The Tournament Of Champions! (Part 2)

"Female Referee #1: Let the match begin!"
"Female Commentator #1: And with that ladies and gentlemen, the first match of the Tournament of Champions begin!!"

(With the bell ringing three times, first to attack was Azaki with his Mercury Creation allowing him to bombard Ruked with a rain of silver bullets as Ruked's Hellfire Aura allowed him immunity to any form of liquid attacks momentarily as Azaki's Mercury halted, surrounding Ruked entirely as he never expected an open field attempt to close the distance of escape.)

"Azaki: I'll finish this in one attack, METALLIC HELLZONE!"

(With the clench of his fist, the bullets of Mercury speeds towards Ruked, allowing him to incinerate as much Mercury as his aura could but in the process suffered minimal damage as the poison within the Mercury was enough to syphon him of his Hellfire energy.)

"Ruked: Tch..!"
"Female Commentator #1: Ooohh! What a brutal attack! Yotsu's Metallic Hellzone is a poison deathtrap! But will it truly be enough to finish off Ruked after evading many of his metallic bullets?!"
"Azaki: I gotta say, you're quick on your feet, for a dog that is!"
"Ruked: Is all you got is insults? The sooner this fight's over with, the sooner I can advance in this tournament. Trashing me with insults will only make your death come quicker, Yotsu."
"Azaki: Such a bold bark, but can the dog bite back with it's fangs?!"

(With Azaki generating more Mercury out of his own mana, he'd craft a double-headed sword created out of Mercury to charge at Ruked for one on one weapon combat. With Ruked spinning his Bident with two fingers, he'd then take one step backward and blocks Azaki's incoming attack, allowing him to land a direct hit with the back of his bident into Azaki's stomach, taking the separation as an advantage to swing the Bident with it's flames igniting and casts a massive firewall onto Azaki, creating a devastating explosion of red hot flames eroding the entire battle stage as the fans remained unharmed and cheers loudly for the massive attack.)

"Female Commentator #1: OH WOW!! RUKED COUNTERS WITH FLAMES OF SUCH SCORCHING HEAT, LANDING A DIRECT HIT ONTO THE STUNNED AZAKI!"
"Royal King #1: Goodness me, such a heat I've never felt before!"
"Prince #1: Well father, Ruked is a Hellhound after all. This is probably your first time seeing one fight up close."
"Princess #2: For a Beast, he's rather cute..."

(With Ruked purposely then dissolving his own fire, the debris of smoke would build up as Azaki was protected by a sphere of Mercury unscathed but used a lot of mana as he was cockily sneering at Ruked which confused him for a moment before realizing his vision was getting blurry while feeling nausea.)

"Ruked (Thinking): ...! Shit.. I've messed up bad. I should've realized his Mercury was potent enough to poison me earlier. After using that firewall attack, I've ended up turning the field into a cloud of vapor. If I don't act carefully, I'll be killed before I even ascend to the first round..."
"Azaki: Pretty dumb move of yours, don't you think? Finally, the advantage belongs to me!"

(With Azaki taking advantage of the vapor surrounding the weakening Ruked, more bullet-like attacks with Mercury continued to back Ruked into one of the four corners of the ring while Ruked was actually coming up with a comeback plan.)

"Azaki: Why are you backing into a corner, coward?! All you can do is block now?! Have another bullet!"

(With Azaki firing a Mercury bullet to pierce into Ruked's shoulder, he'd flinch at the pain but refused to fall.)

"Azaki: How about two more?!"

(With another two bullets fired, Ruked then clenches his fist and punches the ground, revealing the entire area of the ring surrounded by explosive landmines, shocking Azaki on why he was backing up.)

"Ruked: Heh. Checkmate, Human."

(With Ruked controlling each explosion, Azaki was seen rolling out of the explosion as Ruked immediately flashsteps behind Azaki, relying on his high speed to confuse Azaki as he's now taken damage. As Azaki attempts to attack back with his Mercury sword, the collision of Ruked's Bident and Azaki's Mercury blade would create clashing sounds of steel as Ruked's quickness with the Bident has scared even Azaki into realizing he's underestimated him.)

"Ruked: You're backing into a corner, human! Quit being a coward!"
"Azaki: Shut your damn mouth!!"

(With Azaki falling for the bait, he'd trip over his own foot, allowing Ruked to build enough muscle within a few moments to land a thunderous punch to the gut, indenting his fist directly into Azaki while he spits out a heavy amount of saliva, straining his eyes enough for the color to change from white to red as he staggers on his feet, backing away from Ruked.)

"Azaki (Pained): AA-AAGGGHH...!! W-WHAT.. T-THE.. HELL ARE YOU, MUTT..?!"
"Ruked: I am Ruked, and I am your final chance to concede.. Or I will roast you alive in this very ring."
"Azaki: ..T-The.. toxins from.. my Mercury..! How.. are you still b-breathing..?!"
"Ruked: Don't get it mistaken, I can't use fire against pure Mercury. But that doesn't excuse me from using my secondary abilities."
"Azaki: S-Secondary abilities..?!"

(Ruked would flash step across the ring, teleporting left and right but was really jumping from corner to corner as many fans were familiar with this attack setup.)

"Female Commentator #1: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, RUKED HAS BEGUN THE PREPARATION TO HIS FINISHING ATTACK! WHAT WILL AZAKI DO TO COUNTER THIS?!"

(With Azaki panicking and firing numerous Mercury bullets in hopes to catch, each bullet that missed would only intrigue Ruked to close in further, teleporting around the ring faster than his eyes could keep up.)

"Azaki: No..! STAY BACK! STAY BACK!!"
"Ruked: You've poisoned me for the final time, human. Now I end this match."

(With Ruked entering his peak speed, Azaki would scream out of desperation and creates a Mercury shield before exploding it into high speed pellets as Ruked was then nowhere to be found around the ring.)

"Azaki: ...Heh... It worked.."
"Ruked: Try looking up."

(With the entire stadium nearly blinded by a burning light, it was revealed to be a Supernova fully dwarfed to match the size of the stadium but potent enough to even destroy a moon. As Azaki attempted to back away out of fear, he'd back into a wall as the teleporting Ruked performed has trapped in a engraved star made of fire as the toxins from the flames began to even sicken Azaki to one knee.)

"Ruked: I will be graceful and allow you one final chance. Concede. Or die."
"Female Commentator #1: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE'RE ACTUALLY SEEING IT IN FRONT OF OUR EYES! ITS THE FEARED FINISHING ATTACK KNOWN TO HAVE EVEN FORCED HADES INTO SUBMISSION, THE SUPERNOVA FROM HELL!"

(With the crowd roaring for Ruked to take the chance and kill Azaki, Azaki would have faith in his Mercury abilities to counter the attack and once again turn the fight over into his favor.)

"Azaki: YOU CAN BURN IN HELL, I'LL NEVER QUIT-"

(With no further intention on keeping him alive, Ruked points down onto the ground, commanding the Supernova to flatten and eradicate Azaki, body and all into nothing but cinders. With Azaki's last ditch effort was a Mercury barrage of retracting beams, the heat of the fire would burn through the Mercury as Azaki's final war cry would be drowned out by the roaring flames of Ruked's Hellfire as the explosion of the Supernova obliterates the surrounding ring and by a miracle, has left the armored referee unscathed as she examines for any remains of Azaki. With nothing left, she'd then call the match.)

"Female Referee #1: THE MATCH IS OVER BY FATALITY! RUKED IS YOUR WINNER!"

(With Azaki's name erased from the North tournament bracket in the Qualifiers, Ruked has advanced to the First Round, his next opponent for next week confirmed to be Rakuzora whom is one of the top seeds of the tournament. As the referee activates her primary ability, Reconstruction, she'd rebuild the ring in seconds as this gave the next fighters enough time to prepare and fans a break from the melee they have witnessed.)

"Female Commentator #1: What a phenomenal Qualifiers Match! Ruked was up against a tricky opponent but has overpowered the Mercury Assailant himself! Don't start leaving yet folks, more Qualifier Matches are coming soon!"

(With a fifteen minute intermission shown on the jumbotron of the stadium, Ruked was being congratulated by his future tournament opponents as Rakuzora stepped forward to congratulate Ruked himself with his Beastly Kings clan.)

"Rakuzora: HAHAHAAAA! RUKED! I have never seen such power from you since the Tower of Combat! You are going to be a REAL treat this tournament!"
"Ruked: I look forward to our duel, Rakuzora. I will do whatever I must with everything I have to defeat you."
"Rakuzora: RAAAHAHAHAAAA!! AND I WILL DO THE VERY SAME, UNTIL NEXT WEEK RUKED! WE SHALL SEE WHO IS STRONGER! HAAAA-HAHAHAAAAA!!"

(With the Beastly Kings joining Rakuzora in laughter, Ruked at last makes it back to the waiting rooms moments later only to find Yinlong meditating deeply before his first match in the Southern Bracket, facing off against a Vampire.)

"Yinlong: Ruked, congratulations on your victory."
"Ruked: Thank you, Yinlong. Admittedly, I'm a little annoyed. I kind of wanted to have another fight with you, we never got our chance in the Tower of Combat."
"Yinlong: You're right. Someday, we will have our full one on one battle."
"Ruked: When we do, don't think I won't throw my Supernova onto you."

(Yinlong would chuckle and open his left eye, staring at Ruked then says with a bold side eye:)

"Yinlong: We'll see if your Hellfire can survive my arsenal of swords."
"???: My my, it seems my eyes are not fooling me, it's a fire mutt and a monkey, what a sickening sight for my own eyes dare I say."

(Approaching the two would be Trirae as Yinlong despised him greatly but Ruked paid no attention to his insults.)

"Ruked: Trirae. I didn't expect you to be in the same Northern Bracket as well."
"Trirae: I'm afraid to tell you this, but this very bracket is mines for the taking, that we all know very well."
"Ruked: Are you positive on that? Knowing Deuliox will be your incoming challenge?"
"Trirae: Haa-haa-haa!! The moment I have that Guardian begging for his life, the entire Realmverse shall know that I, Trirae, the Realm Conqueror himself has bested the STRONGEST Player in all of Worldly Conquest!"
"Yinlong: Please. Its not like you fought him."
"Trirae: Oh? Did the simian open his big-lipped mouth? Finally you do have something to say."
"Yinlong: Deuliox is horrifyingly powerful. During the Tower of Combat, I had no choice but to fight until I was killed. If you let yourself lose track of him once, the match is already decided."
"Ruked: ..."
"Yinlong: You Trirae, may be a Conqueror, but how can a Conqueror talk a big game about a feat he hasn't conquered?"
"Trirae: GAH- W-WHY YOU.. YOU INSOLENT LITTLE-"

(With the bells then ringing on the outside, the next match for the Northern Bracket was about to begin momentarily.)

"Male Ring Announcer #1: Ladies and Gentlemen, in just a few moments, the next match shall begin! All bets that has been placed will be locked and cannot be changed!"

(As Trirae then cackled at Yinlong's negative comment, he'd then clench his fist and flexes his muscles for himself to see.)

"Trirae: I'll show that even a pitiful monkey like you stand no chance against true power. Mark my words..."

(With Trirae then confidently walking off, Ruked would then part ways with Yinlong for now. Yinlong would return to his meditation as he awaited his match. As Yinlong then silences the noises around him and outside, he'd return deep into his mind, his consciousness currently in an impasse with his former identity... Sinner.)

"Yinlong (Conscience): ...Why are you trying to reawaken?! I can't let the people know who I originally was..!"

(Yinlong's conscience would be talking to a sealed off door, but audibly enough would be Sinner's voice, more deeply mature sounding yet was just as blunt with his words as Yinlong is.)

"Sinner: Heh. I have my own reasons to why I crave freedom, just like you have reasons why you're in this tournament. You know you can't win against the strong, without me that is."
"Yinlong: You're wrong. I can use my own way, I can win fights and become much stronger without the devil that's been calling to me...!"
"Sinner: The devil? You boldly call me a devil yet you simply forgot why you even exist?! You chose the name Yinlong to escape me, to escape the very devil who came close to completing the damn game... Until those assholes screwed me over and left me and Nerata for dead! You've refused to come back for a year, I was left stranded in limbo, nowhere to go. Up or down, I could never know. Until I was then reincarnated by YOU!"
"Yinlong: I never asked for you to be reincarnated and I sure as hell don't remembering wanting you around, as I look further and further back on my past, you were the worst kind of villain to ever exist! I refuse to ever become a villain, again...!"
"Sinner: ..You are the biggest hypocrite in the entire Realmverse."
"Yinlong: What are you talking about...?"
"Sinner: Did you really forget or are you so dense for a Human? In the Tower of Combat, you've chosen to single handedly attempt to kill Solar Magician but was warned. Fast forwarding to the Royal Gathering, you've killed both a Militia Captain AND Solar Magician then declared war on the entire Militia!"
"Yinlong: I-.. I just-"
"Sinner: Believe what you wish, it's written in history. Including the feat that you've killed an Admiral too, but do you know how you were able to be given such power?"
"Yinlong: It was the power I had and intent to fight."

(Sinner would then laugh as if it was the funniest response he's ever heard.)

"Sinner: No. Think deeper, Yinlong. Your thirst for revenge? Your reasoning why you've come so far on your vengeance quest? Its all ME."
"Yinlong: ..W-What..?"
"Sinner: Let this be a cold reminder, Yinlong. You may have control of MY original body, but as long as I exist and I remain a part of you, I can control you to do MY bidding and you'd never realize, it would be as if you've done it yourself!
"Yinlong: ...You lie..! You lie! YOU LIE!"

"Sinner: Who's the one who choose to go to university and let his friends DIE?! Who's responsible for the entire Commoner Realm being swallowed up by the Counsel of Origin?! That.. Was all, your fault. Me? All I want with my original body is revenge on my ex-clan members, regardless who comes after me and I wouldn't show any remorse for their death if it's by my hands. But the second you die, Yinlong? I will be grateful for your death for I can reclaim what is mine and take the power you've given to me time and time again. Be thankful, I am even allowing you to continue living your life. But when we reach the climax of my long quest to annihilate my ex-clan members, I will be taking my body back... Unless if you prefer to live, you'll be a good dog for me and continue to carry out my wishes. Or refuse and I'll gladly flatline you within seconds, take my body back and obliterate all these people within the arena, leaving you as the most dangerous threat alive and not even your friends will save you."

(With Yinlong attempting to cover his ears, ignoring everything Sinner says, the goodness within him was beginning to feel poisoned knowing Sinner was right, Yinlong was being controlled and his acts of "heroism" were actually acts of "villainy".)

"Yinlong: SHUT UP! SHUT UP!!! I'M A HERO, NOT A VILLAIN, I DON'T WANT TO BE A VILLAIN! I WANT TO RUIN LIVES-"

(Yinlong would cover his mouth as he attempted to speak the opposite of what he said but was reversed with more negativity.)

"Yinlong: I HATE SAVING LIVES! I DESPISE MY OWN RACE! HUMANS ARE PATHETIC MORTAL SCUM!"
"Sinner: It seems your true colors are no longer blue or yellow, they'll eventually erode and reveal themselves as beige and black. You are a hypocrite of a Human, the biggest liar to even this entire tournament. End your game of hide and seek, Yinlong... End it or I will reveal to them all who you are, MYSELF!"

(With the ear deafening echoes of "MYSELF" forcing Yinlong to awaken from his consciousness, he'd pant and breathe heavily while sweating and his eyes shaking as he looked around and was out of his mind and was still at the tournament, unaware of how much time has passed.)

"Yinlong: ...Holy shit... How much time passed...?"

(As Yinlong then picked himself up, he'd hear the crowd roaring for a decisive victory as Rosemary was seen walking away from the ring, coated in blood as she's won her match by fatality, approaching her was her small Animatronic ally, Lexie whom would hug Rosemary's bloody body and looked up with a smile on her victory.)

"Lexie (Race: Animatronic | Rosemary's Companion | Sinner Rating: 4 Stars): Congratulations, Rosemary! You've made it past the qualifiers!"
"Rosemary: Yeah, I did. But look at you Lexie, you got blood all over your clothes now..!"
"Lexie: Hehehe! I know, but I had to come down and congratulate you!"
"Rosemary: Come on, lets get you cleaned up."

(With Yinlong unexpectedly hearing and seeing a more caring side of Rosemary, he'd pretend he did not hear or see anything as he took one look at the tournament board, realizing multiple other matches has passed and realized his match was just up next as the night has fallen to the tournament matches as only one remained, Yinlong being the main event match.)

"Ruked: Yinlong, you're awake."
"Yinlong: Ruked, you're still here?"
"Ruked: I had to stay behind to find out how Rosemary would've fought and it's as expected. She's still using her own polearm."
"Yinlong: Her own polearm?"
"Ruked: A Six Star creation that even at full power can level an entire Realm off balance. The Piercing Point is what the polearm is called. All she has to do is exhaust you and for every clash with her weapon, the sharper the blade becomes. Adding onto her electricity manipulation, it's what the polearm needs in order for it to do that to the ring..."

(As Yinlong took one look at the ring, he'd see a splatter of red everywhere while the crater of the ring was massive, thus was fixed within seconds thanks to the female Referee.)

"Yinlong: ..Rosemary did that..?"
"Ruked: Seeing it happen to someone else was terrifying enough. "Piercing Sky Thrust", the move that incapacitated Imani Noki and shut off her 4th Awakening... This was my first time ever seeing such a move and even I have to admit, I'm shaking just thinking about it."
"Yinlong: ...Its unavoidable that I'll be fighting her in the same bracket. What else did I even miss..?"
"Ruked: A lot actually. Burleigh advanced into the tournament, at least five members of the Heroic Crusaders joined the tournament and three Militia Admirals. The Admirals are going to be an issue."
"Yinlong: Admirals..?"
"Ruked: Michi, Admiral and Region Captain. Somehow, he's already fully awakened the Kitsune race and has hasn't even needed the 4th Awakening."
"Yinlong: An awakened Kitsune in the tournament..?"
"Ruked: It only gets worst, I was skeptical of what a Werewolf could do for fighting, but I got them figured out at last. Werewolves are heavily reliant on speed, once they fight at night, they can use their transformation at will if they wanted to. But if it's a Full Moon..."
"Yinlong: Their stats increases almost drastically."
"Ruked: Exactly. That Werewolf is another Admiral, Toraike. It seems like, he was only using his 3rd Awakening too.
"Yinlong: I see."
"Ruked: Yinlong, I wish you nothing but luck throughout this entire tournament. Because from here on out, things will be getting more difficult for the rest of the Southern Bracket."
"Yinlong: Thank you, Ruked."
"Male Ring Announcer: Ladies and Gentlemen, we've been informed by the overseers of the tournament that the final match will take place tomorrow morning due to the fatigue of our fans! Do not fret for tomorrow morning will be tonight's main event with YINLONG, headlining!"

(With fans cheering on the name of Yinlong, he'd feel some relief that the tournament has been held back until tomorrow morning. Allowing him more time to come up with a plan before tomorrow morning. As Yinlong returned to Worldly Conquest Academy dormitory by his Warp Earring, he was thinking of heading back inside before sneaking away from the cameras, sitting in a dark ditch behind the dormitory as he sat down and thought to himself for a while.)

"Yinlong: ..."

(With a long moment to ponder to himself, he was then approached by a hoodie-wearing student as well.)

"Male Student: Excuse me, you're um.. sitting in my spot."
"Yinlong: ..Oh. Sorry."

(With him politely moving out of the way, the two would sit together in silence before the student would then pull out a box of cigarettes, smoking one at a time.)

"Male Student: Does the smoke bother you?"
"Yinlong: No, not at all. Please feel free."
"Male Student: You're normally not like yourself, Yinlong."
"Yinlong: You were able to tell..?"
"Male Student: I keep an eye on everyone in this academy. But something's troubling you in your head there, wanna talk about it?"
"Yinlong: Just uh.. Some high stakes were put on the line throughout my entire life."
"Male Student: Hm?"
"Yinlong: Its something you probably wouldn't get, don't worry..."
"Male Student: Ah that's okay, you're not the only one with high stakes. If I don't graduate this academy, I'd be cut from my family's funding. They find me a disgrace for choosing to choose the life of a Stray."
"Yinlong: W-wait, are you a royal by any chance?
"Khasa Ruozhi (Race: Dragon | Royal Prince | Sinner Rating: ???): I am, My name is Khasa Ruozhi."
"Yinlong: Khasa? But you look more... masculine than what the name originates."
"Khasa: My mother was expecting a female heir to the throne... But were displeased when I came out the womb, so she gave me the name and believed I should dress more.. "lady-like"."
"Yinlong: Hm. They may be your family, but who's to decide your life? You're a colleague of mines and I refuse for you to feel entrapped to your family's beliefs."
"Khasa: Huh?"
"Yinlong: Allowing your own life to be controlled proves you've already surrendered. You're a Dragon, a powerful being with the strength to back up whatever you say. But it's time you actually unlocked that confidence to stand up for your own needs, wants and desires. If you want to be seen as a man, say you'll become a man. If you want to be seen as a woman, say you'll become a woman.
"Khasa: ...You're right."
"Yinlong: I thought so. Well, it's getting late. I appreciate you for checking on me."

(With Yinlong then leaving to return to the dorms, Khasa then halted him for a moment.)

"Khasa: W-Wait! Yinlong, for helping me, I'll help you back. Your first match for the tournament? It's versus another Royal Prince, the Tregonwell Prince."

(Surprised at the unexpected information, Yinlong could finally feel more calm, realizing he could sleep peacefully by realizing who exactly he's facing for his first match.)

"Yinlong: ...The information is very useful, thank you Khasa."

(As the two then separated for the night and Yinlong returned to the dorms, he would then enter his dorm eventually was welcomed back by Thalassa being introduced to a manga by Nerata.)

"Thalassa: Yinlong! Welcome home!"
"Yinlong: Hey, you two."
"Nerata: Hey Yinlong! I found your old manga collection, I managed to get Thalassa intrigued into our kind of thing!"
"Yinlong: Wait- IS THAT MY KLEACH COLLECTION?!"
"Thalassa: ...Yinlong, most of these women in this manga are more... attributed than I expected. Is this the kind of style you'd like from a woman?"
"Yinlong: GEH- I..- I uh... What's with such a question..?! You know I'm not looking for a certain style or looking to be with someone right now!"

(Thalassa would then ponder over Yinlong's reaction and answer before yawning for thinking too hard, leading to boring herself out immediately.)

"Thalassa: Oh.. Sorry Yinlong, I've must've thought too hard.."
"Yinlong: I-It's alright.. Anyway, I should get some rest, my fight's been rescheduled to tomorrow morning."
"Nerata & Thalassa: Night Yinlong!"

(With Yinlong exiting his dorm's living room and enters his bedroom, Thalassa was even more curious about Yinlong.)

"Nerata: Thalassy, what was that question just now?"
"Thalassa: Well, I've been sleep for so long I got curious."
"Nerata: ..Wait, could it be... You like Yinlong?~"
"Thalassa: Is it wrong for me to?"

(Shocking Nerata, she'd cover her mouth as Thalassa was confused on her reaction.)

"Nerata: How are you not flustered?!"
"Thalassa: I don't feel a need too. If you like someone, you don't need to hesitate to show respect towards them."
"Nerata: I-..So do you respect Yinlong, or do you like him..?"
"Thalassa: I respect him, what else could you mean?"
"Nerata: Oh.. I just thought you had feelings for him..."
"Thalassa: ..."

(Thalassa would stifle her laugh before openly laughing off of Nerata's belief.)

"Thalassa: Oh, Nerata... Even if I were to fall in love, I'm afraid I'm too old for someone as young as Yinlong as young as I look and sound."
"Nerata: Wha?!"

(With Nerata and Thalassa continuing to conversate late in the night, Yinlong was peacefully resting until tomorrow, prepared for battle tomorrow morning.)