Sacred Arts

11. Tournament Continues

The twenty-four-hour rest period was coming to an end and the remaining warriors began to stand up, eagerly waiting for their next set of instructions. Master Shawn, after a brief pause, addressed the two hundred remaining warriors. "Attention everyone!" Master Shawn announced. "The final phase of the tournament will consist of multiple rounds, starting with the first round where each warrior will engage in a single match, and the loser will be eliminated." "Death is strictly prohibited, and the matches will end by either knocking the opponent out of bounds, rendering them unconscious, or by them admitting defeat," Master Shawn continued, emphasizing the importance of safety.

"Lots will be drawn on each platform, this time ranging from one to twenty-five." "Warriors that occupy the same platform and draw the same number will battle one another, resulting in the winner moving forward in the tournament." "The battles will continue until all fighters on every platform have fought in the first round." "You may all begin drawing your lots," Master Shawn said as he sat down with the other two masters. One by one, warriors on all four platforms went to draw their lots, and soon after, battles on all four platforms started.

As hours passed, fierce battles unfolded on all four platforms. Match after match, warriors were either rendered unconscious, knocked out of bounds, or immediately admitted defeat when faced with opponents ranked within the last year's top fifty. Amon's match had ended almost as quickly as it had begun, with him triumphantly knocking his opponent straight off the platform. Matthew and Jess also emerged victorious in their matches, meaning that they ended up progressing further in the tournament. As the first round approached its end, the anticipation for the start of the second round of the tournament grew.

With twenty-five warriors remaining on each platform, only one hundred fighters out of the initial five hundred remained. "Now that there are only one hundred warriors left, all four platforms will now be merged into one grand stage," Master Shawn declared. "As you all probably guessed, you all will draw lots again." "This time the numbers will range from one to fifty." "I don't mean to make anyone nervous, but this round will determine our academy's top fifty warriors this year," Master Shawn added grinning.

"You may begin!" Master Shawn's voice boomed, igniting a sense of nervous excitement among the remaining fighters. Match after match, the warriors fought fiercely to secure their positions within the top fifty. Many of the previous year's top fifty continued to dominate, every so often facing each other, resulting in the higher-ranked fighter emerging victorious. "I guess I'm next," Amon said, eagerly looking down at his piece of paper, which bore the number thirty-four on it. With the thirty-third match reaching its end, it was now time for Amon's battle.

Stepping onto the center of the stage, Amon's opponent joined him. Amon respectfully bowed, while his opponent frowned, taunting him arrogantly. "Aren't you going to admit defeat?" the bulky warrior asked. "Are you delusional?" "Who are you?" Amon responded confidently as he took a fighting stance. "Who am I?" his opponent remarked sarcastically. "My name is Justin Lane, and I was ranked number thirty in last year's tournament," he said smirking with superiority. "You can't win," he declared.

Whispers spread among the spectators, labeling Justin as someone not to be underestimated. "I don't know where you get your confidence from with such a low level of cultivation," Justin said, mocking Amon's strength. "You couldn't even make me break a sweat with such limited power," he continued. "You talk a lot, how about we just wait and see," Amon replied as he unleashed his aura. Amon unleashed an energy blast towards Justin, who countered with a blast of his own.

The collision between the two blasts produced a resounding boom, causing energy waves to ripple in every direction. "I give it to you, you aren't half bad chump," Justin said, impressed, before charging towards Amon at full speed, launching a point-blank ranged energy blast with a sky grin on his face. "How about you try this?" Justin yelled as he sent his energy blast at Amon. In a split second, Amon utilized his "Whispering Wind" technique, swiftly evading to the side of the blast and countering with his own energy blast.

Caught off guard by the distance between them, Justin was too slow to react, resulting in Amon's blast pushing him backwards, sending him tumbling across the stage. "There's no way you can be this strong with such a low cultivation level," Justin yelled with frustration on his face. "You should be beneath me," he said through gritted teeth, as he rose to his feet. Determined, Justin mustered all his strength for a final attack, intensifying his aura and intimidating those below his cultivation level. "Let's see how well you do against my full power," Justin yelled angrily.

Undeterred, Amon stood firm, with his eyes closed. With a sudden surge of energy, Amon's aura intensified, matching Justin's ferocity. Opening his eyes, Amon's aura continued to rise intensely. "With all my power, I will defeat all of yours!" Amon declared, preparing his energy blast. Both fighters roared furiously as they unleashed their energy blasts towards one another. The clash between blasts resulted in crackling noises, each blast fighting for dominance.

Neither blast seemed to gain the upper hand. Panic began to creep into Justin's heart as sweat trickled down his face, as he realized he didn't have the stamina to continue this clash indefinitely. "I'm not sure how long I can keep this up, but I should be able to outlast someone who's at a lower cultivation than I am," Justin thought to himself. Remaining calm, Amon let out another roar, channeling a surge of energy that completely engulfed Justin's blast, overpowering it and hurtling towards Justin. The blast struck Justin, propelling him off the stage with a resounding yell, landing with a thud on the floor.

Amon, still composed, calmly walked off the stage as if nothing had happened. "He talked way too much," Amon whispered to himself, shaking his head. In the following matches, Jess faced her opponent in the forty-sixth match ands emerged victorious with ease. Her opponent, who didn't make it into the top fifty in the previous year's tournament, proved no match for her skills. Matthew also experienced good fortune, winning his fight against an opponent who hadn't ranked in the top fifty the previous year.

As the forty-eighth match ended, the next two matches ended quickly, with the previous year's top ranked fighters easily defeating their opponents, who admitted defeat without a fight. "Ok everyone, all fifty matches have ended, and all the remaining warriors will be given a twenty-four-hour rest period before the next round begins," Master Shawn announced. The crowd cheered and celebrated the new top fifty warriors. "I can't believe we actually did it," Jess thought, smiling. "The next round will determine the top twenty-five warriors," Master Shawn added before taking his seat. Amon and the other forty-nine warriors sat in cross-legged positions, focused on cultivating their strength and raising their power even just a little before the next round began.