At this time, the third match of the second round had commenced.
When he entered the stage, his presence was long-awaited. The audience sprang to their feet and roared and cheered the most they had at any one of these contenders' entrances. He was pure. He was the pride and the heart of the Valley. As his silver armored boot hit the ground, it carried a weight that only a man of his caliber had the right to carry.
"In this corner we have a man who not only landed a spot with one of our more prestigious Guilds, but within five years, he rose through the ranks next to Captain. His Captain claims that even this man is stronger than himself. His strength and respectable attitude have garnered much attention not only from the people of the Valley but also from the Arcane King himself. Arcane King Daz has even deemed him the third strongest mage of the Valley!" The crowd's cheers grew immense. "The red that glows from their poncho represents the blood of the Valley, and through it runs the might of a dragon! Ladies and gentlemen… please help me welcome onto the ring—your pride, your heart—1st Vice Captain of the Crimson Dragon Knights… Ryoku!!!"
Nothing in this moment could compete with the audience's applause. Their ovation and appreciation toward him were undeniable. He was a clear favorite that perhaps more than half of the Valley wanted to win this Tournament. Because they missed his first match due to the 'secret tournament' in the Warriors' Keep, his match was one of the most anticipated.
It didn't even matter who his opponent was; they just wanted to witness him.
He stood proudly once he reached the center of the arena and waved a meek, silver-clad hand to the audience. Eyes closed, and with a humble smile.
Next, his opponent was introduced.
"And in this corner, we have yet another contender whose position rivals that of Ryoku. This mage is not only skilled in stealth but is also one of the Vice Captains of the Valley's number one Guild… She has made a name for herself in the shadows with the symbol of her Guild logo glowing on her back. Not many have witnessed her battle style in person, so it is an honor for us to have her here to display her strengths to you all! If you will help me welcome the 3rd Vice Captain of the Golden Rose Knights—Viper!!!"
The crowd cheered wildly for her as well. Even though she was not in the spotlight as much as Belle, Lance, and even Love, the people of the Valley still knew her name. She was a different presence among them. Even her moniker was different than theirs: 'the Princess of the Valley'—Belle, 'the Knight of the Desert'—Lance, 'the Desert Rose'—Love. Viper's was 'the Empire's Shadow.'
As the crowd's cheering continued, everyone was awaiting her arrival through the hallway opposite Ryoku.
Seconds passed… but she had not yet arrived.
Ryo glowered into the darkness of the hall. Sensing that something was off.
As the crowd's cheers died down, their mutters and chatter grew. More seconds passed… and then minutes… she had still not arrived.
Even the announcer became anxious as he repeated, "Uh…" He cleared his throat. "3rd Vice Captain of the Golden Rose Knights—Viper!!" He shouted her name once more in an awkward, drawn-out way toward the end. But the hallway where she should have entered remained silent.
And then the sounds of footsteps entered. Then a silhouette… but when the sunlight hit them, the crowd uttered in shock. Even Ryo's face took on another expression as he saw the person before him now…
***
**Moments earlier**
"And your next contenders for the third match of the second round are… Ryoku of the Crimson Dragons and Viper of the Golden Roses!" the announcer said.
Within the Warriors' Keep, the two mages' eyes darted to each other. It was a look of both respect and rivalry. After the Arcane King had told them all to focus on the Tournament, the tension in the room was a lot lighter than it had been when the last batch of individuals had vanished. Minus the vanishings in the colosseum above, Love of the Golden Roses, Zeke of the Crimson Dragons, and Polaris of the Forest Kingdom had been the last to disappear within the Keep.
As the two mages made their way to their designated halls, Viper spoke out to Ryo, "Guess we have no choice but to give the Valley citizens a good show, don't we?"
"Absolutely. It is our duty as knights." Ryo replied.
Viper chuckled, unsurprised by his response. "Should have seen that coming from 'the Heart of the Valley'… you never cease to disappoint, Ryoku. Hope you'll keep a girl on her toes out there…" she said a bit too coquettishly with a wink to him, to which he gave her a nervous smile and recalled the time he had fought Kiki, and she had said something suggestive. But perhaps he was just thinking too much into it.
It was moments like this where he wished he could switch places with Greed instead.
How do I always get stuck fighting insinuating women? he thought. That nervous smile still whipped across his face as Viper blinked at him with those inviting multicolored eyes.
"May we give it our all!" was all he said.
Viper snickered, and then they went their separate ways.
Greed:
As we all watched from the screens, Ryo had just made his entrance with the roaring admiration of the crowd.
"That's our Ryo!" Rex said.
"Typical reaction. I expected nothing less." Snow said next.
I looked at them both as I stood behind with a calm expression on my face.
Glancing over my shoulder, I looked to the couch where Jo and Nash remained, both out cold from their battles. Nyx had been watching them since.
"They did well… considering." Henza said to me.
I glared at him.
"Come now… we can at least banter, can we not? We're on the same side after all," he responded to my silence.
"For now," I responded. "And what do you mean by considering?"
"Considering they both had the honor and privilege of fighting two Captain-level opponents."
I raised a brow at him and then closed my eyes. "Tell me something I don't know."
I turned around and threw my hands in my pockets, proceeding to walk away, and then Henza replied, "Okay. Well, your friend Zeno is gone."
I stopped where I was and looked back at him. "Did he—"
"Vanish?" he finished my sentence, "Not sure. I was hoping you'd help me figure that out. You five are close after all…"
All the while, the announcer was introducing Viper into the ring, but she didn't seem to arrive. Henza and I watched anticipatively at the screen.
***
Back up top, the crowd and Ryo watched in awe as the mysterious character entered the hall where Viper was supposed to appear. Ryo's face was that of confusion and pleasant surprise all at once.
As this individual entered the ring, the sounds of footsteps echoed in the air at a slow pace. Long. Drawn out. Each second was like countless minutes passing as the character made it out into the light at last.
Then, reflecting the sun's rays, reddish-purple hair shone out from the shadows. Standing at six-foot-one and with both red and blue in each eye, refusing to blend. His blue and gold robe was heavily tattered, resembling a poncho like Ryo's. Open down the middle, a tone core and body exposed was all that was underneath it. He wore gold armbands on each bicep and bandages on his forearms, wrists, and hands. His pants were dark blue and baggy, cuffed just above his ankles, with bandages below, finished with canvas espadrilles.
He appeared as a surprise to the crowd but he was known as well; perhaps not at the level as Ryo, but his name was uttered nonetheless by the announcer, "Folks, looks like the one who entered the ring is not Viper, but instead…"—every eye was on him now as he casually made his way in the arena—"Zeno of the Purple Panther Knights!!"
A mix of shouts and boos entered in afterward. The audience had expected to see Viper, but she was nowhere to be found. Though he was also from a prestigious, higher-ranking Guild and was a Vice Captain to bat, because of Zeno's absence record, he was not exactly as renowned as Ryo, Rex, or Snow. He even lacked the respect of his subordinates, even though he was well deserving of the title. As it was, his name was not as well-received; and appearing randomly like this didn't help his reputation any further.
People only care what they can see, and because he was mostly in the background and shadows, in terms of popularity, he might as well have been on even ground as the Black Wolves.
His red and blue tempest eyes focused solely on Ryo as he said, "I know it was supposed to be Viper here facing you, my friend, however…" The wind blew and their hair fluttered as they both readied themselves to fight.
"With the way this tournament is going, I just did not know who would vanish next. I at least wanted a chance to face you before I am next."