132 Viktor vs. Keith
An isolated arena somewhere in the Elysian city-state of Pheonix.
This dome-shaped arena had a giant amphitheater-like setting inside. The construction surrounded a large rectangular space that was divided into six circle-shaped battle rings.
The construction that was built around it served as an audience booth for the crowd. Currently, it was packed full of people of all kinds of backgrounds.
There was a cacophony of noises from every angle of the arena. People were cheering for their favorite fighters and dissing their opponents at the same time. A typical affair for an event like this.
“My dear rankers and mortals, today is going to be a special day.”
As usual, the announcer for the event was in good spirits. He was addressing the large crowd that was present inside the arena as well as the audience that was watching the event over their spectral screens.
This underground battle event seemed even more boisterous than the last time. It had attracted more people to it. As a result, everyone who would fight in this event was an exceptional fighter. No average Joe would be allowed to fight in this monthly event.
“Haha. Special how you ask?”
The announcer’s excited voice managed to keep all of his audience intrigued. Building up the hype, the announcer only started speaking when the crowd’s noise reached its peak.
“Today is a special day for all our fighters because they stand a chance to get recruited by prominent houses, which are well-known names in the Oasis. I won’t name the houses for obvious reasons. But know this. The opportunity we have provided for our participants is genuine.
This is the beauty of being a participant in an event like this. Not only that, the winners of each round will have their earnings doubled, thanks to these houses serving as our sponsors.”
The crowd’s noise levels shot through the roof when they heard the announcer speak about their players getting recruited by the well-established Houses in Oasis Corp. of course, most of them didn’t know what the information meant. But they were excited for their players anyway. As if the audience itself was going to take advantage of this opportunity.
The announcer kept talking about the perks of being recruited by such organizations. Additionally, he did not omit to mention that those who are recruited will be given special ranking resources by the Houses to which they are subordinated.
The applause kept on coming. And the announcer kept on announcing the participants’ names. Soon, all six of the battle rings were occupied by two people each. These fights would serve as an opening act for the event.
The announcer announced the names of the participants as indicated by the battle rings. When his narration moved to the third battle ring in order, he couldn’t stop laughing.
“Jehahaha! Who do we have here? This is our famous rookie killer Keith. He is out to battle with another rookie once again!”
The announcer laughed as he praised Kieth. It seemed that Keith already had built up a decent reputation in the audience. Some of his fans were chanting his name like they had practiced the stuff beforehand.
“Keith’s opponent today is a man named Viktor. He is also a lightning element ranker. Let’s give him a round of applause as well and hope that he breaks Keith’s winning streak.”
The announcer gave some more descriptions about Viktor without being overly specific. The audience needed to know a bit about the participants after all.
***
“Heh! They send anyone to fight with me these days, huh? Who the fuck are you?”
Keith asked Eren loudly using his mana-imbued voice.
Keith was a red-haired man with a stature of about 6.4 feet. He carried a haughty expression on his face as if nothing could make him smile. He had prominent muscle definitions, making his appearance even more intimidating than his expressions.
Keith was wearing leather armor made from the skin of a rank 1 mana beast. He had a broadsword behind his back that looked heavy and prone to severe damage to the opponents as well the surroundings.
Kieth was a lightning-element berserker. Close and mid-range combats were his forte. So he was gearing up to close the distance between him and Eren as soon as the match starts by stretching his legs.
“Didn’t you hear my introduction?”
Eren asked, keeping his voice calm and composed. He was wearing the runic metal mask that Ekay had given him. He was wearing minimal armor that didn’t hinder his movements much while providing him with decent protection.
He had his Tachi out. Eren didn’t want Kieth to be prepared for any ax attacks. He had kept his two Rank 1 weapons hidden, not revealing them to anyone.
“Hm? Who even listens to the announcement? We are here to fight. Not listen to some nobody making comments about us like they know everything about us and how the game is going to play out.”
Keith said and gripped the hilt of his broadsword before swinging it with his right hand. A powerful gale was generated by his sudden movement. The winds had some electrical discharge mixed within them.
Eren was impressed by Keith’s mindset. But he didn’t say anything. He knew the guy was just trying to pass his time by talking to him. It was as if his match with Eren was a foregone conclusion for him.
“At least tell me your name. So that I know who I beat today.”
Keith said while gripping his broadsword with both his hands. When his arms were flexed, they looked even more massive than before. The announcer was saying something about the battle in the third battle ring getting started with the countdown.
Eren narrowed his eyes on Keith before responding in a calm voice.
“It looks like you are only interested in knowing the names of your opponents who are likely to lose to you. I don’t have to tell you my name in that case.”
In the next moment, both rankers heard the announcer’s voice.
“And three! Let the match begin.”