Chapter Seven – Thorns and Shadows
"The war begins with words before it spills into blood."
The locker room was a storm.
Titan paced with a limp, fists clenched so tight I swore his knuckles would shatter. Jingles juggled broken chair legs like trophies. Blob gurgled in a corner, muttering, "Shadows taste sour." Lilith sat regal, legs crossed, smirk never leaving her lips.
And Revenant Knight? He leaned against the wall in silence, helm tilted toward me like judgment itself.
The System notification pulsed before my eyes:
[New Weekly Mode: Faction Wars]
Garden vs. Eternal Wrestling]
Win Condition: 2/3 Team Victories]
Penalty for Failure: -3,000 Fans / Roster Loyalty Loss]
The room erupted in shouts as soon as I read it aloud.
"So we're just lab rats for this war now?" Pixie Riot spat.
"Good," Lilith purred. "War makes loyalty taste sweeter."
Titan slammed his fist into a locker. "Then book me first. I'll tear those shadows apart with one leg if I have to."
All eyes turned to me.
I raised my mask, voice steady though my chest was chaos. "We don't survive by breaking apart. We survive by proving the Garden blooms stronger than any shadow. And tonight—we fight them on our terms."
The roar that followed wasn't just from the roster. It was from the crowd beyond the curtain, already on fire.
Opening Promo – Lady Rose vs. Eternal Wrestling
The arena lights dimmed. My entrance hit—smoke, crimson thorns blooming across the titantron.
"ROSE! ROSE! ROSE!"
I raised the mic. "Last week, they left me broken. Tonight, I rise sharper. Eternal Wrestling—you want war? You've got it. But remember this: every thorn draws blood. And this Garden has plenty."
The crowd popped hard.
Then static cut in. The titantron filled with the masked faces of the Shadow Envoys. Their leader's voice oozed contempt:
"Roses wilt. Shadows remain. Tonight, we prune your Garden one by one."
The boos nearly drowned him out.
The war was on.
Match One – Jingles & Blob vs. Shadow Envoys (Faction Wars Opener)
Comedy met brutality.
Jingles skipped to the ring, throwing pies into the crowd, Blob bouncing behind him like a sentient water balloon. The fans laughed, chants echoing: "CLOWN! SLIME! CLOWN! SLIME!"
Then two Shadow Envoys stalked down, all menace, no smiles.
The match was chaos. Blob engulfed one Envoy's legs, holding him in place while Jingles bonked him with an oversized mallet. But the Envoys fought viciously, double-teaming, isolating Blob with sharp precision.
The finish came when Jingles flipped over the ropes with a moonsault, crashing both Envoys into Blob's goo. He scrambled for the cover.
One! Two! Three!
The arena erupted.
Winners: Jingles & Blob (Garden leads 1–0)
Fan Rating: B+ (Comedy Heat)
Backstage, Jingles laughed, "See? Shadows slip on banana peels too!"
Match Two – Lilith vs. Shadow Envoy Assassin
Blood for glamour.
Lilith's entrance bathed the arena in crimson light. She traced a finger down her lips, whispering into the mic: "Pain is the only loyalty shadows know. Allow me to teach them devotion."
The Envoy Assassin slithered in—daggers at his sides, aura of venom.
Their fight was slower, psychological. Lilith toyed with him, whispering in his ear mid-hold, twisting his joints with elegance. He slashed at her with blade-like strikes, drawing a line of blood across her shoulder.
The crowd gasped. Lilith licked the blood, smiling. "Mine now."
Her finisher snapped him into the mat. Thorn's Kiss locked tight. He tapped.
Winner: Lilith (Garden leads 2–0, Series Secured)
Fan Rating: A (Dark Charisma)
Backstage, she leaned close to me, whispering hot against my ear. "You needed proof I'm yours? There it is."
My mask hid the shiver.
Main Event – Titan & Lady Rose vs. Shadow Envoy Leader & Enforcer
The war wasn't just about the scoreboard. It was about making statements.
Titan limped but refused to back down. The crowd roared his name as he lifted his fist. I followed, crimson mask gleaming, arms wide as smoke and roses filled the air.
Then came the Envoy Leader, flanked by his Enforcer, both radiating menace.
The match was war. Titan threw bombs, body slamming the Enforcer again and again, but his knee buckled. I fought tooth-and-nail with the Leader, countering his strikes, my ribs screaming from last week's loss.
Near fall after near fall. The crowd lived on every count.
At the climax, the Leader set me for his finisher, lifting me high. The arena gasped.
I twisted mid-air—kiss to his cheek, spin into Kiss of Thorns.
The crowd exploded.
One! Two! Three!
Winners: Lady Rose & Titan (Garden sweeps 3–0)
Fan Rating: A+ (Main Event Drama)
Closing Angle
The System chimed, words like thunder:
[Faction Wars Result: Garden 3–0 Eternal Wrestling]
[Fan Count: +3,500]
[Reward Unlocked: Rare Gear Chest x2]
The fans chanted louder than ever: "WE ARE THE GARDEN! WE ARE THE GARDEN!"
But on the titantron, the Envoy Leader laughed.
"You celebrate now. But shadows never fight fair. Next week, we bring an army."
The screen cut. The boos shook the arena.
Backstage, Titan slumped to a bench, drenched in sweat. "That's only Round One."
I unfastened my mask, heart pounding. "Then we sharpen our thorns until they bleed."