder," he continued, "the person who sits on the throne with the crown cannot get up until all rounds are over."
A heavy silence fell over the arena as the regulars in the cages processed what had just happened. The sight of Indrah's strength left everyone rattled. They had hoped for an easy pass through the floor, but now they knew they were dealing with someone far beyond their league.
"You're really strong, Mr. Indrah. I think you might be the strongest regular here," Ho said, a nervous but envious smile on his face.
"Don't forget, we're a team," Laure suddenly chimed in, waking up just long enough to say the line before falling back asleep.
'Should I beat this bastard?' Indrah thought, watching Laure sleep so peacefully. He knew Laure must have sensed his strength, even if just a little.
"But, he's right. We are a team," Indrah stated with confidence, perched casually on the armrest of the throne. Having seen his own strength, he felt no pressure, especially knowing he was stronger than even the top Regulars on this floor.
After a brief moment of rest, Leoro-ro began his countdown for the second round. Once the count finished, four new teams entered the arena. They looked unremarkable.
"The second round begins now!"
As soon as the round started, the new teams grouped up opposite Indrah, clearly targeting him.
"Am I famous now?" Indrah asked mockingly, moving from the throne to face the four teams with unnatural speed, almost like teleportation.
"You can't face all of us by yourself, even if you're strong," one of the bulkier regulars from a team sneered, his fist glowing with fire. Though intimidated, they tried to put on a brave front.
"Your fire wouldn't even cook a chicken. Let me show you what real fire is," Indrah replied kindly, spreading his arms wide.
[Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation]
*WHOOOS*
This time, instead of spewing fire from his mouth like he had during Headon's test, Indrah released it from his palm. Like a tsunami wave, the fire engulfed all the new participants. They couldn't even react before being suffocated by the flames. While it wasn't hot enough to burn them to ashes, it destroyed all their clothes.
After the smoke cleared, the new participants could be seen charred black and unconscious on the floor.
Indrah didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had reduced the intensity of his flames as much as possible, but who could have expected these guys to be such weaklings?
'Thank god they aren't dead,' he sighed, glancing up at Leoro-ro. He caught the Test Administrator's glare, but it didn't faze him.
"Since the new participants couldn't continue, the winner of this round is again the team of Ho, Indrah, and Laure," Leoro-ro announced, his gaze still locked on Indrah as though he was trying to figure him out.