The Genesis Tournament

The elevator was taking Toko and Keitaro down to the ground floor, giving them an even clearer view of this new world on the way.

“Keitaro, what happened!? W-where are we!?” Toko desperately asked.

“I don’t know! Not Tokyo! Or at least not our Tokyo.”

“H-how is that even possible?”

Keitaro grunted and rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t know… It’s like we somehow ended up in another world…” But as soon as he said those last words, something inside him clicked. His confusion and anxiety was replaced with excitement. His prayers had been answered.

With a ding, the elevator stopped and opened, revealing the lobby. However, waiting for them at the entrance were two people, a man and a woman. They were both tall, attractive, and looked like heroes of Japanese legend reborn in modern day.

“Lord Keitaro! Lady Toko!” The man said as he approached them. Kneeling, he continued, “It’s an honor to finally meet you.”

“Yes.” The woman had joined him. “We feared you may not show.”

“L-lady!?” Toko could barely handle being referred to in such a manner.

However, all Keitaro wanted were answers. “Hold on, hold on, can you first explain where we are?”

“Of course, my lord. Follow me.” The man said as he stood up and walked out of the building. “This is Tokyo, but not the one you knew. This Tokyo is only one district in a much greater city known as Kosma.”

“Kosma? What’s Kosma?”

“All in time, but first, you have somewhere to be.” The man walked to the street, opening the door of a limousine that almost seemed to appear out of nowhere. “Please, get in.”

With a sigh, Keitaro complied, entering the limousine with Toko not far behind and the man and woman entering afterwards.

The limousine started driving. Keitaro looked out the window. This was still Tokyo in some form. It was a bit more exciting, neon signs, bigger buildings, fancier architecture, but it was Tokyo.

“U-um, e-excuse me…” Toko squeaked. “W-who are you two? A-and how do you know us?”

“Of course, my apologies.” The man began. “My name is Musashi Miyamoto. I am Lord Keitaro’s bodyguard.”

“And my name is Tomoe Gozen. I am your bodyguard Lady Toko.”

“You’re our bodyguards?” Keitaro asked. “And what’s up with those names?”

“That’s right. It is our duty to protect you two.” Tomoe answered, ignoring the second question.

Keitaro sighed. Not much of an Isekai adventure so far. This place was just plain weird. “Protect us from what exactly? Why were we even brought here?”

“That…” Musashi looked away solemnly. “That is not for us to say…”

A heavy air was left after those words.

The limousine remained silent until it slowly came to stop.

“We have arrived,” Musashi said as he got out, holding the door open for Keitaro and Toko.

As the siblings exited, they stopped dead in their tracks. Before them was a massive palace unlike anything they had ever seen. It was an amalgam of different architectural styles. Gothic, Chinese, even Islamic elements were present. The entire building was black and felt like staring directly into the abyss.

“What’s that?” Keitaro looked over at Musashi.

“That is the Black Palace. My apologies, but you will have to enter alone.”

“What!?”

“Lord Keitaro, please.” Tomoe had gotten out too. “I promise that all your questions will be answered in there.” She gave him a light smile. “All right?”

Keitaro winced. He looked back at the Black Palace. It seemed like the kind of place a demon lord would hang out, but he hadn’t much of a choice. “All right…”

Alone, the two siblings walked up the steps and entered the building. Walking through a dimly lit, sparsely decorated hall, they eventually arrived in what seemed to be a throne room. They weren’t alone, however. Twenty people were already there, and they all looked to be foreigners.

The first to notice their arrival was a white guy wearing a jean jacket. “Look, two more!” He looked back over his shoulder. “I reckon they’re Japanese.”

Toko cowered behind Keitaro as the strangers’ eyes bored into them.

Walking closer, Keitaro asked, “Does anybody know what we’re doing here?”

The same guy threw up his hands. “Your guess is as good as any of ours.”

“Finally, you’re all here.” A mysterious voice reverberated through the room. Everybody looked around frantically, trying to find who said it.

“I thought the Japanese were supposed to be punctual, but you and Toko took FOREVER.”

This time, Keitaro could tell it came from right behind him. He whipped around and saw what looked to be a young child. The child’s gender and even race couldn’t be clearly discerned, and they had a kind of halo above their head.

The entire crowd stared in shock at the child, unsure of what to make of them.

“Aw, don’t give me that look.“ They pretended to pout. “You’re making me sad.”

After a short silence, the guy who greeted Toko and Keitaro cautiously approached. “Um, who are you?”

The child smirked. “Jack, right? My apologies, I’m still new to this overseeing business.” Wings sprouted from their back and started silently flapping, gracefully bringing them into the air. “My name isn’t important, but for simplicity, just call me Nulla.” They gestured wide. “This world you have all been brought to is known as Kosma. Here, you will all compete in pairs in a game known as the Genesis Tournament, and whoever comes out on top will sit there.” They turned and pointed at the throne.

“The Genesis Tournament? What the hell are you talking about?” The guy apparently named Jack spoke up.

Nulla shrugged their shoulders then smirked. “You Americans can be quite rude sometimes… But anyway, you are all very lucky boys and girls. Each of you have been chosen as representatives of your great nations. See, Kosma isn’t just a city, it’s many cities. New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Istanbul, Moscow, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, and Rio. Each of you will rule your own respective city.” He sat down in midair. “You will then be required to defeat your opponents and acquire their Core.”

“Core?” A blonde young man stepped forward. “What are you talking about?”

“Ah, thank you for reminding me, Klaus. Germans always have such attention to detail. Your Core is the source of your power in this world. They’re already a part of you. Here, see for yourself.” Nulla held up their hand, causing everyone’s chest to glow.

Everyone scrambled to check, the men being much less shy about it, but each revealed the same thing. Embedded in their chest was a smooth crystal with each pair having a unique color.

Keitaro and Toko’s Core was black. Tapping his, it produced a sound that was somehow both dull and sharp.

The young woman whose Core glowed light blue was having a breakdown and trying to pry it out with her fingers.

“Careful there, Sylvie.” Nulla flew right up beside her. “If it comes out, you die.”

Sylvie jumped back with a scream and fell to the ground.

Flying back up, Null continued, “Those Cores are more important than your heart here. They mark your status as Knights and Maidens. As Knights and Maidens, you will lead your city and fight for it. Only a Knight or Maiden can take a Core, so you will be forced to fight and kill each other eventually. Whichever pair gets every Core will be the winner of the Genesis Tournament, giving them the right to Kosma’s throne and the great power that comes with it.”

“Hold on, hold on! Is this a battle royale!?” Keitaro cried out.

“Hm? Oh, I see!” Nulla clapped their hands. “Ah, yes, I suppose it is!”

With that fact becoming crystal clear, the air became heavy. The room was silent and each person stiffened up and looked around, sizing up their opponents.

Awkwardly, Nulla looked away. “Anyway, it is what it is, right? Don’t worry, the game won’t start ‘til tomorrow. So why don’t you all head home and get some rest? I think I covered everything.”

People still had questions, but they weren’t really in the mood to ask them.

In Keitaro’s case, he had been hoping for an Isekai adventure, but if he had known that by going to Tokyo Tower he would be putting his sister’s life on the line, he would have never gone.