★76
THIRD POV
MATCH 105
The two stood facing each other, but Scarlet's gaze was to the floor, and his eyes were closed.
Toshiro held his sword radiated cold, mist curling around its edge. His body shimmered with layers of reinforced ice plating his chest, shoulders, and limbs. With a glare, he drew a deep breath, frost flaring from his nostrils.
Across him stood the Scarlet King tall, unmoving. No aura, no magic, just the presence of a silent, suffocating pressure.
'I don't want to shatter his billion pieces of broken heart, but this will end in less than a minute. Thirty seconds, to be precise. If only I was as cruel as Eto... Speaking of the devil, he's laughing already.'
Shinn glanced in Eto's direction but didn't interfere.
'Well, tomorrow, his favourite student might be kicked out.'
"Give it your all. Fight."
The least he can do is motivation the losing side.
'I'll definitely lose, but I'll try.'
Toshiro didn't wait. With a battle cry, he lunged, sword wreathed in a cyclone of ice arcs, striking with every ounce of strength and precision.
The ground beneath him froze with each step, and shards of ice spiralled around his strikes like daggers. His blade was a blur of slashes and bursts of elemental ice, aiming for vital points.
Scarlet King didn't move. The ice arcs reached him, and vanished, evaporating before they could touch his skin.
Then he moved, its time to climb the table.
As Toshiro raised his blade for the final overhead strike, Scarlet stepped in, closing the distance like a ghost. His fist cocked back.
A single punch. No flames, no magic, just raw, terrifying force. Toshiro's armour shattered instantly. The impact rippled through his body, and his sword dropped from his hand, eyes wide in shock. He simply collapsed.
The crowd didn't cheer. They didn't even breathe. The coliseum was a graveyard for a moment before someone approached Toshiro like a ghost, a female elf following them. It was Elaine. The medics were afraid to approach the arena with a demon like Scarlet still occupying the space.
A medic rushed in only to stop, checking his pulse, but there was none.
"His heart—it stopped."
She notified.
"Winner: Scarlet King"
Shinn announced, and the demon vanished without a word. Toshiro was resurrected and healed before walking out of the stage.
"Hmm, as expected of the Demon Lord's Butler. Even with heavy restrictions, all he needed was a punch."
Hinata said. Asteri was speechless. All he did was shrugged his shoulders, smiling.
"No demonic magic, no wasted effort, just pure dominance. At this rate, he's no different from the stars you are forbidden to participate in."
Towa spoke, feeling pity towards those who faced Scarlet and those whom he'll dominate.
"It's too late now. If he wins, then no problem."
"He won't. Now that we have Raiden, I doubt he'll lose."
Hinata picked her as the probable winner.
"What about you ladies, who do you think will win? Just pick one person."
"At this rate, I fear that Scarlet King will easily emerge victorious."
Mikasa answered.
"Well, Scarlet is surely a beast, but Tokito will manage to take care of him tomorrow. And if he does, the likes of Raiden can't stop him."
Elafria added.
"I'd like to choose Scarlet, but Mikasa took him for herself. I'll take Majo."
Towa answered.
"Well, it's obvious I'll choose Scarlet King since he's my butler and guardian."
"Well, I'll choose Masashi and Seiji. How about that? You guys picked the strong ones, so it won't be a problem if I pick two people."
Mikasa added. Nobody objected, so it's decided.
"I wonder what the winner will get from the losers."
Hinata murmured.
"A dare. How about it?"
Asteri suggested, and they all nodded.
"No problem."
"It's decided. You should get prepared, for I won't ask for a kids' game."
Atlas approached the centre of the arena, amplifying his voice before announcing.
"This marks the end for the seventh day of the Star Tournament. Tomorrow, we'll begin the quarter final, which means the matches will be nothing compared to what we had today. The tournament brackets will be updated soon enough. Do well to check it out, and don't forget to book your seat for tomorrow.
Thank you all for attending this in person as well as those watching on the other side. We'll see you all tomorrow."
To be continued...