Chapter 60: Tournament

Ryo returned to his guest chamber, sighing deeply as he thought about the conversation from earlier. The talk of marriage had once again left him in a difficult position. He already had four fiancées, and now they wanted to add two more? The Elf Princess and the Dwarven Princess. He simply lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"I don't know what to do anymore," he muttered to himself before closing his eyes.

Morning came, marking the second day of the tournament. Today would feature the elimination rounds and semi-finals. As Ryo entered the audience chamber, the excitement in the air was palpable. The Vampire Lord sat on his throne, looking eager.

"Looks like we're in for something new today," he commented.

The Demon Lord and Dragon Emperor simply nodded, while the Elven Queen remained silent, her face etched with concern for her daughter. The Dwarven Chieftain, however, was frowning as he inspected the artifact maintaining the barrier around the arena.

"Something is wrong with the artifact," he muttered.

The Elf Queen nodded in agreement. "It does seem unstable."

Ryo, sensing the unease, casually raised his hand and layered another barrier over the existing one.

"There, that should ensure the safety of the audience," he said nonchalantly.

The officials nodded in gratitude, and with that, the tournament resumed.

The first match of the day featured the Elf Princess, Lyra Vaelwyn, against a renowned warrior from the Demon Continent. The warrior, a towering figure with dark crimson skin and a massive greatsword, grinned as he cracked his knuckles.

"Let's see if elves are really as graceful in battle as they claim," he taunted.

Lyra remained calm, drawing her twin enchanted daggers. The moment the match began, she vanished from sight. Moving with breathtaking agility, she danced around her opponent, striking with precise, lightning-fast cuts. The demon warrior roared, swinging his sword with brutal strength, but Lyra was always a step ahead.

She infused her blades with wind magic, creating razor-sharp gusts that cut deep into her opponent's defenses. Within moments, she landed a decisive strike to his neck, stopping just short of a lethal blow. The barrier around the arena shimmered, signaling the end of the match.

"Winner, Lyra Vaelwyn!" the announcer declared.

The audience erupted in cheers, and Lyra gave a graceful bow before leaving the arena.

Next was a battle between the Dwarven Princess, Hilda Ironfist, and a powerful human knight. Hilda, shorter but stockier than her opponent, wielded a massive warhammer. The human knight, clad in silver armor, raised his sword in salute before the fight began.

The match started with the knight using speed and technique to his advantage, landing a few glancing blows. But Hilda, unfazed, activated her earth magic, anchoring herself like an immovable mountain. Her counterattack was fierce, every swing of her warhammer causing tremors in the ground.

When the knight lunged for a decisive strike, Hilda parried with surprising dexterity and slammed her warhammer into his chest, sending him flying. The match was over in an instant.

"Winner, Hilda Ironfist!" the announcer declared.

The crowd cheered once more, impressed by her sheer power.

The third match was one that drew even more excitement—the fight between a mysterious cloaked warrior and a prodigy from the Beastkin tribes. The beastkin, a lion-like warrior, cracked his knuckles and grinned.

"Come at me with all you've got," he growled.

The cloaked warrior remained silent, simply nodding. As soon as the match began, the beastkin exploded forward, his claws glowing with magic. However, his opponent sidestepped effortlessly, countering with a single precise strike to the stomach that sent the beastkin skidding across the arena.

The beastkin growled and got up, charging once more. This time, he used his full transformation, growing larger and faster. But once again, the cloaked warrior avoided every attack with perfect precision before landing a final blow to the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.

"Winner, the Cloaked Warrior!"

Ryo, watching from his seat, narrowed his eyes. That warrior was suspiciously skilled. Almost too skilled. He made a mental note to investigate later.

The next match was a battle between two warriors from rival noble families, each wielding powerful elemental magic. The battle was fierce, with flames and ice clashing mid-air, shaking the entire arena. In the end, the fire-wielding warrior emerged victorious, standing amidst the steam created by their battle.

After several more fights, it was time for the semi-finals. Lyra Vaelwyn stepped into the arena once more, this time against the Cloaked Warrior. The moment the match began, Lyra unleashed a flurry of rapid slashes, but the warrior dodged every attack with unnatural ease. Frustrated, she used her wind magic to create a hurricane-like vortex around her opponent, trying to suffocate him with sheer speed and pressure.

But the Cloaked Warrior simply raised a hand, dispersing the wind with a simple motion. Then, with a single movement, he struck Lyra's stomach, sending her flying into the arena wall. She tried to rise, but the impact had knocked the wind out of her.

"Winner, the Cloaked Warrior!"

The audience fell into hushed whispers. Who was this mysterious fighter?

The second semi-final match was Hilda Ironfist against the fire-wielding noble. Unlike Lyra, Hilda relied on her brute strength, and her battle was a spectacle of raw power versus magic. The noble sent waves of fire at her, but she charged through them with her natural resistance. In a matter of minutes, she landed a devastating hammer strike, sending her opponent out of bounds.

"Winner, Hilda Ironfist!"

With that, the stage was set for the final match: The Cloaked Warrior vs. Hilda Ironfist.

Ryo leaned forward in his seat, intrigued. Something about the Cloaked Warrior felt odd. He had a feeling that the final match would be anything but ordinary.