Chapter 194: Team Crimson Heart

Chapter 194: Team Crimson Heart

After making Reptilian Saint die of his own fears, Sasha is victorious, and now Zeth must take on the captain of team “Underworld Reptiles.”

“It’s too bad that we didn’t get to see all the horrible things that he experienced that made him die of fear!” Zonbi announces.

Sasha snaps her fingers. The monsters she created from Zonbi’s zombies sink into pools of black magic beneath them and vanish. Zonbi raises her hand, and Reptilian Saint’s corpse twitches before rising again as a zombie. It shambles forward and drops into the pit below.

The crowd remains frozen in shock, not used to this kind of finisher.

“Remind me not to piss her off!” one demon mutters.

“Yeah, I’d hate to die like that!” another replies, several others nodding in agreement.

Sasha walks back to her team.

“I don’t know what horrors he went through, but it made even me shiver a bit,” Zeth says.

Sasha smiles and giggles. “Don’t worry. There are perks to being on the same side as me, and avoiding death by nightmare is one of them.”

Zeth laughs. “True. Well, I guess I’m up.”

He steps onto the arena floor, facing the furious captain of team “Underworld Reptiles.”

Captain of Team “Underworld Reptiles” – Chop Claw. Magic Rank – Mid B-Rank.

“I clearly overestimated the strength of my team,” Chop Claw growls.

Captain of Team “Heaven’s Destiny” – Zeth. Magic Rank – Mid B-Rank.

“Or you actually underestimated the strength of my team,” Zeth replies sternly.

“Then how about I destroy you and show you why I am right! I, Chop Claw, will defeat your entire team! If I am wrong, I will surrender. But either way, I will still kill you first!”

“Don’t think it will be easy!”

They launch forward at the same time.

Chop Claw strikes first, slashing his claw vertically at Zeth, but Zeth blocks it effortlessly and immediately counters with a punch to Chop Claw’s face, his eyes widening as saliva splashes out. He retaliates with a series of strikes, landing a solid blow to Zeth’s shoulder and forcing him back.

“I’m sure you are in a lot of pain from that,” Chop Claw taunts.

Zeth straightens without urgency. “Not quite. I’m just getting started.”

He charges magic energy into his hand and fires a Star Shine Blast.

Chop Claw barely avoids it, but it holds his attention long enough for Zeth to jump above him unnoticed.

Zeth raises his fist upward before slamming it down into Chop Claw with overwhelming force, smashing him into the arena floor. The impact breaks the affected tiles, creating a small crater. Zeth lands in front of the crater, his eyes glaring with serious intent. Chop Claw struggles to rise, but he tries to respond, wrapping his tail around Zeth’s neck in desperation. However, Zeth tears it free and throws him across the arena.

Chop Claw’s body drags across the tile floor, scraping his body. He rises slowly, fury burning in his eyes. “At this point, I no longer care about the tournament! My pride is on the line!”

He launches magical constructs shaped like glowing hands toward Zeth, striking him and driving him back. He quickly shakes off any minor damage he may have taken.

“You shouldn’t even be able to stand after that!” Chop Claw shouts in disbelief.

“Your attacks don’t hurt as much as you would like to believe,” Zeth says coldly. “Face it, you’re a chump. Killing your own teammate who chose to live to fight another day doesn’t help your cause.”

“Shut up!”

“I don’t plan to allow you to leave this arena alive.”

Chop Claw roars and charges forward, but Zeth meets him head-on.

Zeth overwhelms him completely, striking faster than Chop Claw can react. His fists slam into Chop Claw again and again, each blow more devastating than the last. Chop Claw tries to counter, but Zeth crushes every attempt effortlessly.

Zeth grabs his tail, spins him around with increasing speed, and finally throws him across the arena once more.

Chop Claw lands at the edge of the arena, slightly hanging over the pit of zombies, who walk close to that edge and raise their arms in hopes of grabbing him. His body is battered and broken.

“As I said, you’re a joke,” Zeth states without a hint of mercy in his voice.

Zeth walks up to the wounded Chop Claw and glares down upon him.

“I was thinking I’d come into this first round needing to use a new technique I trained to use, but you’re not worth it,” Zeth says with an ice-cold tone.

Chop Claw drags his claws against the tiles, gritting his teeth. “You bastard… I will kill you! I swear it!”

Zeth widens his eyes just slightly, but still continues glaring as one simple word leaves his mouth. “No.”

He kicks Chop Claw into the pit.

Chop Claw screams in a mix of fury and despair as he lands in the middle of a group of zombies. He screams in agony as the zombies begin their feast. Zeth keeps his gaze down at the bottom of the pit for a few moments longer.

“The winner is Zeth!” Zonbi announces. “Team ‘Heaven’s Destiny’ moves on to the next round!”

The audience erupts in cheers, whistling and howling with satisfaction.

“Damn! The Light Goddess’s son is pretty cold-blooded, just kicking the guy into the pit like that!” one demon in the audience shouts.

“Give us more of that in the next round!” another demon in the audience shouts with a grin.

Zeth walks to the middle of the arena, looking around the entire stadium and gritting his teeth as his anger rises. Fed up with the cheers, Zeth roars in an outburst. “Enough!!!”

The audience finally quiets down, gazing at Zeth in surprise.

Zeth continues his outburst. “I’m not here to fulfill all of your twisted senses of entertainment!! I’m not even here by my own choice!!”

Crimson stands within the audience. He smiles in amusement at Zeth’s rant. He thinks, “Oh, Zeth. You might as well learn to enjoy yourself. No one here respects a goody-two-shoes.”

Zeth’s rant concludes with, “I’m here to win and save a friend! Nothing more! If you assholes don’t like that, you can boo all you want! I don’t give a damn!”

With that, Zeth walks back toward his team. The crowd begins loudly booing, and Zeth raises his middle fingers at them all in response.

“That’s a lame attitude!” one demon in the audience shouts.

“What good is a tournament if the losers don’t die in brutal fashion!?” another demon yells.

Zonbi announces, “Oh my! After Zeth’s massive outburst, the crowd is showing their disapproval at his unpopular opinion! And he doesn’t care one bit, showing them all the double bird!”

As Zeth gets back to his team, Sasha giggles, saying, “I quite enjoyed your rant. Flipping them off was a nice way to show you don’t give a damn about these morons either.”

“It was certainly a rant to drink to,” Keith says with a goofy grin.

“A rant to drink to?” Emily questions. “You may need to cut back on the alcohol.”

“Anyway, where are Joe and Kurt?” Zeth asks.

“Their injuries required medical attention,” Emily replies. “They may not be available for the next round.”

Zeth places his hand up to his chin. “If that’s the case, we’re going to need to be more strategic in the next round. Let’s watch the remainder of this round.”

On the other side of the arena, Air Flame, the only surviving member of the other team, heads back into the tunnel. He thinks, “Jeez, maybe these guys are for real. At least I’m walking out of here alive.”

***

In the VIP suites.

“Fascinating,” Sue says with a curious smile. “The Light Goddess’s son is more skilled than I expected given his lost divinity.”

Sergon glares at Zeth, sticking out his forked tongue. He thinks, “Zeth, I couldn’t think of anything the Dark Goddess would approve of more than you lying dead here. You won’t leave this tournament alive.”

Sue turns her head toward Sergon. “You got something to say, Sergon? You usually have some kind of reply to anything I say.”

“Nothing in particular about him,” Sergon lies. “We’ll see how far he gets.”

***

A bit later.

Zeth, Sasha, Emily, and Keith stand among the crowd, watching the remaining teams fight. Zeth’s expression remains serious, focusing on and analyzing every movement in the arena.

He thinks, “What team are you on, Crimson? We’re not leaving this tournament without finally settling our consumption.”

***

After watching the remainder of the first round, it was the last match that caught the heroes’ attention.

“The last match of the first round is here!” Zonbi announces excitedly. “It’s ‘Crimson Heart’ versus ‘Gale Force’!”

Both teams step onto the arena.

Zeth’s eyes immediately lock onto a familiar person.

Captain of Team “Crimson Heart” – Crimson.

Zeth narrows his eyes as he focuses on Crimson. “So that’s the team Crimson is on? Well, I guess the team name makes sense.”

The first match features Crimson Heart’s Breakneck. He may or may not be a demon.

Breakneck steps forward. He stands six feet tall with a muscular frame, his bare chest exposed. His black hair hangs forward in loose strands that reach as low as his nose, while the rest trails down the back of his head. Something about his expression makes him seem drunk.

His humanoid opponent lunges forward, but Breakneck throws a single punch, breaking the opponent’s bones. The force travels upward until the opponent’s head completely breaks off and flies away from the body. The corpse collapses.

“Breakneck is the winner!” Zonbi announces. “Crimson Heart takes the first match!”

***

The second match features Crimson Heart’s Nasan. She also may or may not be a demon.

Nasan walks forward slowly. She stands six feet tall. Her long unkempt black hair spreads out wildly in every direction. Her expression is unhinged, a combination of psychotic and sadistic.

Her humanoid opponent barely has time to react as she thrusts her hand forward, piercing straight through his torso. Without hesitation, she pulls her arm back out, dragging his intestines with it.

The opponent collapses.

“That was absolutely gruesome, but also awesome!!” Zonbi announces. “Nasan wins the match!”

***

The third match features Crimson Heart’s Kudo.

Kudo adjusts his suit and tie as he steps forward. He is a demon who appears almost human, his black hair neatly kept. His sharp teeth and pointed ears reveal his true demon nature.

He moves with precision. A series of punches and kicks overwhelms his bulky humanoid opponent. Then, with one final strike, he releases a massive burst of energy from his fist.

It punches straight through his opponent’s stomach, leaving a gaping hole.

“You can never go wrong with blowing a hole in your enemy’s body!!” Zonbi announces. “Kudo wins and gives Crimson Heart their third win in a row!!”

***

The fourth match features Crimson Heart’s Yoru.

Yoru floats forward, her entire form concealed beneath a dark, floating blanket. No limbs are visible. No face. Only darkness.

She rises above her humanoid opponent. In the next instant, her opponent’s upper body vanishes completely. The lower half collapses to the ground.

“I have no idea what Yoru did, but her opponent is missing his upper body and is now dead!!” Zonbi announces. “Yoru wins!! Crimson Heart is closing in on victory!!”

***

The fifth match features Crimson Heart’s Izado. He may or may not be a demon.

Izado steps forward, towering at six feet, four inches. Black armor covers his body, a cape flowing behind him. His full black beard and hair give him a commanding presence.

He raises his hand. A massive block of magic forms high above his quadrupedal opponent.

It crashes down instantly, crushing the opponent beneath it.

“Ouch!! That had to hurt!!” Zonbi announces. “Izado smashes his way to victory!! Crimson Heart is one win away from advancing to the next round!!”

***

The final match features Crimson.

Crimson walks forward. He says nothing, appearing more concentrated than usual. He kneels and presses his hand into the arena tiles.

The ground beneath his humanoid opponent suddenly erupts upward in an explosion. The opponent jumps in surprise, but Crimson’s attack continues. The tiles explode into countless fragments. Each piece launches forward at a fast speed. They slice through the opponent’s body.

In seconds, he is cut to pieces.

“This was a fast one, folks!” Zonbi announces. “Team ‘Crimson Heart’ advances to the next round easily! The next round starts in two days!”

Zeth stares at Crimson, his expression dark. “Damn. His team is far more skilled than the one we fought. How did Crimson put together such an impressive team? Even he looks far more skilled than he was before.”

“Not only that, he fought without saying a single word,” Sasha adds.

Zeth nods slowly. “You’re right. Every time we have seen him, he’s very arrogant and talkative. Did he undergo some self-reflection?”

***

Meanwhile.

Air Flame walks through a hallway, heading for the stadium’s exit. However, blocking his path is Sergon, standing imposingly.

“Can I help you?” Air Flame asks with slight annoyance. “I’m trying to leave.”

“Yessss,” Sergon hisses with a grin. “You can help my stomach!”

Air Flame’s eyes widen. “Huh!? What!?”

Sergon lunges forward with mouth wide open.

Air Flame screams, “What are you doing!!!!?”

The snake’s ulterior motive…

Chapter 194 END

To be Continued in Chapter 195: Poleon Investigation Report