"Now, without further ado, let the tournament begin!" Mark declared.
Whoo!!! The crowd erupted into cheers.
"The continents to fight, as well as their fighters, will be determined by means of shuffling and will be displayed on the screen. Fighters are eliminated if they pass out, forfeit, or are deemed unable to continue," Mark explained.
"Now for the first round…" Mark paused as the continents were shuffled. Suddenly, a match was made: The Northern Continent vs. The Eastern Continent!
Supporters from both continents cheered.
"My money is on the Eastern Continent," a man declared confidently.
"Hey, hold your horses. We haven't even seen the fighters. If Rory's the fighter, then I'll know victory is assured—but until then, we can't make a risky bet," his friend advised.
"Rory? Isn't that the new kid? I heard he's quite strong… a generational talent, even."
"The Northern Continent vs. The Eastern Continent—let's get into the fighters, shall we?" Mark said with enthusiasm.
"Representing the Northern Continent, the one nicknamed The Lamplighter—Nathan!!"
Upon being called, the teenager known as Nathan stood up and made his way toward the stage. Nothing about him stood out in particular, but in his hands he held a staff with a red crystal in the middle.
"With that staff, he's basically announcing his class. I wonder how he'll fare," Wang commented.
"Representing the Eastern Continent is none other than the one rumored to be the strongest in the East—Jack!!"
"If it's Jack, this match is as good as done… and I wanted to bet on the North too," a man grumbled.
"I almost feel bad for Nathan now."
Jack, the fighter with the scythe, had pale skin and barely any flesh at all.
"This is the guy?" Amy asked in disappointment. "He looks like he could drop dead from just walking."
And in all honesty, she wasn't wrong.
"That's how he seems… but his mythical force tells a different tale. Right, Harden?" Raizo asked.
"Yeah. I can tell he's dangerous. I can even feel his bloodlust," Harden replied.
The participants had now made their way to the ring.
"This is the moment you've all been waiting for—Round One: Fight!!!" Mark announced.
As soon as he did, Jack dashed forward with incredible speed toward Nathan, who in turn shot out a barrage of fireballs. Jack evaded them easily.
"The thing with you mages is—you suck at close combat!" Jack shouted as he swung his scythe at Nathan.
Nathan defended with his staff but was still pushed back. Jack then walked toward him slowly, brimming with confidence.
"Damn it, what do I do?" Nathan muttered in panic—but soon his worried expression turned into a smile.
"Your confidence will be your downfall!" he declared.
Suddenly, a loud bang resonated through the arena.
"Thank God I bought explosion crystals!" Nathan exclaimed. He placed his staff horizontally forward, and the red crystal glowed. Sparks crackled at the tip.
"Skill: Flamethrower!"
Flames roared violently from his staff, engulfing the stage.
"Incredible!" Mark shouted. "Nathan's tactics may have brought down Ja—"
"It's futile!!" A loud voice cut him off. "Such petty tricks are useless against me!" Jack roared in annoyance. He rushed forward, activating his assassin skill—Poison Cloak.
An orange hue enveloped his scythe as he cleaved through Nathan's staff and sliced Nathan in one swift motion.
The audience gasped.
"What did we just witness?! Such power—it's no wonder he's rumored to be the strongest!" Mark shouted.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner from the Eastern Continent—Jack!!"
Spectators from the East erupted in cheers.
"That's the might of the Eastern Continent," a man said smugly.
"They might as well give us the trophy, because the others don't stand a chance. The outcome of this match was basically decided the moment Jack entered the ring."
Different comments flew around as a medical team rushed in to take Nathan away.
"He could have won without wounding that guy… I hate people like that," Wang muttered.
"Then again, you can't blame him. It's not like he cheated," Kyle replied.
"Before the second match begins, I'm pleased to announce the presence of some special guests that have graced us with their presence. Ladies and gentlemen—Lucius Linton, Owen Green, Alvan Ikoku, and Finn Blade, from the East, West, North, and Southern Continents respectively!"
The crowd went wild.
"Lord Owen is sooo handsome, I could pass out," a lady said.
"Are you kidding? It's obviously Lord Linton—with his long grey hair and deep blue eyes, he should be a model."
"You're both blind. A handsome man should have battle scars, like Lord Finn," another man argued.
"Lord Alvan is clearly the most attractive. With dark glowing skin and dreadlocks like that, he's definitely the one."
The crowd went on and on while these VIPs were given the best seat in the house: an elevated glass-like platform made with mythical substances.
"Do you think we'll see something interesting?" Lucius asked.
"Whether we see or we don't, it won't surprise me," Alvan replied.
"Now, for the second match!" Mark announced as the continents were shuffled again. "What do we have here? The Western Continent vs. The Southern Continent!"
The screen revealed the fighters.
"And our fighters are—Kanye vs. Wang Ling!!"
"I guess that's my cue," Ling said as he approached the stage.
"You got this!" Harden cheered.
The crowd erupted into cheers once again as the fighters took their places.
"Ladies and gentlemen, will we witness another one-sided beatdown, or will it be something entirely different? We're about to find out. Kanye vs. Wang Ling—begin!!"