A/N: Hello, readers! Another chapter is here!
Enjoy!
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: DAY 3, PANDEMONIUM
Akame and Jiemma soon had a stare off with one another. "Twilight Phoenix..." Rufus muttered in disbelief.
"Akame...?" Sting questioned.
"You came here to pick a fight with Master?" Orga asked.
"That's suicidal!" Lector exclaimed.
"Fro thinks to, too..." Frosch agreed.
"Are you serious, kid?" Jiemma asked.
"Anybody who doesn't think of their comrades as comrades is on my list!" Akame replied.
"Is he talking about Yukino?" Rogue wondered.
"That's got nothin' to do with you! Who would storm in here over something like that?!" Sting asked himself.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but I suppose you've got your reasons." Jiemma said.
"You don't know what I'm talkin' about?!" Akame exclaimed in anger.
"Dobengal. Deal with him." Jiemma ordered.
"Yes, sir!" Dobengal replied, appearing next to Jiemma.
"You're avoiding me?" Akame accused.
"A guild soldier like you needs 100 more years of experience. If you want a shot at the top, you'll have to prove yourself. Show me what you can do." Jiemma said.
"Fight me!" Akame shouted, charging forward.
"You're not getting near the master!" Dobengal said, running up towards Akame. His arm extended and turned into a rainbow transparent magic, and he attacked Akame. "I, Dobengal, am not taking part in the Grand Magic Games," Dobengal appeared behind Akame. "but when it comes to skill, I'm just as strong as any of the participants here. I'm gonna show you the power of Sabertooth!"
Dobengal threw some smoke bombs as colorful smoke appeared. "A smokescreen, huh?" Akame said as Dobengal sent rays of light down and Akame dodges them.
"You don't know who you're messing with. You should withdrawl immediately. Get out!" Dobengal informed.
Akame dodges his oncoming attack. "Outta my way!" He ordered, punching Dobengal with a fist engulfed in red mist, knocking him out and sending him flying past Sting and into a door. Sting's eyes widened. "I don't got business with you, asshole!"
"I don't believe it..."
"Dobengal's down?!"
Frosch screamed in shock. "He's one of the top ten strongest wizards in our guild!" Lector exclaimed.
"Master, let me..." Sting started to say.
"Don't do a thing." Jiemma interrupted as Akame charged forward. "Kid, there aren't any like you in my guild. Amusing."
Akame threw his fist forward as Jiemma used his arms to block it. "Is that all... you've got?!" Jiemma challenged, his magic power sending Akame back a bit. His right leg got covered in red mist as he swung it at Jiemma's stomache, making Sting and Rogue watch in shock.
Akame then threw another punch at Jiemma's face as the rest of the guild watched. Akame then sent a wave of red mist at him and throwing multiple punches at him. All anyone could see was the red mist that came from it.
"Blood Dragon's..." Akame started to say. "Gale Force!"
He blasted a huge amount of red mist at Jiemma, causing an explosion to appear outside of the inn. Soon enough, the smoke was blasted away by Minerva who had used her Magic.
"Minerva!" Jiemma exclaimed.
"My lady!" Sting said.
"Shall we end this evening's entertainment here?" Minerva asked.
"Huh?"
"Minerva, I didn't ask you to step in..." Jiemma scolded.
"Of course, if this had continued, you would have won, Father." Minerva said.
"Father?" Akame repeated.
"However, the world cares about appearances. Even though this one came here and attacked you, if the master of Sabertooth annihilated a participant of the Grand Magic Games, it would cause difficulty for all of us." Minerva stated.
"I'll tell ya one thing... if anybody's gettin' wiped out, it's him!" Akame declared.
"My father has somewhat warmed to this battle, but cannot back down in front of his subordinates. What do you think? Will you allow us to save face?" Minerva questioned as she used her Magic and Chii appeared in her arms, tied up and crying. "If you do, I'll return this kitten to you unharmed."
Chii wailed in tears. "Chii!" Akame called out.
"I'm sorry, Akame!" Chii cried out.
"Dammit!" Akame cursed.
"You've incapacitated several of our people, but we're willing to overlook this incident. In exchange, I'm asking you to behave in a mature fashion." Minerva said, rubbing Chii's head as Akame gritted his teeth.
Minerva released Chii from her arms, who ran over towards her best friend. "Akame!" She shouted as Akame embraced her. "I'm sorry! They caught me at the entrance!"
"It's okay, Chii. It's my fault for leaving you behind." Akame reassured.
"Akame!"
Akame picked Chii up in his arms, facing away from Sabertooth. "Let's go."
Akame soon began walking towards the exit. "That kid's got grit." Jiemma commented.
"We'll settle this at the Grand Magic Games. To our hearts' content." Minerva declared, causing Akame to stop in his tracks.
"We ain't gonna lose to the likes of you. In fact, you won't be able to keep up with us." Akame turned around to face them. "If you call yourselves a guild, take care of your comrades. That's all I wanted to say."
Akame soon took his leave as Rogue watched him go. "Comrades... We don't have that kind of bond in our guild." He noted.
"Y-You're that strong, Akame Ketsu?!" Sting thought.
"Hey! I'm gonna compete tomorrow! I can't just let him get away with this carnage!" Orga claimed.
"You mean you're going to unleash the power of Black Lightning, right?" Rufus questioned.
"Certainly, this was rather one-sided carnage, but without something like this, we would've lost our spark." Minerva said. "Anyway, we need someone to replace Yukino. I think I'll get in on the fun."
"Huh? You fought Sabertooth?!" Hana exclaimed once Akame and Chii were back at their inn.
"Actually, I wanted to mix it up with 'em even more... Too bad it ended right when it was gettin' good." Akame replied.
"I'm sorry, Akame! It's my fault, for getting caught!" Chii apologized once again.
"What are you talking about?! We're lucky it ended the way it did!" Aly claimed.
"That's right! If one of their team members had been injured, we might've been disqualified!" Jim added on.
Akame stood up. "Come to think of it, that Minerva chick was sayin' something like that." He said.
"You are incredibly stupid!" Zack pointed a finger at him in anger. "Use your head a little!"
"Exactly!" Julian agreed. "Tell him off, Zack-san! Read him the riot act!"
Zack grabbed onto Akame's shirt. "If you were gonna take the fight to them, you should've invited me! It's not fair, you getting to have all the fun!" He exclaimed.
"You're missing the point!" Julian scolded.
"There's nothing admirable about getting payback in a fight outside the arena." Ezekiel informed.
"Tch! I just wanted to send a message to those blasted Twin Dragons. 'Next time, it'll be you who gets humiliated!'" Zack declared, pounding his fists together.
"Anyway, I'm not lettin' those assholes off the hook. A comrade's someone who's got your back and you got theirs..." Akame claimed.
"Being strict is one thing, but humiliating a girl and kicking her out, that's as low as you can go!" Aly said.
"That Yukino girl, even after being abused like that, she came to see me..." Hana trailed off.
"I wonder where she is now... I'm worried." Julian admitted.
"She did say she has nowhere to go..." Chii pointed out.
A flash of Yukino sobbing appeared in Akame's mind as he covered his fist in red mist. "Dammit! I'm still seething! I think I'll go back there an' fight some more!" He said.
"Alright! Count me in!" Zack stated.
"You can't do that!" Hana told the two.
"Can't you just settle it at the tournament?!" Jim added.
"Although now that you've riled up Sabertooth, from tomorrow on, they'll probably go even harder on us in the matches!" Aly said.
Ezekiel stepped out onto the balcony. "It doesn't matter which guild they're in, all wizards have their own feelings." He thought.
A pillow being slammed to his head pulled him out of his thoughts. "Move it!" Zack said.
"Let us go!" Akame added.
"Stop it, I said!" Hana argued, blocking the door.
"Listen, you two..." Ezekiel started to say before the pillow that Hana threw met his face, making everyone pause in their tracks.
The pillow slid down Ezekiel's face as his eyebrow twitched. He opened his eyes, sending them a glare. "Would you cut it out?!" He exclaimed.
"Yes, sir!"
"Hey, did you hear?"
"About last night, right?!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Apparently, somebody attacked Sabertooth's inn!"
"What kind of fool would pick a fight with Saber?!"
Two of the citizens laughed as Yukino overheard them. "Beats me!"
"Well, brawls happen outside the arena every year, right?"
"This is a festival, so they should take it public!"
The citizens continued to laugh as Yukino looked up at the stadium. "Akame-sama...?" She wondered.
"A guild that makes its family members cry ain't no guild at all!"
"Don't tell me he did it for..."
At the stadium...
Chapati appeared with a different colored wig. "We're at the halfway point in the Grand Magic Games. The beginning of the third day!" He announced.
"I wonder what kind of passionate dramas we'll see today?" Yajima said.
"Our guest today is Lahar-san, from the Magic Council." Chapati said.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Yajima questioned.
"Thank you for this opportunity." Lahar replied.
"Lahar-san, you're the Captain of the Enforcement and Detention Corps..." Chapati trailed off.
"Yes." Lahar nodded. "I won't stand for any shenanigans during the tournament."
The audience laughed. "That's the captain for you. He never forgets his duties." Chapati teased.
"I'm going to announce the competition for this, the third day of the Games! The name of the event... is Pandemonium!" Chapati said. "There will be one participant from each guild. Please choose your representative!"
"I'll do it! I gotta continue what I started last night!" Akame declared.
"You don't get to decide all by yourself!" Zack exclaimed.
"If it's a revenge match, I wanna do it, too!" Hana claimed.
"No. I haven't participated in anything yet. I'll go." Julian said with his arms crossed. "You going out there may only make things more complicated."
"I agree! Good luck, Julian-sama!" Hana cheered.
"Let me do it!" Akame exclaimed with his fist raised.
"Would you calm down?!" Zack told him.
Fairy Tail A had chosen Erza while Fairy Tail B picked Cana. "If Er-chan is gonna do this, let me go too, Kagura-chan!" Millianna said.
"I'll allow it." Kagura replied.
"I'm not gonna lose, Er-chan!" Millianna declared, rushing by Erza.
"Right!" Erza said.
"From Mermaid Heel, it looks like Millianna is taking the field!" Chapati announced as Millianna appeared on the Lacrima screen.
"That girl!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Millianna..." Natsu trailed off.
"She's the one who was wearing the hood. I didn't know she was in a guild." Gray said.
"Don't cause trouble in front of the Council, Obra." The man in the gold suit said in which Obra nodded.
"I'll be the rep for Blue Pegasus." Hibiki stated as the girls cheered.
Orga clenched his fist. "Like I said last night, I'm participating in this one. I'll use my Black Lightning to blast them all to smithereens." He said.
"Even though we don't know what kind of competition it's going to be?" Minerva asked.
Rufus chuckled. "Do what you want." He said.
"If the Blood Dragon isn't gonna be in it, I don't care what happens." Sting thought.
"Jura-san is going to do it?" Sherria questioned.
"On Obaba's orders, so we can't do anything about it." Lyon responded.
"My sock..." Toby cried out.
"Just buy a new one!" Yuka exclaimed.
"Count on me." Jura nodded.
"I'll go for B Team." Nero offered.
"Knock yourself out." Loji said.
"All of the participants have been selected!" Chapati announced as the participants began showing on screen. "From Sabertooth, Orga! From Lamia Scale, Jura! From Blue Pegasus, Hibiki! From Raven Tail, Obra! From Mermaid Heel, Millianna! From Quatro Puppy, Novali! From Fairy Tail A, Erza! From Fairy Tail B, Cana! From Twilight Phoenix A, Julian! From Twilight Phoenix B, Nero! These are our ten competitors!"
A Magic Circle soon appeared in the sky and a large castle appeared. "What is that?!" Erza wondered.
"Wow..." Millianna mumbled.
"Begin analysis." Hibiki started using his Archive as the castle suddenly landed.
"Pandemonium, a temple haunted by evil monsters!" Mato said.
"It's huge!" Cana exclaimed.
"Haunted by monsters, he says?" Jura repeated.
"That's the idea-kabo. There are 100 monsters inside this temple. That being said, they're actually magical manifestations that we created, so everyone can relax. There's no danger of you being attacked. The monsters are D, C, B, A, S! Those are the five levels of battle power the monsters are divided into. This is how it breaks down. Incidentally... if you're curious about just how strong the D-class monsters are..." Mato began.
The Lacrima screen showed up as a monster roared, freaking out the audience. "Ones like these and ones even stronger, 100 of them wandering around the temple... That's Pandemonium-kabo!" Mato said.
"Even though he says they're just magical manifestations, if you get attacked by them, you're hurt for real, right?" Riku questioned.
"Will Julian and Nero be okay?" Ajar asked.
"I'd like to think those two will be alright, but..." Atugia replied, trailing off.
"This is extreme. I mean, really extreme!" Aly commented.
"I do feel like they're going too far..." Master Harumi agreed.
"Please note that as the class of the monsters go up, their fighting strength increases exponentially. The S-class monster is so strong that there's no guarantee even one of the 10 Great Wizard Saints can defeat it-kabo." Mato informed, making Jura gulp. "In order, each of you will choose the number of monsters to battle. It's called your 'right to challenge'."
"Right to challenge?" Erza repeated.
"For example, if you choose three monsters, three of them will appear inside the temple. The person who choses them enters the temple alone. If the player successfully destroys them, he or she gets three points. The next player then has the right to challenge up to 97 of the remaining monsters. And so on and so on, until there are zero monsters left!" Mato explained. "Alternatively, if everyone runs out of magic power, the game is over at that point."
"It's like a counting game." Millianna commented.
"That's right! Assessing the situation when your turn comes around becomes important! However, as I mentioned before, the monsters are ranked. Whether the player uses their right to challenge one or five, the monsters appear randomly." Mato stated.
"In other words, you need a strategy to avoid running into the S-class monster, right?" Hibiki asked.
"If it's random, having a strategy like that won't do you any good." Orga informed.
"Not true. Between probability theory and my Archive, strategy will work to some extent." Hibiki stated.
"Irrespective of the monster's ranks, you'll get one point for each monster you destroy. Once you enter the temple, you can't exit until you've succeeded." Mato said.
"What happens if we go down while inside the temple?" Cana questioned.
"The number of point you've earned during your turn stays as is, but the number of destroys you've had that turn goes to zero, and you're out." Mato answered.
"So you can't get too greedy." Atugia hummed.
"But if you choose one monster, you'll fall behind with the others." Riku pointed out.
"This is surprisingly difficult." Ajar mumbled.
"Let's see what happens with Julian and Nero." Master Harumi said.
"Alright, let's decide on the order. Please draw your lots." Mato said.
"Number nine..." Nero muttered, looking at his stick.
"Oh? You're towards the end, too? I got number eight..." Julian stated.
"With this competition, I thought winning or losing all depended on the luck of the draw..." Erza said.
"Luck of the draw? I don't know about that... More than the order of the battle, pacing yourself and situational judgement are important in this game." Mato stated.
"No." Erza denied. "This isn't a game anymore."
Mato was left in confusion as Erza walked forward towards the castle. "All 100 will be my opponents!" She declared. "I exercise my right to challenge... 100!"
Everyone looked in shock while Natsu, Gray, and Ezekiel cackled.
"Well, that's Nee-chan for you." Ezekiel thinks to himself. "If I was her, I would've done the same thing."
A/N: Another chapter is completed!
Thanks for reading!
~ Kaleb.