The following two fights dragged out again, proving to the audience that the Sects were reasonably balanced and that Forbidden Treasure Sect was simply an outlier. That made a massive change in the betting odds with the casino on the main floor, which desperately tried to shore up its losses after initially giving very good odds that the girls would be easily eliminated.
"How much do we still stand to lose?" The pit boss asked his assistant, who was crunching the numbers, to determine the odds for the remaining fights.
"If the Forbidden Treasure wins the next round, we are down 2 percent. If they lose the final after that, we are up 18 percent. If they win the final, we are down roughly eight hundred Spirit Cores." the assistant told him.
"How did that even happen? We didn't take that many bets on them to win the tournament, did we?" The boss asked.
"It seems that early the first day, before and during their first match, the vendors in the stands took over a thousand medium-sized bets on them to win overall. It was so laughable that the odds were in the thousands to one, so nobody immediately noticed that they added up to so much." The assistant told him.
"Adjust the odds. Make them a heavy favorite to win the tournament, so we can recoup some of what we stand to lose if they actually win." The boss whispered.
"I am afraid that it is too late. Most of the bets we expected for the match have already been placed. There simply aren't enough outstanding wagers for a change in odds to make a difference. The crowd has made their decisions already." The assistant sighed while the boss rubbed a frustrated hand over his face.
"I know, I know, I am just panicking a little. They might do well in the semi-finals, but against those guys, they should not win the final." The boss announced, trying to convince himself that it was true, despite all the things he had seen the Forbidden Treasure Sect accomplish.
[The Semi Final Matches are set to begin now.] The announcer was calling from the arena, drawing all attention to him, even from the panicked workers in the Casino, who knew that heads would roll when their big boss found out about this debacle.
[Will the Sweeping Blade and the Forbidden Treasure please make their way to the arena?] The announcer called, bringing a few chuckles from the crowd, who found the Sect's name to be more than a little appropriate for the Disciples.
Peach-colored dresses and red tunics over black pants met each other in the middle of the sandy floor, each face with a look of determination.
"So, little summoner girl, what do you have for us? Spiders and slow-moving Golems aren't going to do anything against us, and you don't have the brute strength to block our strikes." The leader of the Sweeping Blade asked while Luna smirked at him.
"Have you ever met a Greater Demon? I don't mean a Demon Sect Cultivator, but an actual Demon." Luna asked.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, child. No demon willing to answer your call could pose a threat to us." The man answered while his Sect laughed at what they thought was an empty threat.
"Ladies, let the summons engage first. The Sweeping Blade wants to learn a thing or two about sword work." Luna told the others while the Referee and the Spectators watched in amusement.
If nothing else, the Forbidden Treasure Sect had mastered the Dao of Trash Talking.
They had gotten under every opponent's skin instantly, throwing them off their game and making them choose less than optimal decisions every time. It was almost uncanny as if they were using a technique, but not even the highly sensitive Referee had detected energy usage, so it wasn't a Mystic technique, and words weren't prohibited.
[Is everyone ready to back up their words? Good. Begin.] The referee called, and all of the girls of the Forbidden Treasure jumped back, letting Luna take the lead as four copies of Oath Breaker appeared in the ring with enormous smiles on their faces and swords in every hand.
"Oh, thank you so much. This will be amazing." Oath Breaker cheered, and the Referee panicked so much he almost stopped the fight to dismiss the demon forcibly.
"No, it can't be real. There was no summoning circle, and they don't have any aura of the Lower Planes on them. That's not a real summoned Demon. But then, what is it? Is the ability actually to create a mimic?" The referee pondered, loud enough for the most sensitive ears in the crowd to hear him.
"So that's how she got so fast. That explains the mystery damage as well. Very sneaky, Master Cain. to think you had taught her that sort of thing." The man with violet eyes laughed but didn't elaborate when the spectators around them tried to get answers.
Luna smiled at the Sweeping Blade team's leader and pointed her swords at him. "You, I will deal with myself."
Luna launched herself at him with a speed far beyond anything that she had displayed before while the Oath Breakers engaged the other cultivators in a flurry of blades that was quickly overwhelming the entire Sweeping Blade team.
"We should get to work, or there won't be anything to do. Everyone pick a demon and assist." Penny instructed the others, then transformed into her oversized wolf and leaped to the far right to assist one of the Oath Breakers.
The spectacle had the crowd on their feet as the gallant-looking fighters of the Sweeping Blade desperately fought off the advances of the Oath Breakers, their blades a blur of steel and red energy fields. They weren't winning the fight, but in the battle of public opinion, they were possibly the biggest winners of the tournament.
Every young Cultivator in the arena wanted to be them at that moment, valiantly fighting off real demons and not just doing their best not to get bullied by other disciples. The Sweeping Blade Disciples were faster than the Oath Breakers, who had been summoned at Legendary Quality, making up for their lack of extra limbs.
Once the other Forbidden Treasure Disciples joined the battle, the Sweeping Blade cultivators all switched to dual blades, deflecting claws, fire, and energy attacks while trying not to get decapitated by the Oath Breakers.
To Cain's experienced eyes, it was clear that the Demons were toying with them. With all the bonuses from Luna's gear and skills, a single Legendary Oath Breaker was more than a match for most Mythic Awakened transfers in raw speed. The gap between their base speed and a human was too large.
It did give the girls a chance to show off, though, coordinating with the demons and forcing the Sweeping Blade onto the full defensive while Luna dueled their leader.
"Do you like the surprise that I prepared for you?" Luna chuckled as the Sweeping Blade team leader disengaged, jumping fifteen meters back across the arena.
"You should have made more of them. I've got you now." He answered with a smirk, and the air around Luna filled with energy, which rapidly turned into a mist of sharp-edged red rose petals, cutting into her skin and shredding her dress.
Luna shadow stepped and appeared behind him, going for the kidneys again. He had seen that trick before though, and his blade knocked hers wide, making Luna duck and roll to avoid his counterattack.
They didn't spare any more breath for words as they clashed blades again, two Spirit Awakened fighters going all out with twin blades.
The echo of the multiple fights rang through the entire city, making everyone who couldn't get into the arena wonder what sort of epic battle had broken out among the junior disciples today.
The Sweeping Blade leader landed a kick on Luna that threw her across the arena, then flashed after her, intending to finish this duel before she could land.
He only realized his mistake once he was in the air, flying in her direction. The new blowgun appeared in Luna's hands, and a barrage of Fireballs, moving at the speed of a lightning attack, burst forth in a blur of red light.
Every attack he blocked exploded and pulled him to the point of impact, dragging him around in the air for nearly three seconds while Mystic fires burned all around him.
When the flames died, the scorched and battered fighter landed in the sand on one knee, then rolled hard to the side to avoid Luna's downward strikes.
He clearly couldn't take much more, and the burns had slowed him significantly, letting strike after strike sneak past his guard until, with a brilliant flourish, an upward strike tore his tunic from his groin to his throat, and he was ejected in a flash of light.
Two of his teammates had already fallen, and the others went only a few seconds later, their evasion attempts having burnt through their entire energy reserve as the Sweeping Blade team desperately waited for their leader to win and turn the tables in the match.
"So, the summoner is only the little one. Well, the little one who isn't a monk. I look forward to seeing you in the finals." An Elder called up to Cain as the disciples next to him went down to fight the final match of the semifinals.
"Best of luck to you. I will bring snacks for the match." Cain told the man politely.
"Master of the Dao of Trash Talk." Elder Ling muttered as the girls wearily returned to Cain for their head pats and to beg for another slice of that cake. They needed all the energy they could get after that fight, the Sweeping Blade fighters had been well over a hundred levels higher than most of them, and even with the Oath Breakers, they had a hard time getting the finishing strikes in.
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