A mushroom cloud which was incomparably larger than the one that White Mist had caused rose up above the grand stage, causing yet another updraft as an intense pressure of wind blew at the audience. Everyone ducked for cover while some cheered as loud as they could due to the intensity of the match. Nevertheless, the damage that the explosion caused was nothing like ever before.
Even the commentator who was seated safely in his box was thrown out of his seat as the wind pressure destroyed the glass window that separated him from the rest. Fortunately, he was the only one who got knocked down, and all of the equipment used for the live-streaming broadcast is still working. As for Luke Skyrunner, he simply sat there, not budging, as the wind blew against him. At first glance, it might seem like Luke Skyrunner was unfazed by the wind pressure, but upon closer inspection, one would see that he planted both his feet on the concrete floor just so he won't be blown away.
Seeing Luke Skyrunner's professionalism, the commentator hurriedly stood up and brushed himself off. After propping his chair up, he seated himself. "What a fight! Now, let's see who survived the explosion! Will the underdog finally claim his victory?!"
Fwoosh~!
After the destructive scenario that occurred on the grand stage, the smoke finally started clearing up, marking the end of the explosion. The spectators who stooped down to avoid the wind pressure hesitantly returned to their seats, all the while straining their eyes so they could get a better look at the aftermath of the explosion.
The first thing that everyone noticed was the huge Black Winged Dragon that stood immobile in the middle of the grand stage. She was none other than Ryu Ryoko, who engaged Shoyo's tamed beast in combat after hearing Satoshi's request. Honestly, their fight didn't have that much of a screen time on the live stream broadcast since everyone was too focused on the fight between Satoshi and Shoyo. Hence, some of the spectators were surprised to see that the Black Winged Dragon was actually still in the match
Ryu Ryoko's diamond scales shone against the sunlight, flooding the grand stage with shimmering sparkles of illumination akin to the myriad of stars on a cloudless night. Her innate skill allowed her to revert and shift into her diamond scales or black scales as she wishes. And right now, she had decided to shift into her diamond scales in order to protect Satoshi from the explosion.
Upon further examination, the audience realized that the Black Winged Dragon was actually covering someone with her wings. Her head drooped low, and her wings were shaped in a form of an enclosed space right in front of her.
"Are you all right, Satoshi?" Ryu Ryoko asked. A couple of seconds ago, she almost lost her composure due to Shoyo's suicidal move. Thankfully, she was quick enough to act, covering Satoshi with her wings and transforming into her diamond form in order to block the explosion.
"Yep, thanks," Satoshi casually replied as he glanced up. Ryu Ryoko's dragon face grinned upon hearing Satoshi's replied. The two of them heaved a sigh of relief.
As Satoshi looked down at the ground, he saw Shoyo, lying face down and unconscious. He gave it all he got in the fight, and in the end, he had no choice but to use his ultimate move after being backed into a corner like that. Satoshi had no idea what type of move he unleashed, but it was certainly powerful enough to blow the entire American Dome if the barrier was not in place.
For a moment back there, Satoshi even assumed that Shoyo would severely injure himself, or worse, he'll kill himself. That's why he was surprised to see that Shoyo didn't even suffer a single cut or bruise. He just fainted due to having all his energy drained out of him.
"And... Shoyo bites the dust, quite literally! What a masterful performance from our two underdogs right here! Let's give them a round of applause everyone, Midoriyama Satoshi and Daidai Shoyo!"
It was certainly a breathtaking match, and Satoshi didn't regret giving his all. After all, he was just reciprocating Shoyo's sentiment. And judging from the calm expression that Shoyo wore while he was unconscious, Satoshi could tell that he didn't regret going up against him either.
"That was a great match, Shoyo," Satoshi muttered to himself as he summoned Sera. After a few seconds, Satoshi helped Shoyo regain the bare minimum of his energy, and he could finally rest at ease knowing that Shoyo was not in a critical condition anymore.
...
The second match was between Jin Seok and another beast tamer who belongs to the Black Fog Faction. Of course, Jin Seok won by a landslide. And as for the third match, it was between White Mist and another beast tamer of the Black Fog Faction. It wasn't that surprising that the ones who got to the top four were all acquaintances with Satoshi.
During the thirty-minute break before the last match of the quarterfinals, Satoshi, along with his classmates and friends, decided to visit Yun Zhe and Link before they fought against each other.
As it turned out, Yun Zhe was actually not in his training room, but he also paid a visit to Link as well. This made it easier for everyone to wish the two of them all the best in their match.
The reason why Yun Zhe decided to talk to Link before the match was that he didn't want to deal with his berserk mode. In his past matches, he had gone out of control and it was always Satoshi who dealt with him. He should've been disqualified due to his murderous actions, but Luke Skyrunner who was managing the Official Beast Tournament decided not to. Besides, Link didn't really break any rules. And furthermore, it was actually normal for a beast tamer to lose control so in a sense, Link was fighting fair and square despite running amok.
"Just don't make me deal with you. I don't want to go against someone crazy." Yun Zhe muttered, sitting on the couch as Link handed him a sandwich.
"I'm sorry but I can't guarantee that. After all, I'm in it to win it. There's no way I'll go there on that grand stage without giving it my all." Link muttered to himself as he pumped a fist in the air. He was more fired up than ever. Then again, after this match would be the semi-finals. If he could at least get there, then that's more than enough proof that he's a reliable disciple.
"Then, let's settle this on the stage, a Disciple against a Disciple." Yun Zhe said, turning his back as his name was called to the grand stage.
"Ou!" Link responded. There was no way he'd let Yun Zhe win. This is his final chance at redemption, after all.
.....
In another dimension,
The Managers gathered at the round table continued to watch the Official Beast Tournament with great eagerness. Now that they were already this far into the matches, they could more or less tell whose Disciple is who, and most of them were starting to conclude the guessing game that existed in the round table. They were surprised that the new faces could actually go head-to-head with the older Disciples. This just goes to show that their innate talent was superior to their previous generation.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps could be heard from the hallways right outside the room wherein all the Managers are gathered. Since the Official Beast Tournament is only held once a year and is considered one of the most iconic events for Managers, they were a bit irked by the disturbance.
SLAM!
Without prior notice, the huge doors leading to the room with the round table slammed open, and a man wearing a flat cap with a feather on the side. Just from his headwear alone, the Managers could already tell that he was a Messenger.
"I just received a report... it seems like, time is running short. The World Eater has chosen its next target." The messenger relayed. He was panting, seemingly out of breath after running all the way to Manager's location.
"WHAT?! But it wasn't supposed to happen in a few years' time! What are you talking about?!" The Manager with long white hair stood up and swiped his hand sideways. "And didn't you know what happened the last time we had to deal with the World Eater? It was a massacre!"
"Relax, previous records show that the World Eater is definitely getting stronger. We barely have time to keep up but we've always dealt with it, right? Every single time, we've managed to push it back. Let's hope that we can do it again." Another Manager spoke up. Even though he was speaking rather calmly, the nervousness was distinct in his voice.
"And? How many years do we have before the World Eater wakes up?" The Manager wearing all black asked the messenger. "Three years? Five years?"
"I'm afraid it's shorter than that. Our readings show that the World Eater is bound to wake up in three months." The messenger bit his lips as he spoke. Even he felt bad delivering such terrible news.
"WHAT?!" The Managers exclaimed in unison.
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