Lassim and Hallen watched as the vendors strolled through the bustling aisles of the refreshment area, the aroma of grilled meats and sweet fruits on their trays wafting through the air.
Quickly, they flagged down a vendor to come over to them and they each grabbed a meat roll, still warm from the cooking fires, and selected a refreshing juice to sip on while they waited for the upcoming duels to begin.
They enjoyed simple conversation, discussing who out of the 10 contestants on the side line in meditation looked the strongest, to fill the time.
As the thirty-minute break came to an end, and everyone having finished sating their hunger or thirst, the announcer’s voice echoed through the arena once again.
Drawing the attention of the gathered spectators and competitors alike, "Ladies and gentlemen, are we all excited to continue on to the next phase of the Spirit Growth Stage of our Martial Tournament!?" The crowd cheered in response.
Hearing the roar of the crowd, with a swift motion, the announcer pressed a button on a sleek slate-like device in her hand.
Immediately, the grand platform in the center of the arena split into two separate arenas, each forming its own designated space for the upcoming duels. The crowd murmured in excitement at the transformation.
"Now, for the preliminary rounds of this bracket, we will witness the duels in rapid succession!" The announcer’s voice carried over the buzzing atmosphere, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "We’ve split the fighting arena into halves to allow two duels to take place simultaneously.
In a gauntlet that will test the stamina and recovery of each of our competitors, we will get through all of the battles today as per usual. Please give your encouragement, place your bets, and fully enjoy the upcoming show where our top ten contestants will showcase their skill and determination!"
The contestants, numbering ten in total, were called forth to the stage by the announcer’s beckoning.
They gathered around an ornate box held by the announcer, anticipation evident in their expressions as they prepared to draw lots to determine their opponents.
Lassim and Hallen fixed their eyes on the stage where the duels would soon commence. "I’m glad you’re with us for the journey, Young Master," Hallen remarked, taking a sip of his remaining juice. "We normally wouldn’t be able to make stops for recreation on these construction contracts. I forgot how much fun these tournaments were!"
Lassim nodded, mimicking Hallen and also sipping his juice. "It’s definitely a blast so far! I’ve been able to see some really creative uses of different elemental powers, and I also got to see that flame elemental earlier. I can’t wait to see everyone else’s elemental spirits and their battle arts!"
The announcer gestured to the contestants as they then drew their lots. They each stuck their hand into the ornate box to receive white tiles. On each tile, there was one small circle dot with a color right in the middle of the tile. With ten total contestants, they each had a partner with a matching color on their tile. This decided the pairings for the first rounds of duels.
The announcer, sensing the growing anticipation in the crowd, whispered to the contestants to gather up into their respective pairings based on the colors on their tiles.
With a quick checking of each other’s tiles, they quickly found their opponents for the next round and stood next to them.
"Esteemed cultivators and patrons, it’s time to unveil the bracket for the initial duels of this thrilling phase!" The announcer’s voice resonated through the arena, drawing all eyes to the stage.
The duel pairings were as follows:
On one stage, contestant #3, the young male fire elemental spirit warrior with the whip that saved themselves earlier would face off against the contestant #280. #280 was the woman with the steel bow that shot the long distant shot from across the arena, slaying the winner of the skirmish between the nature user with the roses and rings and the metal sword user.
On the other stage, contestant #42, the young man Lassim recalled was the lightning spirit warrior that used his elemental weapon—needles—to quickly paralyze his targets before sprinting towards other unsuspecting foes. He would be facing off against contestant #500 in the opening duels.
Contestant #500 was one that Lassim didn’t specifically recall seeing during the chaos, but as they walked over to their dueling stage he noticed they were a young man wielding a bo staff and radiating a strong sense of nature mana. He felt like the young bald man looked like some sort of religious aesthetic monk that needed a bath.
His feet were incredibly dirty, which Lassim guessed hinted at his prowess and ability at manipulating the Earth below.
The announcer then announced that the following set of duels to take place immediately after the first ones concluded were as such:
Next would feature contestant #187 against contestant #186, the twins Lassim noticed earlier, would go next. This was the young woman with the blindingly bright sun elemental chakram that worked in a pair with her similar in appearance brother, who eliminated the Nature elementalist with his long dagger of the night element.
Then on the next free stage would feature contestant #423, another young man that Lassim didn’t recognize, against #16, the girl that radiated a strong water elemental mana aura that he bet on earlier. He was excited to see what this fight would be like since #423 didn’t have their weapon out and seemed oddly calm about the whole affair.
He didn’t seem to radiate any sort of sense of mana so Lassim wasn’t sure what his elemental spirit weapon was like or what element he used.
The final duel, determined by the timing of the previous matches, would be between contestant #307, a young man and #69, an interesting looking young woman with cute glasses and a unique purple and orange hair style. Her hair almost looked like tentacles, which kind of creeped Lassim out. She was desperately holding on to a thick book in her hands.
Its cover flickered with runes of the void, hinting at its connection to the night element.
As the contestants #3, #280, #42, and #500 took their positions on their respective stages, the other competitors returned to their seats along the sidelines, their eyes fixed on the unfolding battles.
"The battles of the single elimination round are about to commence!" The announcer’s voice boomed through the arena, amplifying the already palpable tension in the air.
On one stage, #3, wielding his fiery whip, squared off against #280, the metal archer with her steel bow. #3 cracked his whip, trying to be intimidating towards his opponent, but she just yawned and ignored him like he was a little dog or insect. She then admired herself in the reflection of her bow, fixing her hair by tucking it behind her ear, as she focused her sharp eyes on #3.
Simultaneously, on the adjacent stage, #42, the lightning needle user, faced #500, the nature staff wielder. #42 was tossing a needle in the air and catching it over and over and he stared down his opponent with the stave.
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The audience held their breath.
With another amplified voice, the announcer called it, "Let the duels commence!"