Kill The Old Ones!

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14 people were left after the previous round, and ’they just so happened to be’ people from reputable backgrounds.

At this point, the organizers could deny it as much as they could, but nobody would believe them. They manipulated the draws; everybody with a functioning brain could tell that.

But then again, nobody’s complaining. If the big names clashed in the preliminaries, the hype for the following rounds would die down, and that’s not really good for the momentum and spirit of this tournament. That’s why even if people knew, nobody insists on the right thing.

Well, there are a few, of course. Some people just don’t get it. But they are drowned out by the excitement of the rest, so their voices aren’t heard.

After the previous one, everybody was told that the semi-finals will continue tomorrow. The tournament was supposed to go on for three days, after all.

Some were upset, but not that much. Those who watched the tournament live left the coliseum to return to their hotels and temporary lodgings. They will be back tomorrow. Those who are watching from home changed channels or returned to their work.

As for the remaining participants, they were to stay within the coliseum. They are not permitted to step out of it for the remainder of the tournament. Not unless they are eliminated.

If they do, they will be disqualified.

They can’t go home for a bit to fetch something they might’ve forgotten, they can’t go shopping, can’t leave the premises, etc.

If their family members want to visit them, they have to pass through numerous layers of security. Even after they did, they could only talk for an hour and half each day. Family members aren’t allowed to give anything to the participants, be that food, water, items, or anything else. Even chatting online or phone calls will be limited.

The sustenance of the participants comes directly from the organizers, personally under the strict observation of the city lord’s office.

All of this was to ensure that there would be no foul play. No performance-enhancing drugs or potions, no cheating gadgets, no sudden power-ups, and no sudden advantages.

Participants are also not allowed to make a sudden breakthrough unless they absolutely couldn’t help it. This goes especially well for the peak Pulse Awakening martial artists.

They can’t just suddenly break through the Inhuman Realm in the middle of the tournament to gain an advantage. Whether it happens intentionally or unintentionally, they will be disqualified on the spot. That’s non-negotiable.

Every participant was given a full month to prepare. That was more than enough time for them to have everything that they will need coming into this tournament. They have no excuses to need more, especially for the whole three-day duration of the tournament.

All of them have been informed of this earlier. As in at the very moment they accepted the invitation. So, really, they have no excuse.

Ren was fine on all counts. He informed Mikel and Alex of the strict rules, and they, too, have no problems with it.

Even though he was technically trapped within the coliseum for the next two days, honestly, it wasn’t so bad.

The temporary accommodations were more than good. He had a big room with a nice bed and plenty of space to move around. His online activity was being monitored, yes, but he had nothing to hide, so he’s fine with that.

He doesn’t have to worry about food or drinks, either. He could order as much as he wants, and he won’t hear any complaints from the staff; they won’t ask him to pay either since they’re provided for free.

Honestly, what’s not to like?

He even had access to a small but private training room attached to his room. He’s got more than he’ll ever need for the remainder of his stay.

Aside from this, he’s also free to roam the coliseum. Of course, there are some places that he’s not allowed to come to, but the large part of the area is free for him to explore.

Ren wasn’t feeling up for exploration, though. It’s not like there’s much to see in this place. It’s just an arena for high-profiled matches. Aside from the Hall of Fame, there’s nothing else worth his time here.

So, he just stayed inside and watched movies.

He’s got no access to VR here, so once it was late enough, he went straight to sleep.

The morning after, he woke up early, did his morning routine, and stayed in his room until an hour before the continuation of the tournament.

When he arrived at the waiting room, Ren could already feel the tension in the air, and he could also hear the excited murmurs of the crowd from all the way here.

The semi-final rounds will take up the whole day. And tomorrow will be the grand finals.

”Salutations, everybody! And welcome back to the Inter City Youth Martial Tournament Semi-Finals! Once again, I am your host, Edgar Caster—ever so excited to be here!”

”Come on, everybody! Make some noise! Let me feel your energy! Let our semi-finalists feel your passion and support for them! Raise those banners! Cheer! Celebrate! This is a huge event that might never happen again!”

Edgar did his magic again, riling up the crowd and shaking the whole coliseum. His voice and the crowd’s energy reached the waiting room and added more pressure to the semi-finalists.

”Whooo! Awesome!”

”Now, let’s get straight to the juicy part.”

”The semi-finals, and the grand finals for that matter, will be a bunch of 1v1 fights. We’d get to see our semi-finalists display their strength and skill with more clarity and detail because of this.”

”Same rules apply as before. No intentional permanent harm, maiming, or disfigurement is allowed. Killing is strictly prohibited. If the referees interfere, the fight stops.”

”One wins if their opponent loses the ability to continue the fight, is sent off the stage for more than fifteen seconds, or loses consciousness.”

”That’s pretty much it! The rest is common sense that I believe our dear semi-finalists have.”

”Now, without any further ado, let’s begin the draws!”

Behind Edgar, the massive screen flashed a light and displayed two separate boxes. Each box acts as a wheel that flashes the faces of the semi-finalists.

At his signal, the draw began. The wait before the reveal was tense, but eventually, it slowed down and revealed the first pair that will go up the stage.

’Oh, wow. How cruel.’ Ren nearly lost his composure after he saw the results.

The boxes displayed the picture of the pair that will open the semi-final rounds. One was male; the other was female.

The male was Adrian Valerius Arclight, heir of the Sword Saint Clan and commonly known as Central City’s Young Sword King.

The female was the representative of the Scarlet Blossom Sect—Rosalie Vespera.

Ren bit back a smirk as he watched the atmosphere in the waiting room instantly shift after the reveal.

The Young Sword King thought nothing of it. He met eyes with one of the staff members, who gestured for him to enter a tunnel. Adrian wordlessly nodded and walked away.

Meanwhile, Rosalie felt like she just lost two pints of blood. Her fellow sect representatives were doing their best to show their support, but their faces looked bad too.

”What shitty luck,” she cursed in a whisper, but the room was so quiet that everybody heard her.

There was a trace of despair and unwillingness on her face. She looked as if she were going to protest anytime soon but couldn’t.

In the end, she dragged her body towards the staff who led her to the opposite tunnel from the one that Adrian entered.

It wasn’t just the participants who were caught off-guard by this draw. A lot of people in the audience felt the same way. The ones that protested loudly were, of course, those who came from the Scarlet Blossom Sect.

They accused the draw of being rigged and unfair. Demanding to have another one.

Alas, their voices were drowned by the hype of the crowd.

The fans of the Young Sword King were more than enough to completely submerge their indignant protests to a hush. So much so that they couldn’t even hear themselves.

They lost all hope when Edgar hyped the crowd and practically rolled down a red carpet for Adrian to walk on as he welcomed him to the stage. The hype was visibly less when he introduced Rosalie.

The poor girl looked as if she were about to cry. Probably wondering who the hell did she offend for her to match up with a monster, and for their fight to be the god damned opening for the semi-final rounds.

When they both got up on the stage, a flash of blue light encased the arena, preventing the noise outside from reaching them. They won’t hear the cheers, the boos, or Edgar’s commentary about their fight. The only noise they’ll hear will be coming from them.

A countdown flashed above them. And Rosalie shakily prepared herself for the worse.

Adrian, being the gentleman that he is, just brought out his trusted sword. Before the countdown ends, he told her one thing:

”Show off everything that you got.”