A tempest of boos and cheers rang in the arena all around them. Ryo, who was well received by the crowd, and Zeno, who appeared before them without warning. Chants echoed throughout the place, shouting Viper's name as if doing so would summon her onto the ring. Zeno, and even Ryo, ignored them all.
"Zeno," Ryo spoke. Zeno postured himself even straighter than he already was at the sound of his commanding tone, "Where is Viper?"
He shook his head and said, "Gone."
It was then; the announcer spoke to Zeno, "If I may have both contenders' attention—this match is to be between Ryoku and Viper. I am sorry, Zeno, but I will have to ask you to leave the arena."
The boos from the crowd rang louder in agreement with the announcer. But Zeno didn't move an inch.
Ryo then spoke in response to it all, "If I may interject."—he turned around to face where the announcer and Daz were—"Seems the situation is a bit more complicated than that…"
When he said this, Daz understood immediately and nodded to the announcer to resume the match.
"A-Are you sure, sire?" the announcer asked, barely audible as he tried to mute himself for all to hear.
Daz confirmed, and the announcer proceeded to introduce Zeno. But before he could, Zeno spoke up instead, "Valley!" His voice was just as commanding as Ryo's, "I know to your eyes my presence is not welcome here. You all wished to see Viper of the Golden Roses instead of me. I understand that. But she had something come up last minute that needed her immediate attention. Because of this, I took it upon myself to sub in her place so that we may not further delay. It probably was not my right, but for the sake of the Tournament, I am here before you. I hope you will come to accept me, even if it is for but a moment."
His red and blue eyes gleamed, and Ryo felt his conviction. Though the shouts and boos still rang, they were not as deafening as earlier.
Ryo's smile blazed across his face, and his yellow eyes flashed to his friend before him.
"Very well. I accept your challenge, Zeno!" Ryo shouted with a profound presence.
"Now, let us choose the stage for our performers!" the announcer said, summoning the dice on the field. "The battleground where our contenders will fight is—"
The dice appeared between them and rolled.
And the number it landed on was…
"Face two! The Jungle!!"
Transforming once more into its desired state, the place grew into a sub-climate area with vast greens, vines, and overgrown trees that seemed to warp in different directions.
The jungle area was so dense that a mage had to summon twice as many drone birds that flew within and whose eyes projected back the battle onto the floating screens around the whole arena.
The place echoed the sound of the wild even with no visible animals. While the two Vice Captains stood in the center of it across from each other, waiting patiently with unwavering stances.
And just like that—"Alright folks, your fighters are ready and the battlefield is set! So, without further ado,"—their eyes flashed—"let the match between the Vice Captains of the Crimson Dragons and the Purple Panthers commence!!"
Without hesitation, the two opened with incantation spells,
"Firebolt Magic—"
"Shadowsteel Magic—"
A blaze of red lightning and fire engulfed the area around Ryo, and multiple purple sigils appeared in the air behind Zeno.
"—Blazing Hydra Tempest!"
"—Ashen Black Prison!"
A series of spells went off simultaneously. From Ryo, a horde of flaming Hydras emerged from the lightning fire around him and charged at Zeno. While Zeno's black steel pillars emerged from the purple pentagrams and met each one of the hydras where they were.
They collided endlessly as smoke emitted after each strike.
Right then, Ryo's Blazing Hydras multiplied. From each of the heads that crashed with the Ashen pillars, more emerged from them, raining a larger horde onto Zeno.
He let them arrive as they charged him; eyes wide and arms spread as if he welcomed the wave. He flexed his hands and a multitude of Ashen pillars shrouded his view along with the sky. They crash-landed onto the black wall of pillars one after the other, and then Zeno chanted, "Pierce!" And the wall of black pillars shot out layers of spikes that stabbed each of the Hydras.
But it wasn't done there.
From each of the Hydras necks, those same black spikes shot out from them trailing back to where Ryo was standing. When he saw this, he jumped backward in the air so as to avoid the trail, hands still locked in his hand sign.
Right then, black spikes swelled from his legs all the way up to his arms—the trail seeming to lead to his clasped hands. Before the spikes shot out, he released his hand sign, and the black spikes flared out from both his hands like a contained, black explosion.
I see… smart move, Zeno. Ryo thought as he landed on a large root of a massive tree, burning the black spikes that had protruded out from him all the while.
The sparks from his Hydras rained in the air as they met each other's glares.
"I know your ability well, Zeno," Ryo said, pausing to think before he spoke again, "And not too long ago, I faced an enemy who had similar abilities."
Zeno smirked, "I know your ability well, too, Ryo… However, I don't know if I should take that last part as a compliment… or a warning," he replied, more like a threat than a mere statement.
"A warning," Ryo said with a solemn expression. "If either of us is going to win, we will have to do something that the other has never seen."
"I agree…" Zeno said with ominous calm; his hands and arms extending out from his sides. "I'm often absent from the Valley. There is much I have not shown you, my friend. Which means…"—from his hands, his Shadowsteel formed two blades, both of different make and with what looked like a chain that connected them both to the shadows—"there are many ways for me to win this battle."
Zeno bolted to the side; he was but a blur to Ryo when he moved. The black chains that connected the blades began to extend, like he was continuously pulling them out from the ether. In response, Ryo drew a large claymore from his magic item pouch around his waist and tossed it like a boomerang at the chains—but it passed through as if they were truly made of shadow.
He then quickly made a move toward the blade, but Zeno had met him halfway in the air, twirling with twin strikes. Ryo twirled as well, appearing to expose himself more to receive it but he grabbed another hilt from his pouch and used the momentum to swing back and block the attack.
In a blink, the sound of blades clashing rang out for mere seconds before they recoiled away from each other. The awaiting of their feet to touch either root or land was the only rest that allowed the audience to keep up with them, because once they did, they dashed off in a flash once again.
Ryo grabbed the claymore he threw and swung it to the opposite side of the other blade, crossing them around himself as he ran effortlessly through the thick, green terrain, and Zeno's black chains flooded the jungle.
They met again at the center—Ryo ready for a cross slash and Zeno looking like he was about to do the same, but once Ryo swung, Zeno stepped into a shadow and sank below with his cross slash proceeding toward Ryo's legs.
He leaped into a front flip and extended both claymores outwardly—one to catch the land and the other to ready a counteract. Zeno in turn submerged fully in his shadow and disappeared, avoiding it just barely.
The last thing Ryo saw were his red-blue eyes staring emptily at him, and then the sound of clinking followed shortly after. But it was too late when he realized.
Ryo whipped his head around and saw the black chains had become thick. Like a massive titan already seconds from its grasp on him, it wrapped him unendingly—the sound of the chains wringing out.
He used his claymores like walls between him and the chains before they settled, giving him room to move, though only barely. He then thudded onto the ground with the chains retracting back into the shadows and purple sigils from every angle.
Then from a random section of the jungle, Zeno emerged from those same sigils out from his shadow with already a hand sign ready, chanting,
"Shadowsteel Magic: Black Tower."
From the sky, a massive purple sigil manifested, humming like it were some airship. And through it a towering black pillar emerged—falling as a meteor does.
Ryo said nothing as he watched it, and instead of shock or fear, he smiled and said, "Such battle prowess—and what a spell! You truly have grown strong, Zeno!"
As he said this, he burst into a roaring blue flame so bright that it made Zeno squint. "By the Keeper…" he said. "Five years, and I've only heard the rumors"—his hair and clothes fluttered just as the winding trees did in Ryo's presence—"that you have mastered Mana Fusion. And here I stand, getting the chance to witness it firsthand!"
Seeping out from Ryo now were blue flames and lightning, like he was forcing the two elements to split at his will. His aura consumed him as he became the blue flame and his two blades took on the form of each: one of sparking electricity and the other of scorching fire.
The intensity burned Zeno's black chains that seemed to not be physical materialization.
Zeno's Shadowsteel magic was of the Elemental Summon sub-type category. Meaning with the assistance of sigil creation, he is able to summon the mixed element of Shadowsteel in any form he chooses. This meant he could control the consistency of his inherit element in either physical or spiritual form—whichever helped him gain the advantage in battle. His black chains, for example, take on a spiritual form, allowing it to phase through anything physical regardless if it is infused with mana or not while still being able to make contact with anything that has natural mana emanation, like mana fields or mages—in this case, Ryo.
"Amazing," he said as he marveled him. "To burn something that does not physically exist… that is next level, my friend!"
Ryo's eyes and hair had begun to glow and burn blue with the sparks of lightning cracking the land around him. Zeno's black chains burned away into the ether all the while.
When Ryo was at last free, he floated gracefully onto the ground and chanted,
"Firebolt Magic: Mana Fusion: Zeus and Hades Tempest."
His aura flooded the air, becoming something one can see in the form of harnessed fire and lightning.
All who witnessed him were in awe at his presence. The same as the Desert Kingdom to Belle, it was like the Valley citizens were now in the presence of a god.
Above him, the black tower continued on its course down while Zeno disappeared through his sigils once again. He looked upward in a drawn out way to the falling tower and crouched for but a moment before bolting at the speed of light—the sound like that of cracking thunder.
To those keen enough to see, Ryo had flown up with a trail of burning lightning directly toward the Black Tower with both Zeus and Hades ready to swing.
The impact was like that of colliding asteroids as the tower shattered into a cascade of massive pieces, raining debris down onto their jungle trenches. Some pieces had even flown out and crashed onto the inner barrier, rippling as they did.
And Ryo remained in the sky with his arms and blades spread out like seraphim wings.
Then from below, a black mass emerged from the shadows on the ground. What appeared to be a black knight came into everyone's view. Like sleek metal forged from some ashen realm, he made his presence onto the battlefield with an eye each that glowed red and blue.
"But I'm afraid," his voice had taken a metallic tone as he spoke, and everyone listened. "You aren't the only one who can perform Mana Fusion."
When he had fully surfaced, Zeno chanted with an extended arm and outreached hand,
"Shadowsteel Magic: Mana Fusion: Black Arcane Knight!"
Like his subordinate, Wilren, and his Iron Arcane Knight form, he took on a form inspired by his captain. However, unlike his subordinate, his was the closest resemblance to Captain Tubolt's Dark Arcane Knight. If anything, not only did it resemble the Mana Fusion, it was like its twin.
A harsh clang rang as what he had grasped on his extended hand was that of a large, black blade made of none other than Shadowsteel.
The ground cracked when he readied and the sparks of his purple lightning-like aura pulsed in competition to Ryo's own.
Their auras clashed from where they were and the air had gotten heavy. Falling debris had halted midway as the arena became a new type of battlefield—like a storm in the jungle.
"Know this, Zeno," Ryo said; his voice was almost ethereal. "Whichever of us is the victor in this match… I will be happy no matter the outcome."
"That's good to know," Zeno replied. "Now I'll feel less bad for striking a friend with everything I have!"
When he twisted his wrist, his large blade blazed an intense purple aura that even merely holding it over the terrain where he stood made the ground crack and crater.
Both men readied themselves in their supreme forms, and the crowd could only wince to see, lest they go blind from watching carelessly.
When they moved, the colosseum felt as if it had rotated. Like two gods playing a carefree game and the Valley was their stage.
They charged and their auras burst past each other, forcing their way through with everything as collateral at their wake. Trees exploded, debris disintegrated, and the arena erupted at their nearing—nothing was spared.
Then as if forcing their way through an impenetrable mountain, their blades at last clashed with the help of a powerful spell—to each their own,
"Firebolt Magic—"
Shadowsteel Magic—"
The intensity in their eyes rivaled as they finalized their incantations. The Valley—from the crowd privileged to witness this match and those who watched from wherever they were in the jurisdiction—were all invested immaculately. It was a sight to behold.
"Titans Clash!"
"Ashen Hellstrike!"
A storm of fire, lightning, shadow, and steel surged within the barriers. Once again, Daz and his mages were at the ready—their barriers thickening, like clockwork, as Ryo and Zeno's overpowered strikes made impact. Though Daz had anticipated as such, the immense power of the two were just a notch above the density of his spell—so he reinforced his Nullifying barrier with another. "Just in case." He said as he cast it without a second thought.
As they locked in a devastating push of power, the sound of shattering echoed from one of the blades—and it was Zeno's.
I see…
He watched in awe through his helm as one of his most powerful spells had been bested. Though with considerable effort, in his eyes, it seemed as if he had failed miserably.
I suppose I am further behind than I had hoped… in both battle and— Zeno thought as the world seemed to slow and whiten out to him. He thought of Belle at this time and the way she looked into the distance of the night—the night he had confessed—and he could only imagine what she was looking at… who she was looking at. He thought of Greed for a blink of a second as Zeus and Hades completed their route to his core. And still… I can't help but smile as well. Good game, Ryo… Greed…
A loud explosion sounded off from the strike as the crowd witnessed a cyclone of flame and electricity. Within it, the silhouette of Zeno pierced the light, and just as quickly he crash-landed onto the arena wall near the first row. Although three barriers guarded the crowd, they quickly fled their seats from that section as a loud crash and clouds of dust marked his arrival.
Once again, a moment was given to let the smoke clear and allow the fallen a chance to stand back up and resume the match.
Seconds passed, and Zeno was finally visible through the smoke. He lay in a crater with his head lowered from the crash. Ryo eagerly watched, already sensing that his friend was okay and not seriously injured. However, if he did not get up soon, the announcer would call it.
When his face finally showed, he was just barely conscious…
Ryo landed, still in his Mana Fusion form with an unreadable expression. When he locked eyes with Zeno's tired ones, he merely nodded and rotated his head slowly upward until it was stopped by some rubble from behind.
It was then; the announcer shuffled to his mic and announced, "And the winner of the third match of the second round is—Ryoku of the Crimson Dragons!!"
The crowd went wild like they had never been—their applause shaking the arena.
Ryo undid his Mana Fusion and stood there with eyes closed for a second before opening them and smiling as he had said he would. All the while, Zeno had a tired smile on his face as the Valley cheered for their pride, their heart, their hero, and one of his closest friends.
As Ryo began to make his way over to his friend to help him, a breeze from behind along with the presence of others had appeared before Zeno as soon as the match was called.
When he saw this, the look of confusion now seeped through his once pleasant smile.
All around Zeno now were Daz's mages pointing their hands at him, sigils formed and spells ready to cast if necessary…
Then, from behind Ryo, a man effortlessly walked past him without detection as another mage walked along with him, flicking a finger and immediately bonded Zeno's seemingly unconscious body.
"What is the meaning of this, Alphonzo?" Ryo asked frantically.
Alphonzo didn't even face him when he grimly said—as if ignoring his question,
"Thank you for wearing down our primary suspect, Ryoku… we will take it from here."