The competition begins!

The next day, Elsie arrived at the festival with her companions who were naturally Zarin and Olive.

She was bedecked in a short long-sleeved armor-like dress pinched at the waist, with a V-neckline and a black boot.

Her white hair was as usual tied up in a ponytail with two strands falling over her face.

And Olive, she was as usual outfitted in her midriff-baring sleeveless top and a black leather pant. Her brown curly hair was let down and indeed it attained waist length.

As for Zarin, he has clad in a black robe pinched at the waist and black pants with his hair messily tied up.

The festival was being held at the nucleus of the city and currently, at this moment the center of the city was bustling with people dressed in their best and exquisite clothing, looking adequate.

They encircled the center of the city, each person taking their seat when they arrived. For the youths who were to participate in the martial competition, they had their special seat.

The governor of Belighted city, clad in order mandatory black with a wolf-pet cape sat under a grand canopy with a smirk on his lips. His short hair was which was perfectly shaped and combed made him look suave.

Beside him seated a suave-looking young man swathed in an expensive leather pant and blue shirt which he left three of its buttons open, slightly baring his chest. His not-so-short hair was neatly done and made him look very impressive. He was the governor's son.

After most of the people in the city has ensconced in the center of the city, with a smile hanging on his lips, the governor stood up from his grand chair and stepped forward. His eyes darted around, eyeing the hundreds of the surrounding people.

His smile broadened as he placed his hand behind his back, "I am very delighted to see my people here once again during this festival and I hope it ends joyously," He darted his eyes once again, and it unknowingly halted on Elsie and her companions. "You all know that this competition is a life and death competition, your child could lose his or her life in this competition. So I hope everyone is well prepared. I won't like to waste too much time, the competitors should amble forward!"

The moment the competitors heard his command, they all stood up including Elsie and her companions and marched forward into the center of the open ground so all the surrounding people could see them vividly.

They stood on a one-line queue, each team standing in their line as there was a total of eight lines having three people in each of them.

Elsie was standing in the front while Olive stood in the middle and Zarin stood at the back of their straight line.

The governor waved his hand and the sentries surrounding his canopy walked towards the competitors with what looked like waist cuff in their hands.

The competitors blinked as confusion could be seen in their eyes. Elsie narrowed her eyes as she knitted her brows. What was that waist cuff for? Are they going to wear it on them?

In no time Elsie's questions were answered. The sentries were buckling the waist cuff which had a long chain connected to it on their waist.

The competitors could not help but glance at their waist and realized that there was a chain connecting through their waist cuff to their companion's waist cuff. This was so that, if any of them fell the others will fall with him or her.

"Shit! how the fuck are we supposed to battle with this chain connected to our waist cuff! This means if ya was to fall, then Zarin and I will fall with you!" Olive grunted furiously. What was this? These people are damned crazy!

"Well, we have to face it. All we have to do is cooperate and I believe we will be fine," Elsie took a deep sigh. She didn't think that this competition will be this dangerous! It would have been okay without the chain connecting the three of them, that they can't move without the other following behind. But it was too late to turn back now!

All the competitors took a deep breath and readied themselves when they saw the governor stride back to his grand chair and majestically sit down.

He waved his hand and his guard standing beside him ambled forward, "Ready!"

The competitors drew their weapons as different flames of green, yellow, red, and orange emitted in the surrounding. The highest cultivators there were the fifth level cultivators just like Zarin and Olive and the lowest was Elsie's who was a second level cultivator, Yellow star level.

The surrounding crowd was dumbfounded when they saw the yellow flames on Elsie's body.

What would a yellow star-level cultivator be doing there?

Is she courting death or what?

Or maybe she's tired of leaving?

Poor girl! The crowd shooked their head in pity. Alas! a beauty will be lost today!

Elsie who heard their comments ignored them, and with her two swords in her hand, she readied herself. Who said she was courting death? True she was just a second-level cultivator but she is confident enough to say she can battle off a third-level cultivator with her cultivation and will still hold on a bit when battling a fourth-level cultivator.

She turned to look at Olive and Zarin and gave them a nod, "Fighting!" They nodded back with a smile on their lips, "Fighting!"

All the competitors took their battling stance and perked up at the personal sentry of the governor who narrowed his eyes and roared, "Begin!!!"

All of the competitors stomped their legs on the concrete ground and with an explosive force, they leaped up in mid-air at the equivalent time and landed into the dueling ring.

They vigilantly watched each other and with a roar, they sprinted towards each other, clashing their weapons with another's weapon.

They leaped up in mid-air sending kicks and punches to each other.

Elsie who saw the leg of a female third-level cultivator flying towards her, swung her sword, cutting off the leg of the cultivator which resulted in her plummeting from mid-air with a shriek, dragging her companions down with her.

"Bend!!" Olive unexpectedly roared and Elsie and Zarin unhesitantly bent down in unison with her, circumventing the combined weapons of their opponents.

They straightened up and with a swing of their weapons in unison, they slit their opponents in half, and with the eyes of their opponents wide open, their lower body plummeted from mid-air followed by their upper body.

Elsie breathed heavily. Did she just kill someone? She was surprised that she didn't get the overwhelming urge to puke! This was her first time killing for god sake!

"Elsie!!" Zamiel howled her name and snapped her back to reality. Without thinking, she swiveled around followed by Olive and Zarin who swiveled with her and slit the neck of the opponent striking towards her.

The opponent's eyes dilated and her head rolled off, followed by her body which plummeted from the sky dragging her companions down with her.

Elsie glanced at her bleeding shoulder which has been slit and couldn't help but wince in pain. The sword of the cultivator she just killed had slit her shoulder before she slaughtered her.

......

MC NOTE:

So... I had my first kill here and I promise you guys, I! have! never! killed! before!. Even I have no idea why I didn't puke... hehe maybe.... You guys should read on.