"Zenrick and Ron, please move to the ground while the other warriors, make your way towards the barracks." Announcement was made. Ron and Zenrick stood from their chairs and headed to the ground. "A mere kid. You think you can defeat me? What a joke. Defeating me isn't possible for you, human. Withdraw now, and maybe I'll spare your life later. Be persistent, and you'll regret it." He taunted Ron, trying to intimidate him. "A giant beast, so scared of just a mere human, that he needs to intimidate him? What kind of a warrior even are you? A joke in the name of a warrior, that's what you are." Ron exclaimed, getting on Zenrick's nerves. They stood at their respective sides. "Warriors, please move forwards to shake hands. "Come on, don't be shy, human." Zenrick smirked. Ron moved his hand forward, when Zenrick grabbed it and held it tightly, trying to compress and break it, but to his surprise, he wasn't even able to press it. It felt like trying to compress diamonds with hands. He grunted. "What happened? Not enough strength to compress a human's hand? Weak and pathetic." Ron taunted him again. "I wish the two of you luck! Now, positions!" Dik ordered. "I'll kill you, human!" Zenrick grunted as he took his position. "Let the battle begin! Start!" Dik shouted.
Zenrick spread his wings out and flew up in the air. The arena was magical and grew in size. He fired blacking grey flames from his mouth. Ron dodged his attack with ease and used the rocks to jump up and punch Zenrick. Before he could even touch him, Zenrick used his wings, to propel Ron back to the ground. Landing straight on the ground, Ron smirked. Zenrick grunted and started throwing flame balls from his mouth towards Ron which he was able to dodge using his visual prowess. "High ground will just put him at an advantage. I need to get him back on ground." Ron thought. He sped up and jumped again towards Zenrick. Due to his speed, he reached Zenrick without begin thrown back to the ground. This time, he even stepped on Zenrick's shoulder to jump higher. "You're done. Tornado!" Ron chanted while mocking Zenrick. This time, the tornadoes had little hints of electricity within. He threw them towards Zenrick. He tried pushing them back but was already late. The tornadoes hit him and grew in size. Lightning slashed Zenrick all over, throwing him on the ground. Ron landed safely and saw Zenrick. One of his wings was torn off. And he sustained deep wounds. He tried standing up but fainted on the way and fell. Ron was feeling sorry for him. To show respect, he bowed to him and apologized. "The winner is Ron!" Dik announced.
Ron entered the barracks and Liz shouted, "This kid is powerful, isn't he?" "The Name's Creed." The dragon-scaled human said. "I'm Torrent! Nice to meet'cha!" The tiger-human hybrid said. "A good performance, Ron. I did notice you bowing down. What was that about?" Liz asked. "I didn't feel good after beating him so much. He didn't deserve to be in such a bad condition. I couldn't do anything to make him feel better, so I bowed and apologized. It felt the right." Ron explained. "Even though he was a dick to you. Humanity, after all. I had to give up on humanity when I saw some bastards kill my parents in front of my own eyes, just because they gave birth to a peculiar child. I shredded them apart that day. Though, after a long time, I felt emotions." Liz explained. "I'm sorry for your loss." Ron replied. "Ayo guys! Get ready. The next match is in three minutes." Torrent exclaimed. "Creed (Dragon-scaled human) VS Zumba (Ghost)." It was announced. "Not him, urgh. He's so irritating." Creed grunted. "You'll win, don't worry." Ron tried to make him feel better. "I know I'll win. It's just that he's really irritating." Creed replied. After some time, they were called to the arena.
After Creed won, everyone fought many battles and made it to the quarterfinals. Ron fought a total of thirteen warriors and defeated them, with medium difficulty. "The list for the quarterfinals is out. It's gonna be one hell of a ride from here!" Dik announced. "Why is he hyping it up so much?" Ron asked. "That's the work of a commentator. Let's see who we got." Liz exclaimed. "First battle, Torrent VS Creed." He announced. "What!?" Creed gasped. "A battle between friends. Divide and rule. I see." Ron grunted. "Come on you two. Show each other what you got. Show them that friendship isn't something that can be ended just like that." Liz exclaimed. "All the best you two." Ron said. They both made their way to the arena without saying a word to each other.
They shook each other's hands and took position. "Let's begin!" Dik shouted.
"Light magic, frontier barricading." Torrent chanted. A magical golden shield, which covered him in whole, appeared. "Slime magic, geek!" Creed chanted. A slimy coating covered him in whole. They ran towards each other when Creed teleported right behind Torrent, kicking him. The shield blocked his attack. He grabbed Torrent's hand, locking it within using the slime. "Dragon's breath." He chanted. His scales stood up, energizing the flames from within his body. He blasted a fierce breath of flames onto Torrent's head, but the shield protected him again. "Tiger claws!" Torrent chanted. He palm grew in size and his claws sharpened. The claws cut through the slimy coating, freeing him from the grab. "Total transformation, abomination!" He chanted. Suddenly, he grew in size, with his hands transforming into that of a tiger. His body became muscular while he grew a thick white beard. His eyes turned into sharp tiger eyes and his tail became bigger.
"What's that?" Ron asked. "A Were-tiger. He belongs to the family of elite Were-tigers." Liz explained.
"Power of the unholy dragon! Merci transformation, Superior Dragon!" Creed chanted. He didn't transform completely. He grew draconic wings, dragon claws, sharp teeth and draconic eyes. His scales covered his whole body, which also increased in size. They pounced at each other. Dragon breathing, tiger's agility, superhuman strength, light magic, etc. Both exerted each other to the point where both bled heavily. None was ready to accept defeat. Creed teleported behind Torrent and punched him, when Torrent grew his scales in size, which pierced Creed completely. "He'll die!" Ron gasped. "I told you before. That's how things work here. Warriors die." Liz said.
Finally, you did it. You were able to defeat me. We gave it our all. I'm proud of you, brother." Creed gasped. He coughed and closed his eyes. Liz transformed back and picked Creed's body up. "The winner is, LIZ!" Announcement was made. He walked back to the barracks with Creed's body and tears in his eyes. "Rest in peace, brother." He said with tears in his eyes.
"Emotional moment. The next battle is quite a delightful one. Bonding within the barracks, they've come this far. Strong and reliant on each other. But when will they do when they have to face each other? The next battle is, Ron VS Liz!" Dik announced. Ron was taken aback while Liz closed his eyes and gasped. "I should've seen this coming. Ron don't die on me. Give it everything you have got. I won't hold back. Make this battle worth the blood we'll shed." Liz said. Ron couldn't believe what he just heard. The only one who he could call his friend, who taught him about the competition, who praised him, was now going to be opponent in a death battle.
They entered the arena and shook hands. "I believe it will be a good battle. May the stronger warriors wins. Let's give it our best." Liz said. Ron was silent. They took their position as the battle started.
Liz was really agile. Ron's top speed was just childsplay for him. He slashed Ron a couple of times with agility. The wounds were deep but healed really fast. The faster Ron pushed himself, the harder it became for Liz to attack him. Both reached their top speed when Liz threw dragon scales at him. Before they could hit him, time stopped, and Grid appeared out of nowhere. Both Ron and Liz were up in the air. "Why aren't you using your powers efficiently? Just running won't do you any good. There's a limit to your running speed at the moment. You have the advantage of size and speed here. He's way bigger than you. If you notice clearly, it takes him a total of three milliseconds more than you to move. Use that as an advantage. Use your magic." Grid explained. "You want me to make out a difference of three milliseconds and attack him at that time? How? His body is tougher than the giants outside. I even tried making out his weakness but was unsuccessful. How am I supposed to use magic here and where? His body is slimy, my magic won't even affect him in the first place." Ron grunted. "Do you remember your fight with Zenrick? You used two elements at once. Lightning with Wind. Use lightning magic, it's your main element." Grid replied. "I don't know how to do that though. It just happened in the brink of the moment." Ron grunted. "It's all about concentration, you'll feel the current within." Grid explained as he vanished. Time started again. Ron dodged Liz's attacks and made distance using agility. He used his visual prowess to make out the delay within the two's speed. As soon as he got it, he concentrated his body channels and felt a spart within. "Lightning magic, zap glove!" he chanted. An array of electricity covered his hands. Using the wall behind him as footing, he pounced towards Liz. Within that three-millisecond delay, he punched him. Liz tried shielding himself with his dragon scale wings, but the zap was so strong that it destroyed his scales, destroying his major source of power. He slammed on the ground. Ron thought that it was over when he stood up. "It's not over yet!" he shouted. Suddenly, his aura grew. "Fire magic, Lion's mane sword." He chanted. A portal opened, from which a sword covered in fire came out. "This is the legendary sword, protected by my family. I shall use it to defend you." He declared. The sword grew in size. The slashes were fast and precise, hitting Ron directly. He was unsuccessful in defending himself and ended up with deep cuts. These cuts healed a lot slower due to the residue of the sword. "Argh!" He gasped. "Use lightning magic damn it!" Grid whispered. "Lightning magic, death stomp!" He chanted. Channeling electricity within his body, he stomped on the ground, sending lightning waves in all directions. Liz tried to dodge but was unsuccessful. As soon as the wave hit him, it knocked him out cold. "The winner is, RON!" Dik announced. "Liz! Are you alright?" Ron shouted as he rushed towards him. "He's unconscious." Ron grunted as he picked him up and rushed to the barracks.
After an hour, Liz gained consciousness and stood up. What happened?" He asked. "You lost and then knocked out." Torrent replied. "I did? Didn't expect that to happen." He replied in a calm voice. "After your battle, many others lost their lives in theirs." Torrent explained. "I see. Where is he?" Liz asked. "In 148. He refused to talk to anyone and just left." Torrent explained. "I'll talk to him." Liz said as he left for the room.
"Alright, let's do this." Liz said to himself. He entered the room and said, "What are you doing here alone?" "Oh, you're up. Nothing. I was just thinking how cruel and unfair the world is." Ron replied. "That's the definition of today's word, kid. Cruelty, the peak nature of the majority. I remember when I was small, people used to tell tales of how Ronin, despite his strength, was never cruel to anyone. He lived his life and died, protecting people from evil. Now look at us, fighting and killing each other for something, such an angel of a warrior once wielded. We don't deserve it." He explained. Ron was astonished as to how calm and collective Liz was. "Tell me, why are you here?" He asked. "What do you mean?" Ron questioned back. "You're purpose of coming to the arena, what is it?" He asked. "I'm here for something that belongs to me." Ron replied. "The Katana, it belongs to you, how?" Liz asked. Ron was hesitant, but he then said, "I don't know how. To be honest, I don't understand anything that's happening in my life right now. I just know that I'll get my answers if I get that katana back." Ron explained. "Fine. You're nearing the finals, Ron. You've come this far. Win and show me your answers." Liz said. "The semi-finals are starting!! Congratulations to the semi-finalists. Ron! Grogon, Rintaro and Shawn! You are all strong, and you deserve to win. Show each other what you got!