33 - Crown Game 3
[Interlude]
Anak Zahard smirked as Baam's team was dominated by the other district's group. She knew they would get crushed, and then she'd get the Black March.
Even if the other group stole the Black March, Anak and Baam's bet had been made part of the rules of the game, backed by a Ranker. She could just imagine the look on the face of that smug spooky eyed girl's face when the Ranker took it away.
Then the timer started counting down, and they made no move to take the crown while Baam continued to lie on the throne unconscious.
"What? Why aren't they taking the crown?!"
Androssi looked up to their window and gave Anak a little wave and a smirk.
"That…that bitch! She knows about the bet?!" Anak yelled, enraged. "She's trying to make me lose!"
"It's your own fault for making the bet like that, Anak," said Hatsu heatedly. He was already extremely angry about Anak forgoing the team's interest for her own objectives.
"No, this isn't fair! Test Administrator, let me back out there! They can't win the Crown like that, if they fall unconscious, they should be considered knocked out!" Anak shouted towards Lero Ro while banging on the window.
"Haven't you messed things up for us enough already?!" Hatsu shouted. "Accept your own failures and learn from them you brat!"
"Shut up!"
Meanwhile, Ship Leesoo was sweating buckets, saying nothing. His teammates were far stronger than he was and he had no intention of trying to get between them, or of going back out there.
'What the HELL was that? That girl is as strong as Anak, no, probably even stronger! She did all that WITHOUT an Ignition weapon, and while wearing freaking heels! And that guy, if that girl was telling the truth, that's a real monster! Killing 300 Regulars in one move? And he's not just a brute either, I can't see through him at all!'
"Ahem! I am pausing the round," Lero Ro's voice announced. The timer froze. "Listen carefully!"
"There shall be a change to the rules," Lero Ro's voice rang out. "While it is technically possible for a contestant to retain the crown and sit on the throne without being conscious, it would be against the spirit of this game to allow them to win, if all of their members have been clearly defeated. A team should win on their own merits. I cannot allow the test to be accused of corruption, therefore if Baam's team retains the crown by the end of the game despite being unable to fight, there shall be no winner of the Crown game."
"YES!" Anak cheered. "Take that, you little slut! The Black March will be MINE!"
Androssi looked outraged and almost ready to charge at Anak.
But then Lero Ro's voice continued. "However, due to a bet between two of the teams which I authorized earlier, another change is also necessary. The bet was such that if Baam's team won the Crown game, Baam would receive the Green April from Anak's team, while if they lost, Anak would receive the Black March from Baam's team. Androssi's team has taken the Black March but left the Crown alone with the intention of ensuring that Anak's team loses the bet so that they can keep the Black March themselves. Am I correct, Miss Androssi?"
"Yeah! We stole it fair and square!"
A number of other Regulars sweatdropped at the claim of stealing something fairly.
"Now, the bet was originally only between Anak's team and Baam's team. It would be unfair for me to give the Black March to Anak if Baam's team loses because of a change in the rules, but it would also be unfair for Anak to lose the Green April without a chance to fight back against a third party interfering in their bet instead of playing the Crown game normally. Therefore the final change I will make is this: Anak's team will be permitted to join the final round, but they will NOT be able to win the Crown game. They have already disqualified themselves earlier, and so they will only be allowed to compete for the sake of their bet, nothing more. The previous bet is still valid and will proceed normally. However, in the event that Baam's team retains the Crown without winning the Crown game, then whoever is in possession of the Black March at the end of the Crown game shall be allowed to keep it, regardless of the previous bet. As for the Green April, should Baam's team sit on the throne and be wearing the crown by the end of the game, then they will be considered to have won the bet even if they are not considered to have won the Crown game. Therefore, Miss Anak, you shall have a fair opportunity to protect your Green April, and Miss Androssi, you shall have a fair chance to keep the Black March. Now let's cont—"
"Wait, what happens if we decide to win the Crown game ourselves then? We only let Baam's team keep the crown because we thought you might take the Black March for the bet. But if we'll be allowed to keep it…"
"As I said, Miss Androssi, the new rules will only apply in the special case that Baam's team retains the Crown while unable to fight, winning their bet but still losing the game. If you win the Crown game for yourselves, the previous bet will apply, and the Black March will be given to Anak. While it is fair to use an opponent's weapon during the test itself, I cannot officially sanction blatant robbery. You will only be given the Black March if you assist Baam's team in winning their bet. Any more questions?"
"Hold on, don't we get a say in this?" Khun asked from his position lying on the ground. "Why should we hand over the Black March?"
"Well Mr. Khun, you can certainly refuse and let the previous bet proceed if that's what you really want. But if I forced them to return the Black March, that would mean that Miss Androssi's team will have no incentive to help you win the bet, and I imagine they would just take the Crown for themselves," said Lero Ro.
"Hell yea, we're not going to help you guys if we aren't getting anything out of it," Androssi added. "But if you agree to this deal, you can still win the Green April from that dumb lizard!"
"Fine! We agree," said Khun. Put that way, it was a pretty good trade. They could either lose without getting anything, or lose the Black March but get a weapon of comparable value to replace it. And it'd be easier to deal with Anak once she'd lost her Ignition weapon.
In fact, after he thought about it some more, it would even make sense to offer them another deal…
Anak clicked her tongue as she realized she wouldn't be getting an easy victory either. Now they'd have to fight the other team to stop Baam's team from winning the bet.
"Just be grateful you're getting a chance to fight at all," said Hatsu. "If we weren't allowed in, that other team would dominate for sure and you'd lose the Green April."
Then Lero Ro announced that the game was unpaused and the timer continued to count down towards the end of the fourth round.
"Huh? What is it?" Androssi asked, kneeling down when Khun gestured for her and her teammates to come closer.
"Listen, I'll make you guys a deal. Help us win the Crown game for real, and we'll also give you the Black March. You can't win the Crown game either way if you want the Black March, so why not help us out, and let us help fight in the next round? We'll even help you guys on the next floor, tell you what tests there are," Khun said in a very low voice.
"Eh…" Androssi looked over to the tall man in their group wearing a black visor. "Axion, this deal doesn't sound bad. But is it even possible for them to recover from your technique in time for the next round?"
"Sure. I wouldn't mind working with them either," said Axion.
"Then we have a deal?" Khun asked.
After that, the man touched each member of the downed team with a finger. Something tiny extended outwards from the finger and pricked their skin like a needle, injecting a cure. It wasn't long before they all woke up or got back up.
When Leesoo saw this, his expression fell further in despair.
"They're working together now! We don't stand a chance!" He cried out.
"Shut up! I'll defeat them all!" Anak exclaimed.
O O O
[Kaleidus]
The change in the rules was unexpected, but made little difference. Rachel and I weren't going to let Baam's team win and move up anyways, and even if Lero Ro hadn't changed the rules, Yu Han Sung probably would have done something to stop them from going up.
Now there was a chance for Androssi to keep the Black March though, so all in all, we benefited from the change.
Khun's offer made sense from a rational perspective, if we were normal contestants, though I didn't plan to follow through on it because we couldn't let them move up yet.
We made our way back to our own waiting room to wait for the next round once the timer signaled the end of the fourth. According to the rules, the teams which did not voluntarily forfeit before a round ended or get disqualified by being knocked out and/or losing the crown or throne could hit the buzzer again to join future rounds. We even had priority because we'd participated before, if multiple teams hit their buzzers simultaneously.
When the final round began, four teams plus Anak's team entered, bringing the total including Baam's team as the winners of the previous round to six teams.
The other three teams were new, but I didn't see anyone I recognized except our Guide, Hwaryun, in her mask and leotard.
Perhaps fate would give her that injury again, despite my efforts.
As soon as the round began, Anak made a mad dash for Baam.
Khun went to intercept.
Androssi got there faster.
"Ignite!" Anak's Green April whipped out and it decompressed a huge segment which crashed into Androssi.
She defended with the Black March but was still blown away. But she also sent out her discs to attack Anak, which forced her to grow additional sections from the Green April's hook.
A quarter of the arena was quickly covered by the Green April, and the team near her got hit and wiped out just like that.
Meanwhile, Hwaryun was also on the offensive, rapidly using martial arts and Shinsoo manipulation with her staff to take out another team all by herself.
Her abilities at this time were actually quite impressive compared to the other Regulars, able to fight on even footing with Androssi, at least when Androssi was playing around. I wasn't sure what her plan was though, now that Anak's team was also in here.
Androssi quickly recovered and charged Anak again, dodging all the Green April's spikes.
Their battle soon covered the whole arena in Green April segments, giving it the appearance of a forest .
Hatsu dashed for Baam while the two princesses were engaged in a furious melee.
Khun and Rak both intercepted him.
"Sword That Flies Higher Than Any!" Hatsu threw the sword into the air while drawing a second sword. The first sword kept Rak at bay while his second sword clashed with Khun's longsword.
"Sword That Flies Lower Than Any!" Hatsu swung hard and unleashed a blast wave into Khun.
"Shit!"
Khun was blown away. Then Rak was also blown away in short order.
"Ahh!" Leesoo was sent flying into Hatsu by Hwaryun.
Hatsu caught him and then faced the incoming masked Guide.
A deadly exchange followed, with Hwaryun expertly avoiding or blocking the strikes from both his swords.
"You're good!" Hatsu complimented. "But it won't be enough! Spectral Dance, First Strike!"
He entered into a new stance then slashed at Hwaryun, unleashing a wave of Shinsoo.
The Hwaryun dodged, but only barely. The attack went on to hit her teammates behind her, who had tried to join the fray.
It sliced through one of them, cutting his left arm off as he screamed, while the other was blown away by the sheer air pressure and sent into a wall, unconscious.
Rachel and I made our way to the throne unchallenged.
"…Rachel?" Baam tried to ask, but got ignored.
Hatsu and Hwaryun continued their battle, but they seemed evenly matched, neither able to get the drop on the other.
Androssi and Anak were similarly locked in battle. Androssi tripped on her heels and got hit by the Green April again, but she was durable enough that she simply bounced back.
"Hand over the Black March, bitch!" Anak yelled.
"Not on your life, you fake!"
Leesoo quietly made his way over towards the throne while the others were distracted.
I turned to look at him.
He jumped in fright. "Hiiieee!" While mid-air, he made a bunch of martial arts poses and kept moving towards us while posturing.
"You really want to face my deadly martial arts?! I bet you're nothing but a big bluff! 300 Regulars in one move…pshhh! If you're really that strong, why even resort to tricks and invisible attacks?"
I turned away, pretending to ignore him in favor of watching the other fights.
Leesoo circled around slowly while continuously posturing, but not actually getting any closer.
"What's wrong huh?! You scared of me? Hah! I knew it!"
Then Rak came up behind him and pummeled him into the ground.
"What a loud turtle."
Suddenly Hwaryun abandoned her fight and charged towards Baam.
Hatsu followed too, but he didn't look like he had any intent to stop her. Instead, he was coming right at me.
Of course, their team wanted Baam off the throne, so Hatsu had no reason to interfere with Hwaryun if she didn't pick a fight with him.
Khun and Rak went to protect Baam while I considered what to do next.
Hatsu was a surprisingly powerful opponent. That move of his, the Spectral Dance as he called it, looked like it could do some real damage to me. His greatest advantage was his swordsmanship right now, though. His actual speed, strength, and durability weren't as high as Androssi or Anak, he simply made up the difference with sheer skill.
The problem was that Hwaryun would most likely overpower Khun and Rak pretty quick, and I couldn't protect Rachel while engaging with Hatsu. Then Hwaryun would probably execute her plan to fake an attack on Rachel, provoking Baam to respond, baiting him off the throne and costing them the game.
That way, our conspiracy could proceed to the Position Test.
But I didn't want her to do that. I agreed to Khun's deal because I wanted a better chance of keeping the Black March. And unlike the hype that Androssi built up for me, I wasn't sure if we could defeat Anak and Hatsu by ourselves, so Khun and Rak's participation would be helpful.
Now if Hwaryun went through with that plan, Baam leaving the throne meant they would lose the bet, and we'd lose the Black March by extension. Not only that, Hwaryun herself would probably get blinded in one eye, reducing her combat potential in the future.
Even worse, it was entirely possible that by random chance, she wouldn't get blinded in one eye, but would actually receive a much worse injury. The eye was a part of the head after all, and all too close to the brain…
That would in turn make things far more dangerous for me. She and Yu Han Sung were the only things standing between me and the rest of FUG. If either one of them suffered a major setback, their influence within FUG would weaken, and I would be at risk of discovery and attempts to enslave or assassinate me for being an Irregular.
So if I did nothing, things might proceed as they did in canon, but it was far from ideal.
I wanted Hwaryun to not be maimed, to keep Baam from moving to the next floor, and keep the Black March, preferably all at once, or in that order of priority.
To achieve the optimal outcome, I needed to stop Hwaryun, protect Rachel, and ensure that none of Baam's team remained able to fight by the end of this round, while keeping Baam on the throne safe from Anak and Hatsu.
Quite a tall order.
O O O
[Interlude]
Axion drew his crystal sword almost silently.
Hatsu slowed down and adjusted his stance warily. He could not take this opponent lightly. The way the man fought before, Hatsu had barely had a chance to gauge his skill.
He hadn't shown any swordsmanship besides swinging his sword to unleash powerful Shinsoo attacks. But Hatsu had seen him crush the alligator Regular's weapon bare handed without any apparent effort whatsoever.
But he hadn't merely bent the metal spear or broken it into halves, he somehow crushed it into pieces. The awkward angle at which he had exerted force on the spear…it just didn't make sense.
Metal should have been compressed, not shattered like that. And Hatsu had a good eye for weapons, he knew that Rak's spear wasn't a hollow piece of junk, it was high quality gear.
The only explanation was that the man had used Shinsoo to do it. But being able to use concentrated Shinsoo in such a small space, without revealing any signs of it…that was far more dangerous than sheer strength.
It meant that a single touch from him could be lethal, if he used the same technique on the body.
Just like the invisible attack that Khun had suffered earlier, this was another bit of multi-layered deception.
At first glance, one might assume that the "real attack" was the hidden one. But when Hatsu thought about it carefully, that didn't make sense. Axion's "obvious" attack, what he'd called the Slash Wave technique, was too…obviously weak. If he really wanted to hide the "real" hidden attack, then he should have used a much stronger obvious attack to disguise it.
Instead, he seemed to deliberately bait people into realizing there was a "hidden" attack, while taking attention away from the fact that his "obvious" attack could be way stronger than he'd shown. Just like how he then defeated Baam with a much stronger technique.
In other words, someone who thought themselves clever might assume that Axion was using trickery to make up for the lack of true power, but in reality, he was using trickery to make people think that he needed to rely on trickery!
Even with the overwhelming power he had shown, this monster was actually trying to pretend to be weaker than he actually was!
Hatsu spared a glance over to the leotard wearing opponent he'd been fighting earlier. She was also quite strong, and seemed to be about to defeat Khun and Rak.
Good. All he would need to do is buy enough time for her to get to Baam and take the crown.
Then, the swordsman's face turned into one of confusion as Axion moved towards Baam, as if preparing to attack him.
"Mr-Mr. Axion?!" Baam cried in surprise as the armoured man approached.
"What are you doing?!" Khun yelled. "We had a deal!"
Hwaryun seized the moment of distraction and knocked Khun on the head, sending him into blissful unconsciousness.
Then Axion held his free hand out, and from his wrist a large cloud of hazy white gas shot at Baam, and continued to spray all over the throne.
"Ah…? What's…this?" Baam coughed a bit, then collapsed unconscious again.
Everybody stopped fighting to see what was going on.
"I advise you all to stay away from the throne," said Axion, crossing his arms and standing in front of the massive and expanding cloud of gas. "This gas is highly poisonous and will kill you slowly and painfully, unless you receive the antidote from me. Baam's team will be fine, but for the rest of you, even if you take the crown, you will die after this game."
Then he turned to look at the masked Regular. "And just so you know…you don't need to breathe it in to be affected. The gas can easily permeate through your clothes."
There was silence in the arena for a moment.
"Hah! You think that means anything? Did you forget I can attack everywhere from anywhere?!" Anak yelled and followed up blowing Androssi away with an explosion of vine-like hooks, then took aim at the throne with a single massive attack.
Axion was unfazed at the incoming decompressed hook and merely raised his sword.
"Boost, Sword Aura, Level Five."
"Awww yeah! You got it, Partner!" The sword shouted gleefully.
Blue glowing lines like circuitry started moving up the visible skin on his face. An intense golden light enshrouded the sword, and a similar glow covered the man himself.
He swung down at the Green April's extension.
A loud clang rang throughout the arena even as the ground gave way beneath Axion. His feet dug in and he was pushed back, but he managed to completely block the powerful Ignition weapon.
"What? How can you be blocking the Green April? It's an A-Rank weapon when Ignited!" Anak shouted in disbelief.
But Axion didn't stop there. He pressed forward and downwards, sweeping the Green April's branch aside.
"A weapon is only as strong as its wielder, little girl! You've got a powerful weapon, but you can only use a fraction of its true potential!" The living sword shouted with laughter.
Axion then shot towards Anak so fast Hatsu could barely track it. He had to be moving more than twice as fast Androssi or Anak, the two Regulars he had thought were the fastest contestants around!
Anak's eyes widened as she tried to bring up the Green April to defend, but it was too late.
"Release."
Axion reached Anak in the blink of an eye and swung.
When the sword made contact, energy spilled out in an arc and crashed into the princess, sending her flying into a wall, then breaking through it entirely out of the arena, while making a large smoking gouge in the ground.
The Green April clattered to the ground, losing its Ignition, as Anak had lost her grip on it.
Hatsu, like everyone else, merely stood frozen in shock.
Even Androssi looked somewhat stunned at the sight.
Axion picked up the Green April as the yellow glow left his body.
There was no sign of Anak coming back to stop him.
Axion turned around to face the other Regulars near the throne.
"How about you, then? Will you ignite for me, Green April?" He asked aloud.
"Wait, we surrender! We surrender!" Leesoo yelled out while running for the exit.
Hatsu swallowed hard, and he realized his hands were shaking. Even though he could've launched a ranged Shinsoo attack at the throne himself while Axion was busy with Anak, all that time, he had never even tried. The fear had paralyzed him.
He glanced around, seeing that unlike him, the leotard wearing Regular had taken the chance to knock out the huge alligator while everybody was distracted watching Axion.
What a shameful performance on his part, he thought. He raised his own hands in a gesture of surrender and quietly walked after Leesoo.
Axion shook his head as if disappointed.
"Are you still going to fight?" Axion asked the masked Regular whose staff floated behind her. "It looks like your teammates are already done."
True to his words, the other teammates she'd had were weak and had been easily taken out at some point during the chaotic battle.
Hwaryun didn't care about winning though. She only cared about the mission's objectives. Now that all of Baam's team had been knocked unconscious, they wouldn't qualify to advance to the next floor. The mission was complete.
"No. I concede." She took off her mask and let her long red hair fall out.
"Congratulations on a perfect victory, Mr. Axion," her voice was soft and barely audible as she walked past him with a slight smirk. "It was beyond my expectations."
O O O
A/N:
Arclight001: The spirits weren't angry, they simply demanded a higher price while on Worm, due to the environment. MC is feeding them because it makes them happy. He also can't really stop them from absorbing Shinsoo even if he wanted to.
FerunaLutelou: Trying to take over a weapon that has a spirit in it already probably won't end well. Especially with how Ignition weapons are made (the weapon is almost like a seal of sorts, the spirit is trapped inside to empower the weapon).
MasterKogha: You might need to scroll down a bit, but it's definitely there.