Gathering of Powerhouses

Inside the Imperial Palace, three powerhouses have gathered in the throne room. The might of these three individuals could be said to be the strongest on the continent, each of them holds the power to destroy a small army single-handedly. Beside them were their aides, their most trusted companion.

The silence in the room was deafening, not one person was moving. Any wrong move made, could be seen as a weakness and be taken advantage of.

"Hahahahahaha!" The booming sound of laughter broke the silence. "How many times have we done this, yet you guys are still so stiff." A man with neatly trimmed beard clutched his belly laughing. He had an enormous build and his muscles were defined under the room's light. The garment he wore was lined with jewelries and the aura he gave off was that of an emperor.

Sitting around the round table was Human King, Manik Verdias Mirthstar. He was wearing his red and black king's robe and was sitting in a laid-back position.

On the opposite side of him was Lyra Krauthemier, the Queen of all Elves. She was stunningly beautiful, and the flowery dress she wore enhanced that image. Every move she made attracted attention and she savors every moment of it.

At the front was the Vampire Lord, Emperor Vulcan Nox Tepes.

"Your Imperial Majesty, Emperor Vulcan, we greet thee." Manik and Lyra bowed.

"Ah, has it been a year already? Time sure flies by fast. Every year is the same isn't it? We always win the tournament. I'm sure this year will not be any different." Vulcan said with a smug look.

"I beg to differ, Your Majesty," Manik interjected from the side.

"Oh ho? What made you so confident? Have you finally resorted to that method and enhanced your subjects?" The tension in the room rose. "Do you really think, that anyone from your puny kingdom can beat my son? He had 5 consecutive wins, and he's not about to stop now, anyone you put against him will be destroyed." Vulcan boasted.

"For some reason, i feel pretty confident about this year, maybe the fates have finally looked kindly upon us and gave us a chance to win." Manik said.

"That is pretty cocky statement coming from someone like you. No one from your kingdom had won the tournament in years, what makes you think this will be any different. I look forward to your 𝘢𝘤𝘦."

"Are you willing to bet on this year's winner?"

"What are we talking about here. Money? Land? Power?"

"Taxes. If i win, no taxes for 2 year, but if i were to lose, double the taxes on our kingdom for 2 years. How about that?" Manik said confidently.

"Pfffffffffffffft" Lyra who was drinking her tea while watching the drama unfold forcefully spit out her tea. She widened her eyes at the unbelievable bet that she just heard Manik make. Vulcan too was in disbelief.

"You are willing to bet on a kid to decide the fate of the entire kingdom? Just who is he that you have such unshaking confidence?" The emperor's eyes lit up with interest.

"You will just have to find out yourself," Manik placed a finger on his lips and smiled mysteriously.

--

"AACHOOO!" Eric rubbed his nose as he finished the last of his stretches.

"You alright? It'll be bad if you catch a cold before the big event," Anastasia asked worriedly.

Eric was currently thinking of what elements he was going to use for the tournament. Using four was definitely out of the question, no one in the past few centuries had ever wielded four elements, not even the dragonians themselves were able to.

Using three would raise a lot of questions, but Eric felt that to win this tournament, he will have to use every possible advantage he had right now. He will just have to deal with the questions later.

**

[Name: Eric Pendragon]

[Race: Dragon (weakened)]

[Age: 8500]

[8th Circle - Supreme]

[Advanced Warrior]

[Sword Art - Way of the Morningstar]

[Magic: Fire (green), Earth, Lighting, Magma, Summoning Arts, Gravity, ??? (sealed)]

[Ability: Eye of Truth, Devour, Colossus Strength, Telepathy, Greater Healing, ??? (sealed)]

[Word: ??? (sealed)]

**

Looking at his magics, Eric had to carefully plan out his approach.

Fire was a must as it counters vampires and elves. Although not all vampires and elves were weak to fire, most of them were afraid of it. Earth and magma were too slow against the speed and agility based races like them.

The remaining magics left were, lighting, summoning arts and gravity. Summoning arts was not even in the equation. Eric felt that if he were to show Alpyhn to the world, he might as well paint a big fat target on his head, as everyone would want to snatch her into their possession once they discovered her existence. He was not yet powerful enough to defend himself and her from all that.

The final three magics that he decided on was: Fire, Lighting and Gravity.

The ceiling above him suddenly opened and light shone through, illuminating the dust particles in the air. The noise around him gradually became louder as he realized that the floor beneath him was lifting him up.

As he reached the very top, the full blast of the cheering from the audience hit him. Finding himself in the middle of a Grand Colosseum reminded him of the old days.

The last time he was in one, was thousands of years ago, when he was fighting for the title of King. The sight of ten thousand people watching him pumped his blood full of adrenaline. He unconsciously let out a tiny bit of dragonic aura, scaring the combatants around him.

THUMP THUMP

"Lords and ladies, may i have your attention, before we begin the Inter-Kingdom Tournament, let us greet the Three Monarchs!" The announcer gathered everyone's attention. "First, let us welcome His Imperial Majesty, Our Great Emperor, Vulcan Nox Tepes! His magnificent vision led us to where we are today!"

-WOOHOOOOOOO

All vampires clapped and stomped their feet, they bowed and even shed some tears. In their eyes, Emperor Vulcan was a god-like figure, and just looking at him gave them immense satisfaction.

"Next we have the Queen of all Elves, Lyra Krauthemier herself. With her unmatched beauty, who can possibly compare to her! It is an honor just to look upon you!"

All the men in the colosseum cheered and swooned over her, their counterparts rolled their eyes in annoyance. Even Eric was not spared from her lovely appearance. There was a sudden urge growing within him.

"And last but not least, the human that reached the peak, the pride of humanity, King Manik Verdias Mirthstar! As the ultimate exemplar of the human race, there is no one better to look up to than him!"

As the three monarchs got seated at the very top of the colosseum, the spectators finally manage to calm down.

"Now as you all have been waiting for, let's get into the heart of the event! Our combatants are ready and prepared to go. Before we start, let me explain the rules!

Rule 1, all weapons, magics and items are allowed!

Rule 2, the match will only end when the combatants shows the intent to surrender, or when they are unable to keep fighting!

Rule 3, the last and most important of all, NO KILLING!

Now on to the match! Our very first event, Royal Rumble! We have thirty combatants, the last eight that remains standing will move on to the next round! NOW LET US BEGIN THE MATCH!"

Just as the announcer completed his sentence, the gaze of every combatant instantaneously shot to Eric.