Everyone readied at the starting line in the arena with exactly 64 people competing in the race. Cobalt stood shirtless on the track, choosing to go bareback and only wear tight shorts that hugged his thighs and some matching running shoes; he had no fears about getting into combat and was confident in his natural abilities that he could avoid trouble and finish the race swiftly. His cousins also dressed in similar fashion with Kenji, Kagetoki, and Ryuuichi all wearing skin tight bodysuits in different colors while Saya wore a skin-tight bodysuit that left her arms exposed-unlike her brothers who were fully covered. The five of them had a different aura around them that told the other competitors they wouldn't need any armor or weapons to complete the first stage-it was a race and would be treated as such. Thanks to that boldness, the other competitors painted a bullseye on each of the backs of the Tokugawa children. As for the media, they were covering the Tokugawa children but had other stars that were being covered such as Zukuri, Jengai, and Arokei. Many people in the crowds were placing bets and gambling on who would win the race and in what order they would finish. As Cobalt did his warm up stretches and flexed his muscles with each stretch, he turned his attention to the field of the 63 other competitors that each had a glare aimed towards him; he could smell the mixture of envy, hatred, and bloodlust in the air. With a drop of sweat running down his face in response to the nasty pressure that filled the arena, out the corner of his eye he spotted Norh, who had come by herself. Yesterday, Norh had told Cobalt and Saya that she'll be attending the competition alone because her family aren't willing to come with her and watch the carnage in person. Her reason for coming there was so that she could cheer on both Saya and Cobalt. Norh waves her hand once she caught Cobalt's attention, and he waves back with a worriless smile. Shortly after, she turned to find Saya; Cobalt returned to a serious face and got ready to get on the starting line. As the pre-race countdown clock reached expiration, the competitors lined up in rows at the starting line and waited for the gun to shoot the blanks. Cobalt was on the starting line in the front row, and already he could see the notable adversaries that hugged the starting line with their feet. He spotted his cousins, some notable enemies of his family, and Jengai. The stadium went silent as everyone prepared for the start of the race. The path was linear with the runners racing straight to a wide entrance that take them straight outside and into the street course, closing as the last racer left. There were lines of security waiting, so no doubt somebody would die if they were caught sleeping on the run. Cobalt gets into a runner's stance, unlike most of the other racers.
"On your marks…"
Cobalt's eyes are closed, his breathing turned calm as his hands held to the ground like marble pillars. Awaiting him outside the arena would be crowds of people that hug the railings and barricades that'd be cheering him and the others on...or possibly hope to see their blood get spilled.
"Get Set…"
Cobalt could hear it, the breaths of his opponents, the weights that moved on the ground; anticipation filled his lungs as he refused to open his eyes until the race started, and with every single fiber in his body on its toes, Cobalt's heels lifted off the ground as his eyebrows slanted to show the intense concentration he was putting in.
"GO!"
Sound seemed to disappear for a moment as a cloud of dust appeared in the spot that used to be Cobalt; the moment the gun fired, he was gone. Like the wind, Cobalt used his senses and abilities to their max right out the gate, for he was a man on a mission. As Cobalt leads the pack, already leaving the arena, his feet kicking in the air as his body moves freely, following far behind were the rest of the pack. Out of the starting gate of 64 and already Cobalt-one of the fan favorites-took a huge lead. He was prioritizing a huge early lead that'd make it difficult for him to drop out of the top 16, and it was then that the other competitors grind their teeth as they ran with realization that the level they were on wasn't anything like that boy; he was evolving. The crowd was roaring with excitement as they watched the blue starboy leave the rest of the pack behind. Shortly after, A shriek from the crowd followed by a long streak of blood of blood flying in the air and already the first death was given for one of the competitors. Somebody had pushed one of the racers backwards and that led to the killing of both racers: the one that got pushed back was killed for violating the rules while the one that pushed the victim also got his head blasted off. Smoke escapes from the barrels of guns held by two men dressed in their traditional Tokugawa gear while donning darkened shades. All the racers hadn't even exited the arena and already there were 2 men eliminated; the other competitors don't have time to look back since they could end up like that duo if they weren't careful.
"Did you guys hear that?" a man said as the recon team shuffled through the jungle and made their way to the arena. Led by Miyamoto, they were nearing the arena when the warning shot was given. Although to a regular person it was just the signal that somebody had already gotten eliminated, to a perceptive man like Miyamoto, there was more to the surface than just those shots being eliminations.
"That was too early…" Miyamoto said under his breath, his face calculating different scenarios.
"What?"
"They fired those shots too early. Either someone really screwed up, or they're sending a message to potentially any intruders on the island. They're packing more than just traditional weaponry...that wasn't something we accounted for. Halt for a moment, I need to relay this to everyone on comms."
Many of the teams were entering the island through the same spot as the recon team and were now dispersing to various locations with the teams tasked with taking out security going all the way into the city and suburbs while the other ambush units would wait in the jungle. Simone's team arrived at the shore of Osuma and were packing their equipment. Thanks to the event, there wouldn't be any coastal security like times of the past, and that was more so because of the heavy numbers of skilled combatants in attendance. As Simone takes her long white hair and ties it into a bun, her blue tinges swirling in her hair, she gets a message over her ear piece; Miyamoto fed her and the other team leaders the information he had about his suspicions of the Tokugawa. He warned them to proceed with caution as well as updating the status of his location-his team were closing in on infiltrating the arena.
Meanwhile, Cobalt's lead had diminished a bit since he left the arena as the pack were closing in on him, but his lead was still wide enough that he didn't need to worry yet. Racing down the sidewalk, he could hear the cheers from the long rows of fans crowding the rails and barricades that call out his name as he passes by, above him he could hear helicopters that were covering this event, spotting what looked like camera men. His chest was puffing out air like a steam machine and intaking the salty air as he made his run into the sand, leaving the street course and into the dunes on the beach. With the sea to his left, and the weakening of his mobility, he knew this was the portion of the race that'd be the most problematic for everyone and the main reason why he sprinted for the crazy lead; any ground he lost here would be made up immediately after, and of course since he was already in the sand, the others were still far off from his location.
The cones on the ground designate that the path leads all the way down to the wet sand by the coast and then a curve up into the dunes yet again before returning to the sidewalk and asphalt that'll take us in the suburbs and city beyond. I'll be careful in this section, but I'll need to be on my game for the next segments!
Cobalt played in his mind his odds of maintaining the lead through each of the segments. The first segment he made it through with the lead, the second segment was the beach run and quite long since the racers had to do a huge curve as the trek through the sand, come all the way down close to the sea and run in the moister sand and then slowly run a curve back into the thick sand before hitting the suburbs-the third segment. Cobalt knew he couldn't maintain this lead for the entire race, but he liked his odds of holding onto this lead through at least the third segment. He believed that at the city-the fourth segment, is where he'd have to led up and allow himself a chance to catch his breath since he'd be going at full speed until then. The following segments afterwards would be close, but his goal was to just advance; had had no care for where he'd finish, just if he could advance. As Cobalt rallies to the seashore, the other competitors finally arrive at the beach entrance with Saya and Kenji leading the pack. As of now, the current top 16 are as followed: 1st-Cobalt, 2nd-Saya, 3rd-Kenji, 4th-Zukuri, 5th-Fujuyoki, 6th-Arokei, 7th-Kagetoki, 8th-Jengai, 9-Arima, 10th-Oujima, 11th-Dokentsu, 12th-Toen, 13th-Habeyama, 14th-Feng, 15th-Ryuuichi, 16th-Shizuku. As Cobalt treks halfway through the bottom of the shore, the next sign of action unfolds in the pack of racers entering the shore. The spoilers were making their moves now that there were already casualties, and thanks to the fans being restricted from being on the beach in preparation, the spoilers made their moves. Yoshizune-32nd, Shintoremni-36th, and Maekona-38th, were all running together and sat in the heart of the pack respectively. A fellow race unsheathed his blade and swiftly kept running; he was in 25th. With a toothy grin, his arm had a swirling purple aura around it, and in the next moment, there was a huge explosion of sand that covered the field.
"Damn it. These cheeky bastards caught on after all." Teitsu said with a smirk that led to a laugh as he sits on his throne chair comfortably watching the race on the big screen from the luxury of a huge luxury box.
Because of the smokescreen, the guards wouldn't be able to see f the racers were violating the rules, giving the racer a moment of freedom to do whatever they want. The catalyst who started this immediately unleashed a powerful attack a millisecond after creating the smokescreen to its highest peak and turned around firing his attack. Shrieks from the crowd intensified as bodies went flying in every direction with some flying back onto the pavement before the crowd. This was exactly what the spoilers would want. To eliminate as many racers as possible and shrink the field meant bettering their odds, and thanks to the integrity of the spoilers, they found their opportunity to deal the most damage.
"Be on your guard, everyone!" Shintoremni yelled to his fellow comrades who're caught in the same mess as him. Among the members of the Zukuri alliance, it was only Zukuri, Oujima, Fujuyoki, and Shizuku that avoided the attack thanks to being ahead of the 25th position.
"At this rate, we'll be dead!" Maekona yelled with concern, knowing the sandstorm smokescreen wouldn't last long. If the security noticed anyone violating the rules, they were as good as dead.
Two shadows shot past the ninja duo and met some other spoilers head on as the spoiler who started the whole fiasco escaped from the mess; his name was Pochiyo and was a member of the Pochi clan. Zhoushan and Masoshi were the shadowy figures that charged at the spoilers. Battles erupted as all the spoilers pounced on the minute-long window they had to cause as much trouble as possible before punishment set in. The ninja summoned shuriken and kunai from their fingertips, their blades still on their backs and sheathed.
"The rest of you must push forward!" Masoshi yelled as he threw his stars at one of the spoilers causing the mess.
"We need as many members to advance into the next round as possible, so don't stop running!" Zhoushan yelled as he quickly unsheathed his blade and dodged his enemy's attack before stabbing him straight through the heart; Zhoushan and Masoshi knew their time in the competition was over from the moment they took the initiative to stop the spoilers from continuing the attack on their comrades, and chances are they weren't going to survive once the sandy smokescreen cleared because of where they were, they weren't moving from where they stood. With bitter sweetened smiles, they looked on to their comrades who darted pass them without looking back. Gunshots fired from distances as the smokescreen cleared, and all of the remaining members in the Zukuri alliance aside from the unaffected knew immediately who were probably shot by the multiple rounds. The number of casualties in that mess were a total of 22 racers. Only 42 racers remained, and the race wasn't even at the third segment yet.
On television, many of the viewers were shocked at the play by play commentary. Already there were over twenty deaths and some of the confirmed deaths were popular and well-known clan leaders. Some viewers shook their head in disappointment over in the section where Norh was sitting. She heard nothing but jeers and voices of displeasure, as well as the sighs of those who were getting fed up by how quickly people were dying. Norh was also feeling some anxiety after seeing the other racers get killed in cold blood, and her worry only grew for Cobalt and Saya despite them being at the top of the leaderboards.
"That Teitsu knows damn well what he's doing, killing off the leaders of other clans and televising it. He's trying to flex his power as the head and instill fear." One man said nearby Norh.
After just a few minutes passed by, Cobalt arrived into the suburbs. At this point, his lead had shrunken much more than before he entered the beach; now he was aware of the presence of others that were closing in on him, but still about the equivalent of eight car lengths was Cobalt's lead. Seeing the houses and lawns he passed by with the families and friends sitting on the lawns in their chairs watching the race go by, Cobalt quickly turned his attention to the road ahead as he heard people cheering for the racers behind him that were slowly catching up. Saya picked up her pace and gained even more ground as she separated from the pack and closed in on the leading Cobalt. He knew that this would happen eventually since he'd been going at full pace from the very start and had never slowed down, exhausting himself after running for about twenty minutes. An entire lap around island could be be completed in at best two hours given the speed of the runner. This math was of course to be taken with a grain of salt since the racers would be cutting through the jungle instead of just taking the perimeter of the island, so they were due for detours. The segments also varied the time based on location. So, since they would cut through the island by taking the jungle and had parts in and around the city, the heavy time would be there while the earlier segments would be quick.
"It seems like Saya's catching up!" a servant of Teitsu said with excitement as he watched the monitor; Teitsu kept a straight face as he watched the determination burning in Saya's eyes. It was like her entire childhood was coming down to this single race.
Like a highlight reel, Saya could feel each of her footsteps slam against the pavement as the image before her of Cobalt slowly faded to sepia like a moment rewinding to the past where times seemed golden. The idol before her who she'd been trying to reach but couldn't ever live up to his potential. Her days of endless training and the false propaganda from her father-all for the sake in taking down Cobalt. As she followed behind his tracks, the beads of sweat poured down from her face as her eyes burned like cinder, already the flames of her determination had vanquished but instead were replaced by the rock-hard realization that in just a matter of moments...she'll overtake Cobalt. In more than just this single race, she'd overtake Cobalt in being the stronger warrior, the smarter person in terms of pacing, the junior who surpassed her senior, and of course, as the suitable leader and successor to the "throne" of the Tokugawa family. Wind plays with her bobbing hair as her running form polished, nearing Cobalt to the point that when she saw his shirtless figure perfectly, she could even hear his panting as he struggled to catch his breath. Looking over at him, her eyes narrowed and then trembled. Even now, she saw he was still determined to keep the lead despite visually losing his lead to her, he refused to take his eyes off the path ahead. He kept his gaze forward and tried his hardest to protect the lead.
H-he's not giving up…? She thought as she matched his pace, staring at him in disbelief; for some reason, now that she had caught up to him she saw firsthand just how intense he was. He looked like a man fully committed to seeing this through. "Cousin...Ao…?" she said as she balanced her breathing with her speech.
Cobalt's eyes kept forward, "I'm not surrendering this lead." he said as his feet picked up speed; Saya became confused by the sudden change in Cobalt's speed as he slowly gained ground with the big city coming into their sights. "I might be exhausted, but I'm not out! I'll keep this lead until the moment is right, meaning that nobody will be passing me." He turns around to show Saya the monstrous look in his eyes, "If you think you're on my level then I dare you. Try and pass me."
That was it. Cobalt extended his lead and made his way into the city, leaving Saya behind yet again to hold off the pack of racers who were also making up ground thanks to her lapse in concentration. As the race proceeded into the city, already the Kotari alliance was making good on their collaboration by sneakily taking down the guards at the different security posts and dressing up in their outfits to serve as their disguise. Most of the alliance members had done their stealth attacks in the jungle areas since there where the least foot traffic of spectators in that area, and the city thanks to the many dark and shady spots for a person to hide and plan their stealthy attack. The plan was rolling into place with many members of the Kotari alliance already in position to interfere with the event, and now the recon team led by Miyamoto had successfully infiltrated the arena. By taking the rear entrance where only authorized personnel were allowed, Miyamoto and his teams quickly took down both the guards manning the gates and quickly worked their way inside, disarming security cameras and incapacitating guards and faculty from left ot right, avoiding the sentries relaying an alert to the others. As Miyamoto and his recon men slithered their way into the arena and gave continuous updates, Simone's team was also making steady progress. Simone leads them through the jungle but makes sure to be cognizant of the noises they make, knowing there were still pockets of guards on patrol.
"Lori said most units were in place and the plan seems to be running smooth. Aloe-san, can you scan ahead for anyone?"
"Yes Simone-dono…" Aloe responded as she sprinted ahead and used the many trees above to her advantage.
"Ok, we're over an hour away from the arena. By the time we reach there the second phase of the selection will probably be underway. From what the others are saying, they're not done with the race yet, but the pace at which they're on to complete it is mind boggling and we'll probably have to hide our presence once they overtake us." Simone said as she led the crew of Squidcom and the others, who were all following close behind her.
"Do...you have...any word on...who is in the lead?" Reice asked, his sport-loving side showing; part of it was also because he wanted to know where Cobalt was.
Simone smugly smiled as she looked at the yellow haired boy, "He's in first." she said, explaining the details she heard from those watching. She informed them that from the start of the race, Cobalt has been in the lead and by a long shot-although there are some growing concerns since his lead nearly got lost when his cousin Saya caught up to him before he turned on the jets and continued trekking.
Air puffed from Reice's nose as he tried to contain his happiness-instead donning a serious expression while pumping his fist, "That's what I'm talking about, Cobalt!"
Some of the other members of Squidcom like Azule, Tangie, Violet, and Sally couldn't help but also have feelings of pride in hearing of Cobalt's lead. After all, Cobalt was their strongest member-tied with Azule in every attribute outside of competing in sporting events like turf wars. As they continued on their way, leaving the monumental volcano in the distance, elsewhere the Kotari alliance was ready to start their show. Kotari and her team were in the crowd, all dressed in enemy gear and were awaiting the arrival of the racers. Walking through the alley ways just behind the main street that'd be used by the race, Lori and her comrades stuffed the bodies of the unconscious men into dark spots that nobody would give a second glance to.
"...There, that should be the last of 'em." Lori said as she clapped her hands together to get the dust off her hands; in the background the cheers and jeers of the spectators could be heard as they hugged the railings in anticipation of the racers who'd be approaching soon.
"Amazing that they don't have any places set up for racers to get anything to drink…some of them must be exhausted." one samurai said with pity of the racers who were being treated like animals in this competition.
"No worries, the people competing are some of the most athletically gifted people in the region. Their bodies are trained to handle something as small as running the distance of an island." she said with a slight hint of sarcasm, aware that people were already dead.
One samurai stared down the dark alleyway into the light at the end where the people were, "Based on the course of action we've taken, I'm guessing that we'll be attacking them once they reach here?"
Lori didn't respond for a moment as she went into deep thought. The plan wasn't so inflexible and could be changed at any moment once the initial factors were met, and that was having the recon team and other teams infiltrate the arena and then have Simone get a crack at kicking Teitsu's teeth in. This was a wonderful opportunity to end the event right here and now by interfering and taking down all of the racers to create a distraction and further the advancement of other units. But at the same time, there was a flaw to proceeding with the ambush right then and there. If they took this route, they'd have to engage in combat against some of the strongest samurai and ninja in all Ikayumu, and on top of that they couldn't go back-security would know there was a breach and act accordingly to ensure Teitsu's safety. However, if the original plan was kept, then the ambush would take place when everyone was together in the arena-guerilla warfare.
"If we attack now, we possibly screw up our objective...if we wait later, we can surround them, and they'll have reduced number thanks to fatigue. There's also the risk of the innocent bystanders…" Lori thought aloud, still contemplating.
"Perhaps we could proceed to the jungle and keep tabs to ensure? Earlier, I heard from some people nearby that there will be a brief intermission." a ninja said.
"Should we attack during that intermission?" a samurai proposed.
"No, I have an idea…" Lori said as something came to mind.
Meanwhile over at Osuma arena, Miyamoto and company were making their way deeper into the arena and instead took to the vents to explore instead of risking being seen; as for the bodies, they disposed of them in locations that wouldn't be found until the mission was completed. As they continued their adventure in the ducts, Miyamoto receive an incoming call from Lori on his ear piece.
"What is it, Lori-dono."
"For the ambush, we attack them at the finals. The match just before the grand finals with Teitsu. We'll catch everyone by surprise and surround the arena. All hell will break loose and it'll be on live television."
Miyamoto's eyes twitched for a moment under his shiny lens, but after giving it a few seconds of thought with the constant questions of whether he liked her idea from her, sighing with exhaustion-he agreed to it, "I'll notify everyone of this change. Tell everyone in the city to retreat to the jungle and prepare to follow behind and infiltrate the arena. We'll keep watch and notify if they have any suspicions.
"Thank youuu~" she responded, then hanging up abruptly.
Miyamoto shook his head and massaged his forehead, his fellow team already could tell his irritation and preferred not to say anything. Indeed, Teitsu and the rest of the Tokugawa hadn't caught on to the ambush. While the Kotari alliance were making their moves to destroy the selection, Cobalt was destroying the race by disallowing anyone to pass him. He maintained his lead as he entered the city and was greeted by thunderous cheers and applause from the crowd as he passed by on the main street. The high-rise buildings were helpful in giving him shade from the blazing sun that sapped away his energy, but what also helped was that seeing the helped in easing his tense mind. Thanks to that cooling down on his heated brain, Cobalt was able to breathe better and cool his body down. If it wasn't for the constant motion, he'd be in a puddle of his own sweat. His pants weren't soaked, but his entire upper body and arms were drenched in perspiration. Going through this segment meant he was halfway done, with only the jungle and volcano left in his sights.
"I did it...I'll be advancing to the next round." Cobalt said to himself as he eased his speed.
