novelraw Chapter 256 - 255 - Round One Results
Chapter 256 - 255 - Round One Results
Lind appeared in a space of violet stone that held a large crowd. He heard many voices cheering, some consoling, but all silenced when he appeared. The eyes of many were in awe or a bit of fear but he felt exhausted.
All he wanted to do was cultivate and recover before the next round began.
"ROAR!" A sudden moderate beast roar drew attention as a flash of platinum scales flew across the heads of all and Lind was wrapped tightly by Ethry. She began nuzzling him and her tail hit his back.
"I am all right. I could not take you with me so make sure you behave." Ethry's feelings in the bond were a mix of annoyance and joy at his return.
"Ethry! Don't fly off like that again!" Annabelle looked angry but it only made her cuter in his eyes. He was a lost man it seemed. Cyntilla was smiling ear to ear while Shoti and Qing looked proudly at him.
"You were impressive, husband. I did not know you could make something like that." Qing spoke fairly loudly and he took the hint. He turned and saw the rows of crimson stone were staring daggers at him.
There were some exceptions, the small number that had made it to the next round and their elders.
"The coliseum helped me a lot with Qi and then I unlocked some kind of condition that changed the rules of our fight. I had to be on the frontline so I was on each wall before falling back." His words seemed to release a lot of the tension and he realized they thought he could summon a fortress on demand!
He had nowhere near the Qi to do that, even on a small scale. The coliseum's landscape had felt as if it had been waiting for someone to mold it whereas the real world would resist and/or the aether beasts would zero in on any such attempt to change their home.
Ethry was being babied by him when Lind felt a sudden danger behind him.
He turned instantly but nothing was there. He was confused. The sensation had been there for certain but then it was gone. What had happened?
He was about to ask his wives when a pressure was suddenly applied to all.
"Attacks are not allowed between rounds. Disqualified." A sudden glow came from the crimson rows of seats and a man in black robes was screaming as his group vanished from the seats.
It was not just the elder, but also all the disciples that he brought. He swiftly checked but Athena was still there. Had she been spared as she had similar robes.
"Query, qualified contestants may be expelled, do you wish them to be removed. Round 2 will be adjusted if so." A display appeared in front of Lind with a Yes or No choice. He looked around but no one seemed to see what was in front of him.
"No." He spoke it and the choice lit up. The display vanished as if it never existed.
"Offended party has spared qualified participants. Any further violations and all hold members will be disqualified." Lind was curious. Why had the realm spirit given him the option? Was it a rule or something simple as discernment between an elder acting on his own versus a competitor.
He wondered what would have happened if a competitor had tried to attack him.
He also noted that no one seemed to know what happened exactly but more than half looked at Lind in suspicion.
"Were you attacked, my love?" Shoti stepped near him and he nodded. He relayed what he felt but still wondered what exactly happened?
"The realm has strict rules but to my knowledge, no one has ever attacked between rounds before. According to elder sister, she said the worst that happened was a fist fight in the audience that resulted in the banishment of only the 2 involved." Qing relayed what Tyr told her in anticipation of coming to the tournament.
"Round 1 has concluded. Assessment commencing." The booming voice shook them all as more seats suddenly appeared. Lind suddenly noticed that all who qualified were there and seemed to glow a bit more brightly to his Eyes.
He also saw many of those that fell during his battle that were healing and looking down. No one had died but that did not seem to be the case in the others.
"You killed her! She is not here, that means you killed her!" A man with short dark green hair was frothing at the mouth from the white rows as he yelled across to the cerulean ones. Lind followed his line of sight to see another man simply smiling darkly back.
The slim man was wearing light gray robes but they were stained in blood. It was clear he had been in direct combat as Lind saw no sign of injuries to explain the blood.
"It is not my fault an inferior being fell to my blades. She should not have been there." The voice made Lind twinge. It was raspy and clearly enjoyed the pain on the other man's face.
"Bastion, calm down. You are still in the tournament." A girl with similar green hair was near the screaming man. The drama drew all eyes but it was far from the only accusation flying about killing other members.
The crimson side suddenly looked at Lind Frey in a different light. Although many were injured and might have heart demons later, they were all alive and able to recover. Several bowed to him in new respect but Lind did not have the heart to tell them it was pure chance.
He was an amateur, so his traps were not honed to lethal effect as he only had Earth knowledge to really set them up. He meant what he said to Athena. He had learned a lot in the battle for the future.
"Take advantage of the misunderstanding, my heart. You have gained allies and likely from powerful factions under the Shadow Sect now look at you with high regard." Lind blinked at Cyntilla's assessment but trusted her. He waved and bowed back but then a wave of pristine white robed women came towards them.
"MASTER FREY!" Lind sighed as the Heavenly Maidens crossed. He saw more than half had moved to the next round but they were all there. It made him happy to know they were safe but he also suspected only a suicidal idiot would intentionally harm a Maiden when they did not have to.
"Congratulations on those that join me in the 2nd Round. The rest, please use the lessons to hone your skills for the future." He doubted he was the first to say the words to them, but the sad faces vanished and many nodded at him in confidence.
He was unsure when the Maidens viewed him so highly, but he was glad to help the sect that had done so much for him.
"Let me through!" A disturbance at the back made Ling giggle as Little Fey finally charged forward and began to interrogate his wives on all that occurred.
"ARGH! I wanted to see Big Brother fight!" Fey was being consoled and even Ethry patted Fey's head with her tail. Lind felt warm and enjoyed seeing some of the Maiden's shocked at seeing Fey look much more vulnerable at that moment.
"Assessment complete." The realm spirit snagged all their attention and the seats seemed to settle around a massive stone dias that was divided up into 250 areas. It was clear the next round would be individual battles.
Lind estimated that each space was over 1000 square meters which made the overall dias gargantuan in his mind. The last tournament ring could be covered in a few steps back in the Southern District of the Lotus Empire.
It was no doubt that large to accommodate various arts and techniques but then each area began to morph into various environments once more. Unlike the previous fight, however, it seemed far more realistic in balance.
Lind also noticed he could not analyze the area within with either his Eyes or Touch no matter how hard he tried.
"The results of the last round shall now be posted. Please go to your designated battle ground in preparation of the Round 2 Rule announcement." The voice was followed by Lind glowing and he realized Ethry was panicking but he simply conveyed calmness and waved as he vanished.
The dragon cried but Annabelle and Cyntilla pet her until she calmed down.
[Round 1 Results of Elimination Battle]
[Violet Hold - 1st Place; Leader - Lind Frey]
[Cerulean Hold - 2nd Place; Leader - Sivlt Carn]
[Obsidian Hold - 3rd Place; Leader - Amelia Sola]
[Pearl Hold - 4th Place; Leader - Bastion Orr]
[Slate Hold - 5th Place; Leader - Nameless]
[Flaxen Hold - 6th Place; Leader - Syrilla Claw]
[Crimson Hold - 7th Place; Leader - Athena Milliard]
[Coral Hold - 8th Place; Leader - Lissa Grath]
[Verdant Hold - 9th Place; Leader - Korath Fang]
[Rose Hold - 10 Place; Leader - Mana Kel]
Lind felt shocked at one of the names. Fang? Given the first name was similar, he was definitely a demon and the Fang Clan had betrayed Darkmoor. Trynith was dead, so who was that demon?
He could not ask Cyntilla nor see her from his current vantage point.
After the group listing, there was a massive singular listing. Lind was scrolling looking for his name but he could not find it. Where was he?
He kept looking when a voice suddenly made him jump.
"You are looking too hard, Master Frey." Athena had quietly come up to him and he saw Cara staring daggers from afar but she only waved before heading up the steps in front of them.
"What do you mean?" Lind saw her point at the main display and he looked up to only feel blood drain from his face.
[Number 1 - Lind Frey]
He was number 1?! How was he number one?!
"You triggered the traps and set up a fortress against us. From the short conversation I had with others, they mostly had simple traps or tactics to ensnare enemies as much as possible. They had fights of attrition where we had a true battle." Lind understood.
His manipulation, preparation, and results had catapulted him up to the top of the current rankings. He wondered how that would change since now he would be alone. The feeling of Athena made him cautious unlike anyone he had faced in the Divine Sword Sect camp.
"Good luck!" Lind nodded and then scrolled in his personal display to find his battleground.
He found it, #213 for some reason, but he froze at the name of his opponent.
[Battleground 213: Lind Frey vs Silvt Carn]
The mark was still on his face and the slim man from the cerulean rows came back to him as he also had a sigil on his cheek. It would seem he would be facing the killer right away. He also remembered the feeling of danger from the man.
"This should be interesting." Rather than fear, Lind felt anticipation. He walked up the steps and found an entrance that covered the range of numbers for his battleground. He walked up to the entrance and felt a tingle once more cross his skin before he vanished from the steps.
When he reappeared, he was in a desert.
A nostalgic feeling of the Ruin back in the Lotus Academy flashed through him but he also felt a strain on his water and darkness fonts. It was unlike the 1st round where he hardly felt restricted at all.
Battling here would be harder, but not impossible.
"So, it is the lucky Master Frey. You somehow stumbled into 1st place but I guess all those elixirs helped you get your team through." A raspy voice came from the air in front of him, but Lind saw nothing.
He tried to use his Eyes but was stunned to realize his talent was restricted. He could not use Touch either! It did not affect his control of his cultivation but that was the only thing still working!
A feeling of vulnerability flashed through him but his Eyes were not always useful and clearly the round was leveling the playing field a bit.
"Nothing to say? I have respect for your body of work, your theories improved my strength greatly as well, so I will not kill you, but your advance ends here." Lind sneered inside his head but showed nothing on his face. This was clearly his foes attempt to start a mental game but Lind did nothing.
He simply waited for the battle to begin.
"All contestants are in place. Round 2 will now begin. Defeat your opponent using the environment supplied. Direct attacks are not allowed. Arts and conjuring that manipulate are allowed. Talents are restricted. Any violation will result in disqualification regardless if you won the round." Lind smirked as he heard a raspy curse. Clearly the man specialized in assassination, or at least sneak attacks, now had to pull back.
"Begin."