Morax watched the screen with bloodshot eyes. Everyone else was resting due to the fact the first night took so many students unless they interfered, so she was the one who had to keep watch of the festival. No matter how many hours of sleep she may or may not have been forced to skip. After all, if Kalego noticed her increased dedication to the students, he may greet her with a smile and not think about that little harpy Inko Midoriya!
Speaking of which, Midoriya's mentor, Barbatos was tossing all around in a restless tussle. She looked the most stressed out of the teachers, and admittedly none of the other teachers or mentors looked particularly worried. That made sense, Midoriya had gone missing and hadn't been seen for nearly a day, the rest of his team had gone off the map as well.
Oh wait, there they are. The two came into a clearing with-is that the pot? "Shax and Oni have the pot!"
Barbatos and Robin woke up with a start. "Boo ya, bitches!" So crass. "My boy is halfway there already! OFA is going for the win!"
"Isn't he still missing?" Raim woke up with a yawn. "I'd hardly call that winning."
"Details, schmetails, he's probably conserving his strength, abiding his time, and once everyone's guard is down, BAM! He takes all those bastards out when they're at their weakest!" She didn't think the boy was that ruthless, then again he was trained by the pink haired archer after all. Maybe Morax should have lent a hand, impressed Kalego and picked up any dirt on the terrible mother.
"Well it's been two days, and the pot is out, should we be getting to the progress report?" Asked Dalton.
"You just want to cause chaos."
"Don't you?"
"Alright, assholes! Let's up the stakes! Ten thousand on One For All winning!" Barbatos shouted. "This time, even the other staff gets to vote as well!"
"I'll add ten thousand on my pupils taking the lead, once they conquer the pupils of Vespa." Mister Hat nodded.
"I'll put in five thousand on my little blossoms, seducing the little shrub and his team again." Raim winked playfully. "No one ever survives a second encounter."
"My pupils are going to have so many new coworkers to join them!" Furfur cried in laughter. "Twenty thousand on Barbatos's brat losing."
"Oh you wanna go bitch boy?" The crass woman growled.
"I'll add a thousand on Robin's team, I feel sorry for the guy." Dalton spoke, causing the teacher in question to smile.
"You lot are ridiculous." Kalego spoke from his corner of the room. "No matter what each student has done so far, each one has made it through the first half of the festival using every capability they've learned beforehand. Now's the time for an intermission announcement."
Right, the part of the festival where they announce everyone's point rankings for all to hear, to make it exceedingly harder for those in the lead, as well as single out those who are dead in the water.
Wald sat in the tree, safe from student and beast. He made sure to message both sides beforehand, this zone was the designated neutral territory. For this purpose was beyond any lone soldier.
He truly thought he could make it far, but clearly those were delusions of grandeur. Between the Icy Vixen, the Queen of Beasts and Empress Gaako, Overload of the New Koopa Empire, he was nothing more than a mere insect in comparison. What was his information good for when both sides could devour you in a second, the former commanding vicious monstrosity, and the latter herself being the vicious monstrosity.
But he did not despair, for his destiny did not lie in victory, it lied in wisdom that may be lost. He would be the bookkeeper, the tome carver, the one who took every note in this upcoming war, and tell it to future generations. He was in the Broadcast Battler after all.
Yes, he would watch the blood spill, and with it he would water the seed of knowledge! He would be a messiah into the age of peace!
"Ah, you sure you just want to watch the carnage?" Haruna, one of the New Koopa Empire's earliest residents, asked him from behind. "It's getting kind of brutal."
"Yes, for it is my true existence. I was so blind, information for myself!? What would I do with such a thing? No, I must spread it out to the world! The Netherworld must know of the sacrifices we've made! The blood, the tears, the comradery we've gained! We can't let something so sacred be lost to time!"
"I mean, I get it. That's why I'm asking Picero out once this is all over." The fool! She still thought of this as a game! There was no living past today for any of them! "I guess something like this could make a good novel. You could sell it for a decent coin to next year's batch of first years."
"This is no mere novel … this is the art of war reincarnated! Pure chaos, demons returned to origin! Nobody's getting out alive today! There's no one with enough empathy here to care about our pitiful lives to save us, neither insane enough to stop this calamity!"
"... Do you want me to bring you a pot of roast takoyaki?" He must resist the mortal temptation of his stomach! "I even managed to whip up some homemade Hellgrey tea."
He was saved from his reply as the sky answered for him. "All Students, the half time results have come in." Oh yeah, points were a thing, how could he have overlooked that amidst the chaos!? "In first place, with over twenty thousand points, Alice Asmodeus and Sabro Sabnock. Quickly followed by the Dorodoro brothers."
"Guess that makes sense. Asmodeus is powerful after all." Haruna just sort of shrugged. "Wow, after all this time, I can't believe he's gone down the rank for potential seduction for me." And the rank for newsworthiness, surely he would approach this great battle if he was actually as powerful as they say.
"In second with little over nineteen thousand points, Kerori Crocell and Kaumi Caim." Obviously. Their foes wouldn't be so formidable if they weren't at the top of the totem pole. "Tied with them at third place is Goemon Garp, Picero Andres, and 'Empress Gaako'. By Devi, you misfits never stop being foolish. Your stupidity has started to affect the other classes."
"So we really are at a standstill." Haruna muttered, looking up at the sky with him. Strange times bring out the strangest in people.
"Following up in fourth place is Koko Orobas with fifteen thousand." Weird, he really should've been at third by now, even with everything going on. How else could he keep up his perfect streak of being second best? He'd do his cult proud if he did.
"Fifth place with ten thousand is Clara Valac and Elizabetta are the passing grades."
"Did you ever think before now that it would be the Misfit Class setting the standard for success in Bablys? So crazy, yet they're just so cool." Haruna tilted her. "When did that start happening?"
"I believe it was when they acquired the Royal One.'' He paused. "No, it was Izuku Midoriya. Ever since coming to this school the man has unleashed a wave of insanity, the type that drives someone to the brink, and then over some more. He's causing a wave of evolution." His next tome should be dedicated to the boy.
"Right, really should've seduced him when I had the chance. I would've too, if it wasn't for the rookie hunt." Haruna huffed. "Weird not hearing his name among the top spots. Is he not trying to rank up this time around?"
"Do I really have to do this?" The announcer paused. "Fine. Before I continue, here's the word from our sponsor." Since when was the Harvest Festival Sponsored?
Niro looked in confusion. "Last year we didn't have a sponsor. What changed this time?" He asked the group.
"Probably had to pay a lot of money to take our master out of the battle field." Ah, Ichiro had a point.
"No, no, no, no, no!" Asmodeus started freaking out from out of nowhere. "This is what she meant!? No, keep your business far away from my school life, you vile woman!"
"What who meant?" Sabnock asked with a head tilt. "It can't be worse than master right?" They still had the gall to insult Furfur!?
"Far worse! Much, much worse, something that will end all of our sanities in the blink of an eye, and soon, my life will be reduced to shambles. Hurry, if we move fast enough we can destroy every speaker!"
"Have you ever felt stressed? Tired of your day, need a break from your angry boss, lover not giving you any action?" Huh? This sounded more provocative than he expected.
"She's started! It's too late! We're doomed! Doomed I say!" Asmodeus shouted.
"Get a hold of thouself, Rival number two!" Sabnock slapped the man. "What doth thou mean we're doomed!?"
"That soul sucking harpy is proclaiming her prostituion for all of Babyls to hear! We'll all lose innocence just by listening to her horrid voice!"
"I think she sounds pretty hot." Niro shrugged.
"Evil cycle on the rise? Wicked Phase in full bloom? Then head on over to Eden. Heaven's little garden planted right here in Hell~!" Two screams overtook the forest.
"Weird, sounds like Andro and Allocer …" Sabnock muttered. Whoever they were, they had no taste, Eden was the best whenever the Master took them there.
"Very soon, featuring Incubus as well as our lovely Succubus."
"Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it…" Asmodues repeated, banging his head over and over against a tree.
"What's your problem? Having something against Succubi and Incubi?" Ichiro wondered. "I took you for a jerk, but not a douche, well, a major one at least."
"Very soon we'll open the Alice room, named after my favorite son. Can't wait for you to try it out for yourself, my sweet cotton candy." Asmodeus began to gently cry. Suddenly, everything became clear.
"There there." All three of them spoke in usion, awkwardly patting the boy on the back.
"My life is over. I'm done. I'm dead. I don't want to live on this planet anymore."
"Look at the bright side." Niro spoke with a bit of a high voice.
"Oh pray tell what possible bright side is there?" He glared at them.
"You'll have a place to celebrate with your companions after the Festival if you win." Ichiro threw out.
"... This is the most I've wanted to kill you since we've met." Oh, so now they succeeded.
"Thank you, and have a pleasant day."
Kalego sighed as the ad played out, waiting a few seconds to clear any awkwardness in the air. "Why did we allow her to advertise a brothel to our students again?"
"She single handedly paid for every staff member's bonus in exchange for running it." Dalton shrugged. Of course. It would go nicely with his increased salary.
"Yes, at the expense of even more of our very few brain cells." Morax spoke. "Seriously, after Walter Park I need as many as I can spare. I don't get how you all deal with it daily."
"Honestly, it wasn't that much different from our time at school." Shichirou shrugged. Yes, Babyls was a very chaotic school back then, barely anything was actually taught and cheating ran rampant. Also Opera was his nightmare, so there was that.
"My tripled salary isn't enough to deal with this." There was one more thing he had to do. He walked up and grabbed the mike. "There is also someone, dead last. Who has disappeared from our monitors and hasn't been seen for a long while now. If he can hear this, don't be a moron. That's all I have to say."
"Aww, Kalego is playing favorites!" Robin shouted into the mike. Looks like another day to murder.
"Don't be idiotic, you fool!" He grabbed the little man by the face and threw him out of the tent. "This student is naive, foolhardy, reckless, and most of all, has very little care for his own safety. Sadly, he is also the most motivated student I've ever seen. He has lofty ambitions, but if he wants even an inkling of a chance of achieving them, he must place first."
"Because whoever wins the Harvest Festival earns the title of the Young King." Dalton explained. "Essentially, they become a candidate for the Demon King!"
"Exactly, which means he's going for a reckless and suicidal path in order to achieve it." He growled, and turned off the mic before noticing someone approaching. "You two can have your chaos, I need to speak with someone." He walked over to the student council president. "What is it, Azazel?"
"I believe Koko Orobas is collaborating with someone outside of the school." It wasn't anything involving his own students...for the moment at least.
Lied puffed as they walked. "That last one … nearly got me." Gogo chess poker was a tough game indeed, but he surpassed that djinn.
"How can you complain about that? Izu is in danger!" Eiko shook him wildly, hardly looking winded at all.
"The man is a walking tank with every Misfit Power, he'll survive." Lied complained.
"Didn't you listen to every word that he's said to us before we split up! He's split each bloodline in the class for combos, so he only has six! And you saw what Omniscient did to him! Do you really think he's safe!?"
"The Tool Arms work, he probably has others that aren't nearly as bad." Seriously, Izuku would be fine. Now they need to meet up before-
"Oh, one more thing. It seems the students known as Eiko Oni and Lied Shax have obtained the pot of ending!" The voice of Stolas-sensei gave them away.
"What, why!? Why tell people that!?" He screamed
"Because this school is hell, and they want to make us suffer." Eiko groaned, once again her madness making her accept their terrible reality a lot more easily. "Well, it's like Izu says. When your backs are against a wall, you have to give it more than you're all, even if it looks impossible."
"Despite the fact it isn't an actually an ingredient, it's worth a whopping twenty thousand points." Oh, so at the very least they had a backup to fall on. That was nice-WAIT A MINUTE!
"Now we have a high quality cash grab!" He shouted, before immediately covering his own mouth.
"Yeah, we have an automatic grade passing item that leads to an automatic win item." Eiko looked a whole lot less confident. "Well, Robin-sensei did say feeling like you're about to die is when you're at your strongest."
"The reason why is the pot is one part of a super rare and high value point object, the Legendary Leaf!" Dalton spoke giddily.
"Alright now they're just laying it on thick." She grumbled. "Ah, Plus Ultra?" She weakly waved her fist.
"Eiko, we have literally every student chasing us. Plus Ultra might, and I say MIGHT, work on Kerori and that beast army. But do you think it'll work on every misfit compared to two non combatants?"
"Right, good point." Eiko cupped her chin. "Well, there's only one thing we can do here." She tackled him. "Give me the pot! I need to secure it for Izu!"
"Take it!" He shoved it onto her.
"... That was way too easy." Of course it was, now she was the target of every student!
